Both procedures have been approved by the insurance company. The date has been moved up 11-19-08 (yes three days from today). I am very nervous, but ready. G is going to take Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off from work to be with me. This is very sweet of him. I wish that my girls were coming, but I will not be much fun for them, so it is OK.
I will see them in April when I go home for the Marathon. Yes, I am still going to try my hardest to do the Marathon. This is the last year that they are going to run this course and I want to be able to say that I was part of it. I have figured it out and if I take six weeks off after my surgery, it will put me at 1-1-09. This would give me 15 fulls weeks before a taper week to get back into shape for a Marathon. OK, some may think that this is very optimistic and I am sure that it is, but I would like to give it a try. It will however truly depend on how quickly I recover and how well I feel by the first of the year. I am in no hurry and i am not going to rush anything with this surgery. I will take all the time that I need to make sure that I am fully healed before trying anything stupid. In fact, I have taken two weeks off from work and for those of you that really know me this is a really long time for me to be at home and guess what I plan to do? Nothing, you read that right. I am going to do nothing. I am going to lounge a round read books, watch TV, be lazy, and do nothing.
I am going to have G take some pictures of me prior to surgery and then I will have him take them after surgery. I will try to update this frequently, but remember I am going to do nothing for two weeks.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
November 7, 2008
Competition
I forgot to update you on the competition at work. OK, I did not win, but I still ran 109 miles in 61 days. That by itself is an awesome accomplishment for me.
Prior to me starting running in April of 2008, I would say that I did not run 109 miles in my whole life. I am 31 so that would have only required me to run about 3.5 miles a year. I do know that we would have to run a mile in gym class once a year for our assessment tests, but that was the only running that I was doing and that 1 mile per year does not even come close to 109.
The winner of our competition ran almost 160 miles in 61 days. This is so AWESOME!!! The next closest person came in at around 130 miles (AWESOME)!!!
I am so proud of everyone that was in our competition regardless of the number of miles that they did. I am so amazed by the number of miles that we have collectively run, that I want to continue tracking the number of miles that we run until at least the end of the year (maybe longer -I am a numbers junkie).
I forgot to update you on the competition at work. OK, I did not win, but I still ran 109 miles in 61 days. That by itself is an awesome accomplishment for me.
Prior to me starting running in April of 2008, I would say that I did not run 109 miles in my whole life. I am 31 so that would have only required me to run about 3.5 miles a year. I do know that we would have to run a mile in gym class once a year for our assessment tests, but that was the only running that I was doing and that 1 mile per year does not even come close to 109.
The winner of our competition ran almost 160 miles in 61 days. This is so AWESOME!!! The next closest person came in at around 130 miles (AWESOME)!!!
I am so proud of everyone that was in our competition regardless of the number of miles that they did. I am so amazed by the number of miles that we have collectively run, that I want to continue tracking the number of miles that we run until at least the end of the year (maybe longer -I am a numbers junkie).
November 7, 2008
Approved!!!
I have been approved for the Panniculectomy and now I am waiting to see if the insurance company will approve a Breast Reduction. If they approve both, I am planning to have surgery on 11-24-08. I will be out of work for about 2 weeks (returning on 12-8-08). This will be the longest that I have ever taken off from work at a time. I am nervous about taking this much time off from work for many reasons (personal and work related, but I would say more personal). I have compiled a list of concerns that are running through my mind and there are many.
I have been approved for the Panniculectomy and now I am waiting to see if the insurance company will approve a Breast Reduction. If they approve both, I am planning to have surgery on 11-24-08. I will be out of work for about 2 weeks (returning on 12-8-08). This will be the longest that I have ever taken off from work at a time. I am nervous about taking this much time off from work for many reasons (personal and work related, but I would say more personal). I have compiled a list of concerns that are running through my mind and there are many.
- Money - OK this is one of my biggest concerns. I am extremely tight with our budget and if I take longer to recover than I have vacation allowed, I would lose 40% of my pay. This may not seem like a lot to some people, but this is a huge amount to me and I do not want to lose any of my pay.
- I do not want to be considered an unreliable employee that does not return to work as scheduled. I come from a Military background and I have always been taught to suck it up and deal with it.
