- Sep 30, 2021
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- Sep 26, 2021
My patients inspire me. I have patients who really take lifestyle interventions seriously and have prevented or reversed chronic disease because of it. A couple patients walk at least an hour per day or do a different type of exercise every day. Others diligently find ways to work plant-based diets into their busy days. It is an honor for me to help set goals for these patients in my office, and even better to celebrate improvements and victories with them when they meet those goals. Weight loss is difficult in any country, and control of blood pressure or blood sugar is especially challenging here where only a few medications are easily available and staple foods are not the healthiest.
These incredible patients help me to be a better person. One of my patients shares his daily steps with me from time to time. On days when I am below my goal, a goal which is a bit lower than his, seeing his dedication encourages me to go walk a bit more. Another patient sends me pictures of healthy meals she cooks, and I send back pictures of my own healthy meals. It makes me think twice about my own diet when I know I will be sharing a picture of my food with patients who are working so hard to improve their own diets. One patient has watched his after-meal sugars drop from dangerous (acid-producing, muscle digesting) highs of 400 to healthy ranges around 110 with some simple medications and a lot of hard work transforming his diet and exercise routines. These same months, I have worked to get my own sugars down from a pre-diabetic range back down to normal. I haven't told many of my patients about that. I wonder how many of them know that I am journeying with them?
Last week, I developed a meal plan which should help a family move toward healthier habits and healthier weights. I know that it hasn’t been easy for them to make changes away from animal-based protein and processed carbohydrates. Advice and encouragement in the office is barely anything compared to the dedication and creativity needed to adjust the entire family’s diet and habits. Hearing about their successes and struggles inspired me to start looking into my own diet – what I eat for each meal, whether I am meeting my daily goals for fiber, protein, and staying under goals for saturated fat. And I was trying to meet goals to maintain my weight and my health, while my patients are trying to reverse disease and lose weight. That exercise has helped give me an increased appreciation of my patients, who change their entire lifestyle to embrace healthier habits.
Today, we took a friend out to eat for breakfast. Walking in, I saw at least three of my patients sitting at tables across from me. If I wasn’t committed to healthy eating before, knowing that individuals who have heard me talk about lifestyle for hours in the office over the last several years would definitely have encouraged me to order the salad instead of less healthy options. I know nobody is perfect, and I don’t think I will ever attain a perfect lifestyle, nor should I try, but it is wonderful to have so many individuals I know who are working so hard and inspire me to be a better person.
- Sep 8, 2021
Christian Health Service Corps has a policy that missionaries should physically get away from their place of work every quarter. These days, when a large portion of my work can be done from home, and when traveling across borders is difficult, we have to be a bit more intentional about finding times of rest and reflection outside the normal routine.
We haven’t been to the lake in over 3 years, since we took my Aunties in early 2018. We forgot how rough the road was in some parts, and how much of a toll a 4 hour drive can take under those conditions. We were a bit delayed leaving, too. I wanted to attend an early-morning meeting at clinic, and what started as a devotion and teaching ran over into checking on a CT scan and discussing assessment of kidney function in the management of other chronic diseases. But we made it on the road by 10:30 and we even made it past the half-dozen police check points and the immigration check point. We ate peanut butter sandwiches on the way and encountered the smelliest bathroom stop I have ever seen, and after years in Africa that is really saying something.
We thought we would listen to a book on tape, but we didn’t and the hours in the car ended up being some of my favorite time of the trip. We talked about long-term plans in Malawi, what we were hoping for and what threats to sustainability might be. We discussed how to manage immigration issues in the next year and after that, we talked about housing and budgeting options. It happened to be 17 years from the day that we met, so we also talked about our time together, how we had grown and what we were thankful for.
We arrived to a beautiful beach-front cottage in a nice resort area. We made it just in time for a sunset cruise, so we plopped down our bags and jumped on a boat. I’ve been snorkeling in Lake Malawi before, but this time we went to a cove on a little island, and we saw incredible fish of so many colors. It was truly like swimming in a natural aquarium. We watched fish eagles flying and then enjoyed the sunset as we traveled back. Many resorts in this area had to close during the time of COVID. I wonder how many affordable lodging options will be here in the future.
After sitting on the beach watching the stars come out and enjoying a great dinner which was included with the room (food you don’t have to prepare or pay for is always more fun) we decided to go to bed early, at 8:30. Some very peppy music started at 9 pm and went until about 6:30 a – we found out later that the area’s chief was celebrating a family wedding. I had ear plugs, but not quite enough to not wake up every hour or so. It was a nice morning the next day, and breakfast was great. We sat watching the waves for about an hour, then decided we might as well be on our way. We thought originally of staying for 2 nights, but we felt relaxed (if not rested) and had enjoyed all the excursions we hoped for. This year we’ve cut many of our vacations short by at least a day, but what can I say – our house is comfortable and our own bed is just the best, and at least we are learning to sleep through the noises in our own neighborhood.
So we came home Saturday afternoon. We stopped on the way to buy a wicker swinging chair, with the hope that we can bring a bit of the relaxation we felt at the beach back to a part of our home. We chatted a bit more along the way until we finally settled for listening to music accumulated from shared experiences together. We relaxed at home for the rest of the weekend, and for us that brought a nice finish to a great trip. I’m glad that our organization encourages us to get away, and it was a great time with just the two of us. Next time, maybe we’ll try to be away more than 36 hours.
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