Great way to spend the long weekend!

So since I am on the pre-op diet, this "kick-off" to summer weekend really sucks!  I have avoided picnics with friends as I can't eat, and have resorted to cleaning my house.  My finished basement was looking pretty shabby.  I don't go down there much since the baby was born just because I don't want her trying to navigate the stairs.  The boys (age 10 & 14) pretty much use the basement as their own.  And if any of you live with boys you understand my pain.  There is a no eating or drinking rule in the basement... yet I am finding wrappers and waterbottles EVERYWHERE!  They listen so well.  Why all the cleaning you ask?  Well my mother is coming from Texas to stay when I have the surgery and the guest bedroom is in the basement.  Go figure.  Oh well I guess I will enjoy the clean while it lasts.  Probally not that long knowing my boys...  If they cherish their lives it will stay clean until grandma leaves!

Next weekend is my birthday.  We are going to St. Louis to attend a boy scout event.  This Scoutquest event will be the second biggest celebration of the Boy Scouts 100 years in the US.  My oldest boy is going to the biggest event which is the National Jamboree in July.  I will also still be on pre-op diet.  This should be interesting.  Any good ideas of low cal, high protein, low carb stuff to eat for dinner while out?  I was thinking that maybe I could take some frozen meals as are a suggested alternative to cooking in my diet, but yuck!   The boys are camping.  My baby girl and I are staying in a hotel. 

I tell you for the two weekends encompassed in this pre-op diet, I sure lucked out didn't I?  Memorial Day and my birthday, with travels added in.  But, I guess in the end it will be worth it.

I am HUNGRY!

This pre-op diet is in day 3 and I make it ok until about 3:30p.m.  Then, I starve.  I am so hungry.  Does this get any better?  I know the goal and I keep looking at that, but this is HELL!  Add that to the fact that I have a sick kid and haven't slept well...

Ok I will quit bitching now...

BYOC:

1. If you could be a flower, which one would it be and why?

I would be a daisy.  Simple and so happy.

2. Which Sex and The City Character do you most relate to?


I would have to say Miranda.
3. If you had a crystal ball or could know one thing about the future - what would it be?

If I win the lottery, or should stop wasting my money!

4. What's your biggest fear in your weight loss journey?

That it won't happen for me... again. Or I will lose the weight and gain it back... again


5. Repeat question: Whose blog or comment spoke to you the most this week and why?

I enjoyed so many blogs this week that I can't pick.  So many to choose from!

Pre-Op Visit

I had my pre-op appointment today with both my surgeon and the hospital.  I started at the hospital.  I got to visit the vampires, the anesteologist, get a chest x-ray, and and EKG.  I have to say that I absolutely love the hospital I am going to be going to!  I actually felt compelled to go and make a compliment to the head of the hospital.  I sat in the waiting room for a bit and every nurse who walked by had a smile on their face and spoke to me.  It would seem that everyone there was happy with their job.  When I was registering, the admissions lady was telling me that she had a lap band last year.  She showed me her scars and where her port was.  She was very excited that they were going to start having the surgeries at this hospital. 

I went to the surgeon next.  He is awesome.  He set all my fears aside.  He will be reusing my gall bladder scar.  He showed me where he will be putting the port and such.  I told him that I was really still on the fence about which band.  He said that he doesn't prefer either band over the other.  He did however say that sometimes when he gets in, he thinks that the other band would work with this certain persons anatomy better.  He said that if I would like to wait and let him see and then he puts the one he feels will fit me better I could do that.  I love that idea. 

I am getting excited.  I started pre-op diet today.  It is a partial liquid (only dinner).  I didn't do too bad today.  I stayed pretty full all day, and head hunger didn't hit me.   I am sure it will later in the week.

Congratulations to the band recipients this week! 

A celebrity?

Tomorrow is the last day of "normal" eating for me.  Maybe at least "normal"  to the old me.  I am excited to embark on this new experience.  I feel sometimes that as hard as I try, this may not work for me.  I wonder if this is due to all of the failed "diets."  (Boy I am liking the quotes today aren't I!?)  I am making myself stay positive.

