Speed Walker!

15:30 min/mil...yes that is a far cry from my 10:30 before surgery...but we are getting close.

Okay...got a date. AUGUST 7! That is when I can start running. Of course I am supposed to take it slowly...but I get to run. I had to really resist the urge to run tonight since I was walking on my own. However, I was a good girl and only walked. It was nice to finally sweat a little.

On another note I think DH got the job. He actually had 2 interviews today but we should know about the one tomorrow. Sounds very likely. The guy he interviewed just had to clear it with his boss and then will call DH with the start date tomorrow. PLEASE OH PLEASE!!!! If he gets this job I get the girls done sooner!!! It will still be at least a year but it is better than the 2 that I am expecting!

Got a fill!

So I can't really report too much on the fill because I have been on liquids for the last 2 days. For the first time in a long time though it was not painful. Due to the TT, the scar tissue that was sitting on top of the port was moved and we got the needle in on the first try! YEAH. The last time I had to get an unfill we bent a needle. Yes that was VERY painful.

I only got 1cc because 1.4cc was too much. Mine are done under fluoro and we could see how slowly the barium was going through. Besides I told her she HAD to be conservative because my fills seem to tighten up later.

I do seem to not be as hungry though. For the last couple of weeks I have been waking up in the middle of the night and in the morning absolutely STARVING. So far that has not happened since the fill. I have breakfast in front of me right now and I seem to be getting satisfied on 1 turkey sausage and 1 fried egg. Hopefully this is a good sign!

I will hopefully be posting pictures this weekend. Everyone keep their fingers crossed as DH has a job interview again today. We REALLY need him to get this job!

Gettin' a fill!

My doc was able to move up my fill date to Tuesday!! Thank goodness. The scale is moving in an unkind direction. I am starving constantly and I am freaking out! I have been unfilled for over 3 months and it is starting to wear on me. I paid 17000$ for this tool...I guess I should use it.

According to Webster's Dictionary

Main Entry:
in·som·nia
Pronunciation:
\in-ˈsäm-nē-ə\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Latin, from insomnis sleepless, from in- + somnus sleep — more at somnolent
Date:
circa 1623
: prolonged and usually abnormal inability to obtain adequate sleep

Yep...that's me!

Getting Faster!

I walked 3.25 miles tonight and did it under an hour! Much faster than the last walk.

The bloating/swelling is HORRIBLE today. I have been on carbs for 2 days and I look like I swallowed a freaking watermelon. So PS said to go back to low carb...already had! According to the scale I am up 7 pounds. Yeah...I am a little freaked out.

On a good note, doc wants me to come back in next Wed and we will discuss getting me back to running. Best stinking news I have heard in a long time!

Looks like we are going to WA for my dad's birthday since I got permission to travel. We were going to leave Friday but there is a get together at a fellow teacher's house on Saturday so we are going on Sunday instead.

Cabin Fever

So I don't live in a cabin and my temperature is 98.6 degrees, but I am going crazy. I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!

I am so sick of being in this area. I need to get out. I have a doc appt tomorrow and then I am going to try and get permission to travel for a bit. I am going stark raving MAD. I want to get in the car and drive until I can't see the crappy brown of this god foresaken area.

3 miles!

YEAH!!! I walked three miles tonight. I felt great. Though I have to say when you start getting tired, it hits you quite quickly. We were at about 2.5 miles and I felt a wee bit tired and then ...BAM...all of a sudden I felt like I was going to need to take a nap right there on the street.

Not much else to post. I did go to Goodwill today in an attempt to start filling my closet. Though I made a BIG mistake and didn't take my binder with me. NOT a good idea. We are going to a few stores tomorrow to see what is happening in the clearance sales and I WILL be wearing my binder except when I am actually trying on the clothes.

Still leaking. Have an appt with the doc tomorrow to check the incisions.

Sprung a leak

So when I sat down to eat my breakfast this morning...this is the sight that greeted me on my t-shirt. At first I thought I had spilled something on me when I was making breakfast but after further investigation I realized that I was leaking out of my incision.

