Frustration

Today I am feeling frustrated. I have a few friends who went with the RNY option and are losing so much faster than I am. I am happy for them honestly, yet I feel frustrated for me. I feel like I am working so hard at staying on track, yet the scale just won't move. I don't want to regret my decision, for it was the best option I had at the time it's just hard.

I'm still doing the gym 5 days a week. 30 minutes on cardio and then resistance machines......

Update

It's been awhile for an update!!

I have joined the Y am and trying to go about 5 days a week. I am doing 30 minutes of cardio and 3 reps of ten on a couple of resistance machines. It feels good and has helped the scale move a bit. I am hoping it keeps on moving!!

Summer has finally it us up here with the weather being in the 90's which is way unusual!! I am headed out to Atlanta next week for a three day conference for work and am totally worried about getting my meals in and my exercise. I am seriously thinking about packing tuna in my suit case.....lol

Last night I recognized a food trigger and was successful at warding it off. Life long habits are hard to break, but I figure I can beat one trigger at a time!

Lori
47 lbs to date

Goings on

Went the the nutritionist on Tuesday. Found out that I can eat a few more carbs and need less protein. Basically I am on a 1200 calorie a day diet with around 100 carbs a day. Not to bad.

The scale is still stuck, the answer is to get out and exercise more........ YEA!

Plateau

I've been stuck since June 7th and am beyond frustration. Tuesday I have an appointment with the nutritionist to try to get some help. Also my hair is falling out.. oh the joys of weight loss.


Just because I love my kitty Wellington!!!

New things

Last night I went kayaking for the first time and LOVED it!! And the bonus.. according to The Daily Plate, I burned 644 calories in one hour!! sweet!!

Tonight I have Yoga, which I highly recommend for anyone working out. It is great on the body, mind and spirit! It really stretches you out and helps to keep all your muscles happy!

Food wise I am plunking along with my 1 cup per meal and two snacks a day. I find that if I keep active, I am less hungry, again that tells me this is mind hunger and not body hunger.

The scale has moved a bit but not like it was. I am hovering around 43lbs lost but feel good.

I am selling my entire wardrobe in two weeks. NOTHING fits anymore and I figure if I get rid of it, I won't be as tempted to put it on EVER again! I am hoping to make a little money and use that to buy some more clothes!

My next mini goal is to get myself on the trail by my house.. it is a 5 mile loop and I know I can do it, just not sure why is scares me so much....

Monday update!

Went to the Dr's today and have lost an official 43lbs! Woo hoo! I am very happy right now, I know that the weight loss has slowed down a bit but it still feels good to know I am still losing!!
My A1C is down to 6.8 in the normal range without any meds!! I will most likely have to go back on one cholesterol med for the time being, but we will be monitoring that as well. Over all my Surgeon is very happy with my progress and so am I! I also requested to meet with the nutritionist again to check in with her and go over my food choices. This is all so new to me, that I just want to be sure I am not straying to far off track, and I know once I talk to her I will feel better.

I spent the 4th entertaining 2o of my nearest and dearests this weekend. We had a cookout in my back yard Friday night, and rented two pontoons all day Sat. We even got to stay out on the boat for the fireworks!! It was an awesome weekend!!

Food wise, I was able to stay on my diet by packing myself the right foods, and packing everyone else what they wanted!!

Thursday!

OMG I am going to be so busy the next few days. Tonight is prep night, food for everyone and then food for me..lol. I have to pack lunch and dinner for 12 people and host a cookout tomorrow night for 25. I love all the folks coming so it will be fun, I just want all the work done before they get here so I can enjoy all their company!

I have lost the two lbs that came back, so I have leveled out for now. With the extra exercise and changing up my diet a bit seems to be helping! Pushing the protein and liquids, cutting back even more on carbs and non essentials until I am at my goal, and then I will worry about maintaining then. Right now I feel like I am racing the clock and need to stay focused.

