Let me just say that I'm floored. I'm down another pound this morning. My body is just giving it up this month and it's making me very, very happy. I'm now thinking there is a slight chance I might be able to stay out of the 170s for most of the weight gain for TTOM this month. I guess we'll see. 168.0 on the scale - unbelievable!
And yesterday I had the appointment with the urologist. It was a gorgeous, gorgeous day yesterday. I wore a spring jersey knit dress (casual, but very flattering). When I walked into the office, it was filled with middle aged to senior men and they all gave me the look over. I guess they aren't used to seeing a woman in the office in a dress? But a few minutes later a few more women came.
I had to wait forever and ever in the waiting room (so why do they make me come 15 minutes early to fill out forms if they are going to make me wait 45 minutes after my appointment to call me in?) Anyway... I finally got to meet the doctor to talk about the problems I'm having with urinary stress incontinence. First of all, she said about 20% of all women have this problem and that many end up needing surgery.
The surgery I would need is simple enough, but it would lay me up for a bit. Well, not lay me up, but it would keep me from being active for at least a month while things healed up. What they would do is install a mesh sling around the bladder to hold it up so that it wouldn't dip down and leak during exercise. This would be done through the vagina and within a day or two I could go about normally - but no exercise or lifting more than the weight of a gallon of milk for at least a month.
I know I need this surgery as it is beginning to be a bigger and bigger issue with exercise, but when to do the surgery? If I do it now (or very soon) that would mean giving up a month of spring and summer of working in the garden, riding bikes, taking hikes, etc. Forget the gym - all the other stuff I would have to give up would be a bummer. Then there is vacation in July/August. I don't want to be limited on what I can do then either. So, in the end, I've decided I'll do this surgery this coming fall or winter. Those are already hard times for me to exercise, so why not give my body a break from it when I really don't want to do it anyway?
Of course that means dealing with that problem for the next 6-10 months while I wait on the surgery, but it's not urgent and I've found ways to work around it for years and can continue to work around it for now.
One cool thing that did happen while I was at the office was that I was telling the doctor I was trying all kinds of natural ways to try to make the problem better. I told her I had lost a lot of weight and had hoped that would make it better (obesity can lead to extra strain on those muscles holding up the bladder). I told her I had done a gazillion kegels, but those didn't help either. So, it was time to come in and see what else to do. She asked how much weight I had lost (I think out of curiosity and to cut the tension as she did a pelvic exam to feel for the bladder) and I told her that from my top weight about 105 pounds. That floored her. She exclaimed - "And you look great! Look at you in that cute spring dress and looking all fit and healthy. You should be so proud of yourself. That is amazing!" And a bit later while we were setting up a follow-up appointment, she commented again on how great I looked and how proud I should be of my weight loss.
I haven't had a doctor go on like that before, so it was a bit surprising and it felt great. I guess because I belong to a weight loss forum where so many people are losing large chunks of weight that I don't see what I'm doing as anything incredible. I see so many amazing people on this forum who have lost more and more rapidly. But I guess, it isn't the norm. Most people don't lose over a hundred pounds. Do they?
Well, I'm going to keep plugging away - 8 more "for sure" pounds to go! Wow, only 8!!!
Stats for 3/16/12:
Highest weight: 275 Now: 168.0
Total hours worked out in 2012: 52.5/250
I hear you on how the weight loss becomes normalized. It really isn't until someone points out how much I lost or until I see a before picture that it really hits home.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your surgery!!! It sounds like you'll be at goal long before then! ;)