Good grief! I went in this week for my mental health assessment. This test was INSANELY long! Nearly 600 questions.
And most had absolutely nothing to do with weight loss surgery.
I get that the doctors need to make sure Im mentally all there but really?! 600 questions! AND I STILL HAVE TO MEET WITH THE DOCTOR FOR 90 MINUTES!?!
A portion of the test gave your 4 choices for your answer. Not at all true, Slightly true, mostly true, and very true.
Now brace yourself...
One statement I had to choose an answer for was "My favorite sport is pole vaulting" SERIOUSLY! I am not kidding people.
Another "My hobbies are archery and stamp collecting" REALLY!?
I spent quite a bit of time texting my bff and my hubby these random questions so they could laugh too.
Wierd statements were just thrown in the test randomly inbetween statements regarding drug and alcohol use OVER AND OVER AND OVER again.
I am so glad the test is over with, that was 2 hours of my life I will never get back lol. Now I get to wait til the first week in February for my actual appt with the pyschologist, so we can go over my test and I can be deemed unfit for surgery because I am not a fan of pole vaulting, stamp collecting, or archery ;)
Friday, January 21, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
He's how old?!
Time sure does fly by. Way. Too. Fast!
This week my little man turns 7. How did that happen so fast???
It seems that he was just born, now here he is turning 7. *sigh* And of course now I have cooties. So loving on me is a rare thing these days. Every once in awhile I can get him to come sit by me and just cuddle but most days, I just have cooties and he cannot be bothered lol.
7 years ago, I lay in a hospital bed, on hospital bedrest, with severe pre-eclampsia and suspected HELLP syndrome. My husband had just come home from training out of state on a Red Cross message. Our son and I were both struggling to stay alive.
We had been struggling for weeks. I was told I was being dramatic, I was told I had heartburn, I was told my ribs were inflamed, over and over, I was told there was nothing wrong but there was and all it took was a little blood work to see that yes we were sick, VERY sick. I was quickly put on bedrest at home but it just wasn't enough. Steriod shots were given to me in hopes of maturing our very tiny babies lungs.
This was no regular pregnancy. You see, I was only 27 weeks along, we still had another 13 weeks before he was supposed to be born. But we were dying. And no I am not being dramatic. My liver and kidneys were quickly shutting down, my blood pressure was through the roof, I saw spots before my eyes, I had intense upper right quadrant pain from the whole liver issue. I was swollen up so bad it was difficult to even find a vein. Our little man's growth had nearly stopped, the flow that should go through the umbilical cord was nearly non existant.
After an ambulance ride we found ourselves at an amazing, more equipted hospital where I was informed I would stay until the end of my pregnancy. I had no idea the end of my pregnancy was that night.
Things were progressively getting worse by the minute. My new perinatologist said it was either a c-section or death. The chances of me surviving an induction were practically 0. Our son had only a 50/50 chance of being able to handle and induction anyways. So that night, our first child was born, weighing in at 1 lb 12 oz and 13 1/2 inches long.
We had a long road ahead of us, being born so premature meant months in the NICU, time on the ventilator, CPAP, nasal canula, remembering to breathe on his own, blood clots, blood transfusions, platlet transfusions, gaining weight, learning how to take a bottle and finally being released with one more short hospital stay over reflux.
Today our son is such a bright, amazing, kind, loving, hysterical little man and most would never guess he started out so tiny.
This year he got to spend some special time out with daddy and a friend. And my grandparents came into town to help us celebrate, he chose Red Lobster as his birthday dinner haha. Now we are preparing for a little pizza party with a few friends to celebrate his special day.
He has been such a blessing to our lives and we are so grateful that God gave us this little boy to raise here on earth ♥
HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHEN!!
This week my little man turns 7. How did that happen so fast???
It seems that he was just born, now here he is turning 7. *sigh* And of course now I have cooties. So loving on me is a rare thing these days. Every once in awhile I can get him to come sit by me and just cuddle but most days, I just have cooties and he cannot be bothered lol.
