Ouchie!!!

I am taking a day off from the gym. My right arm is so sore!!! I did a half hour on the treadmill yesterday and tomorrow I will do a full work out. I'm so behind in my job search stuff that I'm going to have to take the entire day today just to catch up.

Had an appointment at the surgeon's office yesterday. According to their scale, with my clothes on, I weigh about 201. The doctor said that in reality it is about 198 with all the clothes off. That pleases me and confirms that my bathroom scale is close to accurate. I am getting enough protein and they are happy that I've joined the gym. I was sure I was going to get yelled at for not having lost enough. I didn't think I was on track at all, but the surgeon's nurse said that I'm running average. So she is pleased with my progress. My next appointment isn't until the February 9 and I have to have blood work done for that one. This of course means that I must take my prescrips and my vitamins on a much more regular basis. I have a hard time taking them because a handful of pills for me is an entire meal. I've tried separating them out into smaller amounts throughout the day but I still find it difficult. They usually upset my poor tummy. The nurse suggested that I try Flintstones Chewable multi-vitamins since the one I'm taking is so huge. I'd just need to chew 2 instead of the 1 you'd give a child. That's cool with me. Anyway, things are progressing just as they should and I can't wait to get to the goal weight.

125 - 130 here I come!!!

Long time...no update?

I haven't blogged in a while. Not any particular reason, just had nothing to report.

Last week I joined a local gym and have been working hard to get in shape. I am doing about 30 minutes on the treadmill, then 45 minutes of weight training, then another 20 to 30 minutes of cardio. This morning I was at the gym by 7am for a yoga class. That was no easy task since my arms were sore from the previous days workout. It's going pretty well so far and now I have a workout buddy. It's good for me to have someone to hold me accountable and to encourage me. I still think that sweating is gross even if the trainers say that its a good thing. It's GROSS!!!!!

Anyway, I am committed to being healthier and its just as simple as that. I'm even trying to be more responsible by taking the bus to the gym rather than the car. Less gas money and less parking money.

My weight has been below 200 for the last 5 days or so. While this sounds good, its really not. I should be down more than that. But before I joined the gym I wasn't getting enough exercise. That will certainly change now. I also intend to take measurements from time to time. Even if I'm not losing poundage I could be losing inches which is also fabulous. It makes me wonder however, that the surgeon did not take measurements of my body before the surgery. Even more so that he hasn't wanted measurements since the surgery. Either way, I'm going to do it on my own for my own benefit. This is the first time I've been below 200 pounds since high school 11 years ago. Every time I get on the scale and see a 1 in the front of my weight I do a little dance. The first time I saw it I cried.

So anyway, progress is being made. Slow and sure. That might actually be better than losing so rapidly anyway. It might give my skin a chance to bounce back a little which might eliminate some of the need to have excess skin removed later. Whatever...its all good!

Aside from being jobless, exhausted from the gym, and hungry (which rarely happens now)...I feel great!

Beach Time & A Few Surprises

At the beach for the week. First of all my bathing suit is huge on me! This is awesome and also slightly irritating. Primarily because I feel like one wave is going to rip it off of me. I also feel like the bottoms of the suit are dragging behind me.

One surprise is that I walked 2 miles this morning and 2 miles this evening in the sand. The other huge surprise is that I've been hit on twice by the same guy on the beach who I keep running into on my walks. Nice guy, but I'm not interested. At first I thought he was just being friendly, but now I think I need to change the direction I'm walking in.

I laid out all day and actually fell asleep a few times and now I feel much warmer. Thank goodness because I almost froze to death last night. Less and less body fat. Not that its a bad thing, but totally burr!

I'm hoping that by the end of the week I'll be able to work myself up to 6 miles per day. That would be totally awesome. As it is, I'm walking one mile in one direction and then back. I'd like to be able to make it to the water tower which must be at least 2 miles up the beach from the house we're staying in. We'll see how it goes.

Wow!!!

I just decided to get on the scale this morning and see how far I have gone since my doctors appointment last week. At the appointment I was at 217.5. This morning I'm at 210.3. Holy crapinoly!!!! I think that when I hit the below 200 mark, someone had better be around to make sure that I'm not on the floor laying in a puddle of my own drool. That will be the first time since highschool that I've been below 200, when it happens that is. I am so happy I had this surgery and I am so excited for my future! Even my father, who as previously discussed, never has anything positive to say about my physical stature, said last night in front of the entire gang at the fire department that I was looking good. Holy Crapinoly!!!!!!!!!

