Seein' Doctors and Losing Weight

Note: I was going to try to find a funny little cartoon about going to the gynecologist and made the mistake of image googling "gynecologist" without the porn filter on :P Now I'm a little sick to my stomach. Hope you don't mind the blog sans funny cartoon!

Ok so last week, I spent a lot of time in doctor’s offices. I scheduled an appointment with my gyno’s nurse practitioner and learned that she was also a fellow bariatric patient. She had the RNY, but was interested to hear about the sleeve. I wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to do a pap that day although the medication she prescribed had pretty much stopped the bleeding I was experiencing. I think after talking to me a bit and noticing that it had been five years since my last pap, she figured she better strike while the iron was hot so she sent me off with my superman cape and told me to get nekkid.

I love the things they talk to you about while they are inserting the speculum and basically probing around in your privates: “So what do you do for a living?” “Are you from San Antonio?” “Do you live nearby?” All of these questions you are obligated to answer as if you were merely standing in line at the grocery counter and not spread eagled with lots of equipment and appendages in your hoo-ha. I did my best to answer her questions and when she complimented me on my “nice long cervix” I thanked her and told her that I got compliments on it all the time (I didn’t really, it was one of those things I thought of later and wished I had said). I mean seriously? Later when I told Erik what she had said I made some stupid joke about it being something he could brag to his friends about: “Yeah my wife may weigh a few hundred pounds, but MAN if you could see her cervix you’d understand!”

She seemed to think everything was ok, but wanted me to go for an ultrasound and since I’m 40, she wanted me to get in for a mammogram (BTW blogging buddies, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is coming up in October so go get yourself squished!).

I’ve had the ultrasound (which was SO uncomfortable….they always are…I’ll spare you the details for once) and heard back from my gyno. Apparently my uterine lining (which can build up in people with PCOS and put them at risk for endometrial cancer) was pretty thin so she isn’t sure whether they will need to put in an IUD (the NP had suggested it as a way to keep the lining from building up and I was all for it because it meant NO PERIOD YAY). My doctor was concerned that if we did an IUD it might actually cause break through bleeding since the lining was so thin to begin with. Anyway, we are going to wait and see how the next cycle goes before taking any action.

I have my mammogram this Saturday so fingers crossed there. I’ve had mammograms before so I know what to expect…a perky little cheerleader who is going to have to act as if my mammoth breastages are just as lovely as hers! Oh well, they will be SOME DAY! By the end of this week, I should be fairly thoroughly checked out.

I almost forgot, remember the cyst from hell? Yeah it is still giving me problems so I went in to see a dermatologist this time around. She lanced it and injected some steroids so hopefully it will go away already!

Hmm, what other repulsive medical information can I share with the masses and ensure my single status for the rest of my life? I think that’s about it guys sorry…my well of disgusting factual tidbits has run dry.

On the weight loss front, I am down to 366!! Today I was actually 367, but I think that is because I came back off my blood pressure meds. OH! I forgot to tell you…when I went to the gyno, my blood pressure was up a bit 130/100 :S She advised that I go back on my BP meds which I did for several days, but I felt pretty crappy the days I took it. Very similar to when I had to be hospitalized, but not nearly as bad. I just had NO energy, really tired almost to the point that talking at the end of the day would wear me out. Lately, I’m used to feeling super energized so I stopped them yesterday and I’m going to try to find some time to get into my regular doc to have my BP taken to see if maybe that one time was just a flukey thing.

