Fat Frog Diary

I'll repeat this on LapBandTalk.com, but I'm guessing my bariatric surgeon, Dr. Michael Baptista, is getting more and more successful. He's moved from his partnership with another doctor and into his own spiffy new office MUCH more conveniently located for me, in Arlington right off 9A and Monument in the Brooks Rehab Building. Now, I'm not saying his former partner was a bad doctor-- not with that many awards-- but I didn't like the other doctor and that's the honest truth. I'm allowed my opinions, and my two experiences with the former partner were unpleasant. Now I feel much freer to help Dr. Baptista with his newer patients! I'm pleased to say Dr. Baptista asked me to start attending the monthly support group so I can provide cheerfulness and inspiration to a group that has recently begun to focus on negativity in his opinion. One subject he mentioned specifically I could help with was the low carb diet. Many have difficulty in going beyond what...

According to my bathroom scale this morning, my weight has now dropped to 242, down from my official start of 286. That's 44 pounds, gone forever. More significantly, my BMI has now dropped below 40, and I'm no longer considered "morbidly obese" and am now merely (!) "obese." BMI charts seem to differ, but I wanted to be sure that, by all their numbers, I'm now simply "obese." Uhhh...thanks? In some ways, it's significant that I'm merely on the chart at all! Some BMI charts don't even go as high as 250 lbs, as if such a weight does not bear noticing. It should be noticed. In fact, moreso than the weights closer to the ideal, IMHO! Those who are morbidly obese need MORE help, not less! Am I saying they (formerly, "we") need sympathy? Not necessarily. However, because there are issues --health and social are the two main ones-- the morbidly obese need to be on the charts and in the sights of the medical community. Not to men...

(Reprise from a post on LapBandTalk.com in one of the forums) I knew it was coming. I knew I hadn’t lost any weight, or not nearly enough to be pleasing to myself. Sure enough, I’d lost a mere 5 pounds in the past six weeks. Despite the reassurances of the nurse taking my weight that almost everyone had the same difficulties due to the weather being so cold, I knew I could do better. My appetite had been on the increase, and consequently, my caloric intake on my FitDay.com report showed a gradual increase. So, I went in today for my visit, determined to have maybe a couple of cc’s just to nip that trend toward weight gain in the bud. Nope! Once these pounds come off, they are not going back on by golly! See ya! Buh-bye! I’d only lost 5 pounds, but about 4.9 of those pounds was pure fat! Now, that’s a reason to celebrate. I might have lost more, but Dr. Baptista’s nifty machine said I had water weight issues. Yes, I did, mostly in a swollen left ankle from doing too much this past weeke...

This weekend was a "road test" for my new lifestyle. Friday I went with a local quilting guild to St. Simon's Island for a once-a-year event/sale on special quilting fabrics. Naturally of course, we had to sample the local restaurants. and this year was seafood! I was smart enough to choose an appetizer only, a 5 oz chunk crab cake with no naughty breading or fillings. I only ate half and asked for a box. It's still in the fridge. Then yesterday, I was a very naughty girl. Dante and I went to the Hoggestown Medieval Faire in Gainesville. We left early, but in a bit of a rush, so no breakfast. Dante insisted we stop at a McDonalds for a quick bite. (sigh) I should have ordered one of the "breakfasts" and eaten just the sausage and eggs. No, I was weak. I hadn't had an Egg McMuffin in years, and couldn't resist. (flogging myself for my crime) It took me close to an hour to eat the silly thing, but I did it. (Tsk! Tsk!) Now at the faire, I was better ou...

...Lena was doing her best not to eat the whole house. Okay, that's an exaggeration. Fact is, I'm okay with the extreme low-carb diet, even with the new instructions the doc included last I saw of him on the 22nd. When I saw Dr. Baptista on Monday (12-22-08) I'd hoped for a private session, and was disappointed to learn it would be another group session. Just how in the hell are you supposed to ask about your particular surgical situation in a group? However, they made it clear you could ask him for personal time afterwards, and I did. We negotiated and worked out a way to get around my particular problems with IV's and needles. Dr. B apparently doesn't care for PIC lines and specifically called them "lazy." He is concerned about infection, and in a case like mine where we must be concerned with not only my blood thinners but also my sleep apnea, a PIC line is not ideal. Instead, he would prefer a central line to be placed in my aorta or clavicle. Even his...