Off to the doctor we go. On the way there I leaked through three gauze pads, my underwear, and another t-shirt. *Sigh*

PS said it was alright and not all that uncommon. She said even though the drains were low when she took them out that I may have needed them longer. She said she would rather have the liquid coming out than staying in. So in order to protect my clothes I am wearing a feminine pad across my belly. Talk about sexy!

She also didn't like the way my binder was fitting so she is ordering me a new one. All part of the cost! So I should be getting a binder that is a little longer so that it can cover the entire belly. She is having it sent fed ex to us so we should get it tomorrow.

Other than that all is well. I went back to lower carb today because when I woke up this morning my face was all swollen. I realized that I was eating a lot of carbs lately because they are easy. However, they are causing some issues and I think contributing to my swelling. So for the next few days I am going to eat high protein and low carb. Yes I ran it by the doc and she said she doesn't care as long as I get my calories and my protein. Well I think low carb qualifies!

Surgery pics!

My plastic surgeon just sent my pictures from surgery. She thinks it is kind of strange that I am posting them on my blog...but I think it is cool. After all...my dream job was a forensic pathologist. I just couldn't bear to go to medical school for 15 years to work on dead people. Okay I am rambling because the last picture is a little disturbing and I don't know how to disguise it. So I want to make sure that it doesn't just show up on everyones computer screen. The last picture is of the skin that they removed. I don't think it is gross...but if you have a squeamish stomach...you might not want to scroll down.

Yeah...exercise!

So my nike+ system doesn't give you a congratulations on "your slowest mile yet" but I don't care. I still did a mile! A little over actually. So much for my 10:30 min/mile though. This was agonizingly slow!

Sometimes I really wish that my tummy tuck had hurt more. Then I wouldn't be so anxious to get back out there and exercise.

Devil Vs. Angel

Okay stepped on the scale again today and what do you know...the 2 pounds I "gained" during my doctor prescribed calorie fest are gone. Looks like it was swelling related. NOT good for the brain. Now I have that little angel/devil thing going on in my brain.

Devil - "You ate all that food and didn't gain any weight. You never let yourself go hungry. If you were hungry you just ate and NOTHING happend. Just keep doing that and you will be fine. Not one thing was measured and the world didn't crash"

Angel - "Yeah you ate the food cause you were a week out of surgery and all those calories were needed to HEAL. You aren't going to be healing forever so you had better just get your a$$ back to the way things are supposed to be, get a fill, and deal with the hunger. You have done this for the last 11 months...why would you even think of straying now"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!! Make the voices stop!

Are you kidding me?

No kidding...Last night I was sooooooo freaking tired that I actually fell asleep within a half hour of laying down. I was finally drifting off into lala land when at 4:15AM the street sweeper comes rolling down our block. Only I think they were actually scrubbing the street. The damn thing went by 3 times making the LOUDEST noise possible. Naturally I wake up.



Okay an hour later I finally drift back to sleep. Then not 15 minutes later the garbage truck is picking up the dumpster across the street. Can it be done quietly?!?! HELL NO! Clang, bang, scrape. AGGGHHHHH Can't I just get some freaking sleep?!?!?!



On a good note here is my new running tank. In this picture there are no binders, no undergarments, nothing...just my bare belly and my shirt. Pretty freaking amazing even to me!

Race Pictures

Here is the address for the race pictures from the half-marathon. http://www.finishshots.com/racerresults3.php?raceid=552&bibnumber=4640 Can't tell if I look constipated or in agonizing pain in the first one. I will tell you it is pain, but you wouldnt' be able to tell from the picture alone. I tried to paste the pictures in but they showed up too small.

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On the plastic surgery front I got my last drain out today. I have been given permission to start 1 mile per night walks and to go back to 1500 calories tomorrow. YEAH! No running for 6 weeks though. GRRRRR.

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On the passing out front...I am going to my PCP tomorrow. Hopefully she will take me off the meds. I talked to a friend today who had been on it and she had the exact same problems. Mystery solved...I hope.

