I love my new doctor. She is a relatively new doctor. She just opened a new practice and has lots of time to spend with her patients. I like that she listens to me. However, in the five months since I've been seeing her, I am now taking three medications: one for high blood pressure, one for cholesterol and one for an underactive thyroid. This does not make me happy. But, then, it's all on me, isn't it? It's I who chose to ignore the weight I was gaining. It's I who didn't think it was necessary to exercise. So, here I am at age 57, well over 200 pounds, at 5 feet tall. I dare say that I resemble a weeble.
At my last visit to my old doctor, she briefly mentioned lap band surgery... had I considered it? Of course not! Elective surgery? Me? Get real. She suggested that it was covered by insurance right now, but may not be in the future. I left the office and couldn't stop thinking about lap band surgery. Could I consider something that drastic? The last surgery I had was in May of 1978. I had my appendix out and all I remember about that surgery was being absolutely hysterical just before I went out, under anesthesia. It was absolutely terrifying and I didn't think I'd want to duplicate that feeling ever again... at least not voluntarily.
But, I got home and began googling for information on lap band surgery. Could I do this? It's not a cure... it's a tool. All the information seemed to emphasize this fact. I found blogs from people who had the surgery. I read each one. I found hospitals, both near and far, that specialized in lap band surgery and offered extensive information on the topic. I read everything I could find on lap band surgery and was beginning to think that maybe I could at least consider it.
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Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Wait for the Weight...loss
It was really when I quit smoking that I noticed how much weight I'd gained. I decided I'd better join Weight Watchers, so I wouldn't add any more bulk to my body. That was in 2001 and I weighed in at 238 pounds. I was over TWO HUNDRED POUNDS!
I love to cook and cook, I did. I could follow the Weight Watchers plan. I love cook books. Weight Watchers has lots and lots of cook books. I bought lots and lots of Weight Watchers cook books. I followed the recipes. I followed the program. When I wrote down what I was eating, I'd actually lose weight. When I didn't, I either stayed the same or gained weight. While I was very good at eating only what I should eat, I had an issue with portion control. Those tiny servings didn't fill me up and I'd want more and more and more. I stayed with Weight Watchers for almost 10 years. I lost nothing. But, I gained nothing, either, so I, at least, managed to quit smoking without gaining weight. That was a good thing, right?
My weight had taken its toll on my knees. My knees are killing me. They hurt all the time. It doesn't matter whether I'm standing up, walking, sitting, or laying down. My knees hurt. So, one day, I mentioned it to my primary care physician and, at her suggestion, I decided to see an orthopedic surgeon about my knees. Why? I have no idea. I've no intention of having surgery on my knees. I've no intention of allowing anything to be injected into my knees. So, why go? No idea. I told the surgeon my issues with my knees and my reluctance to have anything done about them. I asked if there was something... some exercise or other alternative to surgery or injections. He prescribed 12 weeks of physical therapy. Okay, I could deal with that. So, I went through 12 weeks of physical therapy and went through my insurance coverage for same. My knees still hurt. All the time. Okay, so even if I were to consider surgery, I can't see doing that at my present weight. It just seems like a waste of time, effort and money. So, SOMEhow, I have to lose weight.
The Y has a Water Walking program that I thought I would enjoy, so I signed up. And I did enjoy it. I went for a year and my knees still hurt. All the time. How about just plain old walking? I hate walking on my streets. There are no sidewalks and people whiz by in their cars, sometimes coming within inches of hitting me. They don't slow down. It's like they're angry at ME for taking up their space. But I endured for about six months, walking 3-4 times a week, for about a mile. My knees still hurt. All the time. And I didn't lose any weight.
So, I went back to my primary care physician for my annual physical. My blood pressure was elevated. My cholesterol was elevated. My sugar was elevated. It was happening. My worst nightmare. While they all were slightly elevated, nothing was at the level of being a serious problem... except for the fact that my brother dropped dead of a massive heart attack at 45 and my mother survived a heart attack at 62. Both had high cholesterol levels and I was 55. So, here we go. Because of my family history and my elevated sugar levels, the course of treatment is aggressive to avoid heart problems. But, I simply refused to put all these synthetic drugs into my body. Wasn't going to happen. I would agree to taking lisinopril for the high blood pressure and that's IT! I would watch my diet, take fish oil capsules and try to exercise more to get my cholesterol and sugar levels down.
I called a young, overweight acquaintance and asked if he'd like to start walking with me around the "block" -- in the center of town, where he lived. He thought that would be a great idea and we started right after he got back from vacation. We started out walking three times a week. And I was actually looking forward to our walks. I also decided to go back to Y and get back into Water Walking, thinking that between water walking twice a week and regular walking three times a week, maybe that would have an effect on my cholesterol and blood sugar levels. But, then the cold weather came and my friend broke a few toes and couldn't walk. I stopped walking, but started coughing. I coughed all the time. Maybe it's allergies. Am I getting a cold? I kept hoping it was something other than the lisinopril, but it appeared that the lisinopril was making me cough. And THIS is why I don't want to poison my body with this junk.
