I AM - BECAUSE YOU ARE

I can't believe that 2 whole weeks have already gone by! I had my first follow up yesterday with the dietician and she was happy with everything. The goal with surgery is to lose a minimum of 60% of excess weight in the next year. I have already lost 19% so I'm a third of the way there! More importantly, to me, my sugars are already under control and I should be pulled of the last remaining diabetic medication late next week. I am finally off my diet of oatmeal and cream soups and have graduated to soft and/or pureed foods for the next few weeks. I had a hard boiled egg for lunch and a chili puree last night for dinner. After weeks of bland food they were both delicious! So good that I have a batch of chili going in the slow cooker now to last me the week, or more! I also dropped by work to say hi and, while I admittedly do miss it a little, I am in no rush to go back. Recovery has certainly been going better than I ever expected, but my energy levels are not enough to get thro

I’m back! Surgery went well overall and I have been home for a couple of days now, but there were definitely some surprises along the way. Friday, February 14th – We stayed at my MIL’s the night before so that the LO would have someone to look after her for the day and we could simply worry about getting me where I needed to be. Everything went well and we were right on time, although surgery itself was delayed by an hour or so. No big deal. I wasn’t anxious, nervous, scared or anything. It was… weird. I don’t remember surgery at all, but I do remember tremendous back pain once in my room (which was upgraded to private, yahoo). Morphine, morphine and more morphine. DH left while I was drugged out to get the LO who was now at his brother’s house having fun with her cousins. I knew going into this that I needed him with her more than with me. Saturday February 15th – There is a first time for everything! My nausea, either from surgery or morphine, was out of control. I was vomiting blood

One day left before the rest of my life begins! Surgery has been confirmed for Friday and I couldn't be happier to get this over with. Not to mention that I can get back to eating real food, little by little, in moderation. I cannot tell you how badly I want a poached egg! Don't ask. And, I'm not going to lie, the three-week delay seems to be just another thing that happens for a reason. My mental state a few weeks ago wasn't as good as it is right now. I think the 14 day liquid fast, along with some additional stress from work, really wore me down. Being able to eat in moderation for a couple of weeks and then getting a better plan together for my 7 day fast made a huge difference! Also, a few months ago I found out that a friend from high school was going through the same process but I was always a few steps ahead of her. Because of being cancelled, she ended up having surgery today and I was able to talk to her a few times already. She is doing amazing and it'

I should be 10 days post-op, but instead I am 4 days in to a new pre-op fast and 11 days away from my re-scheduled surgery. Thanks to a malfunction of the ventilation system, all operating rooms at the hospital soared up to 98% humidity and had to be shut down for fear of water damage, mould and electrical issues arising. Everything is supposed to be back up and running by February 7th – fingers crossed! In the meantime, I finally sorted out what to do with my fast. Initially the dietician said I had to do the full 14 days again, and then I got a call from the secretary saying she thought it was only 7 days but to follow what the dietician told me. After playing phone tag for a bit, I finally spoke to the dietician again and she put me on 7 days of a modified diet (low protein, carb and sugar) followed by the liquid fast for 7 days. I was jumping up and down for joy in the office hallway! And, even better, the 7 day fast begins the day the operating rooms should open again so I w