Dolly Parton - Better Get To Livin'

This is the theme of my blog this evening...Check it out!!! Great Great song!!

" Better Get To Livin"

"Better Get To Livin"

November 13th, 2010

"The day were born we start to die don't waste one minute of this life, Get to livin" - Dolly Parton

So as you all know about four months ago I decided to make a life changing decision and get off the couch, head to the doctors and see how to change my life. I decided on Roux Y Gastric Bypass, which I had on October 27th,2010. Since the operation I have been recovering body,soul,and mind at my parents home. I have rested, read, watched TV, caught up chatting with my folks, I have blogged, and face booked...But most importantly I have worked on ME, Not only will my physical body change but so will my mental emotions change. I needed to search ME and see what I needed, wanted, and where I thought my next steps would take me. Week one and two were tuff,painful, yet emotionally freeing. Now I am well into week three I have changed my focus to Living.

In the process of "Gettin to Livin" I have gotten up at 4:30 am to be at the Gym at 5:00am with my parents. Exercise is an important component of any weight loss plan and I figured three weeks post op was a safe time to start with the process. I have chosen to start slow so I don't hurt myself yet at the same time I get used to the Gym being a natural part of my daily routine. I am mostly doing cardio walking on the treadmill one mile a session at a speed of 20 min. I have also tried the elliptical which I hate and honestly hurts my surgical area and knees. I will slowly increase my routine with weights,biking, and maybe swimming with the family. I have made a pact with myself that change in my life is going to happen if for no one else for myself. I will give it my all so I can be a better me to those who need me. I have also Incorporated outside walking into my daily routine. After my tiny little lunch I have begun to take little excursions down to the Pier to enjoy the nice weather we have had here in MD. the Pier I have been walking to is about a half mile from the House so its been a good little work out for me mid day. And I must say I actually enjoy it...lol. I figure after I put my self through all this pain of surgery why sit around and wait for the weight to fall off. I need to get up and make it happen and in turn tighten the muscles so I look even better when it all falls away...lol

"No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you absolutely, positively do have the power to change."~Bill Phillips~ Some of you might read that quote and say "yeh right", what is he thinking, he has no idea of my situation.....I might not know of your exact situation BUT I know my situation was completely debilitating and in ways still is BUT I have chosen to live and not die, to enjoy life and not miss out, and to live my dreams not watch them walk past me. If this blog does anything Lord let it inspire change in peoples lives. You see I may not be perfect but I have come to see that when you're stuck in a spiral,to change all aspects of the spin you only need to change one thing. Change one thing and that result will inspire change in other areas.

I am leaving tomorrow to head to my home in PA . I am so excited to see my son who misses me terribly. I miss my wife as well and all the comforts of my home. However I will miss the comfort my parents have provided me. The support and care they have offered me has been awesome. I'm not going into the best of situations by going home but I know that God is in control and he has by back as I am a child of the king. The healing I have received emotionally and spiritually I pray will supernaturally pass on to those in PA that need it and that I will enter a peacefull situation that is condusive for my and my wives continuing recovery. You see my wife is still recovering from a back surgery 7 weeks ago.

I will leave you with this song quote :" Yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead, Yesterday is a promise that you've broken, Don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes, This is your life and today is all you've got now, Yeah, and today is all you'll ever have, Don't close your eyes"-Switchfoot Don't waste it...."Get to livin".

Casting Crowns-"Praise You In This Storm" (live)

This has been my most treasured song during my recovery thus far...let it minister to you as I have.

My on going healing process

My on going healing process...

November 7th, 2010

"Eating everything you want is not that much fun. When you live a life with no boundaries, there’s less joy. If you can eat anything you want to, what’s the fun in eating anything you want to?" - Tom Hanks

Recovery from major surgery has its ups and downs. One minute you want to curl up in a fettle position and cry and the next you feel ready to conquer the world. The last week I have experienced both and believe me I am ready for the next step in this process. I have retreated to my parents home in MD for recovery where I can focus on my healing and learning how to live, eat, and function with this new stomach of mine. My parents have been here for me 100% they have made sure the transition from hospital to home was smooth and that all the changes I have needed to make were made with support and love, also a little guidance as they have been living healthy and losing weight for about a year now...Moms almost down 100lbs...WHOO HOO!!! "Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand." - Emily Kimbrough

