Second Opinion

I went for a second opinion earlier this week on my x-rays and CT scan. I expected the doctor to act much the same as my first. But to my surprise she was the antithesis of my first doctor! I was more than pleased with the outcome of the appointment. First she came in and introduced herself, reviewed the newly started file and then started asking questions. She didn’t interrupt me during my answers and she took notes! That was huge because first doctor didn’t. She agreed that waiting six months is not an option and we agreed on a planned course of action. First I will have a complete blood work up to check anything and everything that can be checked, especially those pesky white blood cells. I will also have a sputum test done. This test can let us know if there are cancerous cells in my lungs. I will also have another chest x-ray performed in May and this will be compared to the x-rays taken in March and April. If there is no change then I will wait until July to have a follow-up CT scan.

The full blood work up is serving a dual purpose and that is to aid me in my weight loss. I don’t expect to receive the healthiest of news because I haven’t lived the healthiest of food lifestyles the past few years. Since phase one of my weight loss program is about changing my habits and not active weight loss learning what is too high or too low will be excellent to have as a baseline. I’ll report these stats under Vital Stats to the right. Come next Tuesday I'll have most of the results to the tests which I will report here. Technically I am not supposed to weigh myself until I start phase two of the Best Life Diet but we all know that doctor’s have to weigh a patient each and every time they are seen so I’ll report that weight on Wednesday with the other results.

My goals for Phase One April 10 – May 10, 2007

•    Increasing my daily activity. (Started more walking. Need to work my way back to long walks w/dogs)
•    Eat three meals a day consistently and one or two snacks. (Working on this.)
•    Set an eating cut off time. (Mine is 8 pm)
•    Wake up hungry for breakfast. (Woke up hungry this morning)
•    Drink plenty of water. (No problem here I already drink 48 to 64 ounces or more a day.)
•    Choose a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement. (Need to discuss this with doctor to make sure it won’t interfere with medication.)
•    And reveal my weight. (Done see previous post or right sidebar.)

Until next time may you find all you’re searching for!

Comments

[Lisa Thierbach]

Oh Linda,

I am so relieved at your new doctor's attitude. And I'm impressed by yours. It is so inspiring to see you taking charge of your health. Hang in there and know you've got people pulling for you.

Lisa