Mattymatt

Thank you @Frustr8, @Creekimp13, and @FluffyChix for all the concern and well-wishes. Here is the update. I have a stomach ulcer infected with H. Pylori. This isn't good news because it needs to get treated with a pretty serious course of antibiotics. The upshot is we know what's going on. The downside is that I am looking at 6-8 weeks of antibiotics to fight this little b*stard off. I will also need another endoscopy in a month to make certain that the course of antibiotics is working. H. Pylori is a nasty little phucker ... it has been known to cause stomach cancer according to the Mayo Clinic. It's going to take a bazooka to kill me though. LOL!

Thank you @Frustr8, @Creekimp13, and @FluffyChix for all the concern and well-wishes. Here is the update. I have a stomach ulcer infected with H. Pylori. This isn't good news because it needs to get treated with a pretty serious course of antibiotics. The upshot is we know what's going on. The downside is that I am looking at 6-8 weeks of antibiotics to fight this little b*stard off. I will also need another endoscopy in a month to make certain that the course of antibiotics is working. H. Pylori is a nasty little phucker ... it has been known to cause stomach cancer according to the Mayo Clinic. It's going to take a bazooka to kill me though. LOL!

Thank you @Frustr8, @Creekimp13, and @FluffyChix for all the concern and well-wishes. Here is the update. I have a stomach ulcer infected with H. Pylori. This isn't good news because it needs to get treated with a pretty serious course of antibiotics. The upshot is we know what's going on. The downside is that I am looking at 6-8 weeks of antibiotics to fight this little b*stard off. I will also need another endoscopy in a month to make certain that the course of antibiotics is working. H. Pylori is a nasty little phucker ... it has been known to cause stomach cancer according to the Mayo Clinic. It's going to take a bazooka to kill me though. LOL!

Thank you @Frustr8, @Creekimp13, and @FluffyChix for all the concern and well-wishes. Here is the update. I have a stomach ulcer infected with H. Pylori. This isn't good news because it needs to get treated with a pretty serious course of antibiotics. The upshot is we know what's going on. The downside is that I am looking at 6-8 weeks of antibiotics to fight this little b*stard off. I will also need another endoscopy in a month to make certain that the course of antibiotics is working. H. Pylori is a nasty little phucker ... it has been known to cause stomach cancer according to the Mayo Clinic. It's going to take a bazooka to kill me though. LOL!

My tailbone is not happy with my weight loss. I have to reposition SO OFTEN at my work desk because it starts hurting if I sit one way for too long. This has never been a problem for me before!

Hello to everyone. Hope all is well! I am still battling the nausea and trying to figure out what is causing it but at least I feel cheerful, not despondent.

Saddness .... some labs came back and my A1C is 6.4%. I was hoping that it would be in the normal range. Well, we'll see what it is like in 3 more months. The nurse practitioner at the hospital said that it is good progress. However, if in 3 months it does not get into a normal range, I'll need to go back on an oral medicine. When it rains it poors. At least, I finally got some sleep and I feel like getting up and walking around again. Anyone that thinks surgery is the easy way out is just plain ignorant. Le sigh!

Saddness .... some labs came back and my A1C is 6.4%. I was hoping that it would be in the normal range. Well, we'll see what it is like in 3 more months. The nurse practitioner at the hospital said that it is good progress. However, if in 3 months it does not get into a normal range, I'll need to go back on an oral medicine. When it rains it poors. At least, I finally got some sleep and I feel like getting up and walking around again. Anyone that thinks surgery is the easy way out is just plain ignorant. Le sigh!

I had a setback yesterday. I went to the ER in severe stomach pain and nausea. It turns out that I had a stricture so the ER stabilized me and then I was transported to Wilmington Hospital, where I had the surgery to begin with. They did some emergent repairs. I am doing okay but in too much pain to get around. Anyhow, the surgeon emphasized rest and not getting up and moving. I will be discharged on Friday morning as they want to keep me for observation. Life happens but we keep moving, right-o?

I had a setback yesterday. I went to the ER in severe stomach pain and nausea. It turns out that I had a stricture so the ER stabilized me and then I was transported to Wilmington Hospital, where I had the surgery to begin with. They did some emergent repairs. I am doing okay but in too much pain to get around. Anyhow, the surgeon emphasized rest and not getting up and moving. I will be discharged on Friday morning as they want to keep me for observation. Life happens but we keep moving, right-o?

