Bariatric Babe

Shutting down - for now

2009-05-22T19:11:00.003-04:00

I think I am going to shut this blog down for a while. With my surgery on hold indefinitely, I just feel like I don't have much to contribute here right now. I have another blog that you can check out if you would like - http://glickgirls.blogspot.com/ - but that one is going private soon so shoot me an email if you would like access.

I am going to continue to read all of your blogs, so I'm not really going anywhere.........

Thanks!

Update

2009-05-19T17:57:00.004-04:00

So after 2 Walk In Centers, 2 Emergency Rooms, 2 visits to our Primary Care doc and now 2 visits to the Ear Nose and Throat Specialist all in the last 6 days, I think they FINALLY know what is going on with me and how to treat it.

After all this, they are calling it Swimmer's Ear. That's IT I said? Swimmer's Ear? That sounds......so.......BORING, lol. OK, it's a very severe case of Swimmer's Ear they said..........*sigh*. I really think they need a better name for this. Swimmer's Ear just doesn't seem enough to describe me writhing in pain for 4 days and nights straight, needing narcotic level pain meds every 4 hours via an IV or oral meds, loss of hearing on my right side (hopefully temporary) and even the inability to eat or drink for 5 days because the swelling spread to the rest of my face and I couldn't even chew without pain. Honestly, I have never felt pain like this in my entire life. I would go through child birth 4 times over without drugs rather than go through this again, that's how excruciating it's been. No, I am sorry, SWIMMER'S EAR does not even begin to come close to describing this for me!

Anyway, the long story short is that I am on about 5 different meds right now and I am supposed to go back to the ENT on Thursday afternoon for a follow up. Hopefully at that point the arsenal they are pounding me with right now will help even more, but I think I am finally starting to feel some relief. The fact that I only took 2 pain meds since 6am this morning is progress for me for sure.

Between Larry's stomach issues late last week and all of this, I am starting to feel like I would be happy to never see the inside of a hospital or medical facility again! It's probably going to take me quite a while to recover emotionally as well as psychologically from this whole thing and I would be lying if I didn't say that WLS was definitely rethought about a couple of times in all this!!! Still on the fence on that one..........

Anyway, I hope everyone else is doing well and sorry for being MIA for so long now. Hopefully as I continue to recover I will be able to spend some quality couch time catching up on everyone since I am out of work the rest of the week as it stands right now. You know I MUST be really sick if I didn't touch my computer for 5 days straight by choice! :)

Where do I even begin?

2009-05-14T19:45:00.004-04:00

I know I have been quiet lately. Part of it was because I having dealing with the "after effects" of having my surgery put off, with no real answer as to when it will happen. I have experienced a lot of emotions around that and found them hard to put into words and/or talk about.

Then last night, my husband ended up in the hospital Emergency Room and in the 12 hours or so that we were there we heard every theory from constipation to cancer. I am totally freaked now to say the least.

The long story short is this. He was having bad stomach pains. They eventually did a CT scan and saw some inflammation of the pancreas. So then they were trying to figure out what caused the inflammation. Again, we heard everything from constipation to gallstones to a mass/tumor. I love how doctors speculate out loud with people's lives.......especially at 3am........We saw 5 different ER doc's last night and every one of them kept using the words "concerned" when it came to the CT scan. We went from a Resident to the highest level doc in the ER last night and they all seriously FREAKED me the heck out with what they were saying.

Anyway, we went home around 4am and ended up at our Primary Care at 10am this morning. She seemed less alarmed and was leaning towards the fact that he might have passed a gallstone since the pain is about 80% gone now, but they never actually did anything for him. She thinks it's possible that is what caused the inflammation. I started to feel better after we saw her.

Over the next week he is going to have an Ultrasound, MRI, and bloodwork and then we have an appointment a week from today to follow up with her and go over the results of everything.

*sigh* Cautiously optimistic that everything is ok, but the internet is bad thing to have......I have started to read about pancreatic cancer and now I have convinced myself that is what's going on and I am freaking out again. I tend to do that, jump to worst case scenario - but I can't help it.

The REALLY freaky thing is that if my surgery had not been postponed, I would be in the hospital myself right now and he would be alone with the kids and having this go on.......They say everything happens for a reason and I guess it's true...........

