Surgery Follow Up Appointment...

It has already been a week since the surgery...so today I went back to have the stitches removed. Whoever filled out the appointment card wrote today's date @ 4:45...however the appointment is not until Monday. Fortunately, the nurse went ahead and removed the stitches...so the trip wasn't a total bust. I am so glad she did because they were really beginning to itch! I have to wear the tape strips for another week. The knee is still a little swollen...but otherwise it looks pretty good. It amazes me how surgeons can do so much now with tiny incisions. Any surgery used to be an ordeal...and that was not really all that long ago.

I am to return on Monday so that the doctor can go over the Arthroscope pictures, what he did during surgery and discuss anything else that needs to be done. I am still having quite a bit of pain...but it is not the same kind of pain. I only have one real concern and that is the fact that my knee will lock up and feel like it is going to give way just out of the blue when walking. Hopefully that is just a temporary problem due to something like scar tissue or perhaps even a little scar tissue.

I am also nursing a sore throat...well it is not actually my throat...it seems to be more of a bronchial issue as I feel like I need to cough...but don't dare because it hurts. It also hurts when I swallow. It started hurting shortly after surgery and sort of feels like there is a scratch or a cut or something. I am assuming that it was caused by the breathing tube I had during the procedure. I have had surgery before and a breathing tube and I do recall having some soreness after...but I am not so sure it should still be bothering me. The nurse explained that if it continues I will have to contact the anesthesiologist....figures!

Other than those minor issues... I feel all in all I am healing very well. It also felt good to get out of the house. I was getting a bit stir crazy so hubby took me out for Cajun food. The weather has been very beautiful and I have every intention of spending time outside tomorrow.

It's Done And I'm Recovering

Well, I had arthroscopic surgery yesterday. It went really well and fast! Surgery at 11:45 and I left the surgical center by 1:30. I was able to bear weight on the leg...however I spent a little too much time walking around once I got home. I was just still a little numb from the anesthesia and so I was feeling no pain. I didn't even bother taking the pain pills all day and by last night it was throbbing and pretty uncomfortable. So from now on I am staying off it as much as possible, taking the pain pills, leg elevated with ice bags. I plan to spend the next week sitting on my booty, reading the classics, blogging, and letting my family take care of me. I am so glad it's done!

Arthroscopic Surgery

I really don't feel very good tonight, so I will make this one short. I went to see the Orthopedic Doctor for the MRI results of my right knee, and to discuss the treatment plan. The MRI revealed a couple of things. First I have a grade 3 tear of the Medial Meniscus as we suspected, and I have grade 3 arthritis (they grade it between 1 being not too serious to 4 which is the worst case) in spots, which basically means, in spots the meniscus, cartilage has worn down (probably just normal wear and tear) and is close to being bone on bone. Not the greatest thing...but certainly not the worst. I am scheduled for surgery this Thursday. In the past they removed the meniscus...but now they do their best to just repair it. To remove all of can accelerate osteoarthritis. He has explained to me that I will continue to have some discomfort after surgery due to arthritis...but he feels we should be able to manage it well. He is going to file the bone just a bit so that it doesn't continue to grind and wear down. I am told the surgery will take about 45 minutes, that it is fairly simple procedure and the results are usually successful. I forgot to ask about recovery time. But my Nephew is a Physical Therapist and he said I will probably need a week or so of sitting with my leg elevated...and then we can begin some light therapy OR I may not need any therapy at all. of course I am just a tiny bit nervous...I wish I didn't have to have surgery at all. Mostly I am relieved that it can be fixed, and ready to get it over with so I can move on.

Struggling... But Hanging In There!

The last few days I have really been struggling with my commitment to weight loss and making healthier choices. I am still juicing daily and I am controlling my portions at meal time....but my husband keeps bringing chips in the house. Granted they are baked, lower in fat and calories...but I am a Carboholic and I have a hard time making myself stop eating them once I get started. I have asked the family once again not to bring those things into the house...at least for a little while. Last Tuesday I went to a weight loss clinic. They give a diet pill (Phentermine)...there are several different types and they rotate them. Then weekly you go in for the Vitamin B, HCG, and the fat burners Lipoden and L Carntitine injection. I've done this program before briefly and I did lose a little weight...but I wasn't committed to the lifestyle change. The only problem I am having with it so far is...something is making me really itchy! I got a fact sheet on everything that I am taking and each one says that "itching" CAN be a side effect. I hope it is a temporary thing because it sure is driving me bonkers!

She Passed, I Lost, We Found

She passed! Third time is a charm. Shelby passed her TAKS test and will be moving on to high school this fall. I know she sure did not want to have to go to summer school...but the look on her face when I picked her up and she proudly announced that she had passed. Oh it was priceless! Caleb is a senior this year so Shelby is the fourth and final to go through high school. Not that I am in any hurry for them to grow up...it just feel so good to watch them succeed.

