Practically Perfect: March 2014

I took last week off from Curves and eating healthy because: 1. My birthday celebration came and went and I no longer had to worry about wearing a crop top and 2. I hadn't been feeling well for a while.

St. Patrick's Day marked the one month anniversary since [WARNING: TMI. IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH, I SUGGEST YOU SKIP DOWN TO THE PICTURES NOW.] my week-long bout with diarrhea. It came out of no where, figuratively speaking. I arrived at my place at three in the morning after celebrating my friend's birthday in Palm Spring. I went straight to bed and woke up at eight, planning on getting more shut eye as soon as I saw the time. Just as I closed my eyes, though, I remembered that it was another friend's birthday and called her before I forgot. When we hung up, I went to the restroom so I could be ready for my second round of sleep and there it was, diarrhea. No sign, no cramping, no sudden pang to hit the toilet. It just appeared. So I recollected what I had eaten the day before-- left over lasagna and salad, lots of bread, pita chips, and the most expensive piece of chicken I'd ever eaten at a steakhouse, and a shot of Patron and a margarita at the club. I had nothing weird or out of the ordinary for me. So I made yerbabuena tea, hoping it would work its magic during my nap. I woke up at one--I had never in my life woken up at one-- and to my disappointment, Diarrhea was still present. So I went to Target and got generic Pepto. But my loose bowel movements were active two days later and I started to panic. I knew it was something more serious than just an upset stomach. I emailed my doctor and when I got no response, I spoke to a nurse on day five. She suggested more home remedies so I loaded on Gatorade and Imodium AD. The imodium didn't constipate me like it had done years before and on day seven, I took Alka-Seltzer per my mother's request as my last resort. By that afternoon, I felt so lightheaded I was scared to stand. Based on my own presumption that I was dehydrated, I headed to urgent care. The nurse took my blood pressure twice. I had hoped for an IV or another form of nutrient replacement but all the doctor prescribed were more diarrhea pills and requested stool samples.

The diarrhea disappeared the following day, no thanks to the pills. But I continued feeling dizzy at work. I thought my body was weak from losing so many fluids and I was concerned enough to email my doctor again. Because I felt better towards the end of the work week, I told the nurse to ignore my message when she returned my call. By the weekend, though, I was also feeling nauseous. I even took a nap to feel better but the living room spun as I laid on the couch. I called my doctor on Monday morning and made an appointment for the afternoon.

Once there, the nurse took my blood pressure at least three times. She asked me to relax, to stand, and a second girl clipped a white clothespin looking thing to my finger until my pressure came out normal. Once I saw the doctor, he diagnosed me with vertigo.

I have family members with vertigo. It causes dizziness. I learned that it is an infection in the ear that interferes with balance. I was heartbroken. I was scared it would be a condition that would be with me for rest of my life. But the doctor said it would go away in a few days. He gave me a cheat-sheet with more info and instructions for an exercise regimen that would help it go away. It said vertigo could last days or weeks. I'd already been dizzy for two weeks as I sat on the bed in the doctor's office. Since then, I've only felt "normal" a handful of days. But I'm not so sure it's vertigo I have anymore as much as hypochondria. Because my blood pressure was low both times I visited the doctor, I now think I might have low blood pressure.

That's why I threw away my routine. My body needed a break from all the health drama. I also wanted to replace my sugar and salt levels that might have decreased during the diarrhea incident. The binge eating began the day after the use of my crop top. I started with a bag of Ruffles with sour cream and chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Everything else just fell into place: pupusas, California rolls, tri-tip sliders and mimosas, penne pasta in pesto, pizza and beer accompanied by a Clipper game, all the hummus dip at a farmer's market, Flamin' Hot Lays, organic carrot cakes, chilaquiles con chile verde, sopes, and beans, beans, beans!

I felt better this past weekend. The dizzy spells come and go. Again, I don't know if they're real or if I'm making myself sick. So I made a follow-up appointment to discuss the low blood pressure issue and requested a physical. I'll know next week if I'm crazy or not. In the meantime, I took it upon myself to reverse the effects of my free week. I accepted my sister's invite to climb hundreds of steps in the Hollywood hills last Saturday. Despite my two-week absence from the gym, I did pretty good. I am ready to take over my life again and do what I love to do, which is to be one with nature. See you out there!