I had already decided that I was not going back to that drug pushing primary care physician and found a new PCP nearby. This one seemed to understand me. She seemed to understand why I'd rather try to lose weight or exercise than poison my body with drugs.
I love to cook and cook, I did. I could follow the Weight Watchers plan. I love cook books. Weight Watchers has lots and lots of cook books. I bought lots and lots of Weight Watchers cook books. I followed the recipes. I followed the program. When I wrote down what I was eating, I'd actually lose weight. When I didn't, I either stayed the same or gained weight. While I was very good at eating only what I should eat, I had an issue with portion control. Those tiny servings didn't fill me up and I'd want more and more and more. I stayed with Weight Watchers for almost 10 years. I lost nothing. But, I gained nothing, either, so I, at least, managed to quit smoking without gaining weight. That was a good thing, right?
My weight had taken its toll on my knees. My knees are killing me. They hurt all the time. It doesn't matter whether I'm standing up, walking, sitting, or laying down. My knees hurt. So, one day, I mentioned it to my primary care physician and, at her suggestion, I decided to see an orthopedic surgeon about my knees. Why? I have no idea. I've no intention of having surgery on my knees. I've no intention of allowing anything to be injected into my knees. So, why go? No idea. I told the surgeon my issues with my knees and my reluctance to have anything done about them. I asked if there was something... some exercise or other alternative to surgery or injections. He prescribed 12 weeks of physical therapy. Okay, I could deal with that. So, I went through 12 weeks of physical therapy and went through my insurance coverage for same. My knees still hurt. All the time. Okay, so even if I were to consider surgery, I can't see doing that at my present weight. It just seems like a waste of time, effort and money. So, SOMEhow, I have to lose weight.
The Y has a Water Walking program that I thought I would enjoy, so I signed up. And I did enjoy it. I went for a year and my knees still hurt. All the time. How about just plain old walking? I hate walking on my streets. There are no sidewalks and people whiz by in their cars, sometimes coming within inches of hitting me. They don't slow down. It's like they're angry at ME for taking up their space. But I endured for about six months, walking 3-4 times a week, for about a mile. My knees still hurt. All the time. And I didn't lose any weight.
So, I went back to my primary care physician for my annual physical. My blood pressure was elevated. My cholesterol was elevated. My sugar was elevated. It was happening. My worst nightmare. While they all were slightly elevated, nothing was at the level of being a serious problem... except for the fact that my brother dropped dead of a massive heart attack at 45 and my mother survived a heart attack at 62. Both had high cholesterol levels and I was 55. So, here we go. Because of my family history and my elevated sugar levels, the course of treatment is aggressive to avoid heart problems. But, I simply refused to put all these synthetic drugs into my body. Wasn't going to happen. I would agree to taking lisinopril for the high blood pressure and that's IT! I would watch my diet, take fish oil capsules and try to exercise more to get my cholesterol and sugar levels down.
I called a young, overweight acquaintance and asked if he'd like to start walking with me around the "block" -- in the center of town, where he lived. He thought that would be a great idea and we started right after he got back from vacation. We started out walking three times a week. And I was actually looking forward to our walks. I also decided to go back to Y and get back into Water Walking, thinking that between water walking twice a week and regular walking three times a week, maybe that would have an effect on my cholesterol and blood sugar levels. But, then the cold weather came and my friend broke a few toes and couldn't walk. I stopped walking, but started coughing. I coughed all the time. Maybe it's allergies. Am I getting a cold? I kept hoping it was something other than the lisinopril, but it appeared that the lisinopril was making me cough. And THIS is why I don't want to poison my body with this junk.
I had already decided that I was not going back to that drug pushing primary care physician and found a new PCP nearby. This one seemed to understand me. She seemed to understand why I'd rather try to lose weight or exercise than poison my body with drugs.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Modern Medicine
People who know me know that I'm not a fan of modern Western medicine. I think there are far too many unnecessary tests ordered, surgeries performed, and drugs prescribed. Just look at all the pharmacies that have popped up in the past 10 years or so. There is a CVS or a Walgreens on every corner, it seems. And, yet, when I need to fill the rare prescription for an antibiotic, I have to wait at least 20 minutes before the script is filled. Does that not tell you that there are too many prescriptions being written? When I was in school, there was one lonely little school nurse, manning a small, but well-equipped nurse's office. Now, many schools need to employ several nurses and provide well-marked storage for the hundreds of prescriptions they need to dose out during the day to far too many students. It just makes me shake my head, but I digress.
