Archive for the ‘Doctors and Dentists and Nurses… oh my!’ Category

Upcoming challenges

Posted: July 23, 2012 in Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Foot issues, Penn State, Weight loss
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Happy Monday. OK, maybe not quite happy.

As I write this, I’m waiting to see what penalties the NCAA will hand down to Penn State. As an alum, it’s been a rough couple of months and while I’m not quite ready to add my $0.02 to the piling on, I will at some point. My only comment for the moment is that I find it incredibly ironic that an organization as morally bereft as the NCAA sees fit to pass a moral judgement on anyone or anything. That’s like having Ted Bundy sitting on the Supreme Court and weighing in on the eighth amendment.

So, moving on to the meat of the day’s post, it should prove to be an interesting day.

Why?

I woke up with an incredibly stiff back and while my ankles have stopped hurting, my hips are aching like crazy and I have my Monday morning ass-kicking to contend with. Post ass-kicking, it’s time to visit Dr. Doogie the dentist to get work done on both sides of my upper teeth. I should be slurring and drooling like crazy.

It would be so easy to call in and say I’m going to cancel the days appointment. So incredibly easy. But I can’t. I’ve come this far and I can’t do that because I’ve spent a lot of years quitting when it got too hard. I tend to take the easy way out a lot… I’m always looking for ways to make life a little easier and I can get very pissy when it’s not. I guess I’m a lazy bones at heart. But lately that’s changed. Even yesterday, as much as it hurt to get moving, I did. Maybe I didn’t go for a walk or anything like that, but I did SOMETHING. I made a big batch of chili for the week and made dinner for Supportive Partner Woman (eater of zucchini). My outlook now is not as lazy but more determination to succeed and get to my goals. I’ve actually felt more like I’m giving my body parts the Knute Rockne speech.

 we’re gonna get ‘em on the run, we’re gonna go, go, go, go! — and we  aren’t going to stop until we go over that goal line! And don’t forget,  men — today is the day we’re gonna win.

For whatever reason that speech has stuck with me ever since the first time I watched Rudy;

There is a goal line ahead of me… it’s going to be a long drive, but I have the clock on my side and one helluva team. Thy are the ones who make it possible. It is kind of like a football team when you think about it. The medical staff is the coach, they show me how to do it, my family and friends are my teammates and you, the readers, are the cheerleaders and fans, offering all that support that makes it possible to succeed.

It’s first and 10, folks… and the first play is to get to the gym.

We’ll huddle up afterward.

Managing expectations

Posted: July 18, 2012 in diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Weight loss
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Last Friday, I wrote about my disappointment with my results on the scale. I thought I had lost a lot more than the numbers showed. I was pretty disappointed by this, but after reading the supportive comments, I realized that weight ain’t nuthin’ but a number. So, I accepted the three-pound loss and moved on.

Today I had an appointment with Rachel Ho, CRNP, or as Supportive Partner Woman (brave little toaster!) and I refer to her, East Coast Jeanine. I really have a ton of respect for her. Her tableside manner does not brook any argument, but she’s as supportive and caring as any health care provider I’ve ever had. She told us up front that when she was working in the hospital, they called her the Dictator and the Sergeant. I can certainly respect that.

Upon our arrival, the nurse, Mike, took me back to the livestock scale to get weighed in. The scale was bouncing around for whatever reason, but settled on 360.8. On Friday, it was 365.5. So, in 5 days, I lost another five pounds. Woot! Not only that, she was very pleased with my blood glucose log for the month. In fact, she seemed pretty giddy about it. I’m due to get another hemoglobin A1C test and she thinks I’ll be in line with what they want.

Not only is the weight down and the sugars are leveling out, they always take your blood pressure and pulse. My first visit with her, my resting pulse was 82. Today, it was 68. Blood pressure is coming together nicely as well. Systolic was a little high, at 140, but diastolic was 80. Not sure how much is due to white coat syndrome, which I get  like crazy. Usually after talking with Rachel, she will take the BP again and get one that’s right in line.

Fresh cut corn chowder

I even got up early and got to Hempfield Rec this morning to get some cardio in. I did 35 minutes between the treadmill and arc trainer and worked out my legs. We don’t do a lot of lower body stuff with Ryan and Cory, so I’ve taken to working those when I’m on my own. Apparently you shouldn’t work the same muscles every day.

All in all, a good day. After it was over, SPW (STILL the bestest wife in the world) and I paid a visit to the library. Me to pick up a book, SPW (library felon!) to pay a fine. Followed that up with a visit to Isaac’s for a combo. We both ended up with the Finch sandwich (turkey, bacon and Muenster on pumpernickel) and a cup of the Fresh Cut Corn Chowder, which is made from locally grown corn and is yummy. Didn’t even mess up my blood glucose reading, as I ordered the mayo on the side and just spread a taste on the bread.

All in all, a pretty good Wednesday. Have a butt-kicking tomorrow and an appointment with Shauna (dietitian) next week.

Thank you for reading and for all the support. It is greatly appreciated!

Disappointment

Posted: July 13, 2012 in Bariatric surgery, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, music, Stress, Weight loss
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So, had a bariatric class today. Usually one of the first things you do is weigh in when you have class and with all the time I’ve been spending at the gym, I was excited to see the results. See, I’m currently too fat for our at-home scale, so I really don’t have any idea how much I weigh on a daily basis. The last time I got weighed on that scale, it was 368.

