Ruza S.

In my 60 + years of life, my ongoing struggle with headaches, stomach issues, and high blood pressure had resulted with daily long term use of medication after medication to the point that I was sick and tired by the site of a pill and eventually stopped taking them on a regular basis as instrstructed by my doctor. The tipping point for me to look into alternative ways to get better, was when after my stroke, feeling thirsty and dealing with dry mouth and insomnia for months, my primary doctor prescribed me even more medications and told me that he cannot officially diagnose me with type 2 diabetes because my A1c was not in the diagnosis range. I was told to stop eating sweets, and wait 6 months until my blood work would fit into the ranges for diagnosis so I can be officially diagnosed as a diabetic and get started on yet another medication for the rest of my life. It was frustrating that he never tried to help me stop the progression of the disease, or even ask me whether I liked eating sweets or not, but did assume none the less. I am happy that I took this journey to rediscover my health and well being with Project ofHealth. It felt quite liberating and empowering the feeling of taking control and actively participate in getting better. The dietitian worked patiently with me and my understanding of foods and their effect on my health. She guided me through the food plan she modified specifically to address my high blood pressure and blood sugar. Once my symptoms of high blood sugar started to improve, it was much easier for me to do all the changes that needed to be done so I can remain in this state of feeling well simply put. She introduced me to the concept of self-care, which I believe was very important in my understanding of getting better and living better, which I continue to follow even till today. I am happy to share, that after 5 months of work, my blood glucose levels are back to normal, and I am no longer in the pre-diabetic category. My weight has dropped, with some more space for improvement, of course, my sleep has been restful, my headaches decreased significantly, my dry mouth, thirst at night, and interrupted sleep symptoms are all gone. The empowerment, knowledge and new outlook on life I gained all these months, has helped me to live a very productive and quality life. I am very thankful to my dietitian Biljana, for her patience, willingness to listen, understand and help me deal with my struggles of trying to change my habits for better. The results I achieved are extraordinary in my opinion, and what makes the feeling even better is that I was actively participating in getting better and getting back some control of my health. I had a voice that was heard and learned a lot during the process. The knowledge that I get to use even today, for I know, even when sometimes I indulge in my pasta dish or have an extra piece of French bread, I do not have that feeling of regret, for I know, I am equipped to deal with whatever comes my way.

Thank you for everything, you saved me, or should I say per your recommendations, “We saved me”.