Okay, time for an update.
On an unfamilair keyboard, so typing this is weird.
Yesterday my computer stopped working. It turns off a couple seconds after I turn it on.
The thing is only two years old, so it really ticks me off.
I took it to a computer repair place this afternoon, but haven't heard back from them yet.
I'm hoping it's something really simple, and won't cost an arm and a leg to fix.
I can't afford a new computer.
And there's loads of stuff on my hard drives that I'd like to keep.
The worst part actually is turning my computer over to someone else, a stranger.
I hate the idea that they're probably snooping around my files.
Or maybe I'm just being paranoid.
Now on to my regular topic - my health.
As you know, I have been suffering from increasingly bad acid reflux for the past few years. My family doctor was sure it was caused by my band, and so he wanted me to see the surgeon who did it since he'd probably had other patients with the same problem.
(Quick recap for thos who don't know - close to 5 years ago, I had gastric band surgery for weight loss. There's an actual band fastened around my stomach to limit the amount I can eat.)
I've been taking meds for the reflux, and they helped at first. But when it got worse again, I finally made an appointment to see the surgeon in Toronto.
As soon as I mentioned my problem to the surgeon, he knew what to do.
Drain the band. (The band is filled with saline solution to tighten it. You can adjust the tightness by either filling it with more saline or taking some of it out.)
It worked like a charm. No more reflux. None at all.
Unfortunately, it also means that there's no restriction on how much I can eat.
Within hours of having the band drained, I was feeling ravenous for food.
Starving.
Rabid for food.
And so, in the weeks since, I have been eating and eating.
Lots of stuff that I wasn't able to eat before - pizza, Quarter Pounders, giant hot dogs.
Even went to a Chinese buffet.
Don't get me wrong, I haven't been eating massive amounts of food - just more than I have in years.
I was never one of those people who ate vast quantities of food. I ate the normal giant portions everyone eats.
I just have the misfortune of absorbing every damn calorie I consume.
Always pissed me off. Other people I knew could eat more than me, and not gain an ounce.
Me? Gain every ounce I took in.
Thankfully, this is just temporary.
After 3 to 4 weeks, I can get a small fill, and then I'll have a small restriction on how much I can eat.
It'll take a few fills to get back to a 'good' restriction, but hopefully not too much that the reflux comes back.
The problem is that by the time I see my family doctor, it'll be a bit more than 4 weeks after draining the band.
And I know from past experience that my family doctor is intimidated by the idea of doing fills for me.
Even though it takes one minute, and a regular needle and regular saline, and I gave my doctor a CD-ROM that explains how to do it.
I would hope that he'll refer me to one of the two surgeons here in town, since they'd be able to do it in their sleep.
Sadly, I also know that my doctor takes forever to do anything, so God only knows when I'll finally get a fill.
It's that or go to Toronto for a fill. But it's an expensive trip, that I simply can't afford.
I'm using my mom's laptop to type and post this.
She's visiting my grandmother, who is possibly at death's door.
She hasn't been in good health for a few years, and had to be hospitalized for several days last week.
She's 96. She has no idea who anybody is. And now she's barely eating or even drinking anything.
So my mom has gone down for a few days to see her at the home, basically to say bye.
Okay, back to my health.
More good news - bad news I'm afraid.
Good news, the Wellbutrin I started taking a couple months ago has helped my mood slightly, and certainly improved my energy level.
Bad news, within a few days of starting it, I became very irritable.
I've had a short fuse with my mom and been yelling at her a bunch of times.
Hell, I've yelled at my cat a few times even.
But in my head, I'm always looking for an excuse to get into a fight.
Plus, without going into details, I've had a, umm, negative sexual side effect as well.
Clearly I can't keep taking the drug.
Which means having to wait yet again to see my psychiatrist and try yet another anti-depressant.
I'm waiting to hear back from my mental health worker to get an appointment.
I keep wishing I could post a bright, positive, upbeat blog one of these days, but it never seems to work out that way.
On an unfamilair keyboard, so typing this is weird.
