Amazing Things

Some of this is repetitive of the post below but that one was boring! LOL

I had an AMAZING holiday! The hubby and I spent it with my sister and her family, for the most part. We enjoyed a fantastic "dinner" prepared by my sister who took into account that there are things I just cannot eat and also that the hubby is a diabetic. She made two pies (apple and cherry) and both were sugar free. How awesome is that? I confess I had a very small (about 3/4 inch) sliver of each and they were both GREAT! She gave me a huge plate which I put too much food onto and was wasteful. So when I heated up a left over plate late in the day, I used a smaller one and it was fine. No waste and none to my waist! LOL

We got to spend time with both of our daughters and their girls. It was nice to see them and play with the babies. I'll try to get time later in the week to post a couple photos of the grands. Everyone got along great and it was so pleasant, unlike a lot of times in the past. We also visited my older sister and my brother. It was just a family kind of weekend and one we enjoyed immensely.

We went shopping on Black Friday for the first time ever! My sister had us out and about at midnight on Friday and we didn't get home until after 10 AM. It was amazing. We avoided all the blitz sales but there were people everywhere. It was fun! My sister walked me all over and I ended the day with just over two miles on my pedometer that day. Woo hoo for me! We didn't spend much money. I got a new bathroom scale that calculates body fat and hydration percentages which also has a program for tracking weight lost and how much to get to goal which I thought was kind of neat.

Through it all, I ate what I wanted, cautiously. I was afraid a time or two that something might make me sick, but it didn't. I tracked the calories, fat, protein, and carbs. I must have done everything right because at the end of it all today I am down to 340.6 pounds! That means from Wednesday until this morning I lost just over two pounds. That feels amazing and unbelievable. In the past, I would have gorged myself, grazed through the day, and been miserable. It was nice to feel full and satisfied instead of bloated and in pain. I did come to realize that old habit die hard and a lot of my life has revolved around food. For instance, the cheese ball and crackers were calling me. I had a couple crackers with the cheese and then left the table and the kitchen (which is where everyone seems to sit when at my sister's for some reason). I told them I didn't want to be rude but I could not sit there with food in front of me and not eat it so they were good about it. They would either put stuff away or join me in the family room. Cool! I am very proud of how I handled this holiday and have no fears about getting through the next just as simply.

I got a lot of compliments on how great I look and the weight I've lost. It was nice to have others note my progress in such a positive way. Even someone who doesn't know me well saw me out and about and commented how great I look. That all made me feel so great! I'm doing this for me but it affects so many.

Now it's back to life. We'll head off to church in a little while where I will thank the Creator for all the many blessings bestowed upon me. It's back to work tonight where I know a huge pile will await me but I'm okay with it. I'll work on what I can and what I don't get done will wait for tomorrow. This week will be interesting. It will be my first week of moving the butt Monday thru Thursday. I may be a little tired but in the end, I know it's going to make a huge difference in how I look and feel.

God bless and have a wonderful week!

It's almost over

My long weekend is almost over. It was GREAT and we had a super time at my sister's house. She made an awesome Thanksgiving Day dinner. I didn't eat much, as my usual now, but I did eat what I wanted. I was fine. The best news is that I didn't gain any weight over the weekend. I actually managed to drop 1/2 pound. Woo hoo me!

I hate that the weekend is almost over. It's back to work for me tomorrow night! That sucks but it's okay. I'll do what I can and just keep plugging away.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. I just wanted to pop in and do a quick post.

How much of ME will be lost?

I guess I've had a LOT to say lately. *chuckles* I posted this at Sparkpeople.com and in my MySpace blog as well. I share pretty much everything here so am posting it here as well. If you've read it in one of the other places, I apologize for the repition. I just want to see what others have to say and how others feel about this topic.

This entry is a strange one for me. I started this process so long ago (four years ago come January) and so much has changed for me. Those who have known me for so long know that my life was pretty much hell back then. I weighed 530 pounds or more. I didn't do anything that required exerting myself except to walk from the living room to the bathroom and back. I had to sit on a step stool to shower. I walked to the car and drove my hubby and daughter to the store, but never went in, sending them in to do the shopping. I couldn't put on my own socks or shoes and I'm ashamed to say for a time I couldn't even wipe my own bottom. Sorry if it's TMI but it's true. And it sucked and that's what got me started on this odyssey in the beginning. It fueled my anger that I had let myself get to that point. It fueled my determination to make a difference and take back my life; and I've done that! But something happened yesterday. I want to share that experience with you all and see what you think?

I got my hair cut yesterday. It looked pretty good and was one of the best cuts I've had in quite a while. The stylist took her time and made sure she understood exactly what I wanted. She was GREAT and next time I go back I'll be sure she's working and will wait however long it takes to have her cut my hair again. I'll probably post a picture later today so you can see the end result. I'm kind of tired of my current profile picture anyway. I will also post updated weight loss photos early in December so you'll see the whole body then.

Anyway, since I was flying high and feeling so darn good about myself and my day in the gym I decided to have Tim color my hair for me. He is my sytlist, you know? He's done this many times for me and usually does a good job. I had a bottle of color I got many months ago but never used so we got it and he went to work. He missed a few grey hairs at my temples. Then again, he almost always does. He is visually impaired and does the best he can. If I thought it was a real issue, I'd double check it before letting it sit but I don't mind a few stray greys. They'll grow back in grey anyway! It looks good but then I started to study myself in the mirror. I really shouldn't have done that.

I burst into tears and poor Tim was at a loss. He thought he had really messed up my hair or something. It wasn't that at all. I realized that I don't look like ME anymore! Isn't that crazy? My face is thin. My neck is wrinkled and I often refer to my neck as a "turkey neck". A plastic surgeon assured me that my body would do it's own liposuction and the skin will shrink back. He wouldn't give me a written guarantee, though! LOL I feel like I look like that guy in the movie "Beetlejuice" where his head shrinks down to being tiny and his body remains huge. That's me! With the new cut and the new color job, I just don't look like me anymore. I don't feel like me anymore either with my new found energy and liking exercise. What is going on? Is this normal? Am I losing my mind? And most importantly, how much more of me is going to be gone than just the fat? I think I'm now scared about this whole process and the end product. Maybe I need a shrink! HA, no pun intended.

So those of you who have been here and done this ... What do you think? Do you feel this way sometimes? Don't get me wrong. I love that I'm losing the weight. I love that I'm exercising and enjoying it. I'm glad to have had surgery to keep me going in the right direction but I guess I didn't expect the emotions to go so haywire.

As my mom would say, God rest her soul, "Chin up and eyes forward." I will focus on moving forward and see what happens. In the end, it's going to be okay but boy did I have some rough moments last night. I think I may avoid peering into the mirror today.

Adventures at the gym

I walked into the gym and there were quite a few people there. Lynda had told me that they are never busy but today they were. I put my things in the locker room and came out. Lynda was on a treadmill so I figured what the heck! She came over to help me get started cuz she knew it was my first time. I started and the pace was way too slow. I ended up walking about twelve minutes and the majority of it was at a pace of 1.6 miles per hour. Total distance walked was a quarter of a mile. Then I had to get off or risk falling off. My knees were starting to ache a bit.

I moseyed over to the recumbent bikes. They had other bikes there but I've been told the recumbent ones would be better for me to use right now. I attempted to climb onto one. I almost fell on my butt! I rearranged myself and finally managed to climb aboard. Next task was to get my feet into the stirrups. Oh my, but I must have been a sight and I'm sure I provided some amusement for someone! It took several tries and another readjustment before I finally hooked my feet into the pedals. Yes! I figure I can do this. I start to pedal and oh my. My poor knees were aching and within minutes they were screaming at me to stop. I told myself to push through the pain and keep going. I was determined I was going to ride at least a quarter mile. It took me ten minutes, but I finally managed to do it. I was quite proud of myself.

I climbed off the bike and wondered what in the world I should tackle next. I knew to avoid the elliptical for now. I tried one a while ago and lasted all of about one minute and the entire time the machine was telling me to "stride faster". I wasn't ready to try the stair climber and figure it will be quite a long while before I'm up to that one.

Lynda came over and offered to help me learn a few of the weight machines. I worked my triceps first but there was an issue with that machine. My hips and legs made it impossible for me to do the full range of motion. I did what I could as Lynda told me. I did three sets of eight and waited a couple minutes between sets. Then we moved to a machine that worked my biceps. At first it felt too light so I ended up doing 30 lb weights. Oh my goodness. After one set of those I moved it back to 15 lbs. Seemed awfully light but I was doing it.

We ended up by doing some basic stretching and parted ways. I lasted a full 40 minutes at the gym! I am so proud of myself for pushing through my fears, forgetting about everyone else, and just going for it. I came home excited and energized. I've been proud of myself all day. I may even go back and work out with Lynda again. I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I had FUN!

No more rat poison for me!

I saw the cardiologist this morning. I no longer have to take the coumadin but I have to take 325 mg of enteric coated aspirin daily. He said it would do as well as the coumadin did and wouldn't have to be monitored. He said since I only have one risk factor (high blood pressure) for a stroke, and that one is getting less as my bp comes down with the weight loss, there just isn't a reason to justify keeping me on that rat poison. Yahoo! I am very happy.

I also went for blood work and will surely hear from my primary doc early next week about those results. At my last appointment he thought I'd be able to take a lower dose of my thyroid med so we'll see what the blood tests say.

I just registered for the aquasize class, circuit conditioning, and cardio equipment training classes. I have committed to working out four nights a week. My gawd, what is this world coming to?! I am surprising even myself these days. LOL

Answering Comment Questions from Yesterday

The url to my MySpace account is www.myspace.com/norakeno I tried to post that as a link but it just wouldn't show up. I dunno know but oh well. If you're interested, you'll find me.


Feel free to visit it but I'll have to add you as a friend as I keep it private. Too many fruitcakes out there. Mostly it's my family there but all are welcome. I pretty much post most of the same things there that I do here.

