11 days...

Happy Thursday everyone!

Only 11 more days until my surgery! Last night the reality of that really hit me. I normally suffer from insomnia, but usually just listening to a movie on my laptop very quietly with the screen turned off keeps my mind focused on something and helps me fall asleep. Well The Aristocats was no help last night. 

List after list after list just kept running through my head! What do I need to do before my surgery? What do I need to get for post op? My mind would not stop making lists! It's safe to say that I'm very tired this morning, especially since I get up at 5:30 to be at work by 7. 

I'm so excited! I can't wait!

Let the final countdown begin!!!

Jenelle

Due to medical necessity...

Happy Monday everyone!

This is my first full week at my new job. So far it seems like it's going to be something I really like the people I work with are great, I love the commute, and the pay is great. Plus I can relocate to NorCal in the future if I so choose as they have branches down there. 

I got the call late last week that my insurance has approved my surgery! Today marks exactly 2 weeks until the day, but today is also the original surgery date. I also got a letter in the mail from my insurance approving my surgery "due to medical necessity." 

A few months ago I went on a tirade about how some insurance sees this surgery as elective still. It's refreshing to see that my insurance sees the medical necessity of it! I could not have this surgery if they didn't. 

Comparatively inexpensive (my two back surgeries last year were almost $150,000), this is still about a $15,000 surgery. 

I can't wait. I'm so excited to take my life back. I can't wait to hike and shop for normal clothes. I just can't wait to not be Hungry all the time! 

Have a great day everyone!

Jenelle

Changes

Happy Thursday/Seahawks game day everyone!

I feel so bad for not writing anything in forever! I had been working my butt off at Wyndham and hated it. I am excited to say that I am starting a new job today. I was excited last night that I couldn't sleep. I like the pay, I like the hours, I like the location. It's going to be a great day. 

I am currently getting over a cold, but I'm happy I got it now instead of getting sick around my surgery date. Due to the lateness of my Cobra insurance kicking in, my surgery date was rescheduled for November 9th. I got the call a few days ago that insurance approved everything, so I am good to go! 

I can hardly believe that the culmination of 8 months of hard work is finally coming to a close. In all reality, the hard work is just starting, but this is the tool that I need to make my journey successful. It's so nice to finally see my family coming on board with the surgery. They were not supportive at first, but having medical professional friends explain the successes of the surgery to them has really helped! 

I promise to write more, and the countdown to THE DAY stands at 18 days! 

Have a great day! Go HAWKS!! 

Jenelle

And So It Begins

Happy Sunday everyone! 

I know I've been awol for a while. I've  been working a lot and actively looking for a new job. My Uncle also recently lost his battle with cancer after nearly a decade of fighting as hard as he could. It's been a long few days. 

I've also been in this weird state of wanting to eat as much junk food as I can before my surgery. I know it's bad, but to me it was a way of saying goodbye to the old me. 

Last night we had a family dinner/rememberance for my Incle, and yesterday was my last day of normal eating before starting my pre-op diet. I had the perfect last meal of Mac and cheese with bacon and mushrooms, crab and lobster. It was amazing. 

Today I started my pre-op diet. 3-4 protein shakes a day and one lean cuisine meal a day until October 26, my official surgery date!! It's going to be a long few weeks, but I know that it's going to make my chances of success that much higher. 

Here's to the struggle ahead!

Jenelle

Countdown to PreOp Diet

Happy Monday everyone. 

I've been so busy with my new job. To be completely honest, I'm not really liking it that much, so in actively looking for something else. 

As September comes to an end, I come closer to the start of my pre-op dieting. My pre-op diet will consist of no more than 870 calories per day. This means that I will be drinking 3-4 protein shakes a day and then eating 1 lean cuisine type meal. I will be starting this October 1 as my surgery date is October 26. 

The reason that my surgeons want me doing this, and any surgical patient, is to lose as much liver weight as possible before the surgery. This is because they lift up your liver during the surgery, and the less it weighs, the better. 

For anyone interested, here is the link to a video of the surgery I will be having. It does contain graphic images that may not be suitable for everyone. If you are squeamish at all, I don't recommend watching.

http://youtu.be/X7lsUPsoUzY

Have a great day!

Jenelle

Final Pre-Op Weigh In

I Happy Monday everyone!

Today was my final pre-op nutrition appointment!!! I lost a total of 6 pounds this month, which is amazing considering I've been really struggling with eating right this month. I really think that I only lost weight because of this new job I started that requires me to be on my feet standing and walking for 7-8 hours a day.  The first day I was so sore, but it's gotten easier to do.

Today we went over post-op dietary phases. We start on a clear liquid diet for the first 4 days after surgery, then progress to full liquids for the next 2 weeks. Then for 2 more weeks we are on soft foods, and then we can slowly start integrating hard foods. We also went over the pre-op diet that our surgeons want us to be on in order to lose liver weight since they have to lift up our liver to get to our stomach. I think that will be the hardest because we are drinking 3-4 protein shakes a day and only eating 1 Lean Cuisine meal a day. That's going to be brutal. 

From here my surgeon will submit the request to my insurance company for the surgery, using all of the goals I've met and the weight I've lost to justify my case. Insurance will take about 15 days to get back to them, and then we can schedule the date! They think I'm looking at late October to early November. 

I wanted to share this picture with you all. 

This is a picture showing my progress so far! I can't believe I've ever been as big as I am on the left! It's weird, but I never had a connect between what I saw in my mind of how I look and what I actually look like. It's hard to explain, but when I picture myself in my mind I'm not overweight. My self image has always been kind of an out-of-body experience between my mind's eye and the mirror. 

I promise to keep posting, and will let everyone know once I schedule! 

Have a great week!

Jenelle

***Update: I just received a tentative surgery date! Let the countdown begin to October 26. 

This is why...

Happy Monday and happy Labor Day to you all. 

I am excited to be starting a new job tomorrow, one that's back in my field with better pay. I'm grateful to my last job for allowing me to take all of the time off I needed to take. They were always understanding of doctors appointments for this process. My last nutrition appointment is next Tuesday, and then hopefully I can set my surgery date. And believe me it can't come soon enough. 

People ask me all the time, if you're doing so well by just dieting, why do you want to have the surgery? This is why. For some reason, this month I have been plagued by a seemingly unquenchable hunger. It's not emotional hunger, because I know how to recognize those signs. This is different. This is the feeling that I am never full, and then once I get full, it's stuffed and uncomfortable. I am 99% sure that I have gained weight this month. 

This is why I need to have to have this surgery. I need to physically be unable to eat like this. I was talking to one of my skinny friends a while back about why I wanted to have this surgery, and she told me that she never realized that people who are overweight don't really get full. It might not be all overweight people, but I know that it's my case for sure. 

I am almost giddy with excitement of being able to actually schedule my surgery. It's finally happening. 

Happily yours,

Jenelle