This week I have been taking it easy by doing allot of resting. I began this healing journey on liquids ,made the transition into solid liquids and now I am working on getting acquainted with soft foods. I have found it freeing that I cant eat as I once let myself. I can now consume about 2-4 ounces at a time. If I push it and try to for instance to sip water after I eat, I instantly have cramping and I just cant continue. I have found it hard to get past the mental changes I am going through as well. I am having phantom hunger...I'm hungry in my head ( at dinner I want a hamburger, at breakfast I want McDonald's etc) However I am not hungry in my stomach. I also feel as though my mind is morning the loss of my full appetite...Its weird and yet freeing as well. Changes are happening and as they happen chains are breaking. So as you can imagine as I am making these changes I still have temptation to pack in the food even though I cant physically handle it, the temptation is there...I just try to remember every time I am tempted to react in the same old way, I ask myself if I want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future and I am a pioneer all the way. There are only two words that will always lead me to success. Those words are yes and no. Undoubtedly, I've mastered saying yes. So I am now practicing saying no. My goals depend on it!

I have been trying to incorporate exercise slowly into my routine but as my sergeon has reminded me my surgery was a difficult one, I am pretty beat up. I am in constant pain at the 8 incision sites unless I am on my pain meds and even then it only takes the edge off. Mom and Dad have been diligent in getting me up to walk around the house and out around the block, out to the Mall and grocery store. This has also helped keep me sain...lol Mom and Dad have also scheduled activities to help me relax and rejuvenate. Mom and I went shopping and we got a new sweat suit, sneakers and some protein drinks to try. Dad,Mom, and I also got pedicures which was so relaxing and felt so good and rejuvenating.I cant wait to get to the gym and start a work out routine. As we all know the more I work out the better results I will see. There is so much to get involved in and so much I cant wait to do...Im so ready to "get to livin"

I have been working hard at following my directions and eating only the foods on my Dr's instructions...its not been easy but it has paid off as of yesterday I have lost 30 lbs...Woot Woot!!! I really am beginning to notice the weight loss in my face and chest. I of course cant wait to see more. I have really been getting allot of support from others on the losers bench which has really helped me in pushing through these first two weeks. My parents had a friend of theirs come and talk with me she had the Roux and Y Gastric Bypass as I have and she dropped over 150 lbs in 7-8 months... she went from a size 24 to a size 0. She looks simply amazing,She is in her fourth year post op and is living life to the fullest. Her story is so inspiring. I have yet to throw up...praise God!!!! Everyone says it will happen...but hopefully after my incisions heal. My belly looks wicked beat up and hurts often but it sure looks better than it did immediately post op. I have made it through all of my required injections of blood thinner with no blood clots. I have also worked on regulating my Bi Polar meds that are now all liquid (Boo) so I am feeling quit well. (I posted this belly shot to show how I'm doing and for people considering gastric that the scaring is minimal...please don't use this pic for any other projects with out my approval...lol)

I leave for PA to see my surgeon for my first post op appointment as well as to see my Wifey and Son who I miss so much. The plan is to return to MD for one more week of recovery after my appointment. I will be blogging more as the days go on, I have many tips, recipes and products to tell all you who are walking this journey as well. So keep checking back.

Here is a photo of me now...You can see the weight loss in my face from my first bloggs.

Reba McEntire Live in Concert Walk On

This song helped me get through the recovery at the hospital....Walk on!!!

Recovering from Surgery at the hospital.

Recovering from Surgery at the hospital...

October 28-30, 2010

"If you want to enjoy a rainbow, you have to put up with the rain".--Dolly Parton

Recovery at the hospital wasn't easy. At times I was in so much pain that I swore I had made a bad decision. I said.."look at me I mutilated my life" The truth is even though I was in pain and uncomfortable I felt productive, proactive, and like I was for once in years"gettin to livin". I have told many of a day last December when I woke up at home out of breath, ill with pneumonia, and to fat to get out of bed to grab my inhaler and my water. I said to myself... Self, get off your fat ass and do something about this or blow your brains out...Get on with it but ya cant keep letting your self wake up each day dead...be dead or live alive. Even though I was in the hospital recovering from gastric Bypass and even though there was multiple complications and I felt like shit...I was living for once not dieing. I have stopped the dieing process and chose to live. So living is what I planned on doing.

As of the second day of recovery I had been poked and prodded at so much . You see my left lung partially collapsed due to shock and trauma of the invasive abdominal surgery I subjected myself to. The medical staff had to insert a breathing tube until they could repair the lung and get my oxygenation on track. My levels were in the low 80s and needed to be in the high 90s. I also noticed that one of the reasons I was in extreme pain is because they had to make 8 incisions verses the 4 they planned on making. Both of my surgeons are very respected in the weight loss surgical field, said the surgery was difficult and they were surprised how good I was healing....? Hello?? I felt like Poo. I had endured CT scans, Echo cardiograms, vascular sonograms, Chest ex rays and even 14 tubes of blood work. This all happened my second night during my stay so as you can imagine sleep was a commodity I searched for and took when I could. I was working with a respiratory team and we were working very hard to find out what was wrong with me.People have asked me wernt you concerned with the risks? Yes but I also had risks to staying fat and I would much rather be taking my chances walking this journey than eating myself dead. Remember Progress always involves risk; you can't steal second base and keep your foot on first!

That night I remembered a bible verse that I had held to in weeks past. "The Lord is near to all who call on him,To all who call on him in truth, He fulfills the desires of those who fear him he hears there cry and saves them." (Psalms 145:18,19) Oh how I cried out tho him..GOD I'm dieing,I'm in so much pain, I'm scared, I'm troubled...give me strength and PLEASE deliver me from this pain!! My Parents were such a support for me they walked with me hand in hand the whole experience. Never once did I feel alone or support less. I had Dad and Mom there walking me through this. I know my parents were exhausted but they never let it show. Jess kept Tabb's on me via phone as she cared for landon. One evening I called her and cried for a good hour "I cant believe I did this Jess...I in so much pain". She just listened and then said Hun..You can do it...it seems bad now but you will look back and see how this was the right thing to do!" Everyone let me know they loved me and I needed to hear it. If you are contemplating the decision of a possible gastric bypass..Make sure you have a good support system because, you WILL need it.

As I was walking through the pain and change I also faced a new way to eat,drink, and live. Now immediately following surgery I was allowed 1 ounce of sugar free clear fluid every hour and it increased every day to 3 ounces at the time of my departure from the hospital. I must say the first day I really thought I was going to die...I was SO SO thirsty yet my stomach was full so easily. Even as I was leaving the hospital it was a challenge to deal with. I find it very funny that my mind is hungry but my tummy isn't...weird. I have had to pace myself because I couldn't drink as many ounces as frequently as they wanted so I'm just going at my own pace so I don't get sick. I didn't throw up at all during my hospital stay but let me tell you when I sipped to much to quick I hurt. Its defiantly trial and error learning what works for you. I kept fighting and sipping and walking through the pain. I started walking up the hallway a few hundred feet and by the time I was getting ready to leave I was walking Lapps around the surgical recovery floor....Crazy. As each day went by I emerged into my normal witty determined self. Walking is a major component in recovering not only does it give you more energy it loosens the gas trapped in your abdominal cavity from surgery and helps the bowls move. Two important effects you want to experience there at the hospital..lol One of the older nurses would say "Michael lets get up and get those gas bubbles a poppin...lets fart,burp, and walk together...lol she was crazy but it did ease the embarrassment.

As soon as they were able to get my blood levels,oxygenation levels, and lung functions under control the doctors agreed to send me home....I was like what? Home? Whats that? I came home Saturday October 30,2010....who hoo! I got up really early that day and my Dad helped me wash up really good as showering still wasn't possible. The Doc came and saw me ,took my big drain out and went over my post op instructions. I helped my Dad get all my belongings together and we headed out. Out to Pottstown to visit my son and wifey but then on to MD to recover at my parents where little hands wont be able to pounce on me and where Mom and Dad could help me out as Jess my wife has just had back surgery we didn't want to risk her taking care of me and hurting herself. Off we went....boy was that car ride home painfully freeing...lol