The doctor took biopsies to see if I have a virus that needs to be treated (ulcers are usually caused by a virus), but if I do, it won't be a big thing. There was no blockage caused by scar tissue from prior surgeries as he first suspected, so that's great.
The only hiccup is that he's pretty certain I'll need my gall bladder removed, but I won't find out for certain until later this week or early next week after he consults with a surgeon. However, I'm gearing myself up for the upcoming surgery because I'm pretty sure the surgeon will say I do, in fact, need it removed. On the one hand it depresses me to face another surgery, but on the other hand, I rather have it removed before I have problems in the future. The CT scan I had a few weeks ago revealed a very large gall stone and although it may never become an issue, the risk is there that some day it might.
Nothing
depresses me more than having medical issues, especially when I've been doing
so well for a few years. I know it's
just a hiccup in the big scheme of things, but it's still depressing. At the very least, I've lost enough weight
where it'll be easier to undergo surgery. This time no one will tell my mother I won't survive the surgery because of my obesity. Recuperation will also be easier because I'm stronger and I'll be able to move around better which is mandatory after surgery to prevent getting pneumonia and expediting healing.
Surprisingly, the one thing that bothers me most about needing surgery is that I won't be able to work out for a few weeks. This is definitely the new me talking because the old me would have seen that as a welcomed reprieve (assuming the old me would have been working out regularly in the first place). But I've come so far with my work outs that I don't want to lose any of it: my increased strength, my improved endurance, the muscle definition all over my body, to name a few benefits. But then again since I've been on my journey, I've had to start from scratch over and over again due to injuries and other wrenches the universe keeps throwing my way, so this is just another hurdle to jump over to continue on my path.
Surprisingly, the one thing that bothers me most about needing surgery is that I won't be able to work out for a few weeks. This is definitely the new me talking because the old me would have seen that as a welcomed reprieve (assuming the old me would have been working out regularly in the first place). But I've come so far with my work outs that I don't want to lose any of it: my increased strength, my improved endurance, the muscle definition all over my body, to name a few benefits. But then again since I've been on my journey, I've had to start from scratch over and over again due to injuries and other wrenches the universe keeps throwing my way, so this is just another hurdle to jump over to continue on my path.
Two
funny things happened to me at the hospital:
The first is how big the hospital gowns now fit me. In the past I required two gowns, one to cover the front and one to cover the back, because I was so large that the gowns were rarely big enough for me. Now one gown fits fine and I can even wrap it around myself quite a bit, too.
The second thing that happened was when they hooked me up to all the monitors prior to the endoscopy, the nurses asked me if I had heart problems. I stated in the negative and added that I had been checked out by a cardiologist a year ago and that everything came back normal. I was concerned why they thought I might, and they explained that my resting heart rate was only 48, which is low since the normal is 60 beats per minute. While I was mulling over what this could mean - did the cardiologist miss something? - one of the nurses asked me if I was an active person. I told her about all the working out I've been doing, particularly the spin classes I attend several times a week, and the nurses said in unison, "Oh, that's it then! We usually see low heart resting rates with athletes." I got a chuckle out of the word "athlete" being used to describe me, a woman who was sedentary for over a decade. I guess all those spin classes are paying off in ways I didn't even consider.
For the time being, I'm doing great. I'm eating whatever I want, I'm attending spin several times a week, I'm going to the gym the rest of the time, and I take Mitzi (my mother's dog) for 3-mile walks at least once a week. I contacted a trainer that Flaminia, who recently moved to New York, recommended and told this person that I want to start training with her later this month. I'm hesitant to buy a package of training sessions until I know when I need to have surgery since I'll have to stop working out for a few weeks.
The nice thing is that no matter what happens, I KNOW I won't give up. Regardless of how long I need to give up working out while I recuperate, I KNOW that the new me will return to working out as soon as I can. Exercise is now part of my daily routine and I've come too far to stop now.
The first is how big the hospital gowns now fit me. In the past I required two gowns, one to cover the front and one to cover the back, because I was so large that the gowns were rarely big enough for me. Now one gown fits fine and I can even wrap it around myself quite a bit, too.
The second thing that happened was when they hooked me up to all the monitors prior to the endoscopy, the nurses asked me if I had heart problems. I stated in the negative and added that I had been checked out by a cardiologist a year ago and that everything came back normal. I was concerned why they thought I might, and they explained that my resting heart rate was only 48, which is low since the normal is 60 beats per minute. While I was mulling over what this could mean - did the cardiologist miss something? - one of the nurses asked me if I was an active person. I told her about all the working out I've been doing, particularly the spin classes I attend several times a week, and the nurses said in unison, "Oh, that's it then! We usually see low heart resting rates with athletes." I got a chuckle out of the word "athlete" being used to describe me, a woman who was sedentary for over a decade. I guess all those spin classes are paying off in ways I didn't even consider.
For the time being, I'm doing great. I'm eating whatever I want, I'm attending spin several times a week, I'm going to the gym the rest of the time, and I take Mitzi (my mother's dog) for 3-mile walks at least once a week. I contacted a trainer that Flaminia, who recently moved to New York, recommended and told this person that I want to start training with her later this month. I'm hesitant to buy a package of training sessions until I know when I need to have surgery since I'll have to stop working out for a few weeks.
The nice thing is that no matter what happens, I KNOW I won't give up. Regardless of how long I need to give up working out while I recuperate, I KNOW that the new me will return to working out as soon as I can. Exercise is now part of my daily routine and I've come too far to stop now.
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