One Month Follow Up Appointment

I had my follow up appointment yesterday. On the day that my drain was removed I weighed 231.5. When I was weighed yesterday I was down to 217.5. I have lost 14 pounds so far. While this is good, it is not enough. I felt that I should have lost more than that. Doctor says its about average and I should have expected so much of myself for the first month. I trust his opinion and when I go back for my 3 month visit, there will be more of me missing. Having been given the go ahead for some more vigorous exercising, I'm going to start a walking regimen. I already have a pedometer, but I don't think it gets enough of a work out either. Time to start a more strenuous walking program. Speaking of...I'm going now before it gets too hot.

Dumping Syndrome

So...lets be totally honest here. Dumping syndrome SUCKS!!!!!! I found this out today first hand. It began when I went to get my nails done. I was sitting in the chair while the lady was filing my nails (which by the way the look awful). She was happily filing away while my guts were churning like Hurricane Ike! Sweat was pouring off of me. By the time my nails were done and I was waiting for the bus to come, the paper towel I had been using to wipe my fevered brow was soaked through. I got on the bus (which finally arrived 10 hot minutes later) and immediately recognized the driver as one I had had before. One of course that has the hurry up and speed like a demon to the next red light where he slams on the breaks so bad that everybody lurches forward with the momentum of the bus.

I was finally released from bus hell at the corner of Craig and Bayard where I promptly exited to the sanctity of solid ground. On the half block walk to my apartment I stopped twice to hold my tummy and groan, not feeling like I was actually going to make to the bathroom in my apartment. The idea of having a bathroom type of accident in the street near my apartment terrifies me.

I finally got to my building and while waiting for the elevator to arrive I leaned against the nice cool germ covered wall. I know I only live on the 2nd floor and could have walked it, its difficult to climb a flight of stairs when you're squeezing your cheeks together so you don't have an accident. Once in the elevator the smell of cigarette smoke from the building manager overwhelmed me and the urge to vomit almost overwhelmed me. On my way out of the elevator I unbuttoned and unzipped my pants in anticipation of walking through my door, throwing my stuff off my shoulders, slamming the door and having a nice intimate relationship with my porcelain goddess.

Finally my door was staring me in the face, but I could manage to get my key in the door. My hand was so shaky that I had to hold the key hand with the other hand and guide the key to the key hole. I finally got through the door to the beautiful release that I had been longing for. Needless to say that I was on the potty for at least 15 minutes. Shortly after I decided that it would be best to cancel my doctors appointment. After canceling the nurse called me back and we went through all of my symptoms and were able to determine that it was definitely a dumping syndrome incident. Now tomorrow morning I have to call her back and let her know that I'm okay.

I slept from 3:00 to 7:00 in the same fetal position that I had started off in. I never stay in the same position when I sleep. I still had the TV remote in my hand, though I had never turned it on. My cell phone, which had received several messages, never even woke me up. All I can say is that DUMPING SUCKS!!!!!! I aim to never do that again, but I'm not sure how to not do it again since I don't actually know what the hell caused it. All I ate was an extremely moist chicken meatball. Nothing unusual, unless there was a new spice that I hadn't had yet. Either way, I'm having a bit of broth for dinner and that's it. Then I'm going back to bed.

The Accuracy of Bathroom Scales

I bought a new scale. I have been using the one at my fathers house, but doubted its accuracy. Now that I have this fancy new one I am also doubting its accuracy. My fathers scale said 220ish. My new scale said 225.8. I seriously doubt this since I lost a pants size already, and the new pants size is loose already. Its either that or I'm gaining muscle mass and losing inches rather than pounds. Is that possible? I just don't know. I dread what my surgeon is going to say to me tomorrow. I'm scared that he won't be happy with me. Even worse, I'm unhappy with myself for not losing pounds. Just gonna have to hit the track and get a lot more serious exercise in. Gonna have to do my Jane Fonda!

Woot Woot!!!

Not much to post right now. But I am down by one pants size!!!! WOOT WOOT!!!!

Two week update

Well, things have been going fairly normally. I'm at home finishing up the recovery. I got on the bathroom scale the other day (which no doubt is slightly inaccurate) and I am down to about 220. I had hoped for better (especially considering that nothing I eat stays in me for very long). Anyway, that being the case, eating is not fun. I am still trying to stick to pureed foods but now that I'm home it seems to be more difficult. Starting today, I'm going to make a renewed effort at it. I have been introducing some soft foods too. Anyway, nothing too much to report right now.

