I’m back. Where was I? Oh yeah. T-30 pounds. So there I was, under 120 pounds (and that looked horrible but all the cake in the world couldn’t bring the weight back) sitting in front of a team of Sleep Doctors in-training who were trying to go with the Narcolepsy diagnosis, when this tiny man with HUGE glasses walked in and dismissed absolutely EVERYTHING.
“Obstructive Sleep Apnea” he pronounced with the most awesome was it French? accent ever. “Sleep study tonight” he said, and quickly made plans for that to happen (NOTE: It usually takes about 6 MONTHS to get into a sleep study). Who WAS this man? He reminded me so much of Edna Mode from The Incredibles. I kept expecting him to say “Milan, Dahling”. The interns obviously worshipped him, and then I found out why. This was Dr. Christian Guilleminault the founder of the Stanford Sleep Clinic. They called him CG, and scampered to make what he said happen. Before leaving the room, CG also glanced up at my nose, pushed a finger upwards against the tip and made me look like a pig. “Breathe” he said. “Deviated Septum as well.” And I’ll be if he wasn’t right. Making the piggy snout and inhaling was like pure heaven…oxygen swelled into my lungs and practically made me cough. Well I’ll be. The man was instantly our (Court was there too) hero, and my savior. And so began this journey.
I was instructed to come back almost immediately to meet with Dr. Kasey Li to be evaluated for the possibility of an MMA. The room was packed with interns trying to be one with the wall to make room for the All-Mighty CG and the Amazing Dr. Li. I expected giants, even though I’d met CG before. And in walk two little men. CG, his glasses bigger than his head, shook our hands and proudly introduced Dr. Kasey Li who also shook our hands and began to dissect me with his eyes. Actually, I think he’s seen so many cases similar to mine that one look was all it took for him to know what his job would be should I choose to accept the challenge.
Here’s where my recovery and my embarrassment come into play. Keep in mind I was 120 pounds when I met Dr. Li. Over the course of a year I was fitted with a CPAP machine. The CPAP machine helped my sleep significantly, and I definitely noticed that taking even a nap without it made the whole effort moot. My life got a little better, I poured on the poundage I’d been burning off whilst trying to breathe at night without the machine, and rounded out at my nice normal 145 (which of course I lamented because now NONE of my new clothes fit me). Court and I decided that looking like Gonzo and sounding like Darth Vader every night wasn’t the way I wanted to live the rest of my life, and we met with Dr. Li again to say “Bring it!” 6 months after my diagnosis I got braces, and 12 months later, I got surged.
Here is a big part of my problem: When you know you won’t be able to eat for a long time, you kind of feel obligated to eat more while you can. At least that was my take on it. So I porked out to a nice 150 before surgery (the day afer Christmas), and felt fine about that because I knew that whole jaws-banded-shut thing would provide some weight loss, which it did. 10 pounds went bye bye in the month after surgery (taking us to 140 in February). Baby food and Ensure was not making me happy, and AS SOON as I got the “Okay try eating soft food” word from Dr. Li, I went absolutely crazy and found out that frosting (straight from the container via my cute baby spoons) and really really soft cake (ie fresh from the oven) was a very tasty and comforting soft food. So I ate that…and gained 20 lbs.
So here I am. 160 and mortified. Had to buy size 14 pants to be able to present myself at work, and to top it all off…I was snoring a little bit (said Court). So back to The Li. And here’s what he said… (To Be Continued…)
Sorry! Gotta run. Don’t hate me. I’ll tell you next time.
I am Day 17 post op MMA with the rock star, Dr. KL, and have really been helped by following your blog. Whoaaaa, was that just a cliff hanger or what?!
Okay enough is enough. Am I the only one now, post MMA Day 24, who’s holding her breath in anticipation of this next blog installment? Were it not for the sanctity of the doctor/patient privilege I’d be screaming, “Dr. Li, Dr. Li, what did you say to Shelby?” when i see him for my arch bar removal next Friday!
Interesting story, but I really liked the part about being diagnosed by something of an all-star doctor. I’ve had a similar thing happen to me in my life and it really did make all the difference. In your case a CPAP machine and in mine, head meds
In any case, I just wanted to give praise to caring and knowledgeable doctors like Mr. Guilleminault and others, who aren’t so blinded by greed or bewildered by the complexity of medicine that they can bring their compassion with them to work.
i snore so much that i can wake up the whole neighborhood by just snoring-,:
i don’t like people who are snoring a lot, they can really ruin a good sleep’,,