Hello sisters! Like so many on here I sacrificed...
Hello sisters! Like so many on here I sacrificed my body for a higher cause...motherhood! Don't regret it in the least, well worth it...but time is overdue for me to bring the sexy back. I know it sounds vain (but I know ya'll will understand) but I want to be noticed again. Doesn't mean I will do something with it, but I love beauty in all forms and I'm tired of looking like a hot mess under my clothes. I choose Dra. Disla after much consideration. I believe she is skilled and concerned with my health. There are many great doctors in DM from the look of it so I believe you should go with your heart after reviewing all the facts. There are several drs I would feel comfortable having surgery with down there, but for one reason or another, my choice lead me to Dra. Disla. I have been an RN for almost 20yrs so this isn't something I take lightly or haven't considered well.
Anyone going at the beginning of March, hit me up and lets go through this process together and come out looking bangin!!
Wish pics
Thought I'd add some wish pics ;-)
BMI must be under 34
I guess I need to clarify that my surgery date isn't officially "held" yet. I am fat...lol,. I need to have a BMI of 34 or under and right now I am about 36. According to the charts thats a loss of about 15 more pounds. I am doing "low-carb" (god, I hate it!!) since I am so carb sensitive and I lose weight easily, 4-7lbs/week, if I stick to it closely. I want this bad. Every crust of bread I see is trying to get me to cheat and give up. I REFUSE!!! Lol
Getting hemoglobin checked
Hey ladies! Found out some good news...my local health department will check hemoglobin for FREE! Yep, they do WIC there and offer the lab at no charge. Something to check into...especially if you are like me and have been borderline anemic your whole life. Gotta get those numbers up there. Will make surgery safer and recovery soooo much easier. I will let you know what I find out...gotta run.
Got my results...
11.1, not as bad as I thought honestly, but still a ways to go. I would like to leave the states >13 if at all possible. I want my body to be able to concentrate on healing tissues.
Now, on to some fun stuff...more wish pics! Lol, I am wish-pic crazy right now.
Fell off the low-carb wagon!
Yep, I admit it...got down and gave in. I've been so busy I haven't been on the site and I have to say, this place is my motivation. I keep going back to "should I spend this money on myself?" The answer? Hell Yeah! This is a whole new start and I can't do it without a new body to look at. I don't want to sound ungrateful. I am so thankful for the wonderful children this body has given me. It has been one tough cookie! But I want my outside to match my inside. I want to be free of the extra skin and fat belly. It is truly weighing me down in every sense of the word. Stay strong sisters!
...oh, and some wish pics, lmao
A RealSelf Christmas Story;-)
Gather 'round sisters and I will tell a bedtime story of a Christmas wish gone horribly wrong...lol.
Once upon a time, there was a poor mother who wanted nothing more for Christmas than to receive one wish from her fairy godmother, Dra. Disla. Her wish was for a beautiful new body. In order for Dra Disla to grant her wish, she would have to send pictures of her old body so Dra Disla could get the measurements correct. The mother was hesitant to do that because she hated her old body. It was worn down and looked like Santa Claus' wet dream...big saggy boobs and a belly that shook when she laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
But it was necessary, so the mother asked her loving daughter to help her. At first the daughter was like, "eewww, yuck" until the mother loving said "get your ass in here and help me since this is your fault" (jk). The daughter quickly took the pictures and handed the phone back to her mother. It was then the mother noticed that Facebook was trying to sync the photos. Whaaaaaatttt? Nooooooo!!! Nooooo! (in my best Kevin Hart voice) "I'm not ready!!" The mother and the daughter frantically attempted to get on Facebook to make sure the photos had not posted. They hadn't, and so they were emailed to the Dra and quickly deleted. This is how Christmas was saved. The End
Low carb last 4 days...6lbs gone!
I am sending in my deposit today to guarantee my surgery date of 03/04/2014!!! Gonna have to start celebrating 2 birthdays after that because I swear it feels like I'm starting a new life :-)
Ticket to DR purchased!!!!!
