Pushing Onward

Things are beginning to happen fast now.

I had my last PSYCH appointment yesterday and he confirmed that I am a good candidate for this surgery. I have a copy of his report and he said some really nice things about my personality. Bright, congenial, intelligent... and ready.

I received some unsettling results from the glucose tolerance test last week. My fasting glucose was 125, which is one point below full-blown diabetes. I see the NUT on Wednesday to go over all the results from that blood work. I can't imagine that this would delay my surgery since the surgery would likely reverse this condition quickly.

My EGD has also been scheduled for Friday, September 21st. Not that I'm actually looking forward to it, but I'm looking forward to it being DONE. I want all the hoops to be scheduled so I can jump through them.

In addition to these, I received a thick packet from the pulmonary group saying my testing with their office is scheduled for October 12. I have about 20 pages of forms and questionnaires to fill out for them. They will schedule the sleep study after my preliminary testing. I may check with the surgeon to see if the sleep study is absolutely necessary. I snore lightly and occasionally, but only if I lie on my back. I've never awakened gasping for air or choking. I know that if there is the slightest hint of sleep apnea, I will have to take the time to get a CPAP, then do another sleep study with the CPAP... I don't want to prolong this any more. And if there is any sleep apnea, this surgery will reverse it, too.

I think I may have mentioned that I've reached out to a support group and have connected with a mentor who was sleeved two years ago. I finally met her for coffee yesterday and we had a wonderful chat. She is an itty bitty thing, but she used to be 289 pounds. Seriously! She lost 100 lbs. in her first year and 89 pounds in the 6 months following. She has gained a little bit of weight back (on purpose) and has settled at about 120. She looks stunning. She had a boatload of good insights for me. I recommend a mentor to anyone considering this procedure. It's so helpful to have first-hand information.

As of now, I'm probably looking at late October or early November for a surgery date. Patience isn't my strong suit and I've been fat and miserable too long already.

I'm Not Crazy. My Mother Had Me Tested.

This past Thursday was my first Psych appointment. I had no idea what to expect. People online talk about having to answer hundreds of questions about all kinds of things. Some talk about a brief meeting where they are put on the spot to answer a few quick questions before being sent on their way... my appointment was nothing like either of these. The psychologist was a very pleasant elderly man who made me feel so comfortable, I almost didn't want to leave! We talked about my family, my lifestyle, and the things I've learned about the surgery I'm having. We chatted and made what seemed like small talk for 45 minutes, but he was taking notes the entire time. We ended the session with him telling me that he feels I am very committed, informed and ready for my surgery and all the changes it will bring. My next session is this Friday and at that appointment, he will prepare his report, let me read it (which I found surprising) and submit it to the surgeon's office.

On Friday I had my A1C blood work done. Two hours and four needle sticks! The technicians at the lab were very pleasant, though, and made me very comfortable. I was so extremely tired, I nearly fell asleep several times. I hope that, if they do find something in my blood work that's making me feel so tired, that we can fix it.

Now, all I can do is wait for the surgeon's office to get their reports from the PSYCH and NUT and then they will schedule the rest of my tests <hums Jeopardy theme>...

Two More Hoops

Tuesday I had my first counseling appointment with the nutrition people. It wasn't at all what I expected. You know, talking about how I eat now and how I'll eat post-op. No, it was more like they were trying to talk me out of having this procedure. That's how it felt, anyway. Since my BMI is 41, and has only been this high for a short time, there was almost an implication that I should try dieting again. Yeah, um no. I am at Stage 2 hypertension with my blood pressure, and we are on a mission to find comorbidities. I need to go have a bunch of blood work done tomorrow to rule out high cholesterol and diabetes. I wont be the least bit surprised if this big 2 hour test shows that I am diabetic. I'm tired and thirsty all the time. I will go back for my second visit in two weeks.

Today I had my first psych eval appointment and it was so comfortable and enjoyable, I almost didn't want to leave! The psychologist must be at least 70 years old and he was funny and very nice to talk with. He was very happy that I have done so much research, independently reached out to support groups, and even gotten myself a mentor through the bariatric center's support group. He said he feels I am informed, ready, and committed. We laughed about almost wishing to find something wrong. "I sure hope I'm diabetic! Come on, cholesterol!!" I will see him again at the end of next week, after I've gotten my blood work results, gone to my first support group meeting, and a meeting with my mentor. Today's visit was mainly a friendly chat with him asking lots of questions about my family, my support system, and how I see the rest of my life as a sleeved woman. Next week he will write a report, let me read it, and then submit it to my surgeon for my file.

I bought some khaki Riders shorts on clearance last night so I'd have something to wear other than yoga  pants or gym shorts. They're an 18W so I didn't bother trying them on. They are quite snug and that makes the cute top I got with them look very unappealing. Hey, I'm on my way to doing something about it, though, right?