The New Stuff

So after the consult with the Blood Doc, I went to see the Endocrinologist. She ordered the tests and reviewed what supplements and vitamins I planned to take. I assured her that the Blood Doc was not encouraging me to take any kind of Human Growth Hormones. She ordered me a new battery of tests, and I was on my way.

All of my tests came back great, except one. The test called "Insulin-Like Growth Factor1" came back with an elevated count. I repeated the test, and again the count came back elevated, and with a higher number than the first time. It turns out this test monitors something put out by the pituitary gland. An elevated score usually indicates that something, (like a tumor) is pushing on the pituitary gland causing it to shoot this stuff into your system. Some of the symptoms are fatigue, sore joints, achy muscles and headaches. I have all those symptoms and have been getting increasingly more headaches.

So I'm now scheduled to get an MRI and to check if I do indeed have a tumor on the pituitary gland. The good thing is that they are almost always benign, and can be treated with radiation. The Endocrinologist says that my other tests were too good to be anything cancerous. I guess it was a good thing the Blood Doc told me to get some extra tests!

While waiting for the MRI, I've now started taking my new vitamins and supplements. I can not explain how well my new recovery shake works. I used to take protein and glutamine after my work-outs. I felt that it helped in my recovery, but it is nothing compared to my new stuff. The new stuff consists of Whey Isolate (protein), Glutamine, and 4 Ever Greens. Wow! The protein even dissolves well and tastes good. The 4 Ever greens smells and tastes like lawn clippings, but it actually dissolves pretty well also. Within 20 minutes of taking the shake, I'm actually feeling better. I'm not quite so sore and my energy level quickly begins to return. I think I'm going to like the new stuff.

The MRI is scheduled for tomorrow, so stay tuned for the results!

Consulting the Blood Doc - Part 2

When I called the Blood Doc, he was great. He spent about an hour and a half, talking to me about nutrition, and the types of vitamins and supplements that I take. He felt that I was taking the right kinds of stuff, just not the best stuff. It turns out that the FDA does not regulate vitamins and supplements. He suggested that I switch to some stuff that was produced by a pharmaceutical grade lab. He suggested some specific products, from both Xtreme Couture Athletic Pharmaceuticals (XCAP) and Biotics Research.

Here is what I've decided to try:

From XCAP -

• Max EFA's - 2 per meal - To replace the Fish Oil I'm currently taking
• Vita D - I drop per day - To increase my Vitamin D
• Whey Isolate - 2 scoops - Protein
• 4 Ever Greens - 1 Scoop - Helps balance ph and adds anti-oxidant

From Biotics Research

• Iodizyme-HP - 1 per day - For prostate health
• Aqueous Iron Plus - To replace Flinsotones Vitamins
• L-Glutamine Powder - 1/3 scoop - An amino acid to aid in recovery - This will also replace the L-Glutamine pills that I am currently taking.
  
• Phosphatidyserine - 3 at dinner - To aid in cell rejuvenation and recovery.
• Osteo B II - 2 per meal - Replaces both Super B complex and Calcium I'm currently taking

The plan is to combine the Whey Isolate, the 4 Ever Greens, and the L-Glutamine Powder into a power drink by mixing it with 20 ounces of cold water. I will drink this power drink within 30 minutes of my workout. The Blood Doc says this will greatly aid in recovery from my workouts.

The Blood Doc also suggested that I have my Testosterone and Magnesium levels checked, so I made an appointment to see my Endicrinologist. I reviewed with her the program I wanted to start. She agreed but stressed that I don't take any Human Growth Hormones (HGH). She then ordered the tests to have my levels checked. Once I get the results, I'll have a good baseline to start my new program.

In a couple of days, I'll post an update on how I'm doing with the new stuff. Stay tuned!

Consulting the Blood Doc - Part 1

When I returned home from the MMA Training Camp at Xtreme Coutrure, I was sore and tired. I thought it was the result of intense workouts, the heat of Las Vegas, and the depressing thought of going back to work. Time moved on. I started back up with my workouts. I remained tired and just kind of accepted that as part of getting older. Than the worst possible thing happened. No it wasn't the loss of my job, it wasn't my wife Kelly kicking me to the curb, and it wasn't some bad medical diagnosis. It was worse.

For the last couple of years, my daughter Tammy and I have been playing racquetball, about once a week. It's always been fun and a great workout. Fun, because my daughter is very athletic (she runs triathlons) and even more fun because I've never lost. The game is always a great workout because the game forces you to basically run intervals for an hour. Then it happened. The game was no longer fun. Tammy beat me. Not once, but twice. She beat me two games out of two games. OK, it was still fun, but extremely humbling, and being my daughter, of course she just had to rub it in. I had to listen about how old I was getting, and how my glory days were over. To top it all off, Tammy hit me with the ball and I had a huge welt on my back! This was not good.

While I was mulling this over, I was surfing the web. I read a story about some guy called "The Blood Doc." The story talked about how this guy worked with many pro fighters and other pro athletes. The article went on about how this guy works with these pro athletes in helping them to dial in their nutrition. It also talked about how he analyzed their blood tests and sculpted their nutrition to improve their blood tests and their overall athletic performance. I guess he is kind of a behind the scenes superstar in the UFC. Now here is the catcher, the article talked about how he was able to tune your body, through nutrition, to the point where your athletic performance was not reflective of your age. This was starting to sound good. Then it dawned on me. Hey, I know this guy. I met him at Training Camp, and he had invited me to call him or e-mail him with any questions.

