Weeks 2 and 3 Progress

I just realized I forgot to make a week 2 report. My husband has had surgery two out of the last three weeks so I have been a bit busy. He has at least one more coming up so please pray for him. We are hoping this will be the last one.

Week Two went pretty much the same as Week One. I could tell that my stomach was starting to shrink because I wasn't as hungry as I was the previous week. Some moments were hard, but all in all it was a success. Week Two revealed a second 10 pound weight loss. I was surprised. Usually, your first week's loss will always be higher than the consecutive weeks.

Week Three was a bit easier in some ways. I had more cravings. I had a doctor's appointment that I freaked out over. My weight loss is progressing, yes, but When your starting weight is 360 (2012) it takes a pretty significant weight loss to be able to SEE it. It is hard to believe it is really happening. My rings are getting very lose, though. John says he can see it in my arms, but I still cannot see it. Friday, I weighed in at my biggest loss so far. I lost eleven pounds. That brought  my total to 31 pounds in three weeks. This milestone also brought me to a place I have only seen one other time in my adult life. I am under three hundred pounds!!! I am very proud of myself. I can't weight to see what my next weigh-in brings.

I have had a few people who have asked what I am doing to lose the weight. Each day I have a Slim Fast shake for breakfast and lunch. I use the powder that I mix with milk. I have tried the pre-mixed shakes and I do not like them. For dinner, I have been eating frozen meals. Everything is pre-packaged and microwavable. This makes things easy and I cannot over-eat. I make sure my dinner meal is no more than 500 calories. My bedtime snack has been a Special K Meal bar.   This helps make sure that my blood sugar levels do not get too low during the night. I am currently taking 2 different pills and a shot of insulin. I was on a third medication that I had to stop taking because my blood sugar was getting too low. Now, I only take that medicine on my "cheat days." Each week, I allow myself a cheat day. I can eat whatever I want on that day. On this day, I still count calories just for my own information, though. It is good to see how quickly those calories build up.

I want you to understand that each person's journey will be different. Some people need more restriction in some areas and are just fine in others. Not everyone will lose 10 pounds a week. (I don't know how long I will continue to do so.) It is important to understand that a person who does this plan weighing 330 pounds will probably lose a lot more than another person who does the exact same thing yet only weighs 180. The important thing is just do not get discouraged. You will get there.

Blessings,

Mama

Week 1 Progress

Monday, I started drinking slim fast. This week has been harder at some points than I thought it would be but easier at others. I don't really like the taste, but I am getting used to it. I had a couple slip ups, but did well for the most part.

Yesterday, I weighed myself. I was disappointed to see that I had only lost ten pounds. I know that is a lot to most people, but I had worked REALLY hard and expected the results to show more weight loss. With that being said, I did weigh a couple days early. I shouldn't have weighed until Monday. My weight loss averages out to two pounds a day so I suppose that isn't too bad. I know that is not bad. Why do I have to be so hard on myself? I am hoping that this week's numbers are as good, if not better.

Blessings,

Mama

New Plan

Life is crazy as always. It seems like that is the story of my life. I am trying to embrace it, though. What other choice do I have? I have spent years trying to fight the crazy, but that didn't work so I gave in. ;-) 

I started a new diet plan today. I am going to try Slim Fast. I tried it many years ago, but I didn't like the taste of it. So far, it's not been too bad. I am hungry, but nothing I cannot handle. I am going to lose this weight one way or another. 

Blessings, 

Mama

Health Update

This blog is going to be TMI. You have been warned so if you wish to spare yourself, read no further.

About 2 months ago I started having really bad abdominal cramping. It felt like it was around my ovaries. It got to the point that it would take my breath away so I went to see a Gynecologist. He is my best friend's doctor. When I got into see him, he did an exam and said everything "looked good." He wanted to send me for an ultrasound though. His tech wasn't in that day, so I was scheduled. I had to end up rescheduling, though. I had my ultrasound about two weeks ago. I have PCOS so my uterine lining was thicker than they wanted it to be. The tech also found a polyp. The doctor scheduled me for a D&C and a Polypectomy. I had that done on Thursday, July 30th.

The morning of my surgery, I went in and did all of the normal pre-op stuff. I was pretty freaked out. It took two tries to get my IV started. Five days later, both of my hands are still sore. Surgery went well, but the doctor found a second polyp. He told my husband that both of the polyps looked good so he didn't expect cancer out of either of them. He was worried about this prior to surgery, though.

Healing from surgery has been interesting. I still have some tenderness from the surgery. I am extremely tired, but having CFS that is to be expected, I guess. What wasn't expected was that I woke up from surgery with the underside of my left arm completely numb. It stared out in a small spot, but as the day went on, it worked it's way almost completely up my arm. I feel everything on my outer arm, but I don't feel anything on the underside. Most people experience the sleep/pins and needles feeling when they are numb. I feel nothing. I can touch/pinch my arm, but feel nothing.

