I'm with the Band!

Ha ha I've been waiting to use that line! Credit goes to Tracey, who said it to me when I was bouncing off the idea of the name of my blog.

Anyway, this will be a brief post. Just wanted to let everyone know the surgery went smoothly and they actually let me go home tonight! :) So, here I am! I was nervous about the anesthesia, but the anesthesiologist was wonderful. I don't even remember falling asleep, I just remember them waking me up. I am feeling pretty well, except for excruciating gas pains in my upper chest and neck, from the CO2 they used in surgery. It feels like knives stabbing me, especially every time I breathe. Hopefully that will go away soon.

Have I mentioned that I have THE best brother and sister in the world?!? They were w/ me the whole time and it was so comforting having them there when I was coming out of the anesthesia. The nurses in there were so cool. Usually only one person at a time is allowed in to visit you while you're in recovery, but once I was completely OK, they said I could have everyone come in w/ me... Nick, Sarah, John, Sharon, Erick, Aunt Denise and Lauren. I was like, "party in recovery!"

Okay, well, this gas pain is killing me, so I'm gonna sign off for tonight. I just wanted to keep everyone updated and let you know that I didn't have to stay overnight. Yay! And it's official... I'm with the Band!

Tomorrow's the Day!

It's finally here! The night before my surgery. I can't believe it's actually happening! :) I am feeling a variety of different things right now... anxious, nervous, excited, hungry, scared, thrilled. Ha ha Just another Sunday night! ;)

Today is just clear liquids for me. And no, unfortunately, vodka does not count. Something about empty calories and all. Blah, blah, blah. After midnight it's nothing at all... not even water. Am I hungry? Sure. But, it's a small sacrifice on this journey, and it will all be worth it in the end!

I still have to pack for the hospital, but am enjoying a few episodes of Ghost Whisperer first. Thanks to Blockbuster online, via mail, Sarah and I are working our way through the series. Just started season 3. It's like crack, it's so addicting.

Since this is my last night pre-Band, here are some recent pictures of me...

Most recent, taken 1/15/2011 (Maria's baby shower):

Taken August 2010 (NJLA Patient Cocktail Party):

Taken April 2010 (Denim Day @ Oasis):

Oh boy... I can't wait to start posting new pics, post-Band!

I'm so anxious, I wonder if I'll actually be able to sleep tonight. My plan is to sleep as late as possible tomorrow morning, in hopes it will stave off any hunger/thirst I'll feel.

Well, I'm off like a prom dress! Ha ha I have faith that all will go well tomorrow and I'll catch you all on the flip-side. Much love! :)

P.S. Happy Birthday to my "Godson" Devin who turns 9 years old today. I haven't seen him in years, but "Aunt" Valerie misses you all the time, Dev. :( 

Thundercats are GO!

Love that quote from Juno. :)

Anyway, results came back... WBC count is normal! Thank you everyone who wished good thoughts for this! I am very excited right now! :)

So, here's the surgery information:

When: Monday, February 7th
Where: Palisades Medical Center
Time: 3:00pm (I will have to check-in by 1pm)
**Please note, that since the surgery is so late in the afternoon, I will be staying OVERNIGHT in the hospital!**

My wonderful siblings, Nick and Sarah, will be with me through the surgery. How did I get so lucky? They're the best! 

This pic also includes my step-brother, Vic (on the left in sunglasses). I love my siblings!

If you have any other questions, just ask me! :) Here we go...

Bated Breath!

Went to get my blood-work re-taken this morning to check on my WBC count after the week of antibiotics... I am so anxiously waiting for the results, as this will determine for sure if I can go ahead w/ the surgery on Monday. Ahhhh! So nerve-wracking! LOL

Not much has been going on the past couple of days. I've been having "dinner" (protein shake & broth for me) w/ Sharon, Erick & John this whole week. It's been a lot of fun and a nice distraction from things. The week has actually flown by, when I was afraid it would drag.

Went to a support group for Dr. V's office last night, which was nice, and then went downstairs to the seminar they were holding and waited for Sharon to be done. All the doctors were there, and they are all so nice and wonderful! I can't reiterate this enough. :)

Well, I'm off to pack some more things I will need post-op, as well as work on some thank yous.

I'll let you know as soon as I find out about my results from blood-work this morning! Please pray that my numbers fall w/in the "normal" range so I can have the surgery on Monday! I don't want to feel hungry anymore, and this liquid diet, pre-op, is not the most filling, ya know.

