J. Jensen

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I still have some pain with my incisions and my back pain is pretty awful, so I have been popping my dilaudid. Clearly that's why I thought I was already 3 weeks post-op. HAHAHA! No!

I have been weighing myself every morning. Today I am down 19 lbs total. Pretty awesome. Next week my plan is to kick up my walking a notch. I have to travel to Illinois for work so at the hotel I will get on the treadmill as long as I can (goal is 30 mins), every day. I will listen to my body though.

I made the bestest smoothie for breakfast. I chopped up a banana, had a few slices of frozen peaches, one tablespoon of peanut butter, and 2 scoops of Isopure protein powder. I drank some, put the rest in the fridge for later. The peanut butter was awesome for taste. I've grown to like smoothies for breakfast. It's easy to make for me, and easy to drink on the go. My job is hectic so this will probably be a breakfast staple for me. I'm going to have to check my bag so I can bring my blender, but it's one of those individual blenders. My hotel has refrigerators and microwaves so I will grocery shop when I get in on Sunday, and be all set for the week. And my customer is a hospital, so how awesome is that? LOL. I feel like I will be in a safe zone. 

My steri-strips haven't fallen off yet. Tomorrow is my post-op appt with Dr. Rupp so we'll see what he says. I think I am doing well. So far no complications other than a bit of an elevated temp for a few hours when I got home.

Is anyone else going to the Tuesday night support group in MN - I think it's Woodbury but I have to check my email. Might be considered Lake Elmo. I forget ;) 

I stepped on the scale today and found that I am down 18 lbs. I am taking my vitamins and making sure to get all my protein. Recently I went to the bookstore and got the "Everything" book about WLS and it includes a lot of great recipes. I also took a look at the Realize My Success web site and they also have a lot of recipes there. Last night I made a smoothie that had blended and frozen peaches and a banana, as well as almond milk. I think I will modify this to include vanilla protein powder for an extra kick in the morning. :)

I know I just barely started on this journey but it sure is nice to see the scale going in the downwards direction. I can't wait until I'm down 40 lbs. 20 lbs is awesome but I know from losing weight before that I really won't be able to tell much from how I look until I am down about 40. We will see, though! I know I shouldn't focus on the scale. But I really am doing what I am supposed to. It is a good feeling. I no longer feel sick from the foods that I eat. I know that eating too many carbs before gave me stomach pain and I am actually trying a gluten free diet to see if that helps. I know I can't have any bread or rice for 3 months but it is worth it.

 Well, I did it! And I'm home from the hospital. Recovery is taking some time, as expected. I tire easily and have to take a lot of naps. But I am glad I made this decision. I just started phase 2, so I am enjoying protein shakes and just tried oatmeal today. That went down all right. I am down 13 lbs and I look forward to weighing myself every day. I just wish I were already healed so I could take longer walks. I know I will get there.

You know, irony can be a real b*tch sometimes. I was bemoaning the fact that it has taken so long to get to the Day of Surgery (over 2 years, in fact), and now that I will be leaving in just over an hour to go to the hospital, it feels like I'm rushed and that I don't have enough time to get ready to leave.

HAHAHAHA!!! Life sure is funny sometimes.

I've got my protein powder, Isopure drinks, jello, broth, popsicles, measuring cups, Magic Bullet. I've got my vitamins coming soon, but in the meantime, I've at least got chewables that will tide me over till the reinforcements come. I am not really sure why the Flintstones chewables get promoted so much, but as my chiropractor not so lovingly said about them, "They're crap, and I don't want you putting that into your body."

I cuddled with my dogs this morning, checked up on some emails, and I've only got some expense reports to do in the next hour before my friend gets here to pick me up. I just want to get through this surgery and the recovery. I just want it to be next year already. I'm sure, though, that suddenly it will be NEXT Christmas and I'll look back on this day with a laugh and a smile. That is my hope, anyway.

I will see my new friend Lisa at United Hospital later this evening, probably when we are both out doing our walking. She is a great buddy to have. Very positive and enthusiastic and probably more importantly, well informed. I'm glad I checked with her on some of the things she bought - I got the same stuff!

Well, back to work. Hopefully I get these darn work expenses put in before I have to go.

Wish me luck! :) See y'all on the flip side.

After I went to the mandatory pre-op class at United Hospital on Friday, it really did start to sink in - my life is going to change forever on Tuesday (10/5/10) after I have this surgery. Am I ready? Yes. Am I nervous? Oh, yes. But I am tired of the perpetual cycle of loss and gain, and I want so desperately to be healthy and to be able to fit into normal sized clothes. I finally told my mom last night, and while she is very concerned about me taking this step, at least she said she would support me and be there for me. There is definitely an element of shame to overcome. Shame that I let myself get to this point, shame that I feel I should've been able to handle my weight better. But I know that this is in large part genetic. Women in my family have all struggled with their weights. And I'm not going to beat myself up (at least, I'm going to try not to) anymore.

I am done living my life cautiously. I am done living my life for others and not myself.

I know there are going to be some tears in my immediate future, but I know from talking to my psychologist that having a post-op plan for support is really going to help me. This website is part of that endeavor.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone.