It's 3:30 AM and I am still awake. Yes, that is the down side of working online and doing translations for companies around the globe. Of course this is all due to living in Australia, because we are never in the same time zone with the rest of the world! However, I kind of like it... I love working and I really love my work, but I really cannot see myself working 9 to 5 jobs. I did them during the summer holidays back in my teens and 20's, but that's what just made me hate it more I guess.
Anyhow... By Tuesday this week, I completed all the tests my doc required me to take. I did the sleep test. It was the worst ever! I don't think I struggled so much in my sleep ever before! I took the sleep test at home. My doc recommended I take that one. I have no idea why, because with such thing I always feel that I am going to get it wrong and I am always in doubt... Those elastic straps... Oh my God!!! I was told I had to strap them on tight. It took me 1 hour to strap them on, because I was upset with my hubby at one stage (just before going to bed) and told him to piss off. So I was left to strap it on by myself.
WARNING: Never ever tell your partner to piss off if you need to be strapped up for the sleep test. You can do so after you are all strapped up! :)
Anyways, after the frustration of strapping and taping myself up, I tried to get into a comfy position... now, do you think that was possible?
Well, it wasn't! So I lay down on my back because I was afraid I would pull a cord out or something if I lay on my side or stomach. It took me around 2 hours to fall asleep even though I was sleepy all day. I think I woke up approximately 10 times in my 6 hours of sleep. I distinctly remember crying a couple of times when I woke up because of the pain the straps caused. I wanted to turn but couldn't. It was horrible... But it was finally over in the morning.
After the sleep test, I had my full blood test taken and had a heart test done all withtin the same week. I wasn't aware that a urine sample was required when I went for the blood test, but apparently it was! Since I didn't know this I went to the toilet a few times before leaving home just so I wont have the urge to go at the hospital! So when the nurse gave me the bottle for my urine and showed that I had to fill at least half, I asked her, "what if I can't reach the minimum?". She said, "well you need to, that is the minimum". She must have noticed the puzzled look on my face that she said, "if you don't do it now you will have to take it home and then come back again when you can fill it".
I was so nervous that I was not going to be able to reach the minimum that I did it!
Sorry, is this too much detail?
OK... Then I had one more test left. The thyroid test. I don't think everybody goes through this test, but I was asked to take it as I was dignosed with a goiter when I was a child. My doc was concerned, because he said the circumference of my neck is very large, so he wanted to make sure that everything was fine. Apparently the position of the goiter on my throid could possibly affect my surgery.
I called 9 hospitals/centres for an appointment to have my thyroid ultrasound taken. They all gave me appointment dates for 1 month later. However, my doc asked me to make sure all test results reach him before my next appointment in 3 weeks (which is going to be at 11:30 this morning). I was lucky to be able to get one for Tuesday this week and they promised that the results will reach my doctor before I see him (fingers still crossed!).
The doctor who did my thyroid ultrasound was confused and asked me why I was sent, and I told her about my goiter. She said, "you have a very healthy thyroid, you don't have a single nodule, therefore you do not have a goiter, you are totally clear".
Hmm... Yes, I was happy that I didn't have a goiter, but I was also confused. I still am! I had it checked out by a couple of GPs as a child. My late father had also taken me to the Royal Children's Hospital. Even there they had said it was a harmless goiter.
When I asked the doctor who did my ultrasound what the thickness around my neck was, she said it looks like fat! I have always hated my neck for this reason. I have this tyre like skin/flab around the front part and I was told it will go away with surgery to remove the goiter. So, does this now mean that it will go away when I lose the weight? Let's just wait and see... I have never lost enough weight to see this happen. The most I dropped down to was about 5-6 years ago, and that was still obese as I was around 105-110 kg with all the weight I had lost.
The weight seemed to drop off so much easier back then. I was around 23-24 years old, I could exercise, and when I just cut out the food (I needed appetite supressants), the weight came off. I tried the same thing in the last 2 years, but it aint working anymore... which is why I need more drastic measures...
Anyways, this has been a long post. I will try to update again after finding out my results today. Let's hope all is ok enough to allow me to have my surgery...
