Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Importance of Communication and Follow Up with your doctor

I knew I had an appointment today with my surgeon, and I was completely ready to get a fill in my otherwise empty band. I woke up this morning, after having coughed all night long, with a fever, sore throat and a pain in my stomach.  I knew I needed to go though, for the sake of follow up, though I am 3 years and 3 months out, I think it's still necessary to spend the time communicating with your doctor.  It may only be 5 minutes, but your doctor needs to know what's going on.  The reason I coughed all night?  I took my vitamins too late.  They sat in my pouch for hours. I knew better, but it just slipped my mind that it was already 11:30pm, way to late to be taking my vitamins. For the most part, vitamins should be taken with food. Cardinal rule broken there. Sometimes, even those of us who are years out, need to be refreshed in the simple order of things. Mistakes are made, it's best to just recover from them quickly and get back on track.

So, what happens when you're so off track, you've gained 5, 10, 15, or even 30+ back after surgery?  It's important to go back to your doctor.  Your doctor should have a list of trained psychologists, dietitians/nutritionists, counselors/social workers, and/or personal trainers who can get you back on the loser's bench.  Sometimes, we need the help of a trained professional to understand our disordered eating behaviors and lost motivation we had went we eagerly started our journey. Each of us has our individual disordered behaviors, both in our nourishment practices, lack of motivation with exercise, life stressors, food addictions, and/or transfer addictions that may need serious attention. Reach out. If you need help, email me.  I will be happy to find someone, wherever you are, to help you!