I've been thinking all week how I think I need to blog about this. And whaddya know - there's a blog feature on here.
I've always been a little heavy, but...I've carried it well. I'm very active, and while I do enjoy healthy foods, I have the biggest downfall of what I call "after school snack syndrome". ASS Syndrome. Where as soon as I walk in my house, I eat. I don't know why. I come home from work, must eat. Come home from dinner even...and must snack. The good news is - I'm not home that often! But still - when I walk in the door, my brain triggers to raid the kitchen.
That's actually not why I'm writing. For the first time in my life - I actually feel unhealthy. Like things are wrong. In 2013, I was 9 lbs heavier than I am now...and I decided to give it one last try before just caving into the "I guess this is my life now" thought. And I did. I completely transformed my life in just a few months. By one year I was down 48 lbs and every aspect of my life - was wonderful. I felt ambitious, happy, glowing, muscular, downright passionate, and the better I did, the better I pushed my limits, and the more successes I had.
Then...I hurt my knee in November of 2015. Followed by family stresses in 2016 and the combination of those 2 things made me put on 20 lbs. "made me". It was hard though. I hurt myself during zumba - and I LOVE zumba. To date, I still can't move the way I used to....but it's a lot better. Still disappointing.
So - this is silly. My friend and I decided (even though we aren't broke college students), that we would start donating plasma this year - she just went through a divorce, and I just remodeled my house, and we both want our debts paid off quick. So why not add a few hundred bucks a month and do a good deed at the same time?
After my 3rd or 4th donation....I noticed my ankles were swelling. Now...flashback - YEARS ago - I donated plasma - in my mid 20's....and while I thought it was unrelated, my ankles were swelling. I went to my Dr and he diagnosed me w/ Edema. We checked my sodium levels, my kidneys, my liver, and all checked out fine. While I have a desk job, I move around a lot, go to the gym daily, and exercise at night as well. In the end - he said "sometimes, people just get this and we don't know why". So he put me on hydrochlorothizide (and no - I never had high blood pressure) - and all has been fine for over a decade.
So back to where I was...my ankles were swellling - badly - like how they did years ago. Even with taking my meds - they weren't/aren't getting better. Then my iron dropped, and I've always had low iron to begin with. But even with taking a supplement, and trying to eat red meat, and leafy greens, it just keeps dropping. Also - during donations, ever since the swelling started, my veins keep collapsing, and they keep asking me if I'm dehydrated...but I'm not.
Then it dawned on me that the first time my ankles swelled like this - I had just started donating plasma. I've done some googling (dangerous I know) - and it looks like, from what I can tell - my albumin levels must me low, which can cause low iron, veins collapsing, dehydration, and edema.
So...the money isn't important. So I'm stopping, and I'm hoping that I cure myself! I've gained quite a bit of water weight since this and it actually scares me. So I'm drinking a TON more water to hopfully flush it out - and get my body back to normal. I mean - I got back to normal after the first time, so I hope to this time. (I should say that - I don't know 100% that this is the cause, but....awfully uncanny coincidences/timing...for most people it seems to be perfectly safe)
My point about getting serious (I'm rambling....) - granted, this is an unusual time/symptoms, but...I need to do better. I can't just stop this one thing - and be better. I need to get back where I was a few years ago...not by wishing it and working out all the time but not changing my eating habits.
It's embarrassing how often we say our plans and fail - we all do it - but we also succeed and no matter how many times we start over, success is success!
The difference I feel today...is that I don't feel gung-ho...(and I love when I do feel the gung-ho-ness)...instead....I just feel very serious. Like instead of "Yes, I'm going to do this, look at me go!!!" - which is great!!! I feel "this is what needs to happen in order for my life to turn around, and to be healthy".
This is the most rambly blog ever, I'm usually a good blogger! The other thing - my boyfriend died 10 years ago...from a heart attack. He was only 38 and not heavy. As I near that age myself....I can't help but get scared. This is our only body - and we need to take care of it. Cliche. But cliches exist for a reason.
I'm not just hoping for improvement. I'm vowing to create improvement.