7 years ago, I lay in a hospital bed, on hospital bedrest, with severe pre-eclampsia and suspected HELLP syndrome. My husband had just come home from training out of state on a Red Cross message. Our son and I were both struggling to stay alive.
We had been struggling for weeks. I was told I was being dramatic, I was told I had heartburn, I was told my ribs were inflamed, over and over, I was told there was nothing wrong but there was and all it took was a little blood work to see that yes we were sick, VERY sick. I was quickly put on bedrest at home but it just wasn't enough. Steriod shots were given to me in hopes of maturing our very tiny babies lungs.
This was no regular pregnancy. You see, I was only 27 weeks along, we still had another 13 weeks before he was supposed to be born. But we were dying. And no I am not being dramatic. My liver and kidneys were quickly shutting down, my blood pressure was through the roof, I saw spots before my eyes, I had intense upper right quadrant pain from the whole liver issue. I was swollen up so bad it was difficult to even find a vein. Our little man's growth had nearly stopped, the flow that should go through the umbilical cord was nearly non existant.
After an ambulance ride we found ourselves at an amazing, more equipted hospital where I was informed I would stay until the end of my pregnancy. I had no idea the end of my pregnancy was that night.
Things were progressively getting worse by the minute. My new perinatologist said it was either a c-section or death. The chances of me surviving an induction were practically 0. Our son had only a 50/50 chance of being able to handle and induction anyways. So that night, our first child was born, weighing in at 1 lb 12 oz and 13 1/2 inches long.
We had a long road ahead of us, being born so premature meant months in the NICU, time on the ventilator, CPAP, nasal canula, remembering to breathe on his own, blood clots, blood transfusions, platlet transfusions, gaining weight, learning how to take a bottle and finally being released with one more short hospital stay over reflux.
Today our son is such a bright, amazing, kind, loving, hysterical little man and most would never guess he started out so tiny.
This year he got to spend some special time out with daddy and a friend. And my grandparents came into town to help us celebrate, he chose Red Lobster as his birthday dinner haha. Now we are preparing for a little pizza party with a few friends to celebrate his special day.
He has been such a blessing to our lives and we are so grateful that God gave us this little boy to raise here on earth ♥
HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHEN!!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Here we go, welcome 2011
This year is a big year for us.
Next up is my surgery hopefully soon, just awaiting the call from the shrink to get my eval out of the way. I have called my bariatric case manager twice now and emailed her, still no word from her. Shes the one who has to put in my referral so I'm a little anxious to hear back...
Hubby will also be having surgery, this time his jaw will be broken and reset. OW. A few months later his braces will come off just in time for him to deploy
AGAIN!
This year my babies will be starting kindergarten as well *sniff sniff* Thankfully its not full day, I'm not sure how I will handle being home alone for even a couple hours. I keep holding out that maybe, just maybe, hubby will change his mind and we can go back to homeschool or better yet, I'm hoping our Church finds property quickly so we can get our school started there.
In more surgery news, I've officially started buying the new foods I will eat. Like sugar free jellos, sugar free Torani syrups *which I've read are super good*, and also making the switch to decaf coffee. Next up protein powders and sugar free Carnation Instant Breakfast.
Next up is my surgery hopefully soon, just awaiting the call from the shrink to get my eval out of the way. I have called my bariatric case manager twice now and emailed her, still no word from her. Shes the one who has to put in my referral so I'm a little anxious to hear back...
Hubby will also be having surgery, this time his jaw will be broken and reset. OW. A few months later his braces will come off just in time for him to deploy
AGAIN!
This year my babies will be starting kindergarten as well *sniff sniff* Thankfully its not full day, I'm not sure how I will handle being home alone for even a couple hours. I keep holding out that maybe, just maybe, hubby will change his mind and we can go back to homeschool or better yet, I'm hoping our Church finds property quickly so we can get our school started there.
