Everyone knows that traffic in Chicago is horrible!
And going to get worse coming April 1.
We left home around 8:15 and got there at 9 a.m.
Record time! Who knew?!
We get up there and the receptionist says,
"Your appointment is tomorrow at 8:30 a.m."
I was like...Ummm no.
Dr. Vitello told me to come on Thursday between 10-12 because he would be on vacation.
She says...Oh yeah...He did leave for vacation yesterday.
Nice.
Then another man walks in for Vitello too.
At least I didn't look like the lonely idiot who didn't know when to come in.
She paged Dr. Vitello and of course he didn't answer.
She then called the residents to come over and check us out.
They weighed me and it was different from my scale here so I'm not counting it.
They checked the scar and everything looked good.
They listened to my lungs and heart and everything sounded good.
They were pretty impressed that I was looking so good and feeling great!
We were out of there in about 20 minutes.
Next appointment is April 14...Good Friday...automatic day off!
Tammy just made me a new breakfast shake!
Pineapple and banana/strawberry yogurt and protein powder.
She froze it in the ice cube trays for me.
I LOVE THESE!!!!
So easy to pop out of the freezer too and defrost.
She is such a peach.
Today for lunch we stopped at a restaurant.
Ahhh! Freak out!
I had lemon rice soup and avoided the rice and water.
I felt guilty eating out somewhere!
Later on we even stopped at Dairy Queen because it was so nice out.
Did you know they have sugar free and low fat ice cream bars?
It was pretty good and I was happy that I didn't have to be left out.
BJ and I went for our evening walk down to the house they're building.
We like to check its progress.
Tomorrow I may venture further.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Walks
Current Weight: 271.2 lbs.
Total Lost: 15.5 lbs.
BJ and I went for a walk yesterday.
All the way down the block to the new house they're building.
I was pooped after that.
A little while later we went to the mall again.
So I had a couple of little walks yesterday that felt good.
Today I have a doctor's appointment in Chicago.
Dr. Vitello said to come between 10 and 12.
The nurse said to come tomorrow at 8:30.
Dr. Vitello said he wouldn't be in the office on Friday.
Hey...let's just go today and leave at 8 and take a stab at it.
I'll let you know how the appointment goes!
Total Lost: 15.5 lbs.
BJ and I went for a walk yesterday.
All the way down the block to the new house they're building.
I was pooped after that.
A little while later we went to the mall again.
So I had a couple of little walks yesterday that felt good.
Today I have a doctor's appointment in Chicago.
Dr. Vitello said to come between 10 and 12.
The nurse said to come tomorrow at 8:30.
Dr. Vitello said he wouldn't be in the office on Friday.
Hey...let's just go today and leave at 8 and take a stab at it.
I'll let you know how the appointment goes!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Ravioli and Popcorn
Current Weight: 272.6
Total Lost: 14.1 lbs.
Yesterday I peeled myself out of bed and went to school.
I had a lot of grading to catch up on and it was the end of the quarter.
I got it all done by 1 p.m.
That was exhausting!
I think I pushed myself a littl hard yesterday.
After that I went to Barnes and Noble with a friend for a bit.
It was nice to get out and browse around.
Came home and Tammy made dinner.
Cheese ravioli with cheese sauce, green beans and Jell-O.
I finished 4 oz. of the ravioli and 2 oz. of green beans.
We watched a movie as a family and the kids had popcorn.
Ahhhh! My weakness!!!
I confess...I did put some in my mouth for the taste and then spit it out.
I had to!
Total Lost: 14.1 lbs.
Yesterday I peeled myself out of bed and went to school.
I had a lot of grading to catch up on and it was the end of the quarter.
I got it all done by 1 p.m.
That was exhausting!
I think I pushed myself a littl hard yesterday.
After that I went to Barnes and Noble with a friend for a bit.
It was nice to get out and browse around.
Came home and Tammy made dinner.
Cheese ravioli with cheese sauce, green beans and Jell-O.
I finished 4 oz. of the ravioli and 2 oz. of green beans.
We watched a movie as a family and the kids had popcorn.
Ahhhh! My weakness!!!
I confess...I did put some in my mouth for the taste and then spit it out.
I had to!
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Blender Mania!!
Tammy is a blender queen!
Can I just tell you all what she made for me?
For lunch yesterday I had chicken salad.
Blended up...looked nasty, but tasted great!
For dinner we had chili with chicken instead of beef.