As for Facebook, I've heard it's much easier to use but I've never visited it. I really prefer my blog right here. Thing is, my family chooses not to read here so I have to at least keep something they will access. Many of them do have the MySpace accounts.

And yeah, Janet. I am the girl who two years ago had to do 100 steps to start moving while holding onto the kitchen counter. I've come a long way, baby! Life just keeps getting better and better, huh? I wonder what next year will hold for me ...

Downward Spiral Continues

The weight is still coming off. I'm now down to 344 today and am beginning to think I may make my 20 pound goal this month which right now means I need to lose about 9 more pounds before month's end. I think I can do this, especially since I'm going to start an exercise class next week that meets two nights a week and one night of strength training. I'll be exercising four nights a week with my water aerobics tossed in there as well so hopefully this will be a good thing. I'm also going to try to add exercise on Saturday mornings at a gym with a gal from my water class. That would leave me with Friday and Sunday as no exercise days. I'm perfectly okay with that! LOL This all means I have to get off my butt and get something appropriate that fits to wear to the gym. Right now I have nothing. I'm thinking a pair of capri pants I have with a drawstring and a t-shirt will work for a little while until I get something. Having nothing I thought would work allowed me to make an excuse not to go last week to the gym. I know if I pay for the bariatric exercise classes I'll go because I won't waste money. A gym membership may be in my future. It feels so strange to even be thinking that!

On another note, I have a MySpace page. I started one cuz my daughter has one and it was an easy way to track what's going on in her life. I opened a "bulletin" she posted thinking she was deleting her account but found myself having to repost the same bulletin. Her's said if I didn't my account would delete itself. Not sure if it's true but in the sake of it could happen, I did it. I hate that kind of crap!

Anyway ... just wanted to rant about one of the things that has me aggravated today!

More Progress

So today I am down to 345.5 and am quite happy with that. I have ten pounds to go to reach my goal of 20 pounds gone in the month of November. Not sure I'm going to make that but I'm slowly getting there. Only 15.5 more pounds and I'll have lost 200 lbs total since starting this journey way back in 2005. It's taking me a LOT longer than I initially expected and I've taken a more drastic approach, but it's working. I'm getting healthier and changing old habits and just improving so many things.

I'm looking forward to next week. Going to my baby sister's for the holiday. I'll also get to see all three of my granddaughters and both of my daughters. I can't wait for the family to see me as it's been early October since they last saw me. Wonder what they'll have to say about me now!

Nothing much going on

There hasn't been much of anything going on here lately. I'm still tracking and doing better on getting at least 60 grams of protein every day. Weight has stalled once again but it's also time for the monthly monster so that could be the issue. I'm not going to worry about it, really.

Had another Coumadin check and it was at 3.0 which is at the high end of the range they want me to be in. She had me decrease my medication by 5 mg one day only. How that's going to make a difference in the long run, I don't quite get but oh well.

Had the breasts smashed on Thursday. It really wasn't as painful as it used to be in "the old days". LOL Don't know exactly when I'll hear back from my doctor on them but I don't think there is anything to worry about. This was a follow-up to the one that was done back in February of this year. I had to have another for comparison, espeically important since there has been breast cancer in my immediate family.

Next week will be busy. Sunday I'm supposed to go to the gym to work out with some of the people I go to water aerobics with. I feel dumb going cuz I won't know the first thing about working out at the gym but they genuinely want me to go. I have support groups on Monday and Wednesday as well as my water aerobics class. On Thursday I'll go have lab work done to see where things are. This may mean a decrease in my thyroid medication and that may also change the rate at which I'm losing weight. We'll see about that! I also go for another coumadin check on Thursday. Friday I go to see the cardiologist. Hopefully, he will take me off this darn coumadin. To my knowledge, I've not had any other incidents of a-fib so I have my fingers crossed.

Been really concentrating when in my water class. My tummy muscles are not amused. I have had muscle pain since Monday. I know that's what it is because of where it is and how it aches. I was worrying myself for a while about it being something else, but I'm pretty sure it's muscles. Gee, I guess I've just been really using them finally. Woo hoo for me!

Will be thinking of my friend Jamie as she prepares for lap band sugery on Monday. Get plenty of rest and don't worry. Take some non-petroleum lip balm. Be ready to walk as it will really help the pain go away, especially the gas pain from the gases they use to inflate your tummy so they can work. It's all going to be just fine!

With that, I'll sign off until another day!

It worked

Tracking my protein has been a great way to get me back on track. Before last week I was just eating and hoping I was getting what I needed. After a couple days, I realized I wasn't getting the protein I should have been and started to diligently make sure that I get at least 60 grams per day. That still isn't where I need it as I'm supposed to consume 70-90 grams but it's a start and a lot of days I do get near 70 now. That said ...

Last week I managed to have my weight go down. I started a week ago this past Sunday at 355 pounds. As of today I am down to 349.5 pounds which is a loss of 5.5 pounds. Woo hoo! Yea for me and all that jazz. I can't even remember when the last time I weighed less than 350 pounds was. I would love to be under 325 by the end of the year. That's only 25 pounds and with the sugery's help, I may just get there. Wow! When I hit 330 I will have lost a total of 200 pounds since 2005. When I hit 295 I'll be only 100 pounds from my personal goal. I actually believe this is going to happen. I'm thrilled that I finally gave in and had this surgery. It hasn't been easy but it sure has been worth it!

Searching for a website

In days gone by, I used to have a website link that would tell me how much of something weighed the number of pounds I had lost. If anyone out there knows what I'm talking about, please let me know. I really enjoyed that site but cannot find it. I even went back and read a LOT of really old blog posts here in my blog because I know at one time I posted it here but couldn't find it. I HATE when that happens! LOL

Gravity, a Fall, and Lost Weight

Talk about a change in my center of gravity due to losing weight ... well it has changed but no one has really talked about it. Following is one of the ways I know, however, this was probably not due to the gravity except that everything must fall down!

I walked to the A and B homes on Friday morning about 1:30 AM. I went into the B home and talked a few minutes and grabbed their paperwork. As I went out the door and started down the steps, the porch light went off. It's some kind of darn light that comes on for a couple minutes then goes off for a couple and it does this throughout the night. The street lamp nearby does the same thing. I don't know why! Anyway ... I went down two steps and then the street lamp went out as well. I'm in total darkness. I thought I had just stepped off the last step and went to walk over to the A home. Low and behold, I had one more step to go. I fell and I fell hard! I swear I felt the jarring all the way from my poor knees that I landed on up through my hips and into my shoulders. I was stunned.

I was there kneeling on my knees and could only moan about how much it hurt. They didn't hear me yell in the house. I gathered up the papers that I had dropped and my bottle of water (I don't go anywhere without one in my hand now days) and hobbled to the A home. I examined my knees. The right one was red and looked like it would bruise. The left one was a little skinned up (but not enough to bleed) and bruising. I was worried because of that damn coumadin they have me on and the horror stories about internal bleeding. One of the staff gave me an ice pack wrapped in a paper towel and I iced it for about 20 mins before moving on.

I was able to finish my shift but dang I was in some pain. I got stiff and we don't keep liquid Tylenol on campus so I was basically SOL. I considered coming home but figured I wouldn't die from hurting. LOL I did type up the employee incident report and let my director know. I left a message on his voice mail and told him if I thought it necessary I would go to my PCP later in the day. He called and told me to get checked but I ended up not going. The bruising isn't as bad as I thought it might be. The pain is to be expected and nothing out of the ordinary but what you'd expect from a fall.

I seem to be fine today; just a little achey. Thought I'd share a little of my "fun" with you all.

And I managed to lose three pounds this past week. Yea! Back to 2-3 lbs per week to get where I'd like to be by Labor Day next year.

Oh and today is the 24th anniversary of the day Tim (the hubby) and I met. Woo hoo for us! We're going out to dinner with our church tonight, on them as a celebration for volunteering at the church. I ordered a chicken sandwich with fruit as a side. Will likely leave the bread behind.

Have a great weekend, all!

(Janet: I'm wearing a size 4X both tops and pants right now but am close to getting into 3X.)

At last, the scale has moved!

FINALLY, the scale moved today! In tracking since Sunday, I found I wasn't getting at least the protein I need. I'm supposed to be getting 70-90 grams post op. Once I adjusted that, the weight did come down 1.5 lbs overnight. Woo hoo! Now I'm just praying it continues.

Water aerobics was great last night! One of the men had surgery back in March and is down 100 lbs. I was complaining about the scale and he told me to keep myself off of it except to weigh once a week. I try, I really do but I just can't do it. I have to know daily what I weigh and have been like that since I found a scale that would weigh me back in 2005. I wonder if it's because for so long I had no clue how much I weighed. In retrospect, that was a good thing!

I do so love my class and am going to start the other exercise classes they have two nights a week (Tues and Thurs) when the next session starts which will be sometime near the end of the month. I'm excited about this and know it's going to help me build muscle and lose fat instead of lean muscle. One night they do strength training on the machines and with free weights. That is followed by some type of aerobics class. The other night is an aerobics class which can also be yoga, tai chi, etc. I look forward to starting later this month with that.

Some of the people at class said I was "melting away" and they could really see the difference; even those who saw me last week said they can see it more this week. I'll do measurements again next month when I'm 12 weeks out. Maybe I was losing inches instead of pounds these last two weeks. I had to retire three pair of pants because they just won't stay up anymore. LOL That's a good thing!

I also talked with the class instructor and she said maybe I have been losing a bit of lean muscle. That concerns me. She said I need to get busy doing strength training to keep that from happening. Until I can start class, when the next session starts, I'll have to make do with cans of veggies or something similar. Maybe I'll pick up a couple 3 lb weights to start with. I saw some at Walmart for about $4 each. I think I can eek that out of my lean budget! LOL

At any rate, things are progressing and I know I'm just not a patient person. The weight is coming off and it will in it's own time. I have to remember that!

