Annual Checkup

So I had my annual checkup with Dr. Nishimura this afternoon. He said I looked great and was happy with my progress. My blood work showed mostly good things although I’m low on Vitamin D and my Hemoglobin level is borderline low.

I asked him about weight regain. We had a very lengthy conversation about this topic. I asked him if the sleeve can stretch he said that there is a 1% chance yet all Weight loss surgery, regardless of type, there is a 20% chance of regain. He said it really depends on your mindset. If you use your tool the right way and take advantage of the Honeymoon period getting into good habits such as diet and exercise that prepares you for the long run if your sleeve were to dilate or not you would be in a very good position to be successful. It all comes down to your mind set.

He said that many people come in to his office with the wrong mindset and try to deceive by not telling him what they really are doing. They eat and drink the wrong things and they don’t exercise. He said they are not deceiving him they are only deceiving themselves. He said by looking at me he can tell that I have the right mindset and will be successful. He said that I can be the poster child for the practice.

Having the right mindset means that you are not only able to notice when you fall off the wagon but you do something about it. He said it tends to happen, many things in life can cause you to regain, it’s just a part of living. When you get to that point, going back to the basics such as diet and exercise as well as attending support groups will help you get back on track. This becomes easier if you developed the right mindset during your honeymoon period. He said I’m at the point where I don’t need to go to support groups on a monthly basis but I told him I really enjoy them. He said that was fine.

So then I asked him the million dollar question. Do I need to lose any more weight? His response was how do you feel? I said great. He said do you have more energy? I said yes, I’m able to do things that I never felt comfortable doing before. I told him I went skiing and snowboarding last week. He said, you really get this. This is what it’s all about, using your tool to take control of your life. He said I’m at the point where the weight loss will slow down and plateau. I told him that I’ve been trading the same two pounds for a month and a half and then all of a sudden I lost two pounds this morning. He then surprised me. He said that I don’t need to lose any more but my body is deceiving he said that my face and upper body lost the most of the fat but I could lose a little more in my thighs. He said as long as I don’t go below the normal BMI I could continue to lose more weight. He said my body will know when to stop.

 

He said I should come back in six months for a follow-up.

 

Then I had my appointment with my primary doctor. Dr. Frank was also pleased with my results. He was very happy with my cholesterol it was 179. My only problem is my blood pressure. I’m still on my meds and it was 150/80. He said that many skinny Americans have high blood pressure he then elaborated especially African Americans. He said I should remain on the meds. I go back to see him in two months for BP check.

So overall I seem to be doing very well.

 
Great post Mikey!!!!

Dr. Nish sounds like a great Doc. !!!!

I think you got out of your 1 year appointment the same as myself...... I asked Dr. C for the "Magic" answers to maintaining and regain.......

He basically put it back on me.......and told me I knew what to do.....It's kinda like our doctors have done all they can for us.......

The rest is up to us !!!!

frisco

Another excellent post Mikey. Hope you will put it on the main vsg board if you haven't already. There are some important remarks about the "mind set" that new patients and pre ops should read. You and your doctor are so right about this and you expressed it beautifully.

I am going to forward your posts to my older brother who is in preop testing and expects to get sleeved in May. He has about the same amount of weight to lose and I think he would find your story inspiring. 

Diane

Just posted there as well as the Mens forum.

Thanks

I agree that the honeymoon period is an excellent bootcamp for better habits!!  Great job, MIke! 

I am glad you did so well at both doctor's visits, kind sir! 

Sorry about the blood pressure meds staying, but he is right, some folks were just always going to have high blood pressure because its a genetic predisposition.  High cholesterol is like that too sometimes, no matter your body habitus.

Did you have to take a bunch of other medications or not so much? 

Whooot!  Happy 'versary Mike!  I know you are a busy man, but I wanted to say we have missed your smiling face and your always great and thoughtful input!

So proud on you!  I know you are proud on you too. 

You and Frisco play the food out of town game a lot. Can you share a bit on how you eat when you are away from work?  Frisco measures things by the decks of cards, physical reminders like that.  Do you have helpful things for out of town working folks? 

*squeeze*

Its good to see your face!  Its great to hear about your good labs! 

ETA - Oh, I take the vitamin D that I get from Wal-Mart, you can get it in 1000, 2000, and 5000 mg gel caps.  A lot of folks take the dry, but I think that since we do not malabsorb fats, that we can take the oil caps.  I do not think I dreamt that.  :}

With iron supplements, you know that you need to take them away from calcium, and coffee, and whole grains and eggs at least for an hour, yes?  Probably you do, but I did not for a while, so I always just ask to make sure folks know.  :}

Anyway, the love!  Whoot to good reports! 

I only take Lortrel (blood pressure) and Liptor (cholesterol). The Liptor was reduced from 40mg (pre surgery) to 10 Mg. My doc really likes where my cholesterol is (179), his advise is to stay on the 10 mg. Although he said I could try to eliminate it and do another blood work and see how I do.

When I'm out an about. I don't worry about measuring. It's not like you can control the portion that they bring out on your plate. Sometimes I will order off of the Kids or the Senior menu (whether or not they extend the pricing doesn't matter). What ever the size of the portion they bring out I eat until I'm satisfied. So to me the size of the portion is iirrelevant. I also make it a practice not to take a doggie bag. It just gives me the temptation to snack as I know it's there. I also give in, and order water as I get strange looks when I say "Nothing to drink for me". I just don't drink it. I'm a creature of habit. My usual dinner favorite is Cheese Qasedilla. Many times I will order off of the menu. Breakfast I'll ussually do eggs and/or sausage. If I'm in a hurry and need something on the run a Yogurt Parfait will do.

If it's an extended trip. I'll usually ask for a refrigerator in the room. Some Hotels are cool about giving it to you some want to charge a per day fee for it. The way I get around it is I usually say "Can I have a refrigerator for my room to keep my medicine in?". They always provide a fridge free of charge as they prefer that their guests don't pass out or die in their rooms. Then I'll go to the supper market and stock up on some Greek Yogurt, Cheese, and other snacks.

It was interesting I got different views on the Vitamin D. The PA at my Surgeons office said not to worry about it. He said stay out in the sun some more and your levels will improve. My Surgeon said that i should take Vitamin-D supplements 1,000 IU. My primary doctor said that there was a recent writeup on Vitamin-D that the threshold for testing is too high and that most people will be deficient. He told me to take 500 IU of Vitamin-D Supplements.

A couple of months ago I switched to Vitaladys Tender Iron. I take it every night just before bed. I do make sure that I don't have anything with Calcium or Vitamin-D prior. The Tender Iron has vitamin-c in it to help with the absorption. I do notice I have less constipation with the Vitalady brand Vs. Bariatric advantage that I used to take.

Also just know this with your vitamin D level stuff - most folks who live ABOVE Atlanta still do not get enough supplemental D from the sun.   Also, they tested for the wrong D on me when I had my labs.  So I did not even really know what the reading was. 

Cool about the Tender Iron and that is really is more tender!  :} 

Thanks about the tips! if you do not want to repeat yourself, then later I will transfer them over to a thread I just started about it~ 

Have a groovy weekend!

b

Thanks, feel free to transfer