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Pardon the periods between the paragraphs. It wouldn't let me put spaces between my paragraphs and there is a certain person who reads this blog that has a REAL problem when people don't use paragraphs...and considering all those raging hormones with that pregnancy...I think we will all just be happier if there are spaces between the paragraphs (Love Ya LJM!)

AWAKE!

So it is now officially 2:28 AM...I went to bed at 10:00PM. Let's recap what has happened during these last 4 hours.

1. Took meds including 2 tylenol PM
2. Read an ENTIRE book. 414 pages...thank you very much
3. Kissed DH good night and listened to him start snoring.
4. Layed in bed with eyes closed...listening to DH sleep.
5. Turned on right side with eyes closed tightly
6. Went back to my back with eyes closed tightly.
7. Peered at clock with one eye...10 minutes had passed
8. Screw it got out of bed...going to work on school stuff.

THIS SUCKS BIG TIME!

Almost bit it

Uggghhh... Almost biffed it this morning getting out of bed. Holy crap I got so lightheaded. My legs were shaking, I almost threw up (that would hurt), and my vision was going in and out. So now I can't walk my mile today. I am pissed off BIG TIME! I do get to walk to the library, but that is about 3 blocks from here.

Pictures!

Mixed Bag

Today was quite a mixed bag. I pretty much didn't sleep last night despite being exhausted. I was hot, then cold, then hot, then cold. I could find a comfortable place to sleep because I was so full from trying to force feed myself to get in calories. Add to that my incredible swelling and it made for a WONDERFUL night.

I was up at 4AM because I was just sick of laying in bed. So between then and about 3PM I was a total bitch. Grumpy as all hell. Fortunately I was smart and didn't take it out on DH...just sat in my chair and pouted.

Got a phone call that told me that all of my blood work came back normal. So I am apparently passing out for no good reason! Good thing since that is what my diagnosis was from dipshit doctor.

Finally I got tired enough to take a nap and woke up in a much better mood. I have been given permission to take tylenol pm so that is what I just did. No I am heading off to bed.

Will post new pictures tomorrow!

Doctors, doctors,doctors

What a day. I am very tired and sorer today than I have been because we have been running around since 10:30 this morning. I went to the plastic surgeon and she checked out the scar to make sure that I didn't hurt anything during my graceful (NOT) fall yesterday. She was very concerned that I was still light headed and that my pulse was at 90. Normally it is at 60. She didn't think that it had to do with the surgery however. She said I lost VERY little blood. Her best guess was that it is a combination of the heat and low blood sugar, but she wanted me to get checked out by my primary care physician. The she removed the drain (will take pictures tomorrow) which didn't hurt too bad. I now know what it would feel like to have a moving snake under your skin though. It felt kind of weird. Then she gooped me up with neosporin and sent me on my way with the promise that I would see my other doc.

Alright...back in the car and headed back to our town. Called my doctor and described my situation. When the receptionist took the info back to the doc and the nurse they said there was NO way they could fit me in today and that I was to go to Urgent Care or the ER immediately. They were not happy with the fact that my pulse was so far away from normal. So we drove to urgent care where I had the DUMBEST doctor in the world. He said that your pulse being 30 beats per minute higher was not a big deal. He said it was just a big combo of everything culminating together that caused me to faint and that he feels that anyone that faints within 20 feet of bathroom has nothing to worry about. I still don't know how that can be true...just ask my very sore heiny, shoulder and back! So he did decide to run a few tests just to rule out anything substantial. (Great I should just start a tab at the local lab...just got a pre surgery bill for 138.00$ today) They did a urine analysis to check if I was preggo (he wouldn't take my word that I couldn't be even though they did the day of surgery...go figure...this guy was a real creep) and to see if there was blood in the urine. Both came back negative (yeah...coulda told you I wasn't pregnant) Then they did an EKG which turned out perfect. Finally they were going to do some blood work to check for anemia, electrolyte imbalance and protein levels. This is where things got FUN!

I have pretty tiny veins so they had to poke me 4 times. Now I am not afraid of needles at all. The problem was the way they had me seated. My muscles were burning. I could literally see my belly swelling as I was sitting there because my PS doesn't want me in my binder except at night or if I am really sore because of the heat fact...so it was in the car. After almost 2 hours in the urgent care office...we were starving. So we finally got something to eat. I can't be below 2500 calories so I am going to have to drink some calories for the next couple of days.