Well, even though I refused to weigh at the beginning of my "choosing to make healthy choices" journey....but this morning I went to see my doctor for some blood work. I have lost 14 pounds since my last appointment....which was at the end of April. I know it is mostly fluid loss at this point...but I can definitely tell that I have lost weight. It is not especially noticeable in the mirror...but I can feel it in the way my clothes fit. Juicing may not be the way for everyone....but it is working very well for me. I'm sleeping well and I am energized.

Mama Kitty up and moved her babies. We are not certain why. We felt she had the perfect set up...an enclosed room..where she was able to come and go as she pleased and two fans to keep them all cool. But after 5 days she must have felt threatened or that her babies were not safe. At first we had no idea where she had taken them...but she was coming back to the room to eat and drink. So I followed her....she had moved them in some bushes. We tried moving them back to the box because the babies were so hot and panting...but she just moved them back to the bushes. I feel she must know best...so I am just letting her be alone with them. We check on them every now and then. They are 10 days old and today we noticed their eyes have opened. Too cute!

I'll get the camera out and take some pictures of the kitties. I had really hoped I would have more to photograph this summer. I planted so much...but it is so hot and not much is blooming due to the lack of rain....I water but it's just not the same.

June Is Almost Gone

Can you believe how fast June has flown by? I don't know what the weather is like in your neck of the woods...but it is CRAzy hot here in S.E. Texas. The heat index is supposed to be somewhere around 110 today. No rain is expected in the near or distant future and the grass is burned to a crisp. Of course Murphy's Law rings true yet again "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."..our central air went out Friday night. None of us slept at all! The AC repairmen are so busy right now ...we can't get one out here until late Wednesday evening. So we ran out to the Home Depot first thing on Saturday and bought window units for our bedrooms.

Anyway...back to the month of June. We celebrated two birthdays! Caleb turned 17 on the 7th and Stephen turned 19 of the 15th. Caleb asked for a Banjo for his birthday....yes, a banjo...and we are still trying to find one. Oh we have found a few...but they were all between $500 and $1500...Um No! If anyone knows where we might find one for a reasonable price (no more than $150-$200) please let me know. Speaking Of Caleb..He cut his hair...he cut it SHORT! I took him last Friday to take his senior pictures (my gosh that doesn't even seem possible!) Well...he wanted to get his hair cut first. His hair has been to his shoulders since he was a freshman. I talked him out of it at least for the pictures...I felt it was best that he take the picture with his hair long...just in case he hated the haircut. As we previewed the pictures...I could tell by his face that he didn't like them. So Saturday he got it cut...and then this Wednesday we are going back to take the pictures again. I just want him to be happy and he was right... the haircut turned out really nice. What do you think?

Caleb's hair before and after
Also on Friday...we noticed that our little mama cat had not eaten any of her food...nor had we seen her since the night before. The kids and I went looking for her...and found that she had given birth to 6 kittens (one dead), on the ground behind some bushes. She was a nervous wreck...panting because it was so hot...and I am sure she was still in some pain. The kittens were gasping because they were so hot and dehydrated. I ran home...got a laundry basket with a blanket and we scooped up the kittens and brought them to my back porch. We knew that wasn't going to last for long...I have two house cats of my own, a Labrador and a peek a poo. Mama kitty kept running up to the door and hissing at the animals inside. Like I said she was a nervous wreck.

Mama Kitty 2 days before Delivery
My neighbor is currently in a nursing home and no one is living at his house...well, with the exception of his son who stays there from time to time. He has screened in porch...the screen is pretty much ripped away and he just uses it as a shed. I knew that would be the perfect place for mama kitty and the babies...so I asked one of the family members if it would be OK if I put them in there until the humane society is able to take them. They are so overloaded with animals...we had to be put on a waiting list.Anyway...my neighbors were kind enough to allow it. So now mama kitten has her babies in a nice comfortable box, she can jump in and out of the room as she pleases... and all the food and water she wants. I have also put a box fan in there as well. She is a very good and attentive little mama. Actually..she is a little funny with her babies...she nurses them almost constantly...and when they drift off to sleep..she pulls them back to her with her paw and licks them till they wake up and start nursing again. Their bellies are very round!

3 days old
I am still "making healthy choices" and juicing everyday. It is getting easier each passing day. We have been walking in the evening...but a mile and a half is about all I can handle due to this heat. Even at 8pm the temp is still in the upper 90's. I am certain that I have lost weight...but I have no clue as to how much. I still refuse to weigh myself. I just think for me.... it is better that way.

Choosing To Make Healthy Choices

Well, it is day five of my diet! Gosh, I really cannot stand that word...so I am going to call it..."Choosing to make healthy choices". I am doing well...but going through some of the typical stuff we go through when changing from bad eating habits to good. At times I feel pretty hungry...and sometimes I even feel a little nauseated. But that is only because normally I would nibble on something full of carbohydrates throughout the day. I am also having those pesky headaches...mostly likely because I have also reduced the amount of caffeine I consume daily. That was not really the plan at this point..but by the time I drink the water I am supposed to drink...plus what I am getting in the fruits and vegetables...I feel pretty hydrated. I have been told that sodas are basically like a poison to your body...I have no plans of giving up my cup of morning coffee or my diet coke. I am at the very least beginning to remember that there is a huge variety of other things available to drink.

