Family and Surgery

Sorry, I didn't realize it had been that long since I posted! 

Chuck had weight loss surgery last week. What an ordeal that was! The surgery went well but it took him a while to come out of the anesthesia. Not that he slept a long time but when they called me back he was dressed and walking his laps around the nurses station but he was still really groggy. I stayed longer than I planned to and when I left he was still out of it. But by the time I picked him up the next morning he was doing much better

This was in 2001                                            This was last week

This is how much weight he's lost on his own! For the last 18 years he's changed habits and worked so hard to lose the weight and keep it off! And now this surgery is the help he needs to take off the last of it! I'm so excited for him and what this means for his future. So many things are going to change for him! For the better!

Allie spent the night last weekend. Did I remember to take any pictures? Of course not. We played bingo and battleship... I love hanging out with her.

My sister has been trying to figure out all of my dads paperwork, his accounts and insurance policies. I called her today and she's so overwhelmed. She didn't sleep well last night and was up early this morning so she could get to the bank right when they opened... We prayed over the phone and she'll go to the bank again tomorrow when it's not a holiday. 

As I write this Chuck and I are watching the Seahawks game and he yells, "Why didn't their guy get called for that?!" And from down the hallway we hear Beth say, "I dunno." She's such a goof! 

In The Mean Time

Chuck and I took a walk along the waterfront today. It was chilly, but the sun was out and it made for a gorgeous day! He had some money left on his Starbucks gift card so we each bought a drink and it helped to keep our hands warm while we walked! 

 

 

Beth had a doctors appointment yesterday. I took a picture of her at the lab, thinking I would then take one at the doctor so you could see the whole process, but of course, I forgot to take one yesterday. :) The thyroid medicine still isn't strong enough so they raised the dosage and will see her again in 2 months. She also talked about putting her on diabetes medicine because she keeps gaining weight and is right on the verge of being diabetic. I'm not a big fan of taking a lot of medicine so she talked about various snacks that would help; tomatoes with cheese; celery with peanut butter; bananas with yogurt. And she said to eat these foods together because they counteract the bad and enhance the good in each food. Really? I thought eating a banana was good, but she explained how just the banana would cause the sugar to do the wrong things in our bodies but the yogurt would... oh my word. Why does nutrition have to be so hard?!?  

 

But, I'll start having Beth eat combinations of these foods. Anything to help her lose weight. I'm shocked at how much weight she's gained in just the last few years. I'm sure it's a combination of food choices, lack of exercise and thyroid. She's busy every day of the week except Monday, when I give her chores to do around the house. Every other day she's out and about. Last week she came home from her art class with two large candy bars in her backpack. She's 30 years old so I didn't take them out or even say anything about 'em but I know she doesn't always make the best food choices. And when she is home, she's usually sitting in front of her TV. I've tried to get her to exercise, to dance or do some stair stepping. We even took that weight loss class last year! Didn't help. She just doesn't want to do the work to lose weight. So, we'll see what the test results show in 2 months.

 

In the mean time, she's been wanting me to do her hair lately. Usually she just puts it up in a pony tail or a headband but lately she wants it styled. So I pull up the front and let it hang down in the back, sometimes Diana will put it in a fancy braid. It has grown SO much the last few months. It seems like suddenly it's down to the middle of her back! It's so long, people are starting to make comments about it. I took this picture this morning, before she left for art and karaoke. I think she's enjoying the attention. :)

 

 

Thyroid Update

We're back. The week of prayer and fasting is over. It was harder than I expected but the Lord revealed a bit of Himself to me. It truly was a blessed week.

On Monday Beth had a doctor's appointment with her endocrinologist and it went well. Although, as we're driving on the freeway I sort of yelled out, "I forgot the camera!"

Beth responded with, "Of course." She knows me well. :)

It was a short visit because as of right now, her thyroid levels are normal. He said that a few patients that have the radio-iodine treatment 'get lucky' and their thyroid continues to release a small amount of hormones. This usually results in a normal functioning thyroid for the rest of their lives.

We've been to a local clinic a couple of times to have her blood drawn and those results showed a spike in her thyroid levels right after she had the treatment. He said the thyroid sort of shoots out all the remaining hormones just before it dies and would explain her 10 lb weight loss. As her thyroid levels began to drop and reach normal, her weight will stabilize. Which it has. Unfortunately, as the levels drop below normal, she could begin to gain weight again.

We're working very hard to keep that from happening.

She'll have to go back to the clinic in 1, 3 & 5 months for more blood draws, then we meet with the doctor again. The hope is that her thyroid, even though it's 'dead' will still be releasing enough hormones so she won't have to take medication.

If it isn't, she'll have to go on medication, then we play the adjustment game of how much is too much and is this causing side effects... I know many of you have been there and it's not a game I'm looking forward to.

As far as her weight, she's trying to eat better and exercise more. She gained back some of the weight she initially lost but hasn't gained any in the last 2 weeks. It's always been such a battle in our family. We can gain weight just by looking at food from across the room.

This afternoon Chuck and I were sitting at the kitchen table discussing this week's menu and filling out the grocery list. Beth came upstairs and began to fix her lunch. She really made some great choices and I just had to take a picture!

Issues

I took Beth to the doctor on Monday and everything looks good. She heard every sound and the doctor even said she's hearing better then most young adults her age. As we age we lose hearing below the 20 decibel level but Beth even heard at 15. She was very impressed.

They put some wax softening drops in her ear then used a syringe to wash out her ear. They had a book called The Body in the room so I was able to show Beth a picture of her ear, along with the inner ear and explain exactly what they were doing. It helped tremendously.


I've been really concerned with Beth's weight lately. She's put on 20 pounds since Christmas!! We're trying to change her eating habits, talking to her about snacking too much. She told me, "I know. I talk to myself about it. No more snack." "Great Beth! That's a very good decision!" We're buying lots of fruit this summer and we always have yogurt, bananas and oranges in the house. Year round. She loves grapes so I try to keep some in the fridge and she knows if she does have a snack, that's what she eats. She used to eat frozen waffles or pancakes for breakfast every morning, with lots of syrup but now she has cheerios almost every day. With no sugar. This morning she was nervous about missing her bus so she just had a yogurt and a cheese stick. She's doing better in  alot of areas, but when she was at the doctor on Monday, she had gained 4 pounds!
One piece of good news, the social group she's a part of, All Aboard was offering an adaptive P.E. class and when I called to sign her up, was told that the teacher had to back out. But then yesterday Beth brought home a paper that said they've found a new P.E. teacher and the class is on again, beginning next month. Thank you Jesus.
Before puberty Beth was as skinny as a rail! But then the weight began to increase. Even though she stayed active, she easily gained weight.
I've been trying to give her things to do at home. She's busy every day this week with bowling or meetings with her job class, the doctor appointment, job hunting. But when she is home, I usually ask her to vacuum, empty the dishwasher or even just walk on the treadmill. I make a list for her and put it on the counter. I came home from work one day and found everything crossed off the list, but none of it done!! I was a stay-at-home mom for 18 years and loved it. Since I've gone back to work, I can't monitor her as much as I'd like.

She wants to sit and write and watch tv. She loves to write. She writes when she's not watching tv. She writes lists of names over and over and over. Dozens of pieces of paper. She no longer throws them on the floor thank goodness and is now at least putting them in the trash, but I'm afraid of what her future is going to look like if we don't get her weight under control.

Chuck's side of the family is obese. His dad died when he was 3 and his mom developed agoraphobia. She didn't get off the couch for 10 years. And my side is all overweight so Beth needs to work harder to just maintain an average weight. She does have hyperthyroidism but that usually means weight loss, not weight gain.