My surgeon's office called today and reminded me of all of my appointments this week.  At that point, I remembered that I forget to mention a facet of my surgery to all of my blog buddies.  I will be the FIRST bariatric surgery patient the hospital I will be going to.  My surgeon has done thousands of lap-bands, but is adding a new hospital to his practice.  This is a good thing for me as this hospital is only one hour away, not almost four!  I received a call from the hospital staff last week.  They were great.  They want me to meet with everyone (not just the nurses).  They said that I will meet with the whole anesthesia team when I come in with my pre-op and then will be taken on a tour of the hospital to meet everyone.  I guess they are as excited as I am.  I am guessing that I will have an awesome experience at this hospital. 

My mother was a bit concerned when I told her this, but when I reminded her as the first everyone will be on thier "A" (there I go again with the quotes) game.  She agreed.  The surgeons office has dubbed me the celebrity! 

Last but definately not least... I am the most indecisive person in the world.  My surgeon has given me the choice of bands and I can't decide.  I asked him which he prefers, he said they are both great.  Help me out here!  Lap or Realize? Pros/cons? I can't take the pressure!!!!!!!

I'm Back!

I survived the car trip with the kids this weekend.  We seriously need a bigger car with our 3 kids.  Vicksburg, MS was fun.  We drove through the battlefields.  It was very interesting.  My daughter did better than I expected.  She is 18 months.  Although, I am afraid that the terrible two's may be approaching.  If she didn't want to walk she just sat down and I swear I heard a couple of "mine"'s in the car as she was sitting between her brothers. 

So I start my pre-op diet on Wednesday.  It is a good thing I think, this weekend was not good to my weight.  I weighed when I got home and it looks like the damage is 4 lbs!  OUCH!  I am hoping that this won't be the case so much after being banded. 

I am so ready for this journey to begin!

Why?

I am VERY upset with myself! I have never really thought of myself as an emotional eater. Today proved that very wrong! To start my day, my husband and I received a call that a very good friend of ours had passed away in his sleep last night. He was 40. He had some heart issues recently and had had bypass surgery on this past Saturday. He was doing well after the surgery and progosis was good. Then the unthinkable happens without warning.
So what do I do? I ordered food from the mexican restaurant and ate it, then I went to the bakery and ordered 6 cookies and ate them too! I have been doing so well on my eating and do not understand what has triggered me so...
I am hopeful that this death of a young friend will make my husband understand my push to eat better, but why would he listen to me if I drown my sorrows in mexican food and cookies?

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I have a date with a Dr.!

June 9! It is so soon! I start pre-op diet next week. I don't think that it will be too bad because I can eat at dinner. I have never been much of an eating person during the day. Although knowing me, if I can't have something, I will obsess about it.

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BYOC

1. If you could be a cartoon character – who would you be and why?


Princess Fiona.  She chose her true love no matter what he was and what that made her.  She shows us all that beauty is more than skin deep.

Oh and she keeps that big oger in line.  Don't we all feel like we are doing that sometimes?


2. Who was your teenage heart throb? (Thanks Fiona for this one)

Jordan from NKOTB and the two Coreys.  I hurt that Corey Haim had such a wayward soul.


3. Do you believe being overweight is about a mental obstacle or do you believe it’s simply about overeating/food?

I think that I simply overeat.  I feel like if there is any room on my plate that I didn't make enough.  I am working on portion control with my children a bit as I prepare for surgery.  This is difficult with my husband though.  He grew up really poor (He refuses to eat soup because that is all they had a lot of the time), he wants us to always have a lot of food available at meals.  I do binge a bit though and obcess sometimes.  So maybe mental too?
4. What’s your all-time favorite song?

Then they do- Trace Adkins
5. Whose blog or comment spoke to you/stuck with you this week and why? This is our “you get to be famous for a moment” without having to follow all the rules of an official blog award question

Jacquie’s blog about her loss was heartbreaking.  I feel for her family.

