Neese

Left with Ana to get my teeth whitened about noon. I was super freaked out only because I had a hair dye/cut appointment at 2 p.m. I tried to get an earlier appointment but the earliest I could get was 2 p.m. I was remaining cautiously optimistic until we sat at the dentist office for 30 minutes (I definitely could have used my Kindle at that point). So by the time I got in it was 1:00 p.m. The pressure of getting to the hair appointment minimized the "enjoyment" of getting my teeth whitened.
 
I actually dislike going to the dentist and as I sat there with mouth guard on I spent more time thinking "What the heck am I doing then I did with getting 85% of my stomach cut out!"
 
He spoke no English and I wished I had had the sense of mind to ask Ana to come back with me so that she could explain what he was doing at each stage (not knowing ratcheted up the general dislike of sitting in a dentist chair even more so!).
 
It wasn't the Zoom system but it was something similar with the ultra violet light. The dentist wasn't super happy with the results and I was too stressed about missing my hair appointment to care (other then I had forked over $200). He said that sometimes teeth take a couple of treatments (which I think was his passive aggressive way of saying that I had super dirty teeth????). I am going back today which was nice of him. Basically I had written off the experience as "lesson learned" but I am hopeful after another treatment today it will be more noticeable.
 
On the other hand I really enjoyed getting my hair dyed. I was 30 minutes late (which I HATE being late) and Rocio Ruiz (the stylist) was very nice about it. She had to finish up a client so I was left to my own devices which basically meant looking through hair cutting books and looking through non-English magazines (another moment I could have used my Kindle).
 
I like getting my hair done so there wasn't anything too bad she could have done to my hair. I normally dye my hair from a box so getting it colored professionally was kind of fun. I didn't pick anything insane. She cut off a little more hair then I would have liked but I am pretty laid back when it comes to my hair and I know anything I don't like will grow back (a far cry from my angst ridden teenage years where a bad hair cut equaled a bad mood for several weeks.). I like being out of the hotel for a few hours and felt it was worth it. I spent $80/american on the dye, some protective serum I got talked into, a cut, and a can of hairspray. I gave her a $20 tip and called it even at $100. They take Visa in case anyone was wondering (I tipped cash). The location is within walking distance of the hotel and I walked back safely afterward (exercise!). VISA side note - I called my credit card company to let them know that I was going to be in Mexico for the week so my card would not be declined from the card company fearing theft. I would add that to any "to do" list when coming down to Mexico.
 
The best thing about the salon was the bottled water. The hotel has bottled water but it is in these jumbo bottles that seem so overwhelming to attempt to drink. At the salon I got a cute 8 oz bottle that seemed much more manageable on my stomach. Since I had to wait for the hair dye to set I spent it making a drinking game out of the water. I would take a sip and count to 30 before taking another sip. I would try it with smaller numbers and bigger sips so I felt like I was using my time wisely testing out my stomach and by the time it was all said and done I had drank 8 oz of water (victory!). I got another bottle to go and I am currently working on that.
 
I joined up with another sleever who got to the hotel that day and went and got another popsicle at the Extra store across the street. We did laps around the pool avoiding some wedding photography along the way while we ate the popsicles. So my diet yesterday was 2 popsicles and approximately 12 oz of water/Gatorade. I'm not hungry but I am definitely thoughtful about TRYING to get liquids in.
 
On the subject of Gatorade. I have decided I don't like it. It is WAY too sweet for me. I had a small amount of the orange flavored the day before and I bought a new flavor that I was secretly hoping was tea flavored (which turned out to be apple flavored). In my defense I didn't like Gatorade before the surgery. I think I may need to cut it with some water to make it drinkable for me.
 
I experienced a lot of stomach gurgling last night. To the point it was difficult to find a good position to sleep in. I started wondering if the gurgling was gas and I let a GasX strip dissolve in my mouth (the first GasX strip I had the entire trip so far and it settled my stomach).
 
Sadly I woke up at 3 a.m. with a different kind of stomach pain. I started my period 4 days early! What a giant annoyance!!!! I was hoping the stress of surgery would actually push the start date out further then the 4 days I was anticipating.
 
Sorry for the long post but I am up early and hoping that my ramblings might help others with their planning.
 
Today is Sunday and so far I have packing on the schedule, a revisit to the dentist, and Ana mentioned something about going to an area that has some souvenir shopping. I actually don't need anything but it might be fun to look around.
 
I leave tomorrow (Monday) with the other sleever here at the hotel (who is super nice!).

My name is Denise but most people call me Neese. I am 23 years old, I will be married for 2 years, in May to my DH, Sean. We met when I was a junior high school (he was first year of college) and we have been together almost 8 years. I have been chubby/overweight/bigger, or whatever euphemism you prefer or have heard, all my life. It was never an issue until I could drive and that started the eating out and the no exercise because I had a car--I didn't need to walk anywhere! It wasn't until I realized I want to have children that I want to be healthy in my late 20s and from then on. My goal isn't to be skinny, but like most of you can relate, to honestly just be healthy and feel good in my own body. It was when I stepped on the scale at 5'6 and I saw that I weighed 292 that I realized it was time to be more serious about my health before serious health complications arose as a result of my obesity.
 
So my journey, well my serious one after many failed attempts anyway, started in May of 2011. I did an online seminar and then had my consult the very next day. The next 6 months, as that was my insurance requirement, seemed to fly by and other days seemed to lull on forever. I remained at the same EXACT weight of 292; I will never know how I stayed at the exact same weight at all of my checkups . So my surgery was set for January 31, 2012 and I was only given a weeks notice because of some error at the doctors office.
 
I have never had any surgery, e.v.e.r, I have never even been hospitalized overnight! I have no huge health problems (except, the obvious--obesity). My husband had to work that morning, I insisted he take off on a Friday so he could be home with me longer. My best friend came up from Virginia to take me to the hospital along with another best friend of mine. Before I knew it I was being put under, and when I awoke I was not in pain, although I had a catheter in that I was not crazy about. So it took about 4 hours to get me out of recovery because they had no clean rooms?? I dont know what that was about haha!
 
Once I got to my room I had probably 10+ visitors with gifts and flowers--I am a very lucky gal to have such amazing people in my life. Not that I showed my appreciation much because I was SO out of it. I was released two days later--just in time for the weekend. The first two weeks home went ok, the head hunger was a killer because I watched a lot of TV and it was right around the super bowl . Then after feeling awful at my two week check up I was hospitalized overnight due to dehydration I felt so dumb like I couldn't even take care of myself.
 
Tomorrow I will be 1 month out officially and later this week I am going back to work. I have lost 27 pounds, including 5 pre-op, and I have been at a stall since my stint of dehydration at the hospital. I am walking almost 50 minutes a night for exercise and getting enough liquids in and working on the protein. I am on the mushy phase early because my NUT believed I was doing so well that I could move up. I do NOT have a cranky sleeve, thankfully, nothing has really made me sick. I just hope to break this stall soon!