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May I please nominate the Shoppers Drug Mart at Richmond Road and Carling Avenue in Ottawa for this TV show?

I know the TV show is over, watched it last night, but it's ironic I was watching it after my lousy experience of customer service at the above identified SDM.

I asked the pharmacy clerk if they carried Isopure Protein Water, as I could not see it on the shelf.  She did not know, but asked the pharmacist, who was standing right there.  The pharmacist said "no".  Nothing else, just "no".  I politely proceeded to ask if they ever carried it.  "No", it's a special order".  Me:  Would you let me know the price if you could order it? 

"NO".  Nothing else, just "NO".

Yaknow?  I'm still so ticked about this, I'm sending a copy to SDM headquarters. 

Too bad, really, as I would have ordered it, a special item, and paid for it, consistently.

Lousy service.

Please inform the CBC -- another one bites the dust.

*grin*

mmm
aka Marilyn

It's new to me;  I started using it a week ago and I have had six nights of consistently good sleep.  I have not had good sleep in at least ten years.  This is a remarkable thing.  I am delighted.

I didn't know how poorly I was sleeping and how bad I felt until I started getting quality sleep.
What a stunning (to me) revelation.

And, you know?  I am highly hopeful that post RNY surgery I won't need the CPAP for long, but even if I do, even if the sleep apnea is not resolved by surgery, I will not be complaining about the need for the CPAP.   It's made such a difference in my life in just six days (and six comfortable nights).

Just feeling so good, I had to share.  :)

Cheers!

mmm

I have type II diabetes;  I've been fretting (I'm a *great* fretter), for the past two weeks since my last appointment with my endocrinologist.  My numbers a month ago were not good and at that time she asked me to try a new regime of adding daily mealtime insulin, at a minimal dose.  I already use long acting Lantus insulin at bedtime.I did that for two weeks and saw her two weeks ago today.  I hadn't been doing well with it, but in the meantime I had started using my newly-prescribed CPAP machine.

I asked for two more weeks, without daytime insulin, to see if the CPAP machine would be helpful in bringing my numbers in to better control.

Well!  I saw my endocrinologist this morning, at the Riverside Hospital, and ... tada!  My numbers, without daytime insulin are now *down*, really down, and my blood pressure is well-reduced too.  She's very happy with what I've done (thank you CPAP!) and *happy sigh* I do not have to use daytime insulin.  

She's also supportive of my WLS process and says my numbers are good enough that I'll meet the OCH's requirements for in-control blood glucose numbers.

I'm a happy woman and wanted to share with people who will understand that happiness.

:)

Cheers, all!

Original source unknown.

DON'T MAKE A PROBLEM BIGGER THAN IT IS–
You should never let one dark cloud cover the entire sky. The sun is always shining on some part of your life. Sometimes you just have to forget how you feel, remember what you deserve, and keep pushing forward.

EMOTIONALLY SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM YOUR PROBLEMS –
You are far greater than your problems. You are a living, breathing human being who is infinitely more complex than all of your individual problems added up together. And that means you’re more powerful than them – you have the ability to change them, and to change the way you feel about them.

YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY TO CREATE YOUR OWN HAPPINESS –
Feelings change, people change, and time keeps rolling. You can hold onto past mistakes or you can create your own happiness. A smile is a choice, not a miracle. Don’t make the mistake of waiting on someone or something to come along and make you happy. True happiness comes from within.

YOU WILL FAIL SOMETIMES –
The faster you accept this, the faster you can get on with being brilliant. You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing. So get out there and try! Either you succeed or you learn a vital lesson. Win – Win.

IT'S OKAY TO FALL APART FOR A LITTLE WHILE –
You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well. You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears. The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again. And a smile doesn’t always mean a person is happy. Sometimes it simply means they are strong enough to face their problems.

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU HAVE, NOT WHAT YOU HAVEN'T –
You are who you are and you have what you have, right now. And it can’t be that bad, because otherwise you wouldn’t be able to read this. The important thing is simply to find one POSITIVE thought that inspires and helps you move forward. Hold on to it strongly, and focus on it. You may feel like you don’t have much, or anything at all, but you have your mind to inspire you. And that’s really all you need to start moving forward again.