Lastly, let me just say, "I feel good"!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!

I've gone to two water aerobics classes now and enjoyed both of them so much. I have two different instructors and they each work us so differently. I LOVE that! I've been able to keep up and have even pushed myself to jog faster in the water. It's been kind of freeing.

I'm still doing my walking. I walk to two of the homes each night at work. A couple nights it was chilly and I was tempted to drive but it's such a sense of satisfaction to look at my pedometer and see those steps adding up! I'll walk until it's so cold my face freezes just to keep the energy flowing.

Not much else to report. The scale is just not budging. I'm not worrying about it too much. There are a lot of reasons that could be happening. I'm bouncing up and down between 355-357; for some odd reason my scale likes 357. It does make me a little nuts but I know I'm eating the way I'm supposed to be eating. I've also gone back to drinking at least one protein drink of Carnation with added protein per day in case that is the reason. I wonder if I'm getting enough calories. I think about the pre-op days and the whole "starvation mode" theory. I don't see the surgeon or nutritionist until December. I will attend the support groups in November and see what the others have to say. It's frustrating but I'm hanging in there.

Victories Abound

It's back to water aerobics for me tonight. I don't want to go cuz I know the water is going to be COLD. Add to that the dropping temps here in northern IL and it spells doom. The hubby will make me go though, so no worries.

I had a good non-scale victory today. Last summer before going to Alaska to see my dear friend and sister Teresa from right here on SP, I purchased a bra top for wearing to swim. I never wore it for a couple reasons, but was glad not to because it really didn't fit well. I tried it on this morning to see if I can wear it instead of a sports bra and t-shirt to class tonight and it fit! Woo hoo for me.

Also got some great comments at work last night from a couple people. It made me smile because so many have said nothing. One told me I was going to have to get new pants soon as the ones I had on were baggy. I told her those were my new ones. I just got them a couple weeks ago! Thank goodness they have drawstrings. I guess maybe I'm getting closer to a 3X than I thought.

Lastly, so many told me that my tastes would change following surgery. I didn't really believe them but it must be true. Before surgery, the thought of eating yogurt made me feel sick. Today I ate 3/4 of a light Yoplait yogurt. It was quite tasty. The flavor was raspberry cheesecake and I didn't mind it at all. I have three other flavors to try and am hoping that I will be able to tolerate them all. I know it's a good source of protein and a healthy snack or meal. Interesting side effect of weight loss surgery, changing taste buds. Who would have thunk it? LOL

Got appointments set for mammogram, cardiologist, and three month post-op surgeon appointment. Picked a date for lab work at the end of the month for CBC, complete metabolic panel, and tsh with free T4 tests. Now I just have to keep the appointments.

Have a great week, everyone!

Doctor Appointment Today

Starting weight was 530 lbs three years ago.



Morning of surgery. By my scale I weighed 387.5 lbs.



Just a photo Tim took yesterday. I weighed 355 by the scale at the doctor office today. I've come a LONG way, baby!

I went to my primary doc today. The nurse was amazed at how much weight I've lost. She asked the doctor if I had my surgery already and he said that I had. She said she could really see the weight loss. That was encouraging! The doc told me that I'm doing awesome and that people have the misconception that after gastric bypass surgery they will lose weight quicker but he said that isn't true. He said the reality is that people lose quite a bit the first month and then the weight loss slows for most to about 2-3 lbs per week but it's a steady weight loss. I did feel a little reassured after talking with him. I know that it's best to lose weight slow and steady for many reasons. He also reminded me that I want to be losing fat and not lean muscle and losing slowly is the best way to do that. He said if I continue to lose 2-3 lbs a week I could be at my personal goal of 199 by next Labor Day. Woo hoo! Oh and the doctor scales weighed me today. It wasn't that long ago that they wouldn't weigh me at all!

My Coumadin level was up to 1.7 which is almost in therapeutic range. They want it to be between 2 and 3. The nurse at the clinic increased my dose to 15 mg per day which my doc said is a little high but he agreed with her. He also referred me to cardiology for follow-up at the end of November. How long I stay on this medication is going to depend upon whether or not I have another incident of a-fib so I have to just wait and see.

I have an order for a repeat mammogram because they had nothing to compare the last one to. I have a referral to see the surgeon again, but that appointment isn't for another two months. And a lab order for bloodwork at the end of November to check a bunch of stuff including my thyroid as he said that medication can probably be decreased by then. So that's what happened at the doctor office.

Came home and got some rest. Then up and out to do the laundry. Not much else planned for the night. Going to just chill with Tim and enjoy my night off.

First Week Back at Work

So this has been my first week back at work. All in all, it's been okay. I mean, I have to work, right? And it isn't like the job is all that difficult. I just hate going in at night now. My sleep schedule is all out of whack and I feel like I sleep all the time. Here's what my schedule looks like starting with going into work.

11 PM - 7 AM Work I eat breakfast about 4 AM.
7:45 Am Home and get ready for bed
8 AM In bed and hopefully asleep by 8:30 but sometimes not before 9
1 PM Usually wide awake and ready to get up after being up and down 2-3 times while sleeping to go to the bathroom. Eat something.
6 PM Dinner and meds
7 - 10:15 PM Back to bed.
10:30 PM Leave the house to go back to work and start all over again.

There is just very little time in this schedule for me. I absolutely HATE it. They are opening a new program eventually and I am going to apply for the Program Manager job in that home. It would at least be a daytime position. If Tim doesn't take care of himself this time I'll kick his ass. I'm not staying on this overnight shift forever, no matter how much I love him!

That's my rant about work and husbands today.

Read the one below this one first ...

because I posted twice today.

For quite a while now, like over a year, I have bad days. Days where no matter what, the sun does not shine in my world. They are dark and desolate and I feel so alone. Sounds kind of silly saying that here, where I know I'm NEVER alone. I have so many who check in on me, motivate me, encourage me, and just plain out care about me and how I'm doing. But today is not a good day for me. I feel so lost and I don't know why.

I have walked every day since Tuesday this past week my quarter mile around the track. Today I know I need to go walk. My brain is telling me to walk I'll feel better. My heart just isn't in it today. "I don't want to!" screams my heart. So here I sit in front of the computer. I do know I'm going to the grocery store and today I will not allow myself to take the easy way out and ride on the electric cart. I will walk that store and be glad I did it. Tonight I will be walking from the administration building (where I do the majority of my work) to the homes (where I have to check in and make sure no one is sleeping). It will be a bit chilly here in IL in the middle of the night, but I am going to walk. I vow that right now. I'm not sure of the distance but I think in all it will be at least a quarter mile of walking. I'm also going to turn on the lights in the gym and about every two hours I'm going to get up and go do a lap of walking in the gym. No one else is there to know what I'm doing and I know I'm not going to be able to sit in front of the computer for eight hours so I may as well walk. I'm not feeling all that guilty about not walking today given all of this.

Yesterday I went out for lunch with the hubby. I made what I thought was a good choice. Grilled chicken breast with grilled veggies (green peppers and onions). I left off the potato and bread choices and only ate the above. I don't know if I ate too fast, didn't chew well enough, or something got stuck but man, when I was done (and I only really ate about four bites of the chicken) I had this pain in the middle of my chest. I knew I was in trouble. I've done enough reading to know that. By the time we got to the car, I knew I was in BIG trouble. As I bent down for something I felt like I was going to pass out. Then, it all came right back up. This was my first time vomiting since my gastric bypass surgery. I don't EVER want to repeat that again! (I'm guessing many will say that I will but it's not something I'd want.) Once it was all up and out, I felt fine and life went on as usual. I suppose one could say that was my first ever "dumping" experience. Blah!

I'm going to try to increase my walking to two trips around the path by Wednesday. That's my goal for the week. Oh ... my other goal is get down one more bottle of water per day since I've only been drinking two lately. I found my favorite Walmart brand 'crystal lite' flavor (Cherry Limeade) and that's gonna help since that counts as water. I'll check back to let you know how it goes.

Update

Several have asked in my comments section about my weight loss. I'm a little disappointed in the numbers, though I know I should not be. Having as much weight to lose as I do, I certainly thought it would come off quicker. That said, I do realize my protein isn't as high as it should be nor am I drinking the water I need to be drinking. Those two things are key to weight loss.

When I started this entire process back in July I weighed in at 407 pounds per my scale. On the day of surgery I weighed in at 387.5 pounds. Today I weigh 357 pounds. So I am down 50 pounds since beginning the process back in July; down 30.5 pounds since surgery which was six weeks ago tomorrow. That's an average of five pounds per week which most would be totally happy with. I just thought it would be more. Not beating myself up. I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing and the weight will come off. I will also note I did measurements today and compared them to surgery day and I've dropped ten inches from my body as well. Woo hoo!

I am still walking 1/4 mile on the track per day and with my other steps added in daily I'm walking between 1/2 and 3/4 mile per day. I hope to increase the walking at the track to 1/2 mile by the middle of the week. I'm also going to start water aerobics again next Monday. This week I'm going to attend the gastric bypass support group and the nutrition support group so I don't want to pay for a week I cannot use as those two groups meet on Mon and Wed which is the same as my water class. Increased activity can only improve my weight loss.

I'm feeling fine. I go back to re-test my Coumadin levels Tuesday afternoon. After an increase I'm hoping that things will be getting near where they want them. I want off this drug and am just waiting for them to say I no longer need it. It doesn't make me feel badly. I just know that bleeding is a serious side effect and in my line of work, when I may have to help restrain a kid at a moment's notice or dodge something flying at me, I cannot risk injury right now.

I go back to work tonight for the first time. I'm nervous about going and wondering how I'm going to make it through the night. I also have to figure out the whole how to eat on midnight shift again thing. *sigh* Why can't life be easy, just for once? LOL

CRAP!