I'm at the point of replacing almost my entire wardrobe, fun yet expensive. I need work clothes first and foremost, and then cruise clothes... But I have until Oct for that, so I figure end of season sales around labor day!

back to work for me!

Dr's....Dr's.. and more Dr's

I had my 3 month EGD on Friday the 26th and everything went good. Of course I almost passed out with the blood work and all that, but the scope itself was a cake walk! I really like Dr. Khaitan and am glad she is the one doing all the scopes and such! I will see her again on July 6th to go over my labs and talk about my progress and all that goodness!!

Then on the 16 of July I see my PCP and talk to him about reducing more meds. I am now currently down to 1/2 a bp pill, my thyroid meds and allergy meds. woo hoo bye bye diabetes meds for every!! No more shots for me!! woo hoo

I am feeling pretty good today, did my mile uphill walk last night, and will again tonight before grocery shopping for the weekend. I am having 25 people descend on my house Friday night for a cookout and then out on the pontoons sat for the 4th! Wednesday is Yoga, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Have a great day!

3 Months

Down 40 lbs to date!

Frustration

Today I am frustrated... I have these four lbs that keep coming and going. I am stuck plain and simple. I started back to walking last night, and even that didn't make me feel better. I want this so bad, and yet I am stuck.

I know this is normal, I read my group and know that I am not alone.. but geesh... it stinks.

Monday Update

Well, today is Monday!! Had a busy weekend, but was able to stick to my diet somewhat! I realized today when my hunger at returned to the non existent self that something was up. I googled progesterone and found out why I was hungry the past 10 days.... grrrrrrr Especially at night, I couldn't stop snacking. Thank goodness I will only have to take it again in three months.
So I have no weight loss to report, but I didn't really gain either, so that is a plus!

I'm seriously going to start bringing food with me wherever I go. It is so frustrating to find things when out that I want to eat. I want to succeed at this, but every where I look there are things tempting me... that is not fun at all. I have a weekend trip coming up and told my friend to be prepared for me to have meals in the room...lol...

Other than working and enjoying the warmer weather, nothing new to report.

40 lbs to date!

Weekly Prep

Tonight is grill night. After the surgery, I realized quickly that cooking for one has just gotten a bit harder. I have portions that I need to eat, but flavors that I like. SO, I have devised a plan for the summer anyway.!! I grill one night a week, and make enough whatever for the week. Tonight it is a package of Chicken Feta and Spinach sausages and 3 chicken breasts marinated in FF Italian Dressing. I will have dinner and lunches for the rest of the week, and only used enough charcoal for one grilling! It is very easy to take the chicken and add other ingredients to make it taste different enough that it won't get boring. As well as different veggies or whatnot to go with!

I have purchased some 1/2 cup glad ware containers and 1 cup Zip lock containers to pack lunches in. Basically it makes it so much easier to just mix and toss into he correct container. I am still eating one cup at a meal, so it's a cinch.

Another helpful tidbit I have found is that the Starkest tuna pouches 2.6oz are about a half cup. So I have that and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese for a really good and high protein lunch on the go. That lunch has 170 cal, 3g fat, 5 carbs, 32 proteins. I don't add anything to my tuna but salt and pepper.

40.0 lbs to date!

Me at 35.5 loss!

The Daily Plate

A new website I joined on the first of June to help me track my foods and fitness. I like it a lot and it is very easy to use!! Just type in the food and a whole list comes up with different options and you click on I ate that!!! Tracks exercise as well, it's a very handy reminder during the day of where my nutrition totals are and how I am doing!!

35.5 lbs to date!

Weekend!

I had a great weekend! Did some shopping which really made me happy! I went into a few favorite stores and bought a few things that are a full size smaller or more!! I was wearing size 30/32 shirts and 26 pants. The pants were a tight 26 :) This weekend I bought one size 26 top, a 26/28 and size 24 shorts!! I am very happy. I even went online and ordered a pair of the same shorts in a size 20 and a top in 22/24 to keep me motivated to get my exercise in! I have a cruise in Oct and need to have clothes also for that!!

