Recovery sometimes sucks!

Before my surgery I had a visit with my Dr. This was to go over everything I needed to know and to ask questions I wanted to ask. JUST TO WARN YOU.. I MAY BE PERSONAL..hah. But I want to make sure if someone out there is considering a hysterectomy, maybe this would be good info.

I got the standard surgery procedure rules, No food or drink the night before was basically the only thing I had to do for prep.  He explained the process of having to cut 6 small incisions through out my stomach. Four in the main belly and 2 down lower (that was for the bladder repair). He was also using a robot called the Di Vinci. He confirmed he was taking out my Uterus and leaving my ovaries. He also was putting a sling (not the mesh you see on tv) in for my bladder. He was also doing some Vaginal repair which I think is what they normally do when they do the sling and he would shape it more like it was before child baring.   He told me Scott could wait in a room with a TV that would tell him when I was up in recovery and then he could come in.  He also had to tell me that all surgeries could be at risk for complications, even death. He said recovery time was 6 weeks. But no fun stuff with hubby until 8 weeks (poor Scott) and I would spot bleed for the next several weeks too. I was not allowed to lift more than 10 lbs for 6 weeks. I would be down for the first 2 weeks meaning lots of rest, no straining, take it easy!  The next 4 weeks after that I will be extremely fatigue and still had to take it easy but could go back to some normal activities.  If I got a cold with a cough before surgery then I would have to reschedule.  They don't want you coughing much because its hard on the stomach and could do more harm then good. If I got a cough after I'd have to go in and try to be treated the best I can to keep it in control. I would also get some pain meds before I went home from the hospital and I was to take stool softeners too help not get constipation. Ha!

So question I had for him..I did some research online about hysterectomies. The big one that most people I think would want to know was how their sex life would be after. I read lots of things saying no more Big O's. And painful sex.  So of course one of my questions was, "What about sex life afterwards"  My Dr said, "If you liked it before the surgery then you should like it after, in fact most people like it better. And you will still have your big O's."  Yay.  That was the only question I did ask because I felt like he went pretty in detail on what will happen before and after.

So I got to the hospital at 6:45 A.M. where I checked in. Just a few minutes later they took me back to this small room where I got into a gown and they hooked me up to an IV, gave me some pain meds and asked me a few questions. Then the Dr came in and asked how I was doing and to make sure I was still up for the surgery. I then met with the Anesthesiologist where he told me his process of making it quick lol. He told me he was going to be in the room the whole time to make sure I would stay asleep and no problems were happening.
Then they rolled me back. Scott went into the waiting room. As I was being rolled back the dr's were awaiting my arrival. The doctor held my hand and told me I would be OK and he would take great care of me. The anesthesiologist told me the meds would sting a little but that's about it. And yes it did sting a little. And that is about all I remember.

It took them a little longer to wake me up. but I do remember a nurse calling my name. And I did see Scott standing there. I was pretty out of it. I didn't feel nauseous but I remember saying I hurt. I can barely remember pain though.. haha. They gave me pain meds. When I was finally wide awake the Dr came in to tell me how great the surgery went.  And I spent the night there. The staff of the hospital wasn't the best. Actually I really liked the day nurse, but the night nurse.. eh so so.  I hardly ate a thing the whole time I was there. NO Appetite at all.  Right before I left the hospital I had to pee. If I didn't pee, then they would keep a catheter in for a few days.. eek.. I sure was doing my best to pee!! It took me probably 4 times of trying but hallelujah I peed!  OOoooh I also got a free facial from a salon that apparently was in the hospital..so that was nice.

. Well I think I will start with home arrival on the next entry.  But first a note about my wonderful Dr.

So I have been to quite a few OB/GYN's and I honestly have to say this is the BEST Dr I've ever found!!!! He spends so much time in the office with you and makes sure you don't have anything else going on you want to talk about. He goes into detail about everything so you understand everything. He came to see me right before the surgery to see how I was doing and then met me in the room where I was to go night night.  He even held my hand and told me he promised me he would be careful and give me the best care ever as I was going night night.  When I woke up, he was there telling me how wonderful the operation went and so forth. He came in to see me right before I checked out of the hospital to make sure I was ready and to see if I needed anything.  He called me the day after I got home to make sure things were o.k. When I had a set back and had to go to his office to get checked out, he called me the next day to see if I was still throwing up.  He just seems so caring and honestly wants to make sure I was Ok. I've never had a Dr. make you feel like he really was there to help. 

