Healthy Signs

Someone on a cochlear implant web group sent me congratulations on getting off my blood pressure meds. This is what I wrote back to her:
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Thanks for the congrats on my Weight Watchers success so far--I can hardly believe it myself! I had lost 25 pounds about 5 years ago, then scrapped it for stress eating after 9/11. Not only was there the national horror and grief of the terrorist attacks, but that also happened to be the day I had the hearing test where I found out I was no longer just "hard of hearing" but that I was indeed going deaf. I just freaked out. Food became a friend to help me "cope" by numbing out.

Last year I tried to trick myself into being more healthy by signing up to participate in a half-marathon with my husband. Hooooo, boy. I completed it, alright, practically crawling the last mile. And I managed not to lose any weight in the process. I'm a stubborn little cuss! So my doctor started me on the blood pressure pills.

So.... finally losing (some of) the weight and getting off the blood pressure meds shows a good measure of emotional healing and getting a grip on things. It's also one of the few things in my life I can control right now...not in a bad way, like being anorexic, but in a way that is choosing to take care of myself. I'm also learning to advocate for myself more and more confidently when I need help because I can't hear or understand something.

It's a long road we are all on, isn't it. I appreciate [my ci friends] so much already! The sense of support is deeply important to keeping from feeling alone in the challenges.