JuucyOne

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So... I know it's been a while since I wrote an update but decided to since I'm just 2 months away from my one year surgiversary.I can't believe how time flies! Before you know it you'll be back to old habits that's really hard to break. I'm going to have to do a lot of praying to get back on track. Good thing is I've come a long way regardless. A few days ago I weighed in at 309.8. I had gotten down to 304 at one point but MAN is it hard. That's all for now, will do another update soon :-)

So today I weighed in at 324.8. Wow, I can't believe how much I've lost. I probably would have lost more but I began slipping off track. I started to revisit bad habits and have to pull myself back together. Today, I'm going to finally start the gym and try to keep this train moving full speed ahead!

So my current weight is 343.8. I was 341 a few days ago but this constipation has me up a few. I'm doing just fine, started doing the Hip Hop Experience on the Wii and squats every other day. I have yet to miss eating extra large meals. I really do wish that I could have done this last year but hey, it wasn't meant to be. Well, that's all for now. Keep on keeping on and coming on down...

I can't believe I've finally achieved the one thing I've been working so hard for since the end of 2011... I've been sleeved! I had gained so much weight on that steroid! Here are my stats:

Highest Weight/Starting Weight before pre-op diet - 397 pounds

Surgery Day Weight (after 7 days pre-op diet) - 370 pounds!!!!

Current Weight (gained water weight in hospital and just now lost it) - 369.2

So that's 27.8 pounds lost in 10 days! I'm even feeling like myself again with virtually no pain. Since I'm at my mom's during this time, I'm going to start walking 30 minutes everyday. I may give myself a few extra days and start a full 2 weeks after surgery. Hey, but so far so good.

I will say that I am getting a bit hungry now. They changed the diet from what it was when I initially was supposed to have surgery. Compared to other's in my different support groups, I've realized that my surgeon is VERY strict. Here's a look at my surgery diet:

1 week clear liquids pre-op (no jello or pudding w/ clear liquids)

2 weeks clear liquids post-op THEN

4 WEEKS PROTEIN SHAKES (we shall see how that goes)

2 weeks full liquids/soft foods

FINALLY gradually introducing solids again

Talk about TOUGH! It's really hard now since I'm feeling just fine with no pain. I'm struggling with hunger everyday. I emailed the director and he said that I can go ahead and try the protein shakes a bit early. I may try them tomorrow because I'm not in the mood for the taste right now. Overall, I'm doing pretty good with no regrets so far. I just wished I wasn't so hungry...

 

 

Wow, I thought I'd never see the day when I'd be on the pre-op diet. It's been a long time coming but it is finally here. I'm still kind of in disbelief. If I'm in disbelief now, I can only imagine how I'm going to feel after surgery. So they changed absolutely everything from last year when I was supposed to initially have surgery. Pre-op in 2011/2012 was 6 days liquid diet consisting of chicken broth, tea, etc. NOW the pre-op diet is one week of protein shakes. Boy, have I had a time finding protein recipes that I could tolerate but I believe I've finally found the balance.

I'm on day 2 of protein and unfortunately, I cheated last night. The cheat was mainly due to me having to fast the night before for labs and my IVC filter placement. After all of that, I did manage to do protein for that day but later that evening I was sooo hungry that I had to eat something. I'm going to pray for strength during this week and during this entire journey. The only one that can truly help me through this is the Lord. Nobody said it would be easy, but MAN is it hard...

I'll keep updating and staying prayerful as usual

I can not believe it's nearly here. It's sooooo close that I could taste it!  I got clearance (again) from everybody. I'm, like, totally shocked that this is really about to happen. I'm going to be honest... I'm nervous. Can I really handle this? Can I really change my way of thinking? Last year I felt totally prepared. I was doing everything from training myself to stop eating and drinking to finding tolerable protein shakes. Now... I'm not sure where to start. I think I'm just in total disbelief about this happening. I've been through SO MUCH this passed year, in a way, I still don't want to get my hopes up.

I guess all I can do it what I've been doing: staying prayerful. Man, the Lord has gotten me through so much. I can not begin to explain how thankful I am to have been able to pull through and keep my head up and stay strong.

To show how my mind is all over the place and not believing this is going to happen, I have nothing more to say (seemingly impossible since I can be quite wordy, LOL.)  Huh... Keeping my fingers crossed, praying, and will keep posting....

Wow, I know I've been gone for quite a while but if you read my blog you'll know why. It's time to get this group going! Sooo... has anyone passed their surgery dates and does anyone have any coming up? Care to share your experiences and what you're currently experiencing?

