This is funny so I'm posting it on the two boards.

So I walk in and the nurse says "oh my god, did you lose weight, or what?".
I burst out laughing. I haven't been back to my primary care doc because I have all my diabetes stuff done at Cornell in NYC so unless I get sick or need antibiotics, I really don't need to see my primary care guy.

So I sit down in the room (I made it a real visit because I wanted to ask him about my shoulder thing). He walks in and says "what am I doing for you today?" And I said "well, I came in for a flu shot, but I want to ask you about a possible rotator cuff, bursitis or arthritis, I'm not sure, kind of question."

He puts me on the examining table and makes me stretch out my left arm with my thumb pointed down. He told me to raise it up and when he pressed down on my arm I couldn't hold it up. He goes "hmm".

The he checks my shoulder and everything. He says "actually the only way you'll know is to go for an MRI and the only way to get one on your insurance is to go to an Orthopedic Surgeon. So I am going to go.

Then my doctor looks at me and says "by the way, what do you weigh?" and I go, "none of your business". He burst out laughing and I said "no really, you know me and scales, remember what happened the last time, when I was working out and going to Ballys Jack Lalane, and I came here in shorts and a tank top and you told me I looked great, then you weighed me and I gained 23 lbs because I put on muscle". "Well, I don't do scales.". "Cornell knows what I weigh, they are happy with me, I look good so that's that".
After he stopped laughing his *** off, he said "melody, I have to know what you weigh, I'm your doctor". I said "Go and call up Cornell".

He looked at me and I said "okay, you can weigh me but I have to go on backwards and you can't tell me, because it will screw me up mentally". He goes, Okay, let's do it. So I go on the scale backwards (exactly like I do at Cornell), he goes "hmm hmm", I go "what the **** is hmm hmm".? And he laughs and goes "I'm not going to tell you".

I said "what the **** does that mean, I know I'm doing good", and he finally said "no, honestly, you did good". So he secretly,holding the amount away from me, wrote it in my file.

He knows what I weigh, Cornell knows what I weigh, ME???? I have no clue, and I don't want to know!!!

Melody

Dear Melody:

I understand perfectly your not wanting to see what the scale said at the doctor's office. I went through a time of that, too. It was a nice solid scale with hand holds to hang onto, so I just kept my eyes closed and told the nurse not to tell me what my weight was.

This period in my life didn't last very long, but at the time I just couldn't bear to hear my weight and I did it this way to protect my emotions. And it is just fine for you to do the same.

It is true that muscles weigh more than fat and isn't that discouraging after all your working out!

Bet your doctor enjoys your office visits. He probably can use a few laughs himself after a day of seeing people with problems. It is wonderful how light hearted you sound, Melody. You do us all good with your wonderful way of recounting your adventures. Please keep posting.

Shirley H.

I shall do my best.

Oh, I forgot to mention the best part.

As I was sitting across from the doctor I said to him: "Because I am still losing and I have more to go, when I am finished and I weigh what a woman is supposed to weigh, what do I do about any lose skin on my stomach and my thighs. (Now people, please don't think I'm a vain tomato, but when you lose over 100 lbs, there is SOME SKIN, if you know what I mean).

He looks at me and says "well, concerning your arms, that's considered elective and your insurance won't cover it". I said "what about my tummy?" and he said "oh yeah, I think I could give you a referral because in some cases, excess skin can cause infections and we might be able to do this". I said "my thighs too??" and he said "why not??"

Why not:?:?:?:?: Is he serious? He then said to me "But melody, you have to lose all the rest of your weight and keep it stable". And I said "are you kidding, this has been a journey for the past 5 years, I will do it". "And then you can weigh me any damm time you wish".

He laughed. Now wouldn't that be something. I may indeed get to have an extreme makeover.

I'm not counting on anything but it would be nice to dream now wouldn't it?

When I got home from the doctor, Alan looks at me and says "So what happened?" I just looked at him and said dreamily, I'm getting a tummy tuck, new thighs and new body" and I walked into the other room. He follows me and says "oh my god, what is this going to cost"???

I burst out laughing.

Melody

in a million!

I know what you mean about 'scales' tho, when I go to 2 of my docs, I declare that they are 'fixed' to add anywhere from 5-10 lbs to MY RECORD!
MY scale has been consistent for ages, and the various docs' scales either add or subtract the extra poundage. THEY ALL INSIST that theirs' are checked each year. Well, when you get a 10-20 lb variation from your own scale, it's nice to instantly lose weight on one....and NOT nice to gain on the other. I protest, than am assured not to worry as long as I'm 'consistent'. DUH? Since I get IVIG, and, it's weight dosed...IF I'd a choice, I'll take the upper # for the 'JUICE', thank you, and the lower # for all else? Of course, things don't work that way in real life do they?

Check out your new year's changes for your insurance...some are now including PS for the excess skin of weight loss...read all that FINE PRINT...who knows? It mite be there...docs do have to jump thru hoops tho to pre-clear/authorize it and get it all going. Just be apprised of the pros and cons of that type of surgery tho. I've a friend who went the gastric bypass route and recently had the PS done for the extra 'skin', after losing more than half her original body weight thruout that process. I think 10 lbs of excess skin was taken? [BTW I just spent the AM reading about such plan inclusions and other exclusions]

All that said, GINA? How are ya? Besides, svelte, that is... Hugs in heaps! - j

Yeah, this is Gina, the happy go lucky, goddess, and I don't much care for holidays. Haven't seen my son in 5 years. We found out he had Aspergers disorder after he left home. Imagine raising a child for 20 years, sending him to college on a full scholargship and he graduates with a degree in web design and then he crashes and burns.

