Maria Savastano

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It always amazes me how long I go in between posts here...hmm.

Anyway, I've been dealing with a lot of crap since I posted here last.  At the beginning of the year I began having pain in my abdomen after eating and this went on for months.  Tests were done, CT scans...and no answer.  It eventually went away...but I hate not knowing what caused it to begin with.

Then there's the fact that I have severe endometriosis that has been an issue for years now.  Over the last couple of months it's become out of control.  My last cycle was 15 days long! I've been in so much pain over recent months that my doc prescribed me some massive pain killers (I mean massive people) and there are days that it doesn't even touch the pain. :-(  I'm going into a friend's doc in a couple of weeks who will hopefully be able to help me out.  I've been asking for a partial hysterectomy for years now, but no one would do it.  Oh there's been various excuses as to why they wouldn't...but the outcome has always been the same...no being the answer.  Hopefully this time will be different.  My PCP flat out told me last time I came in (last week...double yeast infection followed my 15 day period) that under no circumstances am I to take no for answer this time!!

With all of this going on, let's just say that I've not been feeling my best at all.  I'm bloated all of the time and there are days, especially during my cycle, that I look (no joke) literally 5 months pregnant!! :-( It's beyond depressing.

I'm going to Michigan this next week for my niece's graduation and although I'm thrilled to be able to attend this wonderful time in her life, I'm nervous because I will be seeing people that I haven't seen in over a decade...and in some cases, 2 decades!  My next cycle is to start this Sunday and then I have to drive on Wednesday...this could be a bad situation if I'm in excrutiating pain.  Good thing though, I have my oldest daughter coming with me, so we will take turns driving.

I'm just hoping that this trip goes as well as I can expect and that when I get back and see this doc...I will have some good news and won't have to go through this next month.  Cross your fingers people!

Well...I guess I'm a slacker huh? Oops!

Let me bring you all up to speed on what's going on in my life.  We looked for months for a house to buy as we wanted to get into a different location closer to my hubby's work to help cut his commute.  However, regardless of what the media protrays of the real estate market, it is NOT a buyer's market people!  It's crazy though...and the games that sellers and banks play with potential buyers is just sad, sick and wrong let me tell you!!

Anyway, that didn't work out so we decided to rent a place.  We found a nice townhome (approx 2250sqft) in Denver that we moved into last month.   I never would've believed a year ago that we'd be living where we are now and how good it is to not be sharing a house with my mother anymore.

I'm still working for the sorority and I love my job.  Things are going well there and I'm looking forward to having some time off during the upcoming holiday season as we close from Christmas Eve through the first of the New Year!! 

I'm doing fine weight wise...although the massive amounts of stress that I've been under the past few months has caused me to lose more, but not a bad thing really.  I'm currently wearing a size 8/10...depending the brand.  I still have not had any skin removal, although I'd love to considering that's mostly all there is now is just skin.  I look good IN clothes though! LOL

Well, I hope this post find you all doing well and I promise to not be such a stranger in the future.

So 2 years ago about this time in the afternoon I was wheeled into recovery after having my gastric bypass surgery.  I never dreamed that I would be where I am today...never.

I'm healthy for the first time in my life and happier than I've been in a very, very long time...if ever.  Most important, I'm alive...and living.

Most would take this opportunity to brag a bit (by all rights) about how much weight they've lost during this time and how many sizes they've dropped...but that's not what I'm thinking about today.  It's not that I'm not proud of those accomplishments...but I'm more proud of my determination through all of this.  I DID this!  For the first time in my life I took the time to take care of ME first...for ME.

So Happy Anniversary to me.

To think that my last post here was 3 months ago...hmm...I guess I've been busier than I thought.

Let's see...I did get a new job, although it wasn't until the beginning of March.  I'm now working for Gamma Phi Beta Sorority at their international headquarters which is located just 6 miles from my home.   I do love working close to home!

I'm enjoying my new job so far.  It keeps me very busy and I'm making decent money.  My new boss is AWESOME!  She totally rocks!   Major bonus for me let me just say. 

My hubby celebrated his 33rd b-day yesterday...good times.  I took him to the Rockies game the night before and we froze our assets off!! The Rockies won though...so it was worth it.   Besides, we sat right behind Matt Holliday...so I had a very nice view.
Outside of that there isn't too much more going on.  Hubby is looking for a different school to teach at next year...he has a couple interviews this week, so we'll see where he winds up at.  Closer to home is what we're aiming for...both of these qualify for that, so it's all good.

Kids are doing just fine and are looking forward to summer break...just 6 weeks left of school.   Can you believe that?

Oh...and weight wise? Well, I haven't weighed myself in a while now...but I know that I'm still losing because I now wear a size 13 in JUNIORS!!   Cool eh?

Wow...it's been over a month since I've posted here!  I guess time flies when you're going crazy huh?

Well...my new job didn't exactly work out.  I don't really want to go into details, but let's just say that my so-called boss was a lying jerk.  It's best that I'm not there anymore.

I've been interviewing again and I have a couple that I'm hopeful about...we'll see.

