I’m posting this in honor of my grandfather, who passed away yesterday. He was a loving grandfather. He laughed and played hard with us when we were kids. Never forgot a birthday. Loved dogs and had several of his own over the years, who were spoiled and adored. I remember for a while he had a pet bird he let fly around in the house as well, named Pete (the bird drove my grandma a bit crazy but delighted us kids). He talked to our kids (his great-grandkids) regularly on the phone, telling them jokes and asking them questions about their lives. He talked to them the day before he passed away and joked that he was going to have “movie night” from his hospice bed.
He had so many wonderful qualities, and it’s hard to reconcile those with the way he passed away.
My grandpa was overweight all my life growing up. He loved to eat, and he loved his sweets, which didn’t seem problematic to me back then in the least (especially if he shared).
But his weight eventually led to severe health complications, including uncontrolled diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. And while he really wanted to fix them (and tried, so many times), by the end of his life it was just too difficult. He suffered a very painful and long-lasting bone infection, as a result of his diabetes. It didn’t get better despite weeks of antibiotics and long hospital stays. Eventually he was unable to even get out of bed.
None of this was his fault, and changing his health wouldn’t have been easy at that point in his life. He was my grandma’s primary caregiver for the last eight years of my grandmother’s life after she had a stroke, which meant 24/7 care. He didn’t have a lot of time or energy left over to take care of his health, which declined steadily over those years.
Sometimes by the time you have so many health problems, it’s overwhelming to try to cope with them. It’s easier to take care of your health earlier on in life, so that you can set your life on the trajectory you want it to take. Of course there are no guarantees — car accidents happen, injuries happen, and no one can predict when or to whom. But the chances of living a long and enjoyable life are so much higher when you take care of your body as best you can. And the small habits you build today can eventually add up to major changes in your body and health.
When is the best time to work on your health? Yesterday. When is the 2nd best time? Today.
I hope that doesn’t sound too preachy, and if it does I apologize. I can get a little carried away about this stuff, because I know it’s absolutely possible to feel better and live a healthy lifestyle, even when life is full. I totally empathize with how hard it feels, and the challenge of even knowing where to start sometimes.
But we CAN do it!!! And it will all be worthwhile down the road :)
Cheering for you, no matter what health journey YOU are on,
Dr. Nicole
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