Monday, August 29, 2011
First hang up
I am feeling better and better as the days go by. Today was another full day of seeing groups at school, I was busy all day long which made the day fly by!! We had a meeting after school and I didn't get home until a little after 5:00 and we had football practice at 6:00. Luckily for me, I had dinner prepared in the crock pot!! My best friend's recipe for Green Chili Chicken tacos....so tasty and so easy!! By the time we got home from practice, I heated up some black beans, and sat down to eat dinner I was starving!!! There in lies the problem! I experienced my first hang up tonight at dinner. I was eating way too fast. I was chewing thoroughly and the food was very soft, but I was not waiting between bites and I scarfed down a chicken taco on a corn tortilla at top speed. With the next bite, I felt a clog in my chest and I could tell that I had messed up!! It hurt! I stood up and walked around the kitchen to tried to give it room to settle - that helped. Then I took a drink of my lemonade - that was a mistake!!! It burned. :( I did not regurgitate and the food I had inhaled did settle but it was not without a lesson learned!!!! No matter how hungry I am, I have got to remember that I have to eat slow now or I will pay for it later. Isn't it too bad that we don't have a warning signal that goes off before we do something that we will regret later....that would be so beneficial in many aspects of my life!! :)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Success so far
It's been several days since a new post has been made - I am a forgetful person and I have never kept up with a blog before. I need to be more diligent about my posts!!
Friday marked my first complete week since surgery. The doctor told me that I should only weigh once a month, but I could not go my first week without a weigh in. I weighed at school in the nurse's office and I am down 5 pounds!! I am ecstatic!! I know that realistically, not all weeks will be 5 lbs. losses - more like 2 or so. For now, I am very pleased with the progress!!
Eating is going very well also. Today, we went to Christina's Mexican restaurant for lunch. Troy and I shared platter that included a cheese enchilada. I had not even half of the enchilada, one bite of rice and beans, and a few chips before I was very full. I was shocked at how little filled me up!! I think that will be the biggest adjustment; realizing and recognizing that it won't take much for me to be full. A mind game for sure!! For this week I am on soft foods, for that I am thankful! I was getting tired of soup.
Thursday I go for my two week check up. My incisions are healing great, it seems. They are itching like crazy!!!! Soreness is mostly gone; I have had a few twinges of slight pain during a wrong move but nothing bad. So happy to be feeling great and feeling blessed!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday marked my first complete week since surgery. The doctor told me that I should only weigh once a month, but I could not go my first week without a weigh in. I weighed at school in the nurse's office and I am down 5 pounds!! I am ecstatic!! I know that realistically, not all weeks will be 5 lbs. losses - more like 2 or so. For now, I am very pleased with the progress!!
Eating is going very well also. Today, we went to Christina's Mexican restaurant for lunch. Troy and I shared platter that included a cheese enchilada. I had not even half of the enchilada, one bite of rice and beans, and a few chips before I was very full. I was shocked at how little filled me up!! I think that will be the biggest adjustment; realizing and recognizing that it won't take much for me to be full. A mind game for sure!! For this week I am on soft foods, for that I am thankful! I was getting tired of soup.
Thursday I go for my two week check up. My incisions are healing great, it seems. They are itching like crazy!!!! Soreness is mostly gone; I have had a few twinges of slight pain during a wrong move but nothing bad. So happy to be feeling great and feeling blessed!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
I survived!!
WOW...that about sums it up for me over the past few days. Today is day 5 after surgery and I am finally feeling like myself again...kind of! I truly don't think anyone or anything could have prepared me for what I would go through after surgery. Let me explain....
I was scheduled for surgery on Friday afternoon at 2:30 and Baylor Medical in Carrolton called around 12:00 (while I was watching my husband eat a Whataburger) and said that they were ready for me. At that point, the excitement had taken over and I was READY!!!! When Troy and I got to the hospital I filled out paperwork and they took me back to the Pre-Op room. This is where my nerves set in and I had a little crying spell....nothing too dramatic. The nurses poked me, asked questions, and prepped me for surgery. My mom and her husband, Gary, arrived a little while later and I was able to visit with them before they took me back. When it was time, the anesthesiologist put some kind of potion in my IV and they wheeled me out. The last thing I remember happening is the nurse in the OR asking me to scoot onto the gurney. I woke up some amount of time later in a recovery room.
