Well, it has been an interesting month thus far. I've had some appointments in general; ranging from orthopedic to dietitian to physical therapy and family doctor. All have resulted in fruitful information ... good and bad. Mostly good, though.
I feel more determined than ever to meet my weight loss goal, despite the only bad news from the orthopedic doctor. I had made the appointment to check out my "good" left foot and my right hip. Here is some background information regarding these two body parts; I had a shot in my right hip several years ago due to arthritis. My doctor had said at the time that I am closing in on having hip replacement surgery. So that's how I received the initial shot.
My right hip after all these years post shot has unfortunately increased in severity. Naively, I didn't really expect that to happen. The arthritis is now moderate to severe and a possible stone's throw from a hip replacement. Another shot was offered to alleviate the pain. I took him up on it. Luckily, they'll knock me out to administer the shot. I'm hoping that it will help.
My left "good" foot did not heal correctly after the small fracture that occurred sometime ago. I was surprised. There's nothing to do to correct the malady except to re-break the foot. No! No way! Nope! I don't think so! Honestly, I don't have too much pain - my foot just looked like the humpback of stinky foot. Meaning ... it had a weird bump on the side of the foot. The nurse came in to the room to finalize plans for the surgical center. Upon leaving, she said, "sorry about your wait." Not really thinking, I said, "Yeah, me too. Weighing just less than 300 pounds is something to be sorry about." Oops, I think I left her speechless.
Well, that was the bad news. Yes, I was initially shocked and bummed by the news. So, here's the good news. I am always looking for the proverbial rainbow to light up the sky despite a gloomy rain.
Back to being determined ... physical therapy is going extremely well. I ride the recumbent bike now for 20 minutes on level 5.5. I have not done that in years. they have also encouraged me to take off my ankle brace for longer periods of time. Well, it seems like it was cemented on my ankle after 10 years of wearing one. Yippee! I am pleased to report I did not wear the brace for two full days. I do, however, wear it for certain activities for added support.
Other activities that I do include stretching, balancing, the blasted elliptical bike (my enemy), and so on. In fact, I'm doing so well that I believe I was told that I might be able to graduate soon. This may be a little soon for "shout out's" however, I am so thankful for all the support and such. Drum roll please ... in no particular order ... Sandy, Tom, Carrie, the pit bull (actually her name is Jenna, an intern, but a great one), Susan, Sharon, Donna and Ann Marie (and of course anyone I forgot, unintentionally of course).
I also saw a wonderful dietitian, Jan, who worked with me to devise a plan. I unearthed a food and exercise diary in one of my piles in my apartment. So that's part of the plan for wellness. I will work on keeping my calorie intake within 1,400 to 1,500 calories a day rather than counting carbohydrates. So, that means I can only have four snack cakes instead of five ... ha-ha! Just kidding. I also asked her some questions on different food items and their nutritional value. The appointment was very informative and crucial for my well being. A few of my biggest challenges (besides me) is eating out, keeping up with the food diary, and peers or others who either unintentionally or intentionally try to sabotage me. I'm not paranoid either (only my other personality Sybil is ...).
Next on the list is to set up my exercise protocol. So far ... my places to use are ... The Wellness Center at the hospital, the Betsey Mills' swimming pool for "intensive" aerobic workouts and Ewing School's pool for arthritic stretching and such.
Okay kids, don't try this at home. Be sure you consult with your doctor or a Vulcan (if you're not from here) before any "diet or exercise" program.
I wrap up this month's column with a poem ... No! Not a dirty limerick ... silly! It is a nice poem ...
"There once was an obese person named 'Casi'; sometimes people called her lazy; she often misused food; due to her conflicting mood; she was sad and frustrated from arthritic issues; therefore she used a lot of tissues; life became boring; so she began writing stories; she began to turn her life around; life that was lost became found; now after her inward and outward pain is better; maybe she won't eat as much butter; she began to make positive changes in her diet, exercise and mind; she hopes and prays this will keep her in line; now a lesson from this to all; it's never too late to recover from a 'fall'; believe in yourself and begin to follow through; before long you will discover things new!"
Until next time ...
Casi Stewart can be reached at casichilstew@-yahoo.com. A Weighty Issue appears every other Monday on the Life page.