Today? 365.

I somehow expected it would be about ten pounds less. I feel so much less fatigue when I climb steps, my clothes are fitting better… and, well, I’m still pretty hefty.

Today’s session was about stress and its effect on eating habits, with a dose of night eating syndrome and a bit on binge eating disorder. Very timely. If I hadn’t been made to think about my stress reactions and the compulsion to eat, I probably would’ve gone home and gnawed the lining out of the fridge. Instead, I did something both more beneficial and less productive.

I took a nap.

Dr. Collins, the psychologist who works with the bariatric team, normally conducts this session. She was out today and her slot was filled by a Dr. Christa Coleman. Dr. Coleman talked about how adjusting to stress and developing better coping mechanisms can help aid us in our quest to be healthier. That’s something I need to learn to do. I usually internalize a lot of my stress, which really doesn’t help my metabolism and doesn’t help me in the weight loss quest. I just have a hard time letting go of things and I’m a worrier. Maybe I need to learn how to meditate or do yoga or something. Of course, if I try to bend myself into a pretzel, well, I’ll probably stay that way.

So, to make a long story shorter, I came home, had a sensible lunch and took a nap. Dinner tonight will include some pulled pork carnitas in a wheat burrito with salsa and a little cheese. Supportive Partner Woman (master of the slow cooker!) makes a mean carnitas that is reasonably healthy and loaded with protein.

View from our seats. Hall of Fame Club!

Tomorrow, SPW and I will be meeting up with our friend Fred and taking in the Roger Waters show at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia. Roger will be performing The Wall in its entirety and as Fred described it, “This is bucket list stuff, dude!” The set is supposed to be incredible, dominated by a wall measuring some 40 feet high and 500 feet long. We are supporting the local economy as well, seeing as the rigging is done by a Lititz, PA-based company called Tait Towers and the sound is by the world-famous Clair Brothers, based in Manheim, PA.

In short, there’s a chance my next post will be a review of the show. I hope I’ll be able to capture some video, although any video I might capture will not do it justice.

Have a great weekend, folks!

Son, be a dentist! People will pay you to be inhumane!

Posted: June 29, 2012 in Cleaning, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Supportive Partner Woman, The Management, Weight loss
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So, Supportive Partner Woman (she who is flossing-challenged!) and I went to the dentist today. It was my second first visit with this particular dentist. You might be wondering how that can be, well, it’s like this.

A few years ago, I had a toothache. As it turns out, I had a plastic container fall out of the cabinet and hit me in the lip. It must have hit the sweet spot, because it pretty much killed a tooth. So, seeing as I didn’t have a regular dentist in Cow Country at the time, I let my fingers do the walking. I came upon the dental offices of one Frank Carano, DDS. I called and they were able to fit me in. Dr. Carano, a gnomish little man, told me I would need a root canal. We scheduled it, but Carano wouldn’t be doing it. He did, however, take the time to plug the custom color match service they offered, for an additional $125.

Doogie Howser DMD?

Carano’s associate, Dr. Kingston, actually did the procedure. He seemed awfully young but very competent. He even managed to pull off the second part of the root canal without any anesthesia. At the time, we didn’t have dental coverage, so I just let the cleanings and exam go by, even though I know that dental health is very important because of The Beetus. It just wasn’t a priority.

So fast forward and we noticed that Doogie the Dentist* had opened his own office, away from the gnomish Dr. Carano. We hemmed and hawed and eventually made appointments for exams and cleanings. We set them up for today and, of course, we almost forgot about them. The appointments were at 10:30… I woke SPW (sleeper of great soundness!) up at 10:14 and we managed to make it there by 10:44.

We get checked in and I get called first. The hygienist, Shannon, comes and takes me back to the exam room, which is dominated by a big-ass monitor. She does a load of X-Rays (surprised I’m not glowing), takes pictures of fillings and the like, and does some sort of laser test on my teeth to check hardness. I was sure that the laser would slice part of my jaw off… I’ve seen the movie, but I’m just fine.

The final score is that I have my second cavity of my 41 years. I also need to have an old amalgam filling replaced. It’s served me well, seeing as I got it when I was 13 or 14, so it doesn’t owe me anything. Finally, I have six (now four) teeth that need to be sealed. I also should have a crown done, but we can wait a little on that. The important thing to take away is that being attentive to dental care is as important as taking care of everything else when you have diabetes. It can really help your long-term health. So, pick up the floss, or as Shannon suggested, the dental picks. I know I have a long way to go with flossing, but like every other change I am making, I’ll get there.

Oh, and not once did Dr. Kingston attempt to sell me anything like my former dentist, Dr. Beefyhead. Dr. Beefyhead (not his real name) was convinced that all health problems were caused by my jaw being out of alignment and for only $13,000 (financing available), he could break may jaw and fix the alignment, curing me of all maladies.

Riiiiight.

* Please note that this is not meant to sound derogatory in any sense. Dr. Kingston strikes me as a fine clinician and his staff is first-rate. I am quite pleased with his work and would gladly recommend him to anyone. If you are in the Lancaster, PA area and are seeking a dental professional, check out  his website.

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