Woo Hoo.... Next Step: SURGERY

I went and got weighed in this morning before my Pre-Admission Testing and I lost 6.2 pounds since my last official weigh in on May 2nd!!! I am ecstatic!! I then went over for my Pre-Admission Testing which included taking some blood and going over my medical history. They decided that I would be getting some Valium prior to my surgery so that my blood pressure doesn't rise from anxiety. They took my blood pressure and it was 120/80 which was okay. It has steadily been going down since I started loosing weight. My grand total of weight lost from when I started this whole process is 19.5 pounds. I was hoping for a full 20 lbs. by my Pre-Admission testing but that didn't happen. I am not too disappointed, but it would have been nice.

Dr. Graber's office said their insurance person would call me as soon as they heard anything. I have 14 days before my surgery. I have 9 business days before my surgery. I hope that the insurance company comes through!!

16 Days!!!!

So I am now down to 16 days prior to my surgery. I am absolutely ecstatic, however I am very nervous about the insurance approval that is necessary for the surgery. I'm afraid that they are going to have some sort of problem and won't approve it. I'm not sure what I would do if I get turned down. Its very nerve racking.

I've been working diligently on my house cleaning before my surgery. I cleaned out my kitchen pantry last night and sorted through everything that was in there. I was able to put many of my serving dishes in the pantry/closet as I was running out of cupboard space. I have to finish going through my cupboards tonight and my kitchen will be done :) I picked up a new vacuum cleaner over the weekend, a Dyson Animal DC-15. I absolutely love it. It works phenomenally. I used is very lightly last night, but I have some serious vacuuming to do tonight/tomorrow so I will definitely post about that.

I stopped at Walmart tonight and got Juice, Bouillon, Applesauce, Oatmeal and Baby Spoons. These are just a few of the things that I need for before/after surgery. I figure that every little bit helps. I'll have to get some cottage cheese, yogurt and potatoes as the surgery gets closer.

Today wasn't such a good day at work, but I survived. Sometimes I wish that I didn't have to interact with anyone, but that isn't likely to happen. I again have a laundry list of things that I need to do tonight, so I better get cracking!!

Memorial Day Weekend

Thank goodness that I have Monday off for Memorial Day. I'm still trying to get over this stupid head cold. I haven't walked on the treadmill in a week and it is seriously bothering me. I'm going to try to walk tomorrow for at least 30 minutes and we'll see how that goes. I'm making dinner for my husband and parents tomorrow. Here's the menu:

Tomato w/ Fresh Mozzarella and Baguette Bread
BBQ Chicken
Corn on the Cob
Baked Beans
Greek Orzo Salad

Either a Chocolate Mint Pie (if my dear husband is to tired to make me pie crusts in the am) or a homemade rhubarb pie!!!

I'm sure it won't be the healthiest meal ever, but I will watch my portions.

Have a great holiday weekend!!

My 1st Support Group Meeting

I just got home from my first support group meeting held at the St. Lukes Home in Utica. Tracey the facilitator is a nurse on the Bariatric Surgery floor and a post-op patient herself. It was great to meet people who have or will go through with the sugery. There was one gentleman there who had surgery 3 weeks ago and lost 40 pounds already... I almost fell off my chair with that surprise. It was quite evident that people loose at different rates and ways. I also met Mary, another pre-op patient, who's surgery is scheduled the same day as mine. I gave her a hug before I left and hopefully we'll see each other after our surgeries. I feel less anxiety but more excitement after visiting with other patients.

I've come up with some goals for myself.

Be at or below 200 lbs by Christmas 2007
Be at or below 160 lbs by July 2008
Be at or below 130 lbs by October 2008

I hope that these goals are realistic and not a pipe dream. I look forward to obtaining them.....