Got a call from my primary today. The result of the PT-INR done yesterday was not good. I have dropped from 1.4 to 1.0 and they want me to be at 2.0-3.0. After some thinking I believe it dropped because of my bariatric vitamins. Vitamin K can affect the Coumadin levels and there is 120 mcg of vitamin K in my vitamins. UGH! He increased my Coumadin and I have to go to the clinic on Tuesday to have my level checked again. I just want OFF that stuff, period.

Did my quarter mile walk and the majority of it I was walking aerobic steps which means I was actually burning fat the entire time I was doing that. According to my pedometer that was for at least 11 mins. Wow! In addition to that track walk, I also walked another quarter mile plus today. Slowly but surely I will get there, where ever that is! LOL

I'm Doing Well

Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm doing well. I feel great and am just focusing on getting ready to return to work. Was going to go back yesterday but extended my leave until Sunday. I will definitely go back on Sunday.

I went to the lab today. I was expecting to only have a finger stick to check my Coumadin level (PT-INR test) but the Coumadin clinic did not have an appointment and the lady there said the first test has to be a lab test. She'll call me tomorrow with the results and let me know when my next appointment is. From here on out, she said I should be able to do finger sticks. Thank goodness because my arms look like hell from all the sticks at the hospital.

I went and did my quarter mile walk this morning. It's nice and cool here in IL so I don't mind walking so much. I need to bump up and do half mile but for now the quarter mile is progress for me. I vow to keep that up.

Nothing much else to report but wanted to let everyone know I'm fine.

I'm Home Again

I am home from the hospital. This hospitalization had NOTHING to do with my weight loss surgery per the cardiologist and I'm thankful for that. I had surgery to increase my health, not to make more problems for me. I wasn't scared so much as pissed about having to be there. I went to the surgeon for a check up and end up admitted into the hospital. I had things to do, damn it! Mandi and family were here. We were supposed to go to Alpha at church that night. It was a royal pain in the butt!

I am thankful that the doctor reached for my wrist out of character. I am thankful that I'm going to be just fine. But ... those were the longest five days in my life!

I had three different roommates. Most were friendly but I was in no mood. I had a huge fight with the dietary people who thought I had to have everything chopped to ground hamburger mush and would not give me most of the things I wanted to eat. I eat all of them at home and they are okay for me to have but they wouldn't let me have them. It got ugly to the point I told them I was going on a hunger strike and not eating another meal at the hospital. I mean, come on now. I'm 46 years old and I think I know what I can eat and how to cut it and chew it thoroughly. Debbie talked to my nurse and she called the doctor and I thought it was resolved. Then I tried to order dinner and it was another nightmare. I'm so glad to be home where I can make my own food and eat what I want to eat!

The atrial fibrillation resolved itself. The cardiologist says it may have been caused by stress (which I've been under quite a bit of lately but not said a lot about) or even my sleep apnea, though that diagnosis pisses me off. I did snore a LOT at my sister's last weekend sleeping in her recliner so I suppose that's possible. Now they wait to see if it happens again.

The heparin drip they had me on did something to my blood and my platelet count dropped enough to be a concern. Once they stopped the drip, the count started to rise again.

I had three IVs and all of them eventually blew. The multiple sticks to draw blood have totally ruined the vein in my right elbow bend. The gal from lab told me that. I am bruised up from all the jabs.

I have to go to the coumadin clinic on Thursday to see if my level is where they want it. It was still low but the cardiologist said if I stayed in the hospital it may be another 4-5 days before it was where it needs to be. Good thing he released me because I was about to go stir crazy and was likely the patient from hell the last two days there. I didn't mean to be but everything just got to me. Thankfully, they can do that test for level with a finger stick instead of a blood draw. I'll be on the coumadin for at least 4-6 weeks and then they will re-evaluate and see where we need to go. Fun!

It took so long to discharge me that I ended up having to say something. It really shouldn't take three plus hours to discharge someone from the hospital, in my humble opinion. My nurse had only three patients and that included me. She came on shift at 7 and by 7:30 knew I was going home. She never even came in to see me and check my vitals until 9:30 and then told me it would be three more hours before I could leave. What the ...? I ended up talking to the charge nurse who agreed to help get me out of there. I swear I heard a cheer go up from that crew when I left. Don't get me wrong, most of the time I was there I had excellent care. But the 3-11 shift the night before and then the day shift my last day were just awful. Guess they save the suck crew for the weekend which is just as well. (My apologies to any nurse reading who may be offended. I did not have a good experience with less than a handful of the nursing staff. For the most part they were an attentive, caring, helpful staff who were there to take care of patients and get the job done.)

I go back to work on Wednesday night. I think I'm strong enough. I will work Wednesday and Thursday and then be off for the weekend. I'll give next week a shot and see how it goes. If it's too much, I'll have my doctor write me up a note to do half shifts for a week to ease me back into it. I have to get back to work. I've got bills to pay and a life to live.

I can return to water aerobics a week from today if I feel up to it. I figure I'll see how I feel. I should be able to get back to that now, too.

It's good to be home. I got to sleep in my own bed, on my tummy no less. I had to get up about 4:30 because my back was hurting due to not sleeping like that for so long but it felt good to be sleeping in my own bed on my tummy once again.

Pain and pulling in my abdomen is almost nil. My abdomenal muscles are tight from getting up and down in bed but that's a good thing. Soon, I guess things will be back to normal here, whatever the heck that is!

In the Hospital

The hospital found my clothes from when I had surgery. They had already sent me gift checks for $100 so I purchased me two pair of size 4X drawstring pants and two 4X tops. They had said I could keep the money for the inconvenience. I thought was quite generous.

Tuesday afternoon I went to see my surgeon for my four week follow-up. I had felt a little off kilter since Saturday. I thought I just needed an adjustment in my blood pressure meds. He reached out and took my pulse and it was erratic. He had them do an EKG and it was abnormal. He called my primary doc who said to send me to the ER. Got to the ER and they determined I was in atrial fibrillation (a-fib) and I ended up being admitted. I was put on different medications and as of two nights ago my heart rhythm is back to normal. I am still here because I was placed on Coumadin and they need me to be at a therapeutic level before they release me. Hopefully I'll be out of here tomorrow.

Other than that, I've been doing fine. Eating is going well. No issues per the surgeon. I got to add veggies but by the time I get my protein down, I'm full. Weight loss is 387 down to 359 though the surgeon said 51 pounds. I don't know what number they have as my start number but it must be different than mine.

Kids have gone home. My sister Debbie came back up to help with Tim. She has been a God send and I am so very thankful for her. Without her I don't know what we would do.

Thanks Barb, for letting my friends know what was going on.

I'm Still Searching

I am still searching for a liquid protein that I like. I did try something I got from vitalady.com finally. It was orange flavored. I made orange crystal lite and added half the packet of powder. It was tolerable but oh so sweet. Next time, I'll use the rest of the bag and add it to just water and see how it is.

I got some high protein ice cream recipes from a blog but haven't tried any of them yet. I got an ice cream maker but am still checking out protein powders. I think I'll get me a small bag (7 servings) of the EAS chocolate and see how I like it. I hated the EAS pre-made shake but am willing to give this a shot. Seems what powder tastes good varies from person to person and what we liked before surgery can change. This is a frustrating process to say the least.

I'm feeling pretty well. Almost no pain now. I do get a "stitch" in my left side from time to time I'll be asking the doctor about it on Tuesday when I go for my four week follow-up. And there is still some pulling on the right but it isn't uncomfortable, just annoying. The incisions have all healed except my belly button. That poor belly button now has "love handles" from where they stapled the incision closed. LOL It's the only one that still has scabs and the drain hole is scabbed as well. That one is getting loose on the edges so will likely come off soon. (I hear lap band patients go home with steri-strips.)

I'm walking 1/4 mile at least once a day right now. I know I should be walking more, but for planned exercise that is pretty good for me. I'm working on increasing it to 1/2 mile this next week. I'm also doing more incidental walking so all is good. Hopefully, I'll be able to return to my water aerobics classes in a couple more weeks.

The hospital finally located my clothes. They lost them when I had surgery and until yesterday they were nowhere to be found. They turned up yesterday. The hospital had already sent me $100 to replace them and the gal said I could keep the money. So ... I went online to Woman Within (formerly Lane Bryant) and got some pretty good deals. I ordered a blouse, a sweater, two pair of 4X drawstring pants (planning ahead), and a new pair of bike shorts for the pool as the ones I was wearing are difficult to keep up now. I still have a little money left over so will be getting new socks and probably another bra since my old ones are too baggy for me to wear anymore.

Only other issue is that I've not had a menstrual cycle since August. Should have been here by now and I think that's part of the reason that my weight loss has slowed way down. I've never been regular so I'm not worried. I KNOW there is no way I am pregnant!

I also know it's slow because of not getting enough protein. I've said from the get-go of my weight loss journey that protein is key. It's all going to fall into place, I just have to keep my nose to the grindstone and believe in me.

I'm heading south later this morning. We're going downstate to visit with both of our daughters and the grands. We're all going to go out for dinner together. My sister who was here to help out during surgery is going to join us as well. I'll be taking photos and will post some next week.

Saturday we're going to Newport, IN to an antique auto show. This little bitty town thrives on this event and it's held the first weekend in October for as long as I can remember. To see what all goes on, feel free to do a Google search for Newport Hill Climb. I'll definitely be getting lots of incidental walking there.

We'll be back home on Sunday evening before dark. Tim doesn't want me to drive after dark for some strange reason. I think it's because he doesn't see well himself at night but no biggie. My younger sister (where we'll be staying) has to work Sunday night and will need to rest anyway. And I have to get things ready for Mandi and family as they will be here Monday thru Friday next week. I can't wait!

Have a GREAT weekend, y'all!