In more surgery news, I've officially started buying the new foods I will eat. Like sugar free jellos, sugar free Torani syrups *which I've read are super good*, and also making the switch to decaf coffee. Next up protein powders and sugar free Carnation Instant Breakfast.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
New Year, New Me
I'm not the type to make resolutions for the New Year. We don't even really do anything to celebrate the New Year, we sleep right on through midnight ;)
However this year is different.
We are starting tomorrow night at our Pastors house. We will probably leave pretty early because we are old like that ;)
Saturday morning starts our new way of eating. NO MORE EATING OUT! Now of course if we get a giftcard we will use it but we will choose wisely.
My husband and I will begin to eat more high protein, low carb meals. We will eat more fresh fruits and veggies. I'm grateful the hubby is willing to go along with this. So many people who have gone through weight loss surgery have little to no support. I will be eating this way for the rest of my life. I also need to really up my water intake, I used to drink water all day everyday and now it seems I can go all day long without a sip of anything. I also need to stop drinking 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after meals, this is a HUGE challenge for me but again, its neccessary for my surgery. Im also switching to decaff coffee.
I hope this will be a good influence on the kids too. I do not want my kids struggling with their weight the same way I have.
We also bought a few new workout and dance games for the Wii we got for Christmas.
By the end of 2011, I will be a new, thin, healthy person!
May God Bless you all in 2011!
However this year is different.
We are starting tomorrow night at our Pastors house. We will probably leave pretty early because we are old like that ;)
Saturday morning starts our new way of eating. NO MORE EATING OUT! Now of course if we get a giftcard we will use it but we will choose wisely.
My husband and I will begin to eat more high protein, low carb meals. We will eat more fresh fruits and veggies. I'm grateful the hubby is willing to go along with this. So many people who have gone through weight loss surgery have little to no support. I will be eating this way for the rest of my life. I also need to really up my water intake, I used to drink water all day everyday and now it seems I can go all day long without a sip of anything. I also need to stop drinking 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after meals, this is a HUGE challenge for me but again, its neccessary for my surgery. Im also switching to decaff coffee.
I hope this will be a good influence on the kids too. I do not want my kids struggling with their weight the same way I have.
We also bought a few new workout and dance games for the Wii we got for Christmas.
By the end of 2011, I will be a new, thin, healthy person!
May God Bless you all in 2011!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Christmas fun!
Christmas morning at my grandparents new house, as you can see my brats, uh I mean children a little on the spoiled side ;) And yes we ate too much...way too much. I figure I had to eat what I wanted this year before I have to give it all up next year. Well not really give it up next year, chances are all the sweets will be just too sweet for me, or at least I hope.
And this beautiful sunrise was right outside the living room on the porch of my grandparents house, um yeah, it's kind of awesome!
And another picture taken a few days prior, again at the same spot, right outside their living room. Can you believe how beautiful it is at their new home?!
In other news, all my pre-surgery classes are all complete! TOTALLY DONE! AND I have officially been cleared for surgery from my primary doctor WOOHOO!
In other news, all my pre-surgery classes are all complete! TOTALLY DONE! AND I have officially been cleared for surgery from my primary doctor WOOHOO!
Now I wait by the phone for the shrink to call and schedule my written test (totally think its insane that I have to do a written test, but whateva) After that I meet with the shrink and then see the surgeon to schedule surgery. YAY ME!
Soooo close, yet it feels so far away.
Monday, December 20, 2010
To tell or not to tell...
So many folks who go through with Weight Loss Surgery are ashamed over their decision, I cant tell you how many stories I have read of people who have kept this secret from family, friends, even spouses and children. Its not always just kept from skinny friends and family either who do not understand the difficulty of dealing with being overweight, many times its kept from overweight people as well. The backlash many people receive is amazing and not in a good way. You see this decision is not an easy decision. Its not a cure all for weight problems, it is simply a tool to help an overweight person lose weight, just as a gym membership is a tool as well. So many well meaning people will suggest the overweight person should just work out more, go for a walk or eat healthier, choose smaller portions, don't eat out, don't drink soda, don't eat processed foods, blah, blah, blah. If only it were that easy.
