What I've been up to recently, aside from reading

Well, living. Not just living in the most basic sense of the word, but trying to live healthily, both physically and mentally.

A month ago, the 26th of May to be exact, I got confined to the hospital due to a constantly elevated blood pressure of 220/120. Of course, they also took my vitals. The results were shocking. My heart rate was over 100 beats per minute, and my weight was 225 lbs., which was way, way, way over than the ideal 160 lbs. for my height of 5' 9".

My cardiologist (now one of my favorite persons in the whole world) told me that I need to make drastic lifestyle changes. Otherwise, I will literally die young. If my BP weren't diagnosed, I could've have toppled over and suffer a stroke any time, or probably have a heart attack. Up to now, this thought gives me nightmares.

A dietitian was also recommended to me. At first, she explained that I need to have a low-fat and low-salt diet. Seeing the list of food items to avoid was enough to make me cry: bacon, cream cheese, processed meat, butter, coffee, nuts, chocolate, full cream milk, instant noodles to name a few. Basically all the good and yummy stuff.

Then during the second time my dietitian visited me, she explained that my cardiologist wanted me to also have a strict 1,500-calorie-per-day diet. Good thing that she had resources for me, handouts telling me how many servings (or exchanges) of a certain food I can have per meal. I never knew that some fruits can have high caloric content. Mangoes and grapes, for example.

When I got discharged from the hospital after 3 days, I had the resolve to beat this. I thought I was way too young (even though I turned 40 this year) to have these medical conditions. Prior to my medical confinement, I had absolutely no intention of losing weight. That would be too much trouble. And losing weight means work and a lot of sacrifices. I'm not prepared to not have dessert! I love cupcakes too much.

But off to living healthier I did. I started to walk more, to use the stairs more often. Just small things that somehow seem to add up. Good thing I love walking. Now it's just a matter of adding more minutes to it. Now I walk continuously for 30 minutes every day, sometimes even to an hour if I can afford it.

And don't get me started on fancy diets. I decided early on that I will not follow a diet that's expensive, involves medication, requires exotic food, and is too fussy to implement. I also vowed not to totally deprive myself.

I discovered the wonders of portion control. It really is a marvelous thing. When we eat out, rather than having food wrapped to go at the end of the meal, I immediately get a small portion and have the waitstaff wrap everything else. This way, I don't see all the temptation in front of me. I was given a really evil hamburger (with a 1/3-pound beef patty) in the office last week. I made it last for 4 days, eating just a quarter of it every day as a snack.

I did give up junk food altogether, and also all kinds of soda, whether it's 'light' or sugar-free. I haven't touched a potato chip nor gotten near ice cream and cake for the past 4 weeks. Some days I do miss having something really salty though. So it hasn't always been easy. But as I've said, I'm determined to put on a fight.

I eat every time I go hungry though. But now, instead of just blindly eating (or eating just about anything I can get my hands on), I've become conscious of my snacking habits. Thank goodness for apples and slices of whole wheat bread. I now have these as a staple in my bag. Apples are a godsend: low in calories and yet very filling.

Oh, and sleep! I have never slept so deeply in years! Apparently, losing on sleep makes you prone to obesity and can cause problems if you have hypertension. I now try to get as much as 7 hours of sleep every night. It did cut my reading time though. But oh well, I've no complaints.

My weight's down to 201 lbs. this week. My BP's relatively stable at 120/80. My heart rate's a bit lower too, at 80. And I do feel lighter and less fatigued. I just couldn't be happier.

The battle is far from over though. I still see my cardiologist on a regular basis. And I have to undergo a few tests every now and then. I just did my first ever treadmill and stress test this week, and I found out that I'm at 96% capacity. So I've been cleared to do most forms of exercise.

Somehow, I can't believe that I'm experiencing all these things on the year I turned 40. If my life truly 'began' at this age, then I can't wait what it has to offer in the coming years.

The requisite 'before' and 'after' picture
4 weeks, baby!
One day, I'll be able to eat that cupcake again without the guilt.

No reading done inside the hospital room

Painful, painful IV line

This week started with a kind of crazy that begs to be written about. Monday, after lunch, I found myself heading to my dentist for an appointment. As per their protocol, they had to take my blood pressure because I needed some serious work done on my teeth. Lo, my BP was 220 over 120! Yikes!

So instead of having some dental work done, I ended up under the care of a general practitioner who was so worked up over my BP that she constantly checked me every 15 minutes. After 2 rounds of medication, with my BP showing no signs of going down, she referred me to the emergency room of the nearest  hospital.

Naturally, I just laughed it off. How serious could it be? Somehow, when the doctor said that my BP was just the right level to make me predisposed to having a stroke, that fell on deaf ears. So I took my time going to the ER, even stopping by at a convenience store to get a snack.

When I got to the ER and showed the referral slip from the doctor, I was confused as to why they were shoving this wheelchair to my face and asking me to get on it. It was at this time that it sunk—my BP screwed me over, and it was really as serious as people said. Well, life can suck vacuum cleaners.

My time at the ER was surreal. Never would I imagine myself being on a bed and wheeled from one test to another. There was radiology, lots of blood work, an ultrasound of sorts. I kept telling the staff that I can walk, really. But they wouldn't have none of it. For them, I'm just a ticking time bomb. I'm the guy who can literally have a heart attack at any moment.

Oh, I couldn't really get out of bed, much less go to the restroom to relieve myself. I had this IV thing and this electronic cuff which monitored my BP every 20 minutes or so. Kinda cool actually. But it did limit my movement. Most patients would just bring their IV to the restroom. I, on the other hand, couldn't do that. I had an electronic gadget attached to me, which required being plugged to work. So unless my numerous, lovable fat cells can produce voltage, I'm immobile while that monitoring thing is attached to me.

I was attached to this machine which showed my vitals.
Notice the BP of 140/87. Woot! Down from 220/120!
But of course, I was heavily medicated.

And so I got admitted to the hospital for 3 days. It was all a blur. Nurses coming and going. Doctors asking me the same questions. Kinda embarrassing to hear that I really needed to lose weight. Even more embarrassing—hearing that in front of your hospital guests. For some reason, every time a doctor comes in to give his or her advice, I would have guests. Ah, such is the mystery of life.

Anyway, I'm back home as I'm writing this. And I'm looking at the meal plan that my dietitian gave me. I'm supposed to stick to a low-salt and low-fat diet. (Good-bye, butter! Good-bye, bacon!) I also need to limit my caloric intake to 1,500 per day. Excuse me, before, I can consume 1,500 calories in just one meal.

You do lose weight when you get sick, right? But I didn't know that it would really be significant. When I was first admitted, I was 101 kilos. When I got out, I was only 98! Where could those 3 kilos go? I recall doing the number 2 just once. So it probably went somewhere. I guess being in a hospital sucks the life out of you, no? I just hope to never get back. Well, at least not any time soon.