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To Surgery And Beyond!

7/21/2016

So today wrapped up 13 long months of red tape, procedures, and waiting. I was able to meet with the surgeon who is going to be doing my procedure. He gave the green light and we scheduled my gastric bypass surgery for August 10th.

So for those who are interested in the minutia, here’s what it looks like from here on out:

Monday I begin a special diet intended to cause rapid weight loss and remove as much fat as possible from the liver. It is a low calorie, low carb, high protein diet. Pretty much consists of 4 high protein shakes/drinks a day. In addition to the shakes I can have 1 fruit, 1 vegetable only salad, and 1 300 calorie or less Lean Cuisine meal OR 6 oz lean mean and ¾ cup non-starchy vegetables.
On the 27th of this month I go in for the official pre-op visit where they draw blood to check final levels, test for nicotine, and go over information with the anesthesiologist.
On August 10th I will have the surgery, which should last anywhere from 1-2 hours. It will be done laparoscopically (several small incisions as opposed to one big one). While they are in there, I agreed to allow a medical research team from UCLA take samples of fat that they will be testing for genetic markers for things like diabetes, thyroid issues, etc…But I am secretly hoping they use it to clone me.
The goal is to go home Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. From there I can plan on being sore for several days but should be able to be up and moving fairly easily. As far as pain goes, he said it is similar or maybe SLIGHTLY worse than a c-section. I have had two of those – I can swing this, right!?
The main concerns post-surgery are typical surgery risks (bleeding, blood clots, etc…), and dehydration. The goal is to drink 64 oz of water a day. But with a stomach the size of an egg, that can be quite challenging. They recommend taking a drink every 5 minutes during all waking hours. That’s going to be tough!
For two weeks after surgery, all food should be the consistency of applesauce or thinner. After that it will be a month of soft foods (mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, vegetables boiled to mush, etc..). Then I will slowly start introducing normal foods. The goal is protein, protein, protein.

I am thrilled. I am terrified. I am mourning the loss of certain foods. I am thankful. But most of all I am ready.

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Make America Great Again

7/17/2016

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I know things are tense right now. And with good reason. But it would serve us all well to take a deep breath and regroup. While CNN, Fox News, and radio talk show hosts are trying their best to get us all to panic, and the political candidates are arguing over who is going to make America great again, the truth is that we are America. And we never stopped being great.

Our government has issues, no doubt. They overspend, are self-seeking, and sometimes dishonest. But we aren’t being ruled by blood thirsty dictators who authorize their military to burn down villages, rape women, and take young children and turn them into guerrilla soldiers. That’s great.

Are our religious freedoms sometimes restricted more than they ought to be? Yes. There is a line that gets crossed here and there unnecessarily and unfairly. But at least there is a line. We can walk down the street wearing an “I love Jesus” t-shirt, singing Amazing Grace, and tossing free Bibles out to whoever is walking by and NOT get beheaded or put in prison. And on the flip side, you can walk on the other side of the street with a megaphone openly disagreeing with the belief system held by the majority of Americans and not be persecuted as well. That’s great.

Does common core stink? Are our student’s test scores slipping? Is school violence a growing concern? Yes, yes, and yes. But we have an entire section of our government dedicated to trying to identify and fix these problems. And even if you think they are doing a terrible job, the fact still remains that we live in a country that cares enough to offer free public education to every child. And by being plugged into the public school system, some of our poorest children are also gaining access to basic healthcare and even meals that would not be available to them otherwise. Compared to countries where only boys can attend school or only those who are rich and well connected, our system is great.

Are we entering a new phase in our country with foreign and domestic terrorism? Unfortunately I believe we are. And that can be very scary. And we will need to evolve our current laws and procedures accordingly. But even so, we are STILL living in one of the safest, most secure countries in the world. Contrary to what the media would have you believe, America still has the edge in almost every aspect of defense. We have the intelligence, the man power, and the fire power to use at our disposal if needed. Many other countries deal with war, car bombs, suicide bombers, and extreme religious zealots on a DAILY basis. I’m not saying that we just need to accept these attacks. But keep them in perspective - the fact that they are so rare that when they happen it is BIG news (and not just another blurb on page 2 of the paper), that is great.