I have seen some of the most healthy eaters struggle with their weight. Ive seen families full of healthy eaters that exercise all the time struggle with their weight. The "well meaning" comments like the above often lead the overweight person to feel like a failure because they have tried and never succeeded. THis often leads to more weight gain from depression over failing. Its a vicious cycle.
At my WLS orientation, the doctor stated that once a person hits a certain BMI (and I have hit that BMI years ago and have struggled since then) that 90-95% of people who lose the weight will regain it all.
As for me, I am not ashamed that I have chosen to have the VSG but I'm also not sure I want to go around broadcasting my business to all our friends. I do wish I could be one of those skinny girls that never struggles with their weight, that can eat anything under the sun and never exercise yet stay the same weight, but thats just not how my body is, so I know that having the VSG is a big step in the right direction.
So in comes in the decision, who do I tell about my upcoming surgery? Right now our immediate families know, some people from Church know, my closest friends know and some of my hubbys superiors know as he has had to take time off for appts and will need time off for my surgery and of course anyone who comes across my blog knows too ;)
But do I want to tell people on facebook? Then EVERYONE I know will know. I'm not sure I want to do that. I wonder how to handle surgery day, Id like to ask for prayer for that day on facebook but then people will ask what surgery I'm having. Hmm not sure what to do on that one. People will obviously notice me losing a good amount of weight in a short period of time and if they ask, yes I will tell them about the VSG but should I really tell everyone? The people I haven't seen in years and just read status updates on from time to time? I guess I will cross that bridge post surgery....
I have seen some of the most healthy eaters struggle with their weight. Ive seen families full of healthy eaters that exercise all the time struggle with their weight. The "well meaning" comments like the above often lead the overweight person to feel like a failure because they have tried and never succeeded. THis often leads to more weight gain from depression over failing. Its a vicious cycle.
At my WLS orientation, the doctor stated that once a person hits a certain BMI (and I have hit that BMI years ago and have struggled since then) that 90-95% of people who lose the weight will regain it all.
As for me, I am not ashamed that I have chosen to have the VSG but I'm also not sure I want to go around broadcasting my business to all our friends. I do wish I could be one of those skinny girls that never struggles with their weight, that can eat anything under the sun and never exercise yet stay the same weight, but thats just not how my body is, so I know that having the VSG is a big step in the right direction.
So in comes in the decision, who do I tell about my upcoming surgery? Right now our immediate families know, some people from Church know, my closest friends know and some of my hubbys superiors know as he has had to take time off for appts and will need time off for my surgery and of course anyone who comes across my blog knows too ;)
But do I want to tell people on facebook? Then EVERYONE I know will know. I'm not sure I want to do that. I wonder how to handle surgery day, Id like to ask for prayer for that day on facebook but then people will ask what surgery I'm having. Hmm not sure what to do on that one. People will obviously notice me losing a good amount of weight in a short period of time and if they ask, yes I will tell them about the VSG but should I really tell everyone? The people I haven't seen in years and just read status updates on from time to time? I guess I will cross that bridge post surgery....
Friday, December 17, 2010
My new favorite blog
As I prepare for surgery I have gotten a little nervous over what I will be able to eat, eventually I can practically eat anything just in moderation. In the beginning it is especially important to get LOTS of protein.
Im just not creative in the kitchen
My fear was having to eat the same thing day in and day out...
BUT I found this blog, OH how I love this blog! So many super yummy WLS friendly meals! Make sure to check out her story as well.
ANYWAYS, she is having an awesome giveaway right now for CLICK Espresso Protein so head on over and enter to win this prize at The World According to Eggface :)
Im just not creative in the kitchen
My fear was having to eat the same thing day in and day out...
BUT I found this blog, OH how I love this blog! So many super yummy WLS friendly meals! Make sure to check out her story as well.
ANYWAYS, she is having an awesome giveaway right now for CLICK Espresso Protein so head on over and enter to win this prize at The World According to Eggface :)
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