Still Hanging In There

I'm still battling a head cold that has knocked me on my butt since Friday. I haven't been able to walk on the treadmill which is killing me. I went to my PCP for a pre-op exam and EKG today and everything was normal. Yippee!! One more thing that I don't have to worry about prior to surgery. Dr. Graber's office can officially send my info into my insurance company as soon as they get the official results of my exam from my PCP. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Oh Well.... 24 Days and Counting

Well my surgery was rescheduled for June 14th, exactly one week later than originally planned to build in a little time for the insurance company to get back to Dr. Graber's office. I will be keeping my appointments for my PCP Exam w/EKG and my Pre-Admission Testing. I'm still recovering from a head cold so I haven't been as active as normal as far as walking, but you better bet as soon as I can breathe I will be walking again.

OMG... 18 Days

Wow, 18 days... It doesn't seem real. Well it has been a quiet weekend here, I'm nursing a head cold that has made me a little cranky (I'm sure my husband will laugh out loud when he reads that) and tired. I'm just trying to make sure that I get everything done and I am healthy for surgery. I managed to finish going through all of my clothing and put it in bags so that as I get smaller I have clothes to wear. I found some really, really cute capri's that I forgot that I had. We'll see how far I get with the clothes that I have. I have the guest bedroom bedding stripped and partly washed, so that should be done by tomorrow night. I'll just have to clean the toilet and sink and that room(s) will be done completely. The next thing on my list is my cupboards and pantry in the kitchen. I'll go through all of that during the week and organize everything. After that I just have to finish cleaning the rest of the kitchen, the bathroom and linen closet and and the living room upstairs. I'll try to clean my quilting room out, but that might be the last thing on the list as I can shut the door. I definitely have to clean the family room in the basement as well as the laundry room/mud room. As long as I'm on the road to recovery from this head cold I think that it is a reasonable plan to have it done by the end of next weekend. My mother informed us that she will be there for my surgery and my father asked if I wanted him there, I told him that if he'd like to come he is more than welcome, but he doesn't have to be there as my husband and his wife will be there. You never know, he will probably be there too :)

Back from Docs

Well I just got back from the doctor's office and for the first time in my life I was excited to get on their scales. I weighed 269.6 fully clothed. That is .3 pounds less than what Dr. Graber's scale said on 5-2-07. At least I know that I'm still on a downward trend. The doctor seemed concerned that I was having the surgery and was adamant that I do more than just walk after the surgery. He told me I had to do weight training or my body would not look like I wanted it to. I told him that I understood what he was saying, but I don't think he really thought that I did. Well I have news for him, when I see him next year I will be skinny and toned :) He was nice enough to give me a free membership to his gym for one month after my surgery. He said that way I could try it out and see how I liked it. I'm game for it. After I am cleared for exercise following the surgery you better bet that I will try it out.

I'm off to start my pre-op cleaning and organizing. I'll post later after I have walked.

A Long Week

This week seems to have dragged by. Thank goodness I have tomorrow off. I may complain about working 9 hours a day, but boy is that 2nd Friday of the pay period a blessing in disguise. I have doctor's appointment tomorrow, for once it is just a regular doctor's appointment, nothing to do with my surgery. Hopefully I will be in and out and on to what ever the day brings.

I went out to dinner with my husband tonight. I was relatively good, I use the word relatively because I did have a fair amount of bread with dinner, but I did have a grilled chicken salad for my entree. It was wonderful.

I came home and wanted to crash, but my loving (and pushy) husband made me get on the treadmill. I just got out of the shower after walking 1.3 miles. I'm glad I did. It made me feel much better. The walking must be helping since I weighed myself this morning and was down 3.5 pounds since last Thursday. I'm sure some of it was water weight, but I don't care!!

When I went to the nutritionist she recommended a soy based protein shake or Atkins Advantage Shakes. I figured I better see what I was getting myself into. I bought a pack of the Atkins Advantage Shakes in Chocolate yesterday and I tried one last night. It was tolerable, but it sure wasn't good :( A co-worker's husband had the surgery a year ago and recommended Unjury. Apparently it is very tolerable and they have an unflavored one that you can mix with yogurt, potatoes, pudding, etc. so you can ensure that you are getting enough protein. I ordered some last night. I'll share my opinion after I have tried it.