Tacos, Jell-O, New Date and More

So, it's after midnight and I should really be sleeping in case the storm isn't as bad as they're predicting and I do have to go to work tomorrow. But, part of me feels like an anxious child anticipating no school tomorrow, and the other part of me misses my blog and needs to write. It's been two days, and I've been waiting for the time to be able to post! Well, opportunity has knocked and it's at 12:30am on a work-night. Oh well... Lots to fill you in on!

For dinner, once in awhile, John and I used to have an elaborately fun "Taco Night". We'd do it up right and have all the fixin's. For my other "last meal" this past weekend, we decided to indulge once more, and resurrected our Taco Night. Glad we did, because it was fun and delicious! I'm special though... I made a plate of rice topped w/ all the taco components, including crushed up shells, lettuce, etc., mixed it up and ate my tacos like that. John couldn't believe I ate the whole plate (even though it was not without effort and I was quite stuffed). I just looked at him and said, "I'm not going to be able to eat real food for the next month! I have to store up!"

While Taco Night was another success, my plan to "store up" lasted until about 1pm the next day when I was starving. It was hard to do liquids only all day. The Surgical Coordinator (Stella) said I could add a 4th protein shake to my daily diet. I think I need to drink more water too though. I've made 2 batches of Jell-O to help me along during my liquid phase thus far... I think I've had 2 spoons. Now, I have never really been a huge fan of the artificially sweetened bone marrow treat, but I am determined to become best friends w/ the stuff by the time I'm onto the soft foods phase! Yum! *sarcastic eye roll*

Oh! How could I forget to tell you?! My friend, Pam, picked me up 3 containers of the complete soy milk I was looking for (thanks to Tracey's tip on the location in Wyckoff!)! She found them at the Food Town in Franklin Lakes or Wyckoff, and cleared the shelf. :) It was such a happy moment for me when she called w/ the good news. Even more amazing? When I went to pick the milk up, I found she had also taken the liberty of getting me a bag full of individual Chobani greek yogurts, another bag of Crystal Light and Celestial Seasonings teas as well as a case of Diet Snapples, to help me along this first phase. How cool was that? I really am blessed w/ such wonderful friends and family. :) Needless to say, my protein shake was much yummier this morning. Thanks, Pam!

Thursday I have an appointment w/ the dentist to check on my tooth again and write me a note stating that the infection is cleared. Then I will have to go for blood-work again to check my WBC count. Please pray that the numbers are normal and I will be able to have the surgery! Please, please, please!

My new surgery date is Monday, February 7th. Less than a week away! Commencing countdown... Take Two! Ha ha The only thing is, it is now scheduled for 3pm, instead of 1st thing in the morning. This is because they are not able to do surgeries at PMC (Palisade Medical Center) next week, so, they are squeezing me in after their surgeries at HNH (Holy Name Hospital) that day, and making a special trip to operate on me at PMC. This is fine, it just means I will have to go the whole day w/o eating/drinking even water, and I might have to stay overnight. This is all good, I'm just saying to keep you all updated. I'm so excited (again)! Hopefully all will go as currently planned and this time next week, I will be Banded after a successful textbook surgery. :)

Thanks to this lovely weather, we had an early dismissal today and I was able to thoroughly clean most of my apartment. I blasted the music and just went to town. Even Easy-Off'd the stove! It is such a great feeling. I'm hoping tomorrow will be a snow day and I can clean my room. Then, all will be spic and span for when I have the surgery.

I think that's all for now. This is why I need to post daily, so it's not as much for me to try to remember! Be safe driving (and walking) around tomorrow. Ice storms, while beautiful, are quite dangerous.

Sushi Success

My final sushi feast was a complete success this evening! :) I usually order 2 rolls, but tonight I ordered 3... and almost ate them all! I only left behind 2 pieces. So proud! The time catching up w/ Pam was wonderful, as always! Great night overall.

Started the liquid diet today (sushi aside)... drank a travel mug full of black coffee this afternoon, and holy jitteryness! I did not feel well at all. Guess black coffee on an almost empty stomach is not good. Lesson learned.

Also went to the movies today and saw No Strings Attached... I highly recommend it. It was hysterical! Good chemistry between ALL the actors... overall just great. Go see it!

Craving a cigarette badly! :( I'm pretty sure it has something to do w/ the wine I drank tonight, among other things. Can't do it though. Not worth the risk in surgery.

Well, it's late, and I'm full of mixed emotions right now, so I think it best if I just sign-off for now. I will close w/ some random events that took place on January 29th, in history...

1/29/1980 (the year I was born): 6 Iranian held U.S. hostages escape with help of Canadians AND the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 154-153 in quadruple OT!
1/29/1959 (the year my mom was born): Walt Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" was released.

