1. Protein powder ordered and actually on its way.
2. Mini toiletries - getting tonite at Walgreens
3. Liquid diet items purchased for both pre and post op
4. Gas-X strips finally found!
5. Comfy clothes chosen
6. Carry on bags found.
7. Decide which technology to take. (I'm thinking just phone and kindle
8. Flights confirmed
9. Need to make hotel reservation for San Diego
10. Passport cards in hand!
11. Doggy-sitter arranged!
12. Ready to go!
Holy crow! One week left and I'll be on the losers bench! The best part about the losers bench is, because we're all shrinking, there's always room being made I'm excited and a tad nervous, as anyone would be - but mostly anxious to just GET. THE. BALL. ROLLING. Its been a looooooong time coming!
Couldn't sleep last night - usually about once a month I get a week where I just plain don't sleep. Looks like its this week - so I'll be tired before surgery, which means I'll sleep well after and recover nicely Keeping positive thoughts!
Tomorrow starts my completely all liquid diet. I've been working my way to it, trying to make it easier - hopefully that has helped. I did have a little bit of a "food funeral" last night - had a couple of biscuits at Ruby tuesday with my chicken and mushrooms. Couldn't finish it all so the rest was lunch today - but I stayed low fat and did well Not really a funeral but maybe a nostalgic look back? lol.
Game On!
I'm one day post-op and I feel like a million bucks. I'm sore of course, but I haven't taken any pain medicine all day - I figure if my menstrual cramps were this bad, I wouldn't take pain meds for them, so why for this? All in all, I feel pretty good - its hard to get comfortable for me because i'm a stomach sleeper - well - at least I won't be for a while.
We checked in at the hotel and its a beautiful room - just kinda haning out - hubby is snoozing - I took a little nap. Time seems to crawl by - I have to be back at the clinic for a checkup at 5- they come to get us.
I swear if the peope at the clinc were any nicer, they'd melt in the rain like sugar. I can't get over how they are so genuinely sweet. They don't condescend to you, they don't forget about you. They're really there to take care of you.
I'm now to the point where I can sip water, but I still feel pretty hydrated from the iv's.
I cannot wait to take a shower. Hopefully that will be tonite.
I'm still a little gassy, but nothing spectacular. I'm hoping to sleep through the night, but don't have any expectations to. Again, that's just me - I'm an insomniac.
Oh - and everyone at the clinic is just gorgeous. Inside and out.
I finally added before and in progress pics. Took a lot for me to do that. Feel good about it now though
I don't think I even look like the same person - not even in the least. I know I don't feel like that person anymore
Haha I've been doing liquids for so long, I forgot I could eat eggs for breakfast, duh! Oh well - tomorrow
I've hit that stall period, so I've put the scale away for 10 days. Not a big deal to me, I knew it was coming
I got up this morning and got dressed for my job interview today. WHAT A MESS! None, and I mean NONE of my clothes fit me - some were too small (granted I was expecting that) but the ones I JUST BOUGHT were too big. And not tuck here or pin there too big - TOO FREAKING BIG. I had to run to Kohls and buy new clothes because I had NOTHING to wear! I put on a pair of pants that, I was going to wear to Mexico for surgery less than 3 weeks ago and they were just too tight - not comfortable at all. Today, they're too big. I mean TOO BIG! Like awkwardly too big! I'm so excited about this! I wonder if i still have the receipt....
Frankly, I'm too busy out enjoying my life to be here! Down 118 lbs in just over 6 months. Excited about life. Love the way I'm starting to look. LOVE the way I feel. Love that I am NEVER home! Working a lot, playing even more
I'm so very excited about getting my life back. Still no complications. I weigh myself about every 3-4 weeks I think. I'm happy every time I step on the scale because it ALWAYS goes down. I eat about 4-5 oz max at a meal of protein.
For those of you struggling with the decision on this surgery - only you can decide if its right for you. But if you're wanting your life back, and wanting to experience LIFE as its meant to be - this may be the answer for you. It has brought the REAL me back to myself, my family and my friends.
I'm just too busy loving life to be here! But I do check in from time to time - if anyone has questions, I'm more than happy to answer them!
LOVE!