TTFN

Woo Hoo... 22 Days and Counting

I just got done walking 1.3 miles. I got home from work and some errands and I made sure I walked on the treadmill before 10pm, like I stupidly did last night. I actually had a good time walking as I got to watch Sunday nights episode of Brothers & Sisters. When I was done I jumped in the shower and now I am bouncing off of walls. I have a few more things that I want to do tonight so I think I am on a role.

I decided that even though I am not required to loose 5% of my weight before surgery I am going to try my best. I want to make it to 263 before my next weigh in on May 31st. I'm not sure how far I have to go as my personal weigh-in is on Thursday morning right after I get out of bed. I'll post it first thing tomorrow night to see how I'm doing. I've vowed to:
*Walk at least a mile every night
*To eat only breakfast, lunch and dinner. (No snacking)
*Drink at least 64 oz. of water a day.

I figure if I can do that I'll be on my way to my 5% loss by the 31st!!

Another Boring Day

Not too much new today. I forced myself to walk a mile. I did it in 22 minutes and it took every bit of will power I had. I've had a very lazy two days this week, but I've pushed myself to exercise. I did start going through my jeans today. I have at least 2 pairs of jeans that fit now down to a size 20. I'm hoping that they will get me through the summer. I've already made a deal with myself that I will use what I have until I get below a 20 and then I will buy a pair of jeans when I need them and only if the ones I have are hanging off of me. I don't want to spend too much money on clothes that I probably won't wear again. I figure a pair of jean at Walmart every couple of sizes won't break the bank too much. Thank goodness we can wear jeans to work otherwise I'd be SOL!!! I'm still trying to convince my husband what once I get to my goal weight that I'd like to go to Cabelas to go shopping for lots of new clothes..... Maybe when he realizes how good I plan on looking he'll agree to it. 23 Days and counting!!!

Longest Day on Record

Wow, have you ever felt like no matter what you accomplish that the day is just never going to end? I had one of those days today. I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning and didn't get into work until 7:30. I then proceeded to take almost a 2 hour lunch and leave after 7 hours to take my husband to get his truck at the repair shop. I then went to dinner with a friend and seemed to be on a dead run all day long. I wanted to walk when I got home today but I was exhausted. I compromised (and pushed myself) to walk 2/3 of a mile in 14 minutes. I pushed myself hard to do it and felt my legs burning. I didn't walk yesterday like I had planned as I was really sore from my hike on Saturday. It was only on the road, but it was uphill for the first 3/4 of a mile. It really make me realize how out of shape that I am.

I am going to try to get up and go into work early tomorrow so that I can catch up on the 2 hours I was missing today. Working 9 hour days is hard if you have to take any time off as it makes it difficult to make up time, however that Friday we have off every other week is AWESOME!! It is a busy week at work so I am hoping that I can get done everything that I need to do.

I am making myself a promise for tomorrow. I will come directly home after work and walk at least a half an hour and then starting working on my cleaning. I've had the intention to start cleaning just not the time. Oh well, it is time for me to MAKE the time!!

Beautiful Weekend....

I was a gorgeous weekend!! I went for a walk yesterday and walked 1.5 miles in 29 minutes. I walked to the end of the road (uphill) and back. It was about a 3 mph pace so I was really proud of myself. I really enjoyed the walk! It was in the mid 60's and breezy.

I'm planning on walking on the treadmill tonight. I'll see how far I get in 30 minutes. My goal is by the time that we move into our farmhouse this summer that I can walk down the hill and all the way to the top of the hill and back to the farmhouse. I'm hoping that I can do that by Labor Day!! We stopped at Lowe's today and I picked out paint colors for the bedroom, bathroom, living room and the foyer at the farm. It isn't ready for paint yet, but it will be soon.

I made a quilted bag for my Mother for Mother's Day and she really liked it. It was a marathon to get it done! I started yesterday morning and worked on it until 11pm last night, then I got up and started working on it again today. I finished it up about 1pm and took that, flowers and a card to my Mother. We happened to wake her up from her nap, but I think she enjoyed the surprise.

I have to start working on my cleaning before the surgery. I only have 25 days left. I'll get my butt moving this week. I have Friday off and only have a quick doctor's appointment in the morning. I plan on spending all day Friday and probably Sunday working on the house to get things accomplished.

