Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I turned 28 and kept it blissfully low-key. Had an appointment with my friend Jeanne for some beautification, went to the casino with dad then had a Happy Meal for lunch. Watched TV and did the dishes after cleaning out my email. Kari gave me this adorable little jeweled box to keep a pair of earrings in. Donald gave me this laughing Buddah holding a glass ball. When you turn him on it's one of those fiber optic ones that if you touch it, the lights follow your finger. I just love it!! Can't wait to see what my devious girlfriends have up their sleeves for Sunday. LOL

Sometimes you just gotta laugh...

SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOTTA LAUGH!!!!!

Aunt Mildred was a 93-year-old woman who was particularly despondent over the recent death of her husband. She decided that s he would just kill herself and join him in death.

Thinking that it would be best to get it over with quickly, she took out his old Army pistol and made the decision to shoot herself in the heart, since it was badly broken in the first place. Not wanting to miss the vital organ and become a vegetable and a burden to someone, she called her doctor's office to inquire as to just exactly where the heart would be on a woman. The doctor said,'Your heart would be just below your left breast.'

Later that night........ Mildred was admitted to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the knee.

And they find yet a lower level to sink to....

Wow, just when you think the democrats have sunk to the lowest possible level, like many idiots they sink even further. I'm not talking about anything they did politically but what about the sense of "family" that comes with being in politics?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/08/26/elizabeth.edwards.ap/index.html

End of week 4, a bit closer but still a bit disappointed

Well, it's Tuesday and that means weigh in day. I only lost 2lbs this week but I know I haven't been walking everyday like I'm supposed to. In fact, I think I only walked twice and that includes today so I really can't complain. I do need to get my butt moving because I am now 27 lbs down and want to be 30 for my birthday at the end of the week. Easy enough as long as I get my butt in gear.
Thanks for all the good wishes and prayers. Keep them coming!

Pizza, Pizza, Pizza if you please!

Mom's boss Todd is a pizza junkie. You'd think he was a college kid instead of a principal. Well in honor of him I made this yummy pizza cake. It looks real!!! The sauce looks pink here but it's actually darker in person. Some Ghiradelli for "cheese" and don't forget the "pepperoni"!! It was such a smash hit my brother wants it for his friends birthday in May!

I must be losing weight....... a classic me moment!

So, I'm disappointed about only losing 3lbs this week and not really seeing the results everyone else does. But I must be losing weight and here's why. I just went to Home Depot to get something for my mother after returning movies. As I was walking through I thought I felt something odd. Yup, I knew the feeling but if I said to myself over and over again "It's not real" then it wasn't..... until suddenly it was. My underwear had slid right off my hips!! Thank God I'm wearing capri's otherwise they'd have been down around my ankles! LMAO

Ok, overdid it a bit today and I'm a little light headed so it's off to the couch for me. Got safety pins??? LOL

End of Week 3 and a bit disappointed..

Today is weigh in day and I've been a bit disappointed. I only lost 3 lbs but the doctor said that this could happen once I started on solid foods again. For the most part I'm feeling pretty good but am still struggling to get in my 40g of protein each day. I had been trying to drink it through a shake of 2c milk (16g), 1 scoop of Unjury (20g) and 2pks of Carnation Instant Breakfast (10g) but I was starting to have trouble finishing it. Dad says I should only do that for 1/2 of my protein and eat the other half. My stomach's not so big so it's tough! I also have been very lax this week with my walking and need to get back to it. Being active, getting in my 40g, taking my vitamins and drinking lots of fluids are the 4 main points after having this kind of surgery. Better get back to it!!! This is not something that can be reversed or ignored. After all, that's the reason I had this particular operation, right?

Cell Phone Self Portrait

Ever get those "He clicked YES to you!" or "Someone in your area wants to meet you!" emails? Why are they all accompanied with pix of guys in their bathroom that they took with their cell phone. LOSER!!! If you don't have pix taken by family or friends, work on yourself first and don't try to start a relationship with someone else. At least crop our the cell phone or try a different room. Oh, and to the guy with the stuffed teddy bear on his toilet........... CLEAN YOUR BATHROOM!!!! ICK!

Jenn's Bariatric Journey - End of Week 2

Hi everyone and welcome to the end of Week 2 of my newest adventure. There have been some rough times this week but there's been some pretty great ones to.

I went last Thursday to have my staples pulled only to find out that I didn't have any! YEAH!!! At that point I was down 17lbs and doing well enough that I could start experimenting with solid foods. Over this past week I have learned that I can eat (slowly) 3/4 of a hot dog as long as there is no skin, chicken and turkey - again without the skin - watermelon which has become a favorite. I can do creamy mashed potatoes and am building a better tolerance for cold things. It might take me forever to drink it but hey, you can only have so much hot tea in August!

I have been good about only weighing myself once a week and was happy to see yesterday that I have lost 23lbs total so far. Not bad for 2 weeks! 5lbs was a bit of a let down after a 17lb loss but dad reminded me that women will no only lose slower than men but that I'm not taking in solids. That means I need to add an extra walk to my daily routine which I am late on already.

I still can't lift, push, pull or carry and can't exercise for 6 weeks but with the help of my family & friends I'm still baking a bit. My business cards even came in!

Now, last Saturday was a rough day for me. I was hungry and jello just wasn't gonna do it. I wanted a turkey sub but haven't ventured into bread products yet. Not to mention that anything I tried just didn't sit well so I was frustrated and really doubted my decision. Too late. Being me I went to the extreme and picked the procedure that can't be undone.

