September ICLW!

Welcome ICLWers!

I'm not the most dedicated or knowledgeable blogger out there, so I don't have a nifty "about me" page or anything like that.  I'm Jamie, I'm 31, married to my best friend JP (37, no male factor).  Last year we went through 3 failed IUIs which came after approximately 4 years of no BC, and no periods.  While my RE never attributed my troubles to my weight, I'm a smart enough girl to know that it, and my PCOS, are the source of my problems.  In February I went for my initial consultation at the Bariatric Center and began changing my habits, and on July 20th of this year I had RNY Gastric Bypass surgery.  In total I have lost 106 pounds, but I still have many more to go.  My cycle still has not made an appearance, which scares the crap out of me.

Wow, talk about a TMI introduction!  We're all used to that by now, right?

It is advised that I wait 12 to 18 months after surgery to start trying again, which is what I plan to do (as if I might have any other choice).  Then I suspect it will be back to the RE.  In the meantime I try to concentrate on continuing to be as healthy as I can be.

I know a lot of people are curious about the surgery, my diet, and many other things that I can't think of at the moment.  Feel free to ask me questions!  I'm looking forward to visiting your blogs!

I'm a Bad Blogger

I think I've pretty much come to terms with the fact that I am just not a very good blogger.  Maybe my life is just too boring to warrant frequent posts.

I've been weighing in every other day.  I stalled out for about a week after I hit 100 lost, but I've finally lost another 2/3 lbs.  I'm going through clothes sizes so quickly that I'm having a hard time keeping up.  I've been wearing a belt so that I'm not spending all kinds of money on new clothes, but I HATE wearing a belt.  They just aren't comfortable.  Pretty soon I'll need to do a purge of my closet, so I'm not tempted to wear clothes that just do not look flattering on me anymore.

I started my class last week.  I can't remember if I've blogged about it yet or not.  Several months ago I decided that if I hadn't had any luck finding a job closer to home by August, that I was going to enroll in a Phlebotomy course.  When I started college right out of high school, I wanted to go in to the medical field.  Initially, it was nursing, but it morphed in to medical technology or microbiology.  4 years of college at that age just didn't seem to be in the cards for me, so I never finished.  Learning Phlebotomy should get my foot in the door somewhere and lead to being able to work in a lab, which is what I've always wanted to do.  It's Mondays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 9:30, and the location is an hour away from both work, and home.  It ends in December, at which time I'll take a test to be nationally certified.  There always seem to be openings for Phlebotomists, so I don't think I will have any trouble finding a job closer to home.  I'm really enjoying it so far.

Things at my store have been going pretty well, participation and event-wise.  We're still in limbo with the former owner and the new owner. The former owner still lives on the 2nd floor, and has managed to get continuances on his eviction hearings.  In the meantime the new owner doesn't seem to want to talk about a lease, or repairs, or our future there, or anything at all.  It's very stressful and frustrating, so I do my best to not dwell on it.  Whatever will be, will be.

Life just keeps on trucking along.

These Ladies Said It Best

I, like so many other people on the interwebs, am irritated by the current breast cancer "awareness" BS that's been going around. Rather than try to form my own words, I'm going to let Elphaba, Mo, and Mel tell you about it.

Thank you, ladies.

100!

I just did my Wii Fit body test, and I've hit the 100 mark!  I've lost 100 lbs!

*sigh*

Another one of the teenage regulars at my store has knocked up his 16 year old girlfriend.

Back To Work

Yesterday I hit the 4 week mark past surgery. I'm feeling pretty good. The pain is very minimal, and I've been advanced to soft foods! I can still only eat about 4 ounces at a time (that's only 2 tablespoons!). My first meal solid meal was a big ol' scallop and stir-fried veggies. Yum!

Today I'm back at work. I can't say that I'm happy to be here, but I AM happy to not be sitting around at home, bored and lonely. I do miss my puppies though, they were excellent company. The girls in my department got me a card and some pretty flowers. It's nice to know I was missed.

Things are going pretty well overall. I've lost a total of 92 lbs. I've been biking almost every day. Other aspects of life are pretty quiet, so there's nothing really to complain about. Last night I went to an orientation for a phlebotomy course. It's 15 weeks, 2 nights a week, an hour away from both work and home. I'm seriously considering it. While I don't at all dislike my job, in fact, I rather enjoy it, I can't handle the hour drive anymore, especially not on my small wages. A phlebotomy certificate would open up opportunities for me much closer to home. Not to mention that average starting wages are higher than what I currently make. I've got about a week to decide before I need to gather and submit the paperwork and tuition.

I hope you're all doing well. I'm going to start being better about reading and commenting.

Somewhat Lame Update

I'm still having a little bit of trouble bending and turning. I have to keep reminding myself to take it easy, and let other people help me. From the start, the most pain has always been near the middle left incision, which is the incision through which they did the most work.

I've been really glad to add canned meats and veggies to my diet. I love mixing Albacore tuna with roasted veggies or with hummus. Hummus comes in so many varieties, it's great for changing things up, and has a decent amount of protein!

I've had a little bit of trouble finding protein supplements that I enjoy. I ordered a sample pack of Syntrax Nectar flavors, as well as a couple of samples of Click. I haven't been too crazy about most of the Nectar flavors, but I've found that most things that are able to be mixed with milk are pretty decent. The Cappucino, Mint Cookie, and Strawberry flavors are pretty tasty when mixed with Light Vanilla soy milk. The Click flavors are also pretty good, though the protein content is lower.

I went for my first post-op bike ride today. I'm a little sore, but it mostly went really well. I'm looking forward to working my way up to longer rides.

Tomorrow is my 2nd follow-up appointment at the clinic. I'm not expecting any diet changes just yet.