I threw that in the blender and whipped it up.
Scary going down, but it stayed!
And it was awesome!
THEN for a snack!!!
She made a strawberry banana smoothie!!
She used yogurt and skim milk and added my protein powder.
It was awesome.
She froze the extras in little ice cube trays.
I think I'm going to defrost one for breakfast.
We went to the mall last night for a bit.
Good walking exercise.
I got a chair massage from these Chinese people.
It killed my back!!!
Bad Idea.
Current Weight: 273 lbs.
Total Lost: 13 lbs.
Can I just tell you all what she made for me?
For lunch yesterday I had chicken salad.
Blended up...looked nasty, but tasted great!
For dinner we had chili with chicken instead of beef.
I threw that in the blender and whipped it up.
Scary going down, but it stayed!
And it was awesome!
THEN for a snack!!!
She made a strawberry banana smoothie!!
She used yogurt and skim milk and added my protein powder.
It was awesome.
She froze the extras in little ice cube trays.
I think I'm going to defrost one for breakfast.
We went to the mall last night for a bit.
Good walking exercise.
I got a chair massage from these Chinese people.
It killed my back!!!
Bad Idea.
Current Weight: 273 lbs.
Total Lost: 13 lbs.
Monday, March 27, 2006
My View From Bed
This was my beautiful view from my bed. Awww...she's so cute. Tammy, my honey, came to visit me with the kids on Tuesday, March 21. She brought me flowers and my teddy bear. Right now she is a blender crazy queen! I love her to death!
The Scar
I know...Ewww! Here's my scar. It actually looks much better now. The tape is still on though. It is about 7 inches long and the bruising has gone down a lot. It really doesn't hurt that much. My stomach muscles and my back hurt more than anything. My back because I am tired of sitting and lying in the same positions.
Checking the Scar
Here is the one good nurse I had checking my scar. Don't make fun of my glasses now! I know...I need new ones. She was listening to make sure things were moving inside. Glad to report...all was well.
Yucky Close Up
This is a really gross picture of me. The worst part was not showering. I could have, but the hospital was so...unhelpful and I just wanted to wait until I got home to do it. But I still look kind of cute here!
Leg Compressions On
The socks were ugly but warm. The leg compressions kind of freaked me out for some reason. It was like someone was massaging my legs, but no one was there.
Home At Last!
Weight - 274 lbs.
Total lost - 12 lbs.
Woo hoo!
Yes...I am finally off of the solid liquid diet!
I am so excited to start blending!
Tammy made me chicken salad last night.
I have pudding and Jell-O and all sorts of stuff ready to go.
All of my food has stayed down great.
My pain is going away slowly.
Sleeping is still a pain.
Start off on your side, roll to your back, roll to the other side.
It's just hard to get comfortable.
I finally came home yesterday afternoon.
It's good to be home.
I missed my bed and everything here.
Tammy cleaned the house and it looks awesome.
Mom was a great nurse.
She had a better hospital room set up for me than UIC did!
Thank you mom for taking care of me!
I have pictures to post, but I can't find the camera.
As soon as I find it, I will work on posting some.
Total lost - 12 lbs.
Woo hoo!
Yes...I am finally off of the solid liquid diet!
I am so excited to start blending!
Tammy made me chicken salad last night.
I have pudding and Jell-O and all sorts of stuff ready to go.
All of my food has stayed down great.
My pain is going away slowly.
Sleeping is still a pain.
Start off on your side, roll to your back, roll to the other side.
It's just hard to get comfortable.
I finally came home yesterday afternoon.
It's good to be home.
I missed my bed and everything here.
Tammy cleaned the house and it looks awesome.
Mom was a great nurse.
She had a better hospital room set up for me than UIC did!
Thank you mom for taking care of me!
I have pictures to post, but I can't find the camera.
As soon as I find it, I will work on posting some.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Off The Liquid Diet!
It's Saturday...Day 5 and I weigh 278 lbs.
I've lost 7 pounds so far.
Woo hoo!
I am finally off the clear liquid diet.
This morning I ate/drank 4 oz. of Slim Fast.
It was loaded with protein powder.
Thick, but good...better than all that liquid stuff.
Feeling better every day.
Moving around better.
Still tired every now and then.
Overall...still doing great.
I've lost 7 pounds so far.
Woo hoo!
I am finally off the clear liquid diet.
This morning I ate/drank 4 oz. of Slim Fast.
