My A1c and cholesterol numbers had been climbing during my visits to the doctor. I was supposed to be taking Metformin, but I hadn’t made it a priority. I would miss more doses than I took. Each visit to the doctor ended in tears. I knew I was failing, and bad things were coming.
I have two small children. I was always tired and short with them. I didn’t want to be active with them and always had headaches or was sick. I was no fun at all. My A1C had reached a serious level. Something snapped and I knew I needed to make some changes…and fast.
In March, I visited the Sea Harbor onsite Marathon Health center through my employer healthcare benefits with Travel + Leisure. Nurse Practitioner Justine Kuroda has always been patient with me. She doesn’t make me feel judged. When I finally “broke,” Justine offered to meet with me weekly and that’s exactly what I needed.
During my visits, we talked about how I was doing on my medication, with exercise and other things that were keeping me motivated. She encouraged me to join a diabetes management program. She has shared websites with great recipes with me. I can honestly say Justine saved my life or at least added some good quality years to it.
I have started a weight loss program that helps me understand how food affects my body and why I eat the way I do. This has helped me make better food choices. I have also taken every dose of medication since my first appointment in March.
I have lost almost 25 pounds. I check my blood sugar routinely and am averaging around 150. I can’t wait to get my next A1C number. I sleep better and don’t have headaches nearly as much. I went down the slide at the playground! This might sound like no big deal, but to me and my kids it was huge. My new lifestyle is about staying active…and my kids love that. — Dorothy Lee, Marathon Health Member
