Rewarding experience today

I want to share this experience because it reminds me of why I'm a dietitian:

I've been seeing a patient with diabetes since June of this year. His average blood sugar started at 220, which is not controlled, and he had high cholesterol. He's had difficulty controlling his blood sugar and in fact, at one point, I thought he would need insulin to control diabetes. He's struggling financially and it's been a challenge to help him eat healthier foods (he used to eat fast food or gas station food at every meal, every day).

After our last visit, something changed! He decided to really work on changing his eating habits. He's down to dining out no more than 8 times a week (yes, still a lot, but much better than 21!) and his blood glucose and cholesterol levels have normalized. Seriously. He does not need insulin at this time and may even need to reduce one of his diabetes medications! (As a side note--sometimes diabetes medications are needed to help the body manage a health condition, like diabetes; but when we can avoid them, that sure is GREAT)!

When I see cases like these, I am reminded of how remarkable the difference [in health] can be when we put a little effort into it. We can make a difference; a BIG difference! I love watching the progress and seeing first-hand the results we strive for in practice.

I'm SO PROUD of my patient and so happy to be included on his road to living a healthier life. Yea!