Back Home

Wow, so sorry that it's been about a week since I last updated my little blog here.  I had some computer charging problems and had to get a new charger, but I'm back for all of my devoted readers.

I am back in Wilmington now, and am so glad that I am back.  I actually got back on Sunday afternoon.  Some friends came over and we all hung out, and they made dinner while I watched with longing in my eyes wishing I could have some.  But, alas, the Sarah cannot have what they made.  However, she has introduced eggs back into her diet, and it's working quite wonderfully so far.  Next, she is going to try to make some tilapia into her diet.  That's what's on the menu for this evening.  Baked tilapia should be quite delicious.  [Side note: not sure why I just started to refer to myself in the third person, I am sorry.  I will try to refrain from that from now on.]  I am not sure what seasoning and such I am going to put on the fish, but I know I will figure something out when it's time to eat.

Ok, away from food.  You know that's what a lot of bariatric patients suffer with--an obsession with different types of foods, recipes, cooking, etc... because we can't have what we so dearly want.  It's hard, but thankfully I have friends who are awesome and are standing by me as I go through this huge life overhaul.

I am currently studying my 10-codes.  I am going to be working in an Emergency call center, and I need to know them so that I can help with dispatch and know what the hell I am doing and who needs to respond.  It's going to be hard to memorize them all, but I have to.  If I don't then I won't have a job.  I know the alphabet (such as alpha, bravo, charlie, delta, echo, foxtrot, etc).

I am going to go out into this beautiful weather now, and have fun... At least I am pretty sure that that is what I am going to do.  I will be more diligent in the future about updating this little blog here and keeping my ravenous readers satiated and satisfied.

Oh yes, I have lost almost 30lbs in about two weeks.

Crap Day

So today has been a very SHIT day.  Both literally and figuratively.  I am going to tell you all about my poo this morning.  If you don't want to read about it, skip to the next paragraph.  So this morning I'm NOT wanting to drink protein.  I'm sippin on my water, just chillin', when I feel the urge to poo... Now this is the first time that this urge has reared it's little head in about a week (since the dreadful Magnisium Citrate day last week to prep for surgery).  I think to myself, "Hmmm... Maybe I should go poo."  One would think that that is the logical course of action for one to take when you feel the urge to poo.  So, I take my happy little self to the throne room, sit down on the pot, and proceed to... poo.  Well, no actually that is not how things went, that would have been the easy route.  Instead, my body decided to trap the poo.  That's right ladies and gentlemen it was a horrible feeling of NOT being able to poo when you OBVIOUSLY know that you have to!  So, I sat there and pushed and pushed and pushed for about 10 minutes.  Finally, shit moved! LITERALLY.  It was good.

The rest of the day was hell after that as well.  Today was the day that the gas that the surgeons used to pump up my stomach to make sure that there weren't any leaks decided to make it's appearance... Oh, how nice.  All. Damn. Day.  My left shoulder has been hurting.  A sharp stabbing pain, that nothing will touch.  The pain meds, the pain patch... Nothing worked. Joy.

I've been suffering all day with intense, like, WHOA, intense shoulder pain, the regret and some of the depression that the surgeons said that I could experience.  Today has just been a wonderful day. (Sarcasm really doesn't transfer through text.)

Off to read some more Laurell K. Hamilton.  Let's hope that tomorrow will be a better day.

humangear GoToob (NOTCOT)

humangear GoToob (NOTCOT)

Sunday... Funday?

Ok, so yesterday I didn't end up going to Trader Joe's.  I chickened out as my mom was about to leave, and as far as the rest of the day went well I read and took a nap.  Yeah, what a day right?

I want to get out and do things.  I'm bored.  Reading is fun, but still... You can only read so much.

Watched a movie with the parents today. Did some art with mom.  Read some.  Being bored... getting a little down. Hmmmmmmmmmmm................ Auf Wiedersehen.

Day 2

Here I am, at 9:15am starting out what I hope will be a good day.  I've already had my shower for the day, and soon I will go get my protein and have breakfast.

Plans for the day include:

Going to Trader Joe's to get some soup in a box
Arting (hopefully)
Reading Laurell K Hamilton
Healing

I will update as the day goes on. :-)

Picture of the day:


(I've been on a peacock feather kick lately, one of the things I hope to art soon.)

Day 1

Alright, folks!

Today is my first full day at home after surgery.  I got home about 4pm yesterday, March 18, 2010.  Last night was rough.  I didn't have adequate pain killers last night, but thankfully, my dad was able to get me some from the doctor today.  One thing that is going to make the coming three weeks go by a little more tolerably is the fact that I like the protein drinks.  Ensure Wild Berry is quite tasty, and Carnation Instant Breakfast is good as well.

