Monday afternoon I met Edward. He's got a great personality, totally fit body, and he's easy on the eyes. Sadly he is married and perhaps a bit sadistic. He's my F.I.T. (Feel In Tune) Trainer and he did my evaluation and wrote me a prescription for exercise.
Seriously? Yes, I have a prescription for exercise. He's really not sadistic but some of the things he wanted me to do hurt. I'm sure it will get better over time like he says, but right now, it hurts. He was very cautious of my knee and back problems and has set me up with Therabands and exercises I can do to stretch and stengthen without putting additional pressure in these areas.
I loved working with him. I hope Matt will be home soon to exercise with me. Andrew doesn't care too. He'd like me to better at Call of Duty, that's not going to happen. Although Call of Duty would be easy on the back and knee, it requires skills of coordination I clearly don't posses.
I worked with Edward for 90 minutes on Monday and he told me to take Tuesday off. Good thing, since I could barely move anyway. I followed my prescription again on Wednesday, as instructed, and felt pretty good. Looking forward to seeing how quickly I can improve my ability to stretch. It will also be exciting to climb a flight of stairs without needing oxygen or a lung transplant.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Why I dislike Psychologists
Monday I had to met with the Psychologist to see if I am ready to make the lifestyle changes necessary to be successful after the surgery. I was scheduled for 3 hours of testing and then a 45 minute interview. I arrived as scheduled and began testing at 8:00 a.m.
There were a lot of questions like "Do you think someone is out to get you?", "Do you have conversations with people no one else sees?", etc. So it concerns me that crazy folks are obviously trying to be identified.
I decided I would be completely and brutally honest. The IQ tests were simple and I flew through them. The tests about emotions, what I eat and when, and what makes me angry were more difficult to answer simply because I had to admit those things.
Needless to say I finished the written exams in only 2 hours so by 10:00 a.m. I had moved on to the interview portion of the program. Just like Miss South Carolina, I blew it here. Again, I was totally and brutally honest. When asked why I was angry much of the time, I said because I am fat and disgusted that I let myself get this way. When asked what I thought triggered my eating I said boredom, depression, anxiety, and stress. So, with all his degrees behind him he said I was a binge eater with anger issues.
Well you could have knocked me over with a feather. Seriously? I mean really, did he think I got to be 400+ pounds because I was watching what I ate or managing it well. I felt like I was at a psychic reading and they were only telling me what I had already told them. And why am I angry? Cause I just paid you $45 for you to tell me what I already know!
So his recommendation is to delay surgery 3-6 months and enroll in additional counseling. He wanted to know how I could be so smart (scored well on the IQ tests) and realize I was unhappy and not already have sought counseling. I replied I was a single mother raising two boys, one who was in college, and had never received a penny of child support, so money was often tight and counseling didn't demand the same necessity as rent, car payments, utilities, etc.
He then wanted to go down the path of suggesting I ask for back child support and I declined saying this was not anything I wanted to pursue. And still he pressed to know why I didn't want to do that. Seriously? What does me getting back child support have to do with being able to emotionally and physically handle bariatric surgery?
I decided I didn't like him. And that was even before the dead fish handshake he gave at the conclusion of our interview.
Guess I'll have to wait and see if Dr. Richard goes with his recommendation and really reschedules my date.
There were a lot of questions like "Do you think someone is out to get you?", "Do you have conversations with people no one else sees?", etc. So it concerns me that crazy folks are obviously trying to be identified.
I decided I would be completely and brutally honest. The IQ tests were simple and I flew through them. The tests about emotions, what I eat and when, and what makes me angry were more difficult to answer simply because I had to admit those things.
Needless to say I finished the written exams in only 2 hours so by 10:00 a.m. I had moved on to the interview portion of the program. Just like Miss South Carolina, I blew it here. Again, I was totally and brutally honest. When asked why I was angry much of the time, I said because I am fat and disgusted that I let myself get this way. When asked what I thought triggered my eating I said boredom, depression, anxiety, and stress. So, with all his degrees behind him he said I was a binge eater with anger issues.
Well you could have knocked me over with a feather. Seriously? I mean really, did he think I got to be 400+ pounds because I was watching what I ate or managing it well. I felt like I was at a psychic reading and they were only telling me what I had already told them. And why am I angry? Cause I just paid you $45 for you to tell me what I already know!
So his recommendation is to delay surgery 3-6 months and enroll in additional counseling. He wanted to know how I could be so smart (scored well on the IQ tests) and realize I was unhappy and not already have sought counseling. I replied I was a single mother raising two boys, one who was in college, and had never received a penny of child support, so money was often tight and counseling didn't demand the same necessity as rent, car payments, utilities, etc.
He then wanted to go down the path of suggesting I ask for back child support and I declined saying this was not anything I wanted to pursue. And still he pressed to know why I didn't want to do that. Seriously? What does me getting back child support have to do with being able to emotionally and physically handle bariatric surgery?
I decided I didn't like him. And that was even before the dead fish handshake he gave at the conclusion of our interview.
Guess I'll have to wait and see if Dr. Richard goes with his recommendation and really reschedules my date.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
The Decision
Well, I finally decided. Yep, I am going to have weight loss surgery. The decision wasn't easy but I have tried many other weight loss remedies only to have short term success. I need to find something that will give me lasting success. I'm creating this blog to detail my journey through the surgery.
I've already been to two seminars and had the initial consultation with the surgeon. There are still many things I have to do to qualify but it is tentatively set for August 25th, which would have been my mother's 66th birthday.
Monday, June 27th, I meet with a psychologist for an evaluation and another appointment for a fitness evaluation. Then Tuesday I have a nutrition consultation. There is much left to do and I am nervous about the upcoming changes, but excited about the possibilities of losing significant weight.
I've never been thin. Since I was ten years old I have been overweight, so it is all I know. It will be a true experience to be able to shop in a normal store, fly without discomfort, ride a roller coaster, and not worry that my kids are embarrassed to be seen with me.
I'm looking forward to sharing less of me with others!
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