Yesterday my computer stopped working. It turns off a couple seconds after I turn it on.
The thing is only two years old, so it really ticks me off.
I took it to a computer repair place this afternoon, but haven't heard back from them yet.
I'm hoping it's something really simple, and won't cost an arm and a leg to fix.
I can't afford a new computer.
And there's loads of stuff on my hard drives that I'd like to keep.
The worst part actually is turning my computer over to someone else, a stranger.
I hate the idea that they're probably snooping around my files.
Or maybe I'm just being paranoid.
Now on to my regular topic - my health.
As you know, I have been suffering from increasingly bad acid reflux for the past few years. My family doctor was sure it was caused by my band, and so he wanted me to see the surgeon who did it since he'd probably had other patients with the same problem.
(Quick recap for thos who don't know - close to 5 years ago, I had gastric band surgery for weight loss. There's an actual band fastened around my stomach to limit the amount I can eat.)
I've been taking meds for the reflux, and they helped at first. But when it got worse again, I finally made an appointment to see the surgeon in Toronto.
As soon as I mentioned my problem to the surgeon, he knew what to do.
Drain the band. (The band is filled with saline solution to tighten it. You can adjust the tightness by either filling it with more saline or taking some of it out.)
It worked like a charm. No more reflux. None at all.
Unfortunately, it also means that there's no restriction on how much I can eat.
Within hours of having the band drained, I was feeling ravenous for food.
Starving.
Rabid for food.
And so, in the weeks since, I have been eating and eating.
Lots of stuff that I wasn't able to eat before - pizza, Quarter Pounders, giant hot dogs.
Even went to a Chinese buffet.
Don't get me wrong, I haven't been eating massive amounts of food - just more than I have in years.
I was never one of those people who ate vast quantities of food. I ate the normal giant portions everyone eats.
I just have the misfortune of absorbing every damn calorie I consume.
Always pissed me off. Other people I knew could eat more than me, and not gain an ounce.
Me? Gain every ounce I took in.
Thankfully, this is just temporary.
After 3 to 4 weeks, I can get a small fill, and then I'll have a small restriction on how much I can eat.
It'll take a few fills to get back to a 'good' restriction, but hopefully not too much that the reflux comes back.
The problem is that by the time I see my family doctor, it'll be a bit more than 4 weeks after draining the band.
And I know from past experience that my family doctor is intimidated by the idea of doing fills for me.
Even though it takes one minute, and a regular needle and regular saline, and I gave my doctor a CD-ROM that explains how to do it.
I would hope that he'll refer me to one of the two surgeons here in town, since they'd be able to do it in their sleep.
Sadly, I also know that my doctor takes forever to do anything, so God only knows when I'll finally get a fill.
It's that or go to Toronto for a fill. But it's an expensive trip, that I simply can't afford.
I'm using my mom's laptop to type and post this.
She's visiting my grandmother, who is possibly at death's door.
She hasn't been in good health for a few years, and had to be hospitalized for several days last week.
She's 96. She has no idea who anybody is. And now she's barely eating or even drinking anything.
So my mom has gone down for a few days to see her at the home, basically to say bye.
Okay, back to my health.
More good news - bad news I'm afraid.
Good news, the Wellbutrin I started taking a couple months ago has helped my mood slightly, and certainly improved my energy level.
Bad news, within a few days of starting it, I became very irritable.
I've had a short fuse with my mom and been yelling at her a bunch of times.
Hell, I've yelled at my cat a few times even.
But in my head, I'm always looking for an excuse to get into a fight.
Plus, without going into details, I've had a, umm, negative sexual side effect as well.
Clearly I can't keep taking the drug.
Which means having to wait yet again to see my psychiatrist and try yet another anti-depressant.
I'm waiting to hear back from my mental health worker to get an appointment.
I keep wishing I could post a bright, positive, upbeat blog one of these days, but it never seems to work out that way.
VIEW 18 of 18 COMMENTS
even if it is a friend borrowing it...i will worry something will be erased or messed up somehow...
china was pretty awesome, i got sick before and after...but surprisingly not during...