The end of a year!!

Well it is almost that time of the year where you say good bye to 2007 and welcome 2008!! OMG what a year it certainly has been. I am 3 months shy of being banded for 1 year, so I'll be celebrating my very first bandaversary soon!! YAY for me!!! I don't think I would have reached my goal weight by my 30th birthday. I think I am about 25 kilos away, but now I'll use my bandaversary as a goal date!!

I certainly have become more active and sometimes I think where does all the energy come from as I feel as though I can dance the night away sometimes!! I am still a bit of a slacker when it comes the gym. I know I really have to make an effort to tone the body up, but it's just a time issue really. I know what you are all thinking, excuses, excuses!!

I have had some fill put back in since my little incident in hospital. Dr Watson only put half of what I had. I still feel as though I could have a tad more, but I won't get as much as what I had before as I feel as though I was overfilled, but didn't want to admit that I was. I think I have only PB'd twice and that was my own stupid fault for not chewing my food enough!! No matter how hard I try and imprint it in my brain, i still haven't got the concept of smaller bite sized pieces of food. I will learn eventually.

Christmas day is going to be very interesting though. Normally I gorge myself silly and then feel sorry for myself afterwards. This year is going to be very different indeed. Not just because I know I can't because if I do I'll be in severe pain, but I don't feel as though I want to do it. I have lost all this weight and I don't want to undo it. So I guess I am coming to my senses in a way as well.

I have hit an ultimate high through this experience and that's the compliments and pick ups that I am getting. It's so very flattering and makes my head spin. I still look in the mirror though and see this other person that I was staring back at me. it's not a pretty sight at all!! But then i have to slap myself and tell myself that, 'That person doesn't exist anymore!!'

2 weeks of agony!!!

It started 2 Monday's ago when i woke up in severe pain. The Sunday before, I found it very strange not keeping anything at all down, not even water. And yes of course, i was thinking the worst. Band slippage or something wrong with the band. I tried to search high and low for Dr Watson's mobile number, even put a post asking if anyone had it, but I didn't get any emails until later.

At 6am on the Monday morning when I tried to have a sip of water and just threw it right back up, as well as the severe pain i was experiencing around where the band was, hubby took me to Murdoch ED. I went straight in. I was gobsmacked actually. It was dead quiet, but I wasn't complaining as the pain was just so unbearable. The doctor came and saw me right away and gave me some pain meds. i told them I was allergic to morphine so they gave me something equivalent. Good stuff, but didn't last long!! LOL He then had trouble finding my port, but we eventually found it and he took all my fill out, but still no relief. He then sent me for a barium meal (or something similar) / gastrograph. The drink tasted like and off version of ouzo. So gross!! It didn't really show much except I had a bit of inflammation and ulceration from my recent throwing up episodes, but it didn't really explain my pain.

I spent the next few days high on pethidine, on Nexium for the vomiting as well as Zophryn and other stuff. I had a CT scan which didn't show much either. Dr Watson was fantastic and came in every day to see me. He was just as puzzled as I was though as there was nothing wrong with the band. It was absolutely perfect and doing what it should be. No slippage, no erosion, no nothing. even blood work showed NIL results. We were baffled. On Friday, they did and endoscope. And again, nothing. We were still scratching our heads!! Gastro kept coming to mind as I had the runs something chronic until Thursday and I was hardly eating. I think I had 2 bags of fluid to begin with but I wasn't dehydrated that much.

So I went home on Saturday. I still had a bit of discomfort and felt not right, but went home. Sunday I spent most of the day in bed as I felt a little off and uncomfortable. then came Monday morning, the pain was back. I actually did phone Dr Watson this time though. I didn't expect him to answer as I knew he was in surgery, but someone answered. I told him what had gone on and didn't realise that he was relaying it to Dr Watson. He told me to go back to emergency. So I did. So I was readmitted again for another 6 days.

They did another gastrograph, but still didn't show anything and on Tuesday I had an MRI done, nothing again. Dr Watson was really baffled this time, so he called in Dr Cooke, which was the surgeon who actually referred me to Dr Watson when I was having some bowel issues. So he knew my history etc etc. He came in and we had a good yak and he said gastro. Chronic Gastro. The pain is caused from the vomiting as I was just hurling it up and probably bruised around my band, I had the runs something chronic, not eating and not drinking. The second stay I was written up for 8 bags of fluid in my 6 day stay. i knew I was really dehydrated as my skin was flaking, my mouth was very dry and my lips were all cracked. Dr Watson told me to be careful with no fill in, but the last thing on my mind was food. It took me over a week to bring myself to eat any food and that was on the Thursday night before I left the second time. I still had lots of pain and was on pethidine all week again.

Dr Cooke had started me on Nofloxin (antibiotics) on Wednesday and by Thursday afternoon, I had improved 100%. Still not feeling the best, but the runs had stopped, I had perked up and was starting to eat a little. Dr Watson came every single day, whether it was between surgeries of between other patients and consults, he came every day. I was impressed!! He came in Friday late afternoon and told me i had looked the best he had seen me in the last 10 days and I told I felt it too, so he said i could on Saturday morning if I was up to it. So I did. I was ready to go at 9am Saturday morning. I had had enough. I was exhausted!!

So in the end, we put it down to gastro, even though nothing showed up in blood tests, but Dr Cooke said it doesn't always show and you have to be looking for the right virus as well. He was really nice to chat with and talk to. he congratulated me and was very impressed with my weight loss and said he wanted to see me at goal!! I smiled and told him for sure!!

So that's my little 2 week adventure in and out and back in and then out of hospital again!!

DOUBLE DIGITS!!! OH YEAH!!!!