I'll be honest, I don't remember much about my time there after surgery. I remember feeling some pain. I remember getting up to go to the bathroom. I remember getting dressed - or should I say, Troy getting me dressed!! :) And I remember the nausea after standing up!! The drive home was sketchy and so was the rest of the evening. I slept a lot and felt nauseous A LOT!!!
My Mom and Gary stayed until Saturday morning and then my Julie momma came with my Granny Grace to see me later in the day. I remember them being there...but I was in and out of coherence. I received numerous calls and texts during the days after - few of which I actually responded to. I felt so bad that I didn't want to hold the phone ....that's pretty bad folks!!! On Sunday my sister came by and took my little one out of the house for a while. I know that was good for him!! My bestie came by to see me on her way home from birthday parties. Normally our time together is spent in laughter...there was none of that to be had. I looked and felt dreadful! To be honest, the pain for the surgery was not so bad - probably about like what I expected.
What was getting me was the nauseous feeling I got whenever I moved. It was so bad! They did give me medication to help the sick feeling in my body, but it knocked me out and it wore off before I could take it again. I couldn't eat anything and could barely drink anything! By Monday, that had subsided quite a bit and I was dealing with the bloating pain from the gas that they had to inject into my belly and my own exhaustion. I missed the first day of school :( I was so sad, but I knew there was no way I could make it to work that day. Luckily, I felt much better Monday evening and decided I could make it to work on Tuesday.
Yesterday was tiring but I did very well. I ate my three meals (two shakes and some soup for dinner) and I went to bed at 9:00!
So was it worth it??? Absolutely, I think! I really am happy that I had the surgery and I know that the changes that are to come will only solidfy that decision. I'm glad that I didn't know before hand how the surgery would affect me....I don't know if I would have the courage to do it again. I'm excited about the things to come for me and making the transitions. Who knows what's in store!! I'm excited all over again! :)
I was scheduled for surgery on Friday afternoon at 2:30 and Baylor Medical in Carrolton called around 12:00 (while I was watching my husband eat a Whataburger) and said that they were ready for me. At that point, the excitement had taken over and I was READY!!!! When Troy and I got to the hospital I filled out paperwork and they took me back to the Pre-Op room. This is where my nerves set in and I had a little crying spell....nothing too dramatic. The nurses poked me, asked questions, and prepped me for surgery. My mom and her husband, Gary, arrived a little while later and I was able to visit with them before they took me back. When it was time, the anesthesiologist put some kind of potion in my IV and they wheeled me out. The last thing I remember happening is the nurse in the OR asking me to scoot onto the gurney. I woke up some amount of time later in a recovery room.
I'll be honest, I don't remember much about my time there after surgery. I remember feeling some pain. I remember getting up to go to the bathroom. I remember getting dressed - or should I say, Troy getting me dressed!! :) And I remember the nausea after standing up!! The drive home was sketchy and so was the rest of the evening. I slept a lot and felt nauseous A LOT!!!
My Mom and Gary stayed until Saturday morning and then my Julie momma came with my Granny Grace to see me later in the day. I remember them being there...but I was in and out of coherence. I received numerous calls and texts during the days after - few of which I actually responded to. I felt so bad that I didn't want to hold the phone ....that's pretty bad folks!!! On Sunday my sister came by and took my little one out of the house for a while. I know that was good for him!! My bestie came by to see me on her way home from birthday parties. Normally our time together is spent in laughter...there was none of that to be had. I looked and felt dreadful! To be honest, the pain for the surgery was not so bad - probably about like what I expected.