My lap band surgery will take place on January 2!! Yes, I'm thrilled. The round of doctor and lab visits has already begun, with happy results. If ever there was a case for getting a new bathroom scale, yesterday was it. My bathroom scale says I weigh 280 lbs in the morning. Yesterday at my pulmonologist's office --I'll go into why I was there in a minute-- I used their fancy calibrated scale and it read 2 75 lbs in the afternoon! Who am I to argue with that??? I've lost 11 pounds! My own diet, which I call The Goldilocks Zone diet, is working for me. It's hell on earth and very restrictive, but it works where all else has failed. I'll chatter more about it when I get time to type on Sunday. Why was I at my pulmonologist's? Because of the surgery. I'll take blood thinners for the rest of my unnatural life because I have the genetic predisposition to DVT. This means to have any surgery, I have to stop the Warfarin pills and use a subcutaneous shot in my...

Just how much humiliation am I supposed to take? Today was a group session at the surgeon’s. You know what I learned? What an ass one of the surgeons is. That’s it. After the weigh in, in which I gained a whole half-pound, we had the usual and repetitive lecture on how important it is we shrink our livers. I was feeling pretty good about my weight, actually. I’d had a full bladder and heavy winter clothing on, but the scale said only half a pound. I could live with that. I knew also I’d had a few too many macadamia nuts over the past few days and vowed to cut them out. Finally, the surgeon appeared. He was as handsome as rumor had claimed. I had a hard time understanding his accent, since he was from South Africa. The Afrikaners I’ve known can seem to mumble a bit to our American ears. I’d had an Afrikaner teacher back in real estate school and I’d adored him, so I was prepared to like the surgeon, Dr. Cywes. How wrong I was. After introducing himself and matching faces to files, he im...

I feel as if I could beat my head against a wall. I'm trying oh so very hard to be a good little pre-bandster and shrink my liver as I was told to do. I'm on lapbandtalk.com and I just want to shake some of these women out of sheer envy. They must live alone or something. If I were able to muster the willpower to stay on diets, I'd weigh much less than I do, okay? There. I've admitted it. I have no friggin' willpower. (Breathing in and out to dissipate anger) Okay, I've re-read my notes from the visit with the dietician. If I wrote things down correctly, staying at 30g of carbs a day is optional right now and won't be mandatory until about 7-10 days before surgery. At that time, I'll be forced to go on the 30g/day with no margin for error. Then, two days before surgery, I'll go on a liquid diet. While I'm still wondering at my sanity, at least I feel I can maintain this level of dietary restriction with less stress and guilt when I fail. It's...

(sigh) Warning: This is a rant as well as a report on my latest visit to the surgeon. Lately, I began to resent the weeks or months of time I spend jumping through hoops like a circus poodle. ("Arf! Jump through the fiery hoop? Arf! Are you nuts? Arf? Okay, okay! Arf! Arf! Shit! My tail's on fire again!") Today was another doctor visit with the surgeon's office on the other side of town at 10:30 AM. Thank goodness I'd already gone through the hassle of finding out they moved so I had the correct address this time. Yes, I'm still pissed off about them forgetting the new patients' seminar folks. Made me feel oh-so-very-unwanted. Today wasn't much better. I filled out the paperwork in the waiting room. Good name, waiting room, but wasting room would be better. Waste of time is more like it. I did balk at the idea of their using my photos for their website. Yes, I object to that. Gimme a break. If I don't like the way I look so much I'm willing to ...

The bariatric surgeon's office finally called on Friday afternoon. Yes, I've been approved for surgery. Now there are four -plus hoops to jump, and some will not be pleasant. My next step is to visit the surgeon on the 15th of October. I'll sign medical releases, get Rx's for blood and x-rays, and I have to turn in a list of medications I take and surgeries I've had. There will be a diet history sheet to fill out, and a letter to my insurance stating why I feel the surgery will benefit me. (Yeah, like the bean counters care how the surgery will benefit me.) Oh, and I have to fork out $200 and my co-pay of $12. (No plastic, please. Cash or check only.) At that point, I'll be allowed to make my next appointment to see the shrink. This ought to be interesting. LOL!

