My Chains are GONE!

Do you know what you were doing one year ago today?  On October 29, 2014, I was most likely dragging my poor husband and an IV pole down the hallway of Wise Regional Medical Center in Decatur, TX.  Of course there is also the very real possibility that I was sleeping off a dose of pain medicine from my PCA.  Today is a huge milestone in my life!  It is the first anniversary of the gastric sleeve procedure that changed, and most likely saved, my life.  It was, without a doubt, one of the single best things I have ever done for myself.

On my birthday of 2014, Emily and I made the trip to Decatur for my pre-op appointment.  I weighed in at 231 pounds, the absolute heaviest I had ever been in my life.  The next day, I had an EGD, a scope down my esophagus and into my stomach, to check for a hiatal hernia.  Emily took this photo of us later that afternoon as we were preparing to go out and do a little shopping to kill time.

Those pants and the top were size XXL

That evening, Todd joined us in Decatur.  On Wednesday, October 29, we all woke up early to head to the hospital to check me in for the surgery.  I will spare you all the details, but I will say that Dr. Scott Stowers and his amazing team took me back into the OR and removed 80% of my stomach.  The staff of Wise Regional Medical Center took wonderful care of me, as did my sweet man.  I vaguely remember my sister, Heather, and stepmom, Pam, coming to see me.  (Demerol is a fabulous medication...especially for a lightweight like me.)  I do remember being extremely THIRSTY!  I was not allowed to have even an ice chip by mouth.

The next morning, my nurse brought me something I absolutely could not wait to get my hands on...WATER!!!  ONE. WHOLE. OUNCE!!!  I sipped on those 30 mL of that cool, clear liquid as if they were the last drops on earth!!! After a nice warm shower, lots of discharge instructions, and a quick nap, we headed home.

This past year has been one of the most exciting of my life!  As the pounds melt away, my confidence and self esteem have increased exponentially.  Each milestone has brought with it a new level of freedom.  My joints and bones no longer scream at me as I get out of bed or walk from my car to my office.  I no longer get short of breath during that walk, either.  I have gone from being able to consume only about 1/8 to 1/4 of a cup of food at each meal, to about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup.  I have just learned to choose my very favorite bite each time I put the fork to my mouth...just in case I cannot take another.  I'm kind of a cheap date.  I often just eat part of Todd or Emily's meal if they are ordering something I like.  I still do not dare drink any liquids during a meal or for at least 30 minutes afterward, but I'm OK with that.  I just get my water in a to-go cup (because it's just like I like it) and drink it when I'm able.  I have so much energy now!  My zest for life has returned in the most amazing way!

I have been very transparent about my surgery, even before I had it done.  Mainly because that's just how I am, but also because I LOVE to talk about how it changed the course of my life to anyone else who is traveling down the same road. I have actually had people say, "Oh, you took the easy way out."  I hate to say this, but that makes me wanna punch them in the throat!   Obesity is a prison in which too many Americans are held captive.  It doesn't have to be that way, though.  My gastric sleeve, along with my decision to make the necessary lifestyle changes to maintain my weight loss and remain healthy, has set this captive free.  No matter how you slice it, it is a drastic lifestyle changer.  So, in spite of what many think, it is NOT the easy way.  For me, and so many others like me, it was the ONLY way because I had failed at every other way.  

So here I go!  Headed straight for 50, but I plan to arrive there fit and healthy!  I am down to 160 pounds to date.  That's a whopping 71 pounds, or an average adolescent, off my body!  My ultimate goal is to see how 150 looks and feels, but, for the first time in my entire adult life, I am not a slave to the scales.  In fact, I only weigh about every 4-6 weeks now, just out of curiosity.  I am wearing medium tops and pants, and my number size has dropped from 20 to 10!  I LOVE shopping for clothes now ( maybe a little too much), and getting dressed in the mornings is so much fun!

There is absolutely nothing I would do differently if I had it to do all over again.  At first I said I would've done it sooner if I had a redo, but I don't even think that is true now.  I believe it happened at precisely the right time.  I am just so very thankful it happened!

