Waiting sucks.  

I called BCBS today to ensure they received my case/file from the doctor's office and they don't have anything yet.  She did tell me that it can take a few days to be uploaded to my file and that Mondays are hectic.  So I called my doctor's office to be sure it was submitted and they confirmed everything got sent over on Thursday.  

Hurry up and wait. 

I ordered another protein flavor from Syntrax: chocolate truffle.  It's yummy and tastes like hot chocolate. 

I also ordered liquid calcium citrate to take right after surgery since I'll be on a liquid diet.  That is NOT so yummy.  I'll be mixing it into my protein drinks I think!

I finished up my COM class and am still in CIS, nearing the end of the semester with a 93%.  I'm trying to decide if I want to change my major to paralegal; my work will pay for certain degrees and dietetics isn't one of them.  Ah the decisions of being a grow up!

I guess I should get myself through this before I try to make any other decisions...

done and done.

My final appointment went well.  I am confirmed for 8:00am on Dec 5th, provided that insurance approves everything.  I'm the first surgery of the day so I have to be there at 6:00am.  I have the paperwork for my pre-op diet and all of the questions I had written down were answered as well.  I ordered another canister of protein powder to ensure my pantry is well stocked for my pre op diet and stage 1-2 of post op.  I'll be shopping next weekend for everything else I need.  I start my pre-op diet Nov 21.  The doctor wrote me 6 7 prescriptions.  Six Seven.  In all of the readings and research nobody ever talked about the prescriptions:

• antibiotics (2) to be taken the day before surgery.  These will clean out my system and I should expect to be feeling icky that day.  My plan is to work from home.
• Liquid pain meds (2) for after surgery.  Self explanatory.
• Anti-nausea meds (2).  I guess it's common to feel sick from the anesthesia but even more common for sleeve patients to feel sick for 3-5 days following the procedure.  The doc normally gives 1 prescription (patches) but he also gave me tablets that dissolve under my tongue.
• Lovenox.  This is an injection that I will have to give myself daily after surgery to prevent clots.

Variety is the spice of life!  So just as soon as I get clearance I'll fill my prescriptions and pack my hospital bag so I'm prepared.  So close yet so far!

On another note, my sister and her family are coming to town for Thanksgiving.  I'm so excited to see them!  Thanksgiving will be interesting since I'm only allowed to eat turkey, but I can do this. :)
While she's here we're finishing our tattoos.  In 2010 my son & I moved back to AZ from NH.  She and my mom flew there to help us drive back.  While there we each got matching nautical star tattoos with the intention of finishing them when we got back to AZ but we never did.  Now that she's moved to CO (earlier this year) we decided it's time we finished them.  I made our appointments today!

Ok enough for now... I'll end on this: my friend & I are going to enjoy a spa day on Saturday.  I've only had one once before, right after my son was born 10 years ago!  I'm SO looking forward to this.

Nesting

So here I am on the eve of my final nutritional appointment and my pre-op visit.  My surgery date is still set for Dec 5.  What am I up to?  Cleaning.  Yep, you read that correctly.

Let me back up here.  I should preface this by telling you that I hate cleaning.  I. Hate. Cleaning.  Yes, I know that should go without saying but there are those few cuckoos  out there who actually enjoy it.

I decided last Saturday that I would tackle one mess at a time leading up to my surgery date so that I don't have to sit here for two weeks afterward staring at a mess that I won't be able to do anything much about.  Ordinarily I sit here every Saturday, relaxing after a long week and do my best to will the messes away only to find that they're still taunting me on Sunday night.  But for some reason I suddenly have a bug up my ass to do something about it and, get this, the will power.  Which brings me to the conclusion that we really do have this natural instinct to prepare ourselves for big changes in our lives, hence the title of today's post.  I did this when I went into labor with my son, nearly 10 years ago.  I was gingerly mopping the kitchen floor when mother nature decided she had other plans.

In preparation for my surgery I have been doing some shopping, mostly on Amazon.  My pantry is now stocked with 2 lbs of protein powder, a case of Ensure Clear, calcium chews, fitness water mix (turns ordinary water into electrolyte water), 1 lb unflavored protein powder, fiber, and a blender bottle (1 of 2).  Tomorrow I'm expecting delivery of liquid calcium with D3 since I won't be allowed to have the chews for my first several weeks.  I also have sub-lingual B complex in the medicine cabinet.  I'm getting there!  This weekend, maybe, I'll start shopping for my pre and post op items such as canned tuna, chicken breast, broths, Jell-o, etc.  I did buy a Ninja this weekend to blend my protein shakes and puree my soups and foods when I start eating those things again.  Thankfully the protein power I bought blends pretty well in the blender bottles so it will be easy on the go.  I think the Ninja will be nice for milk based drinks or when I want to add ice for milkshake types.  YUM!

I will start my pre-op diet 2 weeks from tomorrow and my surgery is 4 weeks from Thursday.  Whoa. I can remember feeling like it was SO far away and now it's nearly here.

Grape koolaid?

