A Small Setback

 I've had a call (well two actually) from the social worker from the program.  He went over my intake questionnaire with me and had a few questions about some of my answers.

One of the things he asked about was my occasional purging habit.  As a result of that conversation I have to meet with the behavioral therapist before I can meet with the nurse for the next steps to move forward.  It was a difficult conversation and I'm struggling to not get down about it.  It just means it's one more thing I have to deal with before I can really get into this thing.

I have the call with them tomorrow and I hope to get through it with a minimal amount of tears.  I also have a plan to get over this issue as I want the surgery way more than I want to control things by purging.

Wish me luck!

Lifestyle & Nutrition Course

 The course was really good yesterday.  It was broken out into three parts with three different speakers and they all were helpful and friendly and spoke well on their pieces.  There were about 20 people in the class and a few familiar names from previous classes. Next steps are to speak with a Nurse about the questionnaires we filled out and our bloodwork results.

The first part of the course was on Thinking Well and went over many of the same things that were in the last course as well as some new information.  It also gave us the things we will need to bring with us to future appointments.  I'm waiting on my new food tracker to arrive so that most of the things I need to have written down will all be in one place but it's been delayed from Amazon so I'm just stuck waiting.

The second part was on Eating Well and spoken about by the dietitian who we'll be working with.  It went over what foods to eat, how to track proteins, which is the most important in this new journey and what to give up immediately or at least start to cut back on.  Most of it will not be a problem for me but the carbonation and sugary drinks will be.  I never drink water so this is going to be a challenge.

The last part was on Living Well and focused on movement and healthy bodies.  This one is also going to be a challenge for me as I always feel I don't have the time to complete anything and then I realize I sit at my desk waiting for emails to come in doing nothing and can probably take a half hour to walk on the walking pad or do a workout from FitOn in that time.  I just need to get a routine built.....I love routines...thank you OCD-like brain.....and then it'll be fine.  I've made time to study, I've made time to meditate, I can make time to exercise.

Here's hoping I get the next call for appointments soon!!

The Third and Final Class

 Today is the day of the final introductory class for the Bariatric program.  After this begins all the in-person meetings that I'll have to drive for. I was a little peeved at my doctors office though last week.  The program had sent in a request for bloodwork and needed the doctor to sign and send it off to me to get done.  I called the week they sent it and the next week after, just to be told both times the doctor hadn't even opened it yet.  They finally called me and said it was ready to go on the third week but oh yeah, the program only gives you three weeks to get this done so hurry up and complete it.....I was choked.  If my doctors office gets me removed from this program due to being unable to accommodate requests coming in, and being able to get to them in a timely manner there will be words exchanged.  Thankfully, I got it all done and it seems my vitamin D is low but that's a minor thing.  

The course today is on Lifestyle and Nutrition.  It's another one where they have provided a workbook but we'll see if it's like last weeks where they didn't use it during the class and you have to go through it yourself or if it will be used.  It's going to be interesting to see how many people are on this class.  The last two have had about 20 each time so I'm guessing that's where it will end up but they had said to expect things to start to spread out as people commit to different levels and times due to their lives.  

Well off to work for the morning, have a good day!!

The Craving Change Course

 The second course in the Bariatric Surgery program was a much better showing of the program then the first one was.

They went over the basics of the course and gave us the workbook so that we can work through the actual course on our own time.  Then it discussed the ways our environment, choices, and mental states can help or derail the process.  It explained the differences between the types of hunger and how they each affect how we eat.  It was a good course and I learned many things that will be helpful as I go forward with this new way of things that have to be done.

Overall I enjoyed the course but it did bring about some feelings of failure as so many of the things they mention within it are habits I have that are just poor habits and that I will need to adjust.  It's a start of the big changes to come.

Today is Course Two

 Today is the second course in the Bariatric program and it's another three hour one.  This one is on cravings and how to change your relationship with food.  This I think will be the hardest one for me to manage so hopefully there are some good tips and tricks in there to keep me going.

I'm also hopeful that this one is run a little better than the last one was.  It was quite painful listening to the people who had never used Webex before and getting no help from the administrators to figure things out.  

How the Session Went

 Yesterday was the first session of the Bariatric program and to be honest it didn't inspire the best reaction in me.  The webex was poorly run and the handoffs between presenters were horrible.  The content was good, it gave a lot of information but for something they say they run on a monthly basis it was just not a good showing for them.

The class itself discussed the risks and possible outcomes of the program. It detailed where to get other mental health help so that you are prepared for the program.  It strongly discussed the lifestyle changes that will be necessary to have success for this program.  It also made it clear that this is not a simple fix that will solve everything but just a process to help us along the way.