Jumping through hoops

Since the initial appointments with the nurtitionist, psychologist, and surgeon, I've had to make many changes and jump through several hoops in order to qualify for the Roux n-y surgery.  I had to have 2 psychologist appointments before she would sign off on me.  I had to have weekly hour-long appointments in a group setting for binge eaters.  I also had to meet with a nutritionist for 3 months and lose a certain amount of weight before they would sign off on me.  Since I was practicing all their recommendations and was on the path of losing weight, they finally signed off.  The nutritionist was the last signature I needed before having my file submitted to my insurance company.

I had to wait about 2 weeks until I got the letter from my insurance company saying I was approved.  I was so happy!  After the letter, I had to wait several days for the Cleveland Clinic to receive the approval.  I got a call from my surgeon's nurse to set up my pre-surgery appointment as well as my surgery date.

It's  been a long road to get to this point, and the road to recovery after surgery is even longer, but it's worth it.  I am excited!

healthy changes!

I picked up some vanilla soy protein powder this weekend at the local big box store.  I had it for dinner with 1 cup of soymilk and 1/2 a frozen banana on Sunday night.  Of course, the strawberries were calling to me at 9:30pm, so I had a late night snack after my healthy shake dinner.  I won't call it a fail, but I wouldn't call it a win, either.  I had another shake this morning with a handful of frozen strawberries.  It actually kept me full till noon!  Maybe those nutritionists do know a thing or two after all...

I decided to start the Couch to 5k program today, the hottest day of the year so far.  But I couldn't go back on my promise to myself, especially since I am meeting with the surgeon on Wednesday and I want to be able to report good things to him.  I felt like I was in hell, the way the track was radiating heat upwards to my face.  I quit early, but I did more than I did yesterday (nothing), so I'm not going to be too hard on  myself.  I just need to remember the deodorant for Wednesday, ha!

Initial appointment(s)

The hospital where I had my initial Bariatric Surgery appointments is the Rolls Royce of hospitals.  It's also a huge medical campus and quite a freakin' maze.  I signed in and was set up at a computer, where I had to answer almost 350 T/F questions.  Then came the hour-long appointment with the psychologist.  She asked me about past attempts for weight loss, psychiatric history, support systems, etc.  I then had to run over to an adjoining building for an EKG, bloodwork, and chest X-rays. 

Then BACK to the original building for an hour-long appointment with the Nutritionist.  That appointment was absolutely not what I was expecting.  I thought they were going to have me go on a diet immediately, to help kick start the weight loss before the surgery.  Nope, it was all to prepare me on what my diet will consist of after the surgery.  They gave me tons of recommendations that I need to put into place now, so I am used to them after the surgery.  Since I'm a vegetarian, I need to increase the protein in my diet, and add a protein shake into the mix for breakfast.  I need to switch to decaf  (or herbal) tea and downgrade to half-caff coffee.  No more carbonated beverages.  There are more suggestions, but those are the ones I'm working on right now.  I told them I was going to start the C25K program and they set a goal for me to lose 20lbs by my appointment mid-September.  They admitted it's not really how much or little I lose, just that I maintain and not gain.  That's what the insurance company is looking for.  If I gain weight while being advised by a nutritionist, I won't be very compliant with my post-surgery diet, now will I?

I meet with the surgeon this coming Wednesday.  I have no idea what to expect at that appointment!

As of this initial appointment, I am officially 261.0 lbs according to the medical scale.

Busy living life - updates galore!

Holy guacamole, I can't believe it's been over a month since I've written anything!

There have been broken bones, several incidents of falling off the bed, and an ADHD diagnosis to boot! Kindergarten and preschool promotions, a job promotion, and tons of cavities. 

The biggest news is that I am now a single lady (holla!).  Or maybe it's Divorcee.  When I started this process, I was positive we'd never be able to settle anything on our own.  We couldn't get work together in the marriage, why would it start now?  The Ex lives in dreamland, so he was sure we'd come to a good settlement without outside help.  That is, as long as I agreed to everything he wanted.  If I did that, we'd still be married.  And homeless.  And living in Texas.  On the day of our final pretrial, we agreed to almost everything.  We just had to hammer out a few smaller details regarding the kids.  We always lived a materially separate life (not even mixing our CDs together), so the inatimate objects were a non-issue for us to divide.  But how do you divide people?  The day of the final hearing was a bit of a surprise.  I learned the night before - and was sworn to secrecy - that it wasn't really a hearing at all.  It was the court's last-ditch attempt to scare us into settling.  Since I knew I would have gotten a better deal (but spent loads more money) in a hearing, I wasn't really worried either way regarding a settlement.  Ex arrived to court (for the first time) wearing a suit.  So apparently he wasn't clued into the pretend-hearing from his lawyer.  Not surprising, since his lawyer knew that he was very likely not getting paid anything above the retainer.  It doesn't take long to get past Ex's facade and learn his modis operandi.  In the end, I am happy with what we settled on.  I believe Ex is ok with it too.  He's said a mopey comment or two about his visitation, but he agreed to it without ANY argument, so it's probably for pity.