- This is during the holiday season and I do not want to worry about anyone not being able to spend time with their family if I am unable to return to work as scheduled.
- I will feel like I am letting my team down. I know that they will be fine without me, but I still worry about letting them down and putting extra work on them.
- My mom is not going to be here for this surgery. She came in for the last one and made sure that I was taken care of. I know that G will do a GREAT job at taking care of me, but it is just not the same as having your mom.
- How are my clothes going to fit when this is over?
- How much is it going to cost me to buy new clothes if my old ones do not fit? I live in my own world (everyone that knows me can attest to this) and I think that this skin is just going to come off and I am still going to be the same size and everything is still going to fit, but what if it doesn't?
- When will I be able to run again or exercise at all?
- How long before I can take a real shower and not a sponge bath?
- Will people judge me for doing this? I know I generally don't care what people think of me, but I am worried what people will think that I think of them. For example, what if someone if over weight and they find out that I have had all of this done, will they think that I do not like them, because they are over weight or will they realize that I started this journey to be a healthier person and that I am not one to judge?
- I worry that people will think that I am a different person. Trust me, I am still SAM and that will not change. I may look different and I may have started doing different things in my life (like running), but I am still SAM!!!
Reasons that I am not nervous if something goes wrong:
- I work with a great group of individuals that will be able to handle everything while I am out and I will not have to worry about work piling up while I am gone.
- I have a wonderful support system that I will make sure that I get through anything and that everything is taken care of.
- My family is awesome and will make sure that everything is taken care of, so that I do not have to worry about anything.
Ok, so I have rattled on and on, but I am nervous and scared (very scared). I question whether I am doing the right thing. It feels right, but I still need to question it and make sure that I have taken everything into consideration.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
October 17, 2008
Weigh In
The scale is still moving. I have dropped a few more pounds and am down to 168.5. My goal is to be 166 by Halloween and 153 by Christmas. I am pretty sure that I can meet the Halloween goal, but I am going to have to really work to meet my Christmas goal.
This week on Wednesday (10-15-08) my doctors office sent off the paperwork to the insurance company to see if I will be approved for a Panniculectomy. I have been doing some research on the cost if it is not covered by insurance and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the cost. I thought that it would be about $25,000 and it is less than half that.
Also, on 11-13-08, I meet with a doctor to discuss a Breast Reduction. I know that many people feel that my Breasts are much smaller than they used to be and in some cases they are correct. I have lost about 10 inches around, however the cup size has not gotten any smaller and this is the part that I really want to be much smaller. It is very difficult and very painful for me to run, but I enjoy it so much that I am willing to put up with the pain. I officially have scars now from where the 3 bras (yes you read that correctly - 3 bras) that I wear for running have cut into my skin.
I am not sure if I mentioned it before of not, but I am currently in a competition at work to see who can run the most miles from 9-1-08 to 10-31-08. So far I have run 90.7 miles during this time frame. I am not in the lead, but i am also not in last. I am currently about 21 miles behind the leader. I know this sounds like a lot and it is, but it is not doable.
Well, I have a lot to do today, so I am going to check out for now. I will continue to keep you updated on the results from the insurance company, the progress on my weight loss, and the running competition.
The scale is still moving. I have dropped a few more pounds and am down to 168.5. My goal is to be 166 by Halloween and 153 by Christmas. I am pretty sure that I can meet the Halloween goal, but I am going to have to really work to meet my Christmas goal.
This week on Wednesday (10-15-08) my doctors office sent off the paperwork to the insurance company to see if I will be approved for a Panniculectomy. I have been doing some research on the cost if it is not covered by insurance and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the cost. I thought that it would be about $25,000 and it is less than half that.
Also, on 11-13-08, I meet with a doctor to discuss a Breast Reduction. I know that many people feel that my Breasts are much smaller than they used to be and in some cases they are correct. I have lost about 10 inches around, however the cup size has not gotten any smaller and this is the part that I really want to be much smaller. It is very difficult and very painful for me to run, but I enjoy it so much that I am willing to put up with the pain. I officially have scars now from where the 3 bras (yes you read that correctly - 3 bras) that I wear for running have cut into my skin.