I have lived my life fairly healthily, with the exception of exercise and smoking. I have never been consistent with exercise. When I was young, it wasn't an issue, as I never had an issue with my weight. I was five feet tall and weighed 100 pounds. And, at the time, I only associated exercise with weight issues. If you had weight issues, you needed to exercise. If you were at a healthy weight, exercise wasn't needed -- you were obviously getting enough, in my mind. So, I was ignorant on the need to exercise, until, one day, when I was in my 40s, I realized I had put on some weight. Oh, let me correct that. Not SOME weight, a LOT of weight. I had become obese and I really hadn't noticed it happening.
I had two children. I worked three jobs. I was a housewife and I went to college when I was in my 30s. I was too busy to notice what was happening to me. But, I thought I was healthy. After all, I ate healthy foods. I didn't really drink alcohol very often. I went to the doctor for check-ups almost every year and to the dentist every six months. I thought I was taking pretty good care of myself, yet I hadn't noticed that I was gaining a lot of weight. I don't do scales. I own one, but it sits neatly under a small 3-drawer chest in the bathroom. I take it out to dust it now and again, but step on it? Naaaaaaaahhhh... not me. So, maybe, in some small way I was in denial all those years. But I was healthy! Oh, yes, I smoked cigarettes, but my lungs were still healthy, my cholesterol was good, my blood pressure was good and everything else seemed to be working just fine. No meds for me. They poison the body. Sure, I'll agree that some drugs are truly miracle drugs, but most are poisonous concoctions developed by money-hungry drug companies, who lobby to get their drugs approved by a corrupt Food and Drug Administration before they've been thoroughly tested.
Then, one day, I came down with a cold and I noticed my breathing was much worse than it had ever been with any other cold I'd had in my life. I really had to work at breathing. It made it easy to give up smoking. Hell! I couldn't inhale semi-clean air, let alone cigarette smoke. But, I ended up having to go to the hospital for treatment to breathe. The emergency room doctor made me feel as though he wasn't going to treat me, when I answered "yes" to his question of "Do you smoke cigarettes?" He stood there for a moment, as if to say, "Well, what do you expect ME to do?" Then he abruptly turned and left the cubicle. I wasn't sure if he was coming back or not, but soon there was someone with some sort of pipe thing that I had to inhale and, after three such treatments, I was breathing much better and on my way home. I never picked up a cigarette again.
While my breathing improved dramatically after the treatments, it was never again what it was. I was afraid... and still am... that I had permanently damaged my lungs from smoking. However, I had also gained over 100 pounds and I know that's also doing a number on my breathing.
I have lived my life fairly healthily, with the exception of exercise and smoking. I have never been consistent with exercise. When I was young, it wasn't an issue, as I never had an issue with my weight. I was five feet tall and weighed 100 pounds. And, at the time, I only associated exercise with weight issues. If you had weight issues, you needed to exercise. If you were at a healthy weight, exercise wasn't needed -- you were obviously getting enough, in my mind. So, I was ignorant on the need to exercise, until, one day, when I was in my 40s, I realized I had put on some weight. Oh, let me correct that. Not SOME weight, a LOT of weight. I had become obese and I really hadn't noticed it happening.
I had two children. I worked three jobs. I was a housewife and I went to college when I was in my 30s. I was too busy to notice what was happening to me. But, I thought I was healthy. After all, I ate healthy foods. I didn't really drink alcohol very often. I went to the doctor for check-ups almost every year and to the dentist every six months. I thought I was taking pretty good care of myself, yet I hadn't noticed that I was gaining a lot of weight. I don't do scales. I own one, but it sits neatly under a small 3-drawer chest in the bathroom. I take it out to dust it now and again, but step on it? Naaaaaaaahhhh... not me. So, maybe, in some small way I was in denial all those years. But I was healthy! Oh, yes, I smoked cigarettes, but my lungs were still healthy, my cholesterol was good, my blood pressure was good and everything else seemed to be working just fine. No meds for me. They poison the body. Sure, I'll agree that some drugs are truly miracle drugs, but most are poisonous concoctions developed by money-hungry drug companies, who lobby to get their drugs approved by a corrupt Food and Drug Administration before they've been thoroughly tested.
Then, one day, I came down with a cold and I noticed my breathing was much worse than it had ever been with any other cold I'd had in my life. I really had to work at breathing. It made it easy to give up smoking. Hell! I couldn't inhale semi-clean air, let alone cigarette smoke. But, I ended up having to go to the hospital for treatment to breathe. The emergency room doctor made me feel as though he wasn't going to treat me, when I answered "yes" to his question of "Do you smoke cigarettes?" He stood there for a moment, as if to say, "Well, what do you expect ME to do?" Then he abruptly turned and left the cubicle. I wasn't sure if he was coming back or not, but soon there was someone with some sort of pipe thing that I had to inhale and, after three such treatments, I was breathing much better and on my way home. I never picked up a cigarette again.
While my breathing improved dramatically after the treatments, it was never again what it was. I was afraid... and still am... that I had permanently damaged my lungs from smoking. However, I had also gained over 100 pounds and I know that's also doing a number on my breathing.
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