Ourpaints
Hello everyone~!
Well, in 3 days I will begin my journey to a new me! Hopefully with God's Grace I will do well thru the surgery and not have any issues to deal with!! I'm 5'5" and weighed 258.2 pds yesterday. Hoping to get down to about the 140 to 150 mark after my surgery. My goal is first of all, to get and stay healthy, to be able to live a LONG life.....I happen to LOVE living!, and to be able to ride and work with my beloved horses again! Been a long time since I've been able to ride. Since my old stud died in '00, I haven't been on a horse. I've picked up about 60 pds since then.
I was upset today when Dr. Barker's office called and said that they were not happy with the chest xray that I did on Wed. Said I had some 'prehilar density and vascular congestion".....basically, I had some Congestive Heart Failure that showed on my films. That really isn't any surprise.....I had worked four 12 hr nite shifts in a row and went up to my pre-cert appt w/o any real sleep. I was swelled up like a toad and had 4+ pitting edema to my legs! If you swell in your legs, you usually have swelling everywhere to some degree! I made a deal with them to have another chest xray in the morning after resting tonite and taking some lasix.......Of course, taking lasix in the nite and resting is like an anomoly! The two don't go together! I only had a trace of edema this morn and it has improved. I had to keep my knee on the ice machine most of the day to get the swelling and pain down, but it's better now. They put me on call at work, so am hoping that I get a reprieve and don't get called in! Praying!!
I have been overweight for most of my life. I have had some periods in my life where I was "normal or near normal" weight. None that added up to a majority of my life, that is for sure! In 2000 I had a tibial plateau fracture in my right knee and that makes it difficult to do any long time exercise if it involves my knee......I don't do water so Pool work has not been an option! Maybe when I'm thinner....but, I have never liked water deeper than my shower floor!
I am married for the last 16 years to the most wonderful man that God could have blessed me with. He is a jewel among men. He spoils me rotten.....actually, he's helped to contribute to my weight gain. He never understood that if he brings it home I will eat it! I keep telling him it is like taking a drunk to a bar and not expecting them to go off the wagon!! With the Gastric Bypass, I hope the physical barriers it will create will be the best tool for me! I have 2 beautiful children, (Who swear that my current hubby is their REAL dad!!!)Roxanne who is 32 and the mom to 3 of the most gorgeous grandkids that God ever made!!!! Savannah 11, Jesse 8 and Madison Mackenzie 1 year old! Thomas, my son, is 31 and lives in Nevada and isn't married now. I don't get to see him much and he seldom calls, but he still says he loves me more than his sister! He doesn't have any kids. His first wife didn't want to get "fat" and pregnant. Shame, too, cause Tommy would be a great dad. Maybe someday?
I've done suprisingly well this last week on my liquid diet. I started July 5th with full liquids and then last Monday, I went on clear liquids. Kinda hard to find clear liquids that have NUTRITION in them. Have been drinking something called "ENLIVE!". It is actually pretty good tasting! Especially over ice. It has 10 grams of protein, no sugars and not a lot of carbs, but has quite a bit of vitamins and minerals in it....
I called and asked if I needed any "Bowel Prep" for pre-op and they said, "no, just stay on your liquid diet". Still bugs me, since they will be doing intestinal surgery...but, I guess they know how to deal with it? When we have patients going for other intestinal surgery, we always do the clean out before hand with the preps. Oh, well....it is in my doctor's hands!!!
Of course, I am still way nervous......and today's issue didn't help! But, then that little voice on my shoulder says, "Cheryl, you send people down to surgery all the time that have WAY more issues than you, have much more AGE on them and are SICK to start with.....and they do ok!" But still.........!!!!!!
My doctor is Dr. Wade Barker of Dallas. He's supposed to be good, from what I have researched and read! IF he does me right I will sing his praises to the wind!!! I'm praying God guides him in all the surgeries he does for people like me, that desire a change in their life!!
I have to be at Mesquite Community Hospital at 5am on Monday July 16th, so anyone reading this please say a prayer for me!!!! Even tho I'm a nurse, I'm a chicken when it comes to surgery!!!!! Thanks everyone in advance for sharing all their stories and lives with me thru this forum! It has been instrumental in giving me the courage to go ahead with this!!! Cudo's to you all!
Love,
Cheryl