The Jack Lalanne Power Juicer is everything he promised it would be. It has given me that little extra motivation that I needed to get started. Every afternoon for lunch I have 3 fruits and 3 vegetables. I have learned that the vegetables are much easier to drink if you mix them in with the fruits. Oddly enough...I have always liked vegetables much better than fruits....but both taste so much different when they are juiced. When I cook veggies...I generally use bacon, and/or butter and always SALT to cook them. Oh yes indeed I can cook some yummy veggies that are probably at least 300 calories a serving. Anyway...the only downside of the juicer that I have found so far is cleaning it. You can put some of the machine on the top rack of your dishwasher...but some parts need to be washed by hand. Don't get me wrong...its not a huge deal...but it is not like a blender that you can just run some water in it and let it sit in the sink until you are ready to do dishes. This machine is an investment...and you really need to take good care of it.

So my routine at this point is...every morning I have a bowl of Special K cereal, wheat toast and lite soy milk. Lunch is a glass of 3 fruits and 3 vegetables....which by the way is a pretty big serving once you juice it. Then we have a sensible dinner. Boneless baked chicken, pork chops, or fish, two more veggies, and a starch...such as a small potato or wild rice (no white rice). I am starting out slow with water...sipping on 48oz a day. As hot as it has been the last few days (heat index 104)...I have had no trouble drinking it and could probably even add a little more.
I haven't started exercising just yet. My son Caleb has offered to walk with me...and I intend to take him up on that offer...but I need to get better walking shoes first. I am also interested in the water aerobics that are being offered at our city pool. The point is...I know that becoming more active is a very important part of "Choosing To Make Healthy Choices".

Fatty, Fatty, Fat Fat...Fat Fat

Fat woman down on the fountain isle...repeat, fat woman down on the fountain isle! That's right...I fell down at a local garden nursery yesterday. They didn't really say that of course...but that is exactly what I was thinking at the time and I wouldn't doubt it if they were thinking it too. There was water on the sidewalk from the fountains...and a little algae had built up...perfect recipe for a fall. The garden owner and one of his employee's were nearby and rushed over...I immediately said "I'm OK, I'm OK!" The last thing I wanted to do was draw even more attention or God forbid...a crowd!

I busted a blood vessel in my wrist...and my arm and shoulder are really sore today...I guess from trying to catch myself or trying to push myself up quickly. Nothing major physically...but my pride was seriously injured. I know for a fact that a few years ago I would have been able to either catch myself before going to the ground...or at the very least...get back on my feet quickly. But instead...I felt like a beached whale. My daughter was a few steps ahead and didn't noticed that I had fallen until the two men ran over. She said "gosh mom it's a good thing those men saw you fall"...and I said "why? they didn't help me up"... through her obnoxious laughter she replied ..."Yeah but if they hadn't ran over there...I might have tripped right over you and hurt myself!"...Have I ever mentioned that she is a smartaaa...UH...never mind!

The time has come for me to stop talking about it...and do something about this abundance of weight I have gained. I gave up a 25 year smoking habit on November 8th, 2006...just 6 days shy of my 40th birthday. I have to say....it was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. While I hated smelling like a stale ashtray, the crazy high prices, and the fear of dying a slow, painful death...I loved smoking. I know this will sound odd...especially to those who have never smoked...but when I gave them up...I felt like I had lost a best friend. My cigarettes had been with me through everything. The good times, bad times, after a good meal, with coffee, while on the phone, etc. etc. Of course I gave them up while pregnant and nursing my children...but I knew they would be right there waiting for me.

In October of 2007 I had a total hysterectomy. After 6 months of constant bleeding and being confined to the house...which was terribly depressing...it was time. My ovaries were covered with cysts inside and out...so there was really no other choice but to remove them. What that meant for me was... at age 41... I was violently shoved into menopause. I was a little chubby when I quit smoking...I was chubbier when I had the hysterectomy....and today...I am at an all time chub! I can't stand it...my feet hurt, my back hurts, and I have known for quite some time now that I need to do something about it. For a couple of months last winter I took diet pills and the B Complex shots....and my weight did not budge. But then again...I guess I could have tried a little harder. I ate less...but I didn't really change what I ate how I ate it or when.

Last week I ordered a Juicer. The Jack Llanne Power Juicer Deluxe and it is due to arrive sometime tomorrow. My brother has one and really loves it. I was a little worried when I bought it. I worried that I spent money on something I wouldn't use. But after that fall yesterday...I realized that I must do something to improve my own health. Benefits Of Juicing. About Jack Llanne My family has agreed to join me in the quest for health. I am overweight...and no one can change that but me...and I am ready to do it for good.