My weight loss journey

Oh how things have changed

2008-04-06T10:41:00.005-05:00

Life has continued to try to pass me by faster than I can keep track of it. The Bubba Baby is growing so quickly and I just watch in wonder as she gets so big. She has her first two teeth and has crawled... once. And just once. She's a curious little one. Just a bit like her father.

The Monkey is still keeping me on my toes too. Even with her autism spectrum diagnosis, she is smarter than a whip. We just need to keep finding more ways to allow her out of shell. Such an amazing child.

Of course Don is still great, in so many ways. He is a wonderful husband and patient father. I can't really ask for more. And it reminds me of why I love him every day.

Work has been very good to me lately also. But it also keeps me very busy. I have been promoted, retroactively to January 1st. I've also been selected for some really exciting new long term projects at work. It requires a lot more time from my family, but I find that it's very rewarding work. It makes me feel very successful and satisfied with what I do.

Our newest arrival!

2007-10-07T19:28:00.000-05:00

Here is Ginger Collette's birth story. She arrived on Friday, August 31st at 5:09 p.m.

I went in for Cervidil late on the night of the 30th. It was placed at midnight. I was already 2 cm and 50% effaced. They took it out at 8am on the 31st. I was still 2 cm but 70% effaced. I took a shower, had some toast for breakfast and got ready for show time.

At 10 am they started the Pitocin to get my contractions consistent and more effective. I managed until 1:15 before I asked for an epidural. Since there were two emergency c-sections going on at that time, I'd have to wait. And I wasn't the first in line to get an epidural either. Since there were 9 other moms in labor at the same time, everyone on the floor was a little frazzled.

I finally got my epidural at 2:50. It was so nice to finally be able to relax and not have to work so hard to get through the contractions. I was at a 4-5 at the time. I finally took a nap and Dad to be took off to find some food in the hospital.

The nurse woke me up at 4:40 and asked to check me since she was seeing some decels in the baby's heart rate. She wanted to place an internal monitor. I woke up and agreed. She barely touched me and said, "Oh! You're complete and she's right there. Let's get this heart monitor on and get ready!" She got the room all set up as we waited for Don. This is his first after all, we wouldn't want him to miss it. He finally came back at 5:00 exactly, and I was ready to push. I did one practice push to show the nurse that I remembered how to, and she told me to stop.

The nurse and Don got me up in the stirrups. The nurse got on the phone to call the doctor and tell her I was ready to deliver. She said, "She's ready to deliver her now." and Don said, "Uhhh.... there she is....." The blood drained from his face. It was hilarious. I just kept repeating, "I swear I'm not pushing!" Her head was already out! The nurse yelled, "Oh my! She's coming, room 343!" and dropped the phone. She ran over to support her head and her shoulders popped out. The doctor came running in, took one look and said, "Oh!" and grabbed a pair of gloves and caught the rest of her. I didn't push at all. She just slid right out. She had the cord wrapped very tightly around her chest that was causing the decels during the last contractions. I did one half hearted push for the placenta. No tears, no cutting, no stitches. I was up and walking around normal as soon as the epidural wore off. A great birth experience.

Wow, what a year it's been

2007-05-04T18:49:00.000-05:00

I am finally a year post op. Not that I should say finally, it's gone much faster than I would have anticipated. A whole year, and a whole new person. Amazing. I finally brought some wedding pictures into work, and people kept asking me if that was really me. And these are people who knew me then... and see me almost every day. They were shocked by how much I've changed. I guess it's really a lot. Like 90 pounds of a lot.

The whole baby and pregnancy thing is going very well. I had another check up on Tuesday, and everything looks/sounds great. The baby is measuring a little big, but that's okay. Maybe she'll cook faster so I won't be so uncomfortable during Fest. Grow baby grow! Bobo is putting on a shower for me... if I ever get all of those addresses to her. So keep your eyes on your mailboxes for those invites. If I don't have your address, or if you think I have it wrong, email me so I get it right.

I get to take another peek at the baby next Friday. My doctor wants me to have ultrasounds about every 4 weeks to make sure the baby is growing properly because of my gastric bypass. I did gain only .8 pounds in 4 weeks. But I surely look pregnant. I'm starting to bump my bump into everything now. There's not a safe counter or table in sight! I think the baby is convinced it's a game though. She starts beating me up when I'm at my desk since I'm always forgetting that I'm as popped out as I am and running her into the desk. Monkey was sitting on my lap, I was brushing her hair, and the baby kept kicking her in the back. It was funny. Until Monkey started pushing on my tummy to get back at her "because she's being mean!" I think I'm going to have to start looking for some new babysitters already.

Hope you're all well. Maybe someday I'll have time to scan all of these ultrasound pictures that I'm accumulating and post them for you.

Have you missed me?

2007-03-30T19:16:00.000-05:00

I know that it's been way way too long since I've posted anything, but life keeps me on my toes. And now I think I've at least cracked a few of them. But that's okay. I will carry on.

I guess it's time to tell you what exactly I've been up to. I haven't been losing weight. Not that I care right now. Because I'm pregnant again! Yippee for me! And for Don... and the Monkey... We're all really excited. And I'm far enough along now, 20 weeks, that I don't mind screaming it from the rooftops. That and I can't hide it anymore since I have more than a slight resemblance to a beached whale. It so strange to go through everything that I've been through in the last year to be healthy and happy just to lose sight of my feet again. But it will all be worth it.

We don't know our little one's gender right now, but hopefully the Rat will be cooperative enough next week to give up the goods. But it's not looking so promising with the attitude I'm getting from the womb already. I had a prenatal appointment yesterday, and everything checked out great. The last part was to hear the heartbeat. Well, the little Rat would take off every time we tried it get a good listen. All we would hear it two or three thuds of the heart before the "Whooosh" of it taking off to the other side of my uterus. Not just once or twice to irritate me and the doctor, but repeatedly for 12 MINUTES! We finally pushed the Rat up against a very firm hand shoved into me and cornered the sucker. The heartbeat sounds good and healthy, but that doesn't mean this isn't a brat already. It should be an interesting upcoming year with attitude like this already.

Also, since I last posted, Don and I celebrated our one year anniversary. It was great. We dropped off the Monkey with Grandma and Grandpa for the weekend and took off.... to Saint Paul. It was so worth it though. We looked into flying away somewhere, but it just didn't make any sense. So we booked two nights at the luxurious St Paul Hotel. Since our anniversary also happens to fall the day after St Patrick's Day, we got to be in Saint Paul for their St Patty's Day parade. That was fun. Got to say 'Hi' to Al Franken and get a very firm handshake. We also had tickets to the closing night of Camelot at the Ordway, starring Michael York. It was a good show. We enjoyed ourselves. When we were checking out of our hotel room on Sunday morning, who comes off the elevator other than Michael York and his wife. That was interesting to watch. All of the staff of the Saint Paul Hotel were gushing over him. But he was really just like any other guy, except his job means that people recognize and notice him everywhere. While we were waiting for the valet to bring up our car, Michael stopped the doorman's cart from running into me from behind. See, just a regular guy. And very nice about it all. Don and I also got to eat a meal at the famous Mickey's Diner. That was so much fun. But I'm not sure that I'll ever get that greasy smell out of my clothes. It might be too deeply embedded into the fibers.

I'll leave you all with that for now. There are a million other things I could tell you, but this is already freakishly long. Thanks for listening!

Look out Mickey, here we come!

2007-01-27T14:26:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow morning, the hubby, kidlet, and I are taking off for the Land that Mickey Built. It should be a blast. It will be the Monkey's first time on an airplane, not to mention first time at Disney World. She's uber thrilled. It's all she's been talking about since Christmas. It's going to be a week of fun, sun, and mouse ears. I'll let you all know how it went when we get back!

