Update

Things on my journey are going really well right now. I am feeling good and staying really busy. It is less than seven weeks away from surgery and I am getting really excited. I was offered the opportunity to take a tour of the hospital where I will be having surgery. It was really cool to familiarize myself with the hospital and know a little bit more info about what to expect the day of surgery. I am sure I will still get lost though! Everyone at Saint Mary's is so nice and very helpful.

I met Lisa last week and that was a great time. Thanks so much Lisa for having dinner with me and allowing me to ask you a billion questions! It was so cool to meet someone that has been through what I am about to go through. She has had great success since her surgery and is so motivating. I learned a lot about what I can do now to prepare my mind for what I am about to go through. I am more excited about surgery more now than I was before I met her. I know that this is the best decision for me and I am going to put all the hard work in that I need to so that I can be healthier. I have so many family and friends who are pulling for me. I could not do it without their support.

There is a support meeting for DS patients scheduled in February. I am super excited about this. This will be so great for me because I will be able to meet other patients who have or will soon be having surgery. This support is going to help be greatly. I am looking forward to meeting everyone.

Lab Results and EightWest

I just got my lab results back and they are good. The only thing that is low is my vitamin D. I have to begin taking a vitamin supplement pre-op so that my level is where it needs to be before surgery. I am glad everything else was good. I was told that 60% of people have a low vitamin D level, so this is not unusual that this is low. I have to start taking 5,000 IU daily and they will test again before surgery. This will not delay surgery as I have a good two months on the vitamin to get the level up. I need to get used to taking vitamins anyway, so this gives me some practice.

I hope you got a chance to see me on EightWest on Wednesday. This is such a neat experience for me and I am so privileged to be a part of it. I love this show anyway, so it is so neat to be on the show. If you missed it, you can find it by going to www.smletgo.org or view below.

Surgery Date

Great news! My surgery is scheduled. I will be having duodenal switch surgery on Tuesday, March 16. It is so exciting to have a date set. It is also scary at the same time. It also gives me added motivation because I now have a target date to lose as much weight as I can on my own before surgery. I am down four pounds this week, so that is a step in the right direction. I know the next two months are going to fly by.

Pre-Surgery Labs

I went on Tuesday to have my pre-surgery labs done.  I had to fast for 12 hours, and that was very hard for me to do.  The not eating part wasn't so bad, it was the not drinking that I didn't like.  I guess you take for granted having the ability to drink water when you can and when you can't it is rough.  So I went to have the labs done.  They took 12 vials of blood for all the tests that needed to be ran.  The labs are very important post-surgery and so I will be having labs done at least twice a year to make sure that all my levels are okay. 

Welcome to 2010

Happy new year to everyone!
I am so excited for this year because this is the year that my life is really going to change. This is a scary thing, but something that I am so committed to. I know that I need to make changes in my life and I am determined to do that this year.  I am glad that you decided to read my blog. My hope is that you will continue to follow me on this journey. My desire is that we can all help each other to make better choices and be healthy.

Many people have asked me why I decided to have bariatric surgery. You may be thinking that this is the easy way out. It really is not. I think one of the misconceptions is that the surgey is a magic pill that will automatically make me lose weight. I am going to work just as hard and be just as committed to diet and exercise. This surgery will help me to lose weight so that I can get out there and do those things. I have been heavy my whole life and I want to change that. Please join me as I begin this journey. Together we can encourage each other and make changes to lead a healther lifestyle!