The weight loss has slowed a lot, and being on prednisone last week and again this week for the poison ivy from hell, I only lost 1 lb, but I'll take it!! I know I am also shrinking in sizes too, so that keeps me motivated!!

35.5 lbs to date!

Didn't see this comming

Last night I was looking through my clothes to get ready for a plus size yard sale in July and started to panic. Panic to the point of tightness in my chest panic. My mind started racing through scenarios that really got me worried. The main theme seemed to be, what if I didn't get the staples, what if I put the weight back on, what if I fail.

I never thought of clothes as being a safety for me, but I guess so. My rational mind knows that by getting rid of the old I will be able to let go of that person and embrace the future. Maybe it's to soon?

In other news I will be heading to the Dr tomorrow for a stinking shot for this poison ivy that will NOT go away. I cleared up the stuff on my neck and face last week with the pills and now it is back....grrrrrrrr I woke up this morning to an all over itchy feeling throughout my body... I do not heart this at all!

Memorial Weekend

My New update Photo! 32.5 lbs down in this one!

I had a great weekend with friends and family! The down side is that I really need to work on not letting the excitement of the times take me away from my goal. I again was faced with a busy holiday weekend that used to be centered around food. My way of coping was to embrace my inner foodie with a healthy twist! I baked chicken breast, made deviled eggs with low fat may, and wheat Berri salad. I had one egg, and it was GREAT!! the only off my diet indulgence I had was a scoop of sugar free ice cream and I will NOT allow myself to feel guilty about it at all! I walked and boated and had a great time!

hmm Interesting

The past few days my morning protein shake has been upsetting my stomach, so much so that I have only been able to drink about half.

I'm still struggling with getting into a good exercise routine, and really wished I lived near a gym. For me, the structure and routine are very comforting. But, until I am able to move back the city, that is not an option. I still do my walking, but the skin is getting lose and I worry that without some weights to lift I won't be able to tighten it back up.

I am still eating about 1 cup of food per meal, but did find it difficult the other day. Was at a birthday party and found myself mindlessly munching on veggies and dip. I really need to watch that.

32.5 lbs to date!

Monday Update

I suppose this was a weekend of fellowship of sorts, on Saturday we had a birthday party for a friends child. We spent the day talking and visiting with family and friends and just had a general great time!

On Sunday my niece Sarah had her Honor Banquet , I am SOOOO proud of her. She has turned out so well and I love her so much. Of course we all were teary eyed watching her get her awards and listening to her accomplishments. It truly was a wonderful night. And the best part is that we all get along pretty good. Her parents have been divorced for many years, but still both families come together to support our girl. It is a wonderful feeling.I drove home late last night to find the screen and window open, and of course the cat MIA. I called and called for him, he finaly came in soaking wet around midnight. Bad kitty. I love him so, but he really is bad....lol

I'm at work now and not really feeling it. But, it pays the bills!

The weight loss continues slowly now. This week I lost 2.5 lbs I think...

32.5 LBS GONE TO DATE!

Friday!

I am most happy that today is Friday. Work continues to be stressful, to the point that I feel like it isn't worth it anymore and to look for something else. There comes a point where the stress is worse than the money I swear.

On better news, I did my mile walk last night up the huge hill and was able to make it all the way up without stopping!! I would have made it home too, but I took my moms dog with me and he laid down about 3/4 of the way and needed a breather...lol.. But we did it and I felt great! The eating is about the same, I have myself on a nice routine, Shake for breakfast. one cup at lunch and dinner and then a snack later in the evening. It's working and that is what's important!!

The scale hadn't moved in a little over a week and of course I was a bit freaked, but this morning it's moving again and I am most happy!

I'm taking my mom and the dog home this weekend and then spending most of it with my niece who is graduating high school in a few weeks!!