For the whiners

2007-01-03T18:26:00.000-06:00

I don't want to hear any more complaints about me not updating this enough for you guys. At least not until I neglect it for a while. Especially when others (BoBo) don't EVER update theirs. Anyway.

The holidays are now past. And thank goodness. They were long, drawn out, and exhausting. I think my little family had good times. The Monkey got everything that she asked for and more. And she has already lost that precious GameBoy that Santa brought her. She asked for it, begged for it, got it, loved it, and lost it.... all in a week. Amazing. We're still debating "finding" her another one. We'll have to see.

It's a new year now, and with that, I have a new job! I got promoted at work. Sometimes talking things out with higher ups pays off. Maybe I now have myself in a position where we are comfortable enough for Don to look into his other career options. Hopefully so. I think he'd be much happier almost anywhere other than where he is now.

The tattoo has healed wonderfully. I love it! The colors are bright and vibrant. It really does show what my life has been for the last year. It was a year of change, new beginnings, rebirth, and growth.

We're in the middle of planning our vacation at the end of January. We're bringing the Monkey to Disney World for the first time. She's very excited. She's been talking about it forever. We told her when she was 8 she would be able to go with us, since we've been twice without her. Now that she's 8, we're out of excuses. And I think she's ready to go. She's been working very hard in school this year. It's amazing to watch her learn and grow. She's gotten much better support at her new school along with new goals. The understanding all of her teachers and support staff have is so complete. It's great to finally have her the help she needs to be successful. And I see her success every day when she tells me about the things that she's learned, and all of the new wonderful things that she's experiencing. She has gone from being unable to read almost anything to reading some simple books. That's great for only a few months. I couldn't get her to that point by myself in a whole year! It's much easier to play the reinforcement role with her reading/writing/math instead of the lead like I had to before.

I hope this is enough of an update for now. I do have more things to share, but just don't have the time to get them all down right now. I really wish that I could. Hopefully soon.

By the way.... I want a dog... not a puppy, but a dog. A little cute, cuddly, adorable dog. *wink wink*

Final Tattoo

2006-12-15T17:07:00.000-06:00

Here's a picture of the tattoo now that it's all done. I love it. It's amazing. I'm so glad that it turned out as great as it did.

Onederland!

2006-12-11T20:04:00.000-06:00

I've made it Onederland! Woo freakin Hoo! I'm officially under 200 pounds. And I've maintained being under it for over a week. Every time I got on the scale I thought, it'll just slide back over that 200 mark, but it never did. So amazing. I can't believe that I've made it this far. I haven't seen a number that small on the scale since before I had the Monkey. Amazing stuff.

I have to show some love to Kelly Jo. She had her surgery on the Monday after Thanksgiving. She is doing great. Such a rock star! I'm so proud of her. She knew what she had to do, and she did it. I visited her the day after surgery in the hospital, and she was up and walking. All she could talk about was how good she felt considering she'd just had her insides jumbled. I'm glad that she took some of the advice I gave her and it's all working out great for her too. I hope she sees all of the success I've seen in herself. She deserves it.

Happy December!

2006-12-01T16:50:00.000-06:00

Now I'm 7 months out. Yay me! I still feel great. People are telling me all the time that I look great. I'm down over 90 pounds, and under 200 for the first time in I don't know how long. It's just crazy how much my life has changed. I love my life. This is great.

But, since it is now December in Minnesota, it is cold. Damn cold. Like single digit weather cold. No snow yet, but brrrrrrr. Since I've lost the majority of my insulation, I feel like I'm living life in a giant freezer. It's going to be a long few months until it starts warming up again. I'll manage, I'm sure.

Waiting to hear from my doctor about my hormone levels. As of last week, they still weren't all of the way recovered from the pregnancy. Since I was once again put into pin cushion mode today, I should be hearing what they are showing. Hopefully close to zero. That's what we're shooting for.

Oh... by the way... found the joy of SUGAR FREE OREOS! I must say, the best thing ever! This is saving me from so many things that would just make me sick. Yummy!

Tattoo time!

2006-11-22T21:40:00.000-06:00

Well, here is the work in progress. I love it! It's exactly what I had drawn in my head. I am so glad that I decided to go ahead with Aja and this design. It is sore. But that is to be expected. I'm going back in the middle of December to get the color added. There just wasn't enough time last night. But I do love it. It's really amazing work.

Cochicken for dinner?

2006-11-14T21:42:00.000-06:00

Hilarious... yet kinda gross. But still something one must share.

Go here to see what your dinner options could be. I highly recommend the "Do Not Try This At Home" section.

The bad just gets worse

2006-11-13T21:04:00.000-06:00

So, a couple of posts ago, I "mentioned" that I was pregnant. And that was really great news, especially at the time. Well, now, unfortunately, I have to let you all know that I'm not anymore. I miscarried over the weekend. Thankfully Don was around all weekend and we got through it together. It was really ugly and tough. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. From all that my doctors have seen, there is no reason for this. They assume with the lack of other factors that there was most likely something wrong with the baby. That doesn't really make it any easier to deal with. But here's the long story of the weekend if you really want to hear all the gory details. I'm tired of telling the story over and over, so I would like this to be one of the last times.

Saturday morning, when I woke up, I noticed that I had some bleeding. I called the on-call doctor, and they told me wait a couple of hours to see if it got better or worse, or if cramping would start. It wasn't a lot of blood at the time, so I waited... and watched. After 4 hours, I noticed that it wasn't getting better. If anything, it was getting worse. So, since we were out and about anyway, we headed to Urgent Care. They called me back right away after I was triaged. The doctor was a really asshole though. He did an exam on me. Don was in the room with me. I had mentioned that I had some serious spotting and mild cramping to the nurses. At the end of the pelvic exam, the doctor pulls out his hand, holds it up, and says "This isn't just spotting." If I would have been able to put my brain around that moment, I would have kicked him right there. Pissed me off! It wasn't enough that I was already in tears over everything that was happening. He sent me off to the lab to get my hormone levels checked. Then it was off to the hospital for an ultrasound to see if there was anything going on, or anything left. The people at the hospital were great. I was so grateful for that after the experience with the doctor. Don and I got to see our little baby. It had a little heartbeat and everything. The heartbeat was slower than what they would have expected. About 86 when it should be 120-130. And they couldn't see any reason for the blood. Not all that great news. But the baby was still there, and still fighting. At least for now. They sent me on my way with directions to take it easy and just hope that the baby can fight it's way through. There is nothing that they can do.

So, I didn't really want to go home. We had planned to go to a King of the Log party, which is really just sitting around Char's house. We went there after we stopped by Cub and grabbed some snacks to share. It was nice to see everyone. I could tell by the blood that something was happening though. So I told Don that I wanted to leave. He understood and we left very shortly there after. When I got home, I confirmed that I had passed what was the baby. It was all done. There were many more hours of cramping and bleeding. And it's still going on. It's not nearly as bad as it was on Saturday night. I thought I might run out of blood then. It was horrible.

But now, it's Monday. And I got to see my regular OB. She is amazing. She's very understanding and compassionate. She understands just how confused I am at all of this. I am very lucky to have someone like her who is willing to look into every option for why. She confirmed that it had nothing to do with me or my surgery. She checked my levels from my 6 month surgery follow-up just to make sure that everything was within the normal range. And it was. So now I have to get another ultrasound to make sure that everything gets out of me. If it doesn't I can get infections and other horrible things. She's also monitoring my hormone levels closely to make sure that they get back to normal. I just hope that this all goes smoothly. She said that we will be able to try again as soon as we feel up to it. Of course, she recommends at least a couple of weeks of healing time for my body. Especially if I have any problems getting everything to bounce back. But it looks like I'm well on the road to recovery at this point. Hopefully the ultrasound will confirm that for us.

Don has been a rock for me. He was way more attached to this "Little Rat" than he ever thought he would be. For a guy who met me saying "I don't ever want any kids." He's pretty much asking everyone possible when we can start trying again. I am so glad that I have a wonderful guy with me to help me through all of these really hard times so that when those joyous occasions come along they mean that much more with him.

