Mark's Results

I'm back and there is so much to tell.

Tuesday morning went very smoothly.  Mark's new prep, which seemed very harsh, WAS actually very harsh, but it worked.  The Kissimmee Surgery Center was great and right on time.  He was scheduled for 8:30 and that's when he was taken back.  By 9:15 they called me back because he was already awake.

Results:
1. internal hemorrhoids: We think that was what the CT scan at the ER showed as a thickening of the rectum wall.  We also think he may have caused them by long term chronic constipation.
2. diverticulosis: Welcome to the club. I've had them for years.
3. hiatal hernia: This one caught us by surprise.

They also took biopsies from the colon, small bowel, and stomach.  Once those results are back, he will have an appointment with the doctor to go over everything.  When the doctor came in to talk to us in recovery, he said none of these things are too serious and won't require any further surgeries or major treatments.  Yay!  All good news.

As one of our FB friends said (yes, Saul, I think it was you), this is just all part of getting old!

It also explains how by changing five things in his diet, he has been able to get rid of all his pains and symptoms.  This is what he did:
1. Take lactaid consistently when eating dairy since he is lactose intolerant now.
2. Increase fiber to 30 mg a day.
3. Increase water to 8 glasses a day.
4. Decrease amount of cruciferous vegetables eaten.
5. Take Prevacid daily for GERD/heartburn.

Once he started doing those five things, he felt fine.  We are sure he never had just one problem, but several small ones all acting at the same time.  He has felt great ever since.

All Star Sports was as great as we anticipated.  The new club HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Living) was also great.  We liked the people and got some new recipes. 

As for my weight, I weighed 270.1 this morning, making my loss for the week 3.5 pounds.  It's deceptive because I had gained several pounds on the train trip south, as I reported in an earlier blog.  Still the official drop is 3.5. 

Since I do get depressed about weight, I have to admit that I'm disappointed.  I wanted to be in the sixties already.  Next time.

This blog is already long, so I won't go into details about what I ate the last two days.  I tried to make good choices and do some exercise every day.  I logged everything into my LoseIt! app as best as I could.  I will report those results.
Tuesday: calories eaten 1550
               calories burned in exercise 294
Wednesday: calories eaten 1426
                calories burned in exercise 168

On paper that looks pretty good, but I know my metabolism is as fast as a snail.  Whenever I am in the 1500 and up range, I usually just maintain.

Still, I was proud of myself for eating lunch, dinner, and breakfast at the All Star Sports food court, and NOT gaining.  That's an accomplishment.  I made good choices for every meal, at least as good as was possible in a place like that.  I had salmon salad for lunch, grilled salmon with vegetables and mashed potatoes for dinner, and a veggie-cheese-broccoli omelet for breakfast. 

Today I have walked my 20 minutes at 6:30 a.m. then at 10:30 am. Mark and I will be doing the 45 minute water aerobics class again.  I am packing my own lunch to eat out today, can of tuna on salad.  We are eating dinner out at Lakeside, but I'm usually pretty good there.  It will be fish and whatever two sides they have for the day, usually a potato and a cooked veggie of some kind.  I think I can substitute a side salad for the potato. Thursday is free wine night, so there WILL be five ounces of white zinfandel.  Then we will go to the free movie at Solivita.  Tonight it's Gangster Squad, which should be fun.

Stay safe if you are in the mid-Atlantic.  The news down here is making it sound like you could have some tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.  Hoping you all survive safe and sound.  We are going to be in the 90s and very humid with a low chance of rain, perfect for a day by the pool.  Oh yeah, that IS going to be my day today.