June ICLW

Hello all! Those that aren't new, I hope you'll forgive me for my mostly copied/pasted entry.

This is my 4th ICLW, and I'm hoping to snag a few new readers, as well as some new and interesting blogs to read. I'm Jamie, I'm 31 years old, happily married to my best friend, JP, who is 36. We'd been ttc for 3+ years, though started at the RE at the end of last year. I have PCOS, no natural cycles or ovulation. After 3 failed IUIs, I decided that I was spinning my wheels until I could take off most of my weight. With the RE's blessing and encouragement, I've been going through preparations to have gastric bypass surgery.

I recently had my last appointment with the doctor at the bariatric center, and a couple of days later got the news that my insurance approved my surgery. I met with the surgeon on June 6th, and scheduled my surgery for July 20th. It's sneaking up on me all the time! I'm very nervous and excited. Weight loss total at this point is 64 lbs!

My hope is that12 months after surgery I'll be cleared to start ttc again. My fear is that we'll get to that point and find out that there's something else wrong.

I started this blog mostly to track my progress, keep myself in check, and hopefully find some support out there in interwebsland. I also wanted to share my story. Before I made the decision to go forward with this plan, I scoured the web for info on fertility after weight loss surgery, and came up with virtually nothing. Hopefully, now, girls out there like me will know what to expect.

Lately I haven't been posting as often as I'd like. In addition to each working full-time, we also own and operate a small gaming store in our evenings and weekends. We've been going through A LOT of drama with our landlord, our building being auctioned at Sheriff's sale, and trying to get together the means to buy it ourselves. It's not going well, and I've been very, very depressed about the whole thing. One way or another, the auction is July 6th, and it will be over. I'm so scared.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll stick around!

Two Songs and One Picture

I guess I have totally failed on doing this project in a timely manner.

I'm going to combine the last two and then get on with my obligatory ICLW post for this month.

Two Songs:

1. No Leaf Clover, by Metallica. My very favorite song. There's something about the combination of rock and roll and an orchestra that I just absolutely adore.

2. Konstantine, but Something Corporate. I walked down the aisle to a portion of this song. It is sooooo beautiful.

One Picture:

This is my favorite shot of my wedding party. It was taken in the building where we had our reception, which is a very old school house. JP and I look so different now that we've lost almost 100 lbs between us.

3 Films

I am so sorry that I have been so long in posting. I've been spending my free time reading my Surgery info manual, and the blog of a woman that had RNY surgery 5 years ago. I'm also make a lot of lists, as I have a lot that I need to do in the next 5 weeks.

In non-surgery related updates, we're very close to the purchase of the building we are renting that houses our store. So exciting! Osiris is recovering very well from his neutering, and both dogs are adjusting to each other really well. He has a few behavioral issues that still need some work, but we'll get there.

It has taken me far too long to get through this list!

Three films:

1. Harry Potter. Yes, all of them, though some are better than others. I am a serious Harry Potter nerd!

2. Lord of the Rings. Specifically, Return of the King. It is my most favorite movie.

3. V for Vendetta. Another fantastic movie that I can turn on and watch anytime.

The Date Has Been Set!

Another milestone has been reached, another hurdle crossed. I met with the surgeon yesterday, and my surgery has been scheduled for July 20th.

The appointment itself was rather uninteresting. After weighing in (59 lbs lost!), I was taken back to the little conference room where JP and I were seated with another woman that is at the same point as I am. The surgeon showed us a brief PowerPoint presentation about the surgery specifics, all of which I already knew. Then we were escorted to separate rooms, to await talking one-on-one with the surgeon.

He went over my chart briefly, told me I was doing well, to keep doing what I was doing, and asked if I had any questions. I had prepared a few questions to ask. One was about the average recovery time. The surgery will be done with a laparoscopically, so therefore recovery times vary between 2 and 6 weeks. I'll be in the hospital for 2 full days and nights, released (if all is well) on the 3rd morning. I also asked about my medicines. They will have to be crushed for several weeks and mixed in with smooth food or liquids. Yuck. I'm going to look in to children's varieties for dissolvables and chewables.

I'm sure that I'll think of more questions over the next 6 weeks. I'll have a "class" with the dietitian sometime between now and then, in which we'll sample some protein powders and whatnot. Two days before surgery I'll go to the surgeons office to fill out and sign paperwork, complete my pre-admission to the hospital and etc. I'm a combination of very excited and rather nervous. My endoscopy a few weeks ago was the only time I've ever been sedated at any level, and I've never had any kind of surgery, never had a hospital stay.

My mom is planning to come down to stay with me in the hospital and a few days afterward. She lives about 5 hours away. That, combined with my own health, means that I need to do some heavy duty cleaning in my house, as well as finish the remodel on my 2nd bathroom. It needs done!

