"The Path I took."

"The Path I took."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

My healthier path like the experience of a lot of my patients came from a health scare. A very high BP coupled with chest pain late evening on my birthday this year which caused me to stay in the MCU ER way past midnight.

My wife was behind me every step of the way. There was the "Purge" phase in our house where anything she deemed that would shorten my life was thrown away without hesitation. Setting up a healthy meal plan was daunting at first but she managed it along with her blossoming career. 

And so...My BP was controlled. My Sugar was controlled. My food intake was calculated and then controlled. I gave up carbonated drinks , foods high in sugar and sodium. I cut my meals from a lot to two times a day with the occasional "Cheat day". It was a lot of work but it did not seem like a lot of work as it was survival mode. Fight or Flight response. In January to February there was anxiety in my heart. Would I to follow the path that my parents took? The sudden passing from a heart attack?

My wife as stubborn as ever refused. And so did my daughter. And like I said back then. They wanted me to be around and so to do I want to be around them. For longer if possible.

And so I added walking. Not jogging. Not running. Walking. And all the along the way as the pounds seemed to melt away and the BP and Sugar spikes became a thing of the past my family supported me and cheered me on. My Wife would exclaim "Oh My God Baby...76kgs ka na!"

A far distance from the 88kgs that I used to be 4 months ago. And fitting into clothes that I never thought possible again and my wife buying me better clothes because the old ones made me look like I needed more food hahahaha

And along this path I have found something else. Something I never thought possible. Hope. That I can overcome. That I can live longer than my genetics wanted to determine. I am 48 now. I will be writing more than a decade or more from now. One day I too will read this and say. I overcame.