counting down...pre-op 12...wedding ring trauma

Last night was difficult.  I actually broke down and had some canned tuna.  All protein & zero carbs, so I'll assume that I didn't throw myself terribly off track.  I'm feeling pretty good about things today.

Not much happening today--just daily cleaning/laundry & putting up curtain rods for the new curtains!  Then a little more cooking for the freezer...crockpot chicken curry.   (***yesterday's beans, greens & sausage was a disaster!  Yucky AND smelly.***)

I haven't been able to wear my wedding band in a couple of days.  I have a condition called wedding ring dermatitis.  Who knew?  My wedding band has a channel of diamonds across the top which means that it is hollow on the underside.  Apparently, dirt & moisture has been getting trapped under there causing irritation, blistering & peeling.  The only way to clear it up is to stop wearing it for a couple of weeks and let it dry out an heal.  After that, I just have to make sure either to take the ring off when I wash my hands (put on lotion, etc) or just make sure to dry thoroughly underneath.  At least, I hope that's all.

Cheers!

counting down...pre-op day 13 (take 2)

Yesterday was better.  Still hungry.  Still thirsty (wtf?).  Still torturing myself by continuing to cook good smelling stuff for Darrell.  Yesterday I had a Venezuelan sirloin roast in the crock pot all day.  Boy did it smell good!  Today I'm working on a sausage, bean & greens "stew."  I don't like collard greens, but Darrell does.  This one should be easy to resist.

I anticipate that my biggest problem today will be boredom.  Eating the same thing day after day is bad enough.  But doing nothing but drinking--that's just boring!

Good news, though, is that I dropped a couple of pounds already.

d'oh!

LOLs!!!!!!  Apparently, I mis-counted and started my liquid diet a day early.  I guess I'll be doing a 15-day liquid pre-op instead.  (for anyone who's counting, that makes today Pre-Op 14)

counting down...pre-op day 13

Alright, let me just get it out there--1st day of pre-op liquid diet SUCKED!  But, I did it.  Moving on.

****Note to self:  do not buy rotisserie chicken for Darrell and then have to smell it in the car all the way home from the grocery store on your first day of a liquid diet.  That's just mean.****

Here's the thing that has me stumped.  I was expecting to be hungry.  I was not expecting to be so thirsty.  Did anyone else experience intense thirst during the beginning of the liquid phase?

counting down...(pre-op day 14 drinking plan)

SlimFast shake (vanilla)
Mix 1 (blueberry)
SpecialK Protein Shake (chocolate)
Low Sodium V-8
SlimFast shake (Cappuccino Delight)
Mix 1 (Lime)

These are all RTD (ready to drink) in the can/bottle.  I really abhor mixing.  Having said that, the RTDs aren't very good if they're not refrigerated.  So, I also have a 16oz. blender bottle that I carry with me when I go out of the house.  I store a packet of powdered meal replacement (they had these on sale @ GNC) in the cup so that I can just buy a bottle of water and mix if I find myself away from the home at "meal" time.

My plan is to do pretty much the same thing every day--just mixing up the flavors a bit. We'll see how it goes.

2-weeks to go...wrap up (i.e. "I thought I was smarter than that")...planning...

Two Weeks to Go...

I have decided to give the two-week liquid diet a try.  You may recall that my doctor only requires 10 days.  He suggested, though, that 14 days would be better if I thought I could handle it.  I have also decided to count down (instead of up) which makes today Pre-Op Day 14.  I hope I'll get around to daily posts for this period as I recall finding those posts very informative in other blogs when I was doing my preliminary research.

I thought I was smarter than that...
So, the last couple of months since the end of my 3-month insurance diet have been a disaster.  At the end, I was devastated to learn that I would have to wait TWO MORE MONTHS to have surgery.  I took an "I'll show them" attitude and proceeded to indulge in two months worth of "last meals."  And, I showed them all right--by gaining back every single ounce of weight that I had lost during the first 3 months of the year.  Yep...I am now exactly the same weight as when I started.

And, really?--did I show anybody?--did I really stick it to them?  Of course not!  The only thing I accomplished was setting myself back and really making sure that that time was wasted instead of putting it to good use by losing a few more pounds.  Did any of this really punish them for making me wait?  Nope.  I only wound up punishing myself.  The sad thing is, I knew that this was counter-productive the whole time I was doing it.  I really thought I was smarter than that.  Oh well...

Planning...
Today I will be focusing on planning and prepping meals for Darrell.  I do all of the cooking (part of our agreement when I decided to quit my job) and I want to make sure he doesn't "suffer" just because I'm not eating "real" food anymore.  Yesterday I found some recipes for meals that are designed to make a head and freeze.  Some of them are casseroles, but other actual "meals" (like pork chops and baked apples) that just require a little bit of time in the oven.  I will be preparing one each day until surgery and freezing them in individual portions.  That way, I can just grab one and pop it in the oven for him while he's on his way home--no cooking (and no sampling) for me during my Pre-Op and Bandster Hell phase.  I'm doing something similar with breakfasts--gonna try out some grab-n-go egg "muffins" and hope that he likes them.  Luckily, he doesn't mind eating the same thing for breakfast every day.

So, there you have it.  I'll talk about my post-op requirements once I get there.   For now, I'm just focusing on the task at hand.

Cheers!
Lynda

just ain't got it in me...

Nothing's wrong.  I feel fine.  Good health.  Good spirits.

I just don't have it in me to write these days.  I know I promised details of my pre-surgery requirements...and I'll make good on that promise.  Just not today (and probably not tomorrow, either).

Y'all have a good weekend.  I'll be back next week.

Cheers!
Lynda