But this time, I've realized that there is something I can do to help myself and my family.
And I'm going to do it for my boys. I'm going to stop smoking for one thing. It's bad for me, my voice, and it's bad for my boys to live around it. I've been having some horrible chest pains and finally went to the doctor. They think that I have a blood clot in my lung, and I'm currently going through a bunch of tests to see what is going on. But I've been through this whole process before and those experiences have taught me to be very skeptical of doctors. I've never been given a straight answer from any doctor I've seen through the years and they usually leave you with one huge ass bill and tons more questions. So I'm not hopeful on getting any answers on this one either. And the way it's looking so far, I'm proving myself right.
(Picture credit: @jasonrussell)
It's a frustrating cycle and I'm not too happy about it. You see, my husband and I are just on the cusp of being able to get help with health insurance, and having 3 out of 4 family members with pre-existing conditions does not make the insurance cheap at all, so we just can't get any. So it's a burden in itself to even dream of going to the doctor, let alone have multiple, super expensive tests done. But no matter what happens with the tests and doctors, I have decided that I can help my family be healthier, by being healthier myself. We have already started eating better, less process things and low carb sides to go with dinner. And even though we are a pretty active family, I want us to be more active together. And stick to my guns this time... Summer is coming and it's going to be full of outside activities as much as I can fit in our schedule!
I hope that showing my boys that a healthy lifestyle is important to have now at their age and beyond, and that it's a good way to help keep them healthy when they are my age. Not only did I smoke and drink like a sailor but I was also horrible at drinking water... It was either tea and coffee or booze. I started drinking more water about a month ago, and have also pushed that on my teenager since he likes to drink nothing but soda (which grandma gives him because we have never bought soda for our house). And even though we are active, we can be so much more active.
I also want to show them that you can do what you need to do in order to become healthier. Show them that I can stop smoking and that I am doing this for everyone's health because I care for them. I knew the bad side of smoking growing up, and also had two parents that smoked. I used to hate it when they had poker parties and the house would fill up with smoke. And yet I chose to start doing it anyway as a teenager. I've talked to my oldest son about it before, and never really could come up with an explanation on why I even started. Something to do I suppose... But I always told him that it was something I regret doing to this day. And now I'm going to show them that I can quit. And that although I have to deal with the consequences of my actions, I really hope that they learn from it and continue to be as healthy as they can be! I've been thinking about doing this for a while, and this new medical issue is just the push I needed to take this important step. And I also want all of you amazing Steemians to know that you can do it too! Although it isn't a 100% for sure way of not having medical issues when you get older, it is a great way to stay on top of those issues and make sure that you don't suffer the same consequences or worse, than others already have. We can learn and grow from others mistakes and make the right choices for ourselves! So here is to a healthier us!
Thanks for looking and hope to see you again soon!
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