3 for 1...

so today i had 3 (yes 3) dr. appointments in one day. a Dr. Kim car wash if you will. the first part of it was the stress test, then on to "Bariatric University" class, wrapping up with a physical.

Stress Test

this sucked to say the least. basically they are trying to find out what your heart and lungs do under stress to gauge how healthy you are and what risk potential there may be before going into surgery. keep in mind bariatric surgery is for clinically OBESE patients who aren't in the best shape. they aren't all recovering triathletes like yours truly. so this test is helpful. it was on a bike that increased wattage 5 watts every 10 seconds until you quit. i topped out at about 190 watts and 8 mins duration. i am WAY outta shape and mostly had to quit because of the tendinitis in my right knee. maintaining a cadence of 60 or higher wasn't the easiest thing i've ever done. i quit after i started seeing black dots. honestly the worst part of it was the hard ass seat they have you sit on. i even wore cycling shorts with a chamois and it still hurt. the second half of the test were breathing tests. they stick a tube in your mouth with nose clips and have you breath normal, hyper-ventilate, take a deep breath and hold, inhale as fast as you can and exhale as fast as you can. this part of the test was just boring. but seeing the charts of your breathing was kinda cool.


Bariatric U.

this class was all about "what to expect" before and after your surgery. i will scan and post the pdf to this when i get home. i feel it's helpful because it "lays it all out" EXACTLY what to expect. trust me when i tell you, the more information you have about something, the least surprised you are and the less worried or freaked out you'll be. we got to taste the pre-op liquid diet shakes we have to be on. and order the ones we "like" <-like is in quotes here. i used to have those advocare meal replacement shakes and some of them tasted like those so those are the ones i went with. again i will post a picture of the shakes and the nutrition info.

The Physical

thank goodness this was quick. the only thing that came from this meeting is that i need to switch my HBP meds to something different because it will interfere with the liquid diet. they took my hr and blood pressure. and i took a questionare about my med history. it was all over in 8 minutes. YAY!!! 

and that's all i have to say about that...

-three for one dominator

let's try that again...

well, i can't tell you what the purge was like because...i fell asleep and didn't get around to it. what i can tell you is that is going down this weekend. i'll be taking the non-perishable food to the salvation army. and the rest is "ant food". things at work have picked up a little bit so my work-days are flying by. when i get home i just eat and crash, which all adds up to quicker days. 


i am starting to visualize me dating again, working out again, and cooking. starting to think about the fall chill in the air as i ride my bike again. thinking about the smell of the trees at river legacy, and me saying to hi to the raccoons, skunks, bobcats and owls out in the park. in short, it's a tad bit exciting. 


as i get closer to the surgery i'll educate you guys on the procedure i'm getting, why i chose that one over the others, and more about the options i didn't choose. i can tell you one thing...that so far i think the decision to go with dr. kim has been a great one. his staff is the best. they are all so helpful, knowledgeable and friendly while being incredibly professional.

-panda express dominator

purge the old...

coming closer into view. what do i want??? not what is available to me, but what do i want??? this is what i'm trying to answer. i think it's important for us all to answer this question. most people don't know because most people don't ask themselves. really? what is it that you want from life? the great thing about having this surgery is that i will be forced to make drastic life changes. what better time to start trying to answer those questions?

today, i will start COMPLETELY purging my refrigerator, freeze and pantry. only herbs and sauces will remain. i haven't cooked, grilled or baked anything since New Years Day so almost everything is bad or freezer burnt anyways. i will have a box of food donations, but everything else will be tossed...

i can't tell you how liberating this will feel. actually i can and will tomorrow :^D

-purging dominator

1 day closer...

tummy problems left me home sick the last few days. that said, if my stomach hurt that much with no surgery i can only imagine what it will feel like afterwards. my hope is that, knowing the pain is temporary, will comfort me.  nothing really new to report but don't want long lapses in writing. going to go to bed earls tonight. the good news is the weekend is only two days away :^D

-one day closer dominator

visualize...

after the huge post yesterday, i'll keep it short today. i'm still getting my mind used to the idea that i'll have to eat differently. and that my nights will be spent at the gym (like they used to) and that i'll be cooking again. from one of the classes i was required to take they tell you to "visualize your future self". very good advice in life. the more you visualize yourself the easier it will be to become your future self. so that's what i'm doing.

what will i do when i get stressed? how will i plan my day, my meals, my workouts? what will my work day look like? how will lunch look? these are things i'm playing through my mind to myself used to the idea NOW. this is one of the things i learned in my life. the more you plan the less stressful it will be.

