12/18/2015: Post Surgery - Day 4

We made an unscheduled trip to the doctor's office today because I was having shooting pains in the backs of my legs.  The biggest concern with leg pain after surgery is blood clots.  I don't have symptoms that indicate blood clots; no aches, no swelling, no unusual bruising, no shortness of breath, but out of an abundance of caution, we are going to a radiology clinic this afternoon to get my legs scanned.

Probably the pain is either nerve related (from sleeping in the recliner) or muscle/skeletal related from lack of movement.  Either way, this is not a common symptom and the doctor wanted assurances that there are no blood clots.  I have stopped sleeping in the recliner and I am moving about more today.  This seems to have helped.  I did not have pain in my legs the last time I got up.

Other than the pain in my legs, the doctor's appointment was reassuring.  The nurse checked all the sutures, drains, bruising, swelling, etc. and everything looked as it should.  An A+ checkup for healing.

Boredom will likely be my biggest challenge.  What am I going to do for two more weeks?

We'll need to start going to the movies, soon.

Have a beautiful day.

12/16/2015: Day two of recovery

Recovery is going well.  I took a shower today, which felt good, even if i was freezing cold when I got out of the shower.  Jack and I struggled a little bit getting the compression garment on just right, but we eventually got it.  I am wearing a compression garment around my abs and a jogging bra over my breasts.

I am not in a lot of pain, but I am experiencing a lot of discomfort.  I guess I expected it to be worse, so that's good that it is not.  I am planning on taking it very easy for three whole weeks.  I want this recovery to start off well.  I go back to the surgeon on Monday to get at least one, if not both drains out.

Everything looks pretty good, but I am fairly swollen, so it's a little hard to tell what the end results will look like.  So far, I like what I see.

Food has been easy.  I'm eating my normal diet, just less of it, which seems reasonable considering how little I am moving.  I'm not nauseous, but after I eat a little bit I just don't feel like eating anymore.  I am taking my pain meds, one every four hours  That helps a lot.

All is well.  There is a lot of recovering left to do!

12/15/2015: Surgery is Complete

I'm sitting in my recliner all comfy and cozy, typing on my laptop under the influence of pain medications, so don't expect too much from this post.

Surgery went very well.  It lasted every bit of 6 hours and the surgeon did have to do some diastasis repair (stitching together my abdominal muscles), so the recovery will be a little longer than I was hoping, but the end result will be worth it!

I had  my first post-op appointment today and got to see my new body for the first time.  Oh my goodness!  I love it! My tummy is perfectly flat and my breasts are small and firm - perky even.  Dr. Hodge did an amazing job!  He was even impressed with his own handiwork.

The worst of the pain was in my thighs where he did some lipo on my saddlebags, but that only lasted last night.  They don't hurt anymore.  As for the rest of it, I am uncomfortable but not in a tremendous amount of pain, as long as I take it easy.  And i plan on taking it easy!!

I get to take a shower tomorrow, so that will be awesome.  I'm looking forward to getting clean, but I am also looking forward to standing in front of the mirror.  The transformation really is remarkable.  Even Jack is impressed!

It'll be 6 weeks before I can start exercising again.  I'm looking forward to that.  It'll be a lot more fun to get toned up, now.

It was kind of funny.  When I woke up after surgery the nurse wanted to give me something to eat before taking my pain meds.  The first thing she offered me as sweet, and I told her no, I don't eat sugar.  Then she offered a cracker and I said, no, I don't eat grains.  She said how about applesauce and I said OK.  So I guess the no sugar thing is totally ingrained.  Fuzzy from surgery and pain, I still refused to eat sweets.  I think that's a good sign!!

All in all, the doc and the nurses were happy with my progress.  Yes, all is well.

Have a beautiful day!

12/13/15: Tomorrow is the Big Day

Days of abstinence: 82

Days until surgery: 19.5 hours

Weight:  155.4 pounds

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been a week since I put up a blog post.  I think I’ve gone this long between posts for two reasons.  First, I’ve been way too busy working 12+ hour days and when I’m not working I'm getting ready for Christmas.  I have to have all of my Christmas shopping and wrapping done before I go into surgery tomorrow.  I just haven’t had time to do anything but the essentials, lately.  Second, I haven’t had much to say.  My eating program is stable, I am not having any problems staying on program and I haven’t had any new insights with regard to my diet.  My weight has stabilized right around 155 pounds, give or take a few tenths of a pound on any given day.  I feel good.  I just don’t have much to say.

