Progress!

I have now attended my mandatory nutrition classes and met with the nutritionist.  I learned quite a bit at the nutrition classes, and there was a lot I already knew.  I've tried to make the changes suggested and some are going well, and some I'm still struggling with.  They want us to fill half the plate with non-starchy veggies, 1/4 of the plate with protein, and the other 1/4 with whole grains or starches.  I'm not a big veggie fan.  I've been eating a LOT of salads. 

The nutritionist and I talked about my BMI and she is working with me to keep me at the 40 limit.  I've gained enough now that I shouldn't have any problems staying in the 40s until October (my 6 month time limit).  I will see her every month until surgery, I believe.

Today I met with the medical person again.  Apparently the last time I was supposed to get orders for a whole slew of tests...but somehow they were not given to me nor were they discussed.  So now I have those orders and will need to get those done soon.  I will see her again in a month.

I also met with the physical therapy lady to talk about exercise.  She's quite pleased with where I am on that, so she said she could clear me for surgery right now.  I don't need to see her until after surgery.  She wants me to keep doing what I'm doing until I start the pre-surgery liquid diet.  At that point I will need to back way off because I won't be taking in enough calories to sustain that kind of activity.  She said I should be back at the level I'm at within about 3-6 months after surgery. 

I've also finished my grad class on Image Design and got an A.  It was pretty tough and stressful, but I made it!  I'm now just a smidge over half-way through my master's degree.  It's going quite fast, which is awesome!

Until next time...

Oops...where did I go?

I can't believe it's almost been a month since I last posted!  Lots of stuff to catch up on, so put your feet up, grab a nice cup of water, and lets chat!

First, we adopted another dog on June 29.  Her name is Piper and she's a little Chihuahua.  She's a little over a year old and has settled into our lives very nicely.  Her and Duke have a great time playing and resting together.  He is not jealous in the least, which is awesome.  Piper came to us from my cousin in Springfield.  She was finding that she wasn't really home enough to give Princess Piper the attention she needed, so she posted a request on Facebook to find a new family for Piper.  After about a week and a half, I finally convinced Mike that the family should be OURS!  He's very happy with that decision because it's really been a great transition.  As a matter of fact, as I type this, I have Piper snuggled up on the left side of my lap and Duke is on the right.  Puppy bookends!

My 4-week grad class started on June 30.  I've been dreading this because it's 16 weeks of instruction packed into 4 weeks.  Luckily, the professor sent out the syllabus early so we could start doing some of the work.  So far I'm doing pretty good at keeping up, but it is tough.  I'll be glad when it's over because it puts me that much closer to my master's degree! 

In preparation for bariatric surgery, I stopped drinking soda on July 1.  I've had a few moments where I missed it, but for the most part it's been an ok transition.  I started drinking iced tea sweetened with Stevia.  Now I'm working on cutting out the caffeine.  I use 3 caffeinated tea bags and 2 non-caff right now.  Soon I'll switch that up to 3 non-caff + 2 caff, and slowly ease out the caff.  It's a good way to wean off caffeine without the horrible headaches. 

I've also learned that surgery may not happen for me.  I'm one of those that may slip through the cracks right now.  First, you have to understand the requirements for bariatric surgery - these are nation-wide, so most bariatric centers/insurances follow these guidelines.  You must either have A) a BMI of 40 or more; or B) a BMI of 35-39 with TWO co-morbidities.  Co-morbidities are things such as sleep apnea, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.  Diseases/problems brought on by weight, in other words. 

My problem is that I have NO co-morbidities.  My blood pressure is fine.  No signs of diabetes or even pre-diabetes.  I do not have sleep apnea or any other issues brought on by weight.  I'm the healthiest overweight person you'll ever meet.  My BMI is BARELY 40. 

I talked to the insurance lady at Memorial and I have to have proof (medical) of a BMI of 40+ for six months or I will be denied surgery.  I don't have that from before because I had lost quite a bit of weight up until last August and then I started slowly gaining.  Out of frustration, I applied for surgery.  So I pretty much cannot lose anything for six months.  I have to maintain this weight.  If I fall below the 40 BMI, I'm done.  And if I fall below, chances are good that it won't go too much further.  I've fought this for too long. 

I'm not sure what to do.  On Monday I will return to Springfield and will take part in two of the mandatory classes, and I will see the nutritionist.  I'm going to discuss this with her and see what she says.  If I could lose it on my own, I'd do it.  But my body has proven for too long that it won't happen.  Which is why I feel like I'm going to fall through the cracks.  It's very frustrating.  For once, I wish I was fatter and sick.  Then it wouldn't even be a problem.  I can't be the only person like this that they've dealt with.  I'm hoping to get some answers and guidance on Monday. 

The puppies are starting to wake and they want to play, so that's my cue to wrap it up!  Hope you all have a great, safe week!