For the record, grape protein powder does NOT taste like grape koolaid despite what the reviews say. It tasted like grape flavored protein lol. It's tolerable, but a little different that I'd expected. Along with that, I ordered unflavored powder and Ensure clear for post surgery.  I'm gearing up and stocking the pantry for pre and post op so I'm not trying to do it all last minute. The last thing I'm deciding on is whether to invest in the Ninja or just get something smaller like the bullet. Ah, decisions. 

It'll be here before I know it. I'm looking forward to it but I'm nervous about the drastic changes as well.  My first mourning of food will come on the pre-op diet because I'll be on it during Thanksgiving.  Gotta start somewhere!

I'm on this kick where I refuse to buy clothes. Since I plan on dropping weight I can't justify spending money.  If I absolutely have to, I'll break down and hit the thrift store. On the other side, I don't want to buy clothes that I will wear later because I don't want to jinx myself. I'd rather wait until I need them. In the end I hope to be a size 8, but I have no idea if that's realistic or if that's where I'll end up. Exciting and scary at the same time. 

Getting there...

My last appointment went well; I picked up an elliptical machine which my surgeon was glad to hear.  He was pretty happy that there are no clothes hanging from it either!  We set my final appointment and pre-op for Nov 8th.  At that time we'll submit my paperwork to insurance and go over the surgery details.  We're aiming for a surgery date of Dec 5.  Whoa.  I'm so close!  I have my pre-op diet checklist and the list of foods I'm allowed to eat for the first few weeks so I need to get my shopping done.  I'll be buying tons of canned tuna, chicken breast, turkey breast, and fish to get me through my pre-op!  I was kind of hoping to have surgery before Thanksgiving so I'm not tempted to cheat while on my pre-op but no such luck.  I've got this!

I did talk with the nutritionist and she told me that I'll be ok with a multivitamin and should supplement with a B12.  So there's another item to add to my list.  I may just pick up a Bullet for now to blend my shakes.  I'd like a Ninja but I'm having trouble justifying the cost.  My goal is to buy a house in the next 6 mos so I'm trying to save money where I can.

Two months... amazing.  It'll be here before I know it!

Finally!

My trip to Detroit was amazing!  The weather was lovely & the presence of team members in downtown is overwhelming.  It's hard to describe it & until one witnesses it firsthand it's incomprehensible.  I was lucky to go with 3 team members that I get along with very well so we had a great time!  While I was there I got a call from my Ops Director letting me know she pushed my promotion through & I'm officially a Team Captain.  Woo!  It feels great to be recognized for hard work.

I have my next appointment Oct 8.  After that we'll set my final appointment and maybe start discussing surgery dates.  After my Nov appointment we can submit to insurance!  The front office staff recommended talking to the surgeon about getting a tentative date set so I can begin my pre-op right after the Nov appointment in hopes of having surgery prior to Thanksgiving.  Otherwise I'll be looking at early Dec.  I'm really hoping for Nov.  It feels like forever but at the same time I can't believe it's nearly here!

I still need to order my protein sampler, get a decent blender, and get an elliptical.  Of course now that it's cooler walking won't be so bad but I do like the idea of having an elliptical readily available.  I'm also on the lookout for a decent multi vitamin + calcium.  I've decided to go with the sleeve & I know these are uber important to avoid deficiencies.  Also, B12.  Does anyone have recommendations?

10. Things. Thursday.

1) I am still here; I have not gone away or died.  I am not in a coma.
2) I started school for the semester so my evenings are spent working on assignments for my 2 online classes: COM100 and CIS110.  Both are fairly simple classes but homework still blows.
3) Last week my sweetie, the kid, and I went to Knott's Berry Farm for a much needed vacation.  We spent Thursday & Friday between the park & the water park (Soak City).  Saturday was just too crowded so we had a lazy day at the hotel pool/spa.  Sunday we hit the beach for a couple of hours before heading home.  Then it was back to work on Tuesday.  Boo!
4) I'm coming up on my 4th (or maybe 5th) nutrition appointment on Tuesday.  I need to call my insurance company to see if they'll count my initial visit as 1 or not.  Hopefully we'll start talking surgery dates & pre-op stuff soon.
5) No promotion at work just yet but I feel it coming soon.  My team lead / director has me running around like crazy, planning training sessions, meetings, etc.  I had my annual review which went really well.
6) I get to go to Detroit for work on 9/16 to see how things are done there with the big boys (our head quarters are there).  Plus our founder owns the casino there so I get to stay in a fancy suite & play roulette all night if I want.
7) I have sucked at walking the past 2 weeks.  I'm just so damn tired (I know, always an excuse).  I've gotta find a way to make more time.  Something has to give.
8) I've become fixated with planning a trip for next summer; my goal is somewhere warm & tropical so I'm hoping for Hawaii.  Maybe I'll be 50+ lighter by then!
9) I have a new daily driver so I can wheel my Jeep without worrying too much about breakage.  My sweetie bought it from an older couple through his shop for $450!
10) My $6 ticket did not get dismissed; the judge continued the hearing to Oct 22.  Silliness.

I have so much reading to catch up on!  I hope everyone is well.