I'm leaving Pittsburgh today to finish my recovery at home with daddy. Last night I some how slept on my stomach. I woke up this morning with my face in my pillow. It didn't really hurt. At least not until I got up. Then it wasn't all that pleasant. But truth be told, I am feeling a lot less sore. My muscles must finally be healing up. It still hurts to cough, sneeze, hiccup, and laugh, but all in all, I'm getting better.

Nothing remarkable to report for this posting, so I do believe that I will just sign off for now.

The Ignorance of People in General

Ok. So I went to the doctors today and had my drain removed. When I got to the office, the place was packed. I actually had to go looking for a chair to sit in while I waited. So once I was seated I assumed the relaxed yet impatiently waiting position that most people assume when waiting at a doctors office. A little while later, a older blind couple came in for an appointment. I thought nothing of it and just went on waiting. The couple signed in for their appointment and turned in the direction of the waiting room I was in. I looked around and there were seats to be had, but none of them were actuallly together. So as they got closer I began looking at the other people that were seated. None of them made any kind of motions to get up and offer the couple a seat so that they could sit together. I, the person who less than a week ago had a major surgery and had a drainage bag clearly hanging from my body, was the only one to get up and offer the people a seat together and actually tell them where the seats were (only about 4 steps forward). This irritates me a lot. No, it doesn't irritate me, it plain flat pisses me off. What the hell is wrong with people? These people just sat there! They could obviously see that these people were both blind. Why didn't somebody get up? Did their mothers teach them nothing? When someone who has some sort of a problem such as blindness or some physical disability, I always make accomodations and give them my seat. Even on the bus, if an elderly person gets on and there are no seats, I offer them mine. Why are people so blasted ignorant?!? Grrr!!!!!

Ok, now that the rant is over with. The removal of the drain wasn't painful, just weird. It was kind of like having a whole cut into your size about the diameter of one of those kindergarten crayons and then having your small intestine pulled through that whole. You feel the thing coming out the whole way. In the words of Molly Tighe, "grody to the max!" Anyway, so my incisions look good and I'm allowed to drive as soon as I feel that I'm ready. The most awesome part is that I've moved on to the pureed food part of the diet. Finally!!!! Hello yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, baby food, pudding, cream of wheat, coco wheats, and so on! Immediatley when I got home I ate a jar of baby food. It was not exactly what I expected though. It was a vanilla custard pudding from gerber I think and it was actually quite crappy. I'll probably eat up the remainder of the baby food and not buy that type of thing again unless I'm traveling which is the only time it will come in useful. I took a nap and about an hour after I woke up I had a slice of rye toast with butter and mustard. This was fine, or so I was told by the surgeons nurse, as long as I really take my time eating and chewing it. Each bite supposedly has to be chewed 20 times. That's awfully difficult to do especially when the food is actually pureed already. Oh well, I'll give it a go.

So Jessica and I went to the supermarket tonight. I got the above mentioned foods and I'm super excited that there will now be such a variety of foods in my diet. Stoked baby!!!! Now I'm tired. I'm supposed to do 30 minutes total walking and I did way over that today. I feel good, but I'm ready for a shower and bed. Tomorrow is another day and hopefully a productive one!

Reflections on Muscles & Clear Liquids

It strikes me as rather odd how muscles you never consciously used before are so imperative for your daily life. The muscles that the surgeon and his staff cut through to do my surgery for example (and you have seen the incisions) are abdominal muscles. While I sort of recognized that I use these muscles on a fairly regular basis, I never realized just how often that regular basis was. I mean these suckers hurt! The muscles around the incisions and the abdominal region in general actually hurt more than the incisions themselves. They burn, ache, and almost feel as if they're stripped of whatever toning might have been present.

I never realized that I used these muscles for so many activities. Laying down in bed, turning over in bed, reaching for the refill rolls of toilet paper stored above my toilet, making tea, walking! Walking! Of all the things I use my abs for walking? I mean these muscles seriously burn like lit match being put out on soft flesh. Oy! I just picked up a cup of tea and that made them flex.

How are these muscles supposed to heal and recover from the trauma if I am constantly using them? This doesn't seem logical.
__________________________________________________________________
So I've been on a clear liquid diet for more than a week now and I am sick of this crap! I want food! I'm tired of peeing all day long! I'm not even taking my water pill and I still pee constantly. If it isn't peeing its the other end. It's really good that I don't really have anything that technically needs to be done, because I'd never get it done.

