SLAP!

Yep, I got my hand slapped.. My doctor walked into the room and said that my lab results had some pretty good things, and some really bad things. AHH!

The Good:

My Vitamin B

My Protein Levels

My Vitamin A

My Thyroid

Calcium

Etc.

The Ugly:

Vitamin K - which you get from green leafy vegetables, which give me a stomach ache from hell - so he instructed me to get a vitamin K supplement, and get some Bean-o! LOL

Vitamin D - My last reading was 53, which was residual summer time.. This reading was 20. I reminded him that I reflect the sun, and told him about some vitamins that I fell in love with.. but they were sugary and they were addicting so I stopped buying them. He told me he doesn't care if it's a lollipop rolled in sugar, I need to take more Vitamin D. He would let me know if it gets too high, but at this point he's not worried about that. It's not the lowest I've been at, but I think he's being harder on me b/c it was really good at one point.

Iron - My iron stores over the last 3 readings (including the one I'm getting in trouble for are 25, then 20... then 5. He said that this is a dangerous level... That if it gets worse, I could have to get iron transfusions or something like that, and they're not fun and can be painful.

So... I'm ordering more iron today.. drank some Vitamin D, and am becoming even more diligent with my vitamins. The lack of energy that I've been having could be from my lack of iron as well.

Maybe this was the kick in the ass I needed, right?

My weight stayed the same as my last visit, and my blood pressure was good. Wahoo!!

Ok, back to work for me, but wanted to keep you all posted! :)
xoxo

I think I'm in trouble!

Yesterday, I got a call from my doctor saying that I need to go in as soon as possible to discuss my labs. Today, I have an appointment at 4:15. Why does this freak me out? Normally, it takes a good week or two to get an appointment with my doctor. He's booked solid most of the time. As you saw, I haven't been wonderful with my vitamins.. My guess is that my Vitamin D is terrible and maybe my Iron. I just have 2 hours to go until I find out the actual issues vs. speculating, but I just wanted to vent a bit! Maybe this will be the swift kick in the ass I need to get my supplements back on track, right? :) One can only hope! I've been good in 2010, but I have to keep it up... 20 days won't make any permanent difference!

I'm ready for the weekend. It's been a rough week for me, and I'm wanting to decompress!

Sorry for the short note, but I have to leave work early today and get a few more things done. I will update tonight or tomorrow after my doctor's appt!

Its back.. damn!

My ulcers have reared their ugliness again. I've started taking carafate again, so hopefully they will leave me soon! For those of you who have had an ulcer, you know how icky they make you feel! It's miserable.. I'm ready to feel normal again! Yes, it's a complication from my gastric bypass surgery, as was my intestinal hernia and gallbladder removal... but, I don't regret my gastric bypass for an instant. Yes, all this crap is a pain in the butt, but my quality of life has improved so much, I really shouldn't even complain. I am alive, healthy, and half the size I used to be. WAHOO!!!

I will update you all on my resolutions.... Skip down if you don't care to read, but I want to hold myself accountable! :)

Diet cokes - I have not touched them.. the cravings have left my system, and I am learning to love tea again. I even bought a teaball so I can buy some neat leafy teas at Teavana. If you are a tea-lover and haven't been there before, it's neat. And if you aren't a tea-lover, you very well may be after you leave there. John bought me a gorgeous Fossil watch for Christmas, and I had to take it in to the mall to get some links taken out, and next door was Teavana. I am not exaggerating when I say that I walked by and got a sample 6 times during that mall visit. I took my jacket off 2 of the times so I wouldn't be so obvious! HA! At least it was something healthy, and they weren't cookie samples, right? LOL

Vitamins - I've definitely improved, but am still establishing my routine. I'm getting in my required vitamins every day, but I want a set schedule. There's a website called Memjog.net where you can set up daily/weekly/monthly/annual reminders and they text your phone. I had this set up at one point, but when I was being a bad kid and rebellious, I cancelled my reminders. Time to set those up again! :)

Water - If decaf tea counts as water, I'm all over it!

Activity - I'm a little less sloth-like, but this is what is lacking the most. I'm still in recovery mode from my 6 day, 60 hour work week last week, so I'm cutting myself some slack! Time to tighten up though and get firmer!

