ObesityHelp

This has been a very strange year.  I had my hernia Babs for most of it and she was repaired along with a TT in Sept.  Of course there was an infection in my incision that took a bit to clear up.  I was on O2 from the surgery for a couple of weeks. But all in all that is over and done with.  I am glad Babs is where she belongs and my tummy is flatter.  Still have swelling above where belly button would be but that will go away.

Along with Babs and her demise, it has been a year of very mixed "blessings"

1.  I quit smoking again and hopefully for the last time

2.  I had my very first great grandchild (Aly)

3.  We gave my baby sister a week in Las Vegas at our time share for her 25th anniversary and when they came home she told us her Hubby has moved out, not because he wanted to but because she made him choose, his floozy or her.  He couldn't have both.

4.  I found out my youngest was going to have a planned baby, Dahlia and she is due on her B'day Valentine day.

5.  As I said, Babs was repaired and I am now cleared for exercise

6.  My oldest daughter let me know her hubby had moved out.  Don't know it all yet but they were together for 16 years.

7.  I went on my first vacation since surgery and out walked my Husband in Nashville!  Yipeeee, then out walked him again at the Atlanta Aquarium and then at the Biltmore Estate!   I have never out walked him!

8.  I had an honorary Great Grandson, Tucker,  he would have been a great nephew if I had stayed married to my first hubby, but instead his mom was more a grandchild, she was raised with my grands and has called me grandma most of her life!

9.  My baby brother  has just been diagnosed with Lupus, we will have to wait and see what happens here.  He is in misery and is afraid.

These are just the highlights of the year.  There are other things that have gone right or wrong but not as major.

I have not lost weight this last 6 weeks but I have not gained with vacation and holidays.  It is time to get back to basics and the exercise will definitely help.  My whole family is thrilled with my progress even though it has been a rocky 20 months.  I can't say I would do it again the same way but if I could do it without the infections I sure would!  I am in much better health and I am more able to help my family emotionally and be there for them during their rough times.

Happy New Year to all!

Other then the fact that I don't keep this up as much as I could, it has been a great couple of months since I last wrote!

The infection in my incision from hernia repair/tt cleared up and other then a small spot that still oozes a tad it is closed!  I still have a lot of swelling above where the belly button would be if I had one, but I hope it will eventually go away.

And here is the best news and an awesome Christmas present. With my 2ndry insurance being what it is, I have straight Medicare.  They do NOT pre-approve anything!  You have to have the procedure done and then keep fingers crossed.  With my TT the surgeon's were optimistically cautious on whether they would pair for the whole thing.  Well in my snail mail yesterday I received my Medicare summary and they paid!!!!  That means that my BCN will pick up the remainder and I may have a few office call co-pays to pick up! 

Now for those who are curious, Dr Algahnan in Flint, Mich would have only charged me $3000 for the tummy tuck since it was being done in conjunction with the hernia repair.  But that is $3000 I can now put to wards my arms and breast lift!  I want to wait about 18 months before I have them done though.  I have had 3 major surgeries in 18 months and would like a break

I had a few weeks here recently where I was fighting head hunger!  I haven't really experienced much of it since surgery, just a little now and then.  But this was major 24/7.   I think I am past it now (I hope) it will be there on and off forever, I am sure but boy this was rough.  When I stop and think about it, I have a feeling it must be stress related.  I was still recovering from surgery, it was near the anniversary of my Dad's death and shortly before the anniversary of my Mom's death.  My baby sister who I almost raised, is having marital problems.  The jerk she is married too has a girlfriend he met online.  He wants her to accept it and keep things as they were.  She is not that stupid, but it is not easy for her.  She was a stay at home mom and now needs to find work to support her and her 4 boys.  He says he will help but he is part of the Chrysler UAW and who knows how long he will have a job.

Then my oldest daughter who has been happily married for 18 yrs let me know her hubby walked out!   Shock city!  He was great with her and the kids.  Sure they had their ups and downs, who doesn't but no one expected this!  Yup there is a woman involved.  She is just a "friend" but he has already introduced her to their son!   Again this is a situation where he was the main bread winner and she worked for the extras.  Again he says he will help with money, but for either sis or daug, how long are the jerks' g/f going to put up with the majority of the money going to someone else? 

We are not in a position to be of much help to either of them financially.  With both of us retired and our 401K"s took a major hit, we are concerned about our own finances, especially since we are retired UAW and may take another hit!    No we don't make what folks think we do!  We had to plan and save responsibly to get to where we are now.  It is NOT company money that gets us these things, it was ours!

Anyway, this is probably a large part of the hunger, STRESSED is dessert spelled back wards!

Another thing that I have discovered that brings on the urge to eat mindlessly is boredom and nothing to do!  We recently went on vacation for 3.5 weeks.  We  spent a week in Branson Mo, 1 week in Nashville Tn, 1 week in Villa Rica Ga, and then a couple of days in the Smokies.

Now Branson and Nashville were no problem at all!  We were busy it seemed like 24/7.  I didn't always eat "Right" but I didn't eat totally wrong.  Georgia though.  Gasp!  It was supposed to be a quiet week, restful and not doing much.  We did check out the Atlanta Aquarium and Coca Cola but other then that it was just lounge around.  I had taken books with me, my DH laptop and thought I would work on some graphics while there.   Guess what?  The graphics wouldn't open on his lt and I didn't have the stuff with me to repair the program!   I also didn't have Internet access.  The place we were staying didn't have it!  Gasp!  Nothing to do but read and watch TV!  Food demons attacked!  They lost but it was a battle!