It was loaded with protein powder.
Thick, but good...better than all that liquid stuff.
Feeling better every day.
Moving around better.
Still tired every now and then.
Overall...still doing great.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Doing Well!
Hello everyone!
I made it!
Surgery was a piece of cake on Monday.
No problems at all.
They finally took me in around 10 a.m.
I stayed in recovery for a couple of hours because my blood pressure was low.
All I remember is telling them how to pronounce my last name!
I was so out of it.
I got up to my room around 5 p.m.
Tammy and my mom were there waiting for me.
I had a roommate that just had a kidney transplant.
She was old and grumpy and smelly.
The next few days I pretty much just relaxed.
I can't say much for the nurses at UIC.
They sucked!!!!
So, by Thursday I was ready to get the heck out of there.
My Mom came to pick me up around 11 a.m.
Dr. Vitello came to see me one more time and said I was doing great.
Every day I can move better.
So, I am staying at my mom's for a couple of days.
Her house is one level and it's just a little easier to get around.
Tammy's coming over today to hang out with me.
So far all I've been eating is cranberry juice, water, sorbet and skim milk.
Just little ounces now!
I have a sippy cup.
So far I have lost ONE pound.
HA HA HA!
The worst part of the surgery...having the IVs taken out.
Ok...it's time for some Vicatin.
Thank you to all of you who sent me messages and prayers and support.
I love you all and couldn't do this without you!
I'll write more later and I have pictures to post!
I made it!
Surgery was a piece of cake on Monday.
No problems at all.
They finally took me in around 10 a.m.
I stayed in recovery for a couple of hours because my blood pressure was low.
All I remember is telling them how to pronounce my last name!
I was so out of it.
I got up to my room around 5 p.m.
Tammy and my mom were there waiting for me.
I had a roommate that just had a kidney transplant.
She was old and grumpy and smelly.
The next few days I pretty much just relaxed.
I can't say much for the nurses at UIC.
They sucked!!!!
So, by Thursday I was ready to get the heck out of there.
My Mom came to pick me up around 11 a.m.
Dr. Vitello came to see me one more time and said I was doing great.
Every day I can move better.
So, I am staying at my mom's for a couple of days.
Her house is one level and it's just a little easier to get around.
Tammy's coming over today to hang out with me.
So far all I've been eating is cranberry juice, water, sorbet and skim milk.
Just little ounces now!
I have a sippy cup.
So far I have lost ONE pound.
HA HA HA!
The worst part of the surgery...having the IVs taken out.
Ok...it's time for some Vicatin.
Thank you to all of you who sent me messages and prayers and support.
I love you all and couldn't do this without you!
I'll write more later and I have pictures to post!
Monday, March 20, 2006
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Night Before Surgery
Well it's finally the night before surgery.
I'm all packed and ready to go.
Finally, I'm getting a little nervous.
I'll be ok.
Now I'm gonna go by my Weight Watchers scale from now on.
I even made my friend Reina go to her parent's house to get a tape measure.
Here are my final stats:
Weight - 285
Bust - 52 inches
Belly - 53 inches
Hips - non existant
Head - 22 inches
Right arm - 16 inches
Pinky toe - 1 inch long...just kidding
Shirt size - 26/28 or 3X
Pant size - 28
Alrighty then! Everyone knows my business!
Wish me luck.
Pray for me.
I'll be back to journal the surgery and eating on Thursday or Friday.
Adios!!
I'm all packed and ready to go.
Finally, I'm getting a little nervous.
I'll be ok.
Now I'm gonna go by my Weight Watchers scale from now on.
I even made my friend Reina go to her parent's house to get a tape measure.
Here are my final stats:
Weight - 285
Bust - 52 inches
Belly - 53 inches
Hips - non existant
Head - 22 inches
Right arm - 16 inches
Pinky toe - 1 inch long...just kidding
Shirt size - 26/28 or 3X
Pant size - 28
Alrighty then! Everyone knows my business!
Wish me luck.
Pray for me.
I'll be back to journal the surgery and eating on Thursday or Friday.
Adios!!
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Side View
This is my before surgery side view. I am going to wear the same clothes in all of my pictures so you can tell a difference. One day hopefully those short will just fall down!
Friday, March 10, 2006
Pre-Op Appointment Day
My pre-op appointment was scheduled for 10 a.m.
I got there around 9.
Whoops!
It's ok...they got me in and out really quick.