I am going to get very bored very quickly in the next 3 weeks.  I am not the kind of person who can just sit at home and do nothing.  I already want to go back to work.  I know I'm not going to until after my 3 week appointment, but still... Sarah does not sit at home very nicely.  She needs to be up and out and doing things.  I guess this is where the art-ing will come in... I now have PLENTY of time to do some art work!  This is going to be fun.

I will keep everyone posted, and up to date. :-)

Amazon.com: (1) Dr. Schulze's Superfood Plus! 14oz Jar Whole Food Mineral Nutritional Supplement Meal Replacement POWDER: Health & Personal Care

Amazon.com: (1) Dr. Schulze's Superfood Plus! 14oz Jar Whole Food Mineral Nutritional Supplement Meal Replacement POWDER: Health & Personal Care

I REALLY want to try this! It seems to be AMAZING for you! Why not give it a try right?!

Here's a link with the nutritional information on it! SOOOOOO many good things for you!

http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/generic/dr.-schulze-superfood/

Today...

Hello everyone.

Today has been a small roller coaster of emotion.  This morning was fun.  I met up with a friend in downtown Wilmington.  She was kind enough to take some nice pictures for me.  I was wearing a pretty red dress, and the weather could not have been better.  The sun was shining, the clouds were intermittent, the breeze was warm... It was a gorgeous day on the Cape Fear!  After our photo shoot we just so happened to be close to the St. Patty's Day Parade route that we stayed and watched.  It was fun.  The only problem with that was that I was wearing a bright red dress, and everyone else was wearing green.  Oh well, I still got some green beads from the guys on the motorcycles! lol ;-)

After the photo shoot Liz followed me back to my apartment so I could do a wardrobe change, but we started looking at the pictures and I was and am completely happy with the pictures that we had taken.  I decided that they were enough so we just chilled and chatted for a while.  She left, and I just chilled by myself.  Now it's 8pm, I could be on the bar crawl (not drinking, but there none the less), instead I am laying on my living room floor typing to no one.  I am feeling down about myself, about my upcoming surgery, about everything.  I don't really know how to explain it, but that's that.

Alright, well I'm going to go mope somewhere else.  Good evening, Everyone.

Good day not to work... Among other things

I am so very glad that I am not employed at my former job.  There are some people out there (and I have worked with a number of them) that only care about themselves, stick their noses in other people's business, and can definitely dish it better than they can take it.  From talking with coworkers today I am glad that I do not work with said people anymore.  I know that I will come across them again in my life, but for right now, for the next month, I don't have to worry about their bitching, complaining, saying that I am not doing my job, and that they are SO much better than I am because they do "physical labor."  It's ridiculous.  Get off of your high horses, please.  It really isn't attractive.

In other news, I am trying to get up with a friend in the next day or two and have some nice pictures taken... Sort of like a "before" photo session for the upcoming surgery.  I will also take some "during" and then definitely "after" photos.  I'm getting nervous.  I'm starting to worry and fret about surgery on Wednesday, and life after.  What am I going to look like?  Who am I going to be?  I know that I will still be me, but changing, so drastically, how you look via weight loss surgery is going to be something that I will have to cope with.  I will undergo such a physical change that I might recognize some physical features that are me, but what if I can't even really recognize those?  I'm worried that I won't know myself.  Any words on advice?

It hit yesterday...

Yesterday I was in a shop in Wilmington, NC called "Swoozies" with some friends.  I was just walking around the store admiring the ridiculously cute stationary, cups, napkins, etc when it hit me... On March 17 I will start a COMPLETELY new chapter in my life.  I have recently moved.  I will start a new job in April.  I am having surgery that will give me a whole new life, the kind of life I have dreamed about.  I am getting a completely fresh start.  March 17 will be day 1 in the next chapter in my life.  How crazy is that?!  How much more of a perfect "fresh start" could someone get--short of moving to a new city and having these things fall into to place?  I may not have moved to a new city, but the apartment I am living in right now is more mine in the last two and a half weeks than my other apartment was in the 6 months that I lived there.

Since that realization yesterday I have felt completely... JOYFUL at what this surgery is going to do for me!  I can't wait for my new job to start.  I LOVE my apartment, and the new life that is about to start for me because of this surgery is going to be wonderful!

I want everyone to know that I am happy right now.  Sure, some days are icky and "ugh!", but for the most part I am happy!  This will really be WONDERFUL!

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.archaeology.org/1001/etc/minoan_shipwreck.html

This is an article about the very first Minoan shipwreck found off of the coast of Crete by archaeologists.  The Minoans were such a fascinating people, but we don't know much about their seafaring prowess!  This is awesome and will do SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much to further our knowledge about them!

