tipsygirl

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Sorry I haven't been a very good online friend lately.  Im enjoying my new life after surgery.  Im feeling good, and doing good and people tell me Im looking good.  Overall, I guess Im good!  lol 

I have so much going on right now.  Kids are back in school (thank God!)  and I am working diligently on my 20th high school reunion.  Only thing I can equate this with is doing the event planning for a big wedding or something.  (I got married at my parents home with about 15 people in attendance)  I wasnt class president or anything, just no one else would step up to do it and I took on the challenge from Hell.  lol  I am looking forward to it and cant wait to see all my old friends. 

Ive also taken on another challenge.  My friend, (also named Carol) and I have started a Charity Concert to be held once a year on Labor Day weekend to benefit area charities.  This years event is going to benefit the LifeSavers.  We are having a concert with area musicians and they are playing 70's music and its in a Woodstockish theme.  I have tie dyed so many table cloths that I think Im gonna die!  We have sold raffle tix and are gonna do 50/50 drawings and silent auctions at the concert.  Check it out if you get a chance.  Im really proud of it.  www.southernstockconcert.com  We would love to eventually have it be a full weekend festival of music just like Woodstock was.  I think we have sold over 400 tix as of today and more is to be on sale the night of concert this Friday.  We hope to get bigger and bigger each year.  We already booked the venue for next year.  :)  Im excited!! 

The most important thing going on with me is my new job!!!  My daughter and I went to her school orientation the other night and I ran into a lady that I used to work with at my last job.  She asked me if I was working and I told her that I was not, and that I had been sick and hadnt worked in a year.  She said she had the perfect job for me if I was interested.  I told her that if its the perfect job, of course I was interested!  lol  The boss called me the next day (on a Friday) and set up an interview on Saturday.  I figured I had the job in the bag if she wanted me to come in on a Saturday.  I went to interview and 2 hours later I had the job!  Started that Monday.  Im in my 3rd week at the place and I  LOVE IT!!  Im the office manager for a DUI evaluation center.  We offer Dui Evals and Outpatient Treatment.  Treatment for alcohol and drug addiction.  Interesting job and something I really believe in.  My goal is to go back to school and get my certificate to be able to do evaluations and treatment. My boss (who is wonderful!)  said shes going to help me and let me work while I do it.  I cant wait to get started!!  Well, enough of my rant.  Just wanted to let my friends know whats going on with me.  I would love to hear from you all sometime.  Throw me a line and I will see you in chat soon.  ~Carol

Thought I would stop by and blog a few lines about what all has been going on with me.  I went to my 3 month post op dr visit last week and I was down 55 pounds.  That is pre and post op weightloss.  Dr seemed to be happy with that number.  She said I was right on target where I should be.  I just weighed in this morning and according to my scale Im now down 60.  I have had alot of highs and lows as far as following the diet and how things have gone post surgery.  I still dont exercise reguarly enough.  I had the bad surgery after my weightloss surgery so it took me forever to heal, then followed that up with a broken rib.  I just started a new job and I havent worked in over a year and its kicking my butt.  I feel like Im full of excuses.  I realize most people do work full time jobs and still find time to exercise but I just cant seem to fit it all in yet.  My hopes is that I will soon!  I do love my new job.  I really like my new boss and she seems to be really supportive of my weightloss , although there is WAY too much chocolate around my office. lol  So far Ive resisited.  Yay me!  She pays me through my lunch and buys my lunch everyday I dont pack a lunch. I am a cheap date though!  haha  She always is very nice about buying something healthy and high protein for me.  :)  My newest fav is a grilled chicken breast from KFC.  Its sooo much better than the fried ever was!  Grilled chicken breast with no skin is 140 calories and 30 g protein.  Im staying super busy and I just hate to stay home.  I want to be on the go at every moment.  I love shopping for new clothes!!  I have to remind myself not to buy too much because Im still losing so fast.  I have to pinch myself every once in awhile to remind myself that this is all real.  Not only have I gone down from a tight size 24 to a 18 already, but Ive also lost a size in shoes.  My feet feel better than they have in years.  I went shopping and bought 9 pairs of shoes the other day.  Somebody stop me!!!  lol  Ive seriously neglected posting my Tuesday pics.  Ive taken them but have a hard time posting them regular.  Maybe I will do that tonight.  My next goal is another 15-20 pounds by Oct 8th which is my 20th high school reunion.  I cant wait to see all my old friends.  Most people hate reunions but Im one of the weird ones that just love them.  I feel like that dumb girl Tobey in Romy and Michelles High School Reunion.  (which reminds me I have to rent that sooon!!!!)  I miss all my OH friends.  Ive gotten on the chat a few times and usually no one asks how Im doing or whats going on and usually everyone is bickering.  I do miss us all when we could all get along.  Comment on my blog or hollar at my inbox.  I would love to hear how everyone is doing!!  xoxo ~Tipsy