Enough self pity for one night. Time to turn in. Thank you guys for all of your thank yous and congratulations earlier. I'll keep them for next time. And I'm sure they'll be a next time.

Baby on the Brain

2006-11-09T17:13:00.000-06:00

So now that I think pretty much everyone knows we're expecting, I have Baby Brain. So much to do, and now... a deadline! Ahhh!!! It doesn't help that I'm starting to show already. How sucky is that?!?!?! From everything that I've read it's because this is baby #2 for me, so my body is bouncing itself into pregnancy belly mode faster since it already knows the drill. Oh goody goody for me. Thank goodness I haven't given away ALL of the clothes that are/were too big for me. I should be able to keep out of maternity clothes for a little while yet. Since I don't remember showing this early last time around, I'm assuming I'll be looking like a huge pregnant whale before Christmas. That also means that I'll be just as miserable and missing the sight of my feet by then too. *Sniff*

Morning sickness has kicked in and is kicking my butt. I can't do anything without my world starting to spin, nausea setting in, and dry heaves starting. I'm sure that my coworkers love me right about now. There is no way they can't hear the dry heaving. And there's nothing I can do to keep them from hearing it. I hope they forgive me when I bring the baby in later and they all can oooh and ahhh.

The good and the bad

2006-11-03T16:43:00.000-06:00

Well, I've been really lacking on updating this blog. There has been so much going on, and they've blocked blogger at work. I don't always have time or energy to get to this at home. But I'm doing it today. It NEEDS to get done.

Bob, my father in law, passed away on Tuesday, October 24th. He was surrounded by his family and cats. It was just how he wanted it to end. At least he's no longer in pain. We were in Hibbing all of last week due to that. The funeral was on Friday. We got home on Sunday.

Sunday was my birthday! Woo Hoo! Now I'm older. Just what I always needed. It was an okay birthday. I got to get home. Start to put life back into "normal" mode. It was a long week previously, and all 3 of us needed our routines back.

On the Thursday before Bob's funeral, Don and I found out that I'm pregnant. That is really good news! We had decided to try when Bob first got sick. Now it's something that will help keep his memory alive. I'm about 7 weeks along, due in the end of June. Just a tiny little bean of a kidlet right now, but growing quickly. I'll be sure to keep all of you updated on how this goes. It should be interesting!

I also hit my 6 month surgiversary yesterday. I'm officialy 6 months out from surgery. I feel great. Everyone tells me I look great. Even those that don't know that I'm pregnant. We haven't told everyone. I had my 6 month check up with my bariatric nurse. After she gave me "that look" when I told her I was expecting, she told me how great I've been doing. I've lost 9 inches from my waist ande 9.5 inches from my hips. I'm only 20 pounds from their ideal goal weight for me. That's some pretty impressive stuff. At least I think it is. She said that I should make sure that I have an OB that is comfortable with my WLS status and will be understanding of the limitations of my food intake. She also said that a good OB will be one that monitors my labs closely. Oh yeah... more pokes. I go in for my first appointment on December 1st. I'll let you know more then.

This is about what the baby looks like now:

Yesterday Don and I met with Aja from Tatts by Zap. She's an amazing tattoo artist that was very highly recommended to me by many people. She's going to be doing a phoenix for me. It will be on my right calf. I'm scheduled to have it done on the 21st. Very excited. Should be uber cool. I'll post pictures as soon as I have any.

Ho hum

2006-10-19T11:39:00.000-05:00

I'm really not that thrilled about anything lately. Maybe that plays a part with the musical hair. I just can't be satisfied with anything completely. There are those things in my life that I don't want to be without, family, friends, and I don't want them to change. But the things I do have control over in my life feel like they're just not right. I can't really explain why though. It's like I've lost weight, gained confidence, and now I'm expecting so much more out of the rest of my life. I feel like I have be more involved with every part of my life more. And there's just not enough hours in the day. So, when things aren't getting accomplished, the head games start. "You should know you don't deserve what you have." "You know that you need it/them/that more than it/they need you." It's really irritating me. I don't like to fight these demons all the time. What I do KNOW is that I'm bigger and stonger and better than what the voices are telling me. (Writing that made me chuckle a little... the voices... hee hee.) I guess I have to do some more personal reflection to see what might be causing all of this. In the meantime, I'll just keep telling the voices, "Gosh darnit, people like me!"

I need me one of these!

2006-10-17T12:04:00.000-05:00

I so need to get me one of these! Can you see the damage I would do? Look out office mates, here I come!

I wonder if they sell refill rockets by the 100s.

Another day another haircut

2006-10-16T14:32:00.000-05:00

My main lunch plans crumbled, so I came up with a back up plan while I was driving. Now I have yet another new hairdo. Love it. It's fun. It's spunky. It's funky. It's totally me. At least for now it is. And I'm covered in little hairs. Can't wait to take a shower and get them all off me.

Had a quiet weekend. But the family needed it. We're all much more rested now. A weekend without running. I never thought it would happen.

So go ahead and give me the feedback on the hair. Looking forward to it!

Another new me

2006-10-13T09:40:00.000-05:00

I've finally snapped another picture of myself. This is what I decided to do when I was trying to make up some extra time at work yesterday. Notice the iPod ear buds and cube surroundings. This is my home away from home. Beige, ugh. Hopefully you all like the updated picture. Can't be any worse than the hot chick.

I'm a hot chick(en)!

2006-10-12T10:36:00.000-05:00

I love getting update emails from Bobo. She makes me laugh. Especially with her sale of 1 McDonald's uniform. I'd tell her to offer it to BigButt, but it wouldn't fit her. She probably has more than one already. I guess that means we'll have to go through the Rogers McD's drive thru next weekend on our way to the bar. Hilarity WILL ensue.

Not a shabby deal being called a hot chick... too bad I don't have the tan lines to go with the picture. Maybe after PV. Not that I should ever wear a two piece again. Gotta cover those stretch marks.

Happy Birthday Louis!

2006-10-11T18:43:00.000-05:00

This can entertain for hours!

2006-10-11T12:43:00.000-05:00

John C Dvorak's Blog

Link to the Google results

Here's for super pokey updating!

2006-10-09T12:27:00.000-05:00

Don't chew my head off! I've been a busy busy chickie for the last few weeks. So here's the update that I have.

Bob, my father-in-law, is home now. There is nothing that the doctors can do for hime right now, and probably ever. He's living life to the fullest for his last days. We don't know if it will be weeks or months, but we appreciate every day we have with him. If you want, you can read updates for him at Caring Bridge.

The Crazy Monkey has had her 8th Birthday. Yippee! She's so excited to be an 8 year old now. We are very glad that we've made it that far with her. She had a great day at daycare and school on her actual birthday. She loves being the center of attention when it's super-uber positive attention. She also had a great time at her birthday party on Saturday. She had a pretty good turnout of her friends from soccer and softball. Now we have more pretty pink girly frilly toys than any house should ever have. But she wouldn't want it any other way. I'll post some pictures of the party once we get them off the camera.

Bobo and I have finally planned our mutual birthday party. It will be a blast. A night at a comedy club that is preceded with dinner, all for $25 per person. Should be a great time. I know that Bobo just loves being called Bobo... hee hee.

As for weight loss, things are still going great. I'm down 83 pounds now. Just checked on the scale this morning since I've been too busy to even remember that I should check that too. I'm down to size 16 clothes... even some 14s. That's amazing considering I was at 24s and 26s less than 6 months ago! I'm feeling great. Not that I can ever say that enough. I'm at a point now where if I stopped losing now, I don't think I'd care. Well, I'd care if I knew I could do better, but I'm reaping all of the rewards of being a healthier weight. Life is good. All of the clothes that I first bought after surgery to wear to work are now getting too big. Makes me smile every time I put on something that was tight in June and is huge and baggy now.

