This latest reflection is a very personal revelation about my health and how it has affected my approach to patient care. I was recently diagnosed with pre-diabetes and as an interventional cardiologist, I am most fearful of the long-term complications of diabetes. Therefore, I have greatly modified my lifestyle, including daily exercise and removing all the sweets that I was addicted to. As a result, my HbA1C has almost normalized (my strict primary care provider still reminded that I am still “pre-diabetic” as my number was 0.1 above the normal value! I have also lost 15 pounds and have had the best blood pressure readings in my entire life. I have to admit that these modifications have required discipline and perseverance as it was so tempting to go back to the old diet and satisfy my sweet tooth.

What I didn’t expect from the consistent lifestyle modifications were the benefits to my mental attitude. For interventional cardiologists, there are two responsibilities that could seem onerous. Foremost is the on-call duty for STEMI coverage as the majority of STEMI patients seem to present overnight even if their symptoms began during the day. Outpatient clinic is also seen by some as the other less than ideal activity. I admit that they were not my favorite clinical responsibilities, either. However, since I have lost weight and feel more at ease with all aspects of my life, including clinical work, I have noticed that neither seemed that burdensome and I realized that I have a new attitude about patient care. I went into interventional cardiology to help those in emergencies. Similarly, seeing clinic patients longitudinally offers an opportunity to get to know them better and to help them over the long run, not just during the emergency procedures. Now I think of the STEMI calls as an opportunity to help patients when they need our care most urgently and the clinic visits as another opportunity to collaborate with the patients to solve their health issues.

We hear about a “sound mind in a sound body”. I have experienced the true meaning of this phrase and hope that all of the readers would improve their lifestyles and obtain both physical and emotional well-being.