Sleeping like Darth Vader!

....or at least that's how Jason see's it!

On Monday I went and picked up my c-pap machine and last night was the first night I slept with it and the jury is still out! It wasn't the worst night of sleep I've ever had but it wasn't the best. I'm sure that once I get acclimated to it that it will be better but man it sure was strange being hooked up to that thing!

I'm really looking forward to the benefits of it though and hopeful that I'll get used to it fairly quickly!

On another note, I called my insurance company today to see if my procedure had been authorized and they informed me that I'm good to go. It's approved!

I also set up my last appointment with the surgeon today as well. I have that next Wednesday, February 8th. That is the last appointment that I'll have before I go in for surgery. My doctor will go over all of the results of my pre-op tests and we will schedule a date.

It feels SO good to be able to know that this whole process is almost over and the light at the end of the tunnel is finally approaching!!

Now starts my pre-op diet! High protein, low fat and replacing meals with protein shakes.I think Pinterest is REALLY going to be coming in handy for recipes and ideas!! :)

Sleeeeeepy!

I've been slacking on my posting but geez, things have just been crazy!

I got a call this past Tuesday telling me that my sleep study results came back showing that I was suffering from sleep apnea during the night and that I would have to go back in for another sleep study. So last Friday I went in and was lucky enough to get hooked up to all of the wires again plus a mask. Ohhh boy, that was gonna be the highlight of my week! haha The tech who was working that night was a lot less creepy and seemed to take more time in applying the leads and overall just made it a lot more comfortable for me.

When I was woken up the next morning I was SHOCKED at how much better I felt. It didn't feel like I was in a fog or even sleepy. It was wonderful! Now I'm just waiting on the company to call me to come in and get fitted for my own machine to keep at home. Honestly, I'm really looking forward to getting it and I really hope that I notice a big difference on a daily basis.

Now I'm just waiting on the call from my surgeon's office to set me up with my pre-op appointment to come in and set my date. I hope they call soon because I'm getting sort of anxious and want to have a date already!! :)

My birthday is coming up this weekend and I have a last minute surprise that my best friend, Chris is going to come visit from Oklahoma. His partner got a job out there and they moved in May so it's been quite awhile since I've seen him. I am SO excited! Not only is he coming to visit me for the weekend but he'll be here for my birthday! I couldn't ask for a better birthday present! I'm also looking forward to spending time with my family and friends this weekend.

One last thing I'm looking forward to.....this being the last birthday that I'll be in plus sizes, ever!

Ticker!

Well, great news from both doctors today!


The psychiatrist doesn't think I'm crazy and the cardiologist thinks my ticker is just fine! AMEN! :)


So now I am just waiting for the results to get back to my doctor from the sleep study. Once they get that, everything will be submitted to my insurance company. The nurse said to expect it to take a week for a reply-even though I know it won't take even close to a week. It takes a day or two at the most.


After that is done I'll schedule a pre-op appointment with the surgeon and that's when I'll set a date for the procedure.


I'm so glad to have that all behind me and I'm really looking forward to the next step!!


One step closer to a healthy life! :)

A few bumps

"Nobody said it was going to be easy!" (referring to life)....whoever came up with this was definitely on to something!


I got a call on Tuesday of this past week from the surgeon's office telling me that more of my pre-op test results came back. My vitamin D levels are too low and my EKG came back abnormal.


Ok, not the worse news in the world.


For the vitamin D, they called me in a script for some 50,000 units of vitamin D. (seems like a crazy amount when your used to medications being measured in milligrams and I guess D is measured in units, anywho...) So I'll be taking the vit. D once a week for 8 weeks. It's not going to prevent them from clearing me for the surgery but I will have to be retested once I get a little closer to surgery just to make sure the suppliment is working how it should. They also suggested that I spend more time in the sun.


As far as the EKG goes, they referred me to a cardiologist and my appointment for that is tomorrow (Monday). I'm not too concerned with that for right now because I've heard it's not uncommon for EKG's to come back abnormal...the leads being hooked up wrong, or having a stressful day, etc can throw it out of wack. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it turns out ok and the cardiologist clears me for surgery. I've gone through a lot to get to the point I'm at in this process and I'd be really upset if something like this prevented me from getting it done. But-thankfully I'll know more tomorrow! :)


Monday is going to be sort of busy for me. Thankfully our office's are closed and I have the day off! I have the appointment with the psychiatrist at 10am in Cary. I had originally scheduled this appointment for last week but ended up changing it because I had a nasty sinus infection and stayed home from work. At 1:45 I have my appointment at the cardiologist which is also in Cary. If I'm looking at it right I think both offices are very close to one another so more than likely I'll have plenty of time to kill between them. Perhaps Jason & I can have lunch together since I'll be near his work too! That'd be nice, we never get to do stuff like that since we don't work near each other at all.