Life is good, though! Tomorrow I get my nice paycheck from my overtime week, and I'm going to get some bills paid down, cushion my savings account a bit more, and treat myself to a mani/pedi. My toes are horrendous right now, and having cute toes always makes me feel better! LOL I might even go get my eyebrows done... it's been way too long!! LOL

Saturday night, eight of us are going to meet for dinner and go to the Houston Aeros hockey game. John and I are season ticket holders with two of our dear friends, so we got some more tickets for others, and we're making it a party! Wahoo!!

Friday, I'm leaving work a little bit early to take Roxcee to the vet. It's time for her annual vaccinations, and from the experiences we've had in the past few months, I am making sure I'm keeping her up to date on absolutely EVERYTHING! I don't know what I'd do if I lost that little punk dog!!! She was my gift to myself when I got divorced because my ex husband wouldn't let me have a dog b/c of his stupid allergies.. lol We've been through a lot together... as punky as she is! I have no idea where she gets it from.. :oP

'til next time!
Laurie

2010!

Hello, New Year! So nice to see you!
I need to update you all on my January Resolutions... you all are my conscience... my place to vent... my place to confess.. and my place to celebrate!

Here we go..

For January, I resolve to:

• Get back on track with vitamins. I've been a slackerface lately, and I know that needs to be corrected. I had glorious labs all of 2009, and I don't want to ruin 2010 lacking in vitamins! Ok, so I have taken a vitamin or so almost every day... but that's not on track. I DID however, order more of my Bariatric Advantage Vitamins, and will take them to work, where they will stare me down and make me chew them!
• Get back on track with water... or should I say, get ON track with water.. I've always been terrible with it. I resolve to drink at least 40 oz of water a day in January... and then hopefully in Feb, I can up it to the proper 64. I'm not trying to be an underachiever, just realistic! I'm actually probably getting my 40 oz a day.. or 20.. maybe even 50 some days.. depends on the day, and the level of thirst!!! LOL
• No More Diet Cokes! As Chris H's blog is titled Diet Coke Rocks, oh, it truly does. But, it's my downfall, and I'm not even supposed to be drinking it. So, bye bye Diet Cokes. It's on to tea, Crystal Lite, and oh yeah, WATER! Wahoo! I have completely kept on track with this one. I had half a 2 liter at the house left on New Years Day. I poured the rest into the sink, wept a little and moved on. Do you all know one of my favorite sounds in the world is the fizz of a freshly opened soda? Sigh.. I need a life! LOL
• Get back on track with protein, go off track with the carbs! Are you sensing a pattern here? Why yes, Laurie has been a terrible post-op patient as of late! I resolve to focus on protein as my main source of nutrition again. The carb monster needs to be tamed.. bigtime! I think I'm doing a little better with this, but I am still eating carbs. I am being better though, and making smarter choices.
• Be more active! I don't want to put a number of workouts per week or number of minutes, because if I don't make it the first week, I know I'd quit!! Well, I got sick on January 2. And now I'm living at work until after Saturday, so we'll revisit this one soon... until then, negatory.. I've been a slackerface.. or a sick, overworked face... whichever you prefer. I did dust off the Wii Fit, and will be doing the Wii Active too! Wahoo!
• Blog more. It keeps me accountable, and I miss it! Well, I'm blogging, and it's been less than a week, so it's an improvement. :) Baby steps!!

As I stated above, I am sick AGAIN! I was just sick over Thanksgiving! What's up with that? I fell asleep on the couch watching GI Joe with John (it's a good movie, but i was tired and had already seen it!).. and when I woke up I couldn't breathe.. it just got steadily worse, and here I am finally able to breathe a little bit again, but have a sore throat. The Nyquil is kickin my arse, and I can't wake up in the mornings... AHH!!!

Well, it's 6:30 and I still have plenty of work so I better get back to it!!

Toodles! :-) Wow, I did say that!
Laurie :0)

Resolutions

I read on a friend's blog today that New Year's Resolutions are made to be broken.. Come on, how many have you kept? Instead, she is going to start making monthly resolutions. You can keep anything up for a month, right? Then there will be a day of reflection at the end of each month, in which you establish your resolutions for the following month. I really like this idea!