For my newest "WOW" moment. (WOW moments are when I realize just how successful this surgery has been for me in sudden moments.) I was at soccer practice watching the Crazy Monkey on Saturday afternoon. Suddenly Big Coach Steve asks all of us parents watching (all 5 of us) to play against the girls. Hmm... okay... one dad, the rest moms... and me wearing sandals. Should be interesting. So I kick off the sandals, and I'm in. I'm wearing a new sweater, that's a little tight, but covers all the goods, and pair of cords that I got off ebay and are starting to get too big to wear anymore. Well, running around the field to kick the crap out of some 7 and 8 year old girls, my pants almost fell off about 6 times. It's hard to run and hold up your pants when you're barefoot around a bunch of cleated girls. Hilarious for the dad and coach playing behind me, slightly freaky for me. Next time, I'm wearing tennis shoes and pants that fit well enough to run in. No more free undie shows for anyone!

So, there you go. The latest from my life.

The In-Laws Call

2006-09-21T18:50:00.000-05:00

I am writing this from Duluth. I'm up here because my father in law is in pretty bad shape. So we're taking a break from the hospital at Barnes and Noble. Thank god for wifi. Thank god I remembered to bring the laptop.

Monday night Bob, my father in law, drove himself to the hospital because he thought he was coming down with pneumonia. Well, it turns out that he probably had a minor heart attack about 2 weeks ago and now has congestive heart failure. He lives in Hibbing, so he was at the Hibbing hospital, until today. After giving him quite a few rounds of Lasik without any results, they decided he needed another hospital. So now he's in Duluth. And we're here. He seems to be in better spirits, but he's still out of breath all the time even though he never leaves the bed. Forget the fact that his kidneys are shutting down and he hasn't urinated in over 12 hours. One of the first things they did when he got to St. Mary's in Duluth was give him a PICC line. Hopefully they'll get the drugs into him better and we'll start seeing some results. He's a good man. He's only 62.

Random Monotony

2006-09-14T14:35:00.000-05:00

So I entered "random monotony" into Google and looked for images. Interesting.

It's been a long week, and a REALLY long day. But that's okay. This too will pass. It always does.

Anyway. I'm really all over the place today with my thinking. Hard to focus. But the picture I've got here has inspired me to write. It made me think of boobs. More specifically, my boobs. There are so many people who have this surgery that talk about how they've lost their wonderful breasts and been left with tennis balls in long socks. I, however, have not encountered this. I keep waiting for the deflation to begin. I wonder if it will be a sudden loss of tissue or more of a slow leak loss. Some people don't lose them at all. Maybe I'm one of those. I have had to buy some new bras. My band size has changed... a lot. But the cup size remains the same. They aren't sagging any more or any less than they did before. I lost all perkiness when I had the Monkey. I thought I was going to be a tennis ball tube socker, but now I'm starting to reconsider. It should be interesting to watch.

So, now I'm more than 4 months out and feeling great... still... yet... again. I'm sure that all of you are sick of hearing that. But I really can't explain just how much better I feel each minute of every day.

I did have an infection this month that required I get an antibiotic. That was quite the experience. I knew that I needed it, but they aren't just going to call me in some good drugs without seeing the doctor. Have to collect that copay. So I get an appointment the same day. Not with my normal doctor, whom I adore, but another doctor in Internal Medicine. I didn't care. I just wanted my drugs. I just wanted to go home and make the uncomfortableness go away. So they do their tests. "Yep, you have an infection." I must have given her one of the dumbest looks ever. My head was screaming, "Duh!" She looks at all the meds I'm taking, aka the whole fickin vitamin section. She tells me that she's going to prescribe me Cipro. That's fine. I ask her what the pills are like because I've had this gastric bypass surgery and can't swallow large pills whole and some don't absorb correctly. She tells me that I can cut them in half, and I shouldn't worry about absorption. But she can't tell me that before an almost 5 minute pause. I said okay, took the scrip, went to the pharmacy and asked my pharmacist. The pharmacist had a quick answer. Cut them in half or smaller. Whatever I'm comfortable with. Take them with milk so that they dissolve in the pouch a little longer and then I'll have better success with absorbtion. She was amazing. She said that if I don't feel better, have the doctor call her and she'll make some liquid recommendations. I think I've found my favorite pharmacist.

Kiss another month goodbye!

2006-09-01T08:55:00.000-05:00

So, it's now September. Tomorrow I will be 4 months out from surgery, and down over 70 pounds. I feel wonderful. People tell me that I look great. Still don't see it. But whatever. My brain will catch up to my body some day.

School is starting for the Monkey on Tuesday. She's so excited. A new school, new teachers, new friends. She already knows a lot of people in her school. Thanks to softball, soccer, and daycare, she's going to be just fine. I'm very glad that I started making to conversion last spring. I think she'll have a much more seamless change because of the more gradual change.

Still thiking PV. I need a beach. With a hot cabana boy who speaks little English. Oh yes... I do.

Ren Fest has begun!

2006-08-21T15:11:00.000-05:00

I love the Renaissance Festival. But, man, it wears me out. I actually feel a million times better this year than I did last year. It helps to be 70 pounds lighter. Amazing how much better I feel. I loved seeing all of the people I've seen at other WLS things throughout the last few months. I ran into Tiffany, her brother AJ, Jen and Dorothe and her husband. They all look so great too. I wonder if they thought it was as great to be out there post-WLS than however many pounds before. I love being around such wonderful people.

Here's some of the other highlights of the weekend:
I love Sasha... I'm determined to find a way to keep her some day. Such a princess.

Getting a new bodice for the new costume this year. Great deal from Erica. We all love Felix Needleworthy pieces.

Bastard, you are hilarious, and I love you for it. Thanks for making me laugh all day and all night.

The Pyrates are cool. So so so cool. One word Cappy... Cinnamon!

Cinci looks so odd when he's not smiling. But he does look good in red.

Blair, thanks for bringng out the life in Ducky again. Nothing better than a Privy Drive By.

It was all great. I'm so glad that everyone I ran into kept the magic of that wonderful place alive. It is the Fest we make it, and we make it great!

Help save a life

2006-08-18T11:40:00.000-05:00

My sister is doing the Race for the Cure in Reno, Nevada this year. For those of you who don't know, our mom is a cancer survivor. She's overcome breast, thyroid, and kidney cancer, all within the same year. She is the stuff stories are made from. So I ask you all to support my sister by donating if you can here.

Kilts are hot

2006-08-17T08:48:00.000-05:00

The best part of Fest... mmmm....

What a weird week it's been

2006-08-17T08:12:00.000-05:00

So I've had a really strange week. I think I've had more comments in the past 5 days about my weight loss than ever. I think everyone is noticing how much healthier I'm looking. I'm down over 65 pounds now, almost 70. I'm wearing between size 16 and 18, depending on the cut. I'm probably a perfect size 17. I feel great. This is much better than the 24s I was wearing 3 to 4 months ago.

Renaissance Festival starts on Saturday. I'm looking forward to those long, hot, dusty days. I really do miss that place. It helps ground me from the reality that is my Monday - Friday job. Of course I'm having costume issues this year also. Things just don't fit right anymore. Even though I've lost some serious weight, and some serious inches, my boobs haven't changed. Damn them! I had to get a couple new bras because I've gone down in band size, but the cup size remains the same. They just aren't shrinking with the rest of me. Not that it's all bad, but now I'm at a point where dresses and bodices that fit my waist don't fit over the girls correctly. I really need to buy a new bodice. But that's some serious money, over $50, and I'd hate to wear it for a year and then have to fork over the dough again for next year. We'll just have to see what I can piece together. I'm a peasant after all, so nobody said I had to look good every year. It's just a shame that I probably won't be able to give the girls the wonderfully poofed look they deserve.