One of my main sources of nervousness right now is informing work that I will need to be off for 4 or so weeks. I've already talked to HR about it, who confirmed that I qualify for some short-term disability pay while I'm out. I haven't talked to my co-supervisor or my manager at all. They know that I've been going to lots of doctors appointments, but they don't know why. I also don't want to tell them exactly what the surgery is. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions? The other supervisor is out until Monday, and he does all of the scheduling, so I don't see any point in talking to my manager before then. Nerves!

I'm not sure if I mentioned that I picked up my CPAP on Friday. So far I haven't been able to fall asleep with it on. I wear it and lay in bed, until I can't justify sitting awake any longer, and then I take it off. It's not uncomfortable, and the air blowing in my nose doesn't bother me, but I have trouble exhaling. I feel like I'm forcing all of my outward breath through a little straw. It's not comfortable, and I can't do anything other than concentrate on it, and therefore I can't fall asleep. I think I'm going to call them and try a different mask, which I hate to do, since it works in the other ways. Bleh.

After my meeting with the surgeon yesterday (and some yummy lunch), I had an appoint with an Allergist for the first time in 6 years or so. I've had allergy problems since my early teens. Congestion, itchy/red eyes, sneezing, and worst of all, red, blotchy, and very itchy hives. I have them constantly, year round. When I was younger, we kept them pretty well under control with medicines, but as I've gotten older and moved further south in the state, they've gotten worse, and the medicines just aren't cutting it anymore. So, for the 3rd time in my life, I had to sit through the very unpleasant experience that is allergy skin testing. Some of the spots are still visible and itchy today. The end result is slightly more meds, and I start allergy shots next week. Every Monday for a year. Joy. All in all, a very productive day.

I know you are all waiting in rapt suspense for the next installment of the numbers game, so I'll close with my Four Books.

1. Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling - all of them. I love these books, between reading and listening to audio, I've read them at least 5 times each. I can't wait for the last movie!

2. The Dark Tower series - Stephen King. Another spectacular series. Even if you don't care for King's other work, I suggest picking these up!

3. Angels and Demons - Dan Brown. I've read several of his books, and loved most of them, but this one was my favorite.

4. Wheel of Time series - Robert Jordan. This is what I'm currently listening to. They're pretty good. I'm on the 5th book.

I hope everyone has a great week! Please feel free to de-lurk and leave me some comments!

Five Foods and An Update

A brief update before I dive back in to the numbers game. We've been really lax with our daily weigh-ins. We usually hope on the Wii Fit every night and do a body test, which includes weight and BMI, but as hot as it's been in our house the last several days, it's really hard to work up the motivation after dinner and a walk. If I had to guess, though, I'd say I've lost another 2 or 3 lbs.

Tonight is my repeat sleep study, to be fitted with a CPAP machine. Ugh. I am very much not looking forward to this. I loathed the first one. At least the doctor gave me one Amb.ien to help me get to sleep. I just hope that I can stay asleep long enough and then be alert enough to drive home when we're done. I'll let you know how it goes.

Tomorrow morning we drop off Osiris to be fixed. I've never been through this with a pet before. Zeus was already fixed when I got him. I'm hoping for a quick and easy recovery. He's an active dog, so I really hope he doesn't break any stitches or anything like that. I'm off tomorrow and Friday, and JP will be off the weekend, so at least we can keep an eye on him.

Monday is my appointment with the surgeon! I'm so excited! I took the whole day off work. The surgeon appointment is in the morning, and then I have an allergist appointment with a new doctor in the afternoon. I haven't been to an actual allergist in a few years. I've been able to keep my allergies under control for the most part with medication, but the last year or so they have been really bad. I get the normal congestion, itchy eyes, sneezes, sinus drainage, etc, but worst of all I get red itchy hives all over my body. I've been scratching myself til I bleed and get scabs. It's not attractive or pleasant. I'm going to ask about allergy shots.

Anyway, here are 5 Foods.

1. Shrimp. My most very favorite food. This works out wonderfully for me, as it is also low-fat, high protein, and works great in my diet! I throw some on a skewer, season them, and put them under the broiler for a few minutes. JP usually has a tuna steak, seasoned and broiled the same way.

2. Bell Peppers, mushrooms, onions. Our staple vegetables. Often they are sauteed and thrown in with some wild rice as a side dish for dinner, but sometimes I'll have a sliced pepper with some deli meat and a string cheese for lunch.

3. Wild rice, black rice, brown rice, or quinoa. These are excellent whole grains that we love using as a side dish. I throw them in the rice cooker, we go for our walk, and they're ready to be seasoned and served by the time we get home.

4. Subway Western English muffin. This is my breakfast on my way to work every day. The muffin is whole wheat, white egg patty, pepperjack cheese, onions, green peppers and a few black olives, and you've got a tasty breakfast that is only 180 calories.

5. Bananas. This is my current snack obsession. Yum! I have one every morning at about 10 am, to curb my mid-morning tummy growls.