Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Good news 7 days post op BLA

I wanted a quantitative way to track my progress post BLA. My mother, a fantastic seamstress, took my measurements in 12 different places on my body the night before my surgery.  I will use this to monitor the impact of bilateral adrenalectomy and even assess whether I made the right decision for this irreversible treatment. 

I also check in mentally and emotionally each day. I dug out and will restart my gratitude journal that Cushing's emotional imbalance kept me from filling.  I feel happy and content. I'm not filled with rage and frustration, classic symptoms of high cortisol. I am grateful and filled with love. My mind is clear, and my heart is open.  My body and my mind are no longer fighting. They are in harmony. I feel happy.

Cushing's never let me feel that way. 

My body is no longer hanging on to fat because my cortisol is no longer high. Cortisol is the hormone that controls stress response.  High cortisol tells your body to pack on fat to protect vital organs in event of bear mauling or being chased by a lion. 

My abnormal adrenal glands (weighing 10 and 13 grams when normal is 4-6) were spewing cortisol out and flooding my body. My basement and whole house was under water, but even some doctors said no and blocked surgery.  

On New Years Eve, I shut the valve of overflowing cortisol when I was brave enough to trust my body and agree to remove my adrenals. By taking steroid cortisol medication each day, I now take less than my body was making due to the tumors. I take 35 mg hydrocortisone at 7:30 am and 7.5 mg hydrocortisone at 3 pm to replace cortisol made in adrenals. I take 0.05 mg Florinef twice a day to replace the aldosterone hormone also made in the adrenals. I will take these pills, in varying doses, every day for the rest of my life. 

Bilateral adrenalectomy is not the latest weight loss surgery. I am seeing results because tumors took over cortisol production and my body was flooded. Now my body is reacting--as it is built to do--by dropping weight it no longer needs. 



Thank you for your love and support. It's an incredible ride.

-- Melissa 


***Total inches lost***
7 days post op BLA
* measured by seamstress mama
** double checked many times for accuracy