So, with all these conflicting emotions right now, I am a basket case to say the least. A day at a time right now and I will keep everyone posted as I hear anything new......

Food Journal

2009-05-08T16:07:00.006-04:00

In an effort to continue down the path I have started of eating healthier and continuing to try and take off some weight, I am going to start journaling my daily food intake here. I am hoping to do it every day - we'll see if that actually happens :)

Breakfast

Lean Dessert Fresh Cinnamon Roll protein shake (OMG, this was SO good btw!!!) - 130 calories, 20g protein

Lunch

Unjury Chicken Soup flavored protein (again, I REALLY like this!) - 90 calories, 20g protein

1 Apple - about 100 calories

Snack

Almonds - 100 calories, 4g protein

Cup of tea - o calories

Dinner

Lean Cuisine Pizza - 340 calories, 14g protein

Total Calories consumed: 760
Total Protein consumed: 58

We are Stronger Than We Give Ourselves Credit For

2009-05-08T14:29:00.002-04:00

We all have things that keep us from moving forward with our lives, and it takes strength and courage to move through these experiences. The challenges come in different forms, and arrive in our lives at different stages of our personal development. "How do I find my place?" "How do I develop a support system of friends that accept and support me for who I am today?" "How do I balance work and family?" "How do I find time for myself?" "Am I strong enough to run 2 miles?" "Am I strong enough to face what is ahead of me?" Avoiding our challenges is easy, keeping our heads down and continuing on our current paths. Yet, when we do, we keep from moving forward with our lives. We miss out on all of the wonderful things that happen to us on our journey toward our goals. It is often the experiences along the way are often more valuable than our intended endpoint. (from the Beautiful Women Project)

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” Henry Ford

Moving Forward......

2009-05-07T08:50:00.004-04:00

Thank you to everyone that responded to my rantings and ravings yesterday. As you can imagine, it was a very tough & emotional day for me.

I spoke to my PC doc last night and basically the long story short is this: Surgery is on hold until we can get my thyroid levels where they need to be. This could honestly take anywhere from 6 week to 6 months if not more depending on how long it takes to find the right dosage of meds for me.

I am moving ahead, doing what I need to do. I have already had another round of bloodwork done and I am picking up my first round of meds today to try. 6 weeks from now I will do new bloodwork and see what the new meds show. If they don't do it, he will need to increase the dosage, and then I will again need to wait 6 weeks to take new bloodwork to check the levels. This will go on as long as it takes to get my TSH under 5. So you see how it could potentially take 6 months or more to get this all figured out.

In the meantime, I have decided to use this time as a continued learning experience. It's AMAZING how much I have learned in getting ready for this surgery as far as healthy eating, the importance of protein, the effect carbs has on us, etc. I have lost 7lbs in the last week just on the pre-op diet alone, and I don't plan to give that up. While I won't continue on only 600 calories a day now, I do plan to continue eating more healthy with smaller portions and see if I can make a difference in my weight "the old fashioned way" while I wait for this to all be straightened out. And who knows? By the time I am ready to reschedule, maybe I will have lost so much weight that I won't need the surgery anymore :) Wishful thinking I know, but I am and will always be a glass 1/2 full kind of gal!

Again, thank you for everyone's support and I hope that I can still be a part of all of you "WLS Bloggers" even with my WLS future so uncertain right now! I love everyone I have met and I would hate to lose you guys as part of my life!!!

So I talked to my PC doc tonight.......

2009-05-06T19:30:00.003-04:00

Apparently, after my surgeon got off the phone with me, she called my primary care doctor to tell him what she had found. Afterwards, he called me "to discuss".

The bottom line is this: my TSH (thyroid) is supposed to be somewhere between 0.5 and 5. Right now, mine is 22. This is apparently considered very high. OK, fine. But I've been under the care of my PC doc for months now for my thyroid and I was never told this before. He always told me that my numbers were "a little off" and it could "possibly affect weight loss" so we might as well treat it and get to where it should be, but basically, no big deal. Nothing he ever told me prepared me for the urgency that my surgeon felt in the situation. Obviously my first question to the Dr. was "how could we have not caught this before?"(and yes, by WE, I did mean HE, but I was trying to be nice). He said he never caught it because it was never an issue. Strangely enough, after my surgeon called, he went back to look at my old labs and my TSH number was never off. This reading is the first time it's happened. VERY STRANGE if you ask me.