First, I'd like to think out loud.. er, digitally.. whatever you want to call it.. and reflect on my past year's accomplishments. There is nothing like tooting your own horn to start positivity into the new year, right?

Now, these aren't all necessarily goal driven accomplishments, but it's still significant to me, or I wouldn't bother listing!

• Maintained my weight loss for the entire year. I have bounced up and down within the same 3-5 pound range since March. I think I started 2009 at around 168 or so, and I've been staying between 157-162 since March.
• Keeping my sanity (for the most part). My job has been intensely stressful this year. And I'm still alive and relatively sane. And, a little better off financially because of the OT!
• Reduced my debt by about $4,000
• Moved in with my boyfriend in July. He's awesome! :)
• Established a savings account that actually has a little bit of $ in it!
• Broadened my horizons in the kitchen.. I've been experimenting with lots of new recipes and so far, so good! It's been a lot of fun for me!
• Read all 7 Harry Potter books (and enjoyed them all!).. This is an accomplishment for me because I haven't read too many books in the past few years.. and since reading the HP series, I've read another 7-10 books! Yay, me!!
• Purged lots of clutter... When I moved in with John, I gave away, sold and trashed a lot of things. As I've let go of the pounds, I've learned to let go of possessions too.

I'm sure there is more... but, my brain hurts from thinking too much, and I'm itching to share my JANUARY resolutions, not my New Year ones! :)

On with it...

For January, I resolve to:

• Get back on track with vitamins. I've been a slackerface lately, and I know that needs to be corrected. I had glorious labs all of 2009, and I don't want to ruin 2010 lacking in vitamins!
• Get back on track with water... or should I say, get ON track with water.. I've always been terrible with it. I resolve to drink at least 40 oz of water a day in January... and then hopefully in Feb, I can up it to the proper 64. I'm not trying to be an underachiever, just realistic!
• No More Diet Cokes! As Chris H's blog is titled Diet Coke Rocks, oh, it truly does. But, it's my downfall, and I'm not even supposed to be drinking it. So, bye bye Diet Cokes. It's on to tea, Crystal Lite, and oh yeah, WATER!
• Get back on track with protein, go off track with the carbs! Are you sensing a pattern here? Why yes, Laurie has been a terrible post-op patient as of late! I resolve to focus on protein as my main source of nutrition again. The carb monster needs to be tamed.. bigtime!
• Be more active! I don't want to put a number of workouts per week or number of minutes, because if I don't make it the first week, I know I'd quit!!
• Blog more. It keeps me accountable, and I miss it!

Yeah, my list is fairly simplistic, and should be easy. But, I know it won't be. Pre-oppers, post-oppers, and everyone in between... if you haven't yet tried something post op that you shouldn't.. Don't! You won't miss it. It's when you try it again that it's hard to stop. You don't need that diet coke, and you don't need those carbs or that sugar. The worst thing for me is that I don't get dumping syndrome easily enough. I think it's a curse. Thankfully, though, I seem to control myself since I'm staying in the same weight range. The sad thing though? I'd probably be completely at goal if I had just said NO! when offered my first diet coke or my first piece of non-sugar free candy!

Ahhh!!

Well, there you have it.. What are your January Resolutions? We can help each other with them all!

Happy New Year to you all!

Back to the Grind!

Well, the work holidays are almost over... I have Friday off, and then who knows when I'll have another day off! LOL I wish I could say that the week off that I had from work left me renewed and refreshed, but coming back to the massive pile of paperwork made me want to run home and hide under a blanket!!

How was everyone's Christmas? I hope wonderful.. I'm sure all of you were very good boys and girls! :-) My Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were very nice. My sister's family came over on the Eve, and we made homemade pizzas and exchanged gifts. On Christmas Day, John's family came over and we had the whole traditional fare with all of the trimmings. It was nice getting to visit with everyone!

