I think many of us – me included – can be guilty of not looking after our bodies as we perhaps should. I certainly have subjected my body to too many treats, while I try to fight my way back after three surgeries over a period of four years.
Because I have had limited mobility and a lot of pain issues, exercising has been problematic for those four years. As a consequence – and this is really no excuse – I have put on a significant amount of weight. I have a lot to lose and am not very happy at all with the way I look.
Recently, I went to see my Doctor and was talking about the pain in my back, my knee, my feet and just about every digit or joint. I could go on and on at length about my aches and pains and various diagnoses, but it would waste my time and yours for no useful reason.
What I do want to comment on though is my reaction to my visit to my Doctor today. When I had visited him previously we all agreed that the best thing for my back, my knees, my feet and my toes was to lose weight. This makes perfect sense of course . The things that are difficult for me to do, like doing up shoes, walking up hills and any extended attempts to mobilise, are going to be more painful and put more stress on my body when it is carrying a heavier load.
So this morning when I saw my GP, he asked how things were going with my trying to live healthier. I told him that we have been doing really well and being more mindful of what we eat. He asked if I would like to be weighed and I agreed it would be a good thing to do, to see how much progress I had made since I saw him a month ago. I got on the scales and saw the number on the scale and he said, “That’s really good! You have lost 4 kilos in a month.” I said that I was happy that he was pleased with my progress and he responded, “I’m not just pleased with you, I’m very proud of you. Well done!”
When I went to tell my husband about my GP’s response to my weight loss, I started to get a bit emotional and my voice quivered. My husband made a comment about my being a bit teary and I said to him, “I am a bit teary and I think I know why. It is because sometimes it feels like ages since anyone has had any good news for me relating to my body. To not only have lost weight and feeling better in myself, but for my GP to say he is proud of me, felt good”.
Sometimes, it does feel that at my age, myself and my friends’ topics of conversation revolve around what hurts, what we take to stop it hurting, operations when or if we have had them or are waiting for them and generally about what medications we take for all our ills.
So, it was lovely to have a conversation with my GP and walk out smiling for a change and not have any negative health news. It sometimes feels a long time since I have felt healthy, not so much about my Parkinson’s, but healthy in general.
I am determined to keep it up, so that I and those who love me will hopefully be even prouder of me, as I regain control over my body.
