I was chatting with my sister tonight for a bit. She's had a tough 10 years or so. She was diagnosed with HOCUM (hypertropic obstructive cardiomyopathy) ... try saying THAT one 5 times quickly after a few drinks ... YEESH! Anyway, it's a pretty serious heart condition. And she needs to have her gall bladder removed. Which, for most people is not a big deal. It's laproscopic surgery. In and out in a day or 2. But because of her heart problems, she's at higher risk. One of the side effects of this condition is not being able to be active. So, like so many people, myself included, she eats. She's gained a lot of weight in the past 10 years and a lot of the problem is, that unlike me, she's not able to get into an intense physical training program.
I remember reading the story of one of the Body for Life Champions. His brother was in an accident, I think it was diving but I don't remember exactly. He lost the use of his legs. When the Champion was complaining of how hard it was to keep up with the workouts, his brother said "I would give anything to be able to actually do what you're doing". The Champion felt like a schmuck. How could he be so selfish? So his brother became his inspiration.
Which brings me back to my sister. She's so hard on herself and while yes, part of the weight gain is her responsibility (too much food), part of it is her meds and part of it is her heart that keeps her from getting back to a healthier weight. So when I think I'm not making as much progress as I want to or the program is a pain in any way, I try to remember that she's not able to do the things I CAN do, but don't always WANT to do. That's my inspiration.
But good news ... while they're removing her gall bladder, she's also having gastric bypass surgery (I might have this a little wrong ... it's actually a "sleeve" that reduces the amount people can eat). Which will get rid of the diabetes and the sleep apnea, which is very dangerous. So she figures in about a year, she should be half the size she is now. And I will be there as much as I can to encourage her.
So no matter how "bad" we have it, there's always someone out there that has it worse. Not that our challenges and frustrations aren't important; but it is a reminder to keep things in perspective.
Night all.
Oh Oh I just had my gall bladder removed a month ago & my best friend just had a gastric bypass. The gall bladder is not that bad, I have 5 incisions, but my biggest problem was sitting up for the first few days. If she's also having the bypass she will have a extra trouble. She's gotta really just take it easy if she has the heart condition as well. Probably something she wouldn't want to hear, ya know to just lay there and let her body heal but she needs too. This may sound weird but baby food is something that will be very good for her to eat with all of that in the beginning. No preservatives, no fat, real processed food it'll help. I give her so much credit for helping herself out.
ReplyDeleteI give you so much credit too for being there for her. I'm only child so I can't relate to the sister thing, but being there makes you such a great person regardless of what weight either one of you are. It looks like you've come so far. Keep going. You'll see results!! I hope the surgeries go well for your sister! =)
Wow...you never really truly appreciate your life until you see someone else struggle through something worse. :(
ReplyDeleteI hope everything works out for your sister. She is lucky to have such a sweet and supportive sister (and friend!) by her side during this terrible time. And you know what, at the end of the day, the people we are with and the experiences we have truly outweigh what we look like. Life is so much more precious than that.
Melanie and Jen ... I can always count on you two to inspire and encourage and uplift me. Thank you both so much. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you two were bffs. If we win "the big one", we have GOT to get you 2 together...
ReplyDeleteI'm trying very hard to be supportive (which is easy) and excited (which I am) but my concern at the moment is outweighing the excitement which I'm sure I'll feel once she has everything booked. She's done a TON of research and she's comfortable with it so I guess I'll just let her excitement carry me along until I catch up.
Thanks again ladies for all your support. I really appreciate it.
It's amazing where we pull our inspiration from and humbling when we find it.
ReplyDeleteI really hope this surgery helps her.
Nuv noo,
xoxo