6 Days Post Op

Boy, time really flies after surgery. This time last week I was preparing myself for the upcoming week after a surgery and now I'm sitting here wishing I felt better. Haha. Actually, the pain I'm having today is super minimal. In fact, I only feel it if I bend or twist the wrong way. I do have times of weird nausea though and that is really irritating. I can kind of understand why though. First of all, my body is missing one of it's organs and it is probably still trying to figure that out and secondly, I haven't been eating the greatest. Tomorrow I go to WeightWatchers to weigh in and I am not hopeful that I will lose. The past week has been a "eat what I can when I can" and all I have really craved is carbs and very strange things. So, we will see what happens tomorrow. Today I haven't had much to eat but it wasn't high on the healthy list so I am going to do my best to make the rest of the day count.

I took my ring to Kay Jewelers yesterday to let them send it off to get it fixed. Mom and dad drove me to the mall so I could take care of that. I should have it back by September 10 and it will be like new! I'm going from a size 5 to a 6.5. I honestly thought my fingers had gotten bigger than that but I guess not. I've always had tiny fingers and at least this time when I lose the weight the resizing will be covered under my extended warranty. Since the hospital cutting it off wasn't "normal wear and tear" I had to pay for them to shank and replace the existing gold. A whopping $490. To me, that isn't so bad considering the ring was basically ruined from everything they did to it. The ring is over a carat and I was thinking it would be WAY more to fix it. I was surprised by the total.

Anyway, I don't have much more to say. It was nice to get out of the apartment for a little bit and be a part of civilization again. We visited a tea store that the mall has and I bought some amazing white tea that is flavored with some citrus and berry teas. It is absolutely amazing. I even bought cute little tea cups for my strainer pot and some rock sugar to sweeten the tea. I spent a mini fortune on tea, but it is going to last me a long time since Andrew doesn't drink anything but regular tea.

In fact, I think I will have some right now.

Weigh In & Surgery

Wednesday Weigh In:
Weigh In: -1
Total Lost: 2.4
Pounds to Lose: 100.8

I went to weigh in at 9:00am because my surgery was scheduled for 1:30 and I wasn't going to make the 12:00 meeting. I was surpised for my loss because all I've been able to eat lately is carbs and not a lot of healthy things.

Now, as you all know,  I had my gallbladder removed yesterday. The surgery went well and I am now at home recovering. Yesterday I didn't feel as much pain because I was on morphine and Vicodin but I woke up this morning around 4:00am and I was in pretty severe pain. I took some Vicodin and got back to sleep for a little bit but then woke up again at 7:00 and still felt pretty crappy. I couldn't take any more medicine until 8:00 and now I'm just counting down the hours until noon when I can take more.

I apologize for my chubby tummy, but here are my battle scars:

Cute huh? the surgeon said I had one HUGE gallstone that was causing the problem. Now it is gone though and I can get back to myself once I am recoverd. 

Want to know the worst part about yesterday? I've gained so much weight since my wedding that my ring was basically unable to be removed. The doctor would not take me back into the operating area unless it was off. Needless to say after all of the lotion, ice water, twisting and tugging... the ring wouldn't budge. So they had to cut it off. I cried like a baby. 

There it is. 

I have the ring insured at both Kay Jewelers and with a personal insurance policy and it shold be able to be fixed but I was still really upset. I think I was more upset that I had gotten so big that this had to happen. I was so embarrassed. I know it is just a ring, it can be fixed, it isn't the end of the world... but I coulnd't help but cry. The nurses felt horrible but I assued them it wasn't their fault that it happened. It was mine. 

Anyway.... the only other thing I have to say is that my husband is taking very good care of me and I am so thankful to have him. In fact, today he even painted my toe nails and is letting me watch whatever I want to! This morning has been Mystery Science Theater 3000 marathon on Netflix. Love it! 

Isn't he sweet? 

Anyway, I'm going to get some much needed rest and continue to drink tons of soda, chicken broth and water. Yum! 

Last Week's Weigh In & Other Things

I signed up for WeightWatchers meetings again and will be going on Wednesday afternoons. Last week I went to the 5:15 meeting and this week I will be going to the 9:00am meeting since my surgery is at 1:30.

