Cutting Off Ties: Part 1

Today I say goodbye to a very old and loyal friend of mine as I prepare for surgery in less than 3 weeks...

R.I.P. Diet Pepsi and all other sodas

It's sad day... even typing this I begin to crave an icy cold Diet Pepsi but I know this is for the best. It's not a requirement for my pre-op but I know I can't indulge in soda after surgery so I decided to nip this habit now. 

Will I ever drink soda again? Yes, I'm sure I will. But will I ever go back to drinking 3-4 sodas in a day? I hope not. It's really not healthy for anyone... WLS'ers or not. Knowing that this surgery is a lifestyle change for me and my family I want consciously make healthy choices now. Even my husband (who is addicted to soda) has decided to forgo all soda with me. I'm glad I have his support :) 

So yesterday at the grocery store we stocked up on this:

bottled water and knock-off Crystal Light packets.

And to make me even happier I can continue to add my knock-off drink packets to my water post-surgery! This will make getting my water requirement in so much easier!

Getting Ready... and Nervous!

Time is running away from me this week! I started the week with nothing scheduled and I'm now proud to say that everything is scheduled:

March 1st- Support Group Meeting

March 3rd- all day appointment for my pre-op nutrition class

March 4th- morning pre-op testing at the hospital, afternoon at OBGYN for my lady exam

March 17th- Surgery!

It's a ton to do... and on top of it I have plenty going on at work. I did get all my FMLA paperwork done so I'm happy to say it is all taken care of. Now, just getting all the tests done and over with. I'm starting to get nervous... what is my pap smear is abnormal? What is my EKG is bad? What if the results from my lady exam don't even get back in time? All questions that I have no merit to worry about... but I will... until I am being wheeled back for surgery on the 17th. :) The curse of the Type A personality. 

My mom, who had her WLS surgery in May 2010, stocked me up with plenty of helpful tools for my first few weeks post-op. 

1 oz. medicine cups to measure foods and infant "sipper" lids for my water bottles! 

It blows my mind that I am going to be content with 2 oz. portions of food... 2 little medicine cups of liquids then pureed foods. Would it be insane to say I'm excited? :)

On my way...

So this is it. I've made a blog to document my journey through my process of weight loss surgery (WLS). I promise to keep it real- no beating around any bushes- and to answer any questions someone might have. I know that reading others blogs has definitely helped me in this pre-op phase and I hope I am able to help other pre-op'ers out there!

So what's my story? I never was really heavy growing up. I think I always thought I was but I didn't really start packing on the weight until a bad high school breakup and a high school job in fast food. Then I couldn't stop. I didn't eat because I was unhappy... I ate because I was happy, sad, stressed, frustrated, bored, lonely, celebrating, etc. Everything was cause to celebrate with food! 

And now I'm here. 24 years old and obese. I can't wait until I never have to see that word and think of it being me. I fear sitting in booths at restaurants, I would die before I wore a swimsuit in public, and being comfortable in jeans? Forget it. 

But this is all about to change! My WLS surgery has been scheduled for March 17th... less than a month away! I'm choosing to have the roux-en-y gastric bypass (RNY) and I am very excited about it! I hope this becomes the tool I need to become the person trapped inside this shell. As cliche as it is to say... my skinny person is dying to get out of this body!

Now begins all the pre-op things I have to do. Tuesday I have to get my girl parts checked, March 4th is my pre-op testing, and on Monday I need to schedule my nutrition class. Even being obese I'm a pretty healthy person... no medical problems at this time. So I'm praying that everything is still that way and all my tests comes back clear for surgery. I will, of course, be updating you all the way. 

Here begins my journey... and I'm so excited to share it with you. 

Love!