aspir(al)ing

So What’s New?

Posted by terri | Filed under blogmeta, chub chub, health, heart, watashi

There is so much I want to chronicle regarding my journey in managing my diabetes, arthritis, and just my overall well being. I decided to do it in a microblog powered by Tumblr called terri-is.aspiraling. While that blog is meant to chronicle what’s currently going on, I want something on the record to show what I’ve done with myself for the past year as far as my health goes. I decided that I’ll just do the lazy thing and put nearly a year’s worth of updates in bullet points. If I ever find the time, I may, just may, elaborate. And if you have been reading my Twitter (which I update about 5 times a day) you might very well be up to date already.

I started using Nike+ in March 2009, about a week after my Diabetes diagnosis. I have a 2.5+mi route around my house which I have walked around since forever. I just made the commitment to go more often, but didn’t think that having a little thing in my shoe would motivate me to go farther and faster. Even when I was a “normal weight” prior to gaining a crapload of weight, I was never much of a runner. What became going once around my neighborhood route ended being 2x, then 3x, then 4x amounting to runs that were 10 miles long. And where I would l normally walk, I found myself jogging it. Almost one year after my first “workout” (as they call it), I have surpassed the 500 mile mark on Nike+. They really only care about kilometers, so the big landmark will be when I hit 1000kms. Almost there!

I ran the Great Aloha Run for 2010. I found it surprising that I jogged most of it and had so much fun doing it. That very morning, at the starting line, I was pretty sure I was going to just walk the whole thing just as I had the first and only time I did it back in 2004. When I saw the people jogging, I figured I might as well too. I think I walked the first quarter mile before jogging at 90 second intervals. By mile 4, I was jogging at 3 and a half minute intervals, followed by 90 seconds of brisk walking. I placed a respectable 500th out of the 1162 in my F30-34 category having done the 8.15 mile road race in 1h 45m 09s. (Official results are here.) It’s too bad that I hadn’t started jogging from the very beginning, but I’m still pretty proud of myself. I would definitely do it next year, and hope to do even better.

I have also started hiking more, but only on easily accessible trails like Diamond Head, Makapuu Lighthouse, and even Koko Head. I haven’t been adventurous in hiking the many trails we have here on the island because my sense of direction and balance are a real joke. I really think of these hikes as a way to relieve my stress and to, of course, get some exercise. Once upon a time, I used to actually hike Diamond Head every weekend (which a year ago, I couldn’t quite believe.) It turned out to be convenient this time around because I work in town and had days where I finished work at 3 or 4 in the afternoon, so it was something I could easily squeeze in. I have challenged myself to go multiple takes (usually 6) on the 99 stairs during my treks up the crater. My legs have definitely become conditioned to stairs as a result.

As of January 2010, I am off of diabetes medication. I had only been on them since being diagnosed in March, but I have managed to get off them because of my progress with diet and exercise. I have to say that it was the meds that made it possible for me to enjoy desserts every now and then, but in the long term, I know I can’t rely on drugs. We shall see what the blood tests show during my next checkup.

My arthritis has not spread to other joints since being diagnosed in June 2009. I had been prescribed several drugs, all which seemed to work, but I could not be kept on them for long term. Right now, I am on Enbrel, which may very well be working. This should be long-term except that the cost is rather exorbitant. I am so grateful for my employment because of my medical insurance. My health insurance pays for 90%, but even the 10% copay is still rather expensive. I am on a payment assistance program, but that appears to be short term. It’s kind of disappointing since this ailment is something I have to treat for the rest of my life, and I will have to rely on such expensive drugs. So as you can imagine, I’ve become so much more interested in healthcare reform these past several months. I guess that’s for another entry.

You may expect the answer to a question I’ve gotten since 2010 started: ”How much weight did you lose?” but to be honest, I don’t really know. There is a number I can give you from what my scale said in March 2009 and what it says today, but I would want to account for the muscle that I gained from running and hiking. I probably am thinner than when I was in college, but number-wise, I still weigh more than when I was “skinnier.” I definitely feel stronger than I have ever felt before, though my upper body strength is a joke. My elbow does still get sore, and so any attempts to exercise that part of my body usually gets thwarted rather quickly. With my arthritis under treatment, I will see if I can find some kind of means of working my upper body strength.

Having nothing to do with my ailments, but everything to do with my well being and happiness: I am engaged to be married to my often mentioned companion, ‘Hunny.’ I definitely owe a lot of my health successes to my other half. I’ve been at that place where being with the wrong person is like willingly administering a poison to yourself. Before you know it, it gets to you — mentally, physically, emotionally. I’m not sure how I got so lucky, but I definitely snagged the right guy for me.

And so, it’s more than safe to say that my 30s are off to a good start. :)

So while terri-is.aspiraling is a (micro)blog for my personal health blurbs, I still hope to make use of this main blog to cover other thoughts in my mind or adventures I end up taking (if I’m ever so lucky.) As much as Twitter sort of takes care of my urge to “overshare,” I may want to use other ways to express myself and so I’ll keep this blog around. It may be another 9 months to a year before I update again, who knows? If I’m not here, there will definitely be other ways to find me.

Aloha!

Hello from the island of O'ahu in the beautiful state of Hawaii. I am terri, a local girl who at 30 is trying to make sure that life doesn't entirely pass her by. I've recently become engaged and am enjoying living a great life in paradise.