I seem to be in one helluva stall. I thought it had broken, but alas, I was wrong. Although to be honest, I think this one is my fault as I got away from careful tracking so today I am getting back up on the horse. Need to watch calories as well as make certain that I am getting 100g of high quality protein.

Saw the head doc again today because I am feeling so mentally out of sorts. You cannot put a price on a good psychiatrist. A little med adjustment and she thinks I'll be on the up and up. Sleep has been terrible post-surgery so I am hoping this non-narcotic sleep aid she prescribed works well.

After a good rest day yesterday, I tore up the elliptical at 30 minutes and I be very happy! Well, except for not reading the food label on Greek Yogurt drink and a first experience with dumping syndrome. Ah the lessons we learn ....

I am reminded today that gaining one's health is not a linear progression. Meaning we have days and setbacks. I had my protein-rich breakfast and I am nauseous as a mofo. I didn't feel like my protein-fortified oatmeal so I had two protein-fortified, zero-sugar hot chocolates. All told 30g of protein but I am feeling super crappy. Hoping this wave will pass.

I went to the gym this morning feeling surprisingly strong. I think it must be the 100 something grams of protein intake a day. I was aiming for 15 minutes of cardio and blew that goal out of the water. By the time I looked at the clock it was at 28 minutes and I am like, "Okay, 2 minutes and I am done." So I hopped off the elliptical at 30 minutes feeling really good. I don't want to overdo it because I want to make the gym a daily habit. Still this is every reason to feel good!

I went to the gym this morning feeling surprisingly strong. I think it must be the 100 something grams of protein intake a day. I was aiming for 15 minutes of cardio and blew that goal out of the water. By the time I looked at the clock it was at 28 minutes and I am like, "Okay, 2 minutes and I am done." So I hopped off the elliptical at 30 minutes feeling really good. I don't want to overdo it because I want to make the gym a daily habit. Still this is every reason to feel good!

Being on this high protein diet has the pleasant added bonus of recovering quickly from a workout. I feel pretty good this morning after yesterday afternoon's first gym session in 4 years. I expected to be feeling pretty tired but I feel I could do some stationary bicycle stuff today.

Went through the five trash bags of too-small clothes I have accumulated (some are mine from when I was a little smaller, some were my mom's, some a friend's, some yard sale finds, some bought at store closeout/clearance sales). One bag ended up being a bag of to-donate items that had gotten mixed in with the others inadvertently, so I don't have as much as I expected. But it's now separated into two bags of pants and two bags of shirts, organized by size. 

Exhaustion finally got the better of me and I took a long nap. Only problem with being that tired was I had a very lucid nightmare. The basic theme was all of my setbacks and failures over the past 15 years in brief and vivid snapshots. The most vivid of these snapshots was of my ex-girlfriend, the one I thought I would marry. We were doing karaoke night on a cruise and she sang Paula Abdul's Forever Your Girl while looking right at me with an unforgettable sparkle in her eye.
Well, I woke up feeling predictably like garbage and then I vaguely remembered a few people posting about how fast weight loss can release hormones stored in fat. I don't know what prompted me to step on the scale but I did and lo and behold, I am down 6 pounds in only 5 days (maybe more because it is best to weigh at the beginning of the day.) This was a faster rate than I had ever lost before. Ironically, this did not make me feel any better. My hazy mind just said, "Okay, now time to shower and clean the incisions" Jaysus! I don't cry easily but the damn burst once the hot water hit me. A good cry is an underrated experience for feeling better. So I am now well along my journey and down 26 pounds from my heaviest last September.

Exhaustion finally got the better of me and I took a long nap. Only problem with being that tired was I had a very lucid nightmare. The basic theme was all of my setbacks and failures over the past 15 years in brief and vivid snapshots. The most vivid of these snapshots was of my ex-girlfriend, the one I thought I would marry. We were doing karaoke night on a cruise and she sang Paula Abdul's Forever Your Girl while looking right at me with an unforgettable sparkle in her eye.
Well, I woke up feeling predictably like garbage and then I vaguely remembered a few people posting about how fast weight loss can release hormones stored in fat. I don't know what prompted me to step on the scale but I did and lo and behold, I am down 6 pounds in only 5 days (maybe more because it is best to weigh at the beginning of the day.) This was a faster rate than I had ever lost before. Ironically, this did not make me feel any better. My hazy mind just said, "Okay, now time to shower and clean the incisions" Jaysus! I don't cry easily but the damn burst once the hot water hit me. A good cry is an underrated experience for feeling better. So I am now well along my journey and down 26 pounds from my heaviest last September.