Doctors, Doctors, Doctors

So, here I am, nearly 70 pounds overweight...according to what the government says is a "healthy weight" for my height. I call it bullshit anyway. My BMI labels me obese. My pants are only a size 16. So sue me. My primary care doctor thinks I worry too much about it. She advised that I stop tracking and start eating a more plant-based diet. In other words, don't go vegan, but lean that way. That lifestyle doesn't work for me and I don't think that's the answer to my problem. She also suggested that maybe I'm stress eating or snacking too much at night. Okay, if you are tracking your calories and staying within your "budget", you should still be seeing a loss. Snacks or not. So, on to a new PCP I go.

I contacted Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Weight Loss Surgery Center and attended their free seminar on weight loss surgery. I filled out an 8 page application. Then I met with the nurse practitioner to go over basic details and family history. Family information being that no one in my family is fat but me. The next steps are meeting with the Nutritionist and then the Health Psychologist. Both of those appointments have been scheduled for mid-December and January.

The next step after that will be to attend a pre-op class and then meet with the surgeon. Followed up by three more pre-op classes and a final chart review with the surgeon. Then surgery will be scheduled.

I don't know if I will qualify for surgery. Right now the fact that my BMI is so high and that I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol puts me in the "likely candidate" category. I will be seeing my new PCP later this month to get on blood pressure medication.

I hope that after meeting with the new PCP and the Nutritionist, something might come to light and I won't need to or want to have surgery. But if surgery is the only answer, then I will have it.

I've met with an Endocrinologist who was certain that I had a hormonal problem. He said that the uneven disbursement of my fat (it's all in my belly) and my bad acne points at high cortisol levels. He runs two cortisol tests and a full panel of blood tests. Everything reports back as normal, including my thyroid functions.

So, too much excess weight, bad acne, severe mood swings, hair loss and insomnia are some of the symptoms I have and nobody knows why. They have no answers.

A friend recommended that I do a sleep study to test for sleep apnea, so I schedule that. I'm doing it next Tuesday night. I stay overnight at the hospital, get hooked up to a bunch of sensors and machines and get videotaped while I sleep. If I can sleep. Maybe that will turn up some answers.

Until then, I keep pondering what's wrong. I keep tracking what I eat and getting regular exercise 6 days out of 7.

Stay tuned. There are more ramblings to come.