I am not sure if I mentioned it before of not, but I am currently in a competition at work to see who can run the most miles from 9-1-08 to 10-31-08. So far I have run 90.7 miles during this time frame. I am not in the lead, but i am also not in last. I am currently about 21 miles behind the leader. I know this sounds like a lot and it is, but it is not doable.
Well, I have a lot to do today, so I am going to check out for now. I will continue to keep you updated on the results from the insurance company, the progress on my weight loss, and the running competition.
Friday, September 26, 2008
September 26, 2008
Weigh In
It appears that the scale is back on the move!!! I am so excited. I have lost another 2 pounds this week and I am now at 171.5. I would like to be 166 by Halloween, so that means that I would need to lose another 5.5 pounds in just over a month (about 1 pound a week). I hope that I do not hit another plateau, but if I do that is OK. I have come such a long way and I am extremely happy with where I am. I have lost a total of 155 pounds. That is soooo amazing to me.
It appears that the scale is back on the move!!! I am so excited. I have lost another 2 pounds this week and I am now at 171.5. I would like to be 166 by Halloween, so that means that I would need to lose another 5.5 pounds in just over a month (about 1 pound a week). I hope that I do not hit another plateau, but if I do that is OK. I have come such a long way and I am extremely happy with where I am. I have lost a total of 155 pounds. That is soooo amazing to me.
Monday, September 22, 2008
September 22, 2008
Wow, it has been a really long time since I posted anything new. Sorry, I have several websites that I am in the process of maintaining and my favorite one is www.sparkpeople.com I have lost a little more weight since my last entry and I am now down to 173.5.
I went to the doctor that did my Gastric Bypass Surgery on 9-12-08 to see about having the excess skin removed. First I wanted to see if it was really excess skin or if I just have more weight to lose. He informed me that it is excess skin and he thinks that there is at least 12 pounds of excess skin (just in the stomach area). I also inquired about a Breast Reduction and both can be down at the same time. This was good news for me, because I am not sure that I could go through all the pain twice and if I had to pick between one or the other, I would have picked the Breast Reduction.
I am still running and each day I am in pain. It is my upper back and lower back that are in pain. The rest of my body seems to be adapting well to this running thing. I am still planning to run a Marathon in April of 2009, however my only fear is that by doing the above surgeries my progress will be set back and it will be like I am starting over. I hope that if the surgeries are approved by my insurance that the recovery is extremely quick and that I can get back to my training ASAP.
I went to the doctor that did my Gastric Bypass Surgery on 9-12-08 to see about having the excess skin removed. First I wanted to see if it was really excess skin or if I just have more weight to lose. He informed me that it is excess skin and he thinks that there is at least 12 pounds of excess skin (just in the stomach area). I also inquired about a Breast Reduction and both can be down at the same time. This was good news for me, because I am not sure that I could go through all the pain twice and if I had to pick between one or the other, I would have picked the Breast Reduction.
I am still running and each day I am in pain. It is my upper back and lower back that are in pain. The rest of my body seems to be adapting well to this running thing. I am still planning to run a Marathon in April of 2009, however my only fear is that by doing the above surgeries my progress will be set back and it will be like I am starting over. I hope that if the surgeries are approved by my insurance that the recovery is extremely quick and that I can get back to my training ASAP.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
August 17 - August 23, 2008 Minutes of Exercise
My goal for the week was 300 minutes of Exercise and I did not come close, but I was much better than the week prior. The week prior I had 68 minutes of exercise and this week I had 203 minutes of exercise. I am going to try my hardest the week of 8-24-08 to 8-30-08 to hit 300 minutes. This may be extremely difficult for me to accomplish, because I am leaving to go on vacation Thursday morning and I will not return until Tuesday the next week.
Sun 8/17: 38 min
Mon 8/18: 0 min
Tues 8/19: 45min
Wed 8/20: 60 min
Thurs 8/21: 60 min
Fri 8/22: 0 min
Sat 8/23: 0 min
Weekly total: 203 min
Sun 8/17: 38 min
Mon 8/18: 0 min
Tues 8/19: 45min
Wed 8/20: 60 min
Thurs 8/21: 60 min
Fri 8/22: 0 min
Sat 8/23: 0 min
Weekly total: 203 min
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