The Further Adventures of Deluzy: Preliminary lab results

Health and Wellness

The Google 15
An excellent weight-tracking tool that keeps track of your moving weight average over time so that no single weigh-in is a cause for ecstacy or despair.
Understanding Your Tests
A good preliminary resource for understanding your lab work (though of course it's no substitution for discussing results with your doctor)
FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal
An essential tool for me during my first 6 post-op months -- and a good reality check for anyone keeping track of daily food intake (e.g., calories, fats, carbohydrates, etc.) and activity levels
Gmaps Pedometer
A wonderful tool that allows one to map exercise routes and calculate miles covered and calories burned

Products I Like

Spanx
A line of comfortable foundation garments (and even easy-to-pack clothing) that comes in handy post-op to corrale that wayward, formerly obese flesh and make you feel comfortable. Available online, at Lane Bryant in larger sizes, at Nordstrom in smaller sizes, and sometimes at outlets for less.
Pure Protein RTD shakes
At an average of 35 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbs, and 160 calories, these ready-to-drink shakes work for me because I can chill them, grab them, pack them, and go. Available from a variety of online sources or at GNC stores.
Perfectly Sweet
Expensive but excellent source for sugar-free and no-sugar-added bakery and candy items.
Low Carb Corner
As near as I can tell, this site sells nothing but two kinds of breakfast cereal -- but as one who's avoided cereal since my DS surgery because it contains virtually no protein and far too many carbs, Protein Crunch is a wonderful option (i.e., 27 grams protein, 2 net grams carbs). It's horrifyingly expensive but for WLS cereal lovers, it's worth the occasional splurge.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Preliminary lab results

I'm here in my office, about to climb into academic cap and gown, and my PCP called with preliminary lab results.

Bottom line (for her):**

My iron's low but not as low as it has been in the past.
My protein is a little low (I need to look at all the numbers before I know what that means from a DS perspective -- possibly more protein shakes)
My liver enzymes are still high (common after WLS) but coming down.
My good cholesterol and bad cholesterol are great.
My blood sugar is wonderful.

(Apparently I'm my PCP's only DS patient, though she has any number of other WLS patients, and she told me today that so far I've had the least number of health issues due to surgery of any of her WLS patients -- by a long shot. Frickin' amazing.)

But it's that fifth bullet point that blows me away the most. Normal A1c levels are 4-6%, and I was at 11.7% on three different diabetes meds on the day of surgery.

Today I'm off all diabetes meds and at 5.1%. Smack-frickin' dab in the middle of normal.

Now, the A1c is up from a year ago's 4.5%, as my body adjusts and I'm eating more carbs. My feeling is that I'll always need to stay aware and moderate those carbs -- maybe better than I do at present, in fact, and so I need to work on that now while I can and it's not a crisis stuation. And perhaps when I'm older the Type II diabetes will return anyway: my mother was tall and skinny and had it, after all.

But right now? I'm grateful for every second chance this surgery has given me, and I'm going to work hard to protect them!
_____________
** My PCP is going to mail me a copy of my labs so that I can go over them with a fine-tooth comb and send them on to Dr. K as well. I'm sure I'll see numbers that make me nervous because I always do -- but I'm glad that the initial evaluation, at least, is more or less positive. We'll see what the vitamin results are a little later.

Note to Sharon: If I dare to miss my 3-year benchmark labs in December, slap me with that wet noodle again! Tolerate no excuses about busyness. Who's not busy, after all?!

Posted at 05:31 PM in Body, Health | Permalink