Last Wednesday Weigh In:
Weigh In:-1.4
Total Pounds Lost: -1.4
Pounds to Lose: 101.8

My stats are going from the last time I was at a meeting instead of my tally of home weigh ins. So, I still lost which is great!

I spent the weekend in Taylorville so my food wasn't the greatest, but I did a LOT better than I usually do when I am there so I am proud of myself. I am -23 right now and I am a little disappointed about that but again, once my gallbladder is out and I am not eating so many bland carbohydrates and can get back to eating more fruit and vegetables things will be a lot better.

Hyatt.... my poor, poor dog. The vet is still waiting on results to come back from the lab so that we can (hopefully) treat whatever is wrong with him. He is miserable. That's all I can say. He doesn't do anything but sigh heavily and sleep. He takes his medicine OK and he still drinks water but I haven't really seen him eat much and he isn't walking on his back left leg at all. His paw is so swollen. There just isn't anything we can do until we know 100% what it is that is causing him such pain and all of those sores.
"I do not like the cone of shame."

He is so pathetic. You can't help but feel sorry for him. See his legs? His hair is missing like that all over his body and the sores bleed and the scabs just fall off. I wish I could just cure him so he could go back to being a normal happy dog.













While at mom and dad's this weekend I ended up going out behind their house (they have about an acre of land) and I took a fruit picker and this was my bounty from their trees!

Obviously there will be more apples come fall, but the pears are plentiful and gorgeous. They are also delicious. They are 100% organic because my parents do not spray the trees at all. They just let them naturally produce the fruit and basically leave them alone and that is what we end up with. I told my mom I wanted to make a pear pie with a brown sugar crumble on top. I also want to make pear tarts. YUM! (Again, that was just one morning of me picking.)









Well, I don't have much more to say. I am just trying to make it through my day and counting down the hours until surgery on Wednesday!

My Poor Dog

I had to rush Hyatt to the vet yet again this morning. He was limping (not using his back left leg) and shaking and was breathing really labored. I was freaking out. I packed him up in the car and got him in to see Tracy right away. She listened to his lungs and thinks he has some kind of fungal infection (explains all of his sores) that has worked its way into his lungs. She said his lungs sound like they have fluid in them. :( I could not be more depressed about this. That poor dog is only 3 years old and his life has been an absolute mess. The vet took a urine sample from him and will see what happens and they are keeping him for a few days for observation. Hopefully I will get him back on Saturday with a diagnosis and medication to make him better.

I really don't have much else to say today.
I'm just really worried about my baby boy.

Progress Report

Days staying OP & earning $2: NONE

I didn't do it yesterday. No reward. *sigh*

My Progress Report from WeightWatchers was ready today and I clicked on it and immediately regretted it. Ha!

It is definitely not pretty. Considering that I even earned 12 APs and I am still -47. Ooops. 

I am feeling somewhat human today. I'm a bit nauseous and have some heartburn but they told me that was normal until my gallbladder was gone. I just have to put up with this shit for another week. Then, I get to put up with shitting all of the time for the rest of my life! :) 

So many people in my family have lost their gallbladders and they have all told me the wonders of "always being near a bathroom" and "after you eat, don't leave the restaurant right away, wait until you are sure you don't have to go." and "wear pads the first few weeks because you will have accidents" and "don't just think it is a fart. Go to the bathroom to be sure." Nice huh? Love my family. 

Anyway, I have been having some binge issues which luckily haven't caused any attacks but they need to stop. I worked with a therapist once on my binge eating issues and when I was with her I was doing better. Well, now I'm not seeing her (too expensive even with insurance) my problems are starting to come back. I need to pull out my reading that she gave me and start looking over all of that again. 

I just found out some ridiculous news about yet another amazing employee of Land of Lincoln Goodwill being fired for no reason OVER THE PHONE. I am now worked up and need to go yell on Facebook. I am cutting this post short. 

Until tomorrow my loves!

Tuesday Things

I had a gallbladder attack after lunch yesterday. As I have said, I never know when they are going to happen. It doesn't matter what I eat/don't eat. If my body wants to hate me, it will hate me. I went home from work around 2:00. So, I lasted for most of my shift. (I'm 8:00 - 4:30). My employers are really amazing. I cannot say that enough and I will probably say it every day.