Christmas went really well and the kids had a blast!  I did a lot of cooking over the holidays...but not much eating as I've been pretty sick for the past month.  I caught a viral infection that had me in bed for over a week with fever, coughing, congestion, sore throat...just yucky stuff!  Luckily my kids didn't get it as well.

New Year's was a lot of fun as we had the kids all home for that as well along w/ a couple of my daughter's friends.  It was quite the little party! LOL...lots of food, dancing, and being silly!

I don't have much more to report on right now...but hopefully soon I will have a new job. ;-)

Hope you all had a good holiday season!

Well things certainly have been eventful since I last posted here.  Not all of them good, but eventful none-the-less.  

I finally found a new full-time job!!  Yeah, it only took me like 4 months to do so..oy, but at least I did and it's a done deal.  I've been hired on as the new Fleet Administrator for Mile Hi Frozen Foods in Denver.  To be completely honest, I'm not qualified for this position at all.  I have a great deal of DOT Compliance experience and knowledge, however this position deals more w/ the operations/equipment side of things of which I have no hands on experience w/ at all.  My new boss however, seems to see a great deal of potential in my skills and is willing to take the time necessary to teach me everything that he knows and let me take it from there...so we'll see how this goes.

I gave my boss 2 weeks notice on Monday of this week.  He was very understanding, but sad none-the-less.  He said that I've done a tremendous job while at this company and he hates to see me go but understands why I'm doing so.  I told him that if he ever is able to create a position for me that would suit my needs, to give me a call.  He said I'd be the first person that he contacted if anything comes up!  That's always good to hear.

My hubby has been ill since before Thanksgiving, which has been awful.  He got his flu shot the weekend before Thanksgiving and then came down w/ flu-like symptoms almost immediately, that turned into bronchitis.  Come to find out that this "bug" is going around and has affected many people as of late and according to the doctor it lasts anywhere from 4-6 weeks!! YUCK!  Now my oldest daughter has the beginning symptoms of it...but I'm nipping that in the bud let me tell you.  I kept her home from school yesterday and have pumped her full of antioxidents and vitamins along w/ decongestants and such.  She's feeling a little better today, but is tired which is to be expected.  I'm doing my best not to get this stuff and so far I've been able to avoid it.  I'm just making sure that I'm taking my vitamins and antioxidants and getting enough rest (the latter has been difficult w/ my hubby up all night coughing). 

Thanksgiving was pretty quiet for the most part as my little ones were w/ their dad and step-mom over this holiday.  They didn't want to go, but it was his turn to have them.  I hate sending them when they clearly want to stay home...but had no choice.  We had a lovely dinner though and I made some new recipes as well.  We had turkey w/ cornbread dressing, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes (I had a sweet potato), mushroom gravy, green bean casserole, dinner rolls, sf pumpkin pie and sf cheesecake (new this year and totally yummy)!!  It wasn't too much or too little...it was just right.  

A dear friend of mine passed away the weekend before Thanksgiving as well.  She went in for an MRI for her back as she's been in pain for quite some time and wanted to see if there was anything that could be done for it.  She apparently was not tested for allergic reaction for the dye used in that procedure and she unfortunately had a horrible reaction that caused her organs to fail.  Once this process began there was nothing the doctors could do for her and she passed away within 10 days of the initial procedure.  It is all so sad.  She was the FIRST female to be certified as a Journeyman-Lineman in the State of Colorado...I know because I certified her back in 1998.  I had all the respect in the world for this woman as she was not only an amazing person, but one of the best friends that someone could ask for.  It's still very difficult for me to believe that she's gone...so difficult.

She and her husband lived out in Utah and I was unfortunately unable to attend her burial, but spoke w/ her husband right after learning of her death.  I've known them both for about 10 years now and they are just the best people...he was beyond heartbroken with grief over his wife.  So sad...

On a brighter note...I get to keep my kids home for Christmas this year!!  They are so excited!!  I'm SO excited!!  I haven't had them home for the entire holiday since I divorced their dad over 5 years ago.  I'm doing my best to make this Christmas exceptionally magical for them all...even though money is VERY tight right now.  Jason and I were able to get them each at least one of their top 5 items on their Christmas Wish Lists...which didn't leave much money for us, but I'm not worried about receiving a gift this year...having them home is plenty for me. 

I have planned baking a head for us this next weekend and we are going to decorate the inside of the house.  I have holiday movies recording for them to watch over the next couple of weeks and have the Christmas story all set to be read on Christmas Eve.  I even have a special gift for each of them to have before bedtime on Christmas Eve after story time.  Yup...I'm just a little excited!!

I feel quite blessed right now considering how much I've gone through over the past few years and how bleek things have seemed at times.  The important thing is that I have my family and they are my world and I couldn't make it through life w/o them by my side...it just wouldn't hold any meaning for me.

Hmm...where do I begin? Well...let's start w/ the good news (that's always a good place to start right?).  I weighed myself this morning and now weigh 173lbs!! When I typed that into the BMI calculator it states that my bMI is now 29.6 and I'm OFFICIALLY no longer obese!! It states that I'm now "moderately overweight"...woohoo!!!