What was getting me was the nauseous feeling I got whenever I moved. It was so bad! They did give me medication to help the sick feeling in my body, but it knocked me out and it wore off before I could take it again. I couldn't eat anything and could barely drink anything! By Monday, that had subsided quite a bit and I was dealing with the bloating pain from the gas that they had to inject into my belly and my own exhaustion. I missed the first day of school :( I was so sad, but I knew there was no way I could make it to work that day. Luckily, I felt much better Monday evening and decided I could make it to work on Tuesday.
Yesterday was tiring but I did very well. I ate my three meals (two shakes and some soup for dinner) and I went to bed at 9:00!
So was it worth it??? Absolutely, I think! I really am happy that I had the surgery and I know that the changes that are to come will only solidfy that decision. I'm glad that I didn't know before hand how the surgery would affect me....I don't know if I would have the courage to do it again. I'm excited about the things to come for me and making the transitions. Who knows what's in store!! I'm excited all over again! :)
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Day before surgery
Well, tomorrow is the big day!!! I went to True Results this morning and met my surgeon, Dr. Marsden. He is a very nice man and really did a good job of calming my nerves and easing my fears. I am so excited!!! I am scheduled to go in tomorrow at 1:00 pm and surgery is set for 2:30. Troy and my mom will be there during surgery - I"m sure they will be happy when it's all over. :) I am trying to tidy up lose ends around the house and make sure that it's picked up. I went tonight and got more protein powder, milk, and vitamins. I think I'm all set. Hopefully I am able to sleep tonight!!
My weight today is 347 lbs. I actually lost 10 pounds during the six month waiting period. My heaviest has been 360 lbs. I will post a weight tracker each month or so, so I can chart my progress. I have included my before pictures in this post. It makes me very nervous to do this. Most of my pictures are from the neck up and I usually take a ton of pictures until I find one that doesn't look too dreadful. These pictures are gross to me....but it is what it is and tomorrow is the beginning of something wonderful!!! I hope that I am able to look back at these pictures and say, wow - look how far I've come!!! Say a prayer for me! :)
Me at 347 lbs. - night before surgery
My weight today is 347 lbs. I actually lost 10 pounds during the six month waiting period. My heaviest has been 360 lbs. I will post a weight tracker each month or so, so I can chart my progress. I have included my before pictures in this post. It makes me very nervous to do this. Most of my pictures are from the neck up and I usually take a ton of pictures until I find one that doesn't look too dreadful. These pictures are gross to me....but it is what it is and tomorrow is the beginning of something wonderful!!! I hope that I am able to look back at these pictures and say, wow - look how far I've come!!! Say a prayer for me! :)
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Devine Intervention...
I love stories where God's presence is obvious. I had one of those moments last night and today. As I said before, I am having Lap Band surgery done on Friday August 19th. I have been concerned for a couple of weeks now on whether or not my insurance was going to approve my surgery by the deadline that I am faced with. What should have taken 10 days to process and approve ended up taking about 17 days!! I was freaking out!!! On Monday night, I had a very hard time going to sleep. I tossed and turned and worried about the procedure, whether or not I was going to run past the deadline, and other issues. Needless to say, it was not a restful night! Last night when I went to bed I said a prayer. I prayed to my most Awesome God, that if this surgery was in His plan for me, that He would take away my fears, doubt, and worry. I prayed that he would give me strength and peace of knowing that it would happen in His time and in His way. Those were my final thoughts as I fell asleep.