Im not sure what I have done to deserve such terrible luck  but Im beginning to think its something cause Karma has not been nice to me at all!!  Everytime something goes positive for me its backed up with something very negative.  Maybe its the Libra in me.  Im always balancing between good and evil.  Ive been doing really well the last week or so, even taking up Zumba and really enjoying it.  I have lost enough so that my feet arent killing me and Im starting to not get so winded and even devoloping more balance and coordination.  Ive been so proud of myself.  I thought I was stalling in my weightloss a little bit and then last week weighed and had lost another 4-5 pounds in the last couple of weeks.  Tuesday night is my poker night.  After poker I was saying goodbye to my friend and he gave me a big bear hug.  He squeezed pretty tight and I commented that it almost popped my back.  With that comment he picked me up and gave me a big squeeze.  As soon as he did I knew something was wrong.  It almost squeezed the breath out of me.  My rib area hurt so bad.   I muttered out that I thought he broke my rib.  He blew it off thinking I was just talking shit.  I wasnt.  I knew I was hurt.  I drove home in pain, grabbed a couple of Tylenol and went to bed.   As soon as I woke I went to Dr.  Dr prescribed pain pills but said there wasnt anything more he could do if it was broken or just bruised.  He said if he was guessing he would think broken but probably just a crack, not broke in two.  I had my xray today and will know results by Monday.  Im certainly hoping for it to just be bruised but, who knows??   I will be in pain for at least a few weeks.  Who gets a hug and breaks a rib??  Seriously??  My Zumba career has been put on hold.  Hopefully it wont make me stall too much.  I will still be able to walk.  So I guess thats what I will do.  Im so disappointed!!!  I really loved Zumba!!!

Last night I had a dinner party for a few friends. One of my gf's asked me of I would go to this prom thing in C'dale next month with her. At first I told her no and that I didnt want to buy a fancy/schmancy dress just for a silly night out. Then I got to thinking. I had a dress I wore a few years ago for a cruise. It turned into a style show. Pretty funny, actually. The dress way too big but it could be altered. Dress #1, possibility. Then I had a long black satin dress I had worn in a wedding about 5 years ago. Tried that on. Pretty decent fit and its still in style. Dress #2, def possibility. Then I reached waaaaay into the back of my closet. Black chiffon dress I looooved from 12 years ago. I wore it in a wedding when my teenage son was 2. Its gonna be a tight fit, I told my friend. I pulled it up and squished in the middle for her to help me with the zipper. She informed me I really didnt need to do that!!! It fits!!! Yea!!! I think Dress #3 may just be my prom dress. All the guys gave votes at which I should wear and all of them were conflicting votes so I think Im on my own. haha It was really fun though and it was the perfect group of supportive friends to have been able to share that with. Now, Bring on the Prom!!!! Pics to follow later! 

