Some Nice Surprises

I arrived to both appointments early, as usual. Mr. B., the nutritionist, who got me through losing over 70 pounds, weighed me in and SURPRISE! I was down 2 pounds! Lovely! We looked back on my records and realized that it had been eight years since I lost the weight. He shook my hand and said, "Congratulations! You are not going to ever regain it" I told him that I still want to check-in with him a couple times a year, just to keep me honest.

We also discussed the diet issues in relation to the diagnoses of gout and coronary artery disease. He said that my diet is good but I need to end my love affair with meats like sausages, bacon, salami. You get the idea. He said to pull back a bit on turkey but salmon was great. Chicken and even certain cuts of meat for fine at the amounts that I am eating them. He gave me confidence that it will be a do-able adjustment to protect my heart.

Flying out of his building, I hopped in the car and made my way past many famous landmarks, in which I am still in awe. No traffic and I was appreciating every minute. I arrived at another campus of my university hospital but I had two hours to kill. I grabbed some coffee and a phone and talked with Michael. I wandered around, went by Dr. K.'s office where I discovered she will be returning on Tuesday from a long vacation then I finally made my way to the Rheumatology Clinic where I was welcomed. It was lovely. The doctor was on time. Very precise. Not a lot of wasted words. She asked a lot of questions then examined me. Gout. She didn't think so. She thinks I might have pseudo gout or maybe my prednisone and azathoriprine may be masking a bigger issue. The surprise? She said that this bump on my finger is actually a cyst and suggested that I have the dermatologist remove it! YES! PLEASE! (After I got home, I wrote an email to Dr. F. with a photo to ask if she could cut it out for me.)

After an exam, the clinic doctor ordered blood work then I had X-rays taken of my feet and my right hand. Done. Once all the material are available, she will review everything and contact me with the next steps.

I am in really good hands.

ps Still so looking forward to Saturday.