Why I Do It

I can see that someone may wonder why, at the age of 56 (I’m 57 now), I became so determined to improve my health – and so I offer a not-particularly-funny entry to this blog.

My husband Jonathan had a gastric bypass when he was 50 (so, seven years ago), with impressive results. His diabetes disappeared overnight, the sleep apnea vanished, his kidney functions improved, and he lost about 140 pounds. Good news!

Alas, unbeknownst to us, he was also losing his body’s store of vitamin B-12. After about three years, this pushed him into the beginnings of dementia. Five years after the operation, I was at my wit’s end; he was actually diagnosed with tempero-frontal dementia by a neurologist, who looked confused and said “But I think it’s temporary…”

It was Jonathan’s GP who decided to try B-12 injections. This was pure serendipity; Jonathan’s blood work hadn’t come back yet by the first injection, but when the lab results came in, the B-12 level was normal. If the doctor hadn’t decided to try the injections before getting the results, he never would have made the attempt.

The B-12 was miraculous. It restored Jonathan’s sanity within four hours. I probably don’t have to tell you what an astonishing relief that was… and I never thought to ask if he maybe might have suffered permanent damage from the experience.

But from then on, he was changed. And one of the aspects of his new personality was an inability to make good decisions for himself. Doctors would tell him what he needed to do to handle health issues (and the health issues began to mount pretty quickly), but he decided that if he ignored his problems and the advice of his physicians, he wouldn’t have to deal with any of it.

I watched him go through this; I tried to help him. He would not be helped. I was so horrified and stressed by this that I thought – maybe I am guilty of the same thing. Why aren’t I dealing with health issues that I know are right in front of me?

So I followed my friend Steve to his balance class at Body Dynamics.

And then I asked the Balance teacher, Barbara, to help me with my cardio endurance.

And things progressed from there. The worse Jonathan got and the less I could help him, the harder I tried to repair my own health.

When Jonathan died in March, 2017, the Body Dynamics team was like my family. They took care of me and helped me. And the body that they helped me refine was strong enough to bear Jonathan’s death.

And now I can see what ignoring the problem ends with – and I can envision what dealing with the problem will earn. So that’s why I do it.