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
I am finally back!
It's been months since I last blogged, because I forgot my username and password! Each time I tried to login I got an error, so after trying a few times each time, I gave up. I have finally been able to spare some extra time to get it right, and guess what? It worked!
Yippie!
In the past months I have had my first appointment with my surgeon, I have had some tests, and another appointment etc.
In the next few days I will be posting about everything that happened / will happen. Even though the dates of the posts will not be right, I will note the true dates. So yeah, that's about it. :)
I have some work right now, so I should get back to that...
Yippie!
In the past months I have had my first appointment with my surgeon, I have had some tests, and another appointment etc.
In the next few days I will be posting about everything that happened / will happen. Even though the dates of the posts will not be right, I will note the true dates. So yeah, that's about it. :)
I have some work right now, so I should get back to that...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
I am morbidly obese
Hi,
My name is E, and I am morbidly obese.
I felt like I am at one of those meetings where everybody introduces themselves...
Anyhow, besides the fact that I am morbidly obese, I am almost 31 years old (in May), I am a professional translator, and I also have a boutique. Had I mentioned that I am morbidly obese? :)
I have started this blog with the intention of continuing it (fingers crossed) mostly for myself, and also because I couldn't really find any weight-loss blogs by muslim women. Why is this important?
Well, we too live in this society, in this world, and we too have the same problems, and I like to share. So, why not?! :)
I should also note that I am a candidate for the lapband surgery. I have been researching about the procedure for the past 4-5 years, and have reached the conclusion that I need to have the surgery done (discussed the matter with my GP of course!). I have attended a seminar held in Melbourne by the Centre for Bariatric Surgery. I have also arranged an appointment for a consultation with a doctor specilising in the area. My consultation is on 24 April, 2009. It could have been sooner, but my private health insurance will not kick in before December 2009 :( so yeah, it was convenient enough...
However, with a BMI of approximately 53, I would like to lose some weight before the surgery. So, I will use this blog to share my experiences and progress.
This must've been boring to read, but what's done is done, and it's just a one-time intro, so I guess you can endure. :)
E.
P.S. I do not want to enter any stats just yet. I think I want to do that only after I have the surgery. I'm also not too sure how I would feel if someone I know reads my blog and comes up to me to say, "Wow, I never knew you weighed so much!" So yeah, for now I'll keep it to myself, but I will at least put photos up from time to time. :)
My name is E, and I am morbidly obese.
I felt like I am at one of those meetings where everybody introduces themselves...
Anyhow, besides the fact that I am morbidly obese, I am almost 31 years old (in May), I am a professional translator, and I also have a boutique. Had I mentioned that I am morbidly obese? :)
I have started this blog with the intention of continuing it (fingers crossed) mostly for myself, and also because I couldn't really find any weight-loss blogs by muslim women. Why is this important?
Well, we too live in this society, in this world, and we too have the same problems, and I like to share. So, why not?! :)
I should also note that I am a candidate for the lapband surgery. I have been researching about the procedure for the past 4-5 years, and have reached the conclusion that I need to have the surgery done (discussed the matter with my GP of course!). I have attended a seminar held in Melbourne by the Centre for Bariatric Surgery. I have also arranged an appointment for a consultation with a doctor specilising in the area. My consultation is on 24 April, 2009. It could have been sooner, but my private health insurance will not kick in before December 2009 :( so yeah, it was convenient enough...
However, with a BMI of approximately 53, I would like to lose some weight before the surgery. So, I will use this blog to share my experiences and progress.
This must've been boring to read, but what's done is done, and it's just a one-time intro, so I guess you can endure. :)
E.
P.S. I do not want to enter any stats just yet. I think I want to do that only after I have the surgery. I'm also not too sure how I would feel if someone I know reads my blog and comes up to me to say, "Wow, I never knew you weighed so much!" So yeah, for now I'll keep it to myself, but I will at least put photos up from time to time. :)
Cheating one's way to losing weight... You really think?