YOU ARE NOT WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU IN YOUR PAST –
No matter how chaotic the past has been, the future is a clean, fresh, wide open slate. You are not your past habits. You are not your past failures. You are not what others one time treated you. You are only who you think you are right now in this moment. You are only who you are right now in this moment.

Such an important reminder -- I'm keeping it here for all those times I will be crying.

There's No Crying in Weight Loss Surgery!

By: Leilani

[Original draft written June 2004 - - Revised: April 2006]

That's the sentiment (scenario) that comes to mind sometimes when I hear some of the comments from people who've already had the surgery. In case you haven't made the connection, that's a line Tom Hanks made famous in the movie "A League Of Their Own." Resorting to tears or just giving up every time the going gets tough. Or your sick of taking vitamins, getting in protein is hard, water doesn't taste good, etc. That kinda' thinking is NOT going to make you successful or keep you healthy. ENOUGH already! It's time to LOVE yourself enough to get "TOUGH" wtih your aftercare. Your longterm health is worth it!!

Success comes with a backbone, NOT a wishbone!

First and foremost, you have to keep it POSITIVE. As with everything in life, if you think you can't - you WON'T! Simple enough?

I have to wonder when "we" (as adults) finally take ownershipfor our actions, our life and our health? We have been given a gift, a second chance to actually LIVE life again instead of merely existing on the sidelines. It's up to each of us to do that as healthy and productively as possible.We're ALL statistics waiting to happen and the insurance companies are chomping at the bit. The bean counters are eager to drop Weight Loss Surgery ("WLS") from the policies; some already have. Don't you know that any negative feedback thrown into the mix only strengthens their cause? I may not be able to control every thing that happens to my body after WLS, but most things I can. I CHOOSE to take control and I will be a positive statistic when the numbers get counted.

We live in a spoiled society, expecting everything in life to come with a buncha really cool choices. Well, guess what? When it comes to your health, you're not always going to get a choice. You either DO IT and stay healthy, or you DON'T and your body pays the price.

The way I saw it, I had a 90 day healing and adjusting period after surgery. My 'super morbidly obese' body had more than enough stores to survive the learning curve. In turn, it gave me plenty of time to heal, adjust and learn. For those of you OVER 90 days Post-Op, the probation period is over - its time to get serious and LIVE what you've learned.

* You say you can't get in enough liquids throughout the day, don't like the taste of water, or just keep forgetting? -- TOUGH! It's not an option anymore. Find a way to do it, get suggestions and tips from others in support groups, message boards, etc. Read, learn and JUST DO IT!! Why do you think there is a choice here?

* You say you don't like the big horse pill type vitamins, or the tart chalky chewables? ... it's just too many to bother with? Or maybe you just can't remember to take them? -- TOUGH! You gave up the option NOT to take vitamins when you agreed to have your insides rerouted. FIND a way to get them in; crushed, minced, chopped, liquified, in a shake, etc. No exceptions, your health depends on it.

* Protein is a must. So you can't get it all in via foods and you don't like the way the shakes taste? -- TOUGH! Either get it through your meals (and there are a gazillion food choices out there) or supplement it with protein shakes and bars.

Trust me, I don't drink my protein shake every morning because I think it tastes like a chocolate blizzard from Dairy Queen. I've tried many varieties over the last 2 years. I'd even venture to say 25 of the top sellers/flavors have crossed my lips. For the record? I've yet to find one that is as 'delicious' as boasted by the distributor. So what. I still drink one every morning. My HEALTH dictates that I need "X" grams of protein per day. If I'm not getting enough from my meals then I supplement a shake. 'Nuff said.

This surgery is a gift, I owe it to me and everyone else fighting the approval process, to do it right! I will continue to choke down my vitamins, my water and my protein every single day, for the REST OF MY LIFE. Some days will be easier than others, regardless, no days will be missed.

It's all about discipline. Create a routine, set a timer, develop a pattern, tie a string around your finger, glue a note on your forehead, whatever it takes.

You're an adult - take responsibility! If this surgery doesn't slap a back bone into you, not much will.

I met with Dr. Wicklum at the Ottawa Civic yesterday and am pleased to report that with the exception of one last hurdle, I'm getting the go-ahead from her for surgery. I have to take the cardiac CT scan, but the cardiologist has already told me that it's a formality; he does not foresee a problem.

