My six month surg-iversary was on Friday, June 15. Yay! :)
Had a visit with my Internal Med guy, Dr. H, for my 6 month follow up. He was happy with my weight loss progress. By his record--which I argue with--I have lost 75 pounds since surgery. I maintain it is 83 pounds! Discrepancies aside, that's still pretty good for a 6 month loss.
My cholesterol and other such important labs were good. I'm to continue as usual with vitamins and eating well.
My thyroid was off (meaning, I'm not getting enough med), but, honestly, that's not surprising. I take that when I take my anxiety med in the morning. I've missed several doses of the anxiety med because it makes me drowsy and I remembered to take it too late. If I did take it late, I'd be very tired and that's hard when working in an emergency room, even as non-patient care staff.
I switch to a regular, 9-5 office job on Monday. At that time, I think I'll be in a better place to schedule pills and meals. Well, I hope so, since that was the whole reason I took the job.
I'm still tired all the time, but that's due to having only 1,000 calories a day (per nutritionist, and just for now) and because I keep missing those anxiety meds. I'm having tired withdrawal symptoms, as Dr. H explained to me at our last appointment.
Per that previous conversation, we opted to move me off of my current anxiety med, Paxil, to a new one (don't remember the name). I take both for the next week and then drop Paxil completely. It will be soooo nice not having that pill add to my constant feeling of tired!
Prior to and after my surgery, no one told me how much weight I should lose in what time frame. I never knew if I was on the right track, going too slow, going too fast, etc. Dr. H actually told me what he expects of me in the next six months. I'm happy about that. I like having a goal/plan.
He said that my weight loss will slow, which it already has, now that I am further away from my surgery and getting more calories than I was initially. He said walking is excellent, but my metabolism is going to need a boost at this point, so I should do some cardio exercise 2x a week.
Also, he said that another 75 (83!) pound loss by the one-year surg-iversary is not expected, nor a healthy goal. He feels a 25 pound loss in that time frame (6 more months) would be safe and attainable. That's approximately 1 pound a week. I plan to try to do 2 pounds a week, but, over all, I'm going to be happy as long as I make the 25 lb mark. Anything greater is a bonus!
"Maybe the most any of us can expect of ourselves isn't perfection but progress." ~ Michelle Burford
Showing posts with label tired. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tired. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Look at me, getting all quiet for a while! Who knew I could be quiet, let alone for nearly two weeks.
Several things come to mind to talk about:
I've been eating beyond my 1,000 cal limit for a few days. I'm usually very careful about keeping under or close to 900 calories a day. Lately, I've just wanted to eat. Could be hormonal. Could be that I didn't have the proper foods in house, so I subconsciously decided to eat whatever I wanted. Could be these are all just excuses. ;)
My work schedule leaves me especially tired, both physically and emotionally. It's hard to get any sort of structure in one's life when working different days of the week all the time.
I decided that a daytime, Monday to Friday job would be beneficial in dealing with my need for a routine and helping me feel less tired all the time. Luckily, there was a posting for a different job in my same department (different facility), so I applied.
I interviewed, which I think went well, and received a voicemail on Thursday saying that HR wanted to talk to me about the position. Sounds promising, right? It was beyond business hours when the person left the voicemail and I didn't get it until even later, so I called back on Friday at 2 PM (the earliest I could drag my butt out of bed. I was tired, like I said). She didn't answer, so I left a voicemail and then I called back at 3 PM with the same result. The person in HR didn't get back to me by the end of the business day on Friday, leaving this drawn out until sometime Monday.
While the idea of a new job with structure sounds great, I'm so very torn over it. There are several pros and cons and I cannot figure out which way to go. One severe con is a loss of a few thousand dollars in income yearly if they do not offer me a raise with the new position. Is getting a structured schedule, which will help me with my post op life--pills, meals, exercise--worth the added financial stress? I just can't decide. I've been thinking about this since I interviewed a week ago and still haven't come to a decision.
I've found that a good B Complex vitamin seems to be helping with hair loss. When I take it faithfully, the loss seems less. If I skip for a week, I start to lose more. This is pretty awesome to know. "Knowledge is power," and all that.