I just jumped off the scales that I made mum bring to me today and I have FINALLY hit the double digits!! WOO HOOOOOOO!!! OH YEAH!!! No more triple digits here!!!! I am estatic as you an probably tell. Thing I have to go and do some retail therapy to celebrate now!!!

OH SO CLOSE!!!!

I was at mums today and yes, as usual, jumped on her scales for the weekly weigh in as I know her scales are dead accurate and I am 100.4 kilo's!! 500 grams off being in the double digits!!! OH MAN!!! Just have to work extra hard this week to make it up!!

I think doing lots of walking at work is really helping plus also doing some toning. I suggest to all you ladies and gents out there, get a retail job in fashion!! Not only will you look good in your new sexy small clothes, but you'll do allot of walking!!! I have to remember to put on my pedometer for one of my shifts and actually see how many steps I do actually do.

Anyways, just thought I would give you all any update... Cheerio :)

Almost at double digits!!

Well I jumped on the scales at mums today and I was rapt that I was down to 101.5!! YAY!!! but still not quite there with the double digits yet!! I am so going to celebrate when i hit the double digits!! No more triple digits ever again for me!!

There's not much to report really. I have still been slacking off and I really need someone to shove a stick of dynamite up my ass and get me motivated!! I did got for a 3km walk last week and that was about it. I felt really good afterwards too. The weather has been really crappy here in lovely Perth lately so I guess I can use that as an excuse, but I won't be able to for much longer as the weather is starting to fine up now!! I went and had a bit of a splurge last week after work and bought some new exercise gear which I must admit I look pretty hot in!! hahahaha.

School holidays are just around the corner (like today at 3.10pm) so i am going to make sure I go bike riding with the kids and get my ass into gear a bit more.

Anyhow, that's all I really have to report for now. Until next time.........

Daughter v's Mother

So you think overweight, almost 30 year olds can't do handstands??? Well guess again!! YES, that's right, my almost 7 year old daughter said to me today, "Mum, can you do handstands?" I let out a sarcastic laugh and said, I used to when I was your age, but I think I would break something now if I tried. She then said, well why don't you try. You always tell me to give it a go. Which is true. i always tell the kids to give it a go before they say they can't do something. So here I was, shaking in my whatever it was I was shaking in, and I did it, a handstand. Something I haven't done in over 10 years!! And gee I still had my knack!! It took me a couple of goes to get to a walking handstand, but I got there!! hahahaha. Must have been an absolute good laugh if anyone was watching!! But I can tell you that I am going to absolutely feel it tomorrow. And yes, I did do stretches and warm up. I am still as limber as I used to be. Can still do the splits as I discovered today, but that's another sore spot I'll feel tomorrow as well!!

But it just goes to show, that your confidence gets a huge boost when you have lost a huge amount of weight. Even though i still have another 25 - 30 kilo's to go, the 22 i have already lost has made me feel unbelievable!! I am doing things I haven't done since I was an energetic teenager. I am starting to feel really good about myself and I CAN start to see the difference when I look at myself in the mirror. even though sometimes I still see the 130 kilo me, I can see the difference when i look hard enough.

It's also amazing at how different people treat you. even though I am still overweight, people treat me differently. I guess because they see me different and can see a new personality coming out in me. But it does make you wonder why society snubs overweight people. We are no different from the thin people in the world. We are just bigger. We still have the same blood and same heart, but after losing weight, we are just a smaller person. I guess unless you have been an overweight person, you don't really know how much you are judged and how society treats you differently. It's wrong, but that's just the way it is.

I am starting to love the new me. I am still very cautious and nervous as being overweight for 10 years is a long time, but the new me is starting to show!!

So I'm a slacker!!

I know!! I know!! I have been really slack in posting and keeping all my fellow followers hanging on by the edge of their seat with my progress!! hahaha It's wishful thinking to know that I have that many of you watching and reading about my progress, after all we do have more important things to be doing like waiting anxiously for the return of Grey's Anatomy or Desperate Housewives!! I know I am!!

Things have been going great!! I had a review with the fantastic Dr Watson on the 4th. I had only lost about 4.5 kilo's since the last visit, but he says I am doing superbly. He said to me that if everyone came in and told him "I only eat when I am hungry" he would be out of the job. But on thinking about it, I do. i don't get the opportunity to snack between meals because the little amount that I do eat fills me up until the next meal. I do occasionally have a cracker or maybe a biscuit if it's offered, but apart from that, NOTHING!! He didn't put a fill in this time, but mind you, i am still coming to grips with the last fill. I have a feeling that I may have reached my 'sweet spot'. If I have, i am a very satisfied woman!!!

My wardrobe is starting to put on a bit of weight now. Since I left Flight Centre (full time) and am now working casual at Suzanne Grae's (YES because I can fit into their clothes) my wardrobe is loving it!! And so am I!! It is such a fantastic and wonderful feeling to be able to fit in 'normal' peoples clothes and to be able to go to their shops as well.

It's great to get comments from other people saying how fantastic you look. My mum sent me a photo that was taken on my 29th birthday back in January this year and then one she had taken 2 weeks ago!! OMG!! What a difference. even though I look in the mirror (like today) and I still can't see it, yet when I look at the photo's I can. Sometimes I wish I can just slap my brain back into the present!! Not going to happen anytime soon though.

I am still being a slack ass though and haven't been to the gym, but I did go for a bike ride the other day and I didn't have a sore butt the next day, which means my butt must actually fit on the seat how it's supposed to. That kind of made me feel good.

Well I don't see the Dr until the end of November and I am absolutely determined to be under the 100 kilo mark!! OH YEAH!! BRING IT ON!!!