Blessings!

These are the capris (size 18) I wore to my pre-op appointment.  They were TIGHT!

October...

Ahhhh!  October! There is no more wondrous month of the year!  Though the other eleven months possess charm unique to each of them, those 31 days of October captivate my soul with their own particular brand of enchantment!  What is it about October, though that makes my heart go pitter patter more than any other month?  Being the perpetual listmaker that I am, I shall comprise an inventory of the reasons this tenth month of the year is so dear to my heart.

1.  The sky begins to take on an entirely new hue on October 1.  It somehow becomes softer, clearer, crisper.  It is on this day that I usually make multiple trips to the storage building to drag out the many containers packed with pumpkins, witches, and goblins which will decorate my home for the next 31 days.

2.  Sweaters, boots, and scarves!  (Eventually.  After all, this is Texas.)

3.  Columbus Day.  I don't know why, but I've always liked that holiday.  When I was a little girl, we actually didn't have school on Columbus Day.  I have fond memories of the little poem, "Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492..." (I don't remember the rest, but there was something about the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.)

4.  Fall fragrances!  I especially love Mulled Cider, Pumpkin Spice, and apple-anything-or-another. 

5.  Salted Caramel Mocha from Starbucks. PSL just doesn't do for me what that cup of chocolatey, caramelly, salty yumminess does.

6.  Cool, crisp mornings and evenings spent on the patio.

7.  Potpourri.  Now this is a delicacy only known to our family and friends close enough to be privy to its existence.  It is comprised of two simple ingredients...candy corn and cashews (or peanuts).  Many know of this delicious mixture, but few know its "Toddified" name. You're welcome.

8.  The warmth of the heater in my car, especially the first time I turn off the AC.

9.  The moon.  I love the moon year round, but that October moon...  There is none other like it, no matter the phase.

10.  My birthday!  There is just something tangibly different about the way it feels to wake up on the morning of one's birthday.  It's as if you don't realize what day it is right away, but as you begin to rub the sleep from your eyes, there is a gradual realization that this is, in fact, the anniversary of the day on which you landed on this planet, took your first breath, and the clock of your life began to tick. Tick. Tock.  I love my birthday, but who doesn't?  (And if you don't love your birthday, you should definitely reconsider your relationship with this day.  After all, the alternative of having birthdays is, well rather grim.)

This birthday, my last to celebrate on this side of 50, has been one of my best ever!  Last night, as a pre-birthday treat, Emily took me to dinner on the patio of a Mexican restaurant in Abilene.  (I LOVE eating on the patio!)  This morning, as I stumbled into the kitchen for my morning coffee, I was greeted by an adorable metal rooster crafted especially for me by my sweet man. 

 As I pointed my car west to head down the dirt road from my house to the highway, I saw the most brilliant, fullest October moon at the end of the road.  

Just. For. Me.  That same moon followed me to work on my right hand, as the sun peeked over the horizon on my left, painting the sky the most lovely shades of pink, purple, and blue.  I love this photo of the moon over a field of round haybale pumpkins! 

 Although I was at work, my entire day was scattered with birthday wishes and hugs.  It was priceless!

Once I arrived home, I was greeted by my sweet mini Schnauzer, Ellie Mae, and her brother, Buck, the chocolate Lab.  They are always so glad to see me, even if I've only been gone a couple of minutes.  They led me into the kitchen where their daddy had prepared a birthday party, complete with cake, candles, birthday banner, flowers, and a metal rooster with a birthday hat sitting on the barstool!  Made me giddy!  I have the sweetest man in the world!  

So, as the day draws to a close, I am now almost 364 days away from the BIG 5-0.  Another October is also preparing to exit and make way for her sister, November.  In preparation for that monumental anniversary of my birth, I plan to live my life to its absolute fullest!  I will use the good dishes, dance when I feel like it (even if it embarrasses my kids), make time for my man (and myself), visit my relatives, take some photos, write, laugh, cry, hug more, waste less...I will LIVE!  The clock, after all, is ticking.  Let us not waste time.  Tick. Tock.