The one draw back I have found with gardening, poison ivy, sumac or whatever I have on me. It itches, and looks odd... oh oh another thing this year.,.. the ticks are really bad. My cat has been bringing them into the house. I have had three on me and one on my mom. Its gross and freaking me out.. The good thing is that the revolution on the cat is working, they are not sticking to him....hmmm.. maybe I need to be dipped....LOL

Ta Ta For Now

31.5 lbs to date!!

How to read a food label..

I found these links pretty helpful, as well as the one in my binder from my Dr!


http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html
http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/Handouts/nutrition_labels/nutrition_labels.html
http://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/fns/Nutritional/FoodLabel.htm

Monday

It's been a long week for me at work as well as busy with my nieces graduation coming up. I am a bit bummed that when I hit the scale this morning, it didn't move. BUT, I guess no movement is better than gaining! I am pretty much over all this rain, it really puts a kink in my walking and outdoor activities.

Friday night I got a huge ego boost from my friends that I haven't seen since the surgery. It was great to hear how well I am doing, and how good they think I look. As good as it feels when the scale moves, it even better when others notice the difference as well!

Food wise, I am still doing the 1 cup per meal and two 1/2 cup snacks. I find that it is hard when I am away from home, or we are out. I am seriously going to pack my meals to bring with me when I visit family. Routine is very important for me!!!!

Hopefully next Monday I will have a loss to report!

30 lbs to date!

Wednesday

What is on my mind today.. hmmm well work mostly. It has been very stressful this week and if I were a chocolate eating girl these days I would have had A LOT of it. BUT I am not, so last night I walked...lol.. I made it the farthest so far last night. Up and down several hills and across the golf course. It was nice, but boy was I sore... Last night I even had to get out the bengay....LOL.. Now I feel old and sore...!

Tonight I have Yoga and I am really looking forward to that. I need some relaxation and decompression this week. Then I am home to work on more of my second garden bed. I want to plant the pumpkins, zucchini, and sunflowers away from the rest of my veggies. I also need to get some plants for the last part of bed 1. I will then be complete with this little project and feel good about it! Then it is on the the front porch.

I don't have an official weight this week but by my scale:

30 lbs to date

Staples or no Staples

Do I or Don't I.... I have no idea.. At this point all I really DO know is that I can eat 8oz's or 1 cup of food at a meal, and have two small snacks a day. Am I losing weight, YES! Some days I care and some days I don't care. I would like to know just for me, but if it is working, whatever that is, why should I care........... geesh...

I hear about people only being able to eat 2 tbs and I think that is not me, so I don't have them. But if I try to eat more than about a cup I get really full??

This is the one topic everyone avoids because I don't think anyone really wants to figure out they DON'T have them, but I suppose in a year I will know for sure.........

Today is a frustrating day........

I did it!

I walked UP the half mile hill last night and then back down. My legs were very sore, but it was sooo worth it. Tonight I will do it again, and then tomorrow is Yoga!

Yoga

I started my Yoga class last week and can't wait for this week. After working out my body has been pretty sore. My muscles have been screaming at me to stop the insanity, obviously they didn't get the memo about getting healthy.....lol! Yoga is awesome. It felt so good to stretch my muscles and joints, to relax my mind and just be as well as sooth my soul a bit. It is one hour of activity that I truly believe is going to be an intricate part of my path to healthy living!!

In other news, I got my garden started this weekend and can't wait for it to bloom! I am going to have sooo many fresh veggies!!! And pumpkins in the fall....

Life is really good right now.

28.5 lbs to date

What I learned..........

Yesterday I got my food scale in the mail! I took it home and made chicken for dinner as planned, and then I weighed out what I THOUGHT was a 4oz portion. Boy was I wrong.... I was eating WAY less than 4 ounces all this time. I was really surprised how off I was.

Starting last night I have had to re-do my meal plans and look at my protein intake again. I guess I am going to have to buy more protein powder because I am not real sure I can get that much meat in at one setting.

