Lymphedema news

Hi, long time no update. Well, I finally saw the LE specialist at St George's in Tooting. She confirmed that I have LE in feet, legs, and belly. Said we'll have to do intensive treatment (i.e. wrapping) for one week, Mon-Fri. She referred me to an endocrinologist to check me out for Cushings syndrome but no sign of an appointment, yet. All I know is that I am going to clinic end of May to be measured for garments. My understanding was that I would get to see the specialist nurses who would wrap me up. I don't know what is happening. Must ring and clarify. As for MLD, the therapist never rang me back as promised. Maybe for the best, as each treatment is £70! And that is to go to the hospice, not to have it done at home...

I am doing alright with my calorie counting. Losing on average 1 lb a week. There is no hunger or strain involved. I eat everything I want but I have cut out all takeaways, deliveries and ready meals. I have cut down on salt as I have discovered that it swells me up and have cut down on MSG (soy sauce mainly but lots of other foods where it is hidden, like commercial Caesar dressing, for example.) I am trying to eat as natural as possible and to cook from scratch when I am able to. I even made my very own chips by microwaving cut potatoes for 5 mins at full and then frying them in hot oil. They ended up fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. No need to parboil and cook in batches and then recook. 

Sometimes my brain finds solutions that no one else has thought about just by processing available information. I am hoping that my brain will come through for my LE treatment. I would like to help other people achieve their health goals and lead better lives.

Thoughts on diets, surgery and... swimming!

Three and a half weeks into my Weight Watchers diet and I've achieved my first weight loss target of 5 kgs. It feels good. It wasn't particularly hard to do, I have eaten more than my allowed points on occasion but did not let that hinder me. I keep telling myself that tomorrow is another day and all I have to do is try to stay within my points allowance.

I just placed a grocery order online to Tesco and managed to avoid the pitfalls of sweets and snacks. A single glance at their nutrition labels was enough to keep me on the straight and narrow. A TV advert that raises awareness about saturated fats and clogged arteries has also helped me stick to my guns.

Do I have regrets? Well, yes. I am human, after all. Sometimes I think of people who can eat all they want and miss the taste of certain calorific foods/combinations. However, my motivation is NOT to have surgery. I keep thinking that God created us perfect, and therefore we have to respect His design and not try to improve on it with surgery. Especially when that surgery changes the way things work. Obviously I would not object to surgery that is meant to fix a gross deformity or help a person see, breathe or chew better. I would even consider a tummy tuck or breast lift acceptable (but not a breast augmentation using implants).

My mother keeps telling me on the phone that she watched this and that on TV and there was this huge person who lost so many kilos following weight loss surgery (WLS)... blah blah blah. I try to explain to her that for everyone that has succeeded, there are hundreds that have failed, but she can't understand.

I think that WLS was a fad and is slowly passing. People are going back to tried and tested methods who have the minimum impact on their health.

So please don't let me hear anyone say that diets don't work. They do, if you are prepared to change your habits, keep a daily food and drinks diary, and stick with it no matter what.

I wasted valuable time... why did I rely so much on bariatrics to solve my problem? Whilst I was going from doctor to doctor, Marcy had been dieting (Marcy is a member of a forum that I belong to). She is much further down the road than I am, much closer to her end goal.

I did not have will power... But what is will power? Where do you get that from? I still don't know. But if you take it one day at a time and always aim to do your best, it works.

It is like jumping off a tall cliff into the sea below. You stand on the edge and stare down and contemplate... but you don't take the plunge. You hope that someone will push you but people are afraid to interfere. So you stand at the edge and stare and wish you could do what others are doing but fear holds you back. Fear, indecision... Then you take a deep breath and step into the void. You think no more. There! It's done. And, damn it, it feels so good! :)

Sunshine

Felt good today. Maybe it was that bit of sunshine that broke through the grey clouds. Maybe it was the fact that my neighbour took my daughter out and I had a bit of 'me' time. I pampered myself and even plucked my eyebrows! It was very destressing, - oh! I had forgotten how good it is to have some 'me' time.

When my daughter came home she noticed the change in me and said I smelled lovely. I put some music on and we danced and laughed staging our own little impromptu party.

Had a bowl of meat soup for dinner but I am feeling hungry now, just one hour later. It is quite cold in the house but I am bearing it as the heating is due to come on soon. I feel a bit unsure because the Weight Watchers site is down and I am using it to record everything I eat. It is a bit like asking permission to satisfy one's hunger - what can I have that won't have a negative effect on my weight loss effort? I'd like to make a chocolate pudding or maybe some French toast - oh! I am saying this and I am salivating at the thought of the maple syrup trickling down the side of the toast.

No internet tonight as they are upgrading the masts in my area and mobile broadband is now-you-see-it-now-you-don't. Luckily I have a book to read. I've been reading a lot of books lately, the best one so far was The Lost Throne by Chris Kuszneski (a very gifted young writer) followed by The Venetian Betrayal by Steve Berry. My problem wtih Berry's writing was that he took too long to get to the point and it was hard keeping track of all the different characters he introduces. I would have given up on the book but I am happy I persevered because the plot thickens and you are finally transported away.