Protein

I tried the EAS Carb Control shake. It was just plain nasty to me. I tried the Atkins Advantage shake and it was also nasty. Then I tried a bottle of Isopure that someone told me would taste like kool-aid. Well it didn't taste like any kool-aid I've ever tried. I tried the Apple Melon which one would think would have more apple taste than melon since that comes first on the bottle. It was like drinking honeydew melon which I'm not all that fond of in the first place. I hated it. I hate that I've basically wasted $20 on all of those products to find out I can't drink any of them. I have one more bottle of Isopure Blue Raspberry. I'll try it but don't have high hopes. I'm going to have to just get my protein from what I eat, I guess. I do still have the vitalady.com samples I ordered. I'll give them each a shot but am a bit gun shy right now.

Other than that, things are going well. I did a LOT of walking yesterday. I may have even walked a little too much. My knees are still screaming today. At least I can take it easy today as we have no real plans except for going to church in a little while.

Mandi (youngest daughter), Tim (her hubby), and Chloe (granddaughter) left North Carolina on Friday night. After a detour and getting a little lost, they finally made it to his dad's house yesterday late afternoon. I'm thankful that they made it safely. They will be up to visit with us for a couple days this week.

Nothing else new going on. Still only getting about four hours sleep per night. Part of the problem is then I nap during the day. I'm working on breaking that little habit.

Have a wonderful Sunday, all!

Two Weeks Post-Op

I had my two week post-op appointment with my surgeon yesterday evening. It went quite well. The day of surgery I weighed 386 pounds. At my appointment yesterday their scale weighed me at 369 which is down 17 pounds since surgery. They then looked at my weight loss since the end of July when I went on the pre-op diet and were quite impressed as that makes down a total of 40 pounds!

They removed my staples. I am now staple free! Yea for me. The incisions are ugly looking to me but he said in 48 hours they will look totally different. The surgeon said that the pulling I'm feeling could be from some inner stitches they had to put in one of the incisions on my right side. The back pain is likely due to the adjustment of core muscles as I heal. He said I have probably made an adjustment to the way I walk (no kidding) due to the pain and the tummy muscles being penetrated. He said the back pain should go away as I continue to heal. He suggested liquid Tylenol to help with the pain until then, especially before I'm going to move around a lot. I think I'll pick some up and go from there. I'm not one to take medication, even for headaches, but I'm considering this for now. At the very least, it will help the pain to not be so strong.

Then I met with the nutritionist. She didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, pretty much. She said I'm eating the way I should be but may want to eat a little more at each sitting. I'm currently eating only about 2 ounces of protein each time I eat. She wants that to be at least 3 ounces. She also wants me to track the protein intake a bit better. I keep a food log, but haven't bothered with the counts so much. Guess I'd better pick up a protein count pocket book so I can track more accurately. She also suggested I drink at least one protein drink per day. I'm going to get some EAS Lite today to try in shake form and also some Isopure which should help. She said that will at least boost my protein levels to where they should be and I won't have to worry so much about getting enough. They will draw blood at my next appointment in October to check all my levels.

I am to continue to increase my walking. It is slow going but every day I challenge myself to do a little more. The surgeon also wants me to add going up and down at least one flight of stairs per day. He said it will help me to build the core muscles and exercise my calves which is still important to keep me from developing blood clots in my legs. It hurts to just step up and down at curbs but I'll do my best to start this. We do have stairs in our apartment building and I'll just go out and climb one flight of them for now. Eventually I'll add going up to the third floor but baby steps right now.

Overall, things are going well. I still tire pretty easily. The walking increases my back pain. Still going to check into getting some Spanx (or something similar from Lane Bryant) to help in smoothing things out. It will also help my muscles develop a bit as well.

The Woo Hoo Update

When I started this whole process, pre-surgery, I weighed 407 pounds. I weighed 387.5 when I went in for surgery two weeks ago Monday. I was currently at 370 this morning. That is an 18.5 pound loss since surgery. That means I'm down 30.5 pounds in the last two months. Woo hoo! I am now at the smallest weight I've been at in over 20 years. The numbers seem so unreal peering back up at me.

Eating is still going well. I'm still on protein only and getting really tired of it. I'm coping, though. I know it's only a matter of time and I'll be able to eat other healthy foods. This is just the beginning. I likened it to learning to ride a bike to Tim yesterday. Right now I have the training wheels on (learning how to eat properly by eating what is most important-protein). Soon I'll drop one training wheel and get used to leaning as I learn to balance another food group (adding veggies at 4 weeks post-op). And before I know it, the other training wheel will be off and I'll be able to eat all food groups, but in the proper amounts and proportions.

Pain is still minimal and I've not touched the pain medication in over a week now. I still have the tightness and pulling in my right abdominal area. When I sit on regular chairs for a long time or walk too much, I get a pain in my back. It's more a discomfort than a pain, but it can be distracting.

I'm drinking 48-64 ounces of water per day now. I seem to be able to get down Crystal Lite and hot tea easier than just water but I mostly drink water. I don't know why it is the way it is! I'm going to go get some Isopure to try which is a protein drink that supposedly tastes like kool-aid to help me ensure I am getting the protein I need. I'm also going to pick up some EAS protein shakes for the same reason. I ordered some protein powders from vitalady.com but have not tried them yet. I think I'm afraid as I've heard such negative comments about most protein powders. One of these days, I'll try them.

The hospital lost the clothes I wore in. They put them in a bag before surgery and they've not been seen since. I've been patient but had a rather expensive (in my opinion) pair of VANS gym shoes in there and I want them back or replaced. I'm going to give them until Tuesday and then call and talk to a patient advocate. Anyone going into the hospital for surgery, give your clothes to family to take to the car so this doesn't happen to you!

So, all in all, things are going quite well. I'm healing. I'm eating. I'm moving when I can. Best of all, I'm losing weight! Woo hoo!

(Edit: I almost forgot ... I go to see the surgeon on Tuesday for my two week post-op appointment. He should remove my staples. I should also meet with the Nutritionist who will look over my food diary and let me know how I'm doing. I'll likely not update until Wednesday.)

Progressing Well

So far, so good. I have not had any pain medication for about three days now. I do still have a tenderness pulling on one side which I am assuming is the area some of the work may have been done. Other than that, no real pain.

I'm eating and not having much problem other than being bored with the foods I get to eat right now. A couple more weeks and the pureed restriction will be lifted and then I can eat more variety. I will also be able to add veggies back into my diet. I'm not sure I'm eating enough but I don't feel hungry so figure I must be doing okay. I'm eating about two ounces per meal right now and it is all protein. I need to get out and purchase some Isopure or EAS protein drinks and see how they are. I'm hesitant to spend money on something that I'm not sure I'll like, but it would give my protein intake a BIG boost.

Emotionally, I'm still up and down, but heck, I was that way a long time before surgery so I don't really think it's surgery related. I'm hanging in there. Moving easier every day. Only able to sleep in my bed on my back. Last night, Tim and I stacked two sofa pillows on my side of the bed. One flat and the other leaned against it. That enabled me to sleep in bed from 10:30 PM to about 4 AM which would have been about how long I would have slept on my tummy before so I guess that was good. It sure was nice to get out of the recliner for the night, anyway. I did doze in it from 4-7, though.

Just to clairfy

I had the gastric bypass Rou-N-Y surgery. Pain is almost nil today. Did a little too much or I'd probably have no pain at all. Gonna try to sleep in bed tonight. We'll see how it goes. I'm a tummy sleeper.

Emotions and Update

Emotions are right on the surface. Being housebound not only because of surgery but because of rain hasn't helped much. When not raining, I could have at least left this little apartment for a walk outside. Praise the Lord, the rain has stopped and I'll be able to get outside and move more tomorrow. All week is supposed to be quite nice here. Yea!

I'm already tired of pureed chicken, pork, and scrambled egg. I had a little bit of cream of mushroom soup today and that was heaven! I love cream soups and am allowed to have them. Such a nice change of pace. Hot tea seems to help calm my tummy if it feels a little upset.

Only took pain med at bedtime. Still have pain in my right abdomen. It's like a pulling. Hurts but I'm dealing with it. And that's about it for me today.

Sorry for the dealy but I'm okay!

I'm home. I want to say thank you for the well wishes, good thoughts, and prayers. It was because of all the support I have that I went into surgery totally unafraid.

The gall bladder removal added four hours to my surgery. I had 30 stones in my gall bladder. Ouch! They had a hard time reaching it and thought they'd have to open me up, but managed with time and persistence to do the whole thing laproscopically. Thank you, Father in heaven!

Being home is a bit rough, but also a blessing. I can do what I want when I want. Tim has been great heating things for me and helping me up and down. I sent Debbie home yesterday. She has three dogs who here babies now and they missed her. I know how hard it is to be away from home and she couldn't do anything for me that Tim can't do now. She'll be back next Saturday and stay through Tuesday when I get my staples removed and have my two week post op follow-up visit.

I am still in pain, but it is better everyday. I've not had the liquid pain med which tastes really nasty since bedtime last night. The surgeon said the less of it I take, the better off I am so I'm taking him at his word. The pain has been tolerable.

I'm eating but amazed at how little I can eat. I'm trying to get down the water but it's not easy. I've also had diarrhea but it isn't explosive and it isn't clear which are two things I've been told to watch for. It also isn't all watery. Sorry, I know that's too much BM info!

It hurts to sit here but I wanted to post. I love you all and am thankful you are here. I'm hoping in a couple days I'll be back up to speed but that may be pushing it. I've been here long enough to type this post and already I'm feeling worn out!

Take care and I'll check back in a day or so when I can sit a bit longer!

Today is THE day!

Good morning friends,

Yesterday was a good day. My sister is here. We had a nice visit and just hung out. She's making a new afghan while she's here. Lavendar and light yellow and I got to choose the yarn. Not exactly what I wanted but the purple yarn they had was kind of a yucky shade so this will do.

Went to bed early because Sis is here and was sleeping on the sofa. Tonight she gets our bed and Tim will sleep on the sofa. He says he wants to so he can stay up late and not bother her. She goes to bed early and he doesn't since my schedule is so crazy.