Well I am tired and going to go take a nap with DH! That guy is amazing!

Passed Out

So I had the scariest moment of my life about 2 hours ago. I went in to take a shower and DH was in there with me until I sent him out to get a clean towel from the cabinet. In the 20 seconds he was gone I passed out in the shower. I have a nice bruise on my left shoulder and the middle of my back from hitting the faucet. As soon as he heard me hit the tub he rushed in and I was sitting in the tub. I don't remember anything between the time he left and the time he came back in. Then as he was turning off the water and holding my head...I passed out again. I guess I was only out for a split second that time but when I came too I felt like I was in a tunnel. My vision was blurred with starry images and my hearing was very distant. Seriously scared. Then I was afraid to look down. I feared that I was going to be sitting in a red bath tub...but alas I was not. I didn't split a single stitch but I think I almost pulled out my drains. My stomach doesn't hurt at all but my drains hurt like a B!TCH. I called the doctor but she hasn't called me back yet.

I was feeling really good today. A little tired because we went to the store to get some Kashi cereal that was on sale today, but we walked slowly and it wasn't very long. When we came home I laid in my chair and listened to my book because I was kind of tired. I got up, took some pictures and then went to take a shower. I felt great. The whole passing out thing was kind of a shock!I am feeling better now except for my sore butt and back. Plus I have gained an extra shadow. DH won't let me go anywhere or do anything without him being a shadow. I guess it is a good thing. He is making dinner right now and telling me that I have to eat, eat, eat. He is convinced that I am not eating enough. He could be right considerng that after eating today I stepped on the scale and I was down 5.5 pounds. They only removed 4 pounds of skin so I have lost weight since surgery. So between now and Sunday I am going to eat whatever he feeds me and not ask about calories.

Doc still hasn't called so I will have DH call here on her cell phone. I want to make sure that there is nothing that I could have done internally.

Picture Time!

Here are three pictures that I took before my shower today. The shower was not good. I was really, really dizzy and almost passed out. It hurts to be out of the binder.

Doctor is very happy with the results as am I. There is definetly some poochiness at the top near the breasts but she said that if she had tried to fix it now it would have had minimal improvement and prohibited a reverse tummy tuck in the future, which is what is needed to remedy the extra skin.

I had to really black out parts of the picture so that there are no problems with my teaching status.

Shower Time!

I just got back from the doctor and YEAH I can take a shower today. When I take my shower I will take pictures and I will post them. The plan is to take my shower around 3ish so I should have pictures up by 5. My tummy looks really good. There is a fair amount of loose skin towards my breasts but it still looks a million times better than it did. I was so excited to see my belly button. I will post more later.

Itchy, Itchy, Scratch, Scratchy

Good morning. Pain is down to almost zero and my appetite is back a little. I actually wanted to eat this morning.

I stepped on the scale this morning and it read 145 but that is will all the bandages on and all my clothes on. So I am definetly lower than that. The draining has slowed WAAAAAY down. In fact I am hoping that the right one wil come out tomorrow at my post-op appointment.

However...the ITCHING IS KILLING ME! Did anyone else have incredible itching. I feel like I have bugs crawling underneath my binder. I didn't have lipo so I don't know why it is so unbearable. I am actually itching everywhere...but under the binder is awful.

I had my first experience with a bowel movement yesterday and that was NOT fun. I have been taking stool softeners but it didn't help yesterday. So I doubled what I was taking for future encounters!

Again I hope to post pictures tomorrow!

I did sleep much better last night. Still not sleeping through the night and I will ask the doc about that tomorrow, but I slept for longer periods of time and when I woke up I didn't stay up as long.

Not sleeping

Good afternoon. Not much to post. We are going to take out the pain pump later today. I am in a lot less pain today. I was able to lie down in my own bed this afternoon and get some sleep. I still am not able to sleep for more than about an hour at a time. If it doesn't get better by Monday I am going to ask her for some sleeping pills. It isn't pain that is preventing me from sleeping...I just can't sleep. My eyes are tired and I lay here with them closed, but alas...I do not sleep.