"For basketball players, desperation is the full-court shot at the buzzer. For accountants, desperation is 11:59 p.m. on April 15*. For parents of an antsy kindergartner, it's a malfunctioning Spongebob DVD. But for prople struggling with weight issues, desperation is the feeling that comes when you've morphed from being overweight to going overboard. But here's the difference between most desperate situations and this one: While basketball players rarely make full-length heaves and 1040s can't be completed in sixty seconds, people with extreme weight situations do have a little raft that can change desparation to salvation: weight-loss surgery.
Most people view weight-loss surgery the way they view steroids in sports - that it's cheating, it's unnatural, it's an unfair advantage, it's cutting corners. But there are plenty of people -way too many, in fact- who have coffin-enticing obesity in the form of a body mass index of 35 or higher, with consequences like diabetes and high blood pressure. And for this segment of the population, especially if they have repeatedly tried and failed at a diet and excercise regime, weight-loss surgery may be an effective solution.
Some people simply can't lose weight lik everyone else and often beat themselves up about being undisciplined or out of control. Many are very disciplined, successful, and in control in other aspects of their lives but are just wired differently in the weight department. Finally, there's a real alternative for people who are incapable of succeeding without help: weight-loss surgery.
In nearly every other medical situation in our lives we experience a symptom, we try to treat it ourselves, and then we seek professional help if we can't. We need to start thinking about obesity as if it's any other health problem that prompts you to see a doctor - be it a bullet wound, a lump in your breast, or cholesterol numbers that need commas.
The truth is that many people have tried every over-the-counter antiobesity option; they have a library of diet books, a garage full of exercise equipment, and neurons full of frustration. But no matter what they try to do to lose weight, they either can't take it off or can't keep it off. For these people, the answer isn't always the over-the-counter way, because a life of obesity requires more than a commitment to a three-day all-juice fast or some ab machine that claims to banish your belly using electrodes. Heavy-duty bodies require heavy-duty help.
And that's OK. If you -or someone you love- falls into this category, then you have a serious condition that should make you feel you'd do whatever you could to try to reverse it. Technically, it's defined as 100 pounds** above the ideal weight for men and 90 pounds*** above the ideal weight for women, or men with 48-inch waists or larger and women with 41-inch waists or larger.
Think for a second: If you had a prostate or breast cancer (which both have about the same risk of death per year for people over fifty as does a waist size of 38 for women and 45 for men with risks like high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes, and cholesterol problems), you'd take action. You'd talk to doctors, you'd schedule surgery to remove the tumor, and you'd make lifestyle changes that would help lower the chance that you'd ever contract the disease again. You wouldn't pop a cough drop, then throw up your hands in defeat if menthol weren't the magic tumor killer. You'd get a professional -even drastic- help. You would even let someone cut you open if the therapy was effective.
It's a mistake to think you're a weakling or a fool if you consider the operation option. Morbid obesity (morbid!) is as concrete a health problem as a sprained ankle, a heart problem, or cancer. In fact, at least 5 percent of morbidly obese people have a specific genetic problem that renders their brains unable to receive the leptin signals that they're full. So no matter what the cause of your weight problem, there's no shame in seeking one of the most effective cures for obesity that modern medicine has developed. Weight-loss surgery works. And it works more effectively -and faster- than any traditional dieting method for people with morbid obesity. Surgery can reduce your excess weight by half, whereas weight-loss drugs get you only 5 percent to 7 percent while you are on them, and lifestyle changes buy you on average another 7 percent total of weight if you're on your best behavior.
The success of weight-loss surgery is defined by the loss of excess weight - that is, not how much total weight you lose, but rather the difference between your current weight and your ideal weight.
...
Surgical options aren't for people who are just a little overweight. They're not for people worried about losing their runway-model job or their clothes not fitting. They're for people whose health is at extreme risk, who are four fries away from putting the grave-digger on speed-dial, because the effects of excess fat increase your risk of developing such day ruiners as coronary artery disease, hypertension, sleep apnea, infertility, chronic back pain, hernias, infections, gallstones, and depression."