When you have gastric by-pass surgery, your body changes quite a bit. You no longer have a normal digestive track. Your body does not absorb things the same as it once did. As a result, people who have the surgery are forced to take supplemental vitamins and minerals for the rest of their lives. About 6 months after surgery, post-op patients are subjected to a complete series of blood tests. The tests are repeated at the 1 year mark, then again annually for the rest of your life. These tests check all kinds of stuff, and depending on the results, you adjust your supplements. Kind of a pain, but a very small price to pay to get your life back. I had my blood work done in March. Things were all in a great range, but I thought why not send them to the Blood Doc?

I converted about 5 pages of blood work into a pdf document. I then sent them, along with an e-mail to the Blood Doc. I re-introduced myself and told him my concerns, and I gave him a list of the current supplements that I currently take. I really didn't expect a response, and was really surprised when I received an e-mail saying "Give me a call and we can talk about it."

Here is my current list of supplements:

• Fish Oil 1200 mg capsules - I take 5 in the morning and 5 in the evening.
• Calcium Citrate 500 mg tabs - I take 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening.
• Super B Complex - I take 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening.
• Vitamin B12 100 mcg sub-lingual - I take 1 in morning and 1 in the evening.
• Flinstones plus Iron - I take 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening.
• Glutamine - I take 5 in the morning and 10 after my workout in the afternoon.
  

As soon as I got that e-mail response, I jumped on it. I called the Blood Doc. I ended up talking to the guy for about an hour and a half. In the next installment, I'll tell you what he told me, and what steps I'm taking now. Stay Tuned! :-)

Meeting The Blood Doc

We all have secret dreams. You know, those little feelings that you are almost afraid to think about. Everybody has them. When you are obese, many of these dreams are about loosing weight, about having better mobility or just being more active. I know when I was obese, those were my dreams. After my surgery, I began working with Aaron as my Personal Trainer.


Aaron's dream was to become a professional cage fighter. He was training hard at a local academy, eating right, and working out. He had even some amateur fights and was teaching some MMA classes. Aaron was progressing well. He was also working on becoming a certified Personal Trainer, and I was his first fitness client.

Aaron worked me hard. He taught me many things about nutrition, and about getting back into shape. I packed on muscle, and increased my cardio. While all this was happening, Aaron became a fully certified Personal Trainer. He took a great job in Palo Alto at the Equinox Fitness Club. That was great for Aaron, but at the same time, it was kind of sad for me. I was extremely happy for Aaron, I mean he deserved this more than anyone, but I was worried about me. Could I still get in shape? Could I still loose and maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle?

The answer was a resounding YES. I was able to leverage the tools that Aaron had taught me, and as I continued to loose weight and build muscle, I had a new dream.

My dream was to be a cage fighter. Don't laugh. This was my secret inner thought. My dream was to get a pro, semi-pro, or even an amateur fight before I turned 50. I knew that I wasn't going to be on TV, headlining at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, or even at The Hard Rock, but I figured there was something out there for me. There are lots of smaller organizations, and lots of Indian Casino's hosting fights.

I increased my workouts. I pushed my strength training and my cardio. I read everything on cage fighting and studied the shows on TV. Then I received a great birthday present. For my upcoming 50th birthday, my wife, Kelly, sent me to a 3 day, professional cage fighter training camp in Las Vegas. The camp was at Extreme Couture and featured some of the best instructors in the world. (See my posts on this blog from June 14th, June 23rd, June 24th, and June 26th).

While I was checking in to the Camp, the receptionist said I should "talk to John over there, about nutrition and the new XCAP line, oh and by the way, here is a sample of one of the new products"

I went over and introduced myself to "John." I explained that I used to weigh over 400 pounds and that because of my surgery, my absorption rate is much different than most people. He totally understood and said that I really need to watch my vitamin and mineral intake. He then explained a little about the product, O2 Plus+. The product is a "Methyl Donor" and is used for increasing endurance. He then gave me a business card, and told me to call or e-mail him with any questions. I didn't think much about it. I tried the sample and went on to the workout. Little did I realize, that guy was the "Blood Doc." (That's him in the picture)

In my next installment, I'll talk about my consultation with the Blood Doc. Stay Tuned! :-)

The Cost of Getting Fixed

Well it finally came, We got the bill from the Hospital for Kelly's RNY surgery. I am so thankful that my insurance is covering everything, 100% with no deductable! The bill was beyond imagination. Here is a break-down. This does not cover the Surgeon, the Anesthesiologist, or the Radiologist.

Room and Board: 9,510.00
Pharmacy: 1, 172.61
Medical Surgical Supplies: 44,746.41
Implants: 11,938.76
Lab Services: 1,805.92
Diagnostic Radiology: 1,410.00
Operating Room Services: 18,641.07
Anesthesia Services: 5,842.22
Self Administered Meds: 154.28
Recovery Room Services: 1,297.66
Heart and Vascular Lab Services: 1,428.50
Total: $ 97,947.43

Wow - almost $98,000. She had gone in on Monday and come out on Wednesday afternoon. Room and Board for that time frame was over $ 9,500? I read further down the list. I turned to Kelly and said.. "I'm not trying to be a creep, but it says you have almost $12k in implants. Shouldn't things be a little perkier?"

Kelly, always being able to hold her own responded... "Maybe they put them in my but!"

All kidding aside, I thought this bill was a little high. I called the hospital and they sent me a fully itemized bill. What they sent me was 5 pages, with little type, and a bunch of words that didn't look like English. I was able to learn that what I thought implants were, was not what they installed. It turns out they were some kind of sealant, used to close off stuff on the inside.

The operation was a lot of money, but worth every penny!