Because of the lack of energy, I haven’t been getting on the treadmill the last few days, but I HAVE been doing a whole lot more around the house. My mom would die to know how much I am enjoying housework now that I can actually do it again. I think Erik is enjoying it too lol. I’ve also been trying out a lot of new recipes. We had a low carb version of salmon patties last night (I used almond flour instead of breadcrumbs and flour) and they turned out alright. I think I’m going to have to add something (lemon pepper and maybe squeeze a little lemon juice on them afterwards). They were just ok. I also tried this baked cauliflower which turned out fairly horrible. I don’t recommend it :P

As far as weight loss goes, I have posted a projected weight I want to be at for each month and I’m darn close to where I want to be by next Thursday which will be my 3-month mark since surgery. The goal weight is 359. I might be able to do that, but I’m going to have to step up the exercise for sure. Even if I don’t make it, just being this close is pretty awesome. I have figured that if I continue to lose the way I have been, I could be under 300 by the end of the year. We’ll have to wait and see though.

Feeling Stronger!!

Ok, maybe I'm not there (see above) yet, but my muscles are waking up and it feels amazing!! I had some power oatmeal this morning (I'll post the recipe at the end of this post...don't think I've shared it before) and when my break rolled around I decided to see how long I could last on the treadmill. The last time I walked, I was absolutely STRUGGLING to get past three minutes. About a minute and a half into it, my back was getting tired, my knees were starting to hurt. At four minutes, my knees felt like someone had placed a hot pebble between my upper and lower legbones..it was NOT fun.

Today, I hopped on and started it up and noticed that the typical speed I was walking at (the lowest setting available) just seemed too slow and laborious so I punched it up a few clicks. The treadmill is in Tanner's room so I was treated to his guitar hero prowess on Slipknot's "Before I Forget" and then, at my request, Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Pride and Joy." It was quite a treat! I was actually quite impressed with how well he kept up on Stevie's song since it isn't one he's ever really heard before and it was pretty complicated to play. PLUS, his hearing aid is barely working and of course his cochlear is still demolished...I have to sign all the time now, even if he is looking right at me. Those of you that know Tanner, know that is a HUGE change. when everything is working perfectly, he can often understand what we are saying even if he is in another room. It is frustrating for all parties...but I digress...

So normally my back starts aching about 1.5 minutes in, I was focused on Tanner's guitar hero playing, but when I noticed my back begin to ache I looked down to see what time it was and I was almost FOUR minutes in!!! I made it to 5 minutes no problem and probably could have done a bit longer, but I really want to make sure I don't injure myself so I'm going to start increasing my time a tiny bit each time I get on the treadmill. I'm going to do another 5 minutes on my lunch and then another 5 on my break. I figure I'll try 5:15 at lunch and then 5:30 on my next break. I'll see how I feel tomorrow and then determine whether to increase a bit more or stay where I'm at for a day or so.

After my walk, I went and did 100 crunches on the weight bench. Paxton was sitting on the bed and walked over by me like he was going to spot me so I said "Paxton, count them out for mommy ok?" Erik laughed and started talking in paxton's "voice" saying stuff like "1, P, 6, 6, 6, lemondrops, 200 thousand, squirrel!" everytime I did another crunch lol). Obviously counting is not one of Paxton's strong suits. It's a good thing he's so cute. You know, it is hard to concentrate on using the right muscles when you are giggling the entire time. See why I can never stay mad at Erik? Infuriates me :P

Still at 431 today, but plan on seeing more come off this week as I get more time logged on the treadmill and at the gym! Hope everyone has a wonderful memorial day :)

Michelle's Power Oatmeal:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup skim milk
half a banana sliced
sprinkling of raisins or dried cranberries
sprinkling of slivered almonds
butter substitute and splenda to taste

Put all ingredients in a bowl and then microwave for about 3-4 minutes. You will know it is ready when it looks creamy. The bananas kind of "lubricate" it much like real butter does so it isn't so pasty and dry. I don't really taste them as much so if you aren't a banana lover, you may not mind this addition. The raisins or cranberries provide a nice sweet punch instead of sugar and the almonds provide additional protein without adding a lot of fat. This fills me up and makes me feel full for quite some time! To be honest, it really doesn't need additional sweetener or butter substitute. Sometimes I may put a teaspoon of splenda brown sugar over the top just to change it up. If you give it a try, let me know what you think :)