I am eating about 1 cup per meal still and getting in two snacks a day. The nights are the hardest for me, I seem to want to munch A LOT, and have to keep reminding myself that I can't.

I question if I can do this, can I lose this weight? Can I be the person that I want to be. I am trying so hard and seeing results on the scale and how my clothes fit. I know that is a good thing, it's just hard today.

Wednesday

I have been pretty busy the past couple of days with getting my garden ready to plant. Last night was the last thing I needed to do before grounds maintenance comes up to till the soil!!! I had to go buy fertilizer and I also bought some tomato plants and some herbs. I am very excited to get this all going!! I also started to work in the other bed in my back yard, that I have to assume at some point was a type of garden. It is built into the side of a small hill and it had a fence around it. I have started to dig up everything and rake it down. I also am removing the fence in an attempt to return it to a regular grassy area.

Next up is a couple of chairs for my front porch and I am ready for summer!!

I am not sure if it is the extra activity I am doing or the surgery, but I am sleeping a lot more than usual. I am talking about almost 10 hours a night. I used to get 8 and was good with that, but these extra two must be needed??

Tonight I start Yoga!!!

One Month

Today I had my one month followup with Dr. Khaitan! I have lost a total of 26lbs so far. I need to beef up my work outs and get more consistent with that, but the food seems to be going well. I have myself on a routine and specific foods that I know I can eat. I am trying to introduce more of a variety and that seems to be going well too!

Cooking for one has always been a challenge, but now that I am eating so little it is getting harder. I have devised a system of cooking a small mean for dinner and taking half for lunch the next day. Tonight I am making stuffed mushrooms with chicken sausage. I will take one link and make enough for two meals. It's working and it's saving money!!!

Wheat Berry Salad

Wheat Berry Salad

½ Cup uncooked Winter Wheat Berry
1 Poached Turkey Cutlet (shredded)
¼ Cup Diced of Each
Bell Pepper (I used orange)
Red Onion
Cucumber
Grape Tomato
1 Ounce Feta Cheese (Crumbles)
2 Tbs Fresh Parsley
Bay Leaf
Salad Dressing
1 Lemmon
2 Cloves Garlic
2 Tbs Olive Oil

Combine the wheat berries with 4 cups water, bay leaf and 1 clove of garlic. Boil for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender (Watch water level and add more if it needed). Once the water has come to a boil add the turkey cutlet. The turkey will be done before the berries, just remove from the boiling water and cool.

To make dressing, use the zest and juice of 1 whole lemon, ¼ cup olive oil, 1 grated clove of garlic, salt and pepper to taste. This will be very tart, but it needs to flavor the berries as well as the vegetables. You can also substitute this dressing for any of your favorite fat free bottled ones. Place dressing in the bottom of a medium bowl.

Once the berries are cooked, drain and add hot to the bowl with the dressing. Add the turkey at this time as well. Let the berries and turkey cool for about ½ hour before adding the vegetables, cheese and parsley. Combine and place in storage container in the fridge. This recipe makes approximately 3 ½ cups.

1 Cup Serving : 281 Calories, 10.75 g Fat, 68 mg Cholesterol, 31g Carbs, 22g Protein, 2.5g Sugar.

Clothes.....

Tonight after dinner a friend and I started going through the BACK of my closet. That is where the clothes that no longer fit lived....! Well, I have four new outfits for summer and cleaned out some stuff that is too BIG... I can't even believe that I just wrote that, but it's true....

I don't even know if I have the words in me to describe how I feel right now. I have had a great day! Up early and got my car fixed, went to whole foods and bought fresh fish to grill for dinner, wheat berries, goat cheese and feta for a yummy high protein salad and the fixings for fresh salsa for my afternoon snack!! Tonight I am wearing some clothes that I thought I would never see again, AND I feel great!!!

I believe that this is the first time that I have allowed myself to actually believe this is going to happen. Up to this point I have held my excitement for the future at bay. Not allowing myself to dream of the possibilities, not allowing myself to go there... But today.. today I took that step and boy does it feel great! I actually believe in my heart of hearts that I can do this, that I can lose this weight and that I can be the person on the outside that I feel like on the inside!!

