Losin it in Paradise

I am continuing to get stronger and stronger every day.  Love being back at work and my feet don’t even hurt anymore

I am finally feeling like I am part of the human race again.  And a useful one at that.   Sitting around is definately not for me, no way….

Weight wise I am doing well.  I did go out for Mexican on mother’s day, but did not have a margarita, nor did I have dessert.   I am back to counting points after being off it for my recovery, and find if anything I am having a hard time eating all my points.  

Today I introduced raw baby carrots back into my diet.  So far so good.   Oh, and apples last week.  They are the only raw veggie and fruit I have had in months.  I still cannot have lettuce, but hoping soon as I miss my salads.

I am trying soy milk instead of regular milk because I read somewhere that it is good for hot flashes.  So far it is not working…. I still “flare up” and heat the room to many times a day.  I also read somewhere that these damn things can last from 3 to 7 years….yikes.   If that is the case I may go back on my HRT.

Ciao

Well I am on my fourth and final shift for this week, and I am actually doing a 13 hour shift instead of just an eight.  We had a puka (hole in Hawaii) so I decided to fill it and pick up some more hours.

I am loving being back at work.  I actually think I appreciate my job even more now that I have been away for so long.   Been busy as all get out, but the night just flies.  I think we have had a major MVA all but one of my shifts and of course we got another one tonight.  Alcohol is always a factor.  Sad

I am doing well food wise, NO GOODIES.   Have really managed to stay away from all sugar, a bit easier now that I can have some fruits again.  So have been soothing my sweet tooth with apples.

Next week I can try some raw veggies, so baby carrots here I come :)    And DH and I are going to see the show tomorrow night and I am going to have popcorn, and yes I will have butter on it, probably lots

And I am off Sunday as well, and I am going to the beach.  Going to sit on the beach in my bathing suit, no big t-shirt for me.  I want to feel the sun on my shoulders :)   Thanks Rubes, your blog was such an inspiration.

Well I had best get back to work……yippee!

Aww, it is good to be back at work.  I am feeling like I am again part of life.  In fact it seems like I have not even been gone.  I think everyone was very glad to see me, I know I was glad to see them

I am day two now without the “Goodies”  other than a bitchin headache I am doing okay.  I am really trying to get rid of the sugar crave that I have picked up lately so hopefully this will be a beginning. 

I will tell you though it is a good thing that I am only working 8 hour shifts this week cause my poor feet really need to toughen up again.  I am sure that they are not used to doing all this walking, and they hurt like hell right now and I still have 2 and 1/2 hours to go.   Of course the fact that I have lived in flip flops for the past 10 weeks and have not had a pair of shoes on probably has something to do with it as well.

Well my pager is ringing so off I go………yahoo!

Tomorrow I go back to work….woohoo! I have a busy week ahead, but only doing 8 hour shifts for the first week back. I work Monday thru Friday this week so that is not too bad and I get next weekend off! That is good cause 10,000 BC is playing at our little local movie house and I want to see it.

I had a busy weekend getting ready to go back to work. Busy week actually. I got my hair cut and colored, my nails done, my teeth cleaned and I also cleaned out my closets!

I have so many clothes that I don’t wear, that I always say “some day” So I decided that anything I have not worn for a year or longer was gone. I had so many different sizes. Skinny clothes, fat clothes and in between clothes. I threw all my clothes over size 12 in the give away bag cause I am NOT going to grow back into them. I threw away all the skinny clothes I used to wear cause when I get that skinny again, I will buy NEW ONES. I did keep a really cute pair of shorts as incentive thou. I ended up with about 4 huge bags that I gave to the Salvation Army. That made me feel really good. I also cleaned up my DH clothes as well and gave away all the clothes he SAYS he will get back into some day. He has been telling me that for 3 years And if he ever does get back to a 32 inch waist, I will buy him NEW ONES.