I shall continue later.. its sleep time!

Moi~

Screaming Hault!

As you can see, I have not posted for awhile. I have still been pretty good with my eating healthy but some other heath issues came about and a tough decision was made.

5 weeks or so ago I went to see my 'woman' Dr. whom wasn't a woman at all. (p.s. I am on some good meds right now so if I don't make sense, I do apologize) Over the past 2 years or so I've been experiencing some abnormal monthly events. And when I approached my doctor about them, he gave me some options that could help. A hysterectomy was the biggest option I had. I will just tell you my problems because these drugs make me not care.. haha. My periods have consisted of 9 days long. Now if you're a woman something like this might feel like an eternity.  Also clots the size of golf balls did come about. Changing pads and other instruments were every couple of hours. So my frustration with this was high. My Dr did do some tests to make sure cancer was not occurring and he told me he could do other tests like Fibroids but the option of a hysterectomy would be there regardless of fibroids or not so we did as few tests possible.
Once I made the decision to have a hysterectomy any other tests were useless anyways.

There are several ways a hysterectomy is done and a couple of options pertaining hormones or no hormones. I think people get confused on hysterectomies and is one reason people are scared of them.
The main factor with most women on getting one is child baring. Of course you can not have any more kids after having one. This wasn't a main factor for me since I already knew I wasn't able to have anymore kids that way anyways.
The next thing is the hormones and the ovaries. Now unless there is a reason to remove the ovaries (due to cancer) most doctors wont remove them. This is the big factor on your hormones. If the ovaries are left, then you will not need hormone replacements and your body will continue moving forward like normal....well almost normal. You will go through Menopause a little sooner then normal (maybe 5 years earlier) and from what I've been told it will be a little lighter.
The biggest highlight for me is..... *drum roll*........ NO MORE PERIODS! EVER!  Of course with my problems I had, this is the main motivation I had for getting my hysterectomy done.

So I did tons of research online before I made my final decision. And I found some pretty scary things. I discussed them with my doctor and was surprised that several scary information I found was actually not true. So before you get all hyped up on scary things, please confirm them with an expert lol.

The down time on my procedure is what will make it hard. I also had a bladder repair due to bladder issues, which will be the bigger of the two things when it comes to recovery. It's already frustrating me not being able to clean the way I clean and have to let others do it. So I will have to learn some major patience, and like soon!

So obviously my weight loss journey might not turn out like I wanted it to (yet). I am still able to do the nutrition part, but as far as the work out part, it will be on hold for a little bit. I am restricted to just walking for now. I cant even vacuum or sweep for 6 weeks :( Lets see how that goes lol.

I'm going to try to log my recovery experience though. And my next entry will be on what has been happening so far. But that will have to wait for another day soon.

Off to sleep I go.

Moi

So on July 24th, Utah has this holiday called Pioneer Day. We all celebrate the pioneers and ancestors. Last year they started this 5k run called Temple to Temple. We did it last year, and had made the temple to temple a new tradition for our family so this year we all went and did it again. It was so nice to get my 10,000 steps all in by 10 am!!

Today I took a shower and took off my fitbit and of course I forgot to put it back on after so I wasn't wearing it to track my walking :(  Oh well.. not a big deal.

I am having a great few days and want to continue writing.. but my eye balls are saying this has to be a short post due to  them wanting to close.. sooo I will update better another night :)


Moi~

10,000 steps!

So my goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day. For me, that's about 4 miles.  Today (out of 4 days) I finally reached that goal. Before I got up to 8000 or so... It felt good to reach my goal and I am forcing myself to do it again every day. I stepped it up and after I went to the gym, I took another walk with my hubby. Right as I came home from our walk, my fitbit buzzed and let me know I reached my goal.

I also stepped on the scale tonight (something I never do at night) and surprise surprise.. I was a pound lighter then I was this morning. So I'm going to guess in the morning I'll even be lighter! This is one great motivation for continuing my healthy life style. I just hope I don't plateau any time soon. I know it will come, but please not for a few months!

 On my walk with Hubby, we went to subway. He was hungry. Subway is reasonably healthy (depending on what you get) But as I sat there and watched him order his BBQ pulled pork sub, I noticed myself thinking about all the bad things in his meat. Most of it was ok, but the BBQ sauce. The high fructose syrup. Man I would have never thought of things like this. I've noticed everything Im eating now I look at make sure it has no processed foods or yucky things for your body. And for most people, that doesn't leave much options to eat.  I still have a lot to learn on what foods are good and how to make great meals with the sources I can use. That is another one of my challenges.

