Finally, a follow-up appointment

Nov 07, 2014

So it turns out it's been just over a year since I saw the ARNP at my surgeon's office. Yikes. I have another appointment scheduled for next month because the ARNP would like to keep a closer eye on me for a little while. I knew I'd regained some weight, and now I know how much. (I'm at ~163.) She asked how I felt about that and I told her I'd like to lose between five and ten pounds. She agreed that was a reasonable thing to do, although she assured me I'm healthy at this weight. Really, I just want to get and stay on the other side of 160. 

We talked a lot about my struggles and stumbles over the last year, and I'm really feeling much more optimistic than I was a couple months ago. I asked for "some 101 stuff" relating to food (what to eat, what to avoid) and got copies of the printouts I'd received pre-op. Back to basics, you know? Also, I've committed to attending my first support group meeting next month, and I'm excited about that. She also stressed that I need to up my exercise, which I knew, but it's good to hear it from an authority figure to drive home that, yes, strolling-on-the-treadmill is great and all (and when I was at my heaviest was about all I could do) but I can and should do more now. She recommended barre classes or something similar, so I'll look into it. (I'm more of a class-taker than a watch-workout-videos-and-follow-along-at-home person.) Oh, and I finally got around to asking for a referral to a general practitioner, as my physician retired this spring and I'm overdue for basic wellness stuff. Feels good to be taking some steps toward getting back in control of my health—I even got a flu shot on my way home. 

My labs looked good, overall. Cholesterol and blood sugar and that stuff was fine. My vitamin A and vitamin D were low so I'll take more of those, and my calcium (which used to be high) dipped back down to "kinda low" so I'm ordering some Bariatric Advantage chewable calcium. Yum yum, I guess. And I need to drink more water. (I knew this. But it's really true. No idea how I went from best-ever most-hydrated awesome water-drinker to "can barely manage ~60 ounces a day, but it's uncool.) 

So...I have some work to do, but things aren't dire, and going back felt good. Kind of glad I'm doing this as the great, gingerbread-scented maw of the Holiday Season creaks open. Need weapons in my arsenal if I'm to survive, etc. Hoping that having an appointment scheduled for just-under-a-month from now will help keep me honest and accountable. Really excited about support group; I've felt that was a missing piece of my puzzle for a while.  

Hm. Barre class, you say. I have a barre studio site open in another tab. Maybe this will be a thing. Maybe I'll find something else. But I do need to find A Thing.

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