My current pill is not a chewable, but it's a small tablet, no larger than a Tylenol pill. At first, I was concerned that it would cause an intestinal blockage or something, as the doctors drill that possibility into pre-op minds, but I'm sure I've accidentally swallowed a piece of food larger than that without issue (remember: chew, chew, chew your food!).
My weight has been stalled lately. I heard somewhere that it usually happens around 3 months that, due to stress on the body, the system hords weight for a bit. I'm at 5 months and it's just now happening. I'm a late bloomer, I guess.
Other than keeping me 3 lbs from hitting the 100 lb loss mark, I'm not too upset. I'm trying to keep my activity up on my days off and walk during my breaks when I do work. I've had a few people say that I look like I've lost more weight and that really makes me think that I must be gaining muscle and losing fat. Though my weight is stuck, I'm sure my measurements are changing. That is okay by me.
Plus, someone stopped today and said, "anybody told you that you're looking sexy lately?" LOL Who can argue with a question like that?!
Several things come to mind to talk about:
I've been eating beyond my 1,000 cal limit for a few days. I'm usually very careful about keeping under or close to 900 calories a day. Lately, I've just wanted to eat. Could be hormonal. Could be that I didn't have the proper foods in house, so I subconsciously decided to eat whatever I wanted. Could be these are all just excuses. ;)
My work schedule leaves me especially tired, both physically and emotionally. It's hard to get any sort of structure in one's life when working different days of the week all the time.
I decided that a daytime, Monday to Friday job would be beneficial in dealing with my need for a routine and helping me feel less tired all the time. Luckily, there was a posting for a different job in my same department (different facility), so I applied.
I interviewed, which I think went well, and received a voicemail on Thursday saying that HR wanted to talk to me about the position. Sounds promising, right? It was beyond business hours when the person left the voicemail and I didn't get it until even later, so I called back on Friday at 2 PM (the earliest I could drag my butt out of bed. I was tired, like I said). She didn't answer, so I left a voicemail and then I called back at 3 PM with the same result. The person in HR didn't get back to me by the end of the business day on Friday, leaving this drawn out until sometime Monday.
While the idea of a new job with structure sounds great, I'm so very torn over it. There are several pros and cons and I cannot figure out which way to go. One severe con is a loss of a few thousand dollars in income yearly if they do not offer me a raise with the new position. Is getting a structured schedule, which will help me with my post op life--pills, meals, exercise--worth the added financial stress? I just can't decide. I've been thinking about this since I interviewed a week ago and still haven't come to a decision.
I've found that a good B Complex vitamin seems to be helping with hair loss. When I take it faithfully, the loss seems less. If I skip for a week, I start to lose more. This is pretty awesome to know. "Knowledge is power," and all that.
My current pill is not a chewable, but it's a small tablet, no larger than a Tylenol pill. At first, I was concerned that it would cause an intestinal blockage or something, as the doctors drill that possibility into pre-op minds, but I'm sure I've accidentally swallowed a piece of food larger than that without issue (remember: chew, chew, chew your food!).
My weight has been stalled lately. I heard somewhere that it usually happens around 3 months that, due to stress on the body, the system hords weight for a bit. I'm at 5 months and it's just now happening. I'm a late bloomer, I guess.
Other than keeping me 3 lbs from hitting the 100 lb loss mark, I'm not too upset. I'm trying to keep my activity up on my days off and walk during my breaks when I do work. I've had a few people say that I look like I've lost more weight and that really makes me think that I must be gaining muscle and losing fat. Though my weight is stuck, I'm sure my measurements are changing. That is okay by me.
Plus, someone stopped today and said, "anybody told you that you're looking sexy lately?" LOL Who can argue with a question like that?!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
So. very. tired.
I am planning to call my Internal Medicine doc tomorrow, because I'm just so darn tired all the time. I am worried that I may be anemic.
I had an appointment with him about a month ago--my first one post-op--and I thought he did some iron test, but I think it was a certain kind of iron. I'm going to ask him if he can run a general iron test and maybe some other tests that my explain why I am so tired.
I can sleep 8 hours, wake up for two, and sleep another 8 hours. Little things wipe me out very quickly. Today, for example, after getting a full night's rest, I got up, got ready, and drove 10 miles to visit with an acquaintance for an hour or so. We just sat at her kitchen table and talked. By the time I got home, I'd lost all my energy and could have easily gone to sleep.
