More fruits and vegetables, this is what I am eating more of now that I have seen Dr. Michelle Brtek.

Local clinic focuses on promoting healthy lifestyle first during National Diabetes Month

November is National Diabetes Month. Now it’s time to re-start my wellness plan. Re-start? Well, back in June I’d found a local doctor to help me with looking into why I felt “off” and tired a lot of the time. Come to find out, I am in the stages of pre-diabetes. After 10 years of checking my blood and seeing signs that this could happen. Now, I know it will happen if I don’t do something about it soon.

Dr. Michelle Brtek of the Diabetes and Wellness Clinic, located at 809 S 13th St in Norfolk, Nebraska, did a full workup right at the beginning. Dr. Brtek and her staff took my medical history, put me on a heart monitor, ran an ultrasound of my heart and arteries, took my blood, and ran all of the labs. Their process captures issues missed in traditional physicals or wellness exams. You get real answers about underlying conditions. It was a lot, when compared to what I’d had done at other medical appointments in the past. They listened. I knew there was something about this time that would turn out to be different.

I myself was in a different place. I wanted answers as to why I felt the way I did. Some of the answers I got were a shock, frankly. In addition to pre-diabetes, I have other health issues, although to see me, you would take me for fairly healthy for my age; Ok, so what, if my last birthday was the big 4-1!

All the answers and advice I got from Dr. Brtek seemed more than enough to motivate me to follow my personalized plan of weekly injection and a low-carb diet. They promote a healthy lifestyle first! And, with that rule to live by, I was off to a strong start.

By the end of August, however, I may have skipped a week or maybe more like six. But this time was different. I knew what I needed to do, return to the plan I’d begun a few months earlier. And I did.

Here’s my philosophy: there’s no time like the present. If you have a goal, make it happen, no matter what. Don’t let yourself or others get in your way. If you go off track, that’s normal. Just start over. And, you will succeed, there’s no doubt about it.

I look at my business. I am a small business owner. For twenty years, I had a dream, but didn’t actually start working on it daily until around five years ago. Then, a year ago, I quit my full-time job (with benefits) to fulfill my dream of owning my own web design company. My present health challenge requires the same kind of dedication. What’s the point of obtaining my dream professionally, but not staying healthy to enjoy the fruits of my labor? More fruit, fruit is good for you by the way. And, vegetables, these are foods I am eating more and more.

Norfolk Connections (NorfolkNebraska.com) is supportive of local businesses. That’s why we exist. Although, I got more personal in this article than I usually am, I think it was needed. August and now October is past, but it is never too late to pursue your dreams and goals, something the Diabetes and Wellness Clinic is all about. Seeing that you have read to the end of this story, it might have been written for you, who knows? November is National Diabetes Wellness Month. Call Dr. Michelle to set your life back on track today!

By John Avidano

Last Updated Monday, November 02, 2020