Anyway, he agreed with the surgeon's assessment that surgery needs to be put off until this is under control. He said it would have been irresponsible of her to do the surgery knowing this and she did the absolute right thing in putting the brakes on things. And I get this, I really do. It's just SO disappointing.........I was looking forward to so many things: the surgery, losing the weight, having 5 weeks off of work, showing up at my cousin's wedding in 6 months looking skinny and hot :) It's just that it's all different now........My PC had me redo my bloodwork tonight after work, and assuming it's the same as what the surgeon had, he will increase my meds and we will have to wait 6 weeks before testing my levels again. Chances are slim that one dosage increase will do it though, and it's pretty likely that they levels will have to be adjusted a few times before we find the right one, having to wait 6 weeks in between each dosage change to retest. So realistically, 6 weeks is the absolute minimum I will have to wait to get on the surgery schedule again, and it's probably more like 12-18 weeks. *sigh*

And here's the other thing.......When I started this process, I was on the low end of who is a candidate for surgery. My weight was within 5-10lbs of me not qualifying at all. I moved ahead, basically ate what I wanted for a while knowing that for the first time in my life, I actually needed to try NOT to lose weight. I went to the initial visit with the surgeon, weighed in, and did qualify, barely. But because I have Sleep Apnea, the insurance approved me and we moved forward.

Now I have been on the liquid diet for a week, expecting to be in surgery next week. In this last week, I have lost 7 lbs. With surgery being put of anywhere from 2 - 6 months, I have a choice to make. Do I blow all the work I have done up until now and start eating unhealthy again? Or do I continue on the "right" path and make all the choices I have been making up until now to have lost 7lbs in one week? And if I do continue that, and I keep losing, do I even pursue surgery anymore since if I lose much more, I won't even be eligible anymore??????

See, it's never cut and dry or an easy answer........

My husband thinks I should just continue on the protein shakes and small meals and try in this timeframe of the delay to lose it "naturally" one more time. Part of me agrees with him, but part of me is unsure. I don't want to go back to the way I was eating before. I feel better in these last couple of weeks than I have in a long time. Part of me is saying just live "as if" you HAVE had the surgery. Eat small meals, low carb, no sugar, etc. and live the life that you would have to after surgery anyway. I'm bound to lose that way....right? But then what if? What if I can't do it? What if I fail - AGAIN - and I do something like lose 20lbs and get stalled and then I have lost too much weight to have the surgery anymore, but not enough to be happy with where I am - then what???

OMG, this is all just way too much for me to figure out.

Girls? Advice?????????

You are NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!!!!

2009-05-06T14:01:00.000-04:00

I'm most likely not having surgery next week. My surgeon called me this morning and said that she got back my most recent blood work and my thyroid level is really off. I don't know much about this, but she said the TSH is supposed to be anywhere from 0.5 to 5 and mine is 22. The long story short is that she doesn't want to do the surgery until this is under control. Since a thyroid issue can cause weight gain, she feels like it would be counter-productive to do this surgery while my levels are off. Part of me is confused and part of me is pissed off. My primary care has me on medication for my thyroid, but he led me to believe that it was a "tiny bit off" and that we had found the right dosage to fix it. Apparently not. First and foremost I want to know why he did not know this was going on if he had supposedly been TREATING me for a thryoid imbalance???????

I don't even know what to say about how I feel. When my surgeon first called, I got off the phone and cried hysterically. Then I called Larry and he calmed me down and made me realize that this is not a big deal. It may be a blip in the plan, but it's not like she's saying she WON'T do it. Basically what she told me was that I have to get this level regulated and then they will reschedule me........It's just VERY disappointing.............Plus about 3,000 people know I was doing this and now I have to go and tell a million people that I'm NOT doing it any time soon............And I have no idea when it will be done now.......Could be months.........

*sigh* It's never easy, is it????????????

Last Week of Work!

2009-05-04T08:32:00.002-04:00

OMG, I cannot believe this!! It's my last week of work before my surgery!! Next week I will be in the hospital (OMG!). Fortunately for me, our Short Term Disability through work approved me for a 5 week leave, so that's how long I am planning to be out. I am actually looking forward to the "break", lol.

Terrible that I have to have my guts rearranged to get some time off, huh? LOL

8 days and counting!!!