I also cleaned out the bathroom cabinets, the linen closets, and all my junk drawers! I got a lot done this weekend. I have a miserable cold but am taking Air Borne and Zicam to shake it fast, and am trying to ignore how miserable a cold is by doing all the cleaning. Sent DH out golfing and just went to town on the cleaning.

Now I can sit back and feel like I accomplished something.

Weight and diet wise not so good. I am still on the sugar crave and still eating the licorice Goodies I am still only eating 1/3 to 1/2 of what I used to eat, but I have gained 5 pounds. My DH says it is because I lost so much weight after surgery cause I could not eat anything for two weeks and then just soft diet for over a month. He figures any food would put weight on me after I started eating normal food. And with my abdomen still being so swollen, my size 12s are tight. I am still doing the elastic waistband or draw string waist band cause I cannot stand anything on my waist. Buttons or zippers kill me. Still cannot wear anything but a sports bra cause the incision is so high that the bra rests right on it and it hurts, and so low that the buttons hurt.  I feel like I have been filleted like a fish, my scar is from my pubic bone to my breast bone.  No bikinis for me.  :)  Good thing my scrubs are drawstring and baggy. I also have to wear the abdominal brace for another 4 weeks and that is hot and sweaty.

Tomorrow is my first day back at work and I have set that as the goal date that I am giving up my sugar. NO more Goodies. If I can give up coffee and sodas, I can do this too….I hope

Sigh!

OMG, what a hot hot day it is today.  DH has gone in search of bamboo and I am taking the day for me.  But it is so hot and the trades are gone so it is humid as well.

I am sure that I am sweating pounds off just sitting here   I wish!

I am up to 1.10 miles twice a day now on my elliptical.  WOW, good for me.  I am breaking it up to twice a day so as not to injure myself.  I am hoping for 2 miles x 2 a day by weeks end.  I better be able to as once I get back to work, I will be walking 6 to 9 miles per shift.

I am probably going to start work on Tuesday the 6th.  I will start with 12 hour shifts and not do any 16 for about a month.

I am really looking forward to work.  I love my job, I have missed it and realize that I am just not the type of person who can sit around.  I NEED to be busy and I NEED to be needed.

I am going to the hair dresser on Tuesday for a trim.  I cannot believe how long my hair has gotten.  I think I will let it grow out, as I have had short hair for years now.  I am kinda enjoy the length.  I also have a dentist appointment to get my teeth cleaned on Tuesday.   See I am getting the tires check and the oil changed on this old body before I get back to work

To quote anngirl:

Yeeee Haaaawwwwwww!

Wow, what a rush this surgery thing has been. I have certainly been thru the wringer. I was really thinking that my recovery would be fast as I am basically healthy, so was surprised at how hard this knocked me off my feet. I was a whimp But I am feeling much better now, and have started to do some exercise besides walking. I started on my elliptical machine. I am only doing a mile a day but at least it is something..right?

I am going to try and go back to work soon. I wanted to start next week but the doctor gave me a start date of the 5th of May. He wants me to take another week to make sure I am truly feeling better.

I am still really sore, but find if I wear my abdomen binder it helps. I don’t get as swollen or sore by days end, but OMG it is so fookin hot here and the binder makes me sweat like crazy. “Sorry Grandma, Glow like crazy”

The most wonderful part is that I feel better than I have for over a year. The malaise and general unwell feeling is gone. I am not on any medications at all….none…nada….zip! Woohoo. From 6 pills taken three times a day to just cope to NOTHING and feeling great. that in itself is an accomplishment. Even my doctor is surprised and thrilled.

My diet is getting better. I am slowly introducing more and more and just don’t eat what bothers me. Lucking I can eat tomatoes! They are my fav and was on the NO list but I can eat them without problems. Still no spices or pepper, no chocolate, no nuts, peppermint, or caffeine. I cannot do soda or citrus fruits. Red meat does not really agree with me, but can have it in small quantities. Still no raw veggies so cannot have salads, and I miss them. I find that now that my stomach is healing I cannot eat much cause there is always the danger of stretching the stomach and having it break away from the pouch it is in now that is sewn to the abdominal wall. I just feel “full” much faster and I think my mind set is also watching the “full” feeling. I probably only eat 1/2 of what I could before if that. So the weight stayed off and I am am still slowly losing. The nice thing is I basically eat what I want or can tolerate, just don’t eat much of it.