Other than that, Don is starting venture out to find new "employment". I loosely call it "employment" as it is more a means of making money outside of Menards, but isn't a standard career. He's got a couple of websites up to generate some money that might get him out of home improvement hell. So, if you have some extra time, or money, or both, go to http://www.duckyplanet.com and check things out. I'd love to see him make his first sale. Also, click away on the Google ads on his page, and check out his blog at http://webpages.charter.net/don_espe you might even find some pictures of us. :)

Good luck and love to Bobo. She had to have emergency surgery to take out her gallbladder on Tuesday. She's home now, but well drugged. I'm glad she's feeling better and I hope she has a speedy and uneventful recovery. (Just a reminder Bobo: it's RIBBON!)

Maybe I should give up coffee.

2006-08-10T09:56:00.000-05:00

Just creepy. And another reason to buy a shotgun and keep it under my bed.

Have you heard of SpectacleFest?

2006-08-09T08:51:00.000-05:00

I'm pledging $8 to get SpectacleFest going. I've always wanted to go to CES, E3, or any of those other techie trade shows. But since it doesn't look likely, I'm going all out for this one!

Find out for yourself at http://www.spectaclefest.com

And it's August. Where'd my summer go?

2006-08-01T08:30:00.000-05:00

I think I blinked and missed summer. Not that I'm ever busy. I mean, gee, why would I ever be busy? Now I have a lot to do in the next 2 1/2 weeks before Fest starts. Costume doesn't fit right. Oh bummer. I'll find something to wear.

It's been freakin' hot for the last couple weeks, but this morning, super early, it rained. It rained good and hard. Now it's much more comfortable outside. And my lawn desperately needs it. I'd hate to have it all die on me.

My hair is still growing like a weed. Must mean that I'm getting enough protein in. I keep waiting for it to start falling out. I guess it happens to everyone. It just hasn't started happening to me yet. Waiting... waiting... still waiting....

It's Official! I'm not Morbid!

2006-07-28T09:20:00.000-05:00

I had my 3 month post op visit with the nurse yesterday. She's now offically told me that I'm not morbid anymore! Woo Hoo! Just obese. Not too shabby for 3 months. From extremely morbidly obese to just obese. Progress is a good thing.

Didn't expect this so soon

2006-07-25T07:12:00.000-05:00

This morning I was looking for something to wear to work, to no avail. I just wasn't in the mood, and there's lots of laundry that needs to get done in my house in the next few days. So I pull out the last package from my sister. I had already pulled out a gray tank and been wearing that for a couple weeks. Today I'm wearing the khakis... and they fit well! Amazing. An Old Navy size 16. Woo freakin hoo! So I jump on the scale, I'm down 63 pounds in 2 1/2 months. That's almost half of my goal. And I don't feel like I'm working that hard at it. But I do feel great.

Also, a position in the bariatric unit here has opened up. It seems to be a good fit for me, so I've applied for it. Keep all your fingers crossed for me!

Meet me at the Kwik-E-Mart?

2006-07-21T09:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, I was on my way to pick up a Monkey from day prison. I was at a stop sign to turn left onto County Road 42. Since it's almost 5:00, it's just a little busy. I'm waiting patiently as cars and trucks fly by at 60 mph or so. Then a white mini van pulls up next to me to turn right onto 42. There's a man driving. I quickly turn my head to the left again to see the cars coming. Then I try to look right, and there's this guy who is opening his door. I have my windows down, iPod playing. I turn down the tunes as soon as I realize he's talking to me. He asks me how my day is. I'm thinking, odd, but whatever. "It's going good. Thanks for asking." Then he keeps talking. "I opened my door because my window doesn't go down." I reply, "That's nice." Then I realize that I'll never be able to get through this intersection if he doesn't move. I can't see around that van to see oncoming traffic. I'm not about to just gun it onto 42. That's a death sentence. Then I hear him mumble something. I can't understand what he's saying. He's got a very noticeable accent. It sounds like he's inviting me to the Kwik-E-Mart. Maybe for a Squishy. I ask him to repeat himself. He does... about 6 times before I understand that he's telling me "I like your smile." I reply, "Thanks", and inch forward. There's nobody coming so I floor it and I'm out of there.

Odd. Just odd.

God he's hot

2006-07-13T06:02:00.000-05:00

Which Pirates of the Caribbean character are you?

Let the races begin!

2006-07-10T15:24:00.000-05:00

So I'm working on getting my act together at work for a two week onslaught of being trained and training others. This is my last day of my comfy cube. Not that it's really that comfy, it is a cube after all.

With this, I think my whole scheduled eating is going to just fall off the planet. I'm planning on doing really well, but I might be set up for failure by my surroundings. It's off site training, and it's full days. That usually means that there is a lunch break of some kind. It will be VERY hard to not participate in what everyone else is doing. Most likely, everyone else will be either ordering in or going somewhere together. I'm going to bring my lunch every day. That whole little Hormel chili cup and spoon. We'll see how I do. I'm going to have water with me all day, so that shouldn't be a problem. We'll see how I do.

Here's to chili alone!

The Ghetto, Part 3: Pictures

2006-07-06T13:59:00.000-05:00

Another holiday flies by

2006-07-05T13:53:00.000-05:00

We made it through the 4th of July. Didn't launch a single firework. I know... we're lame. Blah blah blah. We actually spent most of the holiday driving. We left for the in-laws on Monday night. Right after work. It's a nice little 4 hour drive. Yippee skippy. Got there a little before 10 at night. All good. Stayed up late visiting. Got some good comments from the mother in law about the haircut and the weight loss. She called me a skinny minnie. Hardly. Still wearing the 18s.

Got up early when the kidlet popped out of bed at 8 something in the morning. That was just harsh. Especially considering that my husband didn't crawl up to bed until 4am. Spent the day there. The in-laws didn't wake until 11 or so. We left right after dinner at bit after 7. Got home right around 11.

Now I'm tired. And so is everyone else in my house. I think even the cats are tired. 5am is early to hear an alarm clock go off.

Addiction replacement?

2006-07-03T14:39:00.000-05:00

Since I can't have food be my addiction anymore, at least not good food, I've moved on. Now my iPod and I are becoming really good friends. Not only does my friendly iPod distract me from things like food and more food, it doesn't judge, and it gives me what I want, when I want it. So, now I have a podcast addcition. I subscribe to feeds left and right. Listen to almost all of them. Love a few of them. Can't get through a day without my daily dose of podcast downloading and listening. With this, I've run across a new site that I have to turn all you other podcast listeners towards. Every out there who listens to podcasts should go to http://www.podcastawards.com and enter their favorites. I got all mine in there, and I'm hoping that they win. But not to skew the odds, I'm not going to divulge who they are. Have fun everyone!

Happy 4th!

Things that go BOOM in the dark

2006-06-29T17:37:00.000-05:00

Last night, the hubby, kidlet and I drove up to Albertville to check out my little brother's brand new house, and drop off a new storm door. It was a nice drive, long, and in rush hour. We stopped at Joe's Crab Shack in Maple Grove on the way home. Mmmmmm.... steamed crab legs....

So, we get back into Apple Valley a little after 10pm. We're in the left turn lane on Cedar to 140th. I lean over to play with the radio, and BOOM! We're hit! A young girl was having a diabetic episode, and rear ended another car, which smashed into our truck, and then spun and hit us again. Now I'm sore. My head hit the passenger window, but I'm really the only one in our vehicle that has any injury other than a lot of shaken nerves and new paranoias.

Since I hit my head, once we got back to our house, we got into my car and went to the ER to be checked out. When the doctor told me he was going to get me some Vicodin, I said that I'd have to have liquid. He looked at me strangely. I repeated, for like the 4th time, that I've had gastric bypass and cannot take pills easily. He asked what I'd like for a pain killer, and I said that I'd probably be best with some Roxicet. He had to go look up the drug to see what it was. He had never heard of it. I didn't know that liquid pain killers were so rare. But I guess for this ER doc, they are.