Got my ticket and sent my info to RH. Hopefully I will hear something from them in the next day or two. Please have room for me!!! Girls, had the day from hell at work today and just kept thinking, "2 more months and then it's all about me!" ;-)
Trying to get some supplies together and order things within the next two weeks. Have some little things already but need to order my wish list on Amazon.
Working on my supplies!
Just ordered some stuff on amazon and will post pics along with why I chose this product and what I hope its usefulness to be.
The first is anti-embolism stockings. I know most people purchase them for their ability to decrease swelling in the legs (also a very good use) but as a nurse, my biggest concern after the surgery is over is preventing blood clots. An even bigger issue is the flight (and possibly long car ride) on the way home. These stocking help your body return blood toward the heart and don't allow it to pool which could cause clotting. It is also important to get up an walk (to the bathroom?) during your flight at least once. Also stop every 1-2 hrs in the car and get out and actually move around.
2nd item: Cleaning wipes. Baby wipes are awesome and will do the job but these are baby wipes on steroids...lol. I haven't purchased this brand, so wish me luck, but have used this type of product before and was happy with it.
3rd item: Bath wipes. Right along the line of the product before but these can be thrown in the microwave and heated up. Figured it would help me feel a little more normal.
4th item: Inflatable neck pillow. Along the line of the boppy, but able to deflate for easy packing. Also can then adjust the level of firmness.
5th item: Floatie chair. This item may be a moment of genius on my part or a completely stupid waste of money. Only time will tell. Once again can adjust the firmness through amount of inflation and easy to pack. Getting on/off of it might prove to be a challenge but I figured if nothing else will have a kick-ass floatie to look hot on this summer with the new "bod"...hehe
6th Item: No rinse shampoo cap. Can also be heated in microwave and gets hair reasonably clean until I can get a real shampoo.
There are my supplies so far. Most not highly necessary, but I think I will want them to just feel better after surgery. Let me know what you think!
Well, girls...10lbs down!!
Also just made it up to the office to apply for my passport. And I heard from my 1st choice recovery house! Woohooooo!!!! I'm feeling this now! Holy crap, not much time until I leave. It will pass fast between work, kids sports and trying to get everything ready. Super excited to have my Real Self Sister- Choclate there to share this with. We are going to different docs but arrive on the same day, at almost the same time, picked the same rh, surgery on the same day and most likely getting the same (or close) procedures! I'm so excited for her too.
Pre-op pics
If you read my story further up, you realize that I deleted all the pics I sent to Dra Disla. I will take some more with a digital camera so fb can keep its nosy ass out of my business...lol. I want to wait until I'm closer to my leave date so my pics will be as accurate as possible as "before" pics. If I am down to the weight I want to be pre-op (~185-190) then I will look quite a bit different than now. I tend to lose my stomach first (which will only help...there is a lot there!)
And now for some more WISH PICS!! Hehe...I don't care what anybody says, I love my wish pics. That being said, I am realistic about my body type and just hope for great improvement - not perfection.
Still working on the weight loss...
one more pound gone. I should be more excited. And I am grateful that it is going down, just worried that it won't go down quick enough. Or that it will stop suddenly. Ain't nobody got time for that!! Literally, I have NO time for that...54 days until I get on that plane :-). I will feel sooo much better when I am well below 34 BMI. If I don't reach my goal of
Okay just experienced the half post problem
Sorry, no patience so not retyping...lol
Gotta get serious about this weight loss!
It is obvious that I'm gonna have to work out a lot more to get this weight off before I go. Uggghhh, and right now work is crazy!!! I have no energy. Oh well, do I want this or not? I Want This!!!! Getting up at 4am tomorrow to get my Zumba groove on. Why can't I be the chick that has to lay on the couch and eat Blizzards everyday? Lol
Hello Ladies!
Just checked on my passport and the website says it should be here on/or around the 15th! Woohoo!! Trying to slow down on buying supplies. Most of mine have had to do with increasing my iron/ losing weight. I have a tote with the smallish amount of supplies that I'm going to take. Some might not consider this small...lol. I have:
Bath wipes
Hibiclens
TAO (triple antibiotic ointment)
10 bandaids
6 sterile gauze pads
paper tape
chux (18 large)
stockings
stool softener
gas-x
pain meds/ muscle relaxer
inflatable pillow
no rinse shampoo cap
pads
clearance rack dresses/night shirt (gonna toss)
That is pretty much it other than the regular packing supplies anytime you travel. If I think of something else will let you know. If someone thinks I have left off something very important, let me know;-)
PASSPORT!!!!!
