Chris Heuer's Insytes

While I was overly transparent in dealing with my health crisis and fears of impending doom, I have not been talking about it as much lately. I did not intend it to become the primary conversation I was having with everyone, but it did. I just really wanted to express myself and get it off my chest so to speak, but I found a wealth of support, new knowledge and great advice in doing so – all unintended but very welcome consequences.

While I didn’t want to write about it or Utter about it at any length, I realized I should put out a post to share what we found out and what is going on now. Overall, my health is greatly improved since facing up to the fact that I am not invincible earlier this year. Specifically:

• Blood Pressure down to 128/76 from 149/90
• I lost 48 pounds since Jan 1, 2008
• Blood tests are all vastly improved, though I still need to watch my blood sugar

The tough news is that the years of bad diet and sometimes excessive drinking took its toll on my body, though some of it could be chalked up to the Giardiasis parasitic infection that I got in Mexico during my wedding. Regardless, I am now needing to be more careful with my diet to manage lactose intolerance, Diverticulosis and what the doctor still thinks is Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I drink a lot more water than I used to drink (some with Benefiber + Calcium) and I am working out several days a week.  I also see an acupuncturist regularly and try to get outside every day.

All in all, the biggest lesson that came from this is that no one is invincible and we truly do need to take good care of our bodies first and foremost. I wish I had truly understood this better when I was younger, particularly the part about the need for a high fiber diet and drinking lots of water. Then again, had I really understood the risks of getting diabetes from being overweight, I think that might have been enough motivation to get healthy earlier.

If you are overweight and not eating a healthy diet, please, I implore you, look into the consequences more closely and start to take better care of yourself. The pain and stress that my wife and I have had to endure over the past 4 months was just incredible. I am so very lucky to have such a strong and loving wife in my Kristie Wells. I don’t know that any other relationship could have survived this trauma (and the drama I created as a result).

While I have a lot of issues we have to manage for the rest of my life, thankfully it looks like we caught the major health issues just in time and everything should be just fine.