Anyway. Everyone that was in the accident, all 6 people involved, are doing okay. The young lady spent her night in the hospital to get her blood sugars back under control, since she was at 40 when the cops showed up. Another woman has a broken ankle, but she was in relatively good spirits when we talked to her in the waiting room at the ER. Looking at our truck today to get personal things out, it's amazing that more people weren't severly hurt. I'm grateful that everyone lived, and that the young girl who started it all will now be taking better care of herself.

It's been a long day.

Here's pictures... long overdue

2006-06-22T10:50:00.000-05:00

Done with tacos, back to the beach

2006-06-22T10:28:00.000-05:00

Now we have all decided that we're going to be going to Puerto Vallarta for our vacation. Costa Rica is out. Either way, it doesn't matter to me. I do, however, find it slightly amusing that I'm going from one event surrounded by tacos to the land of the taco. I bet you the tacos in Puerto Vallarta are light years better. Something about them being authentic or something.

So... back to updates on me. I'm still losing. And still pretty quickly. I'm down 50 pounds as of today! Woo Hoo! Yay me! That's as much as my kid weighs. That just boggles my mind. I have more energy than ever, and I feel great. Clothes have a whole new outlook for me already. I look better in them, and I like shopping so much more. I know that there's going to be so much more to come. This is only the beginning.

The Ghetto, Part 2: The BIG day

2006-06-19T08:17:00.000-05:00

Well, Dee's wedding was this past weekend. I didn't attend the ceremony, but I heard it was beautiful. The rain held out until the reception had begun. The bride and groom both looked great. Bobo looked amazing too.

I didn't know that VFWs were in strip malls. But I guess there is at least one in that situation. The hall was decorated nicely, as long as you didn't look up at the ceiling. It was just scary up there. I don't think there were two ceiling tiles that were the same color. Not to mention the missing tiles. But people seemed to have fun. The DJ was fun. Who doesn't love a guy in a kilt? The food went over well. All of the taco meat disappeared. A few less people showed than planned, so I think everyone got to eat all they wanted. There was so much extra food. But it all disappeared too.

Big Red, the other "cook", was so wonderful. She was a cleaning freak. She wasn't feeling so good after she ate, so she holed up in the kitchen and cleaned, cleaned, cleaned. She did so much more than she had to. Such a great person to work with.

Well, on another, slightly wedding related note, I ran into someone I haven't seen in almost 15 years. She was my best friend in 6th grade, junior high, and the beginning of high school. She was at the wedding with her parents! It was so strange seeing her again. The oddest part, she looks the same! There is nothing that was different. Same hair, same wall flower personality, same everything. So strange. I'm there, working my butt off to make sure that people get fed, in a fun, new dress, and she's there, the same as high school! I'd like to think I don't look like the same kid I was in high school. I've grown. Gotten married, had a child, grown up some (not a lot, just some). It was strange. Very very strange. Kind of Twilight Zone strange.

The Ghetto, Part 1: 2 lbs of taco seasoning?

2006-06-15T07:40:00.000-05:00

This is something that I just have to share. I was asked to share it too, so all the more reason. I have a friend, let's call her Bobo. Bobo's friend from childhood, Dee for this tale, is getting married this Saturday. Bobo is going to be Dee's matron of honor. I was asked to help with the cooking for the reception and getting all of the food out and everything. No problem. I'm there.

Well, this is turning into quite a funny little adventure. The wedding is now officially "Ghetto", at least as "Ghetto" as the VFW in Princeton with multiple missing ceiling tiles that have pink insulation falling out, can possibly be.

I've seen the fabric of the bride's gown, and it's amazing. Beautiful. Really stunning. I'm sure that she'll be a gorgeous bride. The flowers are rumored to be just as grand.

But there is a limited budget here. Very, very, very limited. There are going to be around 75 guests. Not too shabby of a number. It's an adult only reception, so it should be lots of fun. Quite the party. Even if it in the VFW. You can drink bad surroundings away. Or at least think that you did.

This brings us to the food for the reception. What would you feed 75 guests at a wedding reception? This reception is going to have tacos. Yep, you got it, tacos. Hard shell only. No tortillas. So, last night, Bobo and I went shopping to get our list of groceries. Here's the list... straight from the bride....

Here are the items that we will need for the reception and the receipe for the Mexican Rice.
4 to 5 lbs of Ground Turkey
10 Lbs of Ground Hamburger (80% or more lean is fine)
1 or 2 large Black bean and corn Salsa, should find in refrigerator section in large plastic tub? If not at sams then at regular grocery store. Use your discretion on the size, if they are smaller containers then get 2.

2 - 3 Large depending on the size bag or bags - Tortilla Chips, yellow corn if possible.

3 Mild & 3 Hot Salsa (this should be the refrigerated type may not find at Sam's club), Salsa Lisa brand in mild and Hot are good and they sell them in larger bottles in most rainbow foods, including the Rainbow Foods in Maple Grove.

2 regular sized jars or cans of Jalepenos

2 - 3 large tubs of sour cream

1 or 2 tubs of Guacamole

Lettuce (pre-shredded would be easiest) we need enough for 150 taco's

Shredded Cheddar Cheese ( 60oz or 15 cups worth should do it)

10 - 12 medium sized tomatoes

1 bundle of green onion (not much needed of this)

150 hard shell tacos, I decided against the soft shell taco idea.

15 packets of taco seasoning or a very large packet that would make enough for 15 lbs of meat, LOL!

Will need coffee to serve but not a huge thing from sams, let me talk to mom about this one.

1 large watermellon

4 or 5 lb bag of Rice - need 19 cups of white long grain rice

1 large not giant bottle of veg oil for rice

19 8oz cans or as close to 152oz as you can get of Tomato Sauce

9.5 or 10 lb bag of FROZEN veggies, must be the bag with mix of only "corn, peas, green beans & carrots" not the mix with Lima beans, YUCKY! If you don't find one with green beans but it has the others then that's ok.
My hope is you can find a giant bag at sams to get the amount we need.

Spices.........

These you can pick up at Rainbow foods or cub.... generic brand is good.
Garlic Salt
Onion Salt
Cumin
Reg Salt

If you would pick up a small thing of decaf coffee and a larger thing of regular french roast coffee. Also a small container of sugar cubs and some sort of creamer for their coffee.

So, as you have read, she's planning on 150 tacos for about 75 guests. That's just 2 tacos per person. Hmm... last time I checked, the average adult male could eat 3-7 tacos in one sitting. Or maybe that's just me. Hmm... interesting. So, Bobo and I got everything on this list, and a little extra ground beef.

Shopping was interesting, educational, and fun. I didn't know that you could get a 2 lbs container of taco seasoning and have it work for 20 lbs of meat. I also didn't know that they sold tomato sauce in 105oz cans. Did you know that you can buy 1/2 lb jars of sliced jalapenos? Did you know that Salsa Lisa might be the hardest brand of salsa to find in any store? Did you know that Taco Bell brand taco shells are the only ones stocked in quantities of 10 or more? (We had to get 13 boxes of shells) So, three stores later, we are done shopping and ready to get taco meat making.

Is there possibly any good way of making 20 lbs of taco meat, using only 3 pots, all at one time? Not in a normal kitchen. But we did our best. Our very best. Can't use the same utensils for the ground turkey as the ground beef. Be very careful. Don't die laughing when Bobo keeps reminding you that the ground turkey looks like Alpo. Don't die when the puff of taco seasoning is so overwhelming that you almost gag. Try to find some way to convert quarts to cups at 8:30 at night. Then do lots of math to figure out the best water to seasoning to meat ratio. Simmer. And simmer some more. And then just let it simmer a little longer. Find a way to get all that taco-y meat into some ice cream buckets and ready for the freezer.

