My Journey of Self Care
Notes from the first year of a renewed commitment to becoming my best self.
For over a year, I’ve been meandering around / going through a personal self-care journey that grew somewhat organically out of the events of the last few years: a global pandemic, a never-ending renovation project, a faith-renewing trip to Israel and everything in between including the loss of both my mom and a lifelong friend to kidney-related diseases. Change and personal growth go at their own speed no matter how hard you try - and no matter how many times you try. I am, however, very proud of the progress I’ve made in two areas of my life that have been lifelong challenges - both of which can be factors in one’s mental health and they go hand in hand with how I feel about myself: weight and a myriad of skin-related problems.
I’ve long struggled with rosacea-like (red) and melasma-like (dark) spots on my face. No typical prescription has ever worked and we certainly tried them all - my local dermatologist is awesome - and makes me comfortable enough that she completes the embarrassing annual skin cancer prevention screening. No matter what we tried, I still looked like I had two black eyes and rosy red cheeks (not the cute kind). Queue my sister, Leanne - who has had similar skin woes so to speak. She introduced me to Qyral - an amazing line of doctor-prescribed, individually customized skin care products. After an easy-to-complete questionnaire and telehealth visit with an affiliated physician, my (beautifully packaged) personalized treatments arrived - and I haven’t looked back. I have smoother skin, fewer dark spots and less redness. Note: I still (and will always) continue to see my dermatologist in person for the occasional facial, skin cancer screenings and maybe some Dysport (if that day comes).
I’ve also been tackling another elephant in the room - literally. I have been overweight - clinically obese - most of my life. I long-ignored the fact that my weight was becoming a ticking time bomb considering a fairly extensive family history of heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes. Tried every diet (and yes, exercise) and almost every medicine out there without success. Back in 2021, our primary care doctor discussed the possibility of trying Wegovy (when it first launched) but we both agreed that I needed to lose 20-25 lbs on my own and keep it off before trying what was then a new class of medication for weight loss. Fast forward to May 2022 while traveling to Israel, I couldn’t believe how much of a balloon my face had become and came home committed to making at least some small changes. Those small changes helped me lost about 30 lbs over the course of last summer (changes like not eating fast food 3-4 days a week, not ordering take out for dinner 4-5 nights a week and limiting the amount of diet soda I was drinking). During my annual check-up with our doctor last September, she recommended trying tirzepatide (Mounjaro), a weekly injection, in hopes of slowing down the inevitable. My cholesterol was already improving and my A1C numbers were already below that “borderline” category. Giving myself a shot weekly was something I had to mentally overcome - but this was an absolute game changer for me.
Now 75 lbs lighter, I am no longer on blood pressure medicine and am on a reduced dose of a cholesterol med - and feel great (Genetics are not in my favor to ever get those cholesterol #’s in the optimal range without meds!). Now, as of very recently, Qyral has expanded their personalized product line to include a weight management program tailored specifically for you, managed and prescribed by a physician. One offering is a weekly injectable GLP-1 medication. While I can’t guarantee similar results, I can tell you that it is absolutely worth taking a look.
DM, text or email me if you want to know more about my own journey or jump over to this website: http://myqyral.com/marty
If you are interested in their GLP-1 medication, here is a great article explaining their offering: https://www.qyral.com/blogs/news/weight-loss-with-glp-1-medication-explained