With regard to my surgery, I don’t have much else to say other than that I am anxious, which I am certain is a very common emotion for someone getting ready to go into something like this.

Today, I just wanted to touch base and say that the surgery is scheduled for 9:30AM tomorrow and should be done by 3:30.  I’ll try to put up a blog post by the end of the week and let you know how it went.  Other than that, all is well.

Have a beautiful day!

12/6/15: The Good and the Bad

Days of abstinence: 75

Exercise:  None – Unless cooking, wrapping presents, and shopping all day counts (and I know it doesn’t)

Days until surgery: 8

Weight:  155.4 pounds

First – what I am not pleased with:  I am having trouble staying really committed to exercise.  I know exactly why.  Partly, I am way too busy and I am having trouble getting enough time to sleep.  I’m getting up at 4:00 and going to work, instead of exercising.  I am going to be off for three weeks and there is so much for me to get done before I leave.  This is not a normal time at work.  We are in the middle of a massive restructuring/”right sizing” and I need to have all of my ducks in a row so Mike can manage the cash side of things relatively easily in my absence.  But a bigger factor is the knowledge that I will not be able to exercise for 6 weeks, so I know I am going to be starting over, anyway.  It’s stupid.  I know that.  I know it makes more sense to be as fit as possible on the day of surgery, but when I do exercise all I can think about is how weak I am going to be in 7 weeks and how I am going to have to start from square one.  I have a plan for that, I have no doubt that I’ll do it, but it makes getting really into exercise now, difficult for me.  It’s all emotional and irrational and I know that.  But it is what is making it difficult to prioritize exercise ahead of sleep or work.

Second – what I am pleased with:  I weighed 155.4 pounds this morning!!!!!!  I am so close to my goal weight range of 150 – 155 pounds prior to surgery!!  I am so excited!!  My body is so predictable.  Lose a couple of pounds in a day or two.  Fight to keep it off for 7 – 10 days.  Then lose a couple of more pounds.  Weird.  I wish I understood why it works that way, but I never will.  With a lot of hard work, persistence, commitment and a little luck, I’ll never have to find out again.  I am not gaining this weight back.  I am getting the skin removed, I am getting my breasts lifted, and I am getting the saddle bags sucked away.  After that, my clean, sugar free diet and regular exercise is going to keep me within 5 pounds of 150 for the rest of my life.  Yes, I am incredibly excited about this!!!!

This surgery has changed my whole frame of mind about my body.  Being healthy is my first priority and everything about the foods we eat and exercising regularly is about being healthy.  Going to bed early, getting at least 7 hours of sleep, drinking lots of water, flossing my teeth; these are all things I do to try to stay healthy.  But all this loose skin has always irritated me.  Now that I have decided to spend the money, take the risk, and endure the pain of getting it cut off, my mind set is firmly entrenched in, “I will never again gain this weight back.”  Also, I will get much more dramatic results from conditioning, now that I will actually have a flat tummy and the saddle bags will be gone.  Wow!! 

I’ve been sugar free for two and a half months.  No regrets there.  It is so much easier to stay On Program than it has ever been before.  No “cheat” days.  No sneaking food.  No cravings.  Just eating like a “normal” person.  Food no longer rules me.  What a relief.

I’ve got more packages to wrap, so I gotta run.  Also, Carla is coming home for Christmas, now, so I need to go shopping and get her some stocking stuffers before I get cut on next Monday.  So much to do.  Only 7 days left to do it!!

Have a beautiful day!

