Back to School Time!

 

It's been a busy summer, but today officially marked the end of our fun in the sun. Two out of four kiddos returned to school this morning. Em & Abby were less than impressed that they had to get up this morning, and Mom was less than impressed with the school zone traffic. Have I mentioned I am NOT a morning person?!?

But, we managed to snap the annual first day of school pics, got coffee, and got to school on time. Work... well I guess we'll have to work on that one, as I was a bit late after all the wonderful traffic! Anyway, here they are... my 10th and 7th graders!

 

MAMA UPDATE!!

So, it's time for an update, since my goal is to journal throughout my latest adventure.

Yesterday, I finally had my long-awaited appointment with the bariatric surgery team that I will be working with over the next couple of years. My general doc and my weight loss doc both agreed that it is time to take a bigger step in my journey toward better health. It took almost two months to get into the program and have my first (of many) appointment.

First I met with the RN to go over my history, discuss the procedure and risks, and answer any questions. Then I met with the Nutritionist, who was amazing! We talked about my relationship with food, past and present, my support system, my goals, etc. I left there with three beginning goals:

1. Cut back to no more than 1 soda per day.
2. Listen to my body, eat when I get hunger cues and not emotional cues.
3. Take Vitamin D and a multivitamin daily

I'm not too thrown by these goals. I'm already taking a multivitamin and vitamin D, I just have to get in the routine of remembering them every day again. I've also already been tuning into my body for hunger cues, so I'll continue to work on that. The soda thing... yeah, that one will be a little harder, but I've known for months that it's time to ease off of my Diet Coke obsession again. 

 

SURGERY TIMELINE

This is NOT a fast moving process by any means. The nurse told me to expect the entire process to take 6-12 months, with an average having surgery about 9 months from the initial appointments. I have some "first steps" to take to graduate to the next step:

1. Meet with RN for intake appointment - CHECK
   
2. Meet with Nutritionist for intake appointment - CHECK
3. Meet with Psychologist - referral sent
4. Meet with Surgeon - Appointment set for November 1st
5. Monthly appointments with Nutritionist to meet pre-op goals
   
6. Team will review my case to make sure there are no red flags
7. They will get insurance approval
8. I can schedule my surgery date

All-in-all, I'm assuming my surgery will be sometime between March and May of 2023! I'm shocked, but excited. It's a HUGE lifestyle change, but like I told the Nutritionist, if it helps me get back some strength and function by weighing less and eating less of certain types of food... I will put in all the work they ask of me! Because that would be sooooo worth it!