I've added three new medications since I saw Dr. Wicklum in May and have been steadily increasing my insulin (Lantus) to improve my BG control; I've gained six pounds. Dr. Wicklum said that I was "just fine" and that I "should not worry any more about the weight gain. We know what the side effects of these medications are..."

Such a relief ... I've been so very worried. Now it's waiting for the CT scan. I'm going to call the Heart Institute tomorrow, because it's been ten days since I met Dr. So. I have to be on calcium channel blockers until the test. I'm not having a lot of fun with them, to say the least -- lethargy, swollen legs and feet, the usual.

Oh, and I've been booked to see Dr. Shiau for September 11; Dr.Wicklum is moving to Calgary soon.

So -- with a deep breath -- I'm ready to do a happy dance. 2012 might well be my year.

mmm

PS  The Heart Institute called -- my CT scan is booked for August 15.  

I've been with the OH website, and the OH Ontario Forum for a year today. I guess that makes my timeline one year and one week from orientation in Ottawa.

Thank you to all the wonderful, helpful, kind and patient people who post here -- you make me laugh, you make me think and you help me realize that this long, long process is the time for me to get really clear on why I want this surgery and how sincerely I need it.

Time for some OH-ON-ONE-iversary protein.

Cheers!

Another update on my journey, thanks for listening :)

I'm just back from meeting with two cardiologists at the Ottawa Heart Institute with a pretty much clean bill of cardiac health. The results of my PET scan show a small abnormality, but nothing extreme. There may be a blockage in my heart, but highly unlikely. In obese women, in particular, they often get false positive results due to the extra breast tissue that blocks the view of the heart.

They're going to do a CT scan with contrast (and I have to be on a calcium channel blocker for several weeks in advance of the test -- ick!). I've been on them in the past, and they make me very sluggish -- they slow down my heart beat, and that's needed before the scan. I found it very difficult to walk anything more than 50 feet without having to rest, while on a Beta Blocker in the past. Once the scan is done, I'm off that drug. Whee!

The cardiologist, Dr. So,  says that he would not normally do anything further, but he knows the stringent requirements of the Ottawa Bariatric Clinic and that they would want this extra test done. (His wife is a physician at the Bariatric Clinic.)  He does not think I have a blockage of any sort, but that I'm being triple tested just to be sure.

So, again, it's hurry up and wait -- the CT scan should be booked in the next month. They'll call me.
It's a good thing I make appointments for first thing in the morning, that way I get out of bed at a decent hour. *grin*

Detour, not roadblock. And I'm getting reassured again and again that I'm in good shape for the shape I'm in.

My June 26 appointment with Dr. Wicklum at the Civic has been changed to July 18, a three week detour.

On the positive side, it means I'll have completed my second set of tests at the Heart Insitute and will have met with the cardiologist before I see her.

No need to highlight the negative side, eh?

I'm going to be on a couple of new medications by the time I see her, too -- quinine for leg cramps and Lyrica for numbness. Perhaps I'll even have my appointment with the neurologist, then, too, for a nerve conduction study.

*sigh*

mmm

It was a good news, strange news kind of appointment.

Firstly, it wasn't what I'd been told, or what I think I'd been told. It wasn't another cardiac test/procedure, it was a meeting with an internist to review my health status.

That was the good news.

The strange news, and it has me rattled, is the result of the cardiac tests from two weeks ago -- the results were "abnormal" and I'm being referred to a cardiologist. I'm asymptomatic, but the chemical stress test resuits showed that an area at the front of my heart is "slightly stressed". ECG is normal, pumping action of the heart is normal, blood pressure is only slightly elevated, just this one area of the heart shows something odd when the photographs were taken with the isotope tracer.

So, it's a sideways trip to a cardiologist ... I have had some problems in the past with beta blockers, so we don't want to be using them, nor do we want to increase my statins, as I react badly to more than the minimum dose.

Back to good news -- the rest of me is in pretty good shape, considering the condition I'm in. *grin*

A sideways trip to the cardiologist, the other medical things keep moving on.

Worried? Yes. Can I do anything?  No.

I see my endocrinologist tomorrow -- have to work on getting my A1C down (from 8.1 to below 7.5).

Thanks for listening ...

mmm