Vitamins?

2009-05-01T14:20:00.002-04:00

OK ladies - here's another question for you. What vitamins do you take and what kind of schedule do you take them on every day? I am SO overwhelmed by all the info out there about vitamins and I want to make sure I take everything I need since I realize how important it is. Please break this down for me on a daily schedule of what I should do!!

Thanks!

Finding My Way.....

2009-05-01T12:41:00.003-04:00

I am feeling a lot better today. Looking back I totally think that the caffeine withdrawal was a huge part of how I was feeling this week. I honestly never realized it would be such a big deal. If I had known, I would not have done it at the same time as starting my liquids, but whatever. It's over and done with now and I think I may have gotten one big hard thing out of the way!

Today I had a chocolate mint shake for breakfast that was really yummy. I blended it with ice cubes so it made it thicker and more like a milk shake. YUM. Today for lunch I am having the Unjury Chicken Soup. OMG, this is so good! OK, maybe not gourmet food good, but when you've only been drinking chocolate or vanilla shakes for the last 7 meals or so, this is a nice change. I realized while I was drinking this that if I have a shake for breakfast, a protein chicken soup for lunch, and then a frozen LC dinner, this might not be so bad after all. The soup in the afternoon definitely helped me to feel more like I have "eaten" something, you know? Plus, having something warm was a nice change to all the cold shakes I've been having. That may be the key to getting through the next 10 days......

OMG - only 10 more days until my surgery!!! LOL

I Got An Award!

2009-05-01T09:31:00.003-04:00

I got an award!! This is the first one I have gotten on this blog (I have a few others on my other blog). Thanks Kim, I think you are awesome too!!!!

The Rules Are:
*List 7 Things That Make You Awe-Summm!*
*Pass It On To 7 Bloggers Who Are Awe-Summm!*
*Be Sure To Tag Your Awe-Summm Bloggers To Let Them Know!*
*Then Link Back To The Queen That Tagged You!

OK, here goes:

*List 7 Things That Make You Awe-Summm!*

1) My kids drive me absolutely nuts most of the time, but I haven't killed either of them yet :)
2) Even though my kids drive me nuts, I love them to death and I would do anything in the entire world for either of them without question.
3) I can shop an entire store in 5-10 minutes flat if I need to! I call it power shopping :)
4) I quit smoking 3 1/2 months ago and haven't touched one since that day!
5) I am having Gastric Bypass in 10 days 22 hours and 32 minutes - OMG!!!!!
6) I am following my pre-op diet to the letter and haven't cheated once!
7) I have also quit caffeine this week - Sheesh, no wonder it's been such a hard week!!

And now I pass this on to the following 7 Bloggers Who Are Awe-Summm too!

1) Tiffany at talktotiff

2) Laurie at Adventures of Gastric Girl

3) Heather at Heather's Roller Coaster Journey

4) Susy at Shrinking Susy...

5) Beth at melting mama

6) Janine at Journey to a Mini Me

7) Shelly at The World According to Eggface

Love all of you ladies and you are all fabulous!!!

TGIF!!

Your Assignment, Should You Choose To Accept It....

2009-04-30T11:40:00.003-04:00

OK, I am going to give all you WLS'ers an assignment now. Aren't I nice? :)

Here's what I want to know. For those of you that are far enough out from surgery that you eat "normal foods", can you tell me what an average day looks like for you as far as what you eat? I am just trying to get a handle of what life will be like post-op when I can eat real foods again and it's hard for me to get a handle on what I can have afterwards and still loose......I am just so used to doing the wrong things, you know?

Thank you!!!

This Totally SUCKS!

2009-04-30T08:31:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry, but there is no sugar coating this anymore. This liquid diet totally sucks!!! It's only Day #3 and I am absolutely miserable!!! I'm sure it's not helping that I am also not having any caffeine (in prep for after surgery) and the withdrawals are kicking in pretty bad. Between the two and I am definitely not a happy camper. I almost ripped my husband's head off last night and I just may send the kids into therapy if I'm not careful! Hopefully it won't be as bad as the days go on, but this totally sucks right now!

OK, I am done whining now........

Today's Thought

2009-04-29T08:39:00.007-04:00

I took this from the Today's Thought from Hazelden that I get via email every day. I thought it was a great reminder for me and that others might enjoy it as well!

