Fate: Fat, Blood, and Dr. Sanville.

i've often wondered why old people move at the pace they do.

well, after my condition yesterday, as i shakily dragged my aching, confused body down the steps, and moved at a snails pace to my car--even driving felt precarious, should someone in my condition be operating heavy machinery? i wondered--i began to understand. if old people feel the least bit weakened or shaky as i did yesterday, i entirely see their reasoning in moving as they do. but i'm getting ahead of myself.

i sat in my room, hot all over and sore like someone had poured vinegar in my blood, weary and consulting the ones i look up to as to what my plan of action should be--my mom and dad, and my all-knowing best friend Alyson. they all said the same thing, to go to the doctor. so i made my appointment at the University Health Center, which is free for us students to go for check ups, and we get major discounts on tests and stuff. (sidenote: i hate the word "free." nothing is free, it's actually just "paid for with my health fees" that i hand over at the beginning of my semester. so kids, if you're not going to the doc, you're paying for MY visit. ha.)

"Judd Claudell? or Kevin Sanville?" I called through my open door to my best friend standing in the bathroom getting ready for the day, asking her opinion of which doctor i should make an appointment with. "Umm..." she mused at me as she thought. "Oh! Or wait," I interuppted, "Clara Herrin. I should go to her right? Cuz she's a girl." Alyson agreed with me, and i began to make the appointment, but i couldn't get one with her til later between classes, and i'd really wanted to go ASAP, before classes started. i was already bummed because my regular assigned physician wasn't in today, the lovely Joy Ford who i swear i saw 15 times last semester ("free," people, take advantage. ha), she even called me on Christmas Eve wishing me a happy holiday and checking on me! i love her. but i was desperate, so i made an appointment for in an hour, showered, and didn't even bother drying my hair. i felt awful.

i pulled on the door to the Gold office at the UHC when i got there, and made a sad face to the receptionist when it wouldn't open, who made a funny look back at me, as i realized you had to push the door. i was really out of it. thankfully, the wait wasn't long, and i got back into the office really quickly (hello, early AM appointments). they weighed me, and it came out 218, which was kind of annoying, because last sunday i was 215! but this was fully clothed, on another scale (i have a theory that all scales are a little off from each other), and i was probably bloated like all heck being partially dehydrated.

i sat skimming my book for Intl. Affairs before just laying down from exhaustion as i waited for the doctor to come in... i heard the door open and i awkwardly pulled myself erect, shaking his hand as he sat to discuss my visit. and lemme just say-- Dr. Sanville was the man.

i feel like, other than Joy, most doctor's i've ever been to seem like they wanna get in, get out, and sign that prescription sheet (and who's to blame them? everyone is waiting for their help!). but as i explained my issues, Dr. Sanville just listened patiently, asked questions, and really discussed the situation with me. he seemed fairly unconcerned with my present condition, writing it off as a mixture of dehydration and my body FREAKING OUT at all the greasy food i'd suddenly fed it. i think he was also less concerned that this feeling would stay as it had only been a day or two.

when he heard that i was fairly versed in things regarding the body, like the way metabolism works and how we are affected by hormones, etc, i feel like he got a lot more real with me. the details would bore ya'll, but i gotta say, i was just really impressed. he took out a sheet of paper and jotted down all these recommendations and ideas, suggestions.

to clear up the obvious concerns from yesterday (my blog got nearly as much traffic just yesterday than it has the entire time since i began writing here altogether), i'll let you know what he said. when you're working out, if you don't have enough water to flush your body clean, toxins are released into your muscles (which is what can cause that all over tenderness that i was feeling--not quite being sore, but that achey feeling). he also said the idea of taking fish oil or flax seed oil supplements would be helpful (and reiterated that of course it's best to try and get all my vitamins and minerals from my food, and not replace them with supplements). but for a newb, it's hard to be perfect at all that. and as far as the other symptoms, he feels it really was just my body not knowing what to do with all the junk i fed it. as Jillian Michaels puts it, that's all "non-food," and our body doesn't know how to process it, so it does weird random stuff (like storing it as FAT) to get rid of it.

and a final disclaimer about the feelings of yesterday: i'm feeling MUCH better today, probably 87% back to normal. alyson was amazing about getting me dinner (i fell asleep, and didn't even ask her to! she just is that amazing. dear jesus i love that girl), and i slept a LOT. i woke up sweaty, which i think is a good thing--hoping it means i sweated out those leftover muscley toxins.

so it turns out Dr. Sanville not only had a medical degree, but also had a degree in nutrition (or a related, similar topic), from Tufts University of Nutrition! He literally specializes in this stuff! So that whole debate of who i could go see for my appointment? it was fate, i completely believe it. reading his bio on the University Health Center website, i found this:
"His areas of interest in his practice include general medical problems and injuries, and the interplay of physical activity, proper diet and maintenance of optimal health and life balance."

i'm telling you people, fate. he showed me stats from my last visit to now, and i was shocked to see all the graphs-- my blood pressure was significantly lowered (he said before it was almost dangerously high, but now it was almost just right), and my BMI had lowered from a 34 to a 32 (both of which are considered medically obese. scary huh?), and he said the next goal is to get into the 20's (25-29 is considered overweight... the day i can get down to the early 20s "Normal" range... oh happy day), which he said he thinks shouldn't be a problem. he told me about one of his patients he'd met with who was about my age, who was 210 pounds, and decided to take charge of her life--and is now 137 pounds. CAN I GET A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THIS MAMACITA?! god i was so energized to hear that. good for her:) imma be that success story for another hopeful girl (or guy) one day.

so dr. sanville said it sounded like i was on the right path, i knew what to do, it was just a matter of doing it. (and not gorging on Choo Choo's anymore... he said they keep an average of a rating of 70, and that he personally does not eat there. shoop.) he sent me to get a blood test, to check for general health stuff, anemia, stuff like that. on my way out, after bidding adieu, Dr. Sanville runs up behind me holding a large mass--oh god, i know what this is--and he's kind of laughing, and so am i. "Do you know what this is?!" he asks me. "ugh.... fat?" i answered, amused and disgusted. "Yeah--FIVE POUNDS of fat." he proudly replies. which is disgusting, because it literally is like the size of two of my forearms. so if i'm 60-80 pounds overweight, that means i'm carrying like 15 of those along with me everywhere i go. when i shop, when i sleep, when i work out, when i hug you, 15 of those things are hugging you too. haha. GROSS!! i'm so excited to know i've already lost more than that one little mass. good to know.

so i made my way across to the lab for my blood test (which was only $44!), and i was surprisingly calm as she drew the blood. i just kept thinking, "this is for my health, and i'm going to take a picture of my blood for the blog." when i was finished, i shyly asked the nurse if i could take a picture of it for my blog. guys i can't even begin to describe to you the look she gave me. "it's a health blog," i stammered, "and i, uh, wanna keep it interesting for my readers." she laughed and said that was fine. so guys, here's my blood for all those who were wondering.


and finally. Dr. Sanville is training to run! he's running the Athens Half this year! i'm telllllling you, it was all fate. so whether or not i feel ready to walk the Athens Half this fall, i'm definitely going to be there to cheer him on (along with all my other running friends). when i asked if i could take a picture of the fat for my blog, he was really amused and excited, and wanted me to send him the link to the blog... he even emailed me later with a few more pointers and reminding me he wants to see the blog! so this is a shoutout for you, Awesome Dr. Sanville! thanks for helping me yesterday, and i'll see you in a month!

and thanks to all of you for caring so much about me... i got so many texts and messages and hugs yesterday from devoted readers asking if i was ok and if they could bring me anything, etc. you all are wonderful.