All in all, it was an interesting night. I'm sure that it will get more interesting as the weekend goes on the Ghetto Wedding approach. Maybe Bobo will add some more wonderful Ghetto qualities in the comments here. I know she's reading.

Answer: What is weight, hair, and my sanity.

2006-06-14T12:05:00.000-05:00

Question: What have you lost in the last 9 days?

I'm funny. I know... you're all out there chuckling. Now I'll tackle them one by one for everyone out there.

Weight: Still losing. Yay me! I feel great, and from what people tell me, I'm looking pretty darn good too. So, there ya have it. I'm a happy camper in that department. Foods are going well. Had a small piece of a veggie pizza today. Yummy.

Hair: I've chopped the locks. They are gone. Very, very, very gone. My hair is so short, I don't have to worry about it blowing into my face when I'm driving 80 down the highway with my windows down. It's funky, it's me. And now I get to play with all these fun hair products. You should see my bathroom. There are all these bottles of different colored goo everywhere. I love it!

Sanity: When I had my spur of the moment, "Don, pull over. I want to get a haircut, now", Juliann decided that she wanted her hair done too. I told her when school was over (last Friday) that I'd take her to go and get whatever she wanted done to her hair. Well, needless to say, I now have a child with hot pink highlights. Yep, hot pink. And she's only 7. You should've seen some of the looks I got in the salon when we were getting it done. But I don't care. She's girly, and I'm going to help her be that way. We were at the salon for almost 2 hours. She loved her first real salon experience. She got hot cocoa and a magazine while we were waiting for her hair to process. I think she was in heaven.

Now I'll have to get pictures of my new do and Juliann's new do and get them posted up here. You're all going to die laughing. Don doesn't like to go out with us in public anymore. We're freaks. And Juliann and I love every minute of it.

When one measurement doesn't move, the others do

2006-06-05T14:27:00.000-05:00

So this past week, I haven't lost any weight. Seems bad, but not really. I hit one month on 6/2 and it's probably about time my body played catch-up with the scale. I haven't changed really what I've been eating, however, I have really gotten to be more active. When I started to "move" more, my clothes started fitting less. To the point where I've now fit into clothes I haven't worn in almost 5 years. Scary.... ooohhhh.... Now I'm not complaining. I feel great. Everyone says that I'm looking good. In general, life is good. So, since the scale is taking a break from moving, it looks and feels like the inches are falling off. When my body is done moving things around, the scale should pick up and move again. We'll see what this week has in store.

Since it's June now, and we've had a couple of scorcher weekends, I chopped my hair on Saturday. On a whim. So now it's SHORT! Super-upber-almost-ridiculous SHORT! But I like it. Now it's fun, funky, and most of all, comfy. It should be a great addition to my summer. No more hair blowing away when I'm trying to enjoy the weather.

I hope that everyone had just as fun a weekend as I did. There may have been some work in there, but it was all fun!

I'm a slacker!

2006-06-01T10:42:00.000-05:00

Not that this should be new news to anyone, but I really have been a posting slacker. Would all expect any less?

So, tomorrow I will be ONE MONTH out! That's a whole 31 days! And I'm down 38 pounds. I keep bouncing around the same 2-4 pound area. Just means that I need to watch my water and protein intake and excerise. Hope Juliann is ready for some more bike rides! Even though the scale isn't dropping as fast as it was the first couple weeks, clothes are really starting to sag more. They say when you aren't losing pounds, you're losing inches. I guess they are right. I'm going to have to dig out some clothes I have stashed a couple sizes from where I started.

Work is still going. Two people that I used to go to lunch with and talk with all the time left this week. One expectedly, on Tuesday, the other, suddenly, on Wednesday. So now I am starting to find myself at a loss for lunch buddies. But one of my "boys" is still here, so he's going to have to deal with me one on one until we find some new recruits. Sorry Mr. 2-Hottie... you have to deal with my mood swings all on your lonesome!

Hope that everyone out there in blog-reading-ville is doing well. Vacation plans are starting to come more to fruition. Mmmmm... beach....

Now that I own a scale

2006-05-24T09:15:00.000-05:00

I guess I will have to start to regularly report my progress. Since this blog is supposed to be all about my weight loss journey. So, this morning I weighed in at 260. That's actually getting pretty close to the driver's license. Scary. I'm down 32 pounds. I've been kinda stuck around here for a week or so, but I think that it's okay. I'm slowly working on getting more than just liquid into me, so it's probably going to have some adverse affect on the scale. But it's for the better me overall.

I found out what eating too much/too fast will do to me. OUCH!!!! That hurt worse than the surgery. I thought the food was going to come popping out of my chest wall. It passed after a few minutes, but I think I've learned that lesson. I least I hope that I have.

I've also found a new friend. Dasani Sensations Lemon-Lime water made with Splenda. Yum! It's "lightly carbonated" soo it almost feels like drinking pop again. But I don't get all the sugar or other nasty stuff that pop has in it.

My newest favorite food is... egg salad. Yummy yummy. I think it's just the egg part. High protein, very good. I can spice it up anyway that I like it. Use the smallest amount of Miracle Whip, and I'm good to go. No bread required! I also got these teriyaki chicken breasts. Not too shabby for something that you just nuke for 2 minutes. Overall, I'm pretty happy with everything that I've tried. It's all worked well. No dumping syndrome for this soon to be little lady!

Brain on a beach, body in a cube

2006-05-23T10:34:00.000-05:00

I love my friends. I'm sure they know it. Damn them for putting my brain in Costa Rica! I just can't stop thinking about white sandy beaches, beautiful rain forests, cute monkeys, and lots of cabana boys. Some things just shouldn't be seeded in my mind when I have high-speed internet at my fingertips. That's just asking for trouble.

But since it looks like we're going, we're now out and searching for others who want to join us. The more the merrier! Woo Hoo! We're renting a villa for a week (Saturday to Saturday) that is all-inclusive. We're talking chefs and maids, right there in the villa. Where does this go wrong? It only does if you're not there with us! Here's the place we're looking at staying... http://www.greatrentals.com/CostaRica/15255.html

You're all welcome to let me know if you're interested. We're looking at Feb 2008. Warm beaches in the middle of the winter... what could be better?

Open for comments

2006-05-23T10:32:00.000-05:00

I've opened up for comments now. There's a word verification so I don't get nailed with blog spam, but it's there if you want to add your two cents. I can take it. Blah!

And another week bites the dust

2006-05-19T17:24:00.000-05:00

Yay me! I've made it through an entire week at work! Woo Hoo! Now, I'm just so damn tired that I can hardly see straight, but it was SO worth it. It was a lot easier to get in the water and protein when I was back into a familiar routine. There's something about working that keeps my brain focused on other things, like sipping. Not that I don't like to work, it's just that my mind wanders to others things I should be doing instead. Now my own "To Do" list has grown emensely in the last 5 days. It should keep me held over for the weekend.

I feel great overall though. I have so much more energy than I thought I would have at this point. I'm really starting to feel the impact of the lost weight. My clothes are all hanging. It's so odd to see. When I don't have clothes on, I don't see it, but once those clothes are hanging there, it's all very evident to me. I've had people at work notice too. That makes me feel really good. Especially the people who don't know that I've had this surgery done. They are the ones that really matter to me. They are the ones who are noticing when they aren't looking for it.

Either way, I'm very happy with myself and this huge life change. It has made me happier, more confident, and much more secure. It was worth every second of pain and doubt. I'd gladly do it again. In a heartbeat.

2 weeks down, a lifetime to go

2006-05-15T12:53:00.000-05:00

Wow. What an amazing 2 weeks. I'm already down 35 pounds, 2 pant sizes. I'm so shocked. I've started to see it in the way my clothes hang on me, especially my shirts. I'm so glad that I made the decision to have this surgery and that I'm sticking with the program. It's made so many positive changes in my life. I no longer need caffeine! Who would've ever thought that could happen?!?!?!?!? I have so much more energy. And I want to get out and do stuff. Being stuck in my house drives me nuts. I've come back to work a week early because I wanted to get back into life.