I went shopping yesterday at Macys.  I have been buying shoes lately because I hate to buy clothing that Im just gonna shrink out of soon.  (I am a self proclaimed shoe and clothes whore.)  I have to have some clothes though.    I had been to Macys just a few months before and the jeans just would not fit.  I was so mad at myself and disgusted and I wanted these cute jeans soooo bad that I bought them with the hopes of losing enough to fit into them.  They were size 24.  When I went yesterday, they had jeans on sale.  I thought, well, I can always cut them off into capris if they fit and look good and they were super cheap.  So I grabbed a 24... too big.  I grabbed a 22.... too big.  I grabbed a 20.... Shut the front door!!!!  Tight fit, but they looked really good!    I bought the jeans, a red Tshirt with a square neckline and an adorable pair of red sandals in an 8 1/2.  I have been a 9 for the last several years.  (This is gonna get really expensive.)  Happy Day and now I have a cute outfit for the 4th of July.   This got me so dang jazzed up about my weightloss that I went over to my Aunts house and weighed in on her new scale.  (I dont keep on at my house or I will obsess.)  It has been surprisingly accurate with staying with the same numbers as my Drs office.  I weighed in today at 249.  Im officially under 250!!!!    Thats over 40 pounds off since I started this whole thing.   I am doing really good.  This is the first time I have ever lost this much.  I had been on other programs and diets but I never was this successful.  Im not hungry, although I do miss food,  but I think that I am hungry sometimes.  Late at night seems to be the worst.  I just get bored and think I need something.  I miss salads so much I think Im gonna die!!!!  All the good homegrown veggies and salads available right now... its killing me!!!!  I got my measuring tape out this evening.  I hadnt measured since before surgery.  Figured it was about time.  I cant believe the inches I have lost.  I dont want to get up and find my original measurements right now, but I remember my waist was a 54 and my arms were a 17.  I remember because I freaked about my arms.  lol  Its funny to think about now, but I cried because my arms were almost the measurement that someones waist should be.  When I measured this evening, my waist was 47 and my arms were 14.  Although sometimes I think the weight is coming off too slow, I really think Im doing good.  I cant expect it just to melt off.  It took years to put the weight on and I know it will take a long time to take it off.   Ive had alot of compliments lately.  People really can tell Ive lost.    I couldnt be more tickled about it.  Im getting ready to go on vacation in a week.  Im going to PA.  I cant wait!!  I am so effin ready to get out of this house.  I hope there is a pool at the hotels I stay at.  I want to get in and exercise with my son while we are gone.  Im having trouble exercising.  Not because its too hard, but because I find a hard time making it a priority.  I hate doing it and can easily talk myself out of it.  Im trying to surround myself with people who will work out with me and keep me focused.  Well, I will shut up now and watch my movie I got to watch this evening.  I will blog in a couple weeks and tell u how my vacation went.  I might even post a few pics.   Until then, xoxo  ~Tipsy

I dont mean to be so dramatic in my title, but theres really nothing else I could title it.  I had my surgery on the morning of May 17th.  Everything went perfect.  I woke up from surgery with pain but it was totally manageable.  I was using bathroom, walking and even taking in a little liquid.  By that evening I had to use the bathroom and had called my nurse.  She came to help me out of bed and I fell back on bed and passed out.  My BP had dropped and she couldnt get me to come around for awhile.  When I finally came to, I felt fine and was really confused about what had happened.  I felt no pain and in fact I expressed to her that I still needed to use bathroom.  She told me, "Hell NO!"  lol  She called surgeon to come check me out.  He explained that this only happens when there is a bleed or a possible leak.  He suggested we go back in (laproscopic) and see what was going on.  I called family and off I went to surgery.  After a 6 hour additional surgery that evening, I awoke in ICU.  I had an incision from my sternum to my bellybutton.  They had gone in and there was blood everywhere.  Not just a bleed that they could just clamp off.  I was seeping blood from all my organs.  They finally added a drain and closed me up.  The doctors kept giving me blood and plasma and tried many different clotting meds.  After several days of ICU being totally unresponding and very sick they finally got me the right factor of clotting med to make me quit bleeding.  It was so scary.  This certain factor isnt at my area hospitals.  They had to get it from St Louis.  It was either get it to me or ship me to STL.  Thank Goodness, just when I was about to give up, they found the right med.  I can truly say I thought I was going to die.  I kept having my children come in the ICU and I would open my eyes and think to myself that I needed to say something profound and I just couldnt muster up anything to say.  I spoke rarely.  I was there about 4 days.  I have to explain that this wasnt my surgeons fault.  Even with all the testing and stuff my surgeon requested before surgery, things still happen.  Evidently, I have developed a blood disorder.  Ive never had any issues with prior surgeries and there has been many.  I dont have any certain diagnosis back yet, but I see the blood dr next week.  Because of the transfusions my blood isnt my blood right now to do testing.  They think I have developed Von Willabrand disease, but we still arent sure.  After my bleeding stopped I was transferred to a regular room on the bariatric floor.  I just LOVED my nurses.  They kept me there another few days until they finally released me.  I was in the hospital for a week.  As far as my original surgery goes, I am doing great with my sleeve.  The secondary surgery has been a little rough to get over.  Lots of pain coming home after surgery, but now Im doing great!  I can drive now and I was told today I can start walking.  :)  Im having trouble getting all my food and protein in but my water is no trouble at all.  I feel very little restriction and have no hunger.  I do however want food.  I guess thats what they mean by head hunger.  I talked to Dr about it today and he said this is my time to lose and not to worry too much about it.  Get protein when I can, water, water, water and take my supplements.  Im losing pretty quick so I guess this is all going to be worth it.  I feel so blessed.  I have a wonderful family and really good friends who prayed I would get better and I did.  Thanks to all of my OH friends who sent prayers or good thoughts or texts my way.  You will never know what it means to me.  I love my OH friends! 