Today I went into Tim Horton's and ordered an iced tea and a capp (gotta cover the hot & cold basis) and was happy when they started picking on me about being a toothpick. It's times like that when I'm happy with my decision. It's also cool that today I'm wearing an outfit that 3 weeks ago I'd have only been able to look at.

So ends my 2nd week as a post-op patient. The next few weeks will be pretty telling and I'm excited at to what they'll hold. Sitting up on your own and being able to sleep in a bed were big steps so far and I can only imagine what's to come. Thanks for coming along with me on this new journey.

Love to all,

~Jenn

Sad News

I just heard the sad news that my friend and boss, KAC will not be there when I get back and it's not because she'll be on vacay either. She's taken quite a professional beating in the last few months so I can't fault her decision only express my sadness. I hope that this becomes a blessing in disguise for this very talented woman and that she finds something even better for her. Job hunting after 22yrs won't be easy but it's not easy after 22 weeks either.

KAC -
I've admired your professionalism, your bright outlook and your no-nonsense approach to everything. You are what I hope to grow up to be professionally. May you find endless happiness in your new venture, whatever they may be.

24hr Wedding Cake

Even bariatric surgery can't keep me out of the kitchen......... for baking that is. With the great help of my mother I created the above cake. Dad & I went to the dr's office to drop off some papers, got our vitamins and, since the city roads suck so much, I was ready to go home after that simply from being sore. Pull into Tim Horton's for dad to get himself a coffee, Kari a bagel and me some chili (yes folks, you read it right. The doc gave me the green light to jump to the "experiment" stage!). We pulled into a spot next to one of the girls who works there and who happened to be out on break. She quick needed a 1 layer, big round cake with white frosting, white cake and lavendar "thingy's" on the top & bottom. No writing. Can I have it ready for tomorrow? Ummm...... sure? Mom's been recruited to do my lifting and carrying and she doesn't even know it yet. Then the girl swings by the house to look at my book and says she wants writing on it, what's the extra charge? Now, this poor girl is needing a cake for a wedding reception at 1:00 the next day and is trying to get to her little one's summer camp graduation. No extra charge. Oh, and at the last minute she wants me to make sugar roses to. Lord!! Thank God you can buy them. I told her it wasn't possible so I think the fact I found them and put them on will be a nice surprise. Well, it's 1:22 a.m., I've gone through 4 cakes because they kept sticking to the pan. Hope she likes it!

Jenn's Bariatric Journey - End of Week 1

Well folks, today is officially the end of week 1. I had what I call some major accomplishments this week that normal people wouldn't think of. Moving your bowels after digestive surgery is a big deal. Today is the day that I also agreed to weigh myself. The day before surgery I weighed in at 288lbs and today I weigh 272.6lbs. Yup! Thats 16lbs lighter. This morning I also sat up on my own without the aide of another person or piece of furniture. Like I said folks, most people wouldn't consider these milestones but in my view it's like climbing Mt Everest.

I still have my limitations though. I walked from my house to Tonawanda St. then down to Niagara Street - basically the length of my street - and was pretty whipped by the time I got down there. I also can't lean over to pick stuff up, can't carry, push or pull. I'm fighting the head hunger which is mostly that I can't eat something and not so much that I'm hungry. I'm on liquids still so no-name mac & cheese looks like a fine filet right now! LOL I guess you could say that my disappointment is that, even though the scale says I am 16lbs lighter, I haven't seen a change yet. My clothes still feel the same and I can only say "I'm still swollen" for just so long. I go tomorrow to have my staples pulled so I'll ask about it then. I must still be because I'm a bit deformed with the right side of my stomach sticking out further than the left. Oh well. It's all a process and I'm just grateful for my family. They've been terrific and have taken such great care of me.

Can't wait to see my girlfriends though...................... *tappin' foot* LOL
Love to all
~Jenn

Beautiful Flowers

I got some really beautiful flowers delivered from friends at work. It's mostly green plants and I'm going to call the florist today to have them send me instructions on what's in there and how to take care of them. Aren't they great!

These are from my new friends at the River Road Volunteer Fire Company's Ladies Auxiliary where I'm the secretary. Daisies are my favorite!!!

Jenn's Journey down the Bariatric Bypass Highway

Hi everyone! I am home from the hospital and feeling terribly sore but the great news is that last night I got in 8 hrs of sleep. It wasn't 8 in a row but compared to the last two nights, I didn't get 8 total. LOL

Above is a picture of my incesion that I took this morning. I want everyone to know that my choice to have this procedure wasn't easy and here's an example of why. I can't say that I thought of all the things I'd be going through. I mean, when dad had his procedure, I was at work all day and he seemed to sail through it all. Call it ignorance on my part if you will but that's the truth of it. Now I'm the one who's been sliced and moving slow.

I have a new found respect for pregnant women which I've gained over the last few days. Getting up without the aide of your stomach muscles, sitting down without them, trying to lay on your side without feeling like you body is ripping in 2. Not fun folks.

"Why is she putting this up here?" you migh be asking. Well it's simple. I want people to understand how important it is to take care of yourself so every Wednesday I'll be updating my blog with a new entry as to how my recovery is going. If something big happens before a Wednesday I'll probably put that up early but I hope you can swing in and check up.

Well, it's most important in the first 10 days post surgical to move every 30 minutes and to drink 50 oz of fluid so I'd better get going. I've been sitting here long enough.

Love to all,
~Jenn