I'm still feeling the effects from my adrenal attack the other night I'm still quite tired and weak - food doesn't sit all that well (which means I'm not eating much, so I guess there's a positive side haha), but I'm nauseous too. This is typical but usually doesn't last this long after. Its really hard to concentrate on work when you feel like this! Good thing I'm an understanding boss!
So, while I know better than to live life by the scale, I did buy one. I owned one previously, but I just moved and I can't find a damned thing. I figured it was probably time for a new one anyway. So I did a little research to find a nice and accurate one. I stepped on the scale and wasn't surprised really - wel, I thought it might have said a higher number than it did with the holidays, etc - although I didn't really indulge. But I haven't exactly been on my best behavior since moving here - a lot of eating out since...well...I can't find anything! Nah - we got the kitchen mostly figured out now - I've been sick for about 4 of the 6 weeks I've been here though, so its been more takeout than it should have been.
Anyway - no excuses any longer. I have my grocery list for tonight. I've stocked up for post-op, have protein shakes ordered. I have 3 weeks to go before surgery, so I'm going to start this now. Because i don't believe in weighing in other than first thing in the morning. I will start with tomorrow morning. I know I'll have some ups and downs - I'm dealing with that "monthly" visitor coming twice every 5 weeks - lemme tell ya. Its NOT fun. I can't wait till all this is over and I can convince a doc to just take out everything that doesn't work.
That's kinda my whole deal on deciding on the sleeve. If its not working for me, why keep it? I don't want to reroute anything - I don't feel comfortable with that. I want to be a runner again and that means being able to eat foods that don't necessarily work with a bypass. Not really comfortable with the whole plumbing change anyway - someone put a lot of thought into the initial design- I'm going for the remodel The band was originally my first choice when I hit 260 lbs. But then I couldn't get approval and the weight just kept piling on. When my doctor told me that there really wasn't anything I could do about it until I got treatment for the steroid tumors, I was really quite depressed and didn't help the situation by not paying much attention to what I ate. I mean, really - what's the point? I could eat lettuce all day and I would still gain weight because of the tumors - why not have cheesecake....for lunch. Yup, I definitely deserve the assist on this one. And I've come to terms with that. And I have now forgiven myself for not being more in control of something I could partially control. I've always been so "all or nothing".
I've tried so many times to get to the OR and every single time someone else has pulled the rug out from under me. I didn't sabotage myself in those instances. Well, one time I did walk away because I was NOT comfortable with the surgeon or the technique, but I think that was for the better. Definitely a plus to me. The other times, I got "not medically necessary" from an insurance company that obviously doesn't understand medical necessity (although, for one of those I was glad - because I was trying for the band - glad I didn't get it) The other times were due to insurance loss. I lost my job and so did my husband - we paid COBRA for his insurance and his company didn't process it correctly so we missed the deadline for the insurance to be valid - they kept the money - I nearly killed someone. The next time, I was going through the process and the company I worked for changed insurance and it was no longer covered. The last one was prime tho. I had pretty good insurance. I had to wait a certain amount of time because I had a tumor (non-cancerous) removed from my breast. I finally found a great surgeon I liked. Got all the preop stuff out of the way. Got my surgery date. It was in 4 weeks! Soooooo excited! Then I got a bill in the mail because my company had stopped paying my insurance premiums without telling me. Then the company folded and not only did I lose my insurance, but my husband and I lost 15 THOUSAND dollars in payroll/invoices owed to us. We both worked for the same company. So not only did I not have any insurance, I certainly didn't have the money to pay for the surgery out of pocket, or the bills that I had acquired up til then. Now I'm suing that company.
BUT! We moved halfway across the country, I'm working for myself, my husband has a GREAT job with really CRAPPY insurance. But I can self-pay in Mexico. That's why I feel in control now
So while the weigh ins start tomorrow, the crap eating has already stopped. I mean, I haven't ate really crappy in a long time. But it'll be even better now. I'm officially pre-op. Gotta do this right!
I was eating dinner last night and I had a sneak attack sneeze and swallowed something before I had finished chewing it completely. It got stuck, and the slime commenced. There was a little pressure-like pain - but once the sliming started, the pain was so much less. I started sipping water and while that may have made a little more slime, it certainly seemed to dislodge the food and slow the sliming. I didn't throw up at all and the whole episode lasted maybe 5 or 6 minutes. Total freak occurrence!