ThinkGeek :: Coffee Cup Power Inverter

ThinkGeek :: Coffee Cup Power Inverter

This is really cool for those days when you have the wall plug but no car plug for all of your gadgets... Or if you're more like me, for when you have someone watching a DVD, and the player's battery is dying, just plug it in the cup, plug the cup in the car, and there ya go.

OCTOPUS AND FISH BOMBONS | hand blown, italy, octopus and fish bombons, glass vase | UncommonGoods

These are ridiculously cute!!! I SOOOO want the octopus one!

OCTOPUS AND FISH BOMBONS | hand blown, italy, octopus and fish bombons, glass vase | UncommonGoods

Chapter 1

Alright folks! I know you've all been dying to know where I've been, and what I've been doing. I know this because there have been a WHOPPING 21 profile views!! Woohoo! Man, I'm not really sure what I actually expected out of the blogging world... Fame like Julie, from "Julie and Julia," or maybe to develop some kind of relationship like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail". I'm not even in it for the fame. Not saying that it wouldn't be nice, but I'm not saying that I don't want it. And I know that in the world of the internet and blogs that everyone and their mother's brother's cousin's two pet corgis have blogs so it would be hard for someone like me to get noticed.

I have stories to tell just like everyone else. But, who am I telling them for? Myself? The audience on the other side of the screen? Who? I would like to think that I am blogging for myself. Not for everyone else, but what can I say, I like receiving comments. I like to know that people are out there and they read what I have to say. Now, I'm also going to be completely honest with you all and let you know that while I am "following" some friends' blogs here on blogger that I haven't actually literally been going to their blog site and reading their posts. How can I ask them to do that for me when I can't even do that for them? It's a double standard and I hate it.

Anyways, moving on. This is basically just stream of consciousness writing right now and I'm not quite sure where we're going to end up. We're all on this journey together. Isn't it wonderful?!

Down to some more important matter people. In exactly two weeks, actually, technically, just less than two weeks-by "just less" I mean literally a few hours short of two weeks-I will be having Roux-en Y Gastric Bypass Surgery. I am UBER excited, but at the same time scarred shitless! I have no real idea on what to expect after surgery, or even before... When do I go into the hospital? What time of day will my surgery be? Will I be lucky and have the first procedure of the day? What will anesthesia be like? How stupid am I going to act either going under or coming out of surgery? Will I act stupid? Is the anesthesia like people say dentist drugs are? Really folks, there are questions that I have that I have NO answer to. I am scarred, like I said, but I know that this is going to be such an amazing opportunity! I have a wonderful support group of people. My whole immediate family has actually already undergone the procedure. My father first on January 14, 2009, then my sister on December 23, 2009 (Merry Christmas!), then next was my mother on January 11, 2010, and finally it is going to be my turn on March 17, 2010. I have friends that are completely behind me on this. They are all super excited for me because they can tell how excited I am about it!

I have no idea how I am going to handle the 3-week post-op liquid diet before moving onto squishy foods, and then finally progressing to "normal" foods. I know that it is going to be hard, and I hope that I am prepared more so for the psychological struggles that are going to ensue than the physical ones. I know that it is going to be a physically trying journey and that some MAJOR changes are going to happen fast. What I don't know is what my mental, emotional, and psychological journey is going to be like. I know I will pull through, and I know that my friends will support me and help me when I need it, and if they have to they're not afraid (and they've been given the go ahead by myself) to slap me across the face and tell me to snap out it. They will give me tough love when I need it.

Another thing that I would like to concern myself with right now is the fact that I will be out of work from March 12 to sometime after the first week of April... That's almost 5 weeks. That's a long time. But, thankfully, I will start my new job in April and I will make a sufficient amount of money to make it through... But what am I going to do with almost a month off, and I can't cook, try out new recipes (except for smoothies or soups or purees), drive... Oh man, I'm not going to be able to drive! Life is going to come to an end... Not really, just joking, but I have made sure that I have plenty of books to read.

I have currently latched myself onto the Anita Blake novels by Laurell K Hamilton. I am still on "Guilty Pleasures" (the first book of the series). I like it so far. It is quite the interesting read, and it keeps me on my toes. I can't wait to progress through the series and see the development of the story and the characters and the author's writing technique and style. I'm a book junkie, what can I say. Don't hold it against me. But, like I said, I have quite a few books on hand for that time that I am going to be out of work. I hope they are enough to hold me over! I am thinking that they're going to be like the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. Central characters with varying stories through the books and a deepening overall plot line, etc etc etc.

Speaking of reading, I am going to conclude this post of a book itself... Wait, as Willy Wonka would say, "Scratch that, reverse it!"... and pick up Guilty Pleasures to read and enjoy... But first, to walk my parents' black flat-coated retriever, Luna, before we all turn in for the night. Talk to you soon!