Firehouse - Hot Hot Hot!

Jul 10, 2010

A week ago I had a appointment at Firehouse, a referral from my shrink because I'm so tired all the time. She thinks I need growth hormone. I think my metabolism is shot. I'm open to any line of inquiry. Many of my symptoms remind my much of diabetes, but I keep "passing" the glucose tolerance tests where you drink thick, sludgy stuff and they check you after a space of time.

As this was my 1st appointment, I spent an hour with Dr. Michaels going over my history. It was one of those places that asks you to bring all your meds in a bag. Well he never asked me for mine. I was curious and asked "Uh, why have me drag my meds (a ton, unfortunately) here and NOT ask to see them?" He laughed and said that I'd done such a good job on the new patient questionnaire that he didn't need to see them - that was for the disorganized/rushed patient (like my DH). Hilarious!

We talked quite a bit about WLS. Dr. Michaels is very easy to talk to and is the most open-minded doc that I've found that is knowledgeable about the pros and cons of the various surgeries. He also likes the DS, which no one in Oregon is doing right now. We talked about the consequences when a patient is not compliant with follow up and supplements. He even knew about Balthazar and Spain! I googled him and found that he was trained in South America, as well as US hospitals. We talked about thyroid, parathyroid, vitamin D, pituitary function - fascinating!

Our next step is some sort of IV metabolic test, probably in late July or early August. I go in fasting but hydrated and get hooked up to an IV. Then I get burst of stimuli to raise or lower blood sugars. Not sure exactly, but will research it more before the day.

The only downside is that the test needs to take place up a flight of stairs. After seeing that I weighed in at 394 (and had shrunk to 5'7"), he asked if I could get up the stairs, as Firehouse is located in an older part of Salem in an original building. I'm not sure if it was a firehouse, or that's just a practice name for an endocrinologist who wants to help me light the fires again - LOL! I was able to negotiate the stairs at O'Hare when I took the shuttle on the return from PA, and the stairs have a sturdy rail. I'm sure I can make it if I take my time. Plus he says that I should plan to take the rest of the day off, as I'll probably feel tired after the test, so I won't have to do the walking involved with going into the office.

Anyway, I really am interested in seeing where this takes me. Plus I think Dr. Michaels is sorta cute (in an older guy way) and great to talk to as he really understands the problems that my weight causes.

I'm almost afraid to say I feel hopeful.

While I'm waiting for this test, I'm back on Medifast. I was appalled to see my weight creeping back up after I got back from PA. I'd been tracking my weight in the 370-380s sporadically on the kitchen calendar (that's where my scale lives), and I came back to Oregon lighter than when I left - probably due to having the foresight to book myself into a motel with indoor pool big enough for daily laps.

Trying to up the number of times I get to the pool as well. Swam Wednesday and Friday, but it was very hot those days so easy to go ask I knew the cool water was such a blessed escape from the heat (100 degrees yesterday - Oregon got summer all at once!) So swimming is on today's agenda as well.

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