It's here! It's here! Girls, IT'S ABOUT TO GO DOWN...lol. I'm so excited I can't stand myself.
Added some things to the list (thanks girls!!)
Arnica gel and "pellets"- found a gel with 80 pellets included for about $2 more. Found some info on the web of how to take the pellets. Here goes:
3 days preop: 1 pellet
2 days preop: 1 pellet in am/ 1 in pm
1 day preop: 1 pellet in am/ noon/ pm
Day of Surgery: 4 pellet (dissolve under the tongue- no aqua needed)
Post op: 1 pellet every hour for remainder of day
1 Day po: 1 pellet every 4hrs
2 days po: 1 pellet every 6hrs
3 days po:1 pellet in am/noon/pm
4 days po: 1 pellet in am/pm
5 days po: 1 pellet
Not overly concerned with following this to the "T" but will do what I can and see if it seems to help.
Bromelain
Car Funnel- see attached pic. Got at Dollar Tree and tried it out this morning...worked like a charm, lol.
Slip on shoes - speaking of which, my fellow New Body Bitches (yeah I called us that, lol) please don't judge me by the clothes I wear around the recovery house. I am bringing only one decent maxi dress and sweat suit to go home in. Everything else is horrible, but cheeaaap...I plan on spending my money on a whole new wardrobe!
Holla at me March Beauties! Let me know when you get in and who your doctor is. Where are you staying? It's getting real chicks!!
The "waking up" issue
I just wanted to give my two cents on waking up during surgery. Honestly, as a nurse I would rather be at the threshold of waking during surgery than so far under they have to bring me out of it after surgery. Most people that report waking during surgery state they did not have overwhelming pain. I have personally woken during surgery and it did hurt. Not sure what they were doing at the time ( I believe either making an incision or cauterizing something just from the sensation...hot knife feeling). They gave me more meds and I was out. It wasn't pleasant but also wasn't the worst feeling in the world. It was fleeting and I had only a slight memory of it after surgery. I will gladly accept that happening again than chance receiving too much anesthesia. My professional opinion. I totally understand that fear, but don't let that deter you from what you want. Truth be told, the recovery will be sooo much more trying, lol.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled "wish pics"! Haha
Starting "liquid" diet on Tuesday
Ok, me and this weight are going round and round. I have been sooo good and it doesn't want to come off, so the gloves are coming off now! I am making up my own "liquid diet". I put quotations around it because not everything is actual liquid. I am going to alternate between 900-1400 cal /day. The reason I'm doing this is so my body doesn't go into starvation mode under 1200 cal. It's going to look something like this:
Tues: 1000cal (mostly protein through shakes)
Wed: 1200cal
Thur:900cal
Fri: 1200 cal
Sat:900cal
Sun: 1000cal
Mon: 1400cal
This is my last ditch effort. I will update every few days to let you know how it is going. The reason I'm starting on Tues is because I'm going out of town today and tomorrow and it would be very difficult to control what I eat (no where to fix stuff). I'll be damned if this ugly fat is going to keep me from getting this surgery. It's like it knows I have plans to cut it off and is doing everything it can to hold on!!
Getting Hemo checked on Wednesday...
will update on that also this week.
Ladies, just saw this...
wanted to warn you if your boppy is beige, please don't carry it this way! Lol
Well, got hemo tested today...
a whooping 11.7 :-/ I know I should be more excited, after all it did go up .6 in about a month. I will be happy about this and just work harder. Going to add a dose of the liquid Geritol. I will retest on 02/10/14. Not quite 3 weeks but will give me an idea if I need to up it again to get to where I need to be. I want to be close to 13 and only have 6 weeks to get there. It took me 5 weeks to get this so realistically I'm looking at 12.4 best case scenario. It will all be worth it!
