so i love this whole idea of health. I love to study it, to talk about it, to listen to others’ ideas and theories. I love to be active and to be outdoors, and to be surrounded by like-minded people.
but one thing you might not know is that i haven’t seen a doctor in 8 years. I know, I know. It’s time, isn’t it?
for years I’ve admired from afar the whole area of functional medicine and one Grand Rapids-based office in particular. I’ve gone to their free seminars (the first monday evening of each month), and recently I went with a friend for her follow-up appointment after her new patient evaluation. i loved it. i love what they do, how they do it, and why they do it.
and i finally decided that it’s time. i scheduled an appointment and i am beyond excited to be there and to find out the results of my own evaluation.
what brought on this sudden decision to get back in the habit of seeing a doctor? well, i’ve always had very mild moments of dizziness. aside from that one time in college it never lasted more than a few seconds, so i figured it wasn’t really an issue. my mom always thought otherwise and she would often let me know that it would be a good idea to see a doctor about it. but i would soon forget her suggestion and be on to the next exciting, light-hearted thing.
the dizziness, this time though, was debilitating. i could hardly stand for a minute before feeling nauseous. i was convinced that i had the flu. it felt that way. i thought for sure i was minutes or at least hours away from losing the day’s food. i got home from work, got into bed by 5pm, and was planning to be in bed for the weekend. but that night, i didn’t throw up. in fact i was ravenously hungry only a couple of hours later, and since i have never experienced an appetite with the flu, i concluded that the flu was an impossibility. so, with iPhone in hand, google and i set out to find answers. by 10pm, my bed had accumulated some tortilla chip crumbs and i had found 2 things: low blood pressure and anemia (aka low iron). these two things made the most sense, considering i have been eating a mostly plant-based diet for the past few years. so the next day, i did go to work, a few hours late, but i felt much better. i ate eggs for breakfast, pork and raisins for lunch, and dark chocolate + pumpkin seeds for a snack. after eating all of these high-iron foods, drinking lots of water with lemon, and doing my best to rest, i felt good.
still it wasn’t until lindsey sat with me at qdoba after church that next sunday and encouraged me (with all of her motherly wisdom) to see a doctor. she was right. and i already had an office in mind.
so i’m excited, eager, to learn a few things about my body and what changes i may need to make. did i mention that i’m excited.
i
can’t
wait.
i can’t wait to be better than i am.
keep up the good work, my friends, or if you have changes to make as well,
by all means, take a step in that direction.
and be well.
❤
wish to be well 