So here are the weekly numbers, and we have a bit to talk
about:
Starting
Weight:
|
230.0
|
Original Target*:
|
243.2
|
Adjusted Target:
|
228.2
|
Actual Weight:
|
231.2
|
Loss/Gain:
|
+
1.2
|
Total Loss:
|
71.4
|
% of Goal:
|
51.5%
|
Avg. Loss/Wk.:
|
–
2.2
|
*Original target calculated from a
starting weight of 302.6 lbs. and an average loss/wk. of 1.8 lbs.
|
|
Thursday, I weighed in at 227.2, which took me past the
75-lb. loss mark. Yay me, right? Except that I noticed the right side of my
face had swollen to the point that it was starting to creep into my visual
range. I had had a little swelling for a few days, but I had thought it was an
impacted sinus, which I’d had before. So I called Teladoc and paid $45 dollars for
the doctor to tell me to go to the ER.
The ER doctor treated the swelling, which was cellulitis, as
almost a side issue — he was much more concerned about the polyp in my right
nostril which I’d had for several years. The doctor was concerned because my blood
oxygen was down to 88%. So he ordered a CT scan and called in a local ENT to
consult on the case. Turns out the polyp was only “benign” so far as cancer
goes. Over the last 5½ years, it had been slowly growing inside my face. So the
ENT ended up removing the mass in an endoscopic examination.
When I was discharged, my blood oxygen was at 98%, my BP at
112/72, and my pulse a slow but healthy 48 bpm. Amazing what having two working
nostrils can do, huh? Ah, lovely oxygen! Two morals from this: 1) Never let
financial concerns keep you from taking care of a health issue; and 2) No
matter how smart you are — if you’re not a doctor, you shouldn’t try to guess
which health issues are serious and which aren’t. Being smart is not the
same thing as being wise.
While I was there, I began to notice that something else was
wrong ….