Outside of that though...I was ill last night...very ill, up most of the night in the bathroom.  It's probably just stress...I'm sure it is, but it still sucks.

I'm still searching for a new full-time job.  I didn't honestly think that it would take me THIS long (I've been looking since August).  However, I just found out that my old company is reporting inaccurate information regarding my employment with them...which is illegal.  I'm in the process of obtaining a copy of the employment verification from a prospective employer in order to pursue them legally.  I just think it's so damn sad though that they would do this to me after what they had already put me though!  

Anyway, I will prevail...I won't let them stop me!  I contacted some people over at that company that I'm still friends with and they are going be the contacts there for me from now on for employment verification.  Hey...I am not willing to stand by and let them blackball me!! 

Financially things are...well...very sad right now.  To say that we are struggling would be a major understatement.  Everyone is doing the food drives right now...and for the first time in my life...I may have to be on the receiving end of that instead of the giving.  That's a very scary thought...but true.  I've never been in this position before and I pray that I'm never here again...but it's definitely a wake-up call.

Hopefully things will get better soon...they have to.

So this last Monday (10/8) was my 4yr wedding anniversary! It doesn't seem that long. LOL

Anyway, last year we went to Estes Park and went horseback riding (a first for me in 20yrs).  This year I wanted to do something that I wouldn't have been able to do last year, so we went to Manitou Springs and to The Cave of the Winds.  We went on the "lantern tour" which is about 1 1/2 hrs long and is bit demanding physically.  I was amazed at how well I handled all of this considering my hubby was huffing & puffing on this tour and I wasn't at all!  That's a major switch! LOL

It was really cool though and I know for a fact that I couldn't have done that a year ago!  Some of the openings in the caves are pretty small so a large person would not fit through them.  I was shocked that the workers don't warn people of this when you purchase your tickets though.  They ask you if you are able to withstand going through caverns that are only 41" high for a sustained period of time, but nothing about the other confined spaces.

I was quite proud of my accomplishment though...I even had to get a shirt to show off as a souvenir!  I almost bought a large but went w/ a medium instead...but I could've gotten a small b/c the medium is still a tad big on me!  That still amazes me. :-)

I passed another milestone in my life this past weekend.  After many years of regret I finally rec'd my HS Diploma!  When I was a teenager I got pregnant w/ my first child and wound up not finishing school.  I've regretted that for a long, long time.  I didn't really want a GED b/c to me that was like admitting failure in a way (I was a straight A student all the way through school and I just had too much pride).  However, through some encouragement from my family, I finally finished everything and should have my diploma in my hands in about a week (it's being shipped to me)!

I can't begin to tell you what a relief this is to me now!  It's been something that has been weighing heavily on me for many years now.  I still can't believe that I finally finished!

Ok...back to work for me! Have a great day!

The scale finally moved!!!

So I weighed myself this morning...not sure why I decided to do so, but I did and was shocked to see that I've FINALLY broken the 180 mark!  I now weigh 175!! 

It's about damn time! LOL

So I went in for my annual check-up yesterday.  I'm having to try yet another method to relieve the endometriosis that I've had for years now.  Hopefully this one will work 'cuz I'm tired of having to feel like a guinae pig w/ this! Ya know?  She said that it should also help w/ my emotional feelings that I've had the past few months as estrogen is stored in fat cells and w/ all of the weight that I've lost the estrogen has been released from those cells into my body overloading me w/ emotion (at least it's not mental right? LOL).  So we'll see what happens! ;-)

I got weighed while I was there...still sitting at 180, but I'm down to a 10/12...so I'm not complaining.  The doc says that she's not concerned about my weight...but I do have a LOT of loose skin now and she feels that I should look into removal.  I do too...just no money to fund that project right now...unfortunately.  She told me that from what she could see that I have a good 30 - 40lbs of excess skin on my body (& fat that could be removed by liposuction).  She felt my muscles and said that they are toned well and she feels that any plastic surgeon would see me as a prime candidate for skin removal. :-) That made me feel good.

She told me that I need to go in for my first mammogram though. :-( She said that she's only doing it as precaution b/c I have what appears to be fibrous growth in my breasts...which could have been there for YEARS but never detected b/c of the size of my breasts previously.  Now that I've lost so much weight and my breast tissue is so much smaller...it's much easier to detect in a breast exam.  Anyway, so I'm to go in for that and also for an ultrasound (to make sure it's just fibrous tissue).  Safer is better on this one. ;-) 

Things have been very hectic in my life for the past couple of months.  The kids are all back in school and my hubby is back in school teaching as well.  I'm looking for a full-time job now in order for us to be able to function a bit better financially instead of just "getting by". Hopefully something will pan out on that soon.

It's been nice working P/T...but I'm ready to get back to a F/T position again.  Especially knowing that we will be so much better off financially by doing so.  I'm also ready to work closer to home again (I'm currently working 26mi from home - one way).

Ok...I'm supposed to be working right now...so I'm going to go.  Hope you all are well! :-)