My Dad

My Dad is the reason for this blog.  On June 6, 2012 after 20 years of numerous medical conditions, illnessess, hospitalizations, surgeries my dad finally knew the healing in Heaven that he could not know on this earth.

My father leaves behind many legacies - a legacy as a man of faith and incredible knowledge in God's word, a scholar, and in my eyes a fighter.  My dad endured and overcame numerous hurdles in the last 20 years and stayed strong even when he was weak.

Unfortunetly, not every legacy that is left behind is one to brag about.  He also leaves behind a legacy of poor health, often treated for things far before his young age of 60.   His legacy also includes heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and diabetes.  When my father died there was no large inheritance of treasures and keepsakes, but he certainly left us with genes that lead my siblings and I (and our children) down a path that is all too familiar and painful to watch.

A few weeks after my father died I established myself with a new primary care physician.  I underwent the normal blood tests and when I heard that my very own doctor left me a voicemail message asking me to call him, I braced for the worse.  I work near my PCP office and stopped in.  I was on my way to lunch and I figured that what he was going to tell me would help me decide what it was I would have for lunch (McDonalds was seeming to fade as an option).  My PCP sat me down and informed of my lab results that were not normal.   His plan for me was to go home, and work on this for 90 days.  After those 90 days if the changes that I made are not enough to bring some levels down then he informed me that he would become aggressive in managing my health.

This brings me to my blog name - Three Months To Live....Sort Of.   In a sense, I have been given 90 days to get my act together.  I have significant changes to be made in my diet as well as establishing a exercise routine.  As I have been thinking about all of this for the past week, I have adopted the mindset that I have 90 days to change my course.  I know what years of bad diet and lack of exercise can do to a person.  I'm not stupid, and it's not like I haven't known this for sometime, but burrying my father at the age of 60 was the final wake up call I think I'm going to get.  If I want to avoid the pain and illnesses that my father suffered with than I NEED to make changes NOW.

Eight days into my wake up call I have lost 14 pounds.  Good start, long way to go!