My Weightloss Progress in Numbers

Thursday, July 16, 2009

All my tests are complete

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...

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...