And here we go!

2006-05-02T04:40:00.000-05:00

So it's now surgery day, and I'm up early. Really early. But I can't sleep and it's almost time to go anyway. I hope that everyone knows how much I appreciate all of the love and support they've shown me. I love you all too.

It's amazing who just doesn't get it

2006-04-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

**** WARNING- I'M GOING TO BE VENTING HERE *****

So I talked to one of my best friends yesterday, and she shocked me. Not that I should be so caught off guard with her ignorance, but the more I talk to her, the more I notice she could care less abut me. I'm just a name with a years of friendship mark that she can parade in front of others. Or at least it's starting to feel that way.

So I haven't talked to her since the week after I got married in March. Which is unusual for us since we used to talk many times a day, every day. But life gets in the way of a lot of things lately. She mentioned ordering pizza for dinner last night, and I told her that I'm on a liquid diet and couldn't eat anything. Then she asked me why everyone was on a diet all the time. Well, um.... I kind of have to be on a diet to get ready for this MAJOR SURGERY that I'm having. She didn't ask me to remind her when the surgery is, but she knows that I'm having gastric bypass done. I thought she was okay with it and pretty supportive the first time that I told her I going to have this done. But that was months ago. Then I mention that I'm having surgery next week. She says, "So, you'll be out of work for a few days?" Well, no. Not exactly. This is major abdominal surgery, I'll be out of work for about 3 weeks. I'll be in the hospital for 2 or 3 days. She asked me to call her when I was home and feeling up to talking.

So I call another really good friend and give her the play by play of this last phone converstaion. She is shocked too! So obviously friend #1 isn't planning on visiting me in the hospital. She hasn't offered to help me in any other way either. But this other friend, friend #2, is willing to bend over backwards to make sure that I get better, and that everything turns out okay. I thought that friend #1 would understand more of what I'm going through and why I'm putting myself through this drastic life change. She's known me for over 15 years. You'd think that she'd see just how difficult my life has become and how my struggle with my weight has really taken a huge toll on my life. But I guess she doesn't see it. I am thankful that I do have friends like friend #2. And that I have a great family who is very supportive and helping me every time I ask.

Sloshing through life

2006-04-25T08:16:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am, still drinking... and drinking more. I feel like I'm not drinking enough though. Not that I can do anything more than stick an IV in my hand. I've heard that if you don't keep yourself hydrated enough that it can be really difficult to get that IV going when you finally get into the hospital. Hopefully I won't have that problem. I'm trying to suck down every ounce of liquid possible, but eventually one does feel like they should just grow some gills and move into a lake. It would be easier. But I'm determined that I can do anything for 10 days... and I will do this!

Major update... finally

2006-04-24T15:00:00.000-05:00

I thought I should start off with how I've gotten to where I am in this journey of new beginnings. I'm pulling this from a profile I have on another weight loss surgery site.

1/19:
I've had my first meeting with Barb, the bariatric nurse. She's wonderful. I think she gave me some of the best news I could have heard since I started even thinking about WLS. I don't need approval from my insurance! Woo Hoo! Some things are small miracles. I still have to go through the whole assessment, but I don't have to wait for any approvals. I go in for my 4 hour assessment on 2/20.

2/20:
The assessment wasn't all that bad. It took quite a while, but I respect that they are very thorough. On top of the psychologist, MD, physical therapist, and nutritionist, I had to have an EKG done and some lab work. But from what I heard so far, everything is going very smoothly and I shouldn't have to worry about anything before surgery. I believe that I'm ready, and I think they see that I'm ready too.

2/27:
Barb called me today. I'm a green light and ready to go! Yay me! Since I don't have wait for an insurance approval, she just needed approval from the assessment team. They found that my iron levels are a little low from the lab work that I had done, but that's fixed with a couple of pills each night. I can handle that. They also want me to have a sleep study done to see if I have sleep apnea. It's possible, so that will just be one more interesting and new experience. She now has me scheduled to meet with the surgeon and get a surgery date! This is just moving along so quickly. I thought it might take longer. But I'm not going to argue with getting on with the rest of my life sooner.

3/1:
I had my surgeon appointment today. What a great experience! This is the first time that I've met Dr. Svendson, and he is a good person. He's easy to talk to, very calm, down to earth, yet honest. Just what I want in someone who is going to have my life in his hands. Now I have surgery scheduled for May 2nd. They were going to do it a week earlier, but there is a 10 day clear liquid prep that I wouldn't be able to do because I'll be on my honeymoon until April 17th. I have the pre-op physical scheduled with my regular doctor too. I'm sure that when I see her she'll be really exicted for me. She's been seeing what pain I've been in over the last few years and will glad to see me on the way to pain-free. Now I just have to schedule an appointment with an OB/GYN to get my yearly done and go over some birth control options. Since they really want me to be on two methods, I need to find something that won't make me moody or depressing but is still effective. I'll see what their suggestions they have for me.

3/19:
Yesterday I got married! Woo Hoo! One less thing I have to stress over before my WLS. I think it's going to be a big WOW moment when our one year anniversary comes around and look at the pictures from yesterday. I'm sure that I'll be half of the person that I am now. Just the thought of that amazes me. But I'm so glad that I've gotten to make this commitment to the one person that I love so much that I'd go through all of the stress, pain and heartache of wedding planning again if it meant that I could be with him. Love you Don!

4/4:
So, now it's been a while since I updated. Guess I should say something. I'm going on my honeymoon next week. I'm very excited. It's going to be 8 days of wonderful Florida sunshine for this very cold Minnesota chick! Actually, I've been very lucky so far. I have all of my paperwork into my employer for the FMLA leave. Barb, wonderful Barb, has me penciled in for 3 weeks off. She said that I might not need it all, but at least it will be there. She's one funny woman. Keeps me laughing every chance she gets. She has a new title now, she's my "Rockstar Trainer"! I know that there's a Rockstar in me, and she's going to be the one to help me bring it out. She's my own personal owners manual for the tool I'm about to get. I am getting very excited to get this all off the ground. I have 17 days until I start my liquid diet, and then 28 days until surgery! Oh my, that's less than a month! Can't wait to be on the losing side!

4/24:
Liquid, liquid, liquid. Blah. I'm on day 3 of this 10 day liiquid diet. It's not nearly as bad as it could have been. The first day was rough. It didn't help that it fell on a Saturday. I got to watch the kidlet eat ALL day long. Man, for being so little, she can really pack it down. She is grazer. No doubt about that. But now I'm getting into the swing of it. I still get to have my coffee. Then I choke down some CIB. I sneak in water everywhere inbetween to help me keep that "full" feeling longer. Then I move into a small glass of straight milk, a protein shake here and there, and soups/broths. I think it's the protein shakes and broths that are keeping me alive. Well, that and the coffee. Who would really want to see me without my daily dose of wake-me-up juice? I would think not. Anyway. I'm getting more excited every day to get to the next phase of my life. I'm a week and 17 hours away from the losing side. Who would have thought I'd get this far this fast?

My decision to have WLS

2006-03-12T17:05:00.000-06:00

I have decided to have weight loss surgery. This was a very difficult decision for me to come to. I had to battle my own demons and the demons of others to get where I am today. I've been overweight my entire life. It has impacted almost everything that I've ever done. Now I have daily pain, and I'm only in my 20s! Something drastic had to be done. So, here is a picture of me now. I'm ready to have this surgery to make me a healthier person. I'm ready to have this surgery to be a better parent. I'm ready to have this surgery to live.

I have already gone through all of the insurance approval and pre-op testing. I've been approved at every turn. I have my surgery scheduled for Tuesday, May 2nd. I'm excited, nervous, anxious, but very ready. I'm ready to begin the rest of my life. I have many around me who support me and are going to be very helpful along my journey.