A chat about my health journey and the importance of advocating for your health and making YOU a priority!
Your health is important. My health is important, and I was recently reminded that we can all get busy doing all the things- working a job, raising our kids, taking care of family members, paying bills, planning for the future, studying, etc... but if we don't make our health a priority, nothing else will matter. Health is wealth, right?
In 2003 I had my first son Alex. The pregnancy was easy, but I ended up having a c-section in August and in September I had a gallbladder attack and was rushed to the emergency room to have my gallbladder removed. I recovered well and life went on with no major health concerns. In 2008, I was desperate to get out of Indiana, as I felt trapped and stagnant. It was as if I was literally suffocating in a place that I knew I shouldn't be. So one day Alex and I packed up the car and drove to Gainesville, FL. I'll let you in on a little secret...we planned on moving to Miami, but made it to Gainesville and stayed there LOL. We loved Florida but being away from all of our family and friends was hard and I started to pick up some weight. By 2010 I was over 301 pounds and my primary care physician recommend weight loss surgery. I met with a surgeon who told me that I was "the healthiest person over 300 pounds he had ever met." My blood pressure was perfect, no cholesterol issues, no diabetes, I was not taking any medications (prescription or OTC), my joints didn't hurt, I didn't have any gastrointestinal issues... I was just overweight.
I ended up being approved for surgery after a quick 30 minute meeting with a nutritionist, a 30 minute consultation with a therapist. I had surgery on November 29, 2010. The surgery itself went well, but my recovery was rough. I was sore for a LONG time but had to jump back into "life" before I should have as I was a single mom and had bills to pay. Things were ok for the first year or so and I was able to lose a little over 150 pounds. In 2011 I got pregnant with my 2nd son (Masen) and after he was born in 2012 things started to go downhill. In 2013 I ended up in the hospital with extremely low iron levels which resulted in a blood transfusion and several bags of IV iron. From there I became fatigued, exhausted, and my overall health was at a place that wasn't its best. In an attempt to get back to normal I was placed on iron supplements and started getting B12 injections every 2-4 weeks. In addition to dealing with my health issues, my long term relationship ended and my the boys and I ended up moving from Florida to Atlanta, GA. I once again found myself in a new city and with a demanding job that required more of me than I like to admit, and to be honest, I put my health on the back burner and focused solely on being a mom and advancing my career. In 2019 I once again found myself exhausted and was admitted to the hospital again for another blood transfusion and more IV iron.
Side note: after you have roux-en-y gastric bypass, your food bypasses the first part of your small intestines which helps with weight loss but can also cause malabsorption issues.
At that point the doctors confirmed my diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia and malabsorption issues due to weight loss surgery. It was discussed that I would likely need either iron infusion or high doses of iron supplements on a regular basis and to remain under the care of a hematologist for the rest of my life. Sounds like fun right? Not really!!
I started my current position in April of 2022 and my insurance benefits became live in May of 2022. I had my first appointment with a potential PCP in June...and we were not a fit for each other. Her priority was weight loss at our very first visit. She completely blew off my previous issues and instead talked about prescription weight loss pills and paying for some meal replacement shakes. In July of 2022 I went to an allergist as I have this constant, non-stop sniffle. They ran labs as part of the initial work-up and called me because my ferritin levels were low at a 5. Normal ferritin levels for a woman is usually between 11 and 307. When I was previously admitted to the hospital my levels were at 3 in 2013 and at 5 in 2019. They recommended that I go to see a PCP, so I started my search again to find someone that would take my entire medical history into consideration when discussion my options. I found a female D.O. and had my first appointment in late July. Part of her initial visit was more labs to check basically everything, she also wanted me to do several ultrasounds and to make a long story short I got tied up with a potential thyroid issue which took several months to resolve. At the end of the day...my thyroid is fine, but all the thyroid talk overshadowed my iron issues. At my follow-up appointment we scheduled additional ultrasounds and even a pap smear but NOTHING related to my iron deficiency.
At the end of October I decided to take matter into my own hands and started calling around to Oncology Hematology clinics to see if someone would see me without a referral, and luckily I found my current hematologist. They pulled all my prior lab reports and and at my very FIRST appointment I received more answers and felt a sense of relief that I hadn't had in years. He explained all the issues that can occur when you have the roux-en-y procedure and how it is completely normal to experience malnutrition issues. He explained that he has several gastric bypass patients and understands not only the procedure itself but also the specific care that can be needed after surgery. Apparently insurance companies can give you the run around when getting approval for iron infusions, but the office worked hard and got everything covered and I had my first of six infusion on November 28th.
So now that I feel like I am on the right track with my iron, my thyroid is fine, and everything else seems to be ok...I have this new lease on life, and a true desire to live a healthy lifestyle which includes getting back to a healthy weight and working on my digestive issues...which is another post for another today. But what is healthy? What does it mean to be healthy? If you Google anything about health, or diet, or weight loss you will quickly become dizzy from all the competing arguments and scientific studies that provide totally opposite facts beneficial to each side. How can a vegan diet be healthy but a carnivore diet also be healthy? How can red meat cause cancer but also be one of the most nutritious foods available? How can eggs be full of dangerous cholesterol, yet be one of the best breakfast options? It is extremely challenging to piece together a meal plan or even form a solid opinion on what diet/nutrition path you may want to take. And what about weight loss?? Some people say that calorie counting is the only way, but if you don't eat carbs (keto diet)...calories don't matter, and if you chose a zero carb (carnivore) diet, calories really don't matter, but if you eat carbs you shouldn't eat fat...but if you remove carbs you need the fattiest meat options available? Like what in the world does all of that even mean? At the end of the day-- the term "healthy" will likely be described differently depending on who you ask, and it will all likely depend on the needs of each individual person, a mix of opinions and personal preferences, our past surgeries, experiences, religious beliefs, etc.
I say all of that to say that regardless of how you are feeling right now and what you may have been through in the past...you have to advocate for YOU in every aspect of life! Advocate for your health, advocate for your family, advocate for your children, advocate for your law school journey, advocate for yourself when you apply to that job, advocate for yourself in your resume and on that cover letter. We have to be our own biggest advocates and our own personal cheerleaders! There will be times when the support of others simply is NOT enough... and that is when we have to stand up for ourselves and get the job done!! From now on...the answer no is not an option. If one door closes, we have to either find another door, or build our own door! You know what I mean LOL, when it comes to your health, your family, and your future...we need to take on an "by any means necessary" type of attitude and advocate for what we really want (and need) in life!
In 2023 I want change and that means focusing on my overall health. My two words for 2023 are Consistency and Discipline. But can you have one without the other? I honestly don't think so. I recently heard it explained that without discipline, it is hard to stay consistent, and without consistency, you will not be disciplined...and I want to be both. I want to focus on consistency in my every day actions and discipline to be consistent with those actions even when I would rather do something else.
Do you have a focus word or words for 2023? If not, think about your 2023 goals and try to find one word or a few words that you can focus on whenever you feel off track or lose your motivation.
Discipline is consistency of action. -James C. Colins
With all that being said...now is the time my friends to really dig in and plan/prepare for 2023. We don't have to wait for January 1 to start a new habit and while having a "resolution" is great, I would rather we all have a solid plan and a true roadmap on how we are going to get to where we want to be at the end of 2023! Next week's post will be a short one and will likely focus on some post-holiday motivation and the following week we will talk about 2023 goals and how to create a plan of action to reach those goals!
Have a great rest of the week and a HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