I'm really looking forward to the pureed food section of this diet, which I hope will arrive on Wednesday. This will mean a whole new variety of happy foods like yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, pudding, the pureed cantelope and white peaches that have been staring me down. I'm really looking forward to the tomato bisque soup, cream of chicken and so forth that is in the cupboard. It's not so much insatiable hunger that is the problem it is the fact that having to consume 30cc's of liquid every half hour can get awfully boring when your food choices are limited to clear liquids alone. I also would like to get more protein in, I know it will help with my healing, but how can I get in more protein when I'm on clear liquid? I know that there are nutritional supplements, but I haven't been able to find them in the stores. I suppose that I could order them from the internet, but at this point I'm not sure its worth it. When I'm on the cusp of the pureed food stage of the diet and I can mix the Cookies and Cream 100% Whey Protein from GNC in with the pudding, cottage cheese, and so on; I just don't see the purpose of buying yet another protein supplement.

Anyway, I should find out by tomorrow if I can move on to pureed foods. Might even be allowed to start driving. In fact, I think that I have taken my last dose of Roxicet. I'm switching to Tylenol to kill the healing pains. That way when they say that I can start driving as soon as I've given up the prescription pain meds, I can start driving immediately. Going stir crazy??? Yes...just a bit. I need to go to the library. I want to go knit with my girls at Natural Stitches. I want out of this self induced prison sentence called an apartment!

Better get going. The home nurse is coming in an hour and half or so. Need to make sure I'm ready.

Post Surgery and the accompanying pain

Well I am now 4 days out of surgery. The experience overall hasn't been terrible, but could certainly be better if there were no pain. But you know what they say, no pain no umm...loss? So I ended up with a total of 6 laproscopy sites plus the one drain. Erin came to retrieve my sorry butt from the hospital and stayed with me until about 5:00pm yesterday. I have showered twice and the dressing on the Jackson-Pratt drain has been changed 3 times. Erin did it once, the nurse did it once, then Jessica changed it after she took over last night. I am having a bit of leakage around the drain site, but that is fairly normal so I've been told.

The worst part is the incisions where the actual surgery took place. The incisions themselves are glued together, not stitched. They are all in the same general area, nothing is terribly out of place.

So anyway. The doctors weighed me right before I went in for the surgery itself and I was at 230lbs. Which is about 13 to 14 lbs lighter than at my pre-op visit. Yay me!!!

My Aunt Sally and my grandma came up the day of the surgery and stayed until the evening. I was on a morphine drip so I can't even begin to tell you what went on. I liked the morphine. I slept like a log. The only thing I didn't like about it was the mild itching that it caused on my face. I had two IV's, one in each hand. The one in my left hand infiltrated so when they decided to take it out (since it was causing my hand to burn like mad) all the liquids that they had been trying to get into me began seeping back out the IV hole. The IV in the right hand though was so thoroughly taped down that it was actually cutting off circulation to my hand. At first they said that IV wouldn't come out until just before I was released. It came out sooner because the muscle around the IV got so hard that I could push on it and there was no give at all. So they took it out immediately.

I've found that taking a shower helped to loosen up the glue enough to permit me some more movement. I tried everything I could think of to sleep that night. I tried sleeping with my air travel pillow sitting up in bed, sitting in my reclining office chair. There weren't any positions I didn't think I had neglected. Finally, I chose to use a pillow for my head and one behind my knees. This seems to work the best. Getting out of bed is a really problem though. I can't do it without help and I hate that because I don't want to have to wake my friends up to help me get out of bed half a dozen times per night.

Last night was Jessica's turn. It all went pretty well. My biggest problem was that I must have been up to go to the bathroom 4 maybe 5 times. What a pain! Jessica was up and at it in enough time to go to work.

Roxicet really helps with the pain but doesn't completely knock me for loopier. It just makes me really really sleepy. I'm sitting here falling asleep now. I'm going to start weaning myself off of roxicet and onto Tylenol. Anyway, I have begun feeling changes in my face.

Anywhoo, I think it might just be time for a nice long nap. I can't keep awake so there just comes a time when it is stupid to continue fighting your body. More later.
_________________________________________________________________
So I just took a little cat nap and I'm feeling better now. But I think that I'm going to end this posting for now in favor of some delicious broth! I'm actually hungry for the first time since the surgery. Nonetheless, 60ml of broth and I'll be done with food for a while.