This constant tiredness is wearing on my mental state also. I'm very discontent in my work as of late, feeling burned out on my schedule. It makes me quick to be irritated with people too, which is not something I am comfortable with.
Hopefully, Dr. Hal can figure something out. I'm a fan of sleep, but only when it's refreshing.
ETA:
Saw Dr. Hal today and he ran some more blood tests, which came back without any abnormalities. He figures my fatigue is a withdrawal symptom from lowering my Paxil dose from 20 mg to 10 mg.
He said that they've found that Paxil is very hard to get off of due to withdrawal symptoms like I'm experiencing (fatigue, feelings of malcontent, etc.). They generally end up putting the patient on another anxiety/depression med first and ween them off the Paxil.
The plan is to double my dose again, putting me back at 20 mgs. When I see him in 2 months (my 6 month post-op appt), if I still want off Paxil, we can look into adding that other med and slowly getting me off my original pill. By then, my body will be better healed from the surgery and I can better assess whether I even need an anxiety med anymore.
He believes that doubling my dose will help with my mood and energy.
I had an appointment with him about a month ago--my first one post-op--and I thought he did some iron test, but I think it was a certain kind of iron. I'm going to ask him if he can run a general iron test and maybe some other tests that my explain why I am so tired.
I can sleep 8 hours, wake up for two, and sleep another 8 hours. Little things wipe me out very quickly. Today, for example, after getting a full night's rest, I got up, got ready, and drove 10 miles to visit with an acquaintance for an hour or so. We just sat at her kitchen table and talked. By the time I got home, I'd lost all my energy and could have easily gone to sleep.
This constant tiredness is wearing on my mental state also. I'm very discontent in my work as of late, feeling burned out on my schedule. It makes me quick to be irritated with people too, which is not something I am comfortable with.
Hopefully, Dr. Hal can figure something out. I'm a fan of sleep, but only when it's refreshing.
ETA:
Saw Dr. Hal today and he ran some more blood tests, which came back without any abnormalities. He figures my fatigue is a withdrawal symptom from lowering my Paxil dose from 20 mg to 10 mg.
He said that they've found that Paxil is very hard to get off of due to withdrawal symptoms like I'm experiencing (fatigue, feelings of malcontent, etc.). They generally end up putting the patient on another anxiety/depression med first and ween them off the Paxil.
The plan is to double my dose again, putting me back at 20 mgs. When I see him in 2 months (my 6 month post-op appt), if I still want off Paxil, we can look into adding that other med and slowly getting me off my original pill. By then, my body will be better healed from the surgery and I can better assess whether I even need an anxiety med anymore.
He believes that doubling my dose will help with my mood and energy.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Fatigue, my constant companion
Couple things going on for me:
1) I'm really tired all the time. I'm generally sleeping between 9 hours when I work and even more on my days off. I've lost 60+ pounds in three and a half months. I expect that to wear me down a little. If my body is stressed or improperly nourished enough to make me lose hair, that'll add to my fatigue, as will the fact that I had my period for three or more weeks (potential for anemia).
Travis gives me a hard time occasionally about me sleeping so much, but I just don't think he gets it. He's just noticing that, when he's awake and wanting to do something, I'm sleeping or tired and moody. If I'm still super tired in a couple weeks and he's still frustrated by my sleeping, we'll have to talk it out. I'm not terribly worried about that part.
2) My dad's 69th birthday is tomorrow (April 4). That means I have to stop dodging his calls and make actual contact.
As I mentioned in January, Dad and I don't have a great relationship. Being only 12, 13, or 14 years old and yet the more mature one in the relationship wore down my patience for him. Having him question whether I was truthful when I said I loved him at the end of a phone conversation a couple years ago was my breaking point, making me not want to deal with him at all.
Unfortunately, my mom's boyfriend is like a nagging little birdy, reminding me that my dad wants to talk to me and telling me how Dad has changed for the better**. So, on the off chance that Mom's boyfriend is right, I suppose I need to put on my big girl panties and try talking to Dad again. Wishing him a happy birthday is probably a good place to start.