I am tired and COLD today. I have a sweater that I keep in my cubicle area and I am definitely wearing it today. I cannot get to a comfortable temperature. It is frustrating me. I am tired because last night I could not sleep. Between pain in my stomach and my mind racing 100 mph I had a hell of a time sleeping. I think I finally got to sleep sometime after midnight but before 1:00am. I woke up before my alarm at 5:45ish and tried to go back to sleep or doze even if only for another 30 minutes until my alarm sounded. That didn't work out to well for me either. Today.... I am a cold zombie. Ha!

WeightWatchers & Stuff:
Today's attempt at food:
B: 3/4 c. PB multigrain cheerios, 1/2 c. FF milk, 2 HB eggs, tea
S: Yogurt
L: Plain pasta, plain chicken, sugar free Jell-O
S: String Cheese, strawberries
D: Chicken Sausage, green beans
Activity: NONE

My activity will be a damn nap. I swear, after I eat dinner I'm going to bed and I plan on sleeping until 6:10am tomorrow morning. I wish I was kidding....

New Incentive!  I am giving myself a little more incentive to do better on WW. I am going to pay myself $2.00 a day for staying 100% OP and not giving in to my bad habit of binge eating at night. After 1 year I will have quite a bit of money put aside and I really want to spoil myself with an iPad Mini and some new clothes! So, yay money incentive! Also, I joined another DietBet today. I'm excited to do another one of those. I really enjoy them. Here is the link to the one I joined! The pot is over $2,000 right now! Go join!

I don't have much else to update. All I have to say is that I wish I was home. Today is not a good day for me and I feel a little bit unproductive. It might be another short day for me.

Happy Monday

Good morning all and Happy Monday!
Crazy Cat!

I am at work this morning because I have decided that I am still going to make money even if my gallbladder is being an asshole. Ha! I packed a really bland lunch and simple snacks but if something happens I can definitely go home, take my pain meds and wallow in my misery! I've tried very hard not to take the pain medication unless absolutely necessary because it messes with my stomach so badly. It also makes me so groggy and tired. Even if I sleep for hours and hours I still wake up in a fog. I hate that feeling so much.

My feet finally do not hurt anymore (from the concert Saturday) and my body has recovered from the beating I gave it by being at the fair for over 8 hours! Yesterday was very nice and lazy and after food prep for the week (roasted chicken breast, brown rice, cup up fruit, hb eggs, chicken sausage and pasta) I ended my evening by playing SimCity. I always tell Andrew that I need a new computer dedicated to The Sims and SimCity and he laughs at me. I'm not kidding though. :)

WeightWatchers & Food:
Here is my menu plan for today:

B: Oatmeal, 1 HB egg and coffee
S: Yogurt
L: Plain roasted chicken breast, 1/2 c. plain brown rice, sugar free Jell-O
S: Strawberries, String Cheese
D: Chicken Sausage, Broccoli

I really shouldn't eat a lot of fruits and vegetables but it is hard for me not to. I LOVE them so much. It is frustrating to me that I cannot eat salad. I know for a fact that one causes me attacks. I might exercise tonight, depends on how I am feeling after I get home. I am going to try for a full day of work. I definitely need the money.

On Becoming Debt Free:
Not much to say on this front. We are living on our tight budget but now that we are throwing a surgery into the mix we are on "hold". We aren't sure how much money we will have to pay out of pocket and what the insurance will cover. I also had an Emergency Room Visit and the copay was $200 but they took blood, urine tested, gave me pain meds, did an ultra sound, etc. So, I know we will have a bill from that too. I also had some of the same tests done at a Priority Care. I am going to have a bundle of health care bills coming. Joy!

Head East, Styx and REO Speedwagon

Wow. The fair was a lot of fun and the concerts were FANTASTIC. I love classic rock concerts. They always have the best fans, an awesome vibe and great music. One really cool thing? Mom and I got to meet Head East and a member of Styx before the show!

They were the nicest guys! The guy right next to me is the lead singer. When he met us we went to shake his hand and he said "No way! Give me a hug!" He was very outgoing and very goofy. It was really nice to meet them! 

We had VIP tickets on the track so for the concerts we were VERY close. Like, 15-20 feet from the stage and I ended up getting a guitar pick from Kevin Cronin! (lead singer of REO if any of you don't know). I just had a blast and it will be a concert I remember for a long time to come. 

