On the eve of more changes!

Time for an update!  

It's been 9½ months since my gastric bypass surgery.  It has been a bumpy ride right from the start. During my RNY GB surgery they found an 11-pound benign ovarian tumor in my abdomen that really messed with me mentally.  I realize now that I allowed the tumor to be a distraction, and that lesson is very valuable to me even though I'm not certain today how I could have avoided worrying about it as much as I did.  I also had to have a small hernia repair that my bariatric surgeon said she would repair (and didn't) during my  surgery.  Having 3 surgeries in 7 months was definitely a challenge, but trying to start an exercise regimen has also been very difficult.

Mollie Linden, 2010

As of today, I've lost 87 pounds and gained 6 (a net loss of 81 pounds as of today)!  I'm no longer diabetic (my HgA1C is 4.7),  or hypertensive (my BP is normally 110/60 - 106/56), and my cholesterol levels are all exactly where they should be.  I'd really like to reach the "minus 100 pound mark" by my gastric bypass anniversary on 8/11/10.  And, as my recently departed and much loved grand-mother Mollie would say, "God willing..." I'll be successful.  Granny was wise and loving, and once told me that it didn't matter to her if I was fat or thin.  She only wished, sincerely wished,  for me to be happy.  Considering how ill I was when my journey started, I feel lucky and (finally) very happy to be where I am.  I do have to work daily to avoid falling into the trap of wishing I'd lost more weight at this point, and it can be challenging when I look at people who have lost more than me who started when I did.  But my mantra of late, is "stick to modest and attainable goals".

One thing that's halped me immensly, is a change in doctors.  I've moved my care to a really great bariatric clinic that specializes in weight loss and weight loss surgery.   My new doctor is credited with bringing gastric bypass surgery to the Pacific Northwest, and has a long and impressive list of accomplishments, training and education.  As important to me though, is having a kind, open and patient doctor to work with.  Dr. P. is not only accomplished, but caring and warm.  This is only my opinion, but as far as I'm concerned it wasn't too difficult to find a bariatric surgeon who is "good".  It was a little trickier though, to find one who is good and also caring, kind, patient and professional.

Dr. P.'s kindness and warmth were especially evident when I expressed my concerns about my 3-month long "plateau" and weight gain of 6 pounds.  I emotionally explained that my weight was stuck in between 6-pounds, and nothing I was doing seemed to make the difference.  Evidently this is common, easily explained, and not abnormal.  She said I was likely suffering from a still-slow metabolism, and that medications can help initially in speeding up the metabolism!  Before my surgery my metabolism was only operating at 64% of predicted for my height, weight and age.  She's sent me to have a bone density scan done and a metabolic study done.  And now I find myself on the eve of my first meeting with one of Dr. P.'s partners, a bariatric endocrinologist and specialist in metabolic matters for post-op weight loss patients.  Hopefully, Dr. R. will help me figure out the next step to take to move from stuck to GO!  My fingers are crossed!

More to come...