Final Post

It is what you learn that can make you a better person. Of this, from my short experience in life I can be sure. “90 to change” was what I had in mind every time that I was tired or just felt like I was going to throw the towel. We, as a race, especially in the western hemisphere, have become absolutely disgusting. We have lost perspective on the basics in order to look and care at things that really do not matter. And, this way we’ve lost control over our own bodies.

Not us, not any of you that are reading this blog. All of us have started the “changing process.” You are either done with the program, in the middle of it, or just contemplating the possibility of starting because you, YOU, have realized that there is something intrinsically wrong about what’s going on with your life. In retrospective, I am amazed of how I was throwing my body, physically and mentally, to the trashcan. It’s absurd that we get to the point were you simply cannot perform a simple task. Climbing a flight of stairs, o running a couple of blocks. You are made to use our bodies. I do not need to say how that’s changed.

Since high school, everyone always is telling you to live a healthy life, but most of those people don’t. I was fortunate to witness some ironic situation in med school. An internists smelling like an ashtray forcing a patient to quit; an endocrinologist bigger than a car telling a 9-year-old boy that he is overweight so he has to stop eating, and so on. So, as a person and a doctor, how can I make a real difference in this world? I’m still searching for the answer, but one thing is clear for me, I start by learning. And, I learned a lot during this short three months, I learned more than during most lectures on holistic health at a classroom, or by reading papers and papers on the risk of diabetes and hypertension. I learned tons about myself, and I learned lots about other people whom, like you, have opened their eyes. Knowledge acquired through experience is absolutely the best things you can give yourself. Don’t be afraid, you can do it.  

I had 90 days to change and I did. I am really proud. Now I have more time to make a change.

The evolution of PCP 

Day 79

Diet 95%

Exercise 60%

These past two weeks have been crazy for me. Obstetrics in the morning, psychiatry in the afternoon and have to be on call sleeping at the hospital twice a week. Didn`t have even the weekend because I had a Pediatrics brigade on Saturday and on call on Sunday. Been sleeping like 4-5 hours a day because finals are coming up and I have my first thesis presentation in next week so there is just no way of completing the exercise. On days in which I am extremely tired I did only the jump rope, on other the abs, on three days of the past 15 I just felt so tired there was no way.

On Saturday after I arrived in Bogotá I had my last indulgence, we were planning with Helena to go to a restaurant and have some ribs but we were too tired to do. So we went to a very colombian burger place and I had a ¾ lb grilled cheeseburger with bacon. Tasted great. Felt sick all through Sunday and Monday…

Feeling much better from the hypotension because I added some salt to my diet, (about 1/20 of what I ate before) and I`m having a square of dark chocolate after lunch every two days. (that’s why the 95%)

Things are crazy for me in school right now but I’m really trying my best to have as many PPCP days as I can.

The actual burger.

 

Day 65

Not much to write about, been completely absorbed by schoolwork but have managed to have perfect PCP days on 6/7 days a week. One day there always something that you don't have control over for the last two weeks there's been a constant feeling tired with a little bit of headache and orthostatism (feeling like you're going to faint you you stand up) [which I wrote an email about, patrick]  so on two or three occasions I added a little bit of salt and had a bite of something with sugar; it helped a lot.