Now he lives 3000miles away, is on all kinds of meds and is happy as a clam just staying on his computer and going into Second Life. He has no motivation, no ambition and if you spoke to him, the sad part about this is HE SOUNDS JUST FINE. No inflection in his voice, no down in the dumps attitude. He just wants to live the way he does.

Very very hard on me and Alan and holidays are not fun. Even if we had the bucks to go and visit, Alan doesn't drive, and even if we did, my son would give us maybe one or two hours of his time. The rest is as he puts it "his tv time, his computer time, and we would be on our own".

So I'm not going to take every last penny out of the bank, fly across the nation and be stuck in a motel room for a week.

Not fair, is it but that's whats happened. My family never asks about him. Seems they don't like to hear about mental health issues. Nothing I can do. I visit him in Second Life and we go flying together through the worlds. Not something I envisioned but believe me, it's what I have to do to maintain an ongoing communication with my son. Aspergers is very tough on a mother.

Sorry to be so maudlin, but sometimes I have to vent!!!

Anyway, some interesting conversation with the guy across the street who has neuropathy. He is a diabetic and he was diagnosed with neuropathy at the same time he was diagnosed as a diabetic.

He used to go to another state for light treatments on his hands. But they stopped working. He is on no meds. His diabetes has always been under control since he got diagnosed.

So just now I walk over to him and I said "Nick, guess what, I've got neuropathy in my toes, they buzzed a little three days ago" I had been diagnosed with this about 6 months ago but the tips were just numb. All of a sudden three days ago when the weather went nuts outside, they were buzzing (ever so slightly), nothing to make me nuts.

so Nick says: "Oh guess where I have neuropathy now?, in my lower back!"

I said "how do you get neuropathy in your lower back and how do they know that it's neuropathy"? He said "Remember all those months ago when I had trouble walking (he's 76). ??? I said "yeah, they sent you for a stress test and you passed". And he goes, right!!! So he still had problems with his lower back and walking so he went back to his doctor who ordered an open MRI of his lower back. They found nerve damage in his lower spine. The doctor told him "I'm sending you for physical therapy and that might control the pain". I asked Nick :"are you on neurontin or lyrica, because you do have treatment options" he said "no, I'm not on anything right now and my back is killing me (He was raking leaves in front of his house).

He said "If it's not one thing, it's another thing".

Oh well.


Oh this morning, Alan got up fast and got a little dizzy. I took his pressure with the wrist cuff thing and it was 120/70. I do not trust the wrist cuff thing.
the doctor had told him that if this happened don't take the altace that morning, so he didn't. He felt fine after breakfast, had his lunch and a protein shake, and now he is at the gym doing his Rocky thing. He knows to rehydrate.

So this neuropathy does present itself in various ways, doesn't it???

mel

So this neuropathy does present itself in various ways, doesn't it???

mel

You ain't heard nothin', yet !!
Oh, you kid!

Edit:
Mel,
I don't really want to be a sourpuss.
PN is an adventure, not one I'd have chosen - but an enlightenment that is (or can be) life altering, if it becomes a 24/7 pain issue. Hope that it will not progress (take that methylcobalamin B12- Now!!) and stays a tinglin' and slightly numb in the tips of the tippy toes. It can be no more threateneing than that- and is, for many. They just haven't the motivation to find these boards until things progress much farther and its a real issue. You've know us for a long time because of Alan, now its time to put all that to use for yourself.
B-12, sublingual Methyl- 1000-5000 mcgs/day
CoQ10
ALA
Folic Acid
and anything else you have learned.
Maybe later, you'll need an Rx- but maybe you won't.

Stay well, and tell Alan we're rooting for him in the gym.
And you just may be a 'tummy tuck' away from a Gina Lolabrigida (remember her?) body. Alan will have to keep a watch on you.

Oh yeah. Folic Acid.
going to go and buy some now.

I take b-12 (the right kind) every single morning.
haven't taken the co-q yet.
will buy that too.

What the heck is ALA. Looked it up on yahoo and it says American Library
Association or American Legal Association. Now I know you're not referring to that!!!!!

jeez. getting to look like Gina is going to cost me a fortune in these supplements.

Ah, but if it gets me her body!!!!


mm mm mm

mel

You dont know how much I look foward do reading your stories every day, they make me laugh and smile. I have Chronic Inflamitory Demylating Polyneuropathy ( a form of PN). Im pretty much homebound and pretty new here, I was on BT for a long time and still am ,but mainly on chat.

Thank you for making me laugh, it makes me feel better.

Dana

Alpha Lipoic Acid (in 300mg or 600mg capsules)
Used in Europe for years in treating PN (especially early stages)
Some say its acidic to the tummy-tum-tum, but I've never had any problems.
I take 600 in the a.m. Some say 300 a.m. / 300 p.m., others say 600 a.m. / 600 p.m., some say 600 once a day, some say........
just take 600mgs a day for about 6 months and see what happens.
(cheaper at iherb than at the drug stores or health food stores- much cheaper)
My neuro says......" ...can't hurt !!"
(and he's the head of the dept of Neurology at Johns Hopkins)

It should help, and can halt progression......some say......!!

I knew that, good old Alpha Lipoic Acid.

Getting some tomorrow, along with folic acid.

I'll be broke but I'll be healthy!!!!!

melody