Don't overlook the wonder of the ordinary

The extraordinary, the amazing, the phenomenon are daily glorified in the movies, the news, and on television. Our senses become bombarded. We become addicted to drama. The only things that get our attention are the big, catastrophic, knee-jerking events.

Take a closer look at your life, your everyday world, and the people and activities in it. If it were all taken from you in one moment, what would you miss? What sights, what sounds, what smells? Would you miss the view from your kitchen window? If you were never to see that scene again, would you nostalgically reminisce about it, wishing you could see it one more time, remembering how beautiful it was, and how much that familiar sight comforted you in your daily life?

What about those toys strewn about or the baby crying because he's hungry or wet? What about the sounds of the city you live in as it comes to life each morning? Or how about how your child smells after her bath? Or when she comes in cold from playing in the snow?

What about the way your friend smiles, or that little thing he says all the time that's not funny but he thinks it is, so you laugh?

Look closely at the ordinary in your life. While you're being grateful, don't forget to express pure, sheer gratitude for how beautiful the ordinary really is. We can easily overlook the ordinary, take it for granted. The sun rises and sets, the seasons come and go, and we forget how beautiful and sensational the familiar really is.

God thank you for every detail of my ordinary, everyday world.

From "More Language of Letting Go" by Melody Beattie

Liquid Diet - Day #1!

2009-04-28T11:51:00.002-04:00

Well, today is the day I start my 2 week liquid diet in prep for surgery. I can't believe this day has come already! When I got my date it was 7 1/2 weeks away and it felt so close yet still so far. Now I am 2 weeks from the day of surgery and on only liquids and one healthy frozen meal a day until then. Crazy!!!!

I also went this morning for my pre-admission testing. That went fine and I was in and out in about an hour. Blood work, EKG, chest x-rays & lots of questions and I was all set. No biggie. They said I should plan to arrive at 6am on 5/12 (eek!) and my procedure would probably start around 7:30am. The procedure should take around 3 hours, if not a little more, because I am having my gallbladder taken out as well as the Bypass. About 2 hours in recovery and hopefully I should be in a room by 2pm that day when my family (and friends!) can visit. Again, this all seems so real now - OMG!!!

The only minor glitch is that I currently have laryngitis! I feel ok other than the fact that I barely have a voice. Yesterday I had no voice at all and today I have a little one, so hopefully in the next two weeks I will be rid of this. If not, being sick could possibly screw up my surgery plans. So right now I am pumping myself full of Vitamin C, Zycam, and anything else I think might help me get rid of this! Can you imagine coming so far and having the surgery postponed because of a cold?! OMG, I would be so mad!!!

Anyway, I have cancelled all my plans outside of work and I am going to rest as much as possible to hopefully get this to go away!!

Wish me luck!!!

Happy Monday!

2009-04-27T09:08:00.006-04:00

Hey there! Hope everyone is doing well on this beautiful morning (at least it is here!)

The girls and I spent the weekend in NY visiting with family and we had a great time!! My brother had 2 BBQ's this weekend, one for one side of our family, and the other for the other side. It turned out to be a perfect way to let everyone know about my upcoming surgery since I had everyone in one place either Saturday or Sunday. Not surprisingly, everyone was extremely excited for me very supportive of my decision. I have the greatest family, seriously!! I actually enjoyed telling everyone and was very touched at how wonderful everyone was when I did. I didn't get one negative reaction from anyone - even my 86 year old grandmother who I thought would be so worried about me going into surgery! Even she said she was so happy. I guess everyone just wants me to be healthy and they see this as the way.........In any case, I feel very blessed to have all of them in my corner during all this. I am sending them all the link to this blog so they can keep up with my journey, so hi to any of them that are here for the first time!!!

Tomorrow is a big day for me. I am going to the hospital in the morning for my pre-admission testing and I start my 2 week liquid diet. OMG! I cannot believe it is already here! Interestingly enough, I woke up this morning with laryngitis. I have never had laryngitis in my entire life!! I took it almost as a sign from someone up above to use this week - the true beginning of my journey - to just shut and and think long and hard about what is about to happen, LOL. I guess God knew that I would never be quiet long enough on my own so He had to make it happen for me in order for me to be a little introspective this week :)

So, that's where I am at today. Feeling great after a wonderful weekend with family, actually looking forward to tomorrow and the "official" start of this new life for me, and sitting and just taking it all in since I can't talk even if I wanted to! :)

Off to NY for the Weekend

2009-04-24T16:19:00.000-04:00

Well everyone, the girls and I are off to NY for the weekend for 2 family parties. Enjoy your weekend and we will be back with pictures and stories on Monday!

