Diva vs. Doctor…

My visit to the doctor yesterday was definitely interesting.

The Positives

*He hasn’t seen me since last year, so he was amazed by my weight loss. According to my chart, I weighed 364 the last time I was there. Current weight is 268. I *heart* WW…

*My BP was a lovely 118/80. Doctor P was very pleased.

*I still grin like a fool when I step on the doctor’s scale. The painful experience of not being able to weigh at my ob/gyn’s office last January (the scale only went to 350 and the ditzy assistant couldn’t find the weight for an extended reading, so I was recorded as weighing “350+”) is definitely buried in the past.

The Not-So-Positives

*My blood is being tested for hypoglycemia, diabetes, and thyroid irregularities. Diabetes doesn’t run in my family, but being Black and overweight definitely puts me in the high risk catagory. Hypoglycemia wouldn’t not shock me. I have to eat something every 2-3 hours or I get sick/shaky/dizzy. The thyroid issue is a mystery. I’ve had it checked in the past (what fat kid hasn’t had a thyroid check in search of an explanation for being overweight?), but nothing abnormal surfaced.

*The doctor is concerned that my triathlon training will cause problems with my asthma. He gave me a device that will measure my breathing/lung strength. I’ll have to use it before and after every TRI workout, record my results, and forward the info to him on a weekly basis. Not happy about it, but it’s necessary.

*I told him that my skin has lightened from the weight loss, specfically around my neck. He told me that discoloration around the neck is a sign of insulin resistance. Basically, if I had stayed at my weight of 400+ lbs, diabetes was waiting in the wings. Technically, it’s a positive because I’ve lost weight and hopefully put a nice distance between myself and the disease. However, I was not prepared for him to tell me how serious my weight problem was and that I probably wouldn’t have lived another 10 years if I hadn’t made the necessary changes. He was praising my efforts, but it was still upsetting and hard to swallow.

*Doctor P is also advising me to slow down. He says I do entirely too much on a weekly basis and my body needs a break. With the busy holiday season approaching, he wants me to limit my exercise to 3-4 times/week from now until TRI training starts in January.

Overall, it was a good visit. I’ll have the test results back in a couple of weeks…and you’ll be the first to know. 😉

Hope everyone is having a good week…

shoot girl, we all know you do too much.

on another note, kempi’s changed their music format. it rocked saturday night!

I’m so proud of you, you just keep plugging away. I can see where the docs visit could have been upsetting. Your much too young to have been told you would have lived only another 10 years.

girl, it rocked the casbah.

Wow – Triathalon? That’s incredible. What a turn around from the past for you, huh? Glad the Dr.’s visit went ok – as much as there were things that might not be 100% positive, imagine how bad is could be if you were still at that weight! You’re amazing!

nemoinphx

November 5, 2002

Wow. Triathalon. Go Diva! RYN: I might put a few of the pics up on my OD webshots.. but just ones of me…

^..^Kat

It sounds like a very positive visit. Dr. P has every reason to be proud of you…as do you, yourself.

That must have been the greatest feeling for others who haven’t seen you in a year to see how much weight you’ve lost! Congratulations!

Good luck on the test results. Yeah for the positives! RYN: Don’t worry about me, girl. I’m a diva and divas always bounce back and land on our feet. (((hugs)))

Doctor’s visits are always a mixed bag, huh? He sounds like a good one though. Wish I could find a steady one. Every time I find one I like, they up and go away. *sigh* We’ve been through 3 doctors since the first of the year, and every time our insurance changes (yearly) , so does the doctor. Hope I’ve got as much progress to report in the weight department next time I visit. You are awesome!

Well, I hope all of your tests come back ok. I can’t even begin to imagine how fantastic it was to see your weight so low =) Your doing wonderful. Ryn: No, I don’t say aboot :p

ryn: that’s EXACTLY why i picked it. LOL

I’m glad to read you that you went and are on the road to finding out exactly what you need to know to better take care of yourself. What’s even more cool is that you listen to, and respect, your body enough to take care of it. That is something to be admired. 🙂

The comment about not living another 10 years had a very sobering effect on me, as well… and it wasn’t even directed at me. *gulp*

I used to get hypogylcaemia as well. I found the trick is to eat protein at every meal (eg a scoop of whey protein powder in my oatmeal) and eat low GI carbs. Of course, I do cheat as well. I’ve definitely noticed improvements though – no more dizziness and feeling disoriented.

Cindi Mayweather

November 6, 2002

You are still my hero. 🙂 I’m so glad you’ve done all these things and that we’ll have you around for a long, long time. BTW, I am probably going to Dallas in March. We should hook up for lunch or something!

raeven

I think that you can figure out what your body needs more than your DR… if you feel good doing the training you’re doing then do it. He obviously didn’t care enough to let you know a year ago how serious your condition was. I doubt he can appreciate the length you have gone to to get in the shape you’re in now.