Iron intake
Asked my ex ( a doctor) yesterday about max dose of daily iron. Hmmm...it was confusing to say the least. He said something about "> 400micrograms (that's MICROgrams...mcg, not milligrams...mg) per deciliter would be a toxic level" What does that mean exactly as far as dosing? Fuck if I know...lol. What it means actually, is if you are going above the recommended dosing of iron (which we have to do if we are anemic for the most part) then your really need to have your iron level checked during treatment or it could be fatal. Not to scare the shit out of everyone, but it definitely made me proceed with more caution. Something else which confuses this all is that not every form of iron is equal. Some forms our body can absorb easier. Others like Ferrous Sulfate (most common form sold) is not easily absorbed and you can take (HAVE to take actually) much higher doses to have any effect because you body is just excreting the unused iron. So what does this all mean? Once again, I don't have an easy answer. Because I am taking now 4 different forms of iron (all with different bioavailability), I googled them all last night and converted them to their dose of ELEMENTAL IRON, which from what I can tell is the "gold standard" to which all forms of iron are compared. If I figured correctly, them yesterday I took 49mg of the equivalent of elemental iron...4mg over the daily recommend max dose. Oops. One day shouldn't be a big deal but if I had continued that for 6 weeks? Who knows.
I know this is a lot of info and slightly confusing but just wanted others trying to get their hemo up to know that iron poisoning is dangerous and also unnecessary. If it is over what your body can absorb, then it won't make a difference anyway. So with that being said, I'm going to chill just a little in my intake and stop stressing.
What I was taking:
pur-Absorb - 1 packet/day
Bloodbuilder - 1 pill/day
Multivitamin -1pill/day
Geritol liquid - 1 dose/day
I'm going to talk to my Nurse Practitioner friend and see about a lab or two.
MIA!!
Sorry, girls have been swamped at work and unable to even spend a minute on RS. Feel like I'm so far behind! Oh well, 5 weeks from today is my transformation! Yea!!! Gonna keep it short and sweet so I can go check out everybodys page!
Pics
Don't say I didn't warn you...lol. These are truly horrible, but then I guess that's why the drastic move to fly out of the country for plastic surgery! You don't have to be kind...I need plastic surgery- not eye surgery...lmao
Put in for time off
I know I should've done it a little sooner but I was trying to get all my ducks lined up (hence the major overtime this month). I figure if I plan it out and it is workable they can't say much. Oh, well. Guess I'll find out tomorrow when I go in. They really can't tell me no...I'm the only option for my position and they need me. Not that they couldn't get someone eventually but in the short term there is no one qualified by the state....soooo, here's hoping they see it my way! I'm only asking for 2 weeks total and even traded weekends with another nurse so I wouldn't leave them hanging. Regardless of their answer I am going. It's already decided...lol. I will just be putting in applications for the next month with an April 1st start date...lmao. This is so happening. Be damned if the stressful career that gave me this pot belly is going to stop me from getting rid of it. Wish me luck.
A few more pics
...just to get a complete view before surgery.
Have all my surgery money tucked away!
Well it feels really real now! Have all my funds and am ready to go! Don't want to jinx myself but have single digits to be within BMI goal...uggghhh! I hate to say it but I will eat 300 cal/day that last week if I have to. This fat is not going to stop me! Going to get my hemo checked again on Friday...pray ya'll
Time off Approved!!!
Promise you it was like pulling teeth...even took a 30 minute meeting to go over every possible implication of me taking the time (which I had already thought of and taken care of...haha!) You could tell they still wanted to say "NO" but figured out they didn't have a choice. Lord, I wish this was a vacation too. These people are killing me.
Going to get hemo checked on Friday. Please be above 12!! I tell myself I will accept 12 even but really hoping for something above (12.5 plz?) Still will have 3 1/2 weeks to improve it and maybe get closer to 13. It's the only hold out now and it is stressing me because I really can't do anything but what I am already. Oh well...gotta let it go. Seriously considering taking birth control for my period I should have on 2/28. I would only have to take a dose 2/26, 2/27, 2/28, and 3/1. Just enough to hold it off until after surgery. I'll research it but don't think 4 doses should have any effect except to hold off my period. Can't take any chances on that hemo number!