Bad news about our puppy. We had to put Emma down the day after Christmas. She just kept feeling worse and worse, and we couldn't keep any weight on her. The emergency clinic said that she had some combination of distemper, parvovirus and/or pneumonia. Poor little baby! She was such a sweet dog, and I wish she could have lived a happy, healthy life. I hate sounding like a broken record with puppies.. we aren't having much luck! When/if it is time to try to get another puppy, we will make sure we get an older one that has had several rounds of shots, as neither of us can handle the heartbreak anymore that comes with the young pups. The sad thing is that you rarely know where the puppies come from, and we tried two different avenues - an individual and the SPCA, both with bad results. :(

Anyway... I must change the topic now!
John and I went to see Avatar on Sunday. I didn't think I would like it, as it's not really my kind of thing... but I LOVED it. It was a great movie. I'm sure we'll see Sherlock Holmes one day this week, as that's another we'd both like to see.

I'll blog again later in the week about my New Year's Resolutions... and I'll give you a teaser that blogging more often is one of them! ;-)

Hope you all are doing well!

xoxo
Laurie

Checking In

Whew, these holidays sure have come up quickly... It's only 1 week until Christmas Eve! Have you all gotten your shopping done? Happy Hannukah to all of my Jewish readers! :)

Life has been really busy for me lately. I was sick over Thanksgiving and still have the remnants of a cough.. ugh! At least I have tomorrow off from work, and I only work next Monday. The rest of the week is FREE TIME! Wahhoo!!!!

I need all of you to cross your fingers and toes for me, and if you are a praying person, that would be appreciated too. You all know how we lost Mojo to distemper in November. We bought a new puppy last weekend on craigslist, as we wanted to go through a person instead of through a shelter again to try to protect ourselves. Well, Emma, our little puppy, is sick as well. It is possible she could have distemper, but we can't be certain of anything. She is infested with worms, and she has an upper respiratory infection, but distemper is still a possibility as well. It's so sad! I really hope she gets better. I feel terrible for John, as these are his first two experiences with puppies, and they obviously haven't been very good so far. She appeared to be healthy when we got her, or we wouldn't have gotten her. AHH! Anyway, I would appreciate any positive thoughts in our direction!

One of my goals is to start blogging much more often. It really is therapeutic for me, and it helps keep me focused. No blogging, no focus! NOT GOOD!!

Well, I will check in soon! I have to get back to work and finish things up before my day off tomorow!

Ciao!

It's Snowing! In HOUSTON!

What a lovely little surprise for us.. We get snow maybe once every 3 or 4 years, and we hare getting some now! Hurray! :) I hope it sticks to the ground, but as of now, it still isn't. Hopefully it will snow all day so I can play later! :-)

I hope everyone is doing well.. This is my crazy week at work, but after Monday, things will be pretty mellow for the rest of the year, at least at work!

Tomorrow, I'm going to meet Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. I can't wait! I love her blog, and her recipes, and am looking forward to meeting her! If you haven't checked out her site, you're missing out! Yes, the recipes aren't exactly WLS friendly, but you can modify practically anything, right? :)

Well, I better get back to work, but wanted to share the snow with you all! :)

xoxo

Holidays

Good morning to you all! It's officially the holiday season, and it's my favorite time of year! It's also the hardest time of the year, both on the wallet and the waistline. What are you going to do to keep your wallet fat and your waistline trim?

Also - what are a few of your favorite Christmas songs? My absolute favorite is Wham!'s Last Christmas. I am in love with that song and I've already listed to it 2 times today.. A sickness, I know.. But it's a great song! Hopefully I'll get a few new favorites from you all! :)

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for?
I am thankful for so many things. My health, the health of my family and friends, having a job during these rough times, our new home, having a wonderful support system, and so much more!

Thank you!

Thanks to all of you for the kind words.. It is truly appreciated! Every day is getting a little easier unless I think about him too much. He was the sweetest puppy and I know he's in a much better place now.

It's been a very rough week!

R.I.P. Mojo

It is with great sadness that I write this. We've only had Mojo for a few short weeks, but today we had to put him down. He had been sick, and we were hoping it was only kennel cough, or something of the like, but it was distemper. In those few short weeks, he had the ability to make everyone around him fall completely in love with him. I know he's not suffering anymore, and that he's in little doggie heaven, but the humans he left behind are mourning him.

:0(

Cuteness!

November, already? Seriously?