Tomorrow is my big day of appointments, in preparation for Bariatric Surgery.  I can't wait!  It will be a long day, and I wish I had a friend to go with me for moral support, but I didn't even bother asking anyone, since it will be super boring for them.  I'll just bring a book, and wish I was better at knitting :)  I have been saying goodbye to all my favorite foods, one by one, over the past few months.  Surprisingly, I didn't gain a ton of weight doing so.  Maybe because I'm already big, and I didn't binge.  I only bought 1 bag of my favorite chips, one last favorite pizza, etc.  And of course I shared with my 3 favorite Littles.  I can't wait for this new, healthy life to start!

A long-awaited journey, step 1

I have always been a chubby kid.  As far back as 6, I remember being bigger than normal.  I have a picture of me in ballet class and I already had the beginning of a stomach pooch.  The kind women get after having a baby.  But I got mine at age 6.  I have several friends who have had weight loss surgery, and I have wanted and planned to have it done when I was done having kids.  Now that I am (almost) divorced and have no interest in having sex anytime soon, it is the perfect time to get the ball rolling. 

I am lucky enough to live very close to a world-class, top rated hospital.  I watched the online weight loss seminar and took the required follow-up quiz (and scored 100%).  A few days later I completed my medical history questionnaire online.  After a very long 10 day wait, I received a letter in the mail outlining the next steps that will happen.  In 10 days I will get another letter outlining all my appointments necessary before getting this life-changing surgery.  I am excited but nervous.  I know this is a wonderful new beginning.  It will help me be a better, more involved mom.  I will have more energy, be able to be more active, and have much better health.  I do feel like a bit of a failure for not being able to do it on my own, but I do need to learn to ask for help when I need it.  And this time I need it!  I am DONE beating myself up for a number on the scale.  I am done with the emotional eating.  I WILL be more healthy, inside and out.  Since I am still fairly anonymous online, I plan to be brutally honest about the process, both physically and mentally.

As of today, I weigh 260.5.  Not that I am counting or focusing on my weight.  But I do want to record it for posterity.  

Soap play dough recipe

I'm posting this here since it's the only way I can seem to pin it! Soap play dough Recipe

Unwrap a bar of Ivory soap and place it on a paper plate. Place in the microwave. Heat on high for about 60 seconds, until the bar is covered with foam, or the foam looks like it will overflow the plate.



Peel the foamy parts off the bar and set aside. Return the rest of the bar to the microwave and heat, 30 seconds at a time. Keep peeling the foamy parts off add them to the bowl until the entire bar of soap has become foam. Once the foam has cooled, break up the chunks with a fork or your fingers.



For a soap play dough that can be stored in a closed container for two weeks, add 1 drop food coloring, 2 tsp water and 2 tsp vegetable oil to a cop of soap flakes (made above). Mix together with a fork and then with your fingers. This dough will be extremely soft and sticky. After a day or two in storage with will become a nice dough. Store in a plastic lidded container.

Products I love - Neutrogena Norwegian Formula® Hand Cream

Hi, my name is Miss Rantypants and I am a lotion addict. With three kids and no dishwasher, my hands are constantly in hot water. Since two of those kids are boys, I am also constantly washing my hands since, lets face it, boys are disgusting. Between finding skidmarks while sorting laundry and cleaning up after a failed target practice in the bathroom, I wash my hands as much as an OCD sufferer on the weekend. At work, I handle a ton of paperwork which is also drying. To complicate things I also have dyshidrosis. I've tried most lotions that advertise their "super healing properties". They have all fallen short. They are either so scented that they are more drying than healing, so greasy that it makes me want to wash my hands immediately after applying it, or so weak that I need to reapply several times between hand washings.
I was excited to join the BzzCampaign for Neutrogena Norwegian Formula® Hand Cream. I was also skeptical and prepared to be disappointed. The cream is thick like petroleum jelly, which made me nervous that it would be greasy. That wasn't the case at all - although it goes on thick, it absorbs into your hands and doesn't leave them greasy at all. When I started using it, my nails were chipping and the skin around my nails was peeling and bloody. Gross, but I even tried to take a picture of it for a "before & after" shot, but it didn't come out clear enough. I've been using this hand cream exclusively for about a week now and my hands are completely healed! I have a teensy .5oz tube at work and I still have several applications left - you really only do need a little! A sample tube of any other kind of lotion I have tried would have been gone in less than a day. I'm sold! This is now my lotion of choice. It works so well on me that I'm very tempted to try it on my daughter who has severe eczema (the worst case her doctor has ever seen), but she's still too young for me to experiment on. perhaps when she's older I will let her take the unscented version for a test drive of her own. As part of being a BzzAgent, I received a sample box of Alpha-Bits and coupons. My opinion is my own, and I'm not shy about giving it.