Don't get me wrong it was gross, but it wasn't like my body didn't tell me it was coming, I got to the bathroom in plenty of time and didn't have any mess to clean up.
Glad I paid attention to my body! I can see how that could be embarrassing if it happened in public and all!
Today was an unwich from Jimmy Johns. The bootlegger sub - no bread. I ate about 1/3 of it. So tasty. 3 meals for 7 bucks - can't beat that
When I was a kid, I really didn't know we were poor. Most kids don't. I had a mother, father and siblings. We ate just fine, usually what was brought home from the restaurant mom worked at (that seemed like a treat, really), or whatever Dad had hunted (again, never a complaint there - still love wild game). I remember when I started kindergarden, I used to go to the neighbors to wait for the bus because both of my parents left for work early. My dad left for work at like 5 am. I can remember him waking me up at about 4:30 to brush my hair and put me back to bed. I had really long curly hair and my little arms couldn't reach that far. He'd brush my hair and wrap it in a towel so it would stay nice. My mother hated my hair and refused to brush it, so my dad did it. I remember sitting there and trying to hide the sound of my stomach growling. The neighbors, who also were our "daycare" during the summer and after school are actually now my step-grandparents. Well, Grandpa could hear my stomach growling one morning and made me an egg and a piece of toast. I'd never had an egg like that! I'd never sopped up the yolk with my toast like he did! This was cool! And I felt better! Lunch of course was at school and dinner with the family. My mother never thought to feed her 5 year old breakfast. She never forgot to eat herself, though. After a few years, my parents divorced and we kids were left with our mother. My mother's first act of vengeance against my father was to take me to a hair stylist and cut off all my hair. She even said "let's see what he thinks of his little girl now". I cried. She spanked me. My dad cried too. I grabbed some of my hair and shoved it in my pocket as it fell from my head. He still to this day has that lock of my hair from that haircut. As time went on, my mother still didn't provide breakfast. There wasn't really food in the house. We usually sustained on rice, instant mashed potatoes made with water instead of milk, and popcorn. All 3 of which I still don't eat to this day. She worked at a restaurant, so she ate there. Many times, she'd come home and take my sisters out to dinner, leaving me at home. I remember coming home sick from school one day. I had thrown up all over the place after lunch. My grandpa took me home and I went in the shower and he went to get me a change of clothes. He asked me where all my clothes were. I told him I didn't really have any. He called his wife (she worked at the department store in town) and told her. She came home with underwear and socks and some shirts and pants for me. Boy was my mom mad at me.
I started babysitting for the lady down the road when I was about 11. She used to feed me and even gave me some clothes. She would just happen to have stuff that wouldn't fit her (she was a larger lady) but she was sure that would fit me. Amazingly it did. I didn't realize it then, but she was going out and buying things and hanging them in her closet and would ask me to help her clean her closet. Pretty much whatever money I made babysitting, my mother would take. She said she needed it. Just like when she would send me to beg my dad for the child support check. I was in my ratty hand-me-down clothes. But she had a new outfit to go out in that night with her friends. My sisters found their ways out. One sister went to stay with my dad. I wasn't allowed to go anywhere. I wasn't allowed to talk to anyone. I wasn't old enough to decide.
My other sister pretty much ran away. She had older friends and she was always with them. Sometimes they would take me too and get me something to eat and make me feel like I was wanted. I was sick a lot, mostly from being malnourished, but I also had medical problems that weren't attended to. My sister's friend used to wrap me in blankets on their couch and sing to me until I fell asleep. That lasted for a little while - by 14 my sister was pregnant.
I remember my mother dragging me out of bed at 3am on a school night to go find my sister at some random guys' house. She was a wildchild and who knew where we might find her. My mother would drive and I would have to go knock on doors at 3am and drag my sister out of strange mens beds. All she was looking for was a warm meal and some comfort. My sister got pregnant. I got grounded. The day my mother found out my sister was pregnant (she was 7 months along and hiding it from no one but my mother - everyone knew) I got grounded and my sister went to a party. She was in a car accident and nearly killed herself AND the baby.