Friday, I went in for my routine lab work to be done. I talked to him about my arm. He said he wanted to wait until today to make sure it didn't go away. Now, he's scheduling me for an EMG/nerve study. Yeah, that sounds like fun! All of my labs were normal. My A1C has dropped 1.9 points to 6.4. I am pretty proud of myself Yay!!


Blessings,

Mama

Stressed Out Mommy Syndrome

I don't know if that is a medical diagnosis or not, but that is where I am right now. I am in the "Stressed Out Mommy" village right now. It is not where I want to be or where I want to parent from, but it is where I am.

Sometime last week, I noticed my body showing signs of stress. My teeth were starting to clench involuntarily. My neck and upper back started hurting. Now, I am starting to suffer from stress headaches.

I have suffered from headaches most of my life, but these are a bit different. They usually start in my neck and upper back before they proceed to a full-blown headache that I cannot get rid of. I will never forget the first one I got. No matter what I did, it wouldn't go away. I was eighteen. I was working at a convenience store. At the time, I was their best employee. I would work shifts that no one else would. I would go in and work when others called in. You could say that I was married to my job, but I was 18 with no other real responsibilities so it worked. When I wasn't working, I was babysitting. My body kept screaming it had enough, but I wouldn't listen. I developed a headache that would not go away. I took Tylenol, but it didn't help. Advil didn't help either. During this time I tried every over-the-counter pain reliever that was available. I was given some prescription medicine by my doctor that didn't help either.

I was sent for an MRI because of my history of a brain tumor, but it was clear. Finally, the doctor said that it was stress. He sent me for physical therapy. That brought my pain level from insane to manageable during the therapy sessions, but within hours I felt like I was dying again. I finally had to quit my job. Finally, after about 18 months the pain went away. I know it sounds crazy to say I had a headache for 18 months, but it was seriously one never-ending headache. I suffer from stress headaches and migraines now, but nothing as bad as that one. Still, the fear is there when I start seeing the signs of a stress headache.

Now, I am searching for ways to relieve my stress. My therapist moved out of the area about a month ago. I am currently waiting for my new one to get back from vacation, so I can schedule an appointment with her. I am journaling and trying other stress relieving techniques. Hopefully, this will end soon.

Blessings,

Mama

Bad Days, Depression and Other Ramblings

I have been blessed to have some really good days lately. There have been some really bad struggles, but all in all it had been good.  Almost two weeks ago  my wallet, including a tidy sum of cash, was stolen from Wal-mart while we were shopping. I freaked out at first. I quickly realized it was one of those situations where I just had to trust God. I had no other choice. My brother suggested starting a gofundme account. While all of the money didn't get replaced, I am pleased to say, thanks to my generous friends and family, that we recovered almost half of what was taken. I was fully experiencing the feeling of being held in the arms of Jesus. Until...

For people who suffer from depression, you can feel really good one day/moment and the next is something completely different. This morning was a perfect example of that. I woke up this morning wanting to do nothing other than get out of the house for a bit. John had things he needed to do, though so I stayed. Once he had completed what he needed to do, he offered me a few minutes out of the house before he had to leave for work, but I chose to stay home. 

There are so many things going through my mind and my heart today that it is just weighing on me. Some of the things are things I can control/fix and others are completely out of my control, but plague me nonetheless. So I sit here just doing my best to fight off the feelings of the impending panic attack my body seems intent on having and counting down the hours until I can unwind with a bit of tv before I go to sleep. 

Mama

The Moment I Stopped Breathing

So many things have been going on in my world this week. My husband, who has worked two jobs most of our marriage finally said goodbye to his second employer. His last day was Monday night, Isaiah's birthday. Monday night, on his way to his second job, his car broke down. I have spent most of the week taking him back and forth to work.

Today, I was on my way home when I called my best friend, Stephanie. She had surgery on Monday so I wanted to call and check on her. We talked for a few moments and I noticed she wasn't quite herself. This was more than the I-just-had-surgery voice. Then she said the words that made me lose my breath. She said the doctor called her and told her she has cancer.

I met Stephanie a few years ago at church. She said she noticed that we kept coming in with more and more children so she knew I had to be a foster parent. She and I started talking on facebook and hanging out. We soon found out that we were each others long lost twin. Ok, not really, but it sure seems that way. She has six kids. I have five. We are both SAHM. I could write a book about our similarities, but I will spare you. No matter how similar we are, we are as different as night and day. I homeschool and can't imagine that will ever change. She says she could never do it. I am very high strung, and she is more relaxed. I am very quiet and more reserved where she is VERY outgoing. God didn't just bless me with a friend, or even a best friend. She is my sister.

I have sat here today trying to process everything. I have prayed for many people over the years who have cancer or a serious illness, but it's a different ball game when it hits so close to home. I don't know what tomorrow holds or what the medical action plan will be at this point. What I do know is that I will be there for her every step of the way. At this moment I do feel helpless because I don't know what to do for her. I would take this burden from her if I could, but I cannot.

I share all of this with you for this reason. Please keep her in your prayers. Add her to your prayer list, your church's prayer list, share the request on facebook - whatever! Please just pray for her. Pray for her emotional health as well as her physical one.

Blessings,

Mama