A little bright from the flash, but this was my yummy dinner tonight:

Rants and Randomness

How did everyone fair getting around today? Whatever happened to snow "removal?" The town keeps plowing the feet upon feet of snow into these ginormous mountains that, I am convinced, will never melt. And where are these plowed mountains taking shape? They are, of course, conveniently located at the corners of intersections and parking lot entrances, so no one can actually see when it's safe to pull out. So smart, DPW, so smart. Ugh. And then there's my wonderful parking neighbor who stays buried in for days and then throws his snow in my meticulously clean spot when he's ready to emerge. That hardly seems fair. Yesterday, I even took the liberty of being extra nice (slightly selfish on my part too) of digging out the side of his car that faces my spot. I shoveled, and shoveled so there would be no snow between us. Well, the weasel left somewhere between late last night and early this morning, dumping his snow all over the extensive area I had cleaned. I wrote a note, but think I won't leave it in case he's one of those emotionally mature stunted people and takes it out on my car. I will just have faith that karma pays him a visit.

Still waiting to hear when my new surgery date is scheduled for. Hopefully I will find out soon. I was given the "OK" for the 2 meals I had planned for the weekend (sushi and tacos)... otherwise it's protein shakes and clear liquids from here on in! I wonder... does vodka count as a "clear" liquid? *raises eyebrow*

There's this blog I read, called Two Whole Cakes. I love it. What's it about? "Two Whole Cakes is a full-fat and diet-free blog dealing with body politics and cultural criticism." (taken directly from the "About" section of the blog). The other day she was talking about how all the "fat people" "reality" shows seem to shed a demeaning light on overweight people. Apparently there's a new show, Heavy, which purports to be less evil since it focuses more on the psychological aspects of being overweight as opposed to the "evils of food." The writer of the blog criticizes the show's tagline "Losing is their only hope," stating "Because what TV needs is more sad, fat people." She continues to say:

"Though this may be a kinder, gentler approach to televised weight loss, it still pathologizes all fat people as having some underlying psychological issue that causes them to eat like pigs. While this is certainly true of some fat people, this is often the only representation we see of fat folks on television, and thus it’s difficult for me to criticize in a thoughtful way past the first few minutes. Not all fat people are unable to walk more than a few feet; not all fat people eat like all the food in the world will disappear tomorrow. Some fat people are athletes, and some fat people are vegans, and some fat people eat and exercise just like their thinner counterparts do, and are still fat. Some fat people are really unhappy being fat, some are apathetic about it, and some dig their fatness. All fat people deserve respect and dignity, no matter their circumstances, but I do get tired of seeing only the more culturally-negative tropes repeated like they are a fair approximation of what all fat people experience."

And so I started thinking. Yes, being overweight is detrimental to our health. But why is there such a negative connotation around the physical aspect of it? There are lots of beautiful overweight people. Marilyn Monroe was a plus size, by the way. The image that's evoked when one sees an obese person is one of solitude, isolation, misery, disgust, surrounded by hundreds of Twinkie wrappers. Is that fair? I, for one, have never been enticed by a Twinkie and enjoy eating cooked greens, hummus, avocado, soy milk and whole grains. And those of you who know me, know this to be true. You know that I don't really have a sweet tooth, and ice cream, no matter how small the container will ALWAYS contract freezer burn in my freezer. But, do you think the woman sitting across from me on the bus picks up on that? I had a dentist once make a comment to me, "Well if you're sucking down sodas and eating candy all day..." I was offended and embarrassed all at once. How dare he presume to know my life, and that wasn't me at all! We're raised to "not judge a book by its cover," but we do it ALL the time. Is it fair that a 22-year old high school grad (no college degree) gets hired over the 32-year old professional w/ 14 years experience and college degree, because she is thin and the latter is overweight? I am not absolving myself from passing judgment here. Like I said, we all do it. It's just good to be aware of it, and challenge ourselves every time we find ourselves doing just that. No matter what the circumstance... I'm not just talking about obesity; how about the next time you see an impoverished, black man or a "Franklin Lakes" diva at the mall? Just take a moment; Recognize what you're doing; And consider an alternative. I don't know... maybe I'm being ridiculous and over-emotional. I'm just sayin'...

Now that I got that off my chest! LOL I'm off to continue my Law & Order: SVU marathon on Netflix, most likely followed by Tetris Battle on Facebook. Oh yes, another riveting Friday night for this chick! Look out! ;)

I'll catch you all tomorrow, Goddess willing. ;) Blessed be.