Medical Alert Bracelet

2009-04-21T12:30:00.006-04:00

Thanks to everyone for weighing in on this one. Since the "No NG tube" is a pretty important thing in my opinion and since my friend Stephany's (hi Steph!) husband is an EMT and he said that they definitely look for these bracelets, I decided it was important for me to have/wear one. Not to mention the fact that I don't mind having a legit reason to buy jewelry ;) I mean what's better than "oh honey, I HAVE to buy this or else I could DIE - literally!", lol.

Anyway, as Kim said, "if I am going to wear it all the time, I want it to look nice" and I totally agree! For me, if I am going to wear this every day, I had 2 criteria: 1) I want it to be stylish/look nice, and 2) It had to be Sterling Silver. I mean, there is no point in buying it if I won't wear it or if I do wear it and it changes color, right?

So........after searching around this is what I found that I wanted!

Isn't it beautiful? I have always loved the Tiffany-style charm bracelets so this fit the bill perfectly! It was a little pricey ($70 engraved), but again, I don't mind spending a little more for a nice piece that I will love to wear. Plus, I decided that my husband and kids could give it to me for Mother's Day so it worked out great :) I hope it's as nice in person as it is on the web (I got it on Ebay from this seller). I will have to take a picture of it when it comes in to show everyone!

Thanks for all your input!

Always Love & Accept Yourself

2009-04-20T09:45:00.003-04:00

Another great post from Fabulous Florida Mommy!

ALWAYS LOVE AND ACCEPT YOURSELF

I accept myself completely.

I accept my strengths and my weaknesses,my gifts and my shortcomings,my good points and my faults.

I accept myself completely as a human being.

I accept that I am here to learn and grow, and I accept that I am learning and growing.

I accept the personality I've developed,and I accept my power to heal and change.

I accept myself without condition or reservation.

I accept that the core of my being is goodness and that my essence is love,and I accept that I sometimes forget that.

I accept myself completely, and in this acceptance I find an ever-deepening inner strength.

From this place of strength, I accept my life fullyand I am open to the lessons it offers me today.

I accept that within my mind are both fear and love,and I accept my power to choose which I will experience as real.

I recognize that I experience only the resultsof my own choices.

I accept the times that I choose fearas part of my learning and healing process, and I accept that I have the potential and power in any moment to choose love instead.

I accept mistakes as a part of growth,,so I am always willing to forgive myself and give myself another chance.

I accept that my life is the expression of my thought, and I commit myself to aligning my thoughts more and more each day with the Thought of Love.

I accept that I am an expression of this Love.

Love's hands and voice and heart on earth.

I accept my own life as a blessing and a gift.

My heart is open to receive, and I am deeply grateful.

May I always share the gifts that I receivefully, freely, and with joy.

~~ Author Unknown ~~

T-Minus One Week & Counting

2009-04-20T09:22:00.004-04:00

Well this is officially my last week of eating "real foods" before I start my 2 week liquid diet in preparation for surgery. I am more than a little freaked out that it is here already. I was thinking about it last night and when I first got my date, it was 7 weeks away. At the time that seemed SO far away. Now it's 3 and I don't have any idea where the last 4 weeks went! The time does go so fast, even when you are anxiously anticipating something as big as WLS.

I would love to say that I have been a "good girl" and have stuck to all the right food pre-op, have lost weight, started all the post-op behaviors, blah, blah, blah, but let's get real, I haven't. I mean COME ON, I have 7 days left before I go on liquids for 4 weeks (2 weeks pre-op and 2 weeks post-op). If I want to have a burger or an ice cream right now, damn it, I am going to have it :) No to mention the fact that this weekend the girls and I are on our way to NY for 2 family parties. And party it up I will, knowing when I get home the party is officially over :)

Seriously though, I am not all gloom and doom about this. I am actually really excited. The day I start the 2 weeks liquids is also the day I go for my pre-admission testing at the hospital. And after that, it's only a short time until the BIG DAY! I am truly excited about that!!!