I knew at this point I had to get out of there for my own survival. When I was babysitting one night, I used the phone there to call my dad. I told him EVERYTHING. He told me to go home and not say anything to my mom, he was going to think of something. He came and saw me at school a couple days later and told me to pack my things and he would pick me up from school and take me home the next day. I did what he said and packed my bookbag and a paper grocery bag - that was all of my belongings. He told my mother he was taking me and she could try to sue him but he'd turn her in for child abuse and neglect. She still tried to fight him.
I went and stayed with another family (my best friend) while this was going on. They're still my family today. Eventually I went to stay with my dad. I was in shock really. There was always food in the house. I ate everything I could see. I wasn't sure how long the food was going to be there so I tried to take in as much as I could. I gained a lot of weight. After some time, I did come to the realization that the food would just always be there, so I didn't binge anymore. That was my battle with food.
Living at my dad's house was a dream compared to my mothers - but it still wasn't an ideal situation. My step-mom, who, is only 9 years older than me had a very hard time coming to terms with having teenage daughters. She's a very selfish person - admittedly so - and that's why she never had children of her own. Over the years, my sisters have caused some pretty serious upheavals in the family - leaving me kindof as collateral damage. It is what it is - but I would love to have my family back whole. I've worked on that a lot - and I've made a lot of headway
I remember a lot of mornings I would be so very nauseous and I would vomit. My stepmom thought I was faking - or was trying bulimia. She'd search my room for laxatives and of course find nothing - well - once she found cigarettes *oops* She was convinced I was on drugs. I never did drugs. Anyway - we butted heads, but we see pretty eye-to-eye these days. I moved out the day before graduation from high school. I was on my own and never looked back.
Over the years, I battled my weight a bit - my doctor told me that the malnourishment as a child into puberty really wreaked havoc on my endocrine system. But its also why I wasn't diagnosed with Wilsons Disease until I was 30. Myst people are dead by 30 if undiagnosed. But because half of my life I wasn't getting what for most would be proper nutrition, my liver never built up enough copper to show symptoms. Probably all in all a good thing, because I wouldn't have received medical attention in my mothers "care".
I always came out on top in the weight battle - at least until I was diagnosed with Wilson's. Then I was battling steroids and being pretty much bed-ridden.
I'm totally afraid of being hungry - all those thoughts from when I was a kid come back. I've been able to diet before, where, sure I felt hungry, but I knew I could eat more. My sisters both have that fear as well - when they had kids, they bought so much baby food, they ended up giving literally hundreds of jars to the food bank each after their kids were out of the baby food stage. They never wanted their kids to go hungry. When I found out I couldn't have kids, I was more relieved than sad. I was afraid that I might be a monster like my mother was. I know that we all control our own behavior, but it was still a fear inside me. I never thought I was cut out to be a parent - at least not of a young child. I have a very thin patience level - not so much with kids - at least not with my nieces and nephews, godchildren, etc. But its a fear, nonetheless.
I still have a relationship with my mother. I've forgiven, but not forgotten those things. She doesn't quite remember the past that way - she thinks she was a "pretty good mom". I just stay silent. Its not going to do any good to bring it up to her now. She's pretty much put herself one foot in the grave. I've come to terms with that and with her.
But the fear of being hungry is still in the back of my mind. I believe that I could lose all this weight after having the adrenal tumors removed without surgery. But It would be so damned hard to be so damned hungry all the time, I'm not sure what it would do to me psychologically. I don't ever want to have that kind of hunger again. I still remember what it feels like. I see some pictures of me as a little girl and my eyes are so sunken in. I'm emaciated and just....sad.
That's part of the reason I gained so much weight. Along with the steroids packing on the pounds, they increased the feeling of hunger. I totally felt exactly like I did as a little kid and ate everything in sight.
I didn't help my already negative situation. I added to it. I increased the amount of weight i gained because I was afraid of feeling that feeling I did as a kid. I don't wanna do that again.
The sleeve is my tool. Its the tool I've chosen to not have to go through that again. Its not necessarily the food that has the power over me, but part of my past. I know food is an issue because of the hunger, but its about making the right choices and not letting the past get to me.
I'm working on that every day. I never really talked about this much until after I met my husband. We talked about it and then I've talked about it since. My sisters and I have talked to eachother about what happened when we were kids too.