Now those that know me, know how stubborn I am and how I have a tendency to want to control every aspect of my life!!! God knows that about me too, and I truly feel like he was waiting on my to give this stress over to Him. Once I decided to do that, things began to turn around!! I received the phone call I had been waiting for for 17 long days this morning at 9 AM. Within the course of an hour, I had insurance approval for my surgery, I had a Pre-Op appointment set up, followed by a surgery date that was way earlier than I expected. I know that He was looking down on me thinking, "Finally you let me have your stress - now watch what I can do!!" It's chilling to me and sure makes me wonder why I didn't do it sooner!! I often struggle to remember that things do not happen according my MY plan....they happen according to HIS! :)
Now those that know me, know how stubborn I am and how I have a tendency to want to control every aspect of my life!!! God knows that about me too, and I truly feel like he was waiting on my to give this stress over to Him. Once I decided to do that, things began to turn around!! I received the phone call I had been waiting for for 17 long days this morning at 9 AM. Within the course of an hour, I had insurance approval for my surgery, I had a Pre-Op appointment set up, followed by a surgery date that was way earlier than I expected. I know that He was looking down on me thinking, "Finally you let me have your stress - now watch what I can do!!" It's chilling to me and sure makes me wonder why I didn't do it sooner!! I often struggle to remember that things do not happen according my MY plan....they happen according to HIS! :)
A little about me
My name is Monica. I'm 31 years old. I am the wife of an amazing and loving husband/father. I am the mother of a rambunctious and rowdy 4 1/2 year old. I'm a daughter, sister, friend, school teacher, and more.
In addition to these many "hats", I'm also overweight. Scratch that, I am considered obese. I hate that word!! It makes me feel so disgusting! I have battled my weight for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was the chubby child in a family of tall and thin sisters. I have been referred to as "pretty in the face" more times than I care to count. It's funny how a compliment like that can make you feel so badly about your self-image. Anyway...I digress!
I decided to write a blog about my weight loss journey. I'm starting a little late!! I have tried numerous diets, approaches, pills, drinks, etc.... I had success with some, but the weight always came back - and usually with a vengence! After my son was born, I struggled to lose the weight I gained with him - and never really lost much after the initial pounds came off. As I sit here tonight, I am at my heaviest weight to date - and I hate it! So...I decided to take drastic measures. I say "I'm starting late" because although I have battled my weight my entire life, I have not blogged about those attempts to lose weight in the past.
Six months ago, I decided to take the first step in seeking major medical attention for my obesity (still hate it) - Lap Band. I heard an ad on the radio for True Results in Richardson, Tx and I decided to set up a consultation. I figured - what do I have to lose?? After 6 months of visits, tests, prayer, deep consideration of whether this was the road I wanted to take, and many other thoughts...I decided to take the plunge and go for it.
Today I am 1 day away from my surgery date. I am nervous, excited, scared, hopefully, and a whole host of other emotions. This blog will serve as a journal of my weightloss journey after my LapBand is done. I will do my best to post pictures before and continue to post during the next few months. I know that this road will not be easy and there will be bumps - but I pray that through support of family & friends and God's guiding hand, I will be a success story in the end.
In addition to these many "hats", I'm also overweight. Scratch that, I am considered obese. I hate that word!! It makes me feel so disgusting! I have battled my weight for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was the chubby child in a family of tall and thin sisters. I have been referred to as "pretty in the face" more times than I care to count. It's funny how a compliment like that can make you feel so badly about your self-image. Anyway...I digress!
I decided to write a blog about my weight loss journey. I'm starting a little late!! I have tried numerous diets, approaches, pills, drinks, etc.... I had success with some, but the weight always came back - and usually with a vengence! After my son was born, I struggled to lose the weight I gained with him - and never really lost much after the initial pounds came off. As I sit here tonight, I am at my heaviest weight to date - and I hate it! So...I decided to take drastic measures. I say "I'm starting late" because although I have battled my weight my entire life, I have not blogged about those attempts to lose weight in the past.
Six months ago, I decided to take the first step in seeking major medical attention for my obesity (still hate it) - Lap Band. I heard an ad on the radio for True Results in Richardson, Tx and I decided to set up a consultation. I figured - what do I have to lose?? After 6 months of visits, tests, prayer, deep consideration of whether this was the road I wanted to take, and many other thoughts...I decided to take the plunge and go for it.
Today I am 1 day away from my surgery date. I am nervous, excited, scared, hopefully, and a whole host of other emotions. This blog will serve as a journal of my weightloss journey after my LapBand is done. I will do my best to post pictures before and continue to post during the next few months. I know that this road will not be easy and there will be bumps - but I pray that through support of family & friends and God's guiding hand, I will be a success story in the end.
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