Styx and REO!

We got to the fair around 4:00 and didn't leave until after midnight! So, there was a lot of walking, dancing, jumping, standing, singing and all around fun. I laughed really hard after I plugged in my ActiveLink and saw this:

I earned 11 APs! 214%!!!

And since I had the gallbladder issues, I only had cotton candy, a bite of a corn dog, 2 mini doughnuts, a plain grilled chicken sandwich, and then 3 beers. After the show though I was STARVING and ate a corn dog. I told my mom that I didn't care if it hurt me... I just needed to eat. I got VERY lucky and didn't have any problems from eating it. All in all, didn't do too bad at the fair!

Today, Andrew and I are recovering from yesterday buy relaxing and drinking a lot of water. I always know when I'm dehydrated because I can drink beer and never have to pee. Plus, when I woke up this morning my lips were chapped. Another sign I'm dehydrated. So, today I will be drinking lots and lots of water. I do have to run to the store today though. We are out of eggs and bread. Two things that I must have. :)

Happy Sunday everyone!

Surgery and Other Stuff

I have my surgery scheduled for Wednesday, August 21 at 1:30pm. It was the first opening they had. Therefore, I will suffer, poop and have attacks until then. Ha! They tell you to eat a "low fat" diet and no fried foods. HOWEVER, anyone who has ever had gallbladder problems will tell you that even if you eat PERFECTLY.... you can still have an attack. That's just the way it goes. I have found that plain noodles do not bother me. Neither do crackers. Unfortunately all I am doing is getting a lot of carbs.... but until the 21st (and even after) it is what I have to do to hopefully avoid severe pain in my abdomen and back.

Friday Weigh In:
WI: +1.4
Total Pounds Lost: 3.0
Pounds to Lose: 100.2

That really wasn't an expected gain, but it happened. Not being able to go to the bathroom and eat properly has thrown my body out of whack. I'm not really concerned about it.

This whole gallbladder things sucks, but one good thing will come of it! Tonight we are going to the State Fair because we have tickets to see Head East, Styx and REO Speedwagon. While at the fair, I cannot eat ANY fair food. It is all fried and icky. Now, I will be tempted and feel like I'm being cheated, but I don't need any of that crap. So, I am going to save a few points for a couple of beers (because alcohol doesn't seem to bother me at all) and that's it! I will probably pack a couple of snacks (crackers) in my purse.

This morning I had to follow my husband to Sundown so they could troubleshoot his car stereo (he has all that fancy stuff with the big subs in the trunk and it wasn't working) and I decided that the dogs needed to go with. Well, on the way home both dogs decided that Andrew was the perfect seat companion and it was hilarious because Hyatt is not a lap dog!

Before daddy got in the car

In the parking lot at Sundown

At a stoplight near home.

Hyatt wants to be like Caesar. He wants to be able to snuggle up in your lap. It's so cute. 

Last night Andrew and I played LIFE and apparently Hobbs wanted to play too. It wasn't long after that when Rhea decided she needed to be a part of the family fun too and she laid right on top of the board and starting smacking Andrew's car with his family all over the board. It was hilarious. 

Breakfast this morning: 2 HB eggs, 2 lean turkey sausages, Skinny Latte. Thankfully none of that bothered my gallbladder!

Well, those are my only updates for the day. I will probably take some pictures tonight at the fair and do an update tomorrow on how I did and how the concert was! I have already seen REO Speedwagon in concert so I know they do a great job. I'm excited to see them again! Plus, my mom won backstage passes off a radio station so hopefully we get to meet them!!!

 Make it a good day friends!!

If I Could Have a Superpower.....

I would have the ability to change my appearances and being able to manipulate electronics.

I just started watching Heroes. (I know, I know... I'm way behind the times.) Anyway, when you're home sick and in pain you tend to watch a lot of TV or read a lot of books. Me, I've been watching Heroes. LOVED Season 1. Still a little unsure about Season 2. I am hoping it will pick up.