Found all of my old clothes - I kept the ones that are standards - and they're not that old - 4 years isn't a long time for business suits and the like. Lots of pencil skirts and jackets. I had a great time going through them. I found a belt that I bought on a trip the week before i got sick - when I was at my optimal health. You can see on the belt where i wore it at. I have set this aside as my goal. Its not about a number on the scale, I wanna wear that belt again! It was fun to go through all of the clothes and remember wearing them and focusing on wearing them again I have every size between where I'm at now and a size 6
Ya know, I really hate it when I give someone explicit instructions - even WRITE THEM DOWN about what I can eat and they don't follow them and then get pissy at ME because they don't follow instructions. Don't volunteer yourself to go get lunch if you're not going to pay attention. Knowing I have specific food requirements, you should probably pay attention. I didn't write it down because I'm trying to annoy you, I'm trying to do things right. If you don't want to do them right, don't volunteer to do them. I get that mistakes are made - no big deal, but then to get pissy and lash out at ME because you can't seem to handle it - that ain't gonna fly.
Its so flippin hard to think of anything else. Its just a few days away - do I have everything I need? Did I triple-confirm my reservations? Is the dog sitter going to be okay? What time do I need to leave for the airport? Will my husband get off work in time to make the flight???? All of these things are fine but I still keep rehashing them. I still keep looking for information on how to make things go more smoothly. Am I prepared for when I get back? Yep - I am. Treadmill is set up and working just fine, hubby has a few things he has to get to before we leave. Hopefully he gets them done or I'm gonna be one angry mama!
Feeling even better today. Mid mornings I get fairly tired - trying to find my groove of calorie intake while i'm still in this liquid stage. Today was the first day that I was truly hungry several times throughout the day. The broth and jello was quite fulfilling. Its amazing. I HATED chicken noodle soup and brothy ANYTHING before my surgery, but I really do like this chicken broth from Noodles and Company. Funny how things change
Went to the grocery store and got some stuff to finish out this week and to start my full liquids on Friday. Picked up some stuff for dinner for hubby too. He doesn't need to keep eating out - Lord knows he's not gonna cook!
He's finally getting better about eating in the same room as me. It doesn't bother me, but it does bother him. Its not a big deal to me. I'm able to satisfy my hunger with my allowed foods now. If I wasn't able to, that might be another story. As the diet progresses, we'll be eating much of the same things - other than I'll never eat rice and he wants red beans and rice for dinner - so no problem making that for him
Last night I had cream of mushroom soup - I pureed the hell out of the mushrooms with an immersion blender. Worked great!
For breakfast, I had the same, but I added a little bit of cheese to melt in it. It sat kinda heavy in my stomach, so I'll hold off on doing that again.
Lunch is cream of potato - also pureed. Its devine. Its sitting just fine :smile1: So I guess I just wasn't ready for cheesy yet. No biggie :smile1: I'll give it a couple days and try again :smile1:
Just got a new project for work too - requires a lot more in-depth research than the previous project, and I'm not relying on other people to find things for me - makes my life so much easier! yay!
We're getting a snowstorm here so the roads are free of people and full of snow, so hubby and I are gonna go do a little retail therapy so I can get my walk in
Gotta love being from snow-ville and living in an area where people are afraid of snow
I had chinese food for dinner - I don't eat rice so I always just get extra broccoli with my chicken. It was VERY yummy. I'm freezing my leftovers so I can eat it whenever I want
I got crab ragoons too - tossed the wonton and ate the stuffing out of it hah.
So I've decided, every pound I lose, I put a marble in a jar. Every marble will be worth 10 bucks. When I hit goal, that'll be 2 grand. That's my trip to Alaska
I'm still feeling better and better every day. I weighed myself - down another couple pounds Always makes me feel better - but I don't let the scale not moving make me feel worse
Went for a long drive yesterday - had to get out of the damn house. I work at home and while it sounds neato fantastic, its really a bore. I don't have any coworkers or even really a boss that I talk to. I have zero human interaction and I'm a totally social person. Hopefully that'll change soon!
