My Health Wake-Up Call

We’re calling this the summer I got my health back on track… The pandemic, coupled with some major lifestyle changes, and also just generally getting older has had me itching to find a primary care doctor. Through a referral from a friend, I found a clinic that focuses more on preventative care, versus your traditional primary care. With most primary care in our country, you get 10 minutes with your doctor and as long as all metrics and bloodwork look ‘fine,’ you’re good to go and out the door.

At the clinic I’m going to, I was able to get A LOT of bloodwork done (basically every blood test you can run) and had an hour-long telehealth appointment a few weeks later to discuss my results. And boy oh boy was I in for a bit of a rude awakening!

Getting Bloodwork Done

Ever since I can remember, I’ve passed out whenever I’ve gotten my blood drawn. The stories are humorous now that so much time has passed… From me convulsing and the doctor sticking himself with my needle when I was in high school (and the doctor’s office calling my moms office and saying ‘Good news, your daughter doesn’t have AIDS!’) to passing out while volunteering at a blood drive in college to me trying to switch jobs in NYC and going to urgent care because I needed a doctors note when I was interviewing, and them wanting to draw blood and me fainting in their office.

Needless to say, I’ve avoided getting my blood drawn at all costs over the last decade. Before last month, I’m fairly certain it had been since that time in NYC in 2013, making it ten years ago. And they were only checking for mono, so the last time I had a thorough panel of blood work done was probably in 2007 or 2008 when I had a health scare with my lymph nodes and that’s when the doctor accidentally stuck himself with my needle.

My Diagnosis (/es)

Where to begin… We’re fairly certain I have PCOS. While I’m not currently trying to get pregnant, it is something Dave and I would like to have on the table to consider in the future. At my current state, I don’t think I would be able to conceive so I’m trying to take all the steps to turn things around.

I also have Metabolic Syndrome, high blood sugar, dangerously high cholesterol levels, and a potential autoimmune Thyroid issue that I’ll need to keep an eye on, as well.

I was like… 😱 ANYTHING ELSE?? 

Yes, actually. I also had an InBody scan done and I’m technically overweight with my BMI, my visceral fat level is high, and my PBF (percent body fat) is even higher. Cool, cool, cool.

What Treatment Looks Like

Luckily, most of this can be treated with diet, exercise, and medication.

I’ve started wearing a CGM (continuous glucose monitor), keeping a food/exercise log to go along with it, and meeting with my doctor on a weekly basis (virtually) to go over everything. She prescribed me the Abbott Freestyle Libre 2 and I’m using the coordinating app to go along with it.

My Oura ring is also coming in handy to layer in that daily data (sleep, activity, heart rate, heart rate variability) with my glucose data and food notes.

I’m focused on increasing my protein, healthy fats, and fiber intake, as well as lowering my intake of sugar, carbs, and processed foods. I’m also trying to do intermittent fasting at least three days a week. 

While I’m not on a diet per se, once you start connecting the dots of what spikes your glucose, you want to make better choices. She also recommended that I read this book!

This process has reminded me of a book I read back in 2017, so I’ve been dipping back into it for smoothie recipes and meal ideas.

I’m finally kicking my expensive LiquidIV habit and switching to LMNT instead, as it doesn’t break your fast or spike your glucose. I’ve also ordered allllll of the supplements that my doctor has recommended and will be adding those to my diet, as well. (Mainly Omega 3s and a shit ton of vitamins.)

Email me if you’re interested in learning more about the practice I’m going to, I’m happy to share the details!

How Did I Get Here?

When I think about myself, it’s almost as if I think back to myself in my late twenties, as if the last few years haven’t happened. I’m turning 34 in a month, but it feels like I should be 29, like
I was the last summer before the pandemic. It’s almost the same way I will always think of my little brothers or younger cousins from a time in childhood, versus their current state. Does that make sense to anyone else? It very well could just be me. 🤷‍♀️

Back in the summer of 2019, I was definitely my most fit. I was cooking most meals for myself, working out ~5 times a week, and feeling my best in my clothes. Unrelated, but by that fall, I was also at my worst when it came to my mental health. With various things going on in my social, familial, and romantic lives, I had hit another low that fall (after a pretty rocky three years) and knew I needed to get on medication.