I've taken my meds and am finishing off the bottle of water. Nothing else to eat or drink today. I still need to shower and shave the legs and pits. I need to weigh and measure myself as well as take that wonderful before surgery photo. And I STILL need to pack my bag! I have a list so I won't forget stuff but I wait until the last minute to do everything.

I'm not nervous at all. I'm just ready to have the surgery behind me. I know that operating room is going to be packed with angels today. So many prayers going up for me today. I am so blessed to have so many great friends and loved ones. I'll check in as soon as I can. Tim is way too confused on the computer or I'd have him post an update tonight. Sorry but y'all are just going to have to wait until I'm up to it to post it myself.

God bless and I'll check in as soon as I can.

Details

Surgery will be at 2 PM on Monday, Sept 8th. I have to be at the hospital about noon. I can eat until midnight. Yeah, right! I'll have my dinner meal about 5 PM and then nothing after that, more than likely. I can drink water from midnight until 7 AM and then nothing else. I take my blood pressure and thyroid meds in the morning, same as always. I figure by the time I'm starting to feel hunger I should be under anesthesia and won't know I'm hungry! LOL

Tim was diagnosed yesterday as being legally blind. Not sure what that means really as far as his SSI is concerned. We've been told it means he is eligible for more benefits. He put a call in to his adjudicator today to find out. I do know we can go back three years on our taxes amend them to include this as a tax deduction which could mean more money for us. Other than that, it's just one more freaking diagnosis for him to have to come to terms with.

Oh, and I forgot to say I'm back down to 390.5 which is where I was exactly one month ago. I'm hoping to be at 387 by Monday which would be 20 lbs lost on the pre-op diet. It hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

A question for Janet ... I've been reading about some kind of antiseptic soap I should be bathing with, except face and privates before going into the hospital to help with germs. Is that necessary or will I be okay using my usual soap? I'll do it if I have to but it seems like overkill to me. I read this in my online surgery support group. As a nurse, what do you think? I'd have to go back and read again to find the name but it's some kind of surgical soap I can buy at Walgreens.

I promise to post as soon as I can to let you all know how things went and that I'm okay.

Doctor Appointment Update

My doctor was pleased with the weight I've lost since I last saw him about 2 months or so ago (a total of about 16 pounds). I told him it had been more but when my original surgery was cancelled I ate my way back up about ten pounds before I got a grip and got back in the swing. He chuckled and said he understood. The thing is, I honestly do think he 'gets it'. He is so supportive and I feel blessed to have a doctor like him.

He re-took my BP as it was a little up when the nurse took it. She took it in my right arm and usually they use my left. She also took it just after I stepped up to get on the table (why don't they have tables that you can just sit down on like my cardiologist) and the whole table tipped and I almost fell. When the doctor took it, it was just fine! He said he'd call over the report of our visit today (Weds.) and make sure that the hospital gets the lab results for the bloodwork he had done after our appointment. Lastly, he said he'd see me on Tuesday! No more hurdles or obstacles ... just my own thoughts and emotions followed by the surgery. I can hardly believe it's almost here. Five days and counting!

Wow!

Sorry about that. I didn't realize that it has been so long since I last posted here. Life has been tossing us a few curve balls lately.

Went down south for Nadia's first birthday party. It was okay but she really doesn't know us because we live so far away so she wanted nothing to do with us. Her big sister Cecelia didn't want much to do with us because her other grandma was there and she spoils that girl rotten. At least we were there, though.

I go to my primary care doctor on Tuesday and then have bloodwork drawn for the hospital. Wednesday I go to my last water aerobics class until I'm cleared post-op which will be 4-6 weeks. Thursday I take Tim back to the opthalmologist for a vision field acuity test to check his peripheral vision. Depending on the results, he may be then be declared legally blind which will give us one more deduction at tax time. (Like he needs one more diagnosis!) Friday afternoon I call the hospital for the time of my surgery on Monday. Saturday I get to do final grocery shopping and a quick clean of the apartment in preparation for my sister's arrival. She will arrive on Sunday after church and we'll go to get some yarn. She's going to crochet me a new afghan while she's here with us. Monday it's off to surgery for me.

I'm hoping and praying I'll be just busy enough to not dwell on things. As soon as I can, I will post to let you all know I'm okay but don't worry when you don't hear anything on Monday. Tim's going to bring my laptop up to the hospital on Tuesday and I'll at least do a "hey" post. I'm so ready for this but it doesn't seem real, yet.

Have a great week and I'll do my best to check in during the week to update anything that needs to be updated.

Back on Track

I seem to be back on track. I had gained back up to 399 but as of this morning I am back down to 393.5 lbs. I was down to 391 previously so am almost back to where I was when I went off my pre-op diet.

Also, when I got up today all of my regular pants are in the laundry. I scrounged and found a pair in a drawer someone sent me a couple years ago that I never wear. One they are a light bone color which isn't a color I would buy and two they are only a size 4X. I put them on and found that they actually fit quite well. They also have a drawstring so I'll be able to wear them as I lose weight for a while. I have a black pair just like them. Yea for me!

The date is set

I got a call from the gal who schedules the surgeries yesterday. She offered to move me up to Thursday, Sept. 4th. All things considered, that wasn't going to make much of a difference in my life and was going to mess with my timing of my weeks off so I declined. The surgery date is now going to be September 8th. My older sister is going to come up to be with Tim while I'm in the hospital and to stay for at least a week. I'm thankful to have her come as she is a CNA who works in a hospital so she knows how to best help me.

Other than that, nothing much to report here. I'm back on my pre-op diet and making myself stick to it. I had gained some weight the week I was off but not beating myself up over it. My body was holding onto everything anyway since I'd been on such a low calorie diet for so long. Hopefully, I'll get back down to my lowest weight which was 391. I got a little ways to go. Ha!

Been one of those weeks

It's been a week that made things difficult to stay focused and positive. I did have to make a second trip down to my brother's to get my rear brakes repaired. All new rotars and brake pads. Thankfully, he saved us a LOT of money by helping us out and doing the work himself. Everything seems to be okay, for now. "knocking on wood"

Found out that Mandi and Chloe will be staying with her hubby's dad and stepmom instead of with us. I totally understand why. She and Chloe will have their own room, the house is much bigger than our little apartment, and maybe she can reconnect with a friend or two but ... it still hurts that she doesn't want to stay with us. I got the whole "I'll visit you every couple weeks speech" but I doubt that will happen. It didn't before and I know this time will be no different. I'm just bummed about that.

Will call the surgeon's office on Tuesday to find out if my official date is September 8th. That's the date I was last told, but she also said there was a slight chance it could be earlier on a Thursday instead of a Monday. She had to talk to the surgeon who will be back on Monday this week.

Weight has gone up a bit. It's because I had a bad week and my eating reflected it. I am back on track and back on the pre-op diet so things should be okay.

Hope all are well.

Just Stuff

The weight loss has slowed to non-existance. I think my body has gone into starvation mode. I am coming off the pre-op diet for this week and will hit the ground running again on Sunday. I'm not eating unhealthy, just eating different things and getting a few more calories.

I have one more week of water aerobics and then the Weds after Labor Day and I'm done until after surgery. I'm told it will be 4-6 weeks that I'll have to be out. I guess I better make sure I have a good pair of walking shoes as it sounds like that's the only form of exercise I'm going to be getting.

My car is a piece of crap. My brother put new front brakes on it over the weekend. Everything seemed fine. Then, Sunday afternoon I notice a noise from the rear of the car. I think it now needs rear brakes. They just put those on the car less than 10,000 miles ago, I'm sure. Going to take it back to the dealer and see what's going on. I am so irritated by this I could scream. I don't have the money right now to pay for repairs on this heap. It's supposed to be a nice car. We maintain it pretty well and yet, this happens. If it is the rear brakes, they need to fix them yet again!

Cardiology Results and New Surgery Date

Just back from the cardiologist and it was exactly as I knew it would be. There is NOTHING wrong with my heart. I have not had a heart attack. I am just FINE! I could have had my surgeon and my surgery and been recuperating right now. But ... everything happens for a reason. I know that.

That said, called the surgeon's office and the earliest she can get me back on the schedule is September 8th so it's another month of waiting for me. I don't think that's fair but then life isn't fair. Being a spiritual person, I'm pretty sure I'm starting to figure out part of the why when I looked at my calendar. It's disappointing and I'm not giving up. I'm not giving up on my surgery nor am I going to take back my committment I've made to something at church. I am going to win!

I will continue on the diet, somewhat but will likely not be quite as careful about the dinner meal. I don't want to regain what I've lost but I think my body is going into starvation mode as the scale hasn't changed in a few days. Changing things up for the next couple weeks before restarting the pre-op diet may be just what my body needs.

I'm trying to look at this how everyone else will tell me to see it. I still get to have surgery. I now know my heart is fine. It's better to be safe than sorry. I really don't care. The disappointment of having to wait so long is still here. I know it's selfish and stupid but it is what it is and I am who I am.

There is a slim chance the surgery date could be moved up but I'm not holding my breath. The surgeon is out of town next week and the schedulerer said she'd talk to him the following Monday when he returns. If he agrees to do the surgery on a Thursday instead of a Monday, I may get in a little sooner. We'll see. Right now I'm planning on Sept 8.

Surprise

Got a surprise call from my original surgeon this morning. He said he was sorry he wasn't going to be able to do my surgery but assured me that his partner (Dr. V) will take very good care of me. He said for me not to let this recent development discourage me at all. I thought it was sweet of him to call me personally. I told him I guess I'd have to accept second best but would rather have had him doing my surgery.

I went for the first part of the stress test yesterday. I had to walk on a treadmill and get my heart rate over 140 for them to do the test. It took less than three minutes for me to achieve that. Then they injected some kind of nuclear medication into an IV and I had to wait about 30 minutes. Went and laid on a very uncomfortable surface for 15 minutes while a camera took multiple pictures of my heart. I go back tomorrow morning for the second part of the test which is another injection and more pictures. I meet with the cardiologist on Friday afternoon and we'll see what he says about proceeding with surgery of if I have in fact had a heart attack.