Amy W. and her pictures.  I hope that I can have even half of that success when I get my band.

Approval

I can't seem to believe that I am approved.  It seems so surreal.  When I called the surgeons office, the lady who answered the phone says "so you heard the good news?"  WTF and you didn't call me?  Are these people mental?  Oh well, she said that I would have to wait until tomorrow to schedule a date.  The lady that does that was off today.  Said that she would call me first thing in the morning.  We did go over the calendar a bit and she said that what I was looking at wasn't unattainable.  I really would like the week of the 7th of June.  I actually have NOTHING written on my calendar that week.  No appointments coming in at work so I would sit for a week and do nothing.  Nothing scheduled for Boy Scouts.  A glorious week all together.  Plus my b'day is Saturday the 4th.  I wasn't going to have a b'day cake anyway, but pre-op diet gives me an excuse to not get upset about it!  

I am trying to figure out however how much time I should take off work.  I have very easy desk job.  Sometimes I have to go out in the field, but since school will not be in session that will be avoidable.  Also, the week that I am looking at is a no court week for me.  I am however not tied to my desk.  If I want to get up and walk around, I can.  I set my own appointments and even if I have someone coming in, I don't have to see them if I don't feel good (people really don't complain even if they do show up if their probation officer doesn't need to talk to them today).  I don't want to take too much time off because I want to save my time, but I don't want to push it too hard either.  Any suggestions?

I'm APPROVED!

I'm APPROVED! OMG I can't believe it! Surgery will either be the week of the 7th or 14th of June! Will post more later!

OMG 50!

I just made my way in to type a blog and what do you know, I have 50 followers!  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that 50 people would have a interest in what I had to say!  Thank you all for the inspirations that this blog gives me.  Now... back to what I had planned...

I am going crazy.  I know that my paperwork is in medical review at the insurance company and I am going crazy.  I want to call them every minute.  I can't stand it.  I have told myself that I will call tomorrow.  I really wish that I had a busy day at work today, but I don't so I sit and twiddle my thumbs and wonder.  I wish I could let it go and wait for them to call or send a letter or something.  I wasn't this nervous waiting on finding out if my kids were ok on ultrasound.  I wasn't this nervous waiting on the ultrasound to tell me what sex they were.  I am going nuts.  I know that I must be sane because I passed the psychological test.  I sure don't feel it today. 

We are going out of town next weekend.  I am really excited.  We are taking the kids to Vickburg, MS to visit the civil war battlefield.  My husband won the hotel stay from geocaching.com because he entered some contest they had.  I think that it will be good to get away for a bit if only for the weekend.  Then two weeks after that, we are going to St. Louis for the weekend.  The Boy Scouts are putting on a big event for the weekend.  It is supposed to be the 2nd biggest event commerating the 100 years of Boys Scouts.  The biggest is the National Jamboree in Virginia in July.  My oldest boy is going to that.  Hubby and the boys are camping.  I am staying at the Sheridan.  It is my birthday weekend... didn't feel like camping.  I also got a great deal on Hotwire. 

I guess I had better go for now.  Gotta get back to work.  I really wish that I could blog while there, but the internet nazi's don't allow anything not work related.

One Year

One year ago today, a major storm affected our region.  http://www.thesouthern.com/storm/ It was finally deemed to be a derecho, but for awhile it was dubbed as an inland hurricane.  My family personally was without power for 7 days.  We were very fortunate that our home was spared.  I remember coming home from work that day and seeing all of the huge mature trees laying on the ground pulled up by the roots with root balls that were taller than I or my husband. 

I feel that everyone in our area was affected by this storm in many ways.  I think that the idea that everyone was without power for so many days (over 100,000 homes) really opened up the doors and got people outside.  I actually met all of my neighbors.  We would have big cookouts of all of the food in the freezer so that it wouldn't go to waste.  This the the view from my brother's back yard.  This amazing power of nature and god taught us what really matters in life.  All of the photos included in this was from a walk in my neighborhood.  About 5 blocks from my house to my brothers.