Well another goal for today is to go to bed earlier.. So Good night =)

BTW I've now lost  10 lbs.

Moi~

My Mistake..

I suppose I shouldn't have started this blog until after all our vacationing. Especially since I did realize before hand that I probably wouldn't have written in this lovely blog. So a quick recap of what's been going on with my diet since I've started...

I began with a great kick off!! Nothing was going to stop me, I was successful in my first week, and even while we were on vacation.  The last 2 days of my trip though, I decided to go with the flow. I had already lost 8 pounds in 6 days. WELL just 2 days of eating whatever made me gain 5 of the 8 lbs. I learned my lesson!! I restarted again 2 days ago and have lost 4 of the 5 again =) It hasn't been hard for me (yet).  I just now have to adjust my eating to the right times and calories. So here is what I am doing...
I am supposed to eat 4/4/12 Which is eat breakfast, then 4 hours later eat lunch then 4 hours later eat dinner.. Then not eat breakfast until at least 12 hours later.  But what frustrates me is its impossible to actually do a 4/4/12 because there is still 4 hours lingering in between. What, are we just supposed to ignore them?? I don't think so.  SOO I have rearranged things a little and so far it seems to be working. I do a 4/4/4/12. And just eat 2 of my meals small, almost like snacks.  I will continue to test this out and see if my weight loss continues the way I like it. 

Another really awesome thing I am doing is the fitbit. For those of you who don't know what this is, its a bracelet that tracks things like how many steps you take a day and how you sleep at night. So far its been fun to do, and it has helped me make goals to be more active. It also logs my sleeping patterns which then I can show my husband how crappy I sleep at night.

So this may be really lame and stupid of me, but I wont tell you my weight. Its just one of those things that I hate so much I cant even type it! haha. BUT if you follow my wonderful blog, then you will be able to figure it out some day. I will post how many pounds I lose each week and list my goal weight. And if you truly care to know my weight, you can figure it out in the end.

My goal weight is 145. So far since I've started, I lost  7 lbs. I can be strong and continue this journey!

Just so you know, I do weigh myself ever day at the same time of day (right when I wake up). I like that number best.. lol =)

Well until next time

Moi~

Tomorrow is almost here!!

So I officially start my program tomorrow. But in preparation for it, I've been doing much better with my eating choices.  I downloaded a wonderful program on my phone (my fitness pal) which is easy and wonderful to use!

So even though there is not much to report, I do want to make a note of how much I've already notice how good this change will be. I am already starting to look at food differently.


Until tomorrow!

Moi~

Its time.

So I've been on several diets. I've set myself up to fail every time. And recently I've had a huge wake up call.

Over the past few years I've gained a lot of weight. I wasn't skinny to begin with either. Weight is something I've always struggled with since the wonderful changes of puberty. I know I've been able to lose weight and have a healthier life style in the past, but for some reason these past few years have been a real struggle for me.  I know all about temptations with foods and being too weak to continue a new diet. Until today.

So what has changed? I know for a fact I've had this 'until today' attitude. And a part of me wonders how strong this new faced off adventure will be. BUT something inside me has changed.
A few days ago I went to get my yearly pap smear. It had been awhile since I had one. The dr also did some routine blood work tests which one of them was my cholesterol.  I get the dreaded call and was told my triglycerides were HIGH. Now, me being over weight I had to expect something like this, right?!  Then I go ahead and do some research. The big world wide web is always something I cling to when I find out something about me myself and I.  I always hear of people having High Cholesterol and it never seemed to be a big deal to people. But what I've discovered is scary. And real. Something has to change, and people should be more aware of the scary outcome of high cholesterol.

When it comes down to it, my life is on the line. And I look at my children and think about how sad I would be if I wasn't here to watch them grow.  I mean, just look how beautiful they all are!!!!

 

These beautiful children have changed my life. They have motivated me in many ways. I need to now

take care of myself so I can take care of them, forever! =)

 

I recently discovered a diet that has inspired me. I've done a lot of research on it and am every excited to try it. There actually were a few diets I was looking up, but one in particular has caught my eye. My neighbor is also doing it.  SO I've decided to blog all about it, not only to show who ever read's this, my success but to remind me how strong I can be and to help continue my motivation by tracking it all down.

 

Lets begin my Journey!!!!!

<3