I know it's been a while but here's an update:

In my last post, I actually thought that I would be off prednisone in May. WRONG!!! I was on it throughout the entire summer and officially stopped on July 17th. If I EVER have to be back on that med, I wouldn't do it, PERIOD. I had gained SO MUCH water weight and regular weight. My face was swollen, aka moon face, my arms, my legs, my stomach, EVERYTHING. The little weight I had lost exercising, I gained back and then some. I felt like I was on a cloud all day, I could hardly walk, my heart would race, I had problems sleeping at night.,and the NIGHT SWEATS, MAN... in the morning, my bed was soaked with water. It was as if someone had poured buckets of water on me in my sleep. Not to mention, I was awaken 8 to 10 times per night to use the washroom, releasing the water weight. It was utterly TERRIBLE. And while all of this was going on, I still had to find the strength to wake up in the morning, walk to the bus, and go to work since I wasn't covered under FMLA at the time. It is only by the grace and strength that the Lord bestowed upon me, that I got through it. I look back on that and all I can say is wow. I actually question how I did it and never do I want to experience that again...

So I had seen my hematologist back in August and she dropped the bomb on me. She said that I would have to be off prednisone for a whole 6 MONTHS and not 3 MONTHS as was orginally expected.  She isn't going to clear me for surgery because she says that people who have had an ITP episode can possibly relapse (and she got mad at me because I didn't know what she was referring to when she used the term ITP. I didn't even know that this is what she diagnosed.) Now my surgery is scheduled for February 4th. I know that it is definitely going to happen this time, I just have a good feeling. For the first time I believe, I'm actually getting nervous...

OAN, I will definitely be switching hematologists after I get through my surgery. I have an AMAZING medical team, all except her... she and I have never really gotten along. I know that's crazy, that you will even have to "get along" with one of your doctors. But we have actually gone back and fourth with one another. She had gotten mad at me one day because her office didn't have my contact info. She pulled out a copy of the letter they sent to an old address and everything. I thought that she would have it because I updated everything with the hospital, but that apparently wasn't the case. When I told her this, and also added that I didn't know how frequently/and if even necessary to see her on a specific bases (because I was pretty much healthy at the time), she has always had an attitude with me every since... and this was years ago....

Oh... my life... LOL...

WELL, my surgery has been rescheduled for the second time, mainly due to error. Something told me that when I rescheduled it the first time, it was still a bit too soon. So I contacted the director and told him what was up. Just as I suspected, I need to be off prednisone for at least 3 months before surgery which would put me at September and not July.

I was slightly disappointed, but not really because of two reason. #1. I made sure I didn't get too excited because with platelets, you never know. #2. With surgery being scheduled for September I won't be going back to work till December, which leaves me off work for my entire birthday month of November!

As always, I'm most definitely staying positive and prayerful.

SO.... I was chucking straight ahead toward surgery. Everything was completed, had a little over a month to go, I started dieting to lose weight before hand, had lost 10 pounds in a week, EVERYTHING WAS LOOKING GREAT! And then....

I woke up one morning and their was....sorry for the faint at heart....blood soaking my bed. Which still wasn't too alarming because I have irregular periods, but it was still strange because I had in fact been having a regular period. So I called off from work that day (luckily I did) because I was changing like every hour!

Then the following morning, I woke to the same thing and in addition to that, I felt something in my mouth. It kinda felt like I had bit the inside of my jaw, so I looked in my mirror and was HORRIFIED to see blood clots! I knew then that something was TERRIBLY WRONG.

To make a long story short, I went to the ER and they ran some test only to find out that the platelettes in my blood were a 1 when they are suppose to be 400! Because of my platelettes being low, It caused me to start bleeding out. I started getting dots under my skin, which were blood vessels breaking. I've NEVER seen something so STRANGE in my life!
 
I was admitted to the hospital, had transfusions, was bed ritten, OH, it was terrible. And MOST DEPRESSING AND DISHEARTENING overall is IN NO WAY CAN I HAVE SURGERY right now. I was absolutely crushed. To make matters worse, I still don't have an answer as to why my platelettes dropped. And to further worsen the situation, I have to be on a steroid called Prednisone for a few months to raise the platelettes. Let me tell you, THIS MEDICINE SUCKS!!!!! It has you feeling drugged all day! I also have to get my blood drawn EVERY WEEK. AND ON TOP OF ALL OF THIS PEOPLE, I won't be covered for FMLA till May SOOOOOO I have to push through everything and GO TO WORK!

But people..... everything happens for a reason. One of the MAIN REASONS that a surgeon REFUSES to touch, or even see a patient, is if that person has a clotting problem. I mean, the one thing that could stand in my way of surgery, the Lord placed in my way. In no way do I ignore signs, I see it and I accept it. In NO WAY did HE want me to do this now, it's just not my time.

I'm staying prayerful and asking the Lord to heal me. By Christ stripes I am most definitely healed. This is way bigger than this health problem. HE just didn't want me to do it and I hear HIM. They did reschedule my surgery for July but I'm not counting on it. The Lord is the captain of this ship. PLEASE people just keep me in your prayers...