Peace of mind
September 23rd
After two days of A LOT of medical testing and visits to different doctors, I finally can breathe easier after my medical scare from Monday. Two different opinions from two different doctors told me the same — EKG shows a small problem with one of my heart valves, but at this point, the issue is minimal and doesn’t require any special medical treatment. Of course, it has to be monitored, and some more tests have to be done, but I don’t need to hurry up and can continue testing and consultations in October. I feel very relieved by this. I was scared for a while about any potential problems I might have from years of abusing my body and not caring about my health. Since I regained my sobriety and as an extension of my freedom, any health issues would be a serious setback for me. I might say I am lucky that health-wise I am in a good shape. Along with EKG, I had a battery of other tests done as well, and it seems that everything is in the normal range. A couple of results that were higher or lower than the prescribed range are small enough not to require any additional action from the side now.
Except for the cholesterol… It is significantly higher than it should be, and that was a concern for my doctor. Serious enough concern for her to start me on medication right away. Cholesterol is one of the problems that can lead to me developing more dangerous heart problems (along with family genetics and stress). Of course, I need to check and reevaluate my diet and eating habits — for example, I need to quit snacking on sweets right before bed. For next Tuesday, I was also scheduled for a glucose tolerance test to make sure exactly if I am a potential risk for diabetes (and that is another potential family genetics issue for me).
But I don’t mind all that — I feel good and relieved that there are no immediate problems with my heart. All other stuff — diet, exercising, stress relief — that can be done by me, I can make my choices and decisions regarding those issues. And decision here is easy — I will do everything possible to be healthy, I will fully follow any orders and recommendations from doctors. I have big plans for the years ahead of me, I need to be of the sound body (and mind) to achieve it.