I am a little nervous about the two week liquids though. I know I can do it, I just wonder how awful it's going to be. I mean I have overfed myself for so long, I just wonder how hungry and miserable I will be on 3 shakes and one healthy frozen meal a day..........Guess I'd better go bulk up now for next week, lol.

Anyway, stay tuned, should be an interesting few weeks coming up :)

Words To Start Each Day...

2009-04-17T07:41:00.003-04:00

I read this on Fabulous Florida Mommy yesterday and I thought it was fabulous. I wanted to share it with all of you today. Happy Friday!

WORDS TO START EACH DAY...

I am capable.

I am worthwhile.

I am beautiful.

I am lovable.

I shall accept both my strengthsand my weaknesses for they are me.

I shall never again believe the lie thatif I make a mistake...I am a mistake.

My mistakes are the learning toolsthat I shall encounter on my life journey.

When I learn from my mistakes.. I give them meaning.

When I give my mistakes meaning...I can begin to forgive myself. I begin to heal.

I shall not use my mistakes as excusesto give up on me...my mistakes are not me.

I shall seek the wisdom to nurturemy heart.. mind.. body and soulso that I may feel more

centered...

Providing an energy reserve thatallows me to climb the mountains in my own life.

Providing an energy reserve thatallows me to love and support otherswho are climbing a different mountain.

Providing an energy reserve thatallows time for friends.. playand celebration of life.

I shall allows myself to feel capable...so that I may seek excellence.

I shall allow myself to feel sadness...so that joy may return.

I shall allow myself to feel joy...so that I may be revitalized.

I shall allow myself to feel afraid...so that I may find courage.

I shall allow myself to feel alone...so that I may know me.

I shall allow myself to feel beautiful...so that I may feel free.

I shall allow myself to feel lovable...so that the loving may seek me.

I shall allow myself to feel pain...so that I may gently heal.

I shall allow myself to feel worthy...so that I may fulfill my purpose.

I will look into the heart of a rose...or the eyes of a newborn baby and know perfection.

I take responsibility for creating my ownlife story through the choices I have made.

To blame others is to give away my personal power.Without that...who will write the next chapter of my life?

I shall seek the courage to believe inGod or Higher Power... Who will laugh with me in the

sunshine...and cry with me in the darkness.

I shall make a small difference in this planet...through the work I do...when I leave I will have done my share.

I shall live... love... laugh...and learn on my journey.

Today is the beginning.

~~ Author Unknown ~~

Hungry Girl

2009-04-16T15:24:00.002-04:00

Is anyone else a fan of Hungry Girl? I absolutely love her daily email and her recipes are so quick and easy. Perfect for someone like me who does not generally like to cook! Anyway, her new book just came out and this looks great for people who are look for quick, easy & healthy recipes! Check it out, she is seriously fabulous!! (and no, she didn't pay me to say that :)

Love Yourself

2009-04-16T15:10:00.003-04:00

Last night at our WLS Support Group meeting we talked about Body and Self Image after Weight Loss Surgery. A lot of people spoke about not feeling "worthy" of losing weight, looking good and being healthy. This morning, I opened my email to this. It reminded me a lot about what people were talking about last night and I thought others might like to read it too since I imagine this could be a common theme surrounding people with food/weight issues:

From Hazelden's Today's Gift:

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.--Eleanor Roosevelt

In this moment, we are the best we can be. Today, we can work at loving the best in ourselves and not fearing the worst. We are truly wonderful and growing people with gifts and qualities that make us who we are. No one can make us feel inferior without our consent.

Now, we are in charge of our lives and growth. We can choose to let go of old negative thinking. We can choose to think positive, loving thoughts about ourselves. We never need to be victims again to addiction or to other people. We have options today. We can choose to grow in a positive recovery program. We can choose to have loving, affirming people in our lives.

Today I will stick with the winners. I am a winner today and every day.

You are reading from the book: Our Best Days by Nancy Hull-Mast

Medical ID Bracelets?

2009-04-16T12:59:00.004-04:00

I have heard some people talk about WLS patients wearing medical ID bracelets. This didn't even occur to me until someone mentioned it. And this is not for someone with another condition that would necessitate one like diabetes, etc. This is for someone who solely has had WLS. What do you guys think? Do you wear one? Do you see it being a good idea or not necessary?