Taking Jewell For A Walk

Monday I asked the girls if they wanted to go for a walk. It was 80 days and not windy like yesterday. Raina runs to get her tricycle. Salem starts to get her bike then starts yelling wait wait wait.

She runs into the house and comes our with her baby Jewell and her stroller. She wanted to take her baby for a walk. So I walked behind them, Raina biked ahead of us energetically pedaling her trike as fast as it would go. And sweet Salem pushed Jewell in her stroller and talked to her the entire.

What a sweet baby mama she is.

Great week so far!

Great week so far! I am off the wound vac!!! Yee Haw!!!! Monday the RN took me off. My wound is open but covered with a mepliex bandage. She'll come back next Monday to change it and all my restrictions are in place but the vac is gone. AMEN.

Yesterday I saw Dr. T for my yearly. So after talking he decided to down dose my diabetes meds to nothing in the next 3 weeks and then do a glucose tolerance test to see if I still need it. :) I hope I don't!!!! I will take my metformin if I need to but I hate the side effects it has on my tummy and bowels. I also had my mammogram. Easy peasy! DONE.

Tomorrow I see the surgeon who we'll check the wound as well and tomorrow night we're going to Dallas to see Korie and I am going shopping for a new wardrobe!

Thanks for all the positive comments about my weight loss. :) I am VERY happy! Now I just want the next 4-6 weeks to pass so I can work out again.

Weight Loss Update

So the exciting thing is I am now down an even 100 pounds. :) I am about 5 pounds under my goal which is nice because it gives me some room. I am wearing between a size 6-8 jeans and a medium top usually (a few smalls).

When I started my weight loss journey I weighed 232.6 and was a size 22 (tight) and a 2x shirt. My diabetes is fully under control and my high cholesterol and triglycerides normal. :)

If it weren't for this wound vac I'd be running and working out but that is off the charts for a while. We'll see.

If you look close down on the left you'll see the cord to my wound vac!

A Note To Marti

You left me a comment asking questions about my tummy tuck. I'd love to talk to you but didn't see a way to contact you in your profile. Send me your email or something. Thanks.

A long awaited update

So I had my tummy tuck on December 30th. It went well. I eventually developed a seroma and had it aspirated on January 25th. I ended up having an infection (enterococcus) and ended up having surgery and IV antibiotics. The surgery was March 2. I was on vancomycin and zolstyn for 8 days. After surgery I was put on a wound vac. I went home with a PICC line, 2 more weeks of IV antibiotics (just the vancomycin) and the wound vac and homehealth care to facilitate it all. My husband and sister had to learn how to administer my IV antibiotics. It's now almost 7 weeks later and I still have the wound vac. I am doing well and I am praying to be off the wound vac in 2-3 weeks. The infection is gone and I am more mobile. I can drive and get of the house and am more active mentally and physically.

So that brings me to today...I am better and hope to have life resume to some sense my normal. The girls are good. Their lives were turned upside down but they are doing well. Brian had to cancel his mission trip to Brazil (he was supposed to leave 2-8 when I was getting out of the hospital) and he rescheduled it and went March 8th.

It's been a long and arduous recovery. Something I didn't expect and wasn't prepared for. But I am thankful God has allowed me to still be here with my family. I am humbled and feel loved by god and my family and friends who literally had to step in and do everything from giving me IV meds to helping me bathe, dress, do my hair, wash my dishes, clean my home, handle getting the girls to school etc...you get the point.

But I am here. Thank you Lord.

10 for 2010

I actually do like to do resolutions but they are usually more detailed and emotionally, physically and spiritually significant. I saw this on another blog and thought I'd it here and strive for some more light hearted goals that while important are not as crucial if I screw up.

1. Continue to read my bible and pray daily. It really changes my life significantly.

2. Quit procrastinating. Waiting til the last minute to do things is ridiculously stressful.

3. Do more one on one things with the kiddos daily. Play games with them (which I tend to hate) or the Wii.

4. Spend less time online and watching TV. This is better than it was but I want it to be even better.

5. Get back into exercise on a regular basis when I get past my 6 week recovery. I feel better emotionally, physically and spiritually when I work out.

6. Get our family into a family devotional routine. We've tried several ideas but nothing has stuck. I want this a lot.

7. Love my husband and children fully and become very intentional with decisions I make and words that I use that effect them.

8. Start writing more. I used to write a lot of poetry. I wonder if that could transcend into praise and worship?

9. Have regular date nights with Brian.

10. To see each day as a gift and be determined to make the best out of it as possible.

It's been a busy few weeks

We had a really nice Christmas. The snow and ice kept us from going to Snyder and while we missed seeing Brian's dad it was nice to be at home. The girls played in the snow and we just relaxed.

I am now in Mexico recovering from an abdominoplasty. After losing 90 pounds my skin was a mess. I have battled skin infections all year and basically spent hundreds of dollars trying to find something that would keep the infections at bay. It made running and exercise hard. The sound of your skin flapping against you is intensely embarrassing in a gym environment.

I have become a fairly transparent person in 2009 but I really struggled with talking about this as I do look good in clothes - after I found 6 pounds of skin into spanx everyday. But it got to the point where the skin infections were intense. So Brian and I prayed about it and found an excellent plastic surgeon and I began the process of reconstructing my skin.

I actually have had a few looks from people so I can tell people must think it's for vanity's sake. And exercise won't return the elastically to my skin. I am almost 42. I've fluctuated from 190-262 for 7 years and had 2 pregnancies and 2 csections. The elasticity was gone. And I worked out hard in 2009. I consulted with 2 plastic surgeons and talked to trainers - that kind of skin doesn't retract.

Anyway - I've thought about posting a picture and I am not sure I want to do that. But if anyone wants to see the before and after pic they can email. My surgery was last Wednesday and they took off 6 pounds of skin and 2 liters of fat. The average tummy tuck removes about 2 pounds of skin. So I had a lot. I am recovering well and will be home on Thursday. If you pray please pray that I will heal well and that the girls are doing well. They are with their beloved daddy but its hard to be away from home.