-"future" dominator

the next episode...

welcome back. well i guess welcome back to myself since it has literally been years since i posted on a regular basis. before i do some catchup i just want people to know the personal stuff i share here isn't so you can respond with positive affirmations or for "atta boys" it's simply to express myself in a positive way and as a source of some therapy so to speak :). i'm not looking for advice and especially not criticism. my hope, especially going forward is that someone can relate, get some good info, and possibly make their day a little better. so let me catch you up on some things:

06/03/06 my last triathlon at my peak: and one of the best days of my life!!! things that happened that day...my 31st birthday, finished a tri, had bbq with some good tri friends (luv ya stacy), talked to the friends i loved the most in life on the phone (even the ones that always forget my birthday) talked to the last 3 intense loves of my life (2 past girlfriends and the first day i met my fiancee), one girl i was dating at the and cared about very much, all my best friends, AND the Mavs beat the PHX Suns and were the western conference champs for the first time in team history.

weight: 225 lbs 

08/08/08 my fiancee left: and "amputated my soul" she left me and rejected any attempt at therapy, reconciliation or any hope whatsoever of us working it out. i originally thought she "executed my soul" but it was simply an "amputation" from the neck down. this date is important only because this was the life event that started me down the path of "passive" self destruction.
weight: 265 lbs

02/17/10 my knee surgery: evidently my ACL had left me. my previous ACL surgery was in 2005. that was when i decided to give up the sport i loved so much (basketball) and start competitively mtn. biking and triathloning. not having to make quick cuts or direction changes, i guess i didn't notice the previous surgery didn't take and my body had "reclaimed" the graft. so in 2010 after my knee had swollen to the size of a grapefruit because of me working out on an elliptical, i found out i didn't have an ACL. i had a successful surgery.

weight: 325 lbs

06/22/10 ortho visit: after 4 months of rehab my knee wasn't healing decided to have a "quick clean-up surgery" the main problem here 

weight: 345 lbs

09/03/10 quick clean-up surgery: things went well and enjoyed some pappadeauxs afterwards :^D

weight: 335 lbs (340 after pappadeauxs)

12/15/10 ortho visit: knee still hasn't healed and keeps filling with scar tissue. doc says "until you lose weight your knee can't be in the proper position to heal correctly" definitely didn't like to hear that and started seriously considering weight loss surgery.

weight: 350 lbs

12/22/10 contact dr. kim: called and scheduled an appointment and began reading in-depth about all the different surgeries (lapband/bypass/sleeve)

01/17/11 dr. kim visit: while in the waiting room watching the vids about the procedure, it scared the crap out of me and i left without meeting dr. kim. more on that in another episode.

02/01/11 started training: decided i'd just try to train, eat right and hire a cycling coach to help me.

03/11/11 stopped training: things were ok at first but then the pain of even riding a half hour would linger for 2 days. this wasn't the good kind of pain but the bad kind of joint and bone pain. my knees, wrists and feet would ache and swell horribly. this is when i kinda gave up hope and didn't know what i'd do.

06/30/11 ortho visit: during the office visit he literally wrote "recommend gastric sleeve procedure" on my chart. after talking to my ortho i told him i would go back to dr. kim and do what it took to have the surgery.

07/12/11 dr. kim visit: i'll talk about him more in depth at another time but just know he could sell Raid to a bug. the important thing here is that i "enrolled" in the process.

07/26/11 first of 6 classes: my insurance had this stupid 6 classes (one a month) requirement.

12/18/11 last of 6 classes: the information was good but one class a month!!! when i was in the category of "super obese" (BMI of 50+) with there not being any category higher??? give me a fucking break fucking insurance company!!!

01/28/12 first pcp visit: needed to get primary care physician to sign off on my surgery. and of course the B---- wanted to give me every test under the sun. again, why am i here? to get a fucking surgery to fix my fucking problems!!!

05/07/12 pcp sign off: finally after heart sonograms, blood, catscans and urine tests she signs off.

06/05/12 petition insurance: insurance said i had to wait a year to have the surgery. so i sent in proof of no lack of coverage

06/28/12 insurance approval: i proved, they saw, they agreed to cover surgery with no waiting period.

07/06/12 finalized surgery schedule: got the letter from dr. kims office with all the dates finalized and reserved

08/27/12 gastric sleeve surgery date!!!!!!!

ok, now that's all caught up on Bastille Day i'll get to more stuff later. those that know me know i'm not one to really hold back, which is the main reason i put the blog to sleep for a while. i didn't want to tell people about things i wasn't 100% sure of and wanted make sure i was 100% committed. in the case of the chicken and the pig wanting to make breakfast... i'm the pig... the chicken is involved but the pig is committed...

-vive le daily dominator