I'm not sure how the stars have aligned, or what Divine powers have intervened to allow me to have this opportunity in my life, but I will NOT waste it......

Columbus

Headed to Columbus for the weekend. I need to get my windshield fixed and also hit Whole Foods, or Trader Joes. I need more organic food in my life...lol.. I decided a long time ago that when I had this surgery, each and everything I put in my mouth with be healthy and tasty.

I have also found a new source of exercise... Gardening.. who knew...! I have spent about an hour each night digging up ivy taproots to clear the area to plant my garden! I am sooo excited to have fresh veggies right out of my own back yard. Plus I am going to learn to can this summer as well!! I am very happy to be on the other side of this surgery and to begin to live my life again. Staples or no, I am going to live my life much more healthy now. I have felt what it feels like to lose weight, and how good I feel about being off a couple of meds. I want more and know that I have to work for it, but darn it feels good!!

In a couple weeks I am going to buy the Wii fit bundle, that way I can work out in my house when it is not so good outside!!!!

I have my one month follow up on Monday with Dr. Khaitan, I am hoping I lost a couple more lbs!

Ouch!

I have done something to my foot that is now affecting my knee. I have no idea, but if I had to guess I would say plantar fasciitis would be the culprit. I can do a few stretching exercises to my foot and it relieves the pain. I just have to wonder why now.... grrrr

In other new, I plan on joining a yoga group next Wednesday and am joining the Wii fit club! I live out in the boonies and really need to get creative on my exercise. I can walk and get plenty that way, but I need some variety. The closest gym is about 30 to 45 mins away, and that just won't work for me....lol...

I am also heading to Columbus this weekend to hit whole foods, I want to start going organic as much as possible. I have allergies to preservatives and am finding that diet food is loaded! I will update with my purchases soon!!

Dining out!

Today is Admin Appreciation day so I took my assistant out to lunch. Now they are all aware of my surgery, but still it was an odd experience. There were about 8 of us, and we headed out to a buffet. Now I used to go to buffets all the time, but this is the first time out after surgery and I was a bit scared. When we got there I noticed that all the meat products were fried, so they were out instantly! I did find that they had chili, so I had about 1/4 cup of that, a very tiny salad, a sliced beet and about 1/4 cup cottage cheese. All in all I ate my usual 1 cup of food. I did feel a slight embarrassment when everyone else had finished their salad and were going up for more, but did a quick internal dialog letting myself off the hook.

It turned out to be a good experience for me and let me know that I can do this!!

Smaller!

Today I am wearing a jacket that was sent to me. When I got it in the mail, I laughed because I loved it, but knew it wouldn't fit. Well, I put it on this morning, and IT FITS! I am wearing it today! This makes me very happy!!

Last night I was hungry, plain and simple. I started thinking back and figured out that at night I seem to be bored and therefore hungry. I need to do something at night to keep my attention off the food!!

Feelings

My clothes are fitting better today, which is nice. I just can't shake this need to know if I was stapled or not. I should just be happy that I am losing weight and eating much healthier, but I keep waiting for the shoe to drop I suppose. I have spent my entire life fighting the weight, and no matter how much I lost, it would always come back. Right now I am down 21.5 lbs and am back mostly on solid food. I need to beef up the workouts and get more water in, but other than that I have been doing really well.



I have created a spreadsheet to track my intake and feel that I am on track their as well. I am looking forward to meeting again with the nutritionist and check my progress there. I am consuming about 800 calories, 80g protein and 60 ounces of water on average. This alone leads me to believe that I do indeed have the staples. I don't think that I could maintain this if I didn't have some type of help!



I feel really good today, I have on a shirt that I bought 2 summers ago that no longer had fit, and it's lose!!

And away we go!

welcome to by blog! I am going to take this opportunity to go into my back story to get us caught up on who I am and how I got here!

