Saturday, January 31st, 2009: 79 Pounds Lost!

Sorry this is late, but we've had company (Erica's niece Bonnie is here from New Jersey), and we've been showing her the sights of Pasadena.

Anyhow, Erica has now lost 79 pounds and it's really beginning to show. It's so much easier for her to get around and her clothes are fitting so much better, and no, we haven't dug out the "skinnier" clothes yet. But we will.

We went to a shoe store in Pasadena yesterday and got her some new New Balance running shoes. It seems that Todd the orthotics guy might be right about her not needing any lifts at all. She's really comfortable with her new shoes and is walking just fine. Go figure!

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009: "You Don't Need a Lift in Your Shoe. Go Back to Regular Shoes!"

Aargh. I hate it when miscommunications happen. Last week Dr. Laster (the Georgetown doctor) had Erica make an appointment with "Todd the orthotics guy" to see about lowering the lifts on her shoes from one inch to five-eighths of an inch.

Well.

Not only was Todd cranky, he didn't seem to know why we were there and come to think of it we didn't either. He told Erica that he thought that she didn't need a lift and and all it was doing was making things worse. He had her stand up without her shoes and said that she looked "even", i.e., it didn't seem like one leg was much shorter than the other.

So now she has to go back to wearing shoes that don't have lifts. I don't get it. Todd was at cross-purposes with the doctor, and we need to go back next week with a pair of running/walking shoes to see if orthotics will make a difference.

It's one of those things that make you say "WTF"??

Friday, January 23rd, 2009: Epidural Day

Erica got her epidural shot today. We got to Oaktree Medical at 7:30 this morning and filled out all the paperwork, and Erica went in shortly thereafter.

About an hour later, the nurse came out and told me I could go in and keep her company, because she had to lie in bed for a half hour. She was fine, talking, but a little sleepy because of the sedative.

She told me the doctor told her that she had degenerative spinal disease, but also said that the nerve damage was on the side of the spinal column, not in the middle. They placed her in a small CAT scan machine, and gave her two injections with steroids, antibiotics and iodine (the iodine was to make sure that the steroids/antibiotics were going into the right place. He also told her that it could take up to two weeks for the shots to actually work, and that she might feel worse before she feels better.

She's home now, alternately snoozing and talking to some folks at work, and getting ready for her niece Bonnie's arrival tomorrow.

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009: Two More Pounds

So the weight loss isn't spectacular today, but Erica's still losing weight. It's gotten to be so much easier for both of us; and we REALLY have to go find those skinnier pants!

I mentioned in an earlier entry that, because of the enormous weight loss, Erica's having the groin pain again. Her back doctor (Pradhan) referred her to another doctor in the group, Dr. Laster, for a leg length assessment. Dr. Laster is great. No-nonsense, but a wicked sense of humor, as well as a fellow Georgetown alum (Erica went to Georgetown, if you didn't know). After using a state-of-the-art method for measuring her leg length (actually, it's boards cut to certain heights that she stood on), it was determined that she doesn't need the inch-high lifts she now has, that she now needs only five-eighths of an inch. Amazing. She's going back next Tuesday to see one of their techs who will help with the adjustment. She's also going to get an epidural tomorrow morning for some relief from the pain.

He also took some x-rays of her hips to see what was going on there, and - guess what - she's got arthritis in her left hip (the x-ray showed pretty-much bone-on-bone, no cartilage left), and will need a hip replacement soon. We're planning that for when she's hit her target weight.

Never a dull moment.

Thursday, January 15th, 2009: 73 Pounds!

Lost, that is. We're really going to need to go through the closets and pull out the "skinnier" pants, before Erica gets embarrassed, as she can now take off her pants without unbuttoning them. I continue to be amazed; it seems like just the other day we were having such problems trying to get them buttoned!

We went to Dr. Pradhan yesterday. He's the one who operated on Erica's back in March of last year. We went back yesterday because Erica was having a return of the groin pain that was the cause of the operation. He looked at the x-rays and told her that the pain was probably her body adjusting to its new "lightness", and should improve. He did, however, give her a prescription for some prednisone which should make things better in the interim. She'll need to call Dr. Powell (the bypass guy) to see if she can indeed take the prednisone, though.

She also made an appointment for next Wednesday (21st) with another doctor in the office, this time to do a leg-length assessment to ascertain how her legs are adjusting to the weight loss.

It's just incredible how well she's doing, all told. She's getting up from her chair with a lot less pain, which is just fantastic. Last Saturday we took a day trip to Torrance (thank you, Juli!), to the King's Hawaiian Bakery/Coffee Shop for our "local food" fix. She LOVED the fried rice and teriyaki chicken sticks. Then it was on to Penzey's Spices to restock our spice cabinet, as well as pick up some for our friends, and she did just wonderfully. She was really tired, but that's to be expected - but there was no pain. No pain. NO PAIN. And it can only get better.

Thursday, January 8th, 2009: 65 Pounds Down!

Aside from some nagging groin pain (for which she will see Dr. Pradhan next Wednesday, the 14th, at 4:30), Erica is doing great! She's eating more and feeling much better. Next week she will probably start doing some exercises on her stationary bike, and that will hasten even more weight loss.

This means that we will have to dig up her old slacks because the ones she's wearing now are getting too big! It's just unbelievable. Just before the election (two short months ago), she was having so many health issues and now she's doing fantastic! The only real issue is that she is still adjusting to is learning to figure out when she's had enough, but that's coming along pretty well, too. It's just a matter of her tuning in to her body's signals.

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009: Doc is Pleased

Yesterday was Erica's follow-up appointment with Dr. Powell, who performed her gastric bypass surgery. He was very pleased with her weight loss and also with how the incisions are healing; they don't need bandages any more, thank God. I was getting ready to buy stock in CVS.

She asked him about the intestinal challenges as well as the stomach upset and he told her that it was pretty normal and would go away as she started eating more and varied foods. He also told her that she could have regular coffee (NOT decaf!) and she was so thrilled she almost kissed him. He said that she should experiment with more and more foods, but always in moderation. She is slowly learning how much she can eat at one sitting and I think that, as she gets used to the portions, she'll get better.

She also asked him about her back problems and he noted that sometimes it happens because, with the weight loss, folks need to learn how to walk differently and that could be what's going on with her. He did, however, tell her to call Dr. Pradham (who did the back surgery in March) to touch base with him.

As she was getting dressed this morning, she commented that the pair of slacks she was putting on was getting too big. I almost cried.

Thursday, January 1st, 2009: Happy New Year! 58 Pounds!!

Happy New Year to all!!

Erica has lost 58 pounds and is now eating about a half-cup of food at one sitting. She loves orzo, grits, and had two slices of King's Hawaiian sweetbread for breakfast this morning. She's now eating small portions of ham and chicken. She's also snuck in a small (demitasse) cup of decaf coffee and enjoyed the heck out of it.

However, there are some issues which are beginning to crop up because of her big weight loss; the groin pain (for which she had the back surgery in March) has come back to a small degree, and it looks like the 1-1/2 inch lifts on her shoes need to be pared down. We think her body is adjusting to its new "lightness". We'll ask the doctor about it at our Monday appointment, and I'll let you know.