I've noticed that my blog seems to be having more visitors. I hope that is true and that I am helping someone else out with their journey. Best wishes to everyone :)

Holy Cow....

I can't believe that there are only 27 days before my surgery, it is just unbelievable. I found out that a co-worker's husband had the surgery and she has been a wealth of knowledge about things that worked for him. I am getting really excited about this next chapter of my life. I can't wait to be healthy enough to have children. To think that in about two years I could be pregnant with my first child is awesome.

My husband and I went out with friends for dinner tonight. They took us to a great Korean place. They lived in Korea for 3 years or so and loved the food. They found this place and raved about it. It was great to try something new. I think that I probably could actually eat there again after surgery. Obviously it would take some time before I was ready but it might actually work! :)

I am still having doubts about telling people. I have only told my parents, aunt & uncle and a few chosen co-workers that can support me when I return to work. I have a serious doubt about telling my close friends one because she probably won't agree and the other because she has more important things on her mind (shhh!! she's pregnant) The one that is pregnant would definitely support me, the other one is a crap shoot. I guess I don't want to worry about having negative vibes going on prior to surgery.

I am going to my first support group meeting on the 24th. One of my friends that has had the surgery is going to go with me so that I don't have to go alone my first time. They are always the 4th Thursday of every month and have added them to my calendar for the rest of the year, with the exception of November because the 4th Thursday is Thanksgiving and December as I am not sure if they would have a meeting the week of Christmas. I am going to make an effort to attend every meeting i n the next year and maybe convince my husband to go to a few!

I have so much to do before the surgery. I have to clean, clean, clean. I am going to start working on that on Sunday. Tomorrow I have to start and hopefully finish the gift I am making my mother for Mother's Day. When Sunday rolls around I will follow the list of chores that need to be done in the next 4 weeks and I plan on completing everything!!!

Psych Eval.... Done!!!

I had my psych eval today and passed with flying colors. I was given a prescription that I dropped off at Dr. Graber's office today that I was psychologically approved for surgery. I didn't really think that I wouldn't be approved, but as always it is nerve racking waiting for the words to be spoken. Things seem to be going fine. The next thing that I have scheduled is my PCP physical with the EKG on the 23rd. I'm not really worried about that. I think that should be a breeze.

I'm really tired today, I'm not sure if it is the day or the psychological stress of having to pass a psych evaluation. Anyhow I'm home and relaxing in a quiet house. I ate dinner and ate too much. I should know better than to eat too much as I don't feel very good after it. I made homemade meatballs yesterday so I had some leftovers for dinner. I definitely didn't eat as much as I could have in the past, but I am stuffed silly right now.

My surgery is 1 MONTH from today!!!!

Huge Day for Me

I had a great day today. I was weighed in at 9am this morning and lost another 2.3 Pounds!! Woo Hoo!! I just met with the nurse this morning and she confirmed that I was still scheduled for surgery on June 7th. She told me that I wouldn't meet with Dr. Graber again unless I wanted to prior to surgery. I'm scheduled for my next weigh in on May 31st just before my Pre-Admission Testing. I'm pretty comfortable with the procedure and what to expect. I have a great support group of friends who have been through the surgery and a wonderful supportive husband and family. I then went to meet with the Nutritionist, Christa, at 10am. She is wonderful and was very helpful. Many of my questions and concerns were addressed and I am so much more comfortable than I was before. I met with the exercise consultant at 1pm and was informed of what I should do prior to surgery and after. It was a group meeting so I didn't really feel like I made the connection with the consultant like I did with Christa. I am okay with this exercise part. I was more interested in the Nutrition part of it anyway.

I have a few personal goals before surgery:
*Loose more weight
*Walk on the treadmill 30 minutes 5 days a week
*Eat Slower and chew each bite 20 times
*Learn to not drink 3o minutes before and 45 minutes after eating

I'll do my best and that is all I can ask for. As for general goals before surgery. CLEAN my house from top to bottom. I have 1 month and 5 days so I better get cracking!!!