So my weight started moving again - 339 this morning. That's 25 lbs since surgery in a little over 5 weeks with 3 periods in that time lol. Total of 47 lbs lost. I'm feeling pretty good about that
Could it be more? heck yeah! But could it be less? thank god its not!
I'm eating turkey meatballs in cream of mushroom gravy. A fave when I was a kid. Very yummeh.
Excited about going to Texas - gonna see some old friends. Got a good gameplan for food and exercise. Just gonna keep on track
So my family wants me to write a cookbook of all of my recipes. I have a lot of custom recipes that they absolutely love. Most of them are ultra healthy but don't taste like it. Even some of my desserts are quite healthy I think I'm going to do it.
I might also do a cookbook for small portions with the same recipes and others that i come up with. Might be a lot of fun
I love love love to bake - but don't really eat anything I bake, other than a bite or two - then I give it all away. Holidays are fun - I send so much stuff to family and friends. I like the fact that I can still do that - and I'm going to work on altering some of my more...rich recipes to be more healthy and smaller portions.
Okay - weight this morning was 374.4
I was hoping for less, but dinner was salty last night. I'm feeling a visitor coming along too - oh well, as long as I'm doing the right thing - what the scale says doesn't matter - its gonna be singing a different tune very soon anyway.
I'm only 2 weeks away from my sleeve! The last week was kinda weird - It was a rough week - didn't sleep much, ate fairly well, a couple slips, but I'm still well within my doctor's requirements, since he only requires a 5 day liquid diet. I'm doing the rest of it by my choice - mainly because its healthier for me to do so, and I'm proving to myself that I can. I'm also using this time to come up with altered recipes for my favorite foods to fit into my new lifestyle. Its working out FABULOUSLY! I've not worked protein shakes in yet - that'll be next week. I'm kindof "stepping down" into a liquid diet for the preop and its making this so much easier than just doing it "cold turkey"
I'm so excited to get this done. I'm not looking forward to the plane ride - I've not been on a plane in 4 years and I wasn't obese then. I took the comforting step of buying an extra seat and pre-selecting our seats. That way we don't have to worry about it. If I don't need the extra seat, they'll refund it. Which is great. I also booked the same for the flight home, but also with stretch seating, so I can be more comfortable- I don't know how I'm going to feel on the way home, so I just want to make it as comfortable a 2 hour plane ride as possible
I'm trying to get all my stuff together - My hubby will take his laptop, but I probably won't take mine - we really don't need two. I'll have my phone and my kindle with me. Basic toiletries and a few necessary clothing items. I shouldn't need anything more than that! I found a pair of nice slip-on shoes for the trip - I don't normally wear slip-ons other than pumps, and well...I'm not walking around in heels just after surgery haha
I'm just ready to get this going. I wish it was today!
I'm so very anxious to get my sleeve so time is CRAWLING by. But of course, there's the nerves and the jitters, which makes time FLY by. Will I be ready? Is my liver shrinking enough? I mean, I haven't even gotten to my Dr's requirements - they haven't started yet, but I started on my own doing a very very low fat/low carb diet. I know know know I can do this - but it always crosses my mind - the typical fears and phobias. I do not like being put under. I'm a control freak and I'm not in control if I'm under anesthesia. (Yes, I know I'm not in control if I'm not under general too but the feeling is there!)
I weighed myself this morning - 372.2. I can't wait till that first number is a 2, and then a 1. That will be lovely The feeling of better health that I will get when all is said and done almost seems unreal. To get back to feeling like myself. I have been obese for 4 years. Before that, I was the epitome of health - little did I know, I had something genetic lurking that would change all of that.
I've attached 2 pictures of myself - the one titled 2006 was just before I got diagnosed. I was a size 8-10 depending on what brand of clothes I was wearing. I was running 5 miles a day, lifting weights 3-5 times a week. I was so healthy. It can change in an instant.
The second picture was at my brother's wedding with my now husband. I was a 10-12 in that picture. But I looked good! More importantly, I felt good. This was right around when I started running. I want to get back there.
So I'm going back to Texas for a couple of months for work. I swore I wouldn't go back there - its where I got sick - but knowing is half the battle, right? Well, hopefully things go well - I'm going to be there for a few weeks, then home for a few days, then back and forth for a couple months. Exciting stuff.