I met with Dr. Vitello and signed my life away.
I then met with the dietician and we talked about food.
I have a big booklet to read about what I can and cannot eat.
I know....sad little booklet.
For the first week I have to have only liquids.
Then I need to purchase an awesome blender so I can puree all my food.
Fun stuff!
Then I went over to see the anastesiologist...ok...spelling stinks.
He asked me a bunch of questions and did some little tests.
Everything was good and I'm ready to go on March 20th!
By the way....
My current weight....286.7 lbs.
Ahhh!
I got there around 9.
Whoops!
It's ok...they got me in and out really quick.
I met with Dr. Vitello and signed my life away.
I then met with the dietician and we talked about food.
I have a big booklet to read about what I can and cannot eat.
I know....sad little booklet.
For the first week I have to have only liquids.
Then I need to purchase an awesome blender so I can puree all my food.
Fun stuff!
Then I went over to see the anastesiologist...ok...spelling stinks.
He asked me a bunch of questions and did some little tests.
Everything was good and I'm ready to go on March 20th!
By the way....
My current weight....286.7 lbs.
Ahhh!
Friday, March 03, 2006
Beyond the Fluffiness
16 Days left until the big day.
March 20th is my surgery and I am highly excited.
I went to have all of my pre-op tests done on Wednesday after school.
Chest X-ray looked good.
EKG was wonderful.
I don't know the results of the blood test and the tinkle test, but I'm sure they were fine.
Next Friday I have to go up to the University of Illinois Chicago for the pre-op appointment.
I will meet with the guy who knocks me out (can't spell the actual title of his job!) and the dietician.
That should be fun...telling me that I can't eat anything after the 20th!
It's ok...I'm ready.
I've been ready for about two years now when I started this journey.
I want to be healthy and I need a jump start.
Dr. Vitello and my family doctor think that I am a prime candidate for this surgery.
I'm young, I'm basically healthy, and I have a lot of life left to live.
Being fluffy bothered me in those awkward middle school days, but I got over it.
Yes, I always wished I could wear the cool clothes like all the skinny girls.
Shopping in the plus size section in high school was not very cool.
Moving on the soccer field and softball field might have been easier.
But as I got older...losing weight was not really as much about the looks as it is about the health.
I want to have a baby! I want to run around with my kids!
I don't want to die early of heart disease.
I have someone who loves me for who I am and looked beyond the fluffiness.
I'm not doing this to impress anyone.
I'm doing it for my well being.
Oh...and so that I can look good in a maid of honor dress for my sister's wedding. Ha ha!
Until the 19th, I will be eating pizza and steak and more steak.
Just kidding.
Next Friday, after the pre-op appointment, I'll post my numbers and some pictures.
Yes...brave of me to announce the weight to everyone.
But I think it will be cool to watch and keep tabs on.
Until next time...
March 20th is my surgery and I am highly excited.
I went to have all of my pre-op tests done on Wednesday after school.
Chest X-ray looked good.
EKG was wonderful.
I don't know the results of the blood test and the tinkle test, but I'm sure they were fine.
Next Friday I have to go up to the University of Illinois Chicago for the pre-op appointment.
I will meet with the guy who knocks me out (can't spell the actual title of his job!) and the dietician.
That should be fun...telling me that I can't eat anything after the 20th!
It's ok...I'm ready.
I've been ready for about two years now when I started this journey.
I want to be healthy and I need a jump start.
Dr. Vitello and my family doctor think that I am a prime candidate for this surgery.
I'm young, I'm basically healthy, and I have a lot of life left to live.
Being fluffy bothered me in those awkward middle school days, but I got over it.
Yes, I always wished I could wear the cool clothes like all the skinny girls.
Shopping in the plus size section in high school was not very cool.
Moving on the soccer field and softball field might have been easier.
But as I got older...losing weight was not really as much about the looks as it is about the health.
I want to have a baby! I want to run around with my kids!
I don't want to die early of heart disease.
I have someone who loves me for who I am and looked beyond the fluffiness.
I'm not doing this to impress anyone.
I'm doing it for my well being.
Oh...and so that I can look good in a maid of honor dress for my sister's wedding. Ha ha!
Until the 19th, I will be eating pizza and steak and more steak.
Just kidding.
Next Friday, after the pre-op appointment, I'll post my numbers and some pictures.
Yes...brave of me to announce the weight to everyone.
But I think it will be cool to watch and keep tabs on.
Until next time...
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