Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Doc Appt & Support Group

Every first Tuesday of the month is support group. I try to schedule my doctor appointments for the same afternoon so I can take the time in between for errands. So today my doctor appt was at 3:45pm and then support group is at 7pm. I went to Target in between to go shopping for my best friend's baby shower on Saturday. But anyway, my doctor's appt went great. I saw Dr. Koppman and he is very happy with my weight loss. I've lost 35% of my excess body weight in just over 3 months. Sounds good to me! I'm down to exactly 250. Which means I'm down 74 lbs and I'm halfway through the 200s! I can't even IMAGINE how I'm going to feel when I'm in the 100s. Oh my gosh, that will be amazing.

One thing I spoke with Dr. Koppman about is the time I stay full. See, I get full very quickly but I'm hungry again in only a couple of hours. He said he's not surprised since my stomach still empties just like pre-op. With the sleeve surgery, a new "pouch" is not made and the pyloric valve is still functioning normal. But he said to try and see if I can manage to eat some veggies with my protein to keep my satiety longer. So, I'll work on that.

Support group was great. There were a lot of people at this one - about 30. The theme was "Depression and Anxiety". Since I came straight from the doctor's/Target, Steve didn't come with me this time. But it was very interesting to hear the other people's stories. We talked about the common things as bariatric patients that make us depressed and/or anxious. We did talk a little about the clinical side of depression and anxiety but it was more focused on the emotional side. It was so refreshing to hear others talk about how overwhelming the bariatric plan is to their life. I find that to be so true. My days have to be so carefully planned. Between eating, drinking, vitamins, and the required time in between, it seems as though there isn't enough hours in the day. And that doesn't even include exercise which seems so elusive to someone who works full-time, tries to manage a household, tries to maintain a personal life, and makes sure she spends quality time with her husband. But I think it ties to the topic of last month's support group which was "be kind to yourself". I can't do everything - I can only do what I can. And I'm doing pretty darn good so I'm happy with that! I think as time goes on and I become more comfortable with my routine then I'll be better able to add in the extras.

Overall, good day. :)

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