Last night after I took my pain meds and was going to sleep I thought to myself, "What powers would I want?" There are a lot of really cool abilities on that show and of course you'd think you'd want to be Peter because he just absorbs everyone's powers and then can use them for himself. Well, I didn't want that. To me, that would be too much. I want Claudia's power of visual manipulation and Micha's power of computer/technology manipulation. My reasoning behind those two? Well, one, I would never have to want for money. Now, I wouldn't steal from people... I'd just manipulate my account to always have a decent balance. I wouldn't live ridiculously, just... comfortably. A high rise in Chicago or something. Plus, I'd still want to work but I would have the funds to do exactly what I wanted with no worries of ever going broke. Now, as far as the visual manipulation, I would only make my body the way I see myself on the inside. I wouldn't want to look like anyone but me. I'd want my face, my hands, my hair, my eyes, etc. The only thing I would change is I would be a nice size.... 4 let's say and I would be very healthy and physically fit. I think that is a pretty good place for me mentally to know that I am happy with my looks except my body. I'm happy with my face and certain features about myself (I LOVE my hands.) There you have it. If I could have powers like on Heroes those would be the two I choose!

What about you?!

WeightWatchers & Health:
Well, my food/drink intake hasn't exactly been normal due to this stupid gallbladder issue. If you have a problem with poop talk, please skip down a bit.
My menu has really consisted of juice, ice cream, jell-o, saltine crackers and last night I ate a few chips because I thought maybe that would get things moving in my bowels. (grease/fat)
Here is a snapshot of how my diet has been the last few days:

Juice has been  my best friend. That and jell-o.

Now, about the part I told you to skip if you have a queasy stomach. I have not had a full bowel movement since Friday, Aug 2. That's day 6 I am on now that I have been completely backed up and miserable. I have taken laxatives, stool softeners, drank prune juice and done just about anything you can think of to try and make stuff move. I have discovered that people will gallbladder issues can also have horrible constipation and pain. My doctor has prescribed more pain meds, but that isn't going to solve the issue of me not digesting and disposing of anything in my body. I know I haven't eaten much the past few days, but Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday I ate pretty normally (not greasy or fatty) and that stuff has not been disposed of yet. On Tuesday night I was awake until 4:00 in the morning with the worst pain of my life. Not only was my gallbladder acting out, but the pain in my lower stomach was excruciating. I had my husband call the Emergency Room because I didn't want to go unless they were going to be able to actually operate and get rid of the damn thing. They said they couldn't make any guarantees so I sucked it up and after pain medication I finally got some sleep. 

I haven't worked all week except for 4 hours on Monday and I am doing 3 hours today. I cannot handle sitting up for long periods of time because the pain gets too bad and I get severely nauseated. I'm actually regretting coming in today but I wanted to get what work I had done so that I'm not completely out of the loop. I have the most amazing employers and they have been SO understanding and have told me countless times that my job will be here for me and I just need to focus on getting better. I've never been more blessed with a job before than I am with being here. 

*sidebar*

I just heard on the radio they are making an Indiana Jones 5. WHAT?! Wasn't the last one ridiculous and horrible? Why? Why would you do another?! Oh, I know, so Rifftrax can make another Riff... like this one!

*endsidebar*

Holy stomach cramps, Batman. I think I am done updating for right now. I don't have much more to say besides the fact that I meet my surgeon tomorrow and I am PRAYING that they can get me in quickly. I don't want to wait 3 weeks to have this taken care of. 

Dear Gallbladder:

I wish you were gone. I wish when I went to the emergency room they would have taken you out of me. However, you are still inside my body and causing me ridiculous amounts of pain and frustration. The pain medications help, but now they are causing other issues. I cannot wait until my surgery. Then I can get back to somewhat of a normal life (once my body is not used to having a gallbladder.)

Sincerely,
Becky


Friday, August 2 Weigh In:
WI: -1.8
Total Pounds Lost: -4.4
Pounds to Lose: 98.8

I was very surprised that I lost. Glad, but surprised. I think my fear of eating because of my gallbladder has helped in my weight loss struggles. Except now I am unable to eat raw fruits or veggies which really puts a damper on my snack options and meal options. I'm eating too many carbs and not enough non processed foods. However, if avoiding vegetables keeps me from getting a gallbladder attack then I will do whatever it takes.

I don't have much else to update. On being debt free.... well, our emergency fund has once again been spent on my trip to the emergency room. Thank God for health insurance, but man the copay is not fun.

I hope everyone else is doing alright. Hopefully I will be able to post soon saying "It is gone! No more gallbladder!"