Miss Vickie
Well-Known Member
(And why I don't)
Today I had my yearly check up. I went in, was weighed, blood pressure taken, and sat down first with the nutritionist and then the doc "Himself". The time with the nutritionist was good. We went over my diet at great length -- do I get sick, how many meals a day do I eat, how much protein am I getting, stuff like that. I probably spent 40 minutes with her, going over in mind numbing detail what I eat in a typical day. Then we went over my labs which were -- except for calcium and iron, surprise surprise -- very good. My protein is spot on, my cholesterol is half what it was (big deep plummets in triglycerides and LDL, though my HDL is still too low), my glucose is lower, everything looks great. We talked about my health issues -- those which are resolved, the resolution of my girlie problems -- and my current attempts to get my iron and calcium levels up. We talked about working out, work, home life, etc.
Then there was more talk about the calcium issue. Does the caffeine I drink play a role? (Probably) What about diet soda? (Bad juju because of the phosphorus) How much calcium should I take? (more than I'm taking now) What about living in Alaska -- how does that affect Vitamin D? (Yes, I'll need supplementation, particularly in winter) Is it time to talk about supplementing with a prescription for Vitamin D (yes, it is). She only peripherally discussed my weight loss, and only when I asked, "So, are you guys happy with how much weight I've lost? Am I too slow of a loser?" "No, you're doing great! You've lost over 100 pounds since surgery. You be done losing, but probably not. It'll be a pound or two here and there."
I love how the emphasis isn't on weight loss per se, but the positive results from that loss. There is no pressure to lose more, although I told the nutritionist what it is I know I need to do if I want to lose more, which is to stop drinking with meals, eat less carbs, etc. She said, "Well it may work, it may not. Right now what you're doing is great. You look great. Let's just work on the calcium now, okay?" It's ironic that there is less focus now on my weight than ever in my life. Crazy, I know.
Oh and since I mentioned the things I don't like about my doc, the only thing that kind of bugs me is that I wanted to go on a D supplement six months ago but he suggested waiting. My D levels were VERY low, which negatively impacts calcium absorption in a huge way, and he just wanted me to increase the calcium with D supplement they had me on -- rather than do the simple thing which is hit me hard with Vitamin D. So I'm a little pissed that we're looking at this NOW, rather than last year.
But other than that, he's great. No mention of the loss and what percentage of my excess body weight I've lost, just how great I look and how do I feel.
Overall it was a good visit. I have some more work to do, but hopefully we can get this under control ASAP. It's weird how my malabsorption is so specific to Iron, Calcium and D, but my B vitamin levels, minerals, protein and everything else are spot on.
Oh well. Back to the drawing board -- and to more supplements.
Today I had my yearly check up. I went in, was weighed, blood pressure taken, and sat down first with the nutritionist and then the doc "Himself". The time with the nutritionist was good. We went over my diet at great length -- do I get sick, how many meals a day do I eat, how much protein am I getting, stuff like that. I probably spent 40 minutes with her, going over in mind numbing detail what I eat in a typical day. Then we went over my labs which were -- except for calcium and iron, surprise surprise -- very good. My protein is spot on, my cholesterol is half what it was (big deep plummets in triglycerides and LDL, though my HDL is still too low), my glucose is lower, everything looks great. We talked about my health issues -- those which are resolved, the resolution of my girlie problems -- and my current attempts to get my iron and calcium levels up. We talked about working out, work, home life, etc.
Then there was more talk about the calcium issue. Does the caffeine I drink play a role? (Probably) What about diet soda? (Bad juju because of the phosphorus) How much calcium should I take? (more than I'm taking now) What about living in Alaska -- how does that affect Vitamin D? (Yes, I'll need supplementation, particularly in winter) Is it time to talk about supplementing with a prescription for Vitamin D (yes, it is). She only peripherally discussed my weight loss, and only when I asked, "So, are you guys happy with how much weight I've lost? Am I too slow of a loser?" "No, you're doing great! You've lost over 100 pounds since surgery. You be done losing, but probably not. It'll be a pound or two here and there."
I love how the emphasis isn't on weight loss per se, but the positive results from that loss. There is no pressure to lose more, although I told the nutritionist what it is I know I need to do if I want to lose more, which is to stop drinking with meals, eat less carbs, etc. She said, "Well it may work, it may not. Right now what you're doing is great. You look great. Let's just work on the calcium now, okay?" It's ironic that there is less focus now on my weight than ever in my life. Crazy, I know.
Oh and since I mentioned the things I don't like about my doc, the only thing that kind of bugs me is that I wanted to go on a D supplement six months ago but he suggested waiting. My D levels were VERY low, which negatively impacts calcium absorption in a huge way, and he just wanted me to increase the calcium with D supplement they had me on -- rather than do the simple thing which is hit me hard with Vitamin D. So I'm a little pissed that we're looking at this NOW, rather than last year.
But other than that, he's great. No mention of the loss and what percentage of my excess body weight I've lost, just how great I look and how do I feel. Overall it was a good visit. I have some more work to do, but hopefully we can get this under control ASAP. It's weird how my malabsorption is so specific to Iron, Calcium and D, but my B vitamin levels, minerals, protein and everything else are spot on.
Oh well. Back to the drawing board -- and to more supplements.