Wow, have I been through some stuff.  Please excuse any misspelled words or incorrect phrases.  My brain is still a bit mushy.  I had my wls on Tuesday morning at 8am.  Surgery was fine and I was recopperating as suspected I would.  I was up moving, using bathroom all as I should have been.  Around 9 pm, I started having what I considered small spasms in my midsection.  Nothing too severe but def got my attention.  I asked the nurse to help me to bathroom and when I stood up I passed out.  Scared her very much and she called surgeon.  Dr A came back in to exam me and thought that I was having a leakage or a bleed somewhere in my abdominal cavity.  By midnight I was taken in and they did a open exploratory on me to rule out any serious issues.  When I woke, I was in ICU and it was after 6 am.  Thats right, out another 6 hours of anethesia.  They explained that usually in this sort of cause they would find the bleed, cut it off and all would be ok.  Not in my case.  When he got into me, I was seeping blood from everywhere, not one particular place.  For days, Wed-Sat , I was in ICU just doing a sorta waiting game.  No one could tell me exactly what was wrong other than I seemed to have a sort of bleeding disorder and they continued to give me pint after pint of blood and units of plasma and some clotting agent they had sent from St Louis to my more rural hospital.  I guess I do not coagulate like most people.  We still do not know the actual name of my condition, just that it exsists.  More tests are still pending.  I have a bright silver zipper from my diaphram to my belly button  Not too pretty, but Im alive.  I seriously didnt think I was going to make it.  Until Staurday we were doing a little "wait and see" dance to see if I needed to be airlifted to St Louis.  By the time I had a few tests run and it showed no further bleeding, I was sent to the regular bariatric floor where I had MUCH better service and help.  Also I was given a test to see how fast I would clot and some other tests for PE in my chest.  I am not on the mend, but of course I think it should be faster.  Thanks for any or all blessings.  Goodnight for now.

Im 2 days from surgery now.  I had my PreOp Class a few days ago and I got all my instructions and meds for after surgery.  I met a girl who will become my Surgery Sister.  Its nice to have someone going through the same thing as me and at the same time.  She has already been much more successful than me on Pre Op diet.  Dr. put me on 3 shakes a day for 4 days and today I start the bowel prep with the magnesium citrate and I am to do 2 days of clear liquids only.  That stuff is like drinking puke!  Hopefully the day of surgery i may have lost 5-10 pounds.  Thats what the Dr wants me to do anyways.  Im super excited!!  I had a bad couple of days, but I think now that I have started the clear liquids its hitting me how near I am to this.  Hopefully the family will sorta stay clear of me today and not eat or drink too much around me.  I bought them some heat and eat stuff so I dont have to cook for the next couple of days.  That should control some of my bitchiness since I hate walking into the kitchen.  I have had several phone calls and emails of people offering me support.  It really is nice to hear when people are rooting for u.  Sometimes I think people believe in me more than I believe in myself. Well, here I go. 2 days.  Peace Im out!

Last night I went out on the town with hubby.  We met up with some friends at a local bar ran by two of my close friends.  This would be a typical weekend for me pre surgery.  So here I am, 10 days from surgery.  I still WANT everything I see.  From the moment I walked into the place and sat down there are temptations all around me.  Appetizers, drinks, cigarettes.. All things I love!  Everyone at this place pretty much knows that Im having surgery.  They were there for my Last Hoorah so they know I am not going to be drinking for awhile.  No one pressured me to drink (besides my husband, which that will be saved for another blog) but I still wanted to so much.  I think I got my 64 oz of water in at that bar alone!  lol  I was guzzling water to keep from feeling any more awkward than I already felt.  When people went outside to smoke I wanted to follow but didnt dare.  When Im home and away from alcohol I am better about cigarette cravings.  When out with a bunch of smokers its seriously hard for me.  Thats why I have avoided going out for a few weeks.  Anyways, I guess the temptations will always be there in one way or another, hopefully it will get easier after surgery.  Im just having a really hard time with it right now.  Its not just the cigarettes and booze.  Its everything.  I feel like Im losing apart of myself already (The party girl, Tipsy), and I still like her and its hard to say goodbye.

I have my surgery date.    They first said it was a tentative date but now I think it is set in stone.  I am having my endoscope on May 2nd.  I will have my last visit with the dietitian and then go to a support meeting mid morning.  I will have the endoscope that afternoon.  After that I'm all set!  I have preop on May 11th and surgery on May 17th.    Nerves have set in but I will not let it detour me from my goal.    I'm so thankful for this opportunity that I would never be able to achieve on my own, Let alone maintain!!