This past week has been a "feel-good " week- it is not too common to inspire a patient to the point of lifestyle change and improvement. For every one success unfortunately there are many that still struggle.
For any change (present company included), you have to internalize what you want to change and, as I tell my patients, feel it within your soul. You have to get it, live it, and place it into the heart!
I have a 59 year old gentleman who is not a big fan about coming to the office. He has high blood pressure, and elevated sugar. After his last physical we talked about the consequences of uncontrolled health issues. He was already on blood pressure medicine with a need to increase the strength and possibly add on medicine for sugar/diabetes. We talked about lifestyle changes. He admitted that he really has not thought about what he eats and he has very little exercise. Being that he works from home, we instituted a lifestyle change. He is trained in statistics and enjoys data collection. We incorporated his strengths that he uses day-to-day at work into his lifestyle "make-over". He started charting and tracking his calories, grams or fat and salt, etc- He journeled his efforts and the results are amazing !! In February he weighed 207 and now 170. His blood pressure was 198/90 and now 130/66. He was particularly nervous in February and his average blood pressure prior was 170/80. Regardless, this is impressive.
I recommend thinking about what you do everyday with exercise, eating, and living. I have said that keeping a log and reflecting on the regularly will really help to bring to light what we are doing right and not so right.
If we don't watch ourselves, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney failure, etc can happen. So I say, " what will it take to make a change?" Don't wait till trouble knocks on the door....
I received a birthday party invitation from one of my patients today. It read, " I survived to celebrate another birthday!". This is 47 year old who had a very unusual presentation of an aneurysm in his lower abdomen. I thought is was some stomach flu. With perseverance, we made the diagnosis and after emergency surgery, he avoided a potentially life-ending rupture. Cheers!