BUT, the downside it that for some reason I have been on a sugar crave like I have never been on before……WTF! Everything I want it sweet, and because I cannot eat chocolate, my drug of choice has been licorice Goodies. I eat them every damn day! At night in bed reading, eating Goodies. If they are not in the house I panic. Nothing else bothers me, I can go without anything else, but I want SUGAR. I don’t crave anything else sweet just the Goodies.

But other than that, I am really doing good. Ready to start living normally and get back to work and life.

I am reading a book, “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. It is good, I am learning how to “free myself from my mind.”

It is good to be back

Just a quick note to tell all that I am still here and still hanging in.  My family is here now and I am having a good visit.  Get tired really easy and having significant pain.  Trying hard to not over do, but even two trips into town two days in a row wore me out.

Today I am having a ME day.  DH and my son are going diving.  DIL and her niece and the baby are going to town to do some shopping.  I am staying home and resting.

I tried to keep up with everyone the first couple days and only hurt myself, so today I stay home.

Will try to write more often when my family is gone.  I really miss you guys and need to catch up on your lives and happenings.

xoxoxox

First off I want to tell all you lovies thank you for all your welcomes and warm wishes, hugs and love. It was so nice to hear from you all and to have you cheering in my corner.

I am getting stronger day by day. Went to the doctor on Thursday and the two hour drive (return trip included) plus the doctor visit whipped me I cannot believe how weak I am! But he is very pleased with my progress and how I am recovering. I just think it feels good to be on 0 medications but for my pain meds. I have gone from eating hand fulls of medications for my bowel and stomach to NONE. It is pure freedom. I will not be one of the little blue haired ladies that come to the ER with hand fulls of pills not knowing what they are or what they are for, just that my doctor said to take them……I am taking NONE. Course I don’t have blue hair either

I am now able to eat a soft diet. Ground meat and no spices, no chocolate, no carbonated beverages or caffaine. No raw fruits or vegetables. It is a boring diet but better than the liquid diet. And I am tolerating it well. One more week on this and I can slowly start to introduce other foods. But no carbonated beverages for at least 3 months. I can introduce one new food at a time to see if I can tolerate it. I am hoping soon to have tomatoes or stuff made with tomatoes. That is what I have missed the most.

I am not up to sitting for any length of time on the computer, it kinda whips me to sit up straight for any time span. So I will just use this to keep in touch with you all until I can write again.

So thanks for being there, I love you all and feel really warm and safe with you in my life.

Just a quick note as still not up to sitting at the computer.  I am doing well, recovery is a slow painful process but I am managing well.

Surgery went very well, I was in about 3 hours longer than they orginally thought I would be due to some minor complications.  I ended up having to be transfused as well.  I went to the floor after surgery but then sometime during the night was transferred down to ICU because they were having problems with my blood pressure.  Spent a couple days down there and then back to the floor.    I have been home a week now, taking it one day at a time.

Not used to sitting and doing nothing so bored already

I have an incision from my pubic bone to my breast bone, so will take a long time to heal.

Yesterday I was able to go off the liquid diet and started a soft diet.  I will be on that for 2 to 3 weeks before I can slowly start introducing food into my diet one at a time.

On a great note though, it is over and I am healing well and the surgery was a complete success, so only better days ahead.

Also my son and his family are coming to see me on the 26th for about 10 days…..woohoo

Thanks to all of you for your well wishes and prayers.  I felt totally surrounded by love.

I will post again as soon as able to sit longer.

xoxoxoxox

Today is the last day.  I will be in the hospital tomorrow for my surgery.  So I will not be on line anymore after today until I have recoup’d.

See you in a couple weeks….