Gosh! I have to pay bills, go to appointments, work hard, take all my pills, AND deal with my Dad. Being a grown up is such a pain in my saggy butt. ;)
**I still wish someone would tell me who gave them permission to be friends now. lol What happened?!
1) I'm really tired all the time. I'm generally sleeping between 9 hours when I work and even more on my days off. I've lost 60+ pounds in three and a half months. I expect that to wear me down a little. If my body is stressed or improperly nourished enough to make me lose hair, that'll add to my fatigue, as will the fact that I had my period for three or more weeks (potential for anemia).
Travis gives me a hard time occasionally about me sleeping so much, but I just don't think he gets it. He's just noticing that, when he's awake and wanting to do something, I'm sleeping or tired and moody. If I'm still super tired in a couple weeks and he's still frustrated by my sleeping, we'll have to talk it out. I'm not terribly worried about that part.
2) My dad's 69th birthday is tomorrow (April 4). That means I have to stop dodging his calls and make actual contact.
As I mentioned in January, Dad and I don't have a great relationship. Being only 12, 13, or 14 years old and yet the more mature one in the relationship wore down my patience for him. Having him question whether I was truthful when I said I loved him at the end of a phone conversation a couple years ago was my breaking point, making me not want to deal with him at all.
Unfortunately, my mom's boyfriend is like a nagging little birdy, reminding me that my dad wants to talk to me and telling me how Dad has changed for the better**. So, on the off chance that Mom's boyfriend is right, I suppose I need to put on my big girl panties and try talking to Dad again. Wishing him a happy birthday is probably a good place to start.
Gosh! I have to pay bills, go to appointments, work hard, take all my pills, AND deal with my Dad. Being a grown up is such a pain in my saggy butt. ;)
**I still wish someone would tell me who gave them permission to be friends now. lol What happened?!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
I hear it was nice out
Yesterday was beautiful! ...I hear. I slept through it. :/
I was so tired that I slept more than 12 hours, making me miss the nice weather and not getting in enough protein or water. Now, I'm super thirsty and grumpy about my wasted day off.
I was so tired that I slept more than 12 hours, making me miss the nice weather and not getting in enough protein or water. Now, I'm super thirsty and grumpy about my wasted day off.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Thyroid pill and weight loss
I can no longer doubt the effect (affect?) that my thyroid has on my metabolism. Nope.
As previously mentioned, I kept forgetting my pills, including the pill to counter-act my underactive thyroid. My weight loss slowed right around the time I'd started missing pills. It went from abou 6-7 pounds lost a week to 3 pounds.
I've started taking my thyroid pill again regularly. I think it's been about five days now--not long, but what a difference it makes! In the last seven days, I've lost five pounds. Heck, since Monday, I've lost 1.8 lbs.
I haven't felt an increase in energy, unfortunately, but that will come. For now, I just want to sleep. I slept an embarassingly long amount of time yesterday, completely wasting my day off.
I'm still cold a lot of the time too, but that's probably a combination of my thyroid and losing weight. A slow thyroid lowers the body temp slightly. Also, I'm use to more insulating fat on my body. It's taking time to adjust.
I haven't been to gym in probably two weeks. My plan is to go in the morning, but I am just so tired. Hopefully, I get past that enough to drag my ass to the pool.
As previously mentioned, I kept forgetting my pills, including the pill to counter-act my underactive thyroid. My weight loss slowed right around the time I'd started missing pills. It went from abou 6-7 pounds lost a week to 3 pounds.
I've started taking my thyroid pill again regularly. I think it's been about five days now--not long, but what a difference it makes! In the last seven days, I've lost five pounds. Heck, since Monday, I've lost 1.8 lbs.
I haven't felt an increase in energy, unfortunately, but that will come. For now, I just want to sleep. I slept an embarassingly long amount of time yesterday, completely wasting my day off.
I'm still cold a lot of the time too, but that's probably a combination of my thyroid and losing weight. A slow thyroid lowers the body temp slightly. Also, I'm use to more insulating fat on my body. It's taking time to adjust.
I haven't been to gym in probably two weeks. My plan is to go in the morning, but I am just so tired. Hopefully, I get past that enough to drag my ass to the pool.
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