All is ok now, the landscape is forever changed.  Life goes on.  My good friend from work was set to get married a year ago tomorrow.  We all banded together and got her a cake made and pooled all of our candles together so that it was the prettiest candlelit ceremony ever!

BYOC

1) Do you have any nicknames?


There was never really a way to shorten Heather.  I used to get so mad at my mom for that. 


2) What was your "last straw"? The incident/situation that made you decide to get a lap band or commit to losing weight via any plan this time?

The day they told me my gestational diabetes was not going to go away.  34 years old and diabetic.  Not going to happen!

3) What's your favorite joke or funny story?

I would have to probally censor greatly, but the day my younger son told me that my older son needed to shave his penis!  I guess he saw it when he went into the bedroom while older son was asleep.  He was completely mortified! 
4) If you could be a TV dinner - what flavor would you be?

I would say Potato Soup with a lot of bacon!  I so wish bacon could be lowfat!



5) The question we do every week so everyone can be a little famous without having to do an official blog award...what blog or comment stuck with you or spoke to you the most this week and why?

Amanda's post about enough really got me thinking. 
 
Thank you all for all of the great posts and comments.  They have been very important to me in this process!
 
I broke down and called the insurance company to see if everything was scanned in.  It was and has been sent to Medical Review.  The lady said they have 30 days but she hasn't seen it take that long!

#2

Well not that kind of #2, even better!  I got the call from the surgeon's office and my information has been faxed to Blue Cross Blue Shield!!!!!!  I am so excited.  Now I get to harrass them starting on Monday!  The lady from the surgeons office said that "We got everything and it looks great! I wish all physicians documented like yours. If you get denied, we will have a huge appeal and fight with them because your information looks great."   I really may be able to get that June date!

My crazy day :)

I called the surgeon's office today to make sure that my fax and email and everything went into my file and was then placed in the appropriate area. (I really know too much about this process) They said that she should get it sent in tomorrow. I asked for a phone call when it was sent so I could bug the hell out of the insurance company. I figure that can't be that bad with a different person answering each time. Anyway, on to the good news. Those who have been following for awhile know that I am driving an insane distance for my surgeon. I have been worrying about the 4 hour drive home after surgery. The surgeon has an office 1 hour away for fills, but not for the surgery... until NOW! They informed me that they are taking the team down to sign all of the papers with the hospitalone hour away next week. This also means that I may still be able to get a June date because they said there is NO waiting time at the new surgery site! This is glorious due to the fact July is just a no go for me due to the kids activities. August is OK, and Sept and Oct are again no good due to boy scouts always being nuts. When I told the lady at the surgeons office this she said "approvals are good for a YEAR" Who in their right mind would want to do that? Work so hard to get approved and then wait!? Not ME!

                                                               

I sent it!

I went to my last fake diet appointment this afternoon. While I was there the dr and I had a good chat. He even printed out my notes for me so that I didn't have to request them from the office. I came home and made a PDF and emailed them to the lady from the office who emailed me the other day. I hope it works this time.

On another note, Tonight I attended my oldest son's last band concert. He is in the 8th grade and had decided that he doesn't want to do band in high school. He really enjoys the clubs and wants to persue more. I couldn't help but be a little sad though. :(

Here's to faster turnaround at the surgeon!

A case of the Monday's

I don't know what my problem is today, but I seem to have a serious case of the Monday's. I have my (hopefully) last fake diet appointment tomorrow afternoon. My surgeon supposedly has everything written up and is just waiting for this appointment to submit. I don't know what is wrong, but I just can't seem to get the least bit excited. Is it because I got so excited last month just to be trampled by the surgeons office? I re-read the email that the lady who was writing my med necessity letter and she stated "Don't get discouraged. I know its frustrating, but it WILL happen. You are so close. I'll have everything ready to send when we get that last visit. You are in the homestretch! Keep going to your monthly visits though to keep your bases covered and loaded!"

I must have really been a sad case when she called me and wanted me to go to another appointment before they submitted. Maybe I will get excited when it is actually sent. I just can't get in the mood right now...