I am Back!

Ok, so the last almost month has been kind of a whirlwind for me, so m any emotions, so many ups and downs, that I finally have a moment to stop and reflect on the past few weeks, this is going to be a long post so if you read to the end I thank you ;)

Since my last post I have made a life change, I had weight loss surgery, I chose the lap-band procedure which is a adjustable gastric band that is placed around the top portion of your stomach to control the amount of food you can eat, it also has a port that is accessed as you lose weight to tighten the band and keep you on track, I am not going to sugar coat it, I was a very unhealthy person, deeply depressed and in a lot of physical pain. I attended the seminar regarding the procedure and decided to move forward, my insurance does not cover the procedure so I am "self-paying" I was put on a 450 calorie a day liquid diet on the 13th of feb until the 25th, the purpose of this is to shrink your liver so they can have better access to work on your stomach, during this time period I lost 11 lbs.

on monday the 25th I went to the surgery center (outpatient) at 7:30 did all the necessary pre-surgery stuff and off to the operating room I went, I awoke nauseaus and in pain!
they helped those problems, got me dressed, walked me down the hall sat me in a chair until I was more awake and then sent me home! Drinking enough water has been hard (i spent last saturday night in the er w/dehydration) but I am feeling a little better every day. Sometimes I feel weak, but It will get better and be worth it in the long run, I am up to (3) 1/4 meals per day consisiting of one of the following creamy soups, broth, sugar free jello, sugar free pudding, milk, yougurt or juice, I also get 2 protein shakes a day for nutrition. I stay on this eating plan until the 18th when I go back to regular foods.
I have lost 21 lbs now and have discontinued 1 of my blood pressure medications and had my sleep apnea machine pressure lowered..YEAH!!
My hubby has gotten me gatorade to help with the hydration issue..thanks hun!
I am doing better and healing wonderfully.
I have my follow up with the surgeon on Tuesday, and my first band adjustment scheduled for the 31st of march.
Thanks to everyone who has been there listening to my gripes and or problems, I really appreciate you all.

I read something interesting today and thought I would post it here:
I am choosing to be happy and with my health improving, I will be around alot longer :)


LET IT REALLY SINK IN - THEN CHOOSE.

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good
mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask
him how he was doing, he would reply, 'If I were any better, I would
be twins!'

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the
employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing
this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked
him, 'I don't get it!'

'You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?'

He replied, 'Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two
choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or...you can
choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood.' Each time
something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose
to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone
comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining
or...I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the
positive side of life.

'Yeah, right, it's not that easy,' I protested.

'Yes, it is,' he said. 'Life is all about choices. When you cut
away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you
react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You
choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom
line: It's your choice how you live your life.'

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower
Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often
thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting
to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious
accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was
released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him
about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he
replied, 'If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?'

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through
his mind as the accident took place. 'The first thing that went
through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,'
he replied. 'Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had
two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I
chose to live.'

'Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?' I asked.

He continued, '...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I
was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw
the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really
scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'.
I knew I needed to take action.'

'What did you do?' I asked.

'Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,' said
John. 'She asked if I was allergic to anything 'Yes, I replied.' The
doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply.

I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity''

Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on
me as if I am alive, not dead.' He lived, thanks to the skill of his
doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude...

I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
Attitude, after all, is everything.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.' Matthew 6:34.

After all, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Truly inspiring to me...I will keep you all posted as time goes on..thanks for the long read
Tammy