Final Pre-Op Posting and Message to Friends

Thank you to all my friends, colleagues, and family members who have been a major source of support and encouragement throughout my life and throughout the preparation for this life changing event.

Day before surgery

11:00am

One more day until surgery. I'm sitting at home all day today waiting on a phone call from the hospital to tell me when I need to be there. Now that I have purchased all of these vitamins I have found out that liquid vitamins are available. I'm wondering if I have made the wrong purchases. I can probably take them back at some point. I haven't opened them so Wal-Mart will probably take them back.

I've been on a clear liquid diet for several days now. I can't say that its been enjoyable. My Olive Garden left overs were staring me in the face the whole time. What hell has that been I tell you. My dad made himself a slice of toast yesterday morning and toast never smelled so good. I drove back to Pittsburgh yesterday too and faced food the whole way. I never realized how much of our lives is focused around food. Everywhere I went food was either available or advertised. I was sitting at a traffic light and a truck went by with a pizza on the side of it. I had to go to the grocery store to get sugar-free Popsicle for post-op. Not knowing the layout of the store, as I had not been in this particular store before, I went through the bakery and hot foods section to get to the darn Popsicles. I walked to the gas station this morning to get some crazy glue and the smells from the corner deli just about knocked me over and my mouth started watering. This shit is really really hard.
__________________________________________________________________
12:00pm

Just took some pre-op pictures. One in my bathing suit (which I will not subject you to), two in different outfits (which I post below), and several at different angles in my birthday suit (which I would never even dream of posting. If it traumatizes me, imagine what it'll do to you!). Anyway, they are posted below.


_________________________________________________________________
7:43pm
Okay. So the rest of the day has been used on the phone. I got a phone call from the job offer in Reno. Last night I sent them a message saying I was declining. They have offered to re-negotiate the salary. Joy!!! So, now that re-negotiation is in progress the surgery will also be in progress soon.

The hospital finally called around 5:30. I need to be at the hospital at 11:00am and my surgery will begin at 1:00pm. I can take my own pillow, my teddy bear, and my knitting so I'm all set. Aunt Sally and Gram should be meeting up with me around 10:30am at the front of the hospital. Stoked, excited, and slightly nervous. I just want it to be here and over with already. I'm ready to start my life over again.

I should be home on either Saturday or Sunday. Erin D. will be retrieving me from the hospital and possibly staying with me for a day. Then Jessica B. will take over the reigns, until I feel capable of caring for my own melting carcass. So looking forward to shopping for new clothes without the sobbing and frustration that used to accompany such activity. Yay me!!! Let's get this party started!!!!

All sorted out and back on the path

Well, the health insurance problem is all sorted out now. I had no idea (probably because the expiration date isn't actually printed on the card) that my health insurance was about to expire. After a majorly huge crying jag (it was more like sobbing really) on the phone with the insurance company and the poor lady at the hospital, I got it fixed. I had to drive downtown in rush hour traffic to fill out a form for transitional insurance which will get me through until I am employed. Worst part, not all of the surgery is covered. I will end up paying $5,500, which frankly is better than $30,000.

I also went shopping a bit tonight for my delicious clear liquids, medical supplies, and so on. I still have some shopping to do. I still need the vitamins, the ice pops, and a few other things. But that can wait until next week.

Health Insurance

Just got a call from the hospital. Seems that my health insurance expires today! If that is true, the surgery may be off because I can't afford to pay for it on my own. I'm trying not to freak out. I'm trying not to cry. I'm trying not to hyperventilate.

Insurance company is so busy with phone calls that they have to call me back. WHY?????? Why does this shit have to happen to me? I've busted my ass getting all of this crap taken care of and was told that an August 7th surgery date would get me there in time for insurance to cover the costs. I'm a nice person most of the time, why is it that this kind of crap has to happen to me? What have I done to deserve this?

I'll update again later, once I hear back from those who hold the scalpel.