I am proud to say that I didn't gain anything on this vacation!  I didn't lose anything either but that is OK as long as I didn't gain!  Now to keep it up during the holidays.

It is a bit harder then I could imagine, since I don't "dump" on anything but the riches of the rich.  But the fact that I follow the protocol helps a lot!  Protein first, then veggies.  Measure (I eyeball a lot) and don't drink with your meal.  Do not snack except at the appropriate times and then make sure you keep the volume the right size.

Now on to the other great Yippee!   I walked and walked and walked on vacation!  I actually out walked my DH in Nashville!  We started at AM and went until PM!  Granted it wasn't continuous walking.  We started at the Grand Old Opry Convention Center where they have acres and acres of shops and Christmas displays.  We browsed the shops and displays, got lost  a couple of times and kept on going!  We did NOT stop for a rest here or a meal  even though DH was hinting!

Then we went over to the ICE show.  How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  WOW is all I can say!  It is awesome!  It is all done in ice sculptures and they keep it at 9 degrees!  At the end of the Grinch, they have the nativity scene carved in ice.  It was one of the best things I have ever seen!

After that we walked over to the Grand Old Opry house and checked around there.  We couldn't go in because the Rockettes were playing and we didn't want to see them.  We have seen them before and were trying for new things.

Then we went to the Mega Mall they have there.  Humongous for a mall!  Here we stopped to eat at the Aquarium restaurant.   DH did need to eat by then (he is diabetic)  I of course had leftovers, a lot of them.  What I ordered came with something that didn't agree with me so I picked at the stuff that I could have and DH had supper out of my take home box

Now I checked out more stores then I have in a long time!  Since I now wear a size 10 pant and large top (batwings take a lot of room!)  DH kept saying, are you sure you don't want to rest?  Nope not me.  You go sit down while I explore

What a great feeling that was!  Of course he still walks "faster" then I do but he has legs for a 6 ft man and I am 5'2"  so I need to take 3 steps for his 1 !  But for endurance, I had him beat hands down! 

What I can do now is compared to before is just amazing!  I am so happy with my health and physical ability!  I just can't believe it!  I am afraid I will wake up and find I have been dreaming.  I can start exercising now!  And even though I have never been much of an exerciser, I am almost looking forward to it!

So even though the last 19 months have been rough, I am still so very glad I had my RNY.

Boy, my body just doesn't like getting messed with !  The vertical incision is infected and I have Staph infection there.  I am on Bactrim but it is too soon to tell if that is helping.  But if it is not clear by Mon, I will be admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics.

I am getting more comfortable each day now.  And if it weren't for the ooze and the culture, you wouldn't know I had an infection.  I don't feel ill or anything.   Just tired out yet, but I figure a lot of that is from the surgery yet.

The day of surgery, I wore a pair of pull on jeans to the hospital in Women's size 1X.   Last week I went out and bout 2 pair of cheap pull ons (tummy still real swollen) in a size 12!  Unbelievable!

I should be able to start doing some real exercise in a few weeks and that should tighten things a bit.  But I am afraid the batwings and the girls are not going to tighten up enough for me.   I will self pay, hopefully the beginning of 2010.   The butt and thighs, well support garments are good for something! 

I am still happy with my RNY.  No major problems other then loss has stopped, but there is no gain, so I am happy.  186 pounds is nothing to sneeze at.  That is a tad bit over 1/2 of me gone!   Success!

Well, it is less then 24 hours and Babs and family will be gone!  High noon tomorrow, Sept 23!

I can hardly wait!  I have waited so long to get rid of this hernia, it isn't even funny!   I will not have to wear a binder every day anymore (maybe for awhile after surgery but that is doable)  I won't have to do the potty dance every time I need to go!  Hopefully I won't have this god awful back pain, or if I do, I can do PT for it, which I can't do now!

I will be able to see my toes again!  I have lost a whole person and still can't see my toes!  I have a few other body parts I can't see, that will be visible again!   There are so many plus's to having this surgery tomorrow.

But I have to tell you, I am scared spitless!  I keep seeing myself 18 months ago, with my guts hanging out and then a month in the hospital with IV's and all the pain and everything.   I suppose this is normal to be concerned.  I know that the odds are against this happening again, but the odds were almost nil on my eviscerating myself to begin with!   Odds are really odd in my family.

I have lost so much time due to Babs and family that I won't be able to regain.  I have not been able to exercise much.  Bedrest for almost 4 months and then walking only for the next 14 months.  That was my prime losing time and it is gone.

I still lost a whole person, but imagine what I could have done if I had been able to be up and about right away!  Well there is nothing I can do about it now, except go on.

I have hit a 6 month plataeu and not happy, but at the same time I have not gained which is a bigger plus!  But with Babs going and they are doing TT/Pannectomy, I should lose a few more pounds.  And then I will really be able to start exercising.   So it will take a bit more work to get to my goal of 150.  My surgeon seems to be pleased with me now.  But I would like to try to lose a bit more.

Even if I don't, I am NOT a failure.  I have gone from a whooping 360 pounds at my highest, to 184 now(give or take 2 pounds for time of day)

That is NOT a failure!  Yes I am still obese at 5'2" but I have to remember I started out bigger around then I was tall! 

Complications and all, I would do it again.  I am so much healthier then I was 18 months ago!  In fact, things have turned around to the point that I will no longer be considered disabled!  And I am on SSD for my lungs!

It has been a wild ride, but I am so glad that I took it.  I have so much left to live for and now I have the health to live it!

I am still a work in progress though.  There is still much room for improvement, but that is ok, that gives me something to do!

I will update this hopefully sometime next week, once I am home and able to sit at puter.