Finally, a photo!

I'm not currently smart enough to get it to post the correct direction. :)

Down 33 lbs since surgery, 43 overall!

I'm so very excited...just a few short days away until I hit the 50lbs lost mark! I'm feeling great, looking great, and officially had to start a pile of pants that no longer will stay on me. What?!?!? I don't think I've ever gotten to say that before. Tonight I went back to my dance classes: Chicago Steppin' and Salsa. I was able to go all the way through Steppin', but had to sit down periodically during Salsa, as it was engaging my core a lot (and I'm not supposed to do much of that just yet.) I feel like I'm in a journey that is holistic: mind, body and spirit. I have decided to give up TV this week to just soak in the Lord's word and hear what He has to say to me. I was given the best encouragement from Him when I got my hospital bill and have enough on my health spending account to pay it off in full. I am so grateful for my God who covers me, loves me, and provides for me. One thing I learned in my devotions yesterday was the reminder that worrying is the same as not trusting Him. Hmmm...gotta work on that one. :)

Alison, according to UrbanDictionary.com

Alison's are gods who don't realize how precious they are, and always underestimate themselves. They hide they're true beauty and talents for the one that they fall in love with, although shes always beautiful she tries to keep it to herself and reserve herself for the one. Shes had her trust broken before and won't bring her wonders out until she has full trust within you. Can be a real goddess in bed, (only to the people she feels that deserves to feel her magic). If you mess with her heart you will regret it forever. She has high standards and doesn't put up with fakes or lies, Alison sees right through them. She loves to have a good time. She treats everyones problems as if they were her own, if you come to her for advice shes tries everything she can to solve them. She loves to help everyone and cares for people even more than she cares for herself. She's a sweatheart who can be sensitive at times where she feels helpless. When Alison's at her best she is so incredibly fun and fearless. They're mysterious and have alot more on their minds than you think they do. She's the best friend you will ever have she puts everyone before herself and always understands everyones problems no matter how strange they can be. Take care of your Alison's because she a delicate flower full of undeniable beauty, love, care, passion and sympathy. Shes got your back even if it means making herself look like a fool she'll always be there for you. "Shes got the light of love and far from the average girl, who is she and where did she come from?"

Making progress...

I'm down 30 pounds since surgery!!! I'm sooo very proud of myself. I'll post a photo, soon! This past weekend was my Kaufmann family reunion, and I had a blast! My mom had let my aunts and uncles know ahead of time, so they have been praying for me through the process. A lot of my cousins didn't necessarily know what was going on, or had a lot of questions. I felt very supported, and was especially touched when my aunt let me know how much she appreciated the group texts I had sent out (to a small support group who pray for me) letting her know my ups and downs and she appreciated my allowing her to help pray me through my down times. I also got a very uplifting, "I'm so proud of you, sis!" from my oldest brother. The cutest support came from my 12 year old niece, Emily. She had her mom buy a sugar free angel food cake so I could have some sort of dessert at the family reunion. Then when she told me goodbye, she excitedly hugged me and said, "I'll try to recognize you next time you visit with all that weight gone!" The lesson I've learned in all this is to not be so self-conscious about this journey. I've got a lot of people rooting for, supporting, and LOVING me through it.

Chicago Curvy Girls

Part of my recovery is several small walks a day. It's partly to promote recovery, partly to keep blood clots from forming, and partly to keep my muscle tone from atrophying (is that a word?). I'm supposed to get 10,000 steps a day. My recover is actually going fantastic. My nutritionist and surgeon said that one week out from surgery I was where most patients are a month out. That said, I have some good days, and some bad days in terms of motivation. I get bored with walking. I loved it while my Mom was here post-op, as we had fun together. Walking by myself, however, is not my idea of fun. I guess that's partly why I like group classes so much. I also really miss working hard at my spinning and boot camp classes. But I'm not willing to jeopardize my recovery by doing more than I'm currently allowed to do...which is only walking for exercise. I looked online for some walking groups, and imagine my surprise (and joy) to find a meetup group called Chicago Curvy Girls. It's a meetup group for plus size women to do all sorts of healthy activities, including one or two walks a week. There is something scheduled almost every day, as there are two or three women who work on planning activities. Tonight I joined a group of women for an hour walk in Peterson Park near my house. It was a blast. That park has some forest preserve, and we got to see several deer, as well as an old tuberculosis clinic. And the best part? My pedometer count for the day is now over 15000. Woo hoo!!

Every Little Twinge and Itch...

I'm not normally a hypochondriac, but I'm currently suffering from questioning every little itch and twinge in my recovery. While in the hospital, my Dr told me to be aware of any new pain, and to ask myself if doing a certain activity two days ago yielded that pain. Another factor is that I have five significant incisions, plus a drain site. All of those were cut all the way through my skin and fat tissue to provide space for instruments. The Dr. also informed me that each of those incision sites has incised nerves that will twinge, tingle and possibly cause pain as they grow back together. I've been having some pain in one of my incision sites, but I can tell its coming from deep inside rather than from the skin surface. I initially thought it was no big deal, then began to have "daymares" of thoughts of blood clots and other such anxiety-producing issues. Thankfully I have a very medical family, including a sister who is a post-op nurse. I'd say I'm averaging two calls a week to her to make all my twinges and whatnot seem normal. So far, she's not worried. That means I'm not worried. Until tomorrow morning, when I stretch and feel the pain again.

Changing Seasons

Wow - it's really been almost three years! I've been busy. My reason for continuing to the blogosphere is to document the latest in my journey: gastric sleeve surgery. I have fought with my weight my whole life, and a few years ago began to explore what options I had in the surgical realm. After much therapy on my eating issues, and research on what the options were, last June I signed up for the obligatory info session at Northwestern Hospital's Center for Lifestyle Medicine (the bariatric center.) I never turned back, and I'm now about ten days out from my surgery. I have lost a total of about 40 pounds thus far (approximately 20 prior to surgery). I will share more over the coming posts, and feel free to ask me questions. My purpose in this is to share my story with others that may be going through or considering a similar path, while also communicating with my family/friends about my progress. See you soon!