Yesterday, I went to my pulmonologist with a chip on my shoulder. I was tired of trying to lose weight without eating green vegetables -- a nearly impossible task, let me tell you! I was determined to get her to agree to up my Coumadin dose to compensate for my new Atkins diet, since the bariatric surgeon ordered it. As usual, doc was late. I expect to spend time in the waiting room and more time in that exam room every time I visit. This time wasn't so bad. She was only about 30-45 minutes late. I've waited twice that in those claustrophobic rooms. After the usual preliminaries by the nurse, doc finally arrived. She was very pleased with me. My CPAP machine for my sleep apnea reports I have no incidents while using the machine, making me a model apnea patient. I sing the praises of a CPAP machine to anyone and everyone who'll listen, so this is no surprise. The big shocker came when I explained the conflict between all my doctors and the need for green veggies. Doc nodded ...

Okay, I'm gonna bitch a minute about doctors and their seeming inability to communicate with one another. My pulmonist put me on Coumadin, a blood thinner. I was told to never have green vegetables again, and therefore gained forty pounds without my salads, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. Yep, I love my greens. Later, this was modified that I was allowed a salad or maybe a helping of something green on weekends. Is it any wonder I gained forty pounds? Naturally, my PCP (primary care physician) freaked at my annual checkup. My cholesterol was through the roof and I walked the thin line to being a pre-diabetic, not to mention my BMI was now in the "dangerously obese" category. (No shit, honey. Go talk to my pulmonist.) After one year of seeing a dietician, the cholesterol nazi they have in their office putting me on a low-fat and low-cholesterol diet (still no greens), and more sticks with a needle than I care to dream about, I've lost only twenty pounds. Did I mention ...

We forgot to check the mail on Saturday, so this afternoon I went to the mailbox. Inside was the long-awaited referral from my insurance. The letter gives me permission to call the bariatric surgeon, and I'm trying to be grateful that he's on Beach Blvd instead of in Ocala or Gainesville. Beach Blvd is across the river from here, and I've not been to that area of town since I was a girl of 21. Mapquest says it's a mere ten miles from my place. I'll call this another challenge-test of my resolve. Can I get in the car and drive all the way to a place I've never been in a town that is increasingly unfamiliar? This once was my hometown, but I swear it's morphed and changed into unrecognizable. Ironically, I grew up on that other side of town. My father lives there. The doctor's office is only a few blocks from Baptist Medical Center where I was born, and where I spent most of my childhood while my maternal grandmother slowly wasted away from cancer. Perhaps ...

Hooray!! When I stepped on the scale at the doc's, I've lost 5 pounds since July 3. I still have a BMI of 40+, but anything I can do to be healthier is worth the trouble. All I've done is keep walking with my friend Karen and drink more water. I'm trying to stick to my old tried and true Food Mover but I'm not beating myself up when I have an extra ounce of meat. The Food Mover was the *only* weight loss plan where I lost more than 50 pounds, so that's the plan that worked for me. (More on that tomorrow.) At last, my doc has ordered the referral to a bariatric surgeon. (Happy Dance) First set of hoop jumping completed. What a relief. Now I know I'll have to jump through the surgeon's hoops. It's understandable that he'd want me to see a shrink to make sure my head is screwed on straight, that I'm committed, and he won't have a failure if he can help it. I get that. I'll play along. At least I possibly won't have to have another fr...

Well, the good doctor has once again proven to me why I like her so much. She’s on my side and promises to make me jump through as few hoops as possible. I took the fussing out she gave me meekly. I deserved it because I’d not gotten a test she felt very important to my continued good health – a liver function test. It’s a sonogram, so I have no good excuse why I didn’t go. Probably forgot about it, to be honest. No matter. I’ll go with good spirits now to the (dreaded) blood test, mammogram (it’s that time of year, so may as well get it done, and the digital one is almost comfortable) and liver function test. I’ll get the blood test over as quickly as possible, just to ease my stress. The other two, I’ll try to schedule simultaneously since they’re done at the same location. Doc C however is adamant about one thing. She insists on the lap-band surgery. She is most emphatic that lap-band is safer, heals faster, and is reversible in the event of emergency. Would I prefer the more perman...