Wow, once you hit November 1, the rest of the year just seems to fly by.. Where did this year go? It's been one of the best years of my life, and it's just flying by! LOL I also believe in that theory that the older you get, the faster time goes by.. hehe

I had a great weekend! The week ahead is going to be a struggle, as it's deadline week, but I have another great weekend to look forward to.. Huzzah!!

We had our Halloween party on Saturday, and it was great fun. Everyone had awesome costumes and it was great seeing everyone all dressed up. Jil did my makeup and I looked ultra creepy in my strange costume. I was told I looked like Morticia from Addam's Family, a vampiress, and at one point I was wearing a Viking hat, so I was a Viking gone totally wrong! LOL I will put up some pictures soon, promise! :-)

Once I get over my hell week at work, I fully attend to try to thwart the season of expanding by getting back to the gym on a somewhat regular basis. I admit, I have been to the gym maybe 3 times since I've moved.. that's pathetic! It's time to get those last few pounds off and not gain over the holiday season!

Although this next question will in no way help me with the holiday season, what is your favorite dish for Thanksgiving? And if it is a recipe you'd like to share, please do! :-)

It's almost time!

John and I are having our first Halloween party on Saturday. I'm really looking forward to it! It's a costume party, although I'm sure several people will show up without costumes, but that's cool! The more, the merrier, right? :)
This week is quite busy for me with work as well as extracurricular activities.. My mom came back into town on Monday, so I spent some time at the airport.. Last night, I took a few things over to her that I forgot at my house. Tonight I am going dress shopping for Jil's wedding. We're looking at bridal gowns as well as bridesmaid gowns.. woo hoo!
Tomorrow is Michelle's boyfriend David's birthday.. We're going to a restaurant called Taste of Texas and then heading over to their house for a bit to help them move a few things.
Friday, we'll be preparing for the Halloween party. We've already started decorating, but I need to go to the store and get refreshements, a few last minute things for my costume, etc.
It'll be fun! :-)
I hope everyone is doing well.. I'm looking forward to the holiday season and the lovely fall weather. It's so refreshing to me!

Mojo Pics

It's hard getting pictures of the two dogs together, because when they are close, they are playing nonstop :)

But here are a few more of Mojo. :)

Ready for the Weekend!!

I'm having trouble coming up with cute or clever blog titles lately... so, you just get what's on my mind.. and that would be - CAN THIS WEEKEND GET HERE SOON ENOUGH!??
I have nothing planned really.. but that's what I'm looking forward to most, especially after today. We had lots of rain this morning, and that translates into NASTY TRAFFIC! It took me 2 hours to get to work this morning. That totally sucks, and it puts me at work much later than I want to be.
Tomorrow I get a 1/2 day, and can leave 4 hours after I get in... so hopefully tomorrow's commute is nothing like todays!

John is grilling steak tonight... DELISH! I'm stopping off at the store to get some side items as well as a few extras that we are needing. Then, I'm home to relax with my boyfriend, some beef, and some cute puppies! LOL

Oh yeah, wine is on my grocery list... Delish! :)

Hope you all have a great night! :)

Reunion.... I went!

Yes.. I know.. It's a little late for a weekend update, but that's me... late! LOL A lot has happened in the past week of my little old life, and I have to share it with my bloggy friends.

First - The puppy. He's so freakin adorable! We took him to the vet on Friday, and he had a little bit of a runny nose. They gave him antibiotics, but come Friday evening, he was coughing a lot, and having a general rough time. Saturday morning, I took him back to the vet, and he was running a slight fever, but they said to let the antibiotics run their course. Thankfully, he's feeling better now. I almost cried at the vet because they injected him with fluids to prevent dehydration. Wow, the yelp was painful for me even! :( He's shown dramatic improvements though. It was scary for me because he's so young and not fully vaccinated yet. He gets round of shots in two weeks when he goes back. I will have pictures up soon, but my mom has my camera charger, and she's up in New York right now.