12/4/15: Too Busy

Days of abstinence: 73

Exercise:  Cardio weight lifting

Days until surgery: 10

Weight:  157.2 pounds

It’s a good thing Jack and I decided to downplay Christmas this year.  I am just too busy.  The deal at work that was on again then off again then on again is now off again.  Whether that is for better or for worse, we’ll never know, it just is.  The whole process was time consuming and exhausting and all of the work seems to be for naught.   But, then again, there is that silver lining.  The due diligence process that we went through was enlightening and it made very clear some of the very basic changes that we needed to make to be successful.  They are difficult changes and the last few weeks have been exhausting, physically and emotionally; but they are changes that should “right size” our monthly expenses to our current revenue levels.  They are also changes that should result in an increase in revenues.  I am glad we are going through this process, but I don’t want to do much except work and sleep.

It’s hard to believe that I only have 6 days of work left before this surgery.  There is so much to do.  There is so little time!  Yikes.  I guess the world will keep turning, even when I am laid up in my recliner. 

I’m anxious, nervous, excited.  I’m glad this is going to be over, soon.  I’m ready to start the process of recovering.  I want to get through that first week.  I know it will be pretty dreadful until I get the drains out, so I want to just get that part done and over with, already.  I’m preparing myself for the worst of it.

Food.  What can I say about food that I have not said already?  Not much.  Other than I have decided that alcohol is out, forever.  It’s a sugar, plain and simple, and I don’t do sugar.  Not much else to say about that. I don’t know why it was such a tough decision, but there you go.

After surgery, my focus will be on maintaining my weight and my physical fitness.  I may hire a trainer again, once I can start exercising.  It helps me stay on track.  I won’t want to lose any more weight, but I will want to be strong and fit.  I am looking forward to that next stage.  Surgery and recovery will be stage 3.  Once I can start exercising again, I’ll be in stage 4, strength and fitness for life. 

Stage 1:  2012/2013 – Weight Loss

Stage 2:  2013/2015 – Weight Maintenance/Stabilize Habits

Stage 3:  2015/2016 – Surgery and Recovery

Stage 4:  2016/Rest of Life – Wellness, Weight Maintenance, Strength and Fitness

Have a beautiful day!

12/1/15: Surgery is Less Than Two Weeks Away

Days of abstinence: 69

Exercise:  Cardio weight lifting

Days until surgery: 13!!!!

Weight:  157.2 pounds

We’ve had intermittent internet service which explains my on-again-off-again blog posts.  It is a little frustrating when I can’t maintain my routines because of the lack of internet service.  TWC is coming to the house this afternoon.  Maybe we will get a better understanding of why they have so much difficulty keeping our service up and running.

Yesterday I turned off my alarm and went back to sleep.  I never, ever do that.  I guess I got used to sleeping in a little bit over the Thanksgiving holiday.  I made it to work on time, but I did not get my workout in.  Today I got up at 4:00 and did a cardio weight lifting routine.  It felt great, even if I was a little sore from my workouts this weekend.

I have to go to Denver for a quick business trip next week.  We’ll fly out Tuesday morning and fly home Tuesday night.  I had to call the surgeon’s nurse and make sure it was OK to fly that close to surgery.  She said it was not a problem since it is such a short flight.  It makes this very real, knowing I am checking with my surgeon before flying and making arrangements at work to be gone for three weeks.  I really am doing this thing.  It is so hard to believe it is actually happening.  I have dreamt about this for years, ever since I was a much younger woman.  It’s hard to imagine not having all this extra skin anymore.  It’s been there a long time!

My food program remains solid.  I have not had any problems with cravings or over consumption since the first week or so of making the decision to abstain from sugar for life.  My attitude about food has changed considerably.   It’s not that I don’t enjoy food anymore, because I do.  But I don’t crave food all the time. 

Work is hard to get excited about these days.  I need an attitude adjustment.  Maybe once we get through this next week and get a plan established I’ll feel better.  Right now it just seems like such a grind.  Ugh.  Perhaps today will be a better day.

For the past couple of decades I have experienced a period of depression between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I’m hoping that it has been at least partially food related and that by not eating sweets I will avoid the worst part of the depression.  I feel like I am in a slump right now, though.  I’ll have to try to snap myself out of this!!  Perhaps it’s just the onset of winter.  I really dislike winter.  But, I’m getting my tummy and my breasts fixed.  That is something to look forward to!  It’s all going to work out just fine.

Have a beautiful day!