# what does 'healthy' mean to you?



## goldbunny (Mar 26, 2012)

Not sure if this is in the right place but here goes.

I just keep finding myself puzzling over what health and healthy mean. My GP (and previous GPs) doesn't seem interested in the idea of healthy - they seem to be only interested in tackling on symptom at a time by guesswork. It appears that it is up to me to decide what healthy is and try to be it. Really wish i'd trained in medicine! 

some people seem to think 'healthy' is 'lack of any serious named disease/condition'. For other people healthy is about a constant stream of lifestyle choices rather than a particular state of health. I know there's no 'clean slate' - we're all born with genetic conditions and things we are predisposed to get, and born into environments which affect our health..

I'm just struggling with the whole idea at the moment because with TTC it seems the spotlight is thrown onto all areas of your life and how do you decide what 'healthy' even means? There's always someone worse off, and someone better off - but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to be as fit and healthy as we can. It is a bit like how some people are olympic athletes and some people find standing up a struggle (though obviously both can be true in some sports) what i mean is, i don't know what is a realistic aim. Is survival enough? Should we be aiming for perfection? I have been reading about vitamins since finding out i apparently metabolise folic acid too quickly. There is so much information these days but it is confusing to interpret.

Sometimes i wonder whether, if i leapt out of bed throwing my arms in the air and yelling 'i'm healthy', i could convince myself of that and that that would somehow be enough. I just seem to be chasing something and i'm not even sure it exists. 

i'd love to read your ideas about 'what healthy means' maybe then i can work out what it is i think i'm trykng to do!
what do you think?


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## Maisyz (Dec 15, 2010)

IVF wrecks your head and that is distinctly unhealthy. Pre IVF I was pretty much happy with my little life and I imagine if you saw me trotting down the road I would be the poster girl for health (rather laughably in the past I was quite literally this but thats a whole world away now). I was perfect weight, a glowing little gym bunny apart from painful periods hey my life was just fine. Little miss healthy and happy. Well didn't that just turn out to be the worlds biggest joke. Riddled with fibroids (the weight of which when removed was equivalent to my birth weight, you have to laugh), blood pressure so high apparently I could have died, I didn't, even doing high intensity cardio kick box and apparently I'm a walking genetic defect, hell my blood can't even clot like a normal person and my immune system likes to do nothing useful but loves killing off foetuses. 

But am I healthy?. Well, thanks to IVF I've gained more pounds than I should, love those steroid food cravings etc but other than that yes as soon as I drop a few more pounds I'll be back down to the ideal weight again, I'm as fit as anyone recovering from massive surgery and yet more failed IVF ever can be. So yes I am. 

I refuse to be defined by the whole rubbish of IVF any more so what if in their minds I'm a walking disaster zone incapable of giving birth, I'm a whole lot more than that. Like you say the doctors seem to treat symptom by symptom and each with an ever bigger price tag. I finally decided enough was enough when they came up with the next stages including another load of testing costing something in the region of another £10k and which would involve me needing to inject something which is actually used to treat cancer, I mean seriously, absolutely ridiculous.

So healthy for me is me (just with a few pounds lost). Since stepping off the IVF treadmill I'm back to being happy and healthy and not being labelled as a useless old woman. Perfect by the way doesn't exist except in the hands of photoshop. I'd recommend just being happy in your own skin because that I think is the happiest and healthiest way to be.

Gosh that was a big post for me.

Maisy


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## karenanna (Dec 27, 2008)

I decided to get "healthier" after 4 failed IVFs - for me:

- I cut out caffeine (no tea or coffee or fizzy drinks)
- I cut out alcohol completely for a year
- I exercised 3 times per week
- I stuck to 5 lots of fruit and veg a day
- and I drank 2 litres of water

I did this for a full year before getting pregnant (alongside intensive IVF treatment from the ARGC). For some people they can be 'less healthy' (smoking/drinking etc..) and still get pregnant - I just decided to do everything possible (within my power) - it was tough but worth it for me.

Everyone is different - do what you can without going mad!

KA xxx


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