Ok, regular weekend stuff. I took a vacation day last Friday, because I still have roughly a week left, and we don't have any travel plans for the holidays as of yet. The day ended up being a day of errands and not so fun stuff though. I had to take my car in to the body shop, because I got into a small fender bender two weekends ago (not my fault!) lol! Then, we had the vet visit.. and then my head decided to start aching really bad, and I had a nasty sinus headache. We went to the Aeros game that evening and it was not so fun, just because with the cold of the arena and my head hurting, I was just feeling a little miserable. While there, though, I ran into my ex husband's first ex wife (I'm #2, and he's currently on wife #3!LOL). She came down to sit with us for the third period along with her husband. I like them both a lot! :) Super nice! I also got to get updates on Emili, my step daughter. I know she's not OFFICIALLY my stepdaughter anymore, but she always will be in my eyes, and thankfully in her eyes too! :)

Saturday, Mojo and I went to visit the vet again.. and I ended up with another long nap because of that dreaded headache still being around. Then, that evening John and I went to my 15 year makeshift high school reunion. It was just at a little dive bar, and it was really nice getting to see a lot of people that I hadn't seen in 15 years. It was still quite clique-ish, but I got to visit with the people that I still consider friends all of these years later. I got lots of compliments, so that felt great! : -) The picture above is John and me at the reunion. Isn't he handsome? :-) And no, he refuses to smile in pictures... he's crazy like that!LOL

Sunday was a lovely day... one of those days where you just stay in pajamas all day! I played cafe world on facebook.. that stupid game that I love! I got some laundry done... and in general just relaxed!

Fast forward to hump day this week, and the week is almost over.. hurray! I have a half day on Friday this week, so it'll be nice to get an early start to my weekend. No hockey games this weekend, but I am looking forward to getting some more relaxing time in, and playing with the dogs!

Work is still really busy, but I am finding that I am able to breathe a little easier, and I'm not so overwhelmed... Whew!!!

Selling My Domain - Check your Bookmarks!

Hi all,
I am selling my www.gastricgirl.com domain name soon, so please adjust your bookmarks.. I think most of you use blogspot anyways, so you go through my http://gastric-girl.blogspot.com address, but if you use my non-blogspot to get to me, please update your bookmarks. :)

Two Year Anniversary!

Wow, where has the time flown? Today marks my two year anniversary of my surgery. In these two years, I have learned more about myself than I have ever known in the 31 years prior to that.
Let's compare... it's always fun!
Two Years Ago: 312 lbs
Today: 158 lbs (teeter between 155-160)

Two Years ago: Size 30/4X
Today: Size 8-10/M

Two Years Ago: Size 8 1/2-9 shoes
Today: Size 8 shoes, sometimes 7 1/2

Two Years Ago: Worried if I could fit in some chairs
Today: Have lots of wiggle room

Two Years Ago: Zero Confidence
Today: Working on Being Thrilled With Myself.. My brain is trying to catch up with my body!

Two Years Ago: High Blood Pressure, Sleep Apnea, Elevated Blood Sugar, Eczema
Today: Wonderful Blood Pressure, No Sleep Apnea, Excellent Blood Sugar, Clear Skin


There are so many small changes that have happened in my life that turn into a great change.. Has it been easy? Are you freakin kidding me? NO! Having surgery is far from the easy way out. I have had complications. I have had to get my gallbladder removed, a hernia repaired, and am currently working on getting rid of ulcers. Was it worth it? HECK YEAH!! I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

What's in store for me for the next two years?
Maintenance. I'd like to lose a few more pounds, and I'm sure it will happen. I also want to continue to work on debt, so eventually I can afford to get rid of my extra skin, and get some boobies! LOL

Hope all is well with you... Today is my Friday, so life is good! :)

Mojo

So... our new puppy IS named Mojo.. And, let me tell you, Mojo is a handful and a half! He shares the spot of the cutest thing on 4 legs with my other dog Roxcee.. but wow, he's something else! LOL
We survived night #1 with Mojo. He has already gotten into the utility room closet as well as finding any little scrap of anything on the floor. I forgot puppies will find just about anything and shove it in their mouth! Including toes.. Ouch!
lol

Roxcee and Mojo had an interesting night. They took turns chasing each other and sniffing each other's tooshies. The joys of being a puppy, right? LOL

We keep Roxcee crated during the day, and we're keeping Mojo in the bathroom with a baby gate. They can see each other, so hopefully they'll be friends when we get home. They were already singing a little whiny song of "Get me outta here!" when we were trying to get out of the house this morning.. so we shall see!!

...to be continued...