-Michael F. Roizen, MD and Mehmet C. Oz, MD, "The Insider's Guide to Easy and Permanent Weight Loss: You On A Diet", pp. 340-342, Harper Thorsons, 2006
* This is mid-year for Australia (Taxation)
** 45.45 kg
*** 40.91 kg
Most people view weight-loss surgery the way they view steroids in sports - that it's cheating, it's unnatural, it's an unfair advantage, it's cutting corners. But there are plenty of people -way too many, in fact- who have coffin-enticing obesity in the form of a body mass index of 35 or higher, with consequences like diabetes and high blood pressure. And for this segment of the population, especially if they have repeatedly tried and failed at a diet and excercise regime, weight-loss surgery may be an effective solution.
Some people simply can't lose weight lik everyone else and often beat themselves up about being undisciplined or out of control. Many are very disciplined, successful, and in control in other aspects of their lives but are just wired differently in the weight department. Finally, there's a real alternative for people who are incapable of succeeding without help: weight-loss surgery.
In nearly every other medical situation in our lives we experience a symptom, we try to treat it ourselves, and then we seek professional help if we can't. We need to start thinking about obesity as if it's any other health problem that prompts you to see a doctor - be it a bullet wound, a lump in your breast, or cholesterol numbers that need commas.
The truth is that many people have tried every over-the-counter antiobesity option; they have a library of diet books, a garage full of exercise equipment, and neurons full of frustration. But no matter what they try to do to lose weight, they either can't take it off or can't keep it off. For these people, the answer isn't always the over-the-counter way, because a life of obesity requires more than a commitment to a three-day all-juice fast or some ab machine that claims to banish your belly using electrodes. Heavy-duty bodies require heavy-duty help.
And that's OK. If you -or someone you love- falls into this category, then you have a serious condition that should make you feel you'd do whatever you could to try to reverse it. Technically, it's defined as 100 pounds** above the ideal weight for men and 90 pounds*** above the ideal weight for women, or men with 48-inch waists or larger and women with 41-inch waists or larger.
Think for a second: If you had a prostate or breast cancer (which both have about the same risk of death per year for people over fifty as does a waist size of 38 for women and 45 for men with risks like high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes, and cholesterol problems), you'd take action. You'd talk to doctors, you'd schedule surgery to remove the tumor, and you'd make lifestyle changes that would help lower the chance that you'd ever contract the disease again. You wouldn't pop a cough drop, then throw up your hands in defeat if menthol weren't the magic tumor killer. You'd get a professional -even drastic- help. You would even let someone cut you open if the therapy was effective.
It's a mistake to think you're a weakling or a fool if you consider the operation option. Morbid obesity (morbid!) is as concrete a health problem as a sprained ankle, a heart problem, or cancer. In fact, at least 5 percent of morbidly obese people have a specific genetic problem that renders their brains unable to receive the leptin signals that they're full. So no matter what the cause of your weight problem, there's no shame in seeking one of the most effective cures for obesity that modern medicine has developed. Weight-loss surgery works. And it works more effectively -and faster- than any traditional dieting method for people with morbid obesity. Surgery can reduce your excess weight by half, whereas weight-loss drugs get you only 5 percent to 7 percent while you are on them, and lifestyle changes buy you on average another 7 percent total of weight if you're on your best behavior.
The success of weight-loss surgery is defined by the loss of excess weight - that is, not how much total weight you lose, but rather the difference between your current weight and your ideal weight.
...
Surgical options aren't for people who are just a little overweight. They're not for people worried about losing their runway-model job or their clothes not fitting. They're for people whose health is at extreme risk, who are four fries away from putting the grave-digger on speed-dial, because the effects of excess fat increase your risk of developing such day ruiners as coronary artery disease, hypertension, sleep apnea, infertility, chronic back pain, hernias, infections, gallstones, and depression."
-Michael F. Roizen, MD and Mehmet C. Oz, MD, "The Insider's Guide to Easy and Permanent Weight Loss: You On A Diet", pp. 340-342, Harper Thorsons, 2006
* This is mid-year for Australia (Taxation)
** 45.45 kg
*** 40.91 kg
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