Do we still have to deal with hatefulness, prejudice and discrimination? Yes, we do. But that has been around since the beginning of time and will never go away completely. In America, a white woman can be married to a black man without many people batting an eye. People born with disabilities or to a lower social class can live just as fulfilling lives (and even more fulfilling sometimes) as perfectly healthy people born into privilege. And while they still get used by the most ignorant of people, words like nigger, honky, or retard are so disdainful in our society that simply typing them makes me feel uncomfortable. Regardless of what the media says, the people of America that I know are still good, hard working, good-hearted people who just want to live in peace with the people around them. That’s great.

So like I said earlier, I think we just need to breathe. Just take a minute and realize that we are going through a rough patch. Acknowledge where we need to grow but don’t forget how great we already are.

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I've Finally Been Approved!

7/5/2016

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If you don’t know me personally or aren’t friends with me on Facebook, you may not have heard…I got a call today from The Ohio State University Bariatric Center letting me know that I have FINALLY been approved for gastric bypass surgery. This process has been in the works for over a year now and I must admit that it seems a bit surreal to know that the ball is rolling at full speed and barring something unforeseen, there’s nothing to stop it. Hopefully this time next year, I’ll be less of a person than I am now.

Earlier in the day I was just happy. Happy that I was approved, happy that I was done with jumping through all of the hoops, and happy that plans were really starting to solidify, which means I can start planning accordingly.

But now the kids are in bed and the husband is sleeping and I’ve got a bad case of the feels. And the feels are all over the place.

First, I’m feeling all sorts of gratitude. To God for letting me be as relatively healthy as I am despite my weight. To my husband, family, friends and church for just always being positive and encouraging. I don‘t have anyone in my immediate circle who is harassing me about my choice. From what I hear, that‘s unusual. And I‘m even feeling gratitude to my country (I told you my feelings were all over the place). But seriously - there are people in other countries who die from lack of antibiotics and despite my political gripes against the healthcare industry here, I am beyond blessed to be given this opportunity with very little cost out of my own pocket. I truly believe it will save my life.

Right after the gratitude comes the fear. Fear of the surgery of itself. I’ve never had a problem with anesthesia before, but I’ve also never been under for longer than a few minutes. So that’s a little nerve-wracking. Fear of the post-surgery pain. I know that’s coming - just gotta suck that one up. Oh. And there is the fear of breaking up with my long time friend…food. It’s been a love/hate relationship for so long and breaking the ties with the love side does scare me. What if I can’t kick old habits and five years from now I’ll be back in the same boat that I am in now. As of right now, I feel very determined that will NOT be the case but there is a little flicker of doubt in my wired-for-weightloss-failure brain. Just gotta keep reminding myself that I really believe that God has led me here. I may not trust myself, but I trust Him and that is enough for me right now.

But the biggest emotion I feel is anticipation. I can’t wait to experience some of the things that I’ve been missing out on over the past ____ years of my life. Getting off of all of these stinking blood pressure medications. Being able to walk for over a mile without having to ice down my feet the next day. Shopping for fashionable clothes in a real life store instead of online. And who knows…MAYBE even might be able to find something decent in my size at a thrift store. I look forward to being able to catch my three year old and whip his behind. That was a joke so don’t freak out on me. Well, kind of a joke. One of my best friends laughed at me tonight as I yelled across our church building (to tell the Tasmanian devil to stop running and yelling) because my friend knew that if the tot-of-terror didn’t stop running, I wasn’t going to do anything. But that’s mainly because I can’t catch the sucker. But his day is coming. Mwuahahaha. Seriously though - just being able to keep up with the kids and my husband physically will be a major blessing. Vacations, parks, and even just things around the house will take on a whole new feel.

So many feelings. I could keep going but I won’t. It’s 1:07 a.m. and I’m listening to a YouTube play list that’s apparently custom made to make me cry. Adele, Alicia Keys, some old K-Ci and JoJo song that came out when Alfred and I were dating and even a little Dance with my Father by Luther Vandross. If I don’t turn this off soon and go to bed I may not make it to surgery day.

For those of you who actually choose to read about my life and thoughts - thank you. You’d be surprised how much knowing you are watching has kept me going.

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