Friday, May 15, 2009

Graduation Day

So yesterday I had my last appointment with my nutritionist. Looking at the numbers (even slightly elevated) she said I had the diabetes in control. In fact she said that the higher numbers were within margin of error and it was a strong possibility that my numbers hadn't changed at all. The only thing that was holding me back from graduating was my blood pressure. The water pill I'm taking is doing the trick and my blood pressure is 78/116 below the 80/130 that is the goal. It's so funny how I cling to the structures that are keeping me healthy. My nutritionist happily told me that I could probably stop taking my blood sugar medication and could stop checking my blood sugar since as long as I was eating what I allow myself to eat my blood sugar is fine. I told her I would cut my blood sugar medication in half by the end of the summer and try to go off of it by the end of the year.

It's scary to think that I wouldn't need to take this stuff. It's a scary thought to think of myself as healthy. I wish the media would allow for such complexity. My nutritionist deemed me healthy. I have a chronic disease AND I'm healthy. In the same way that I can have severe allergies that I need to compensate for and still be healthy. Health is such a complex thing you know. It's not just what your body can and can't do (process sugar, keep its blood pressure reasonable) but what environment and support you create to address your body's strengths and weaknesses. Like the blog title says, it's a lifestyle.

P.S. This weekend I'm running Bay to Breakers. I've decided to change my costume and go as Aang the Avatar. I figured that had to be a benefit for being Asian and bald. Check it out:

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