I have been thinking about WLS for many years now, but each time I would get serious about it something would come up to deter me for the moment. I would either get sick, or change jobs, or move or something like that. There just never seemed to be a good time to do it. It came up again last year when my brother and I decided that we would do it together. My brother has a huge fear of Dr's and surgery so we thought it would be good to go together and support each other. Of course, just like every other time I tried I lost my job and my great insurance right before our consultation appointment. At that point I convinced him to go anyway, he needed it as bad as I did.

Around the time of his surgery in November 2008 I was complaining to a friend that my new insurance would not cover the surgery and I was pretty bummed about that. She emailed me a few days later with a web address and the possibility of getting into a clinical trial in Cleveland! I immediately linked to the site and entered my information! I knew it was a long shot, but it was better than where I was at the moment. It also was going to require me to wait and see, which is not necessarily a strong suit of mine....lol

Right before Christmas I received a call asking if I was still interested... umm YES! She said that I would get a call from the coordinator in Cleveland to set up my first appointment after the first of the year. I was so excited and nervous at the same time! When Ada called me, I wanted to cry. She had me set up with my first appointment on Feb 23, 2009. I just knew that was going to be the day that changes my life! I met with Dr. Khaitan and instantly felt comfortable and knew I was making the right decision for me.

So what am I talking about you ask? The TOGA procedure, this is a clinical trial to study the safety and effectiveness of a non invasive procedure to staple the stomach. Basically, they go down your throat with a device and create a pouch. The theory is that it will reduce the amount of food the stomach can hold and therefore allow you to lose weight. If you would like the nitty gritty click here http://www.togaclinicalstudy.com/pages/fq.htm

The one kicker to this whole thing is that because it is a clinical trial, there will be a control group. But of course you won't know if you are in that or not. 1 in 3 will not get the procedure done on surgery day. Everyone will go into the operating room and be knocked out. They will put the dilator down your throat and then open and envelope. Right then and there your fait is sealed, you are either given the surgery or not. No one but the surgeons will know for sure for the entire year. At your one year appointment they open the other envelope with you and it states if you are in the study or not. If you not selected, you are given the opportunity to have it done then for free. SOOOOOOO my thoughts were that I could get it now, or at the very least get it in a year and not have to worry about insurance and all that!

Where was I... oh yes.. So I had my first appointment and was given all the information and signed up to be in the study. I had a list of tests that I would have to go through prior to the surgery, but if I passed them all I was in!! I was so excited and scared all at the same time! After completing two of the appointments I was given my surgery date of April 28, 2009. That was perfect for me, I had a cruise scheduled and would get off the ship on the day I needed to start the liquid diet! I was all set, I had my appointments scheduled, there were 7 in all and I had had two completed, but still had the more intense ones left. Including the manomentary test which I was sooo not looking forward to at all.

On or about March 18th I got a call from Ada asking if I wanted to push my date up. They had had a cancellation and wanted to fill that spot. I told her that if she could get my appointments lined up that I would do it. Why not, it was just going to get this show started quicker. She was able and at that point I was on the fast tract to get it all done in two weeks. My new surgery date was March 31st 2009! Of course this meant that I would still be healing on my cruise!!!

Fast forward through two weeks of driving 2 hours each way to Cleveland for all my appointments and getting prepped for surgery. I arrived at the hospital bright and early Tuesday morning. They get me back to the pre-op area and start asking me 100 questions to get all the paperwork filled out. This young nurse came to put my IV in and had some trouble, I of course got a little freaked out and passed out while they were trying to get it in and Dr. Khaitan was talking to me....LOL.. When I woke up, I had no pain at all. I was really comfortable and just wanted to get to my room. That took several hours because they didn't have any rooms ready for me. I spent the night walking and chatting with some friends who visited me and went home the next day. The worst part for me honestly was the sore muscles from the positioning during the surgery. I went back to work the next day and then off on my cruise!

More to come soon!