The Back Story

Height: 5' 1.75"
Weight: 243 lbs

My name is Tiffany. I am 29 years old and about to have a 2nd birthday. I am going to be reborn at the hands of Dr. George Eid and his excellent surgical staff. I am scheduled to have a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery on August 7th, 2008. From here on out, I will be calling this day, my birthday. The day that I am reborn to a life renewed. A healthier, more fulfilling life. A life in which I can feel comfortable about myself, about my body, and finally be comfortable in my body.
___________________________________________________________________

My story begins in preschool. I was a normal child. Blond, cute, of average height and weight. I moved on to Kindergarten with very little change. I believe I was a pretty average child all the way up through 2nd grade. But somewhere, I believe, in the summer between 2nd and 3rd grade...something started happening. I didn't really notice it myself, but boy when school started again I knew something had changed for sure. I was being picked on constantly. Almost everyone picked on me, boys and girls of all ages. A certain gym teacher even picked on me about eating too many Twinkies (which by the way I never ate, I hate the stupid things even now!). Worst of all, my father got on my case. Now I don't want everyone thinking that I blame it all on him, because I don't, but he certainly had a part in the drama that was my formative years.

He would notice that I was going to the refrigerator, not even knowing what I was after, and tell me I was too 'heavy' and didn't need whatever I was going to get. For all he knew it could have been a glass of milk, or a drink from the cold water pitcher.

Sometimes the things that he and I did together were the complete opposite of the activity that would have helped me with my weight. For example, we had weekly spelling tests in my grade school days. Every Friday if I had received 100% or better (bonus words) on my test, he would take me to Stewart's Drive-In for a root beer float and a chili dog. Talk about reinforcing the wrong message! Rewarding good behavior with food?!? Especially when a pat on the back and a good ol' thata girl would have been sufficient. (Of course, he knows now, that what he was doing only served to make my problem even worse. Now he's got his lips under control, most of the time. When he does open up, I let him talk for a minute or so, then I tell him that what he is doing is the total opposite of help. He usually gets the message. I digress.)

It's not that we ate terribly unhealthy foods when I was a child. We had lots of fruit and vegetables, good lean proteins and so on. Sure we had pizza from a local shop on Friday's, but it was NJ! Who didn't have Friday pizza dinner?

I was no lazy slump of a child either. During the summer, as soon as mom or dad got home from work I was in the pool until or even after the sun went down (boy those slugs I stepped on after dark in my bare feet were nasty!). We would take family bike rides around the little block and more often around the big block (I don't think we ever measured the actual mileage of them). I was in gymnastics and a twirling club called Spotswood Sparklers. Ballet and tap for 2 years and played indoor soccer for a year. Once I got to highschool I tried out for the lady charger soccer team and was cut from the team which made me mad. So I started running a mile after school ever day and lost a good bit of weight but then tried out for the winter track team. I was allowed on the team, but I was never allowed to participate in meets. This turned out just fine because it was the winter track season of 93 (or maybe 94) which never really got off the ground because of the massive snow storms that kept closing down the state of NJ. I ended up quitting the team because I wasn't given the opportunity to participate.

So, after high school, things just went on. I had a boyfriend, who became a fiance, a husband, and finally an ex-husband. In 2007, I received a bachelors degree in history from Shepherd University.

When I came to Pittsburgh in the Fall of 2007, I started this journey to gastric bypass surgery. I struggled through most of the 6 month (which for me was more like 7 or 8) mandatory visits with the nutritionist and bariatric prep people. My weight was constantly doing the yo-yo, which of course is why I felt surgery was a good option.

In January of 2008, I found out that my father has stage 4 bone, prostate, and lymph cancer. This made my surgery even more important to me. I figured, how can I possible take care of him, if I am unable to take care of myself? How can I maneuver him if I ever need to when I am so overweight ? The bariatric surgery, which already very important to me, took on even more importance with the news of my fathers condition.

I was finally able to get the nutritionist to sign off on my surgical recommendation, and after a few weeks heard from my wonderful surgeon that the surgery had been approved by my health insurance company.

I had my pre-op appointment on Friday the 25th of July and was a bit spooked when I was told that caffeinated beverages from now until the end of time would be a no no. No aspirin or derivatives thereof. No alcohol in general, but a little bit now and then might not kill me (I hope). So now I must face up to a few weeks of post-operative recovery, pain medications, and clear liquids. Then its on to cloudy liquids, pureed foods, soft foods, then NORMALCY! At least in the sense that I can eat almost anything in severely reduced portions. Since I already eat only half of what is brought to me at restaurants, eating a quarter of what is brought to me shouldn't be an issue. I just need to plan accordingly and bring my own container. (I'm a green girl!)

And so...here I am. One day left before I finish my Masters in Library and Information Science. Nine days until my surgery and nine days until my new birthday.

Let my life begin anew!!!