Lisa's Weight Loss Surgery Journal

February 7, 2000

Hi! I really need to get better at updating this page!

OK, here's the scoop:
My surgery will be May 19th!



I have the following appointments scheduled:
* April 11: Pre-op class (we meet with the dietician, it's a very intensive, informative day lasting from 9am to 2pm)
* April 18: Pre-op testing, to include the gallbladder ultrasound, chest x-ray, upper GI, EKG, pulmonary test (maybe?), and lots of bloodwork.
* April 19: Pre-op consultation/medical history appointment - also, possibly the pulmonary testing will happen today. I think. Noone seems to be able to answer this question for me, but I guess it's not important in the great scheme of things.

So far, my employer
has been pretty much OK with it. I am having to use up a lot of vacation days to attend these pre-op classes, darn it all. OH well.

February 8th, 2000

*sigh*
For some reason, I have just been in the funkiest mood lately. WHY? I feel like I want to beat the living shit out of someone, or something. I don't feel like this continually, only when a minor annoyance pops up. Like the other day... I was driving through the drive through at Boston Market, getting a chicken sandwich for me and some veggies for my NEWLY pronounced vegetarian daughter... and the guy taking my order got things so screwed up, I finally just gave up and told him to forget it. I drove off. Lacy was laughing at me, kind of - she hunched down in the seat and said, "You scare me, Mom!" - she was kidding, but probably only partially. I really HAVE done some off-the-wall things recently. Last night, I asked her what she thinks about me having the surgery. She told me that she wonders how I'm ever going to be able to eat such tiny amounts of food, and be "OK" with that. Then she said, "If you lose weight, that means you have to buy new clothes, right?" I told her YES, definitely, and she said "Cool! Then I'll be able to raid your closet - well, that is IF you actually buy cute stuff." She also is very much excited about getting to take pictures of me in the hospital, and of my incision. How funny, that she is looking forward to that! *geez*

February 17, 2000

Not much going on. The latest thing is, we got our web cam up and running. It's only on when I'm on-line... and even then, only if I feel like having it on. Sometimes I point it at the animals instead of at me! Click here to see if I've got it on...

LisaCam
It's been a lot of fun, getting that camera up and running. Not that there's much we can DO with it, really, but it has been fun.

I think I'm doing OK with the wait for surgery... I don't feel overly stressed out about THAT - I guess there are just too many other things going on in my personal life that are stressing me out, financially, that the surgery seems like light comedy in comparison! Things have really come to a head. I am having my wages garnished for some things that my ex was supposed to have paid for MANY years ago, and never did... so, that is the straw that broke the camel's back. I am in the process of filing bankruptcy. It makes me sick to do it - but there just isn't any other choice. :(

February 22, 2000
Wow! Lots of interesting things have happened within the past few days. The "Obesity Bill" passed another reading in the House (I hope I said that right, political stuff confuses me) and it is going for a third reading! And, the media is becoming very interested in medical treatment for obesity, due to all the attention this bill is getting. SO... our local NBC affiliate is going to come to my house TONIGHT (YIKES!!!) and interview me as a pre-op WLS patient! I am really excited about having a chance to be an "ambassador" for weight loss surgery. I will do my best to make those who have gone before me (and those who will go after me) proud. Sometime after my surgery, the news crew will do a follow up interview with me. Exciting! I am amazingly calm about all this... hmmm... either that, or I am exhausted from staying up til the wee hours last night, cleaning house! LOL!

Thought I would share this VERY thought-provoking bit of literature, which comes from Nelson Mandella's inaugral speech in 1994...

~* Little Light Shining *~

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born instead to make manifest the glory of God that is within us; it's in Everyone!
And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others!"

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