I still just want all of this behind me and the surgery to be over. I suppose that's only natural.

Stress Test Scheduled

Thanks everyone for your support and encouragement. I know that this is just the latest speed bump in my journey. I have moved beyond it and accepted it knowing that the surgery will happen in God's time and not my own. There is a reason this has happened and in time I may even find that out! I sometimes wish I had His playbook but then life would be oh so boring.

I have an appointment for the first part of the 'cardiolite' stress test tomorrow morning. The second part will be on Thursday morning and I meet with the cardiologist on Friday afternoon to discuss the results. They stressed over and over again that I MUST be under 400 lbs to have this test. Funny, I had this same test two years ago and weighed at least 425 lbs and they did it no problem. At any rate, my scale weighed me at 390.5 today so even if their scale adds 5 lbs (which just about every scale in that hospital does), I should be fine. It just irritates me that she said it about six times during our conversation!

I've alerted the surgeon's office of all the appointment times and dates. The cardiology office suggested they may put me back on the schedule with a cancellation clause in case. I had to leave a message at the surgeon's office and we'll see what happens. I'm betting they won't schedule me until they have the clearance but we'll see.

That's where I'm at. I took tonight off work since I have the stress test early in the morning. I also took off the night before part two for the same reason. Thankfully, I had two sick days I could use for this part which still leaves my vacation and donated sick time in place for the surgery itself. So ... wish me success and pray there is really wrong with my heart. Not only would it affect my surgery but it would really mess with my mind.

And now it's shower time, dinner time, and off to my water aerobics class. I was so tempted to say to heck with it. Barb and anonymous, my first instinct was to head for the fridge. I did grab two small pieces of pizza Tim had the night before. I ate them and wanted something else and then my mind came back. What was I doing to me? I cannot react to disappointment by eating. I really wanted a pound of fried mushrooms from Brown's Chicken. I didn't give in to that, either. I can't wreck all that I've accomplished. Unlike others, I don't turn to sweets when upset, I turn to food in general. I managed to break that cycle this time and feel good about only eating the two small rectangles of pizza.

Have a good one and expect an update later on Friday afternoon.

Surgery Cancelled

Totally devestated right now. Got a call from my doctor. Surgery is cancelled for now. Something not right in my EKG so I have to have a stress test before anything else. Said the EKG shows I've had a heart attack since my last surgery. Huh? You'd think I'd know if I had a heart attack. I am very disappointed. Now my surgeon is not going to do the operation. When this is all behind me it will be his partner to do the surgery. I can't say anything else right now as the tears are coming on again. I know it's just a bump but it's one I didn't need right now.

Surgery Time

My surgery will be at 4:15 PM on Monday. I'm not happy with the time, but will survive. Last food will likely be a boiled egg and one slice of whole grain toast at 6 AM. All food stops at 7 AM. Can have water up to 11 AM and then nothing after that at all, not even a stick of gum! I have to be at the hospital at 2:45 PM so will likely check in on Monday morning and then be MIA until Tuesday. Tim is going to bring my laptop to me when he comes that day and if I'm up to it, I'll jump on to at least let you all know how I'm doing.

I have mixed emotions but a busy weekend planned so hopefully time will pass quickly. This last week has been rough and seemed two weeks long!

Hanging In There

I'm hanging in there. Went to my last water aerobic class last night. It went well but the water was pretty chilly. Everyone was so excited for me and supportive. All told me to just do what the doctor and nutritionist say and I'll be fine. It was nice to have the added encouragement and support. All said they'll be looking forward to my return when cleared by my surgeon.

I'm having something going on with my right leg. It has happened before. It's like a dull ache down to the bone and it really hurts. It goes from my hip all the way down my shin to my ankle. When I rub it, the area is a little bit tender. I had something I was taking for it but I can't take that right now. No Nsaids, ibuprofen, aleve, etc ever again. It can lay in one spot and eat into my stomach lining, especially after surgery with my little bitty pouch. Nothing much gives me relief. This morning, so I could sleep, I did take one of the pills I used to take (that I'm not supposed to). I won't do it again but I had to have some relief so I could sleep as I have this last night of work. The pain was so bad that I was in tears. And Tim rubbed Bengay on it. He's such a honey bear! Between the two I got enough relief to get about five hours of sleep. Yea for me! I'm going to get some more Tylenol later. It's the only 'pain killer' I can have right now and after surgery so may as well lay some in. Well, that's other than the drug the doc sends me home with!

Got my book in the mail today. It's called 'Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies' and came highly recommended by many. It is an easy read and covers everything from deciding if WLS is right for you, choosing a surgeon, insurance and how to get approval, preparing for the surgery, going through the surgery, after surgery, exercise, recipes, and a lot more. I'm so excited to finally get it. I ordered it a while ago from amazon.com but the vendor had to back order it.

Other than that, I'm doing fine. Weight has come down to 393 and has remained there for the last two days. I'm still following the diet so don't know why the stall, but I'm not going to sweat it. That still means I've lost 14 pounds since starting the pre-op diet so they (surgeon and whoever else cares) should be happy. I'm okay with how it's gone.

I'm just ready for this to be over. This has been THE LONGEST week of my life, I think. I'm guessing the same will be said of the weekend. I did a little bit of second guessing about this being the right thing yesterday. I've read that's pretty normal at this stage. I know it's going to be a life-saving and live-changing event for me. I know it's what I have to do to be healthy and improve the quality of life I have as well as extend my life. It's all just head games right now.

But, I'm okay. I'm going to do this and keep moving.

Busy day

I'm down from 407 last Friday to 397 today. They said on the pre-op diet I'd lose 10-20 lbs these two weeks but I was skeptical to say the least. I had to retire my pajama pants (which are actually an old pair of capri pants I hated) this morning. I can't keep them up anymore. I'm almost out of my size 5X pants. I have a couple pair of 4X so I'll wear those and when they are falling off, I'll buy a couple pair of drawstring 3X pants.

The pre-op diet is going well. I haven't cheated but to add an extra mozzarella stick each day. I figure it's protein and they allow me 'empty calories' from sugar free popsicles or such so why not at least make the calories count? I'm not minding it and obviously from the info imparted above, it's working just fine.

When I called pre-admissions yesterday I found out when the surgeon does my surgery he's also going to remove my gall bladder. I don't know if that's because something showed on my gall bladder ultrasound back in March or if he just does this as a part of the procedure as some surgeons do. When people lose a good amount of weight, gall bladder problems usually follow. I'm grateful because I figure that's one less surgery I'll have to have down the road.

Got all my FMLA paperwork completed and turned in. I have two weeks covered by vacation time. One week is currently covered by donated sick time for one of my co-workers who gave me 40 hours of her own banked sick time. What a blessing! I have the HR department soliciting the company for 40 more hours. That will cover four weeks which I just found out yesterday is the minimum time off I can expect. The FMLA paperwork said 4-6 weeks. Praying it's only four as that's about all I'm going to have covered to be paid. Whatever happens, the Lord will work it out.

And now for the bad news ... Took my hubby to the neurologist today and he was finally diagnosed formally with Parkinson's. I had feared for some time now that was what caused his tremors but had so hoped it wasn't true. Now it is and it has rocked my world a little. It can grow to be an ugly thing as the disease progresses. I felt my heart tear just a bit when she confirmed it.

It's a Go!

I just got off the phone with my favorite Utilization Review person at my medical group. My surgery has been authorized and approved! I really am having this surgery on August 4th; less than two weeks to my newest beginning. I cannot express the gratitude and excitement I feel as well as the relief of knowing it is now really going to happen. I am so dang EXCITED!

Day two of the new diet has gone well thus far. Changed things up a bit so if you're interested, here's how my eats for today have looked so far ...

11:45 PM South Beach 100 Calorie Chocolate Snack Bar
2:30 AM Strawberry Protein Drink
6 AM Slice of whole wheat bread with 1 oz turkey and mustard

My main meal in a little while will likely be a repeat of yesterday. There are other things I can have but that one works for me so I'll probably repeat it today. I've had two bottle of water so far today. Later on, about 7 or 8 PM I'll have my second Protein Drink and I need to drink two more bottles of water. I'm working on the first one now.

Jamie, I spoke with the gal in my water aerobics class last night and she said she was on a very similar diet the two weeks before her lap band surgery. Her surgery was one week ago and she was back in class last night. Five steri-strips covering her incisions and it's all good. She took it a little easy but said other than feeling hungry, she's doing fine. Her surgeon requires two weeks liquid diet post op before she gets to start mushy foods.

Many hugs to all of you for your support. Thanks once again for being here with me on this special journey to regain my life.

One day almost done

I started the pre-op diet today. Here is what I've had to eat so far today:

11:45 pm last cereal bar (since the diet didn't officially start til midnight. Ha!)
3 am protein chocolate milk drink
6 am tuna with fat free mayo
4 pm grilled chicken breast on whole wheat bun and a salad with light dressing

I also drank two bottles of water through the night. After my water aerobics class I'll finish off today with the following ...

9 pm protein strawberry milk drink

11:45 pm South Beach 100 cal chocolate snack bar

I will also drink at least two more bottles of water today. I had a little bit of hunger pangs but made it and know that I can do this. Woo hoo!

The "Liver Shrink" Diet

I met with the nutritionist today. She is the person who runs the bariatric nutrition support groups that I plan on attending post surgery. I could go now, but have chosen to wait.

Here's the diet I have to stick to for the next two weeks. It isn't nearly as bad as I had thought it might be.

Breakfast--Protein Beverage (will probably do Carnation Instant Sugar-free with added dry milk powder OR Slimfast Low Carb which were two of the options on the list she gave me)

Lunch--Protein Beverage

Dinner--2-3 oz protein, 2 servings of starch, 2 servings veggies, 1 serving fat OR a Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice meal as long as it has meat in it

I can also have 2 snacks with quite a list to choose from if I need them and also up to two servings per day of sugar free popsicles, fudgesicles, jello, 1 c soup broth, sugar free hard candy or fat free cool whip.