In January 2020, I was seeing a psychiatrist and figuring out which medicine and dosage would work for me and by February, I was starting to feel better! And then we all know what March of 2020 brought… Our lives completely changed, or at least they did here in Chicago.

I was doing my best to work out at home (Bless you, Housework!) and still trying to cook healthy meals when I wasn’t ordering in to support my favorite local restaurants.

I decided to get back on the dating apps in September 2020 and met Dave shortly thereafter. Dave is a phenomenal cook and since restaurants weren’t open and it was too cold to dine outdoors after a month, we had all of our future dates at his place. He’d cook dinner, I’d make a coordinating cocktail, and we’d finish the meal with a bottle (or two) of wine. Rinse and repeat almost every day because there wasn’t much else you could do!

Over the next year or so, there were lots of changes with work that led to some very low points and needing to adjust my medicine again, and many living situation changes, as well. And then last year, yet another big change when Dave and I bought a place and moved in together. When I stop to reflect, there has just been A LOT happening and it’s no surprise that taking care of my body and my physical health has completely fallen to the wayside.

Diet & Exercise

Have I managed to get on the Peloton and do a workout once a week? Sure. Have I also had brief two or three-week stints where I’m getting back in a groove and incorporating other workout classes with ClassPass? Yes, but it’s never lasted once I’ve let life get in the way.

Back in 2019 and before, working out was something that came naturally without much thought! I rarely felt like I had to convince myself, it was just something I did and worked into my schedule without question. My ankle injury in 2017 put a lot of things in perspective and definitely changed some of my workout behaviors for the best.

The biggest problem, though, has been my diet. I definitely haven’t cooked a meal for myself in the last year that I’ve lived with Dave, but very rarely in the last two-three years. While I used to be so mindful of what I was putting into my body, I really haven’t thought about it since meeting Dave. I’ve gotten entirely too comfortable with splurging, eating whatever’s around, and ‘treating’ myself that it’s become my norm.

It was a pretty big shock to realize I’ve gained 30 lbs since that last summer in 2019 when I think back to life ‘before.’ When you’re gradually gaining ~10 pounds/year, I guess it just kind of sneaks up on you. Yes, I’ve had to go up a size, and then another one, but it was relatively slow and I blamed it on 100 other things.

When I wasn’t drinking for a few months earlier this year, I realized that I was compensating in a bunch of different ways. Since I wasn’t having sugar or the empty calories from wine, I was all about the sweets. Dessert menu? Yes, please. Baking cookies on a Saturday night? It became the norm.

While I’m all about l-i-v-i-n-g life and not depriving myself of anything, I’ve really just let it get out of hand these last few years and taken it a little too far.

What’s Next

Much like I sometimes think of myself as the 2019 version in my head, that’s how I roll when it comes to my health, too. “I’m healthy. I work out.” My clothes not fitting and not loving what I see in pictures over the last few years has felt defeating, but whenever I would make a healthy choice and not immediately see a result, I just chalked it up to getting older. (I’d think things like, “Back in my 20s, I could do a few workouts and eat a few salads and feel back to normal.”)

I’ve felt so frustrated by not feeling like I have control over my body, but it wasn’t until I started going back and reading some of my old blog posts that I realized just how regimented I was before. Keeping a log of what I’m eating and drinking, re-reading nutrition labels, and meeting with my doctor each week to discuss how food affects my blood sugar levels has all felt very liberating in a way. So much of this IS in my control, I just have to take that control back.

I’m self-conscious that this post will come across as if I’m not in support of the body-positive movement, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. My focus is on my health, longevity, and getting back to feeling like the best version of myself! Just like all bodies come in different shapes and sizes, let’s remember that what feels good for someone can be different from what’s right for someone else. ❤️