Major Drama at work...
Really, really can't wait to get on that plane. You wouldn't even believe me if I could tell you what has been going down. Let's just say the cops just left and I had to give a couple statements. This is crazy. So done with crazy. Don't do drugs people. Now they really owe me a vacation...lol.
I'm getting my suitcase out and packing tonight. I am very excited about that...lol. Seems too funny to be so excited about packing. Only about 24 days until I get on that plane! Woohoo!!!
Whelp, went and got my hemo checked....
Ya'll ready for this? You ready? Naw, you ain't ready!!!! 12 POINT MUTHAFLIPPIN 8!!!! You heard right....12.8!!!!! That screaming you heard about 20 minutes ago was me...lol. I was cheesing so hard walking out of that WIC office. I used to work with a lot of the girls there and they were congratulating me, I was that happy. Lmao, you'd have thought I won the lottery. They don't know WHY I'm working so hard to be non-anemic (is that a word? Unanemic? Whatever) they just knew I was serious about this. Gonna get it checked the Friday before I go just to be safe and gonna keep up my iron/supplements intake. Maybe I can be 13.5...not trying to be greedy!
21 Days until I get on that plane...
I guess this is the part where I get nervous, lol. Gonna concentrate on this weight, the absolute last holdout on this journey. I want to be below the BMI cut off because who knows? My body could put on 5lbs of water weight in a day. It's done it before. Wouldn't put it past it. I don't want to be that close to a "no" for surgery. Just gonna keep doing what I'm doing because it's working but afraid I won't have enough time. Please, please, please fat cooperate! You are not needed anymore - go away!
Well, nerves are gone...
Ready to get this show on the road! My bags are packed for the most part. Just gotta put some little things in.
Got offered a promotion yesterday. It will start as soon as I get back. If I don't seem too excited, it is because I'm not sure about it...lol. It is much more responsibility and this isn't the job I want to stay in forever so I wasn't looking to keep moving up the ladder. Starting school again in the summer and actually wanted to decrease my time there! Oh well, I am grateful just a little apprehensive. It will all work out!
Theme Song:
"Been around the world, don't speak the language. But your booty don't need explaining"
My goal is simple. To have every man that walks past me turn to watch me walk and want to serenade me with this song...lol
How I felt yesterday...
Yesterday was my 12th day out of 14 at work. Have today off then back for 3 more. I'm so ready to get the hell out of Dodge. This pic sums up my feelings, and what I hope never to see in the mirror. We all got our body issues but this is ridiculous, lol
9 Short Days!
Only 9 days to go until I head to the airport and 10 days until surgery!!! I can't wait!!
It's getting more real...
making plans for the kids. The two left at home are old enough to stay here. My mom is only a couple blocks away and if they want they can go stay with her or my brother for a few days. They are both dependable so I'm not worried about some crazy party or something. Just the regular mom worries. Already promised my daughter we would skype every night. 6 Days left!!!
Took the promotion...
Starts as soon as I get back. I'm am cautiously excited, lol. Only 4 days until I get on that plane, of which I work 3. Ugghhh. Got so much to do and no time. That's what I get for procrastinating. Oh well, it will work out! Gotta admit I have been a little shook by the recent deaths. Sat and counted my money for the hundredth time (lol) and thought about what I could do with it besides this. At the end of all that thinking I came to the conclusion this is what I want. I will face this and put this in the right hands. I will tell you that doing Labor & Delivery for years, having a PE (pulmonary embolism) is not extremely common during delivery but also not unheard of. It is also a risk during absolutely ANY surgery, but not a high one. People have developed them during oral surgery. I am heartbroken for the families involved but I can tell you that PE isn't predictable
and once it happens the only thing a doctor can do is attempt to treat. It doesn't always work unfortunately.
Got the day off...
Trying to get everything done. All March bills are paid. Going grocery shopping for kids. I'm leaving them each $150 that they can use for what they want (order pizza, etc.) but whatever they don't spend is theirs to keep if they keep the house clean while I'm gone! Don't think that is a bad deal. My son already has a couple snap backs picked out, lol. I know he'll be on it! My daughter however will probably wait until the last minute and do a mad dash cleaning job. Smh.