In addition to all that I must start the vitamins that they are going to require me to take for the rest of my days. They are called Optisource and she said they are only available at Walgreens stores or their online store. I thought I could take chewable Flintstone vitamins but she said these would be the best as they are formulated for gastric bypass patients. Okay, I'll do what I'm told. They're a little pricey but I want this to all work out!

I also have to drink a minimum of 64 oz of liquids per day. I get water, crystal light, diet v-8 splash, unsweetened decaf tea, minute maid lite, and sugar-free kool-aid.

We talked about my weird working and sleeping hours and I think we came up with a workable schedule for meals that will work now and then post-op when I return to work. I figure it will all work itself out eventually.

She said that I am down five pounds since the last time I was there. I weighed 412 on their scale and 407 on mine this morning. Their scale has always weighed me five pounds heavier and the nurse said that everyone says that so I'm guessing their scale is five pounds heavy. She also said that on this diet I should lose 10-20 pounds over the next two weeks. It is to shrink my liver so that they can move it easier to get to my stomach for the pouch and bypass.

So that's where it all stands for now. I'm going to start this and know in my heart that insurance approval is just around the corner. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Hee hee!

My head is spinning

Are y'all ready for this? I am scheduled for surgery on August 4th! My mind started whirling and I was thinking "are you freaking kidding me?". That is two weeks from Monday! Oh my. Then she went on to say that it is pending insurance approval but they don't think there will be a problem with that. I don't think there will be either.

I have so much to do. I did call the bariatric center and am waiting for a call-back from the nutritionist about what kind of diet I need to follow for the next two weeks. It's either a liquid or partial liquid diet that is designed to shrink my liver. Wow! Can you even believe it's only two weeks away? I am still amazed!

I have to go for pre-admission testing but was not in the system yet so they couldn't set me up for any of that. I'll wait til later today to call back or tomorrow.

I have to fill out the paperwork for FMLA at work. I need to request a donation of sick time from other employees so I will be guaranteed a minimum of three weeks off paid before I have to worry about it. (The surgeon told me I'd be off 3-4 weeks at least and I'm hoping it's only three as I don't know that I can cover four financially.) I need to get some things done here at home but I guess I have two weeks to get it done. Gosh, thinking of all I have to do has my head spinning.

Okay, breathing and moving on.

A few photos to share

I have a few photos to share. My new avatar over there on the right is my granddaughter Cecilia and I in the pool at my brother's on the 5th of July. We had such fun!



This one is Ceci and her baby sister Nadia who will be one year old next month.




And this one is of Chloe Jayne who turned one in April.

Nothing else to say. Just wanted to share the pictures since I finally made time to load them on my computer.

Finally ...

Finally, after much angst and many phone calls, the psychologist who did my psych eval sent the report to the bariatric center. It was the final report they were waiting on. The bariatric center faxed 42 pages to my surgeon for review before submission for insurance approval. The nurse there said that I should hear back with an approval in the next two weeks since I have an HMO. I sure hope so because I am ready to get this done and proceed on. I can hardly wait!

Still going to the water aerobics. It's been six weeks I've stuck with it now. I just signed up for the next six week session. The trainer said if I have surgery during the session, they will refund a portion of the money to me. I just know that as soon as I'm cleared, I'll be back in the water.

I moved up to the harder hand weights in the pool and the more difficult stretch bands this week. The trainer thought I was ready. Boy did I feel the difference! It was a good ache, though so I'll continue with the more difficult ones. It's all about building muscle to replace the fat and if I hurt a little bit, I know it's got to be working, right?

So that's the status on everything right now. When I have a surgery date, I'll be sure to be screaming it. Thanks again for all the support from y'all.

What a weekend!

I had the most wonderful weekend over the holiday weekend. We drove downstate and visited with my family. We stayed Thursday night with my brother and his wife. She made yummy spaghetti with tossed salad and garlic bread for dinner. We visited a little bit and then I fell asleep cuz I hadn't had much sleep before we drove down.

Friday got up and spent the day with my sister and her family. We went in her new pool which is really nice. She got steps that would support my weight. The water was very COLD but we survived. Moving around helped somewhat. Dinner there was steak on the grill with california blend veggies, au gratin potatoes, and crescent rolls. Yum! Dessert was turtle pie of which I had a sliver. Then we went to see the fireworks. I think it was the first time Tim and I had been to fireworks since our girls were little! They were AWESOME and we had a wonderful time.

Saturday we headed back to my brother's for fun in his pool. It is huge and the water was freezing! I managed to spend about two hours in there, though. My daughter showed up with Crys and Nadia and they joined me in the water for a little while. It was so much fun!

He had a lot of food there ... big fat hotdogs, various brats, chicken of all kinds, teryaki deer strips, baked beans, mac n cheese, au gratin taters, chips and dip, pickles, and then the most yummy mushrooms I ever tasted; not very diet friendly, but I didn't go hog wild. My sister-in-law cuts off the stem of the mushroom and stuffs a piece of kielbasa or sausage in there. She wraps two strips of bacon around it and secures it with a toothpick. She then bakes (or in this case grilled) them until the bacon is done. Oh my but they were delicious!

The bugs started to get to me so we left and went back to my sister's. We ended up getting into her pool (which was warmer than my brother's) and playing monkey in the middle with one of her sons and her hubby. It was so much fun! Relaxed and fell asleep so spent an extra night there.

This was the best weekend we've had in forever!

On the surgery front, I call the bariatric center today to make sure they finally got the psych report. The psychologist assured me last Tues she would send it by Friday. They will fax my chart to the surgeon on Weds and hopefully by Monday he'll send it on to the insurance company. It's all a waiting game now.

So that's that! God bless America, this beautiful land we live in. And may God bless you, too!

Quick Update

Stopping in with a quick update and then it's off to bed for me. I am pretty tired this morning and have had the mother of all headaches for most of the night.

I got a call from the bariatric treatment center my surgeon is with. They said that they were ready to fax my chart to the surgeon for his approval and discovered that the nurse had marked off that they have received psychiatric clearance, but they have not. She requested I call the doctor I saw and ask her to fax the report to them so they can then get the chart to my surgeon. Naturally I did that immediately! LOL

I'm still going to and loving the water aerobics classes. I end up with some muscle tenderness after each class, but I figure that's a good thing. They seem to work different parts of the body and that is nice so we don't get tired of it or bored with it. This past Wednesday it was the arms. One of the gals in class (who just got approval for lapband surgery on July 14th) said she wants "fabulous arms" so the instructor focused on our arms. Can I just say mine were screaming "stop" long before she moved on to the core? Still it wasn't bad and I am slowly making friends there who understand all I'm going through right now. I will definitely be going to the support group meetings every month post surgery. I'm also going to join the other exercise classes post surgery when the surgeon says it's okay to return exercising. I will already know people there and that's half the battle. The other half is it's a class for large people or people who've been large so I just don't have to be so self conscious about how I look.

Anyway, thanks to all for stopping by and posting. It's nice to have the support. Randy, I have misplaced your email addy. Maybe I need to stop by 'The Cabin' if I can find the link for it and see how things are going with you, Eric and the others. Have you heard from Karen lately? Last I knew she was very ill and I've been thinking about her a lot lately.

Take care all and I'll update again soon.

Pulmonary Visit Completed

I'm just back from the appointment with the pulmonary doctor. He said he sees no reason not to give the go ahead for surgery, from a lung standpoint. He did caution me about using the breathing apparatus post surgery so I don't get pneumonia. He also gave a couple other cautions that I cannot for the life of me remember right now. I also had chest x-rays done. Status now is to check with the bariatric center tomorrow to see if they have everything they need. Chart gets sent to the surgeon for a once over and his approval. Then it all goes to the insurance and the wait begins. I pray they don't keep me waiting and approval is swift. Now that I've decided to do this, I just want it behind me.

Paying Off

Seems the water aerobics is paying off. I have dropped nine pounds since starting and the inches are also coming off somewhat. I am pleased with those results and still am enjoying the classes. One thing that helps is that there are three different instructors so things are changed up all the time.

This week will be a busy one for me. I have an appointment to see my primary doc on Monday afternoon. Tuesday I have a meeting at work mid-day, smack in the middle of my sleeping time. I don't have a choice but to go. Wednesday I have my appointment with the pulmonary doc and hopefully that will wrap up the testing. The file will then go to the surgeon for his approval and then be sent on to the insurance company for their approval. I think I'll just be glad when this week is over!

Water Aerobics

Okay, so I finally went to water aerobics last night. The pool has glass windows over it and the sun was shining yesterday. The water temp was 86 though it didn't feel that warm to me! The rest of the group assured me it was definitely warmer than usual.

Who knew one could sweat in the pool? I had it running over my face and into my eyes. I got quite the workout. I managed to pull something twice (once in my inner thigh doing a move and the other I twisted my knee). But no worries. I managed to keep up with everyone else and it was kind of fun. We lifted and pointed. We jogged. We did jumping jacks and scissor steps. We played volleyball. We used some kind of hand weight things and did a lot of movement with them. We did cross country skiing. We used "noodles" and rode bicycles in the water. It really wasn't like working out at all. After all the bouncing, we ended with stretching.

My knees ache, but I know that will pass in time. I have some aches in my thighs and in my arms and shoulders. I figure that's a sign that my muscles did some work. I will definitely go back and am enrolling in the class, twice a week for six weeks. I figure by the time the class ends, I will hopefully be headed for surgery. Everyone was very nice, though most of them were people who have been going to this class for more than a year, they welcomed me right in.

No one cared that I had on shorts and a t-shirt. One gal even said you'd be amazed at some of the outfits that people wear there! Now I just have to get my clothes dried out so I can go again tomorrow!