I am still draining quite a bit from the left side, but not a whole lot from the right. Still don't have much of an appetite. DH went to the store to get a rotissarie chicken as there was nothing in the house that I wanted to eat. I am at 53 grams of protein right now so I will get higher with the chicken. I will then eat a protein bar or a sandwich tonight when I take my antibiotic so I should be close to 100 grams again. I am trying to eat more...I am just NOT hungry.

Well we are still not able to see anything so I will be posting pictures after the doctor's appt on Monday.

More surgery update

The surgery was 4.5 hours long and I was discharged 1 hour and 15 minutes after the surgery was finished. Yeah....they are very efficient there!

The doctor has already called me at home to make sure that everything is going well. She is the sweetest lady ever. Then the anethesiologist was a hoot. Seriously had the best bedside manner ever. Those guys are usually stuffy jerks but this one was cracking jokes and we were talking chemistry right up until I dozed off. She was not able to get the tummy TOTALLY flat but said that she would do that at a significant priced reduction when I have my breast lift. When they do the breast lift she will use the same incisions to do a reverse tummy tuck. I just had SOOOOOOO much extra skin. She just didn't want to compromise blood flow. So there will be a tiny little pooch right underneath my breasts but the rest of the tummy will be flat. She actually went out and discussed it with DH before making the final decision on what to do. She could have made the decision on her own, but instead opted to discuss it with family...how cool is that! She truly is an amazing woman and doctor. You can already see improvement. I am obviously still in the binder but it is so flat! Makes my boobies look REALLY big now though! DH says he is going to have to get two sticks to beat off the high schoolers! I already had a few flirting with me at the end of last year. Kind of creepy...no one ever hit on me when I was fat. At first I didn't even notice that they were doing it...then I got freaked out.

My post op is on Monday. DH will pull out the pain pump on Saturday. She said I could wait and just have her remove in on Monday but DH is enjoying playing doctor way too much! He is the greatest guy ever. Though I had to pee in front of him for the first time ever and had a bit of pee fright....I just couldn't go. Finally I did and we were both laughing at me cause I would stop and go, stop and go....I know...TMI but it was funny.

The left drain is draining MUCH more than the right one. When we emptied it there were 40 ml in the left and 5 in the right. Significant difference!

Okay I think I posted everything I know so far. If something comes up I will let you know.

Cheers to the end of Jabba the Hut!

I am home!

I got home about 2 hours ago. I am not in a whole lot of pain. I was just a little sleepy when I got home. According to the doctor she removed about 4.1 pounds.

I have NO appetite though!

out of surgery

she's out!

here's to a speedy recovery!

Leaving

We are leaving in about 5-10 minutes. Updates will come when DH emails LJM. Thanks again to all the well wishers.

I leave here looking like Jabba the Hut and will return looking like a short Mexican version of Heidi Klum. Okay stop laughing...no seriously...stop!

A wee bit nervous...to say the least

So I am not nervous about going under or the pain...I am nervous that I am not going to recognize my own body. I know that is the point of this surgery (I type rolling my eyes!), but damn...these 2 "fabulous" rolls have been with me as long as I can remember. My belly button hasn't seen the light of day since I was "knee high to a grasshopper" as my grandmother would have said.

My brain hasn't caught up with the weightloss...though I did see my legs in the reflection of a door the other day...and thought..dang those are some thin legs! But I digress. I am excited and nervous at the same time to NOT see rolls. It is really hard to describe the feeling. But alas I sit here at 4:30 AM not sleeping. I guess I will be sleeping a lot today so it is not a big deal.

Thank you to all the well wishers. I am going to be nerdy and will be taking lots of pictures that we can document with. I will post when I feel up to it.

Okay I will check back in right before we leave.

Surgery Time

Quick update. Surgery will be at 9AM tomorrow...Pacific Time! I have to be there at 8AM. I will post before I leave tomorrow.

LJM will post for me (Thank you!!!) when I get out of surgery. It is a six hour surgery so I should be out around 3PM.