Going to get hemo checked in a few minutes. Fingers crossed.
Have to work the weekend and we are supposed to get more crappy weather! I'm so pissed! I hate driving in that stuff, but let it delay my plane and I will lose my mind. We have had enough snow and ice for two winters. Can't wait to step off that plane into warmth.
13.7!!!!!!!
Yes, baby! Everything is falling into place. I am literally at 34 BMI. And I am starving!!!! Nothing like pushing to the line. Why should this be any different than the rest of my life, lmao.
Now that my hemo is up, I will pass on some research I did when I was afraid mine would rise quickly enough or at all. When you are anemic, you not only have a low hemoglobin level but most likely low iron stores also. When you start taking iron, your body is going to send most of that to your iron stores first because it doesn't know when this windfall of iron is going to stop and it is concerned with maintaining your levels long-term. Once those stores are refilled then and only then will it send the majority of iron you are ingesting to the cells manufacturing hemoglobin. It basically is like having a checking and savings account ( why am I hearing Kevin Hart, lol). Your body wants a certain amount in the savings account before it will put the rest in checking for you to spend (make hemoglobin). Until that savings account is full the checking amount will not increase very rapidly. However, once you fill your iron stores (savings), the majority will go straight to checking. Then you should see the levels rise much faster.
I wanted to wait to pass this on just in case it didn't work that way for me. Didn't want to get peoples hopes up (or my own!). But it appears that this is exactly what happened with me. My first level was 11.1...5 weeks later it was only 11.7. Then 3 weeks after that it was 12.8 (my iron stores had been filled and I had shifted over to making hemoglobin). My last level (today) was 13.7, further indicating that I had indeed filled my iron stores and was continuing to use the iron ingested to make hemoglobin.
I hope this helps and gives people hope for their own levels and also know that a slow initial increase is in fact normal. Your body is doing what it should!
OMG, LMAO
Just realized I put that my BMI was 34 and that I was "starving"...obviously a gigantic exaggeration!
One more thing...
I purchased a first class ticket for my return (1st time EVAAA flying 1st class) and just got an email saying I could chose my meals for that flight. Girls, I couldn't click on that link fast enough, lmao. All I think about (other that surgery) is food. So I excitedly click on the link and go to pick my food. My flight home leaves early in the morning so it said "breakfast choice". Click on that and the choice is "Assorted Kelloggs Cereal". WTF????? It reminded me of my youngest son. When he was about 3 he got all hyped about a certain Happy Meal toy. All he could talk about was that stupid toy. So I took him to get one. We got the Happy Meal, returned home and he plopped down on the living room floor to get to the toy. Well unbeknownst to us, our McDonalds had run out of the "good" toy and just gave him a janky, left-over, don't nobody want this thing anyway toy. He pulled that toy out, stared at it and said "What the Hell??"
Now, I don't let my kids cuss and even my grown kids will apologize if they let one fly in front of me even though I am horrible about cussing (one of my many flaws). But his disappointment was profound at that moment, lmao. This is exactly how I felt when after weeks of giving up any food I enjoy at all, I discovered my 1st class meal was a f'ing box of cereal!!
Full Pat Down!!!
WTF? Girls, word to the wise. ...DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT PUT ON BATH AND BODY WORKS LOTION BEFORE YOU GO THROUGH SECURITY!! It sets of the chemical detectors. They are even aware that this happens. They called it the "lotion detector". Well at least three tsa worker I got was super nice. You should have seen her eyes when she looked through my stuff and saw that money. Crap I can't wait to get rid of this cash for real! Sitting at the gate now. On a good note, When I checked in they offered to bump me up to 1 st class for $120... hell yeah! On my way girlies!
Sorry took so long.
I had to have a transfusion today. Every little thing took all my effort. Feeling much better now and will try to do a full update on Sunday.
Hello Everyone!
Hello girls...been back home a week and starting to feel like my old self. Well, my NEW old self lol. Had to go back to work so I pretty much go to sleep when I get home. I will post some pics soon. Honestly been so worn out I barely look at myself! Everyone tells me I look great so it must be true, haha.