Thursday night was the night from H-E-L-L!! And that's me being nice. lol


Thursday I had my sleep study at the sleep clinic in Cary. I worked till 5:45, jumped in the car, headed to Apex to meet Heather for a long over-due dinner date, and headed on over to the office. I had to be there by 8pm. I get there, watch a super cheesy video on sleep apnea, they got my vital signs and sent me back to the room. Told me to go ahead and change into my pj's and they'd come back in around 10 to get me all hooked up to everything. The room looked like a sad attempt at a hotel room. Fairly nuetral, calming paint on the walls, a surprisingly comfortable murphy bed (ya know the beds that fold up into a cabinet or a wall), there was a flat screen on the wall and a large chair. I also had a bathroom w/a shower and such that was as sterile as a hospital. And that's it. haha I thought to myself that they could've at least hung one picture on a wall, but I guess not. ha!


Oh! I forgot, there was also a video camera on the ceiling and an intercom system that would all be activated once they got me hooked up and to "sleep"....because the 15 wires you're about to hook up to my body isn't bad enough-you'll be watching AND listening to me while I sleep. Awesome! lol


Does anyone remember the movie "Mr. Deeds". Do you remember the butler character in the movie? He was sort of creapy and popped up out of no where all the time? ....Enter Tony-the sleep clinic tech who was going to be there all night and the one who would be hooking me up and everything.

I don't need to say any more on that. LOL

So 10pm comes and Tony gets me all wired up and I look like some sort of sick science project. I then got to have the worst night of sleep I've ever had. The longest period of time I slept was for about 2 hours. Then it was tossing and turning all night, sleeping in 5 minute intervals, along with crazy strange dreams, and it ended by being woken up at 5am.

I didn't realize that I'd be getting that little bit of sleep or else I would've taken Friday off work or scheduled it on a Friday night when I didn't have to work the next day.

I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that when the doctor reads the test results that I don't have sleep apnea. If for some reason I do, I'll have to go back to the sleep clinic, get hooked up the exact same way and then have an oxygen mask added to it. Woohoo-that'd for sure be a great time!

All of this preop drama is just about to be over and I'm very glad! I'm ready to move onto the next step and get my date scheduled. I'll be sure to post again within the next few days once I get some answers on things. Keep your fingers crossed for great news!! :)

Making a List!

I'm starting to get slightly over-whelmed with all of the things I keep thinking about that I need to do before surgery. So, to make it easier, I think I'll compose a list of all the random things I need to do. As I think of stuff I will be adding to it.

1. Buy protein shake mix that I'll need-flavored and unflavored
2. Stock up on clear liquids and soups
3. Get FMLA paper work filled out at follow up visit and turned in to HR
4. Find out what items I'll need to take with me to the hospital
5. Figure out who is going to be around to help me out once Jason goes back to work
6. Get Toby's nails clipped (haha not directly related to the surgery, but I still need to get it done)
7. SET A DATE!

Bringing it Back

.....My smile that is.


So the main reason I started this blog was because I want to share a major life event with you all...my friends & family. I have posted some stuff on facebook and people have inquired so I want to spill the beans.


In February I am going to have weight loss surgery (WLS). I am going to have a procedure done called vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Within 12 to 18 months I will loose around 100lbs.


I have battled with my weight my entire life and within the past year or so it has gotten to the point where I am feeling the effects of it on a day to day basis.


I have done a lot of research and I'm confident that this is what I need to do to have a better and healthier life. It will eliminate my high blood pressure almost immediately, it will prevent me from getting diabetes which is very prevalent in my family, and it will ensure that when I go to have children down the road that I will be much healthier then I am now.


I plan to use this blog to document my journey.


Last Friday I had appointments at REX hospital in Raleigh to get pre-op clearance for surgery. I spent the entire morning getting poked and prodded to ensure that my body was going to be able to handle the procedure. Everything from that checked out good and I'm glad to have that behind me.


I have three more pre-op appointments next week. I have to meet with a nutritionist, a psychiatrist and also spend the night at a sleep clinic so that they can monitor me while I sleep. After those three things are done I will be completely cleared for surgery and I will set my date.


My goal is to have it done either February 9th or 16th.


I think I'm going to have to make February my new favorite month. February 14th of last year was the date that I quit smoking and now mid-month this year I will be starting my "new" lifestyle.  :)


It is going to be a major life adjustment but I am so very ready for what is to come! 2012 is the year of ME! I'm very thankful to have the support of everyone around me and look forward to finding my smile again!