sunflowery's Diaryland Diary

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Catching Up

Happy Birthday Julie!

Yesterday was the first day at work without The Babysitter and I have to say, it went really well. We all still managed to function and work well together without her input and direction, so imagine that! I need to be better about asking for work when things are slow. If I am asking for extra work, I have a better chance of moving up a level and getting a raise in March. My boss is impressed by that kind of initiative. Plus it will help me to gain further knowledge about what we do and how we do it. It could also mean greater responsibility in the future. The only thing I'm concerned about is the new gal getting promoted ahead of me, so I have to keep my butt covered and keep working hard.

We got about 8 inches of snow yesterday and it is supposed to continue to snow off and on through tomorrow. It's cold too. My parents are leaving tomorrow for a cruise to the Carribean. *sigh* I would trade places with them in a minute. It's kind of funny that it would snow before they leave. Usually it snows while they are gone and my brother is left to shovel out their driveway so they can get back in once they are back. Maybe this year the snow came early so he won't have to do double duty.

I'm still reading through the bariatric surgery booklet. I am at the part where they warn you of possible problems. For instance, vomiting! This is caused by eating too fast, eating too much, not chewing food enough, or drinking liquids with meals. They have a very lovely description of it too, "This is a foamy, frothy, mucousy, retching type of vomit." Mmmmmm.

Another possible problem is Clogging of food. This can happen if I haven't chewed food well enough and it gets stuck in the little opening going from my stomach to my intestines. They say usually the food will dissolve by itself, or will work its way through on its own. However, while the food is clogged, it can be very uncomfortable and can cause vomiting or the dry heaves. Mmmmmmm, again.

There are tips if something becomes clogged, like taking a sip of a carbonated beverage. Coke is the suggested brand of beverage. If it's meat that is clogging, I could mix meat tenderizer and water together and sip slowly until it desolves.

Another possible problem is called Dumping Syndrome. This is the result of an intolevance to foods that are high in sugar, fat or grease. These foods will enter my intestines without being partially digested by the gastric juices of my old stomach. If this should happen, I would feel nausea, dizziness, hot flashes, lightheadedness, cramps and diarrhea. These symptoms could last about 20-30 munutes. Part of the scariness of this problem is that I won't always know what foods could cause this. It's a trial and error type process.

Another possible problem is constipation. The book says it is common to have a bowel movement every 4 to 5 DAYS! Uh huh. Can't even imagine.

Guess what? Gas is a common problem! Oh, my sweetie will LOVE that! As if he will notice any difference. Hee.

Another common problem won't be a factor for me...Gallstones. I had my gallbladder out last year, so whoo hoo! No gallstone problems for me! They say it is VERY common for people who have gastric bypass surgery to also have gallbladder surgery later on...or even at the same time.

I may have a problem with certain foods, such as, tougher meats, beef, or hamburger, oranges and grapefruit with membranes, skins and seeds of some fruits and vegetables, and fresh bread, pasta, and rice since they can expand and block new stomach opening.

Other possible body changes include, hair loss, flaky or weak fingernails, irregular menstrual cycle, lactose intollerance, lightheadness or dizziness when standing or bending over due to blood pressure shifting, and shakiness or faintness due to low blood sugar.

To be completely honest, the hair loss thing freaks me out more than anything else. I may not like myself very much right now, but I LOVE my hair. It's thick and full and lush. Oh, it would break my heart to lose it. Believe me, I am going to do all I can to maintain my hair.

So, there it is. Later on, I will write about the emotional issues that could accompany this surgery.

Onto more mundane issues. Have you seen the commercial where the couple is cleaning out their garage? The man says he's STARVING after all that hard work. The woman agrees so they go in to make a hot and hearty lunch to satisfy their astounding hunger. And what do they make? Soup! Yeah, that's the first thing I think of making afer an afternoon of hard work. It just strikes me as funny that they would go and make soup. Even if it is hearty Progresso soup. It might make more sense if they made Chunky soup since that's the soup that eats like a meal...but still. Soup!

I know I've said this before, but I am also irritated by cruiseline commercials that make it seem as though you and your family will be the only ones using the ship's facilities. The pool? Empty except for you and your kids. Want to take a jog on the deck? Go to it! You will be the only one there. Want to go snorkling in the ocean? You will be the only ones to enjoy the beauty of the reef. Oh, there may be a few other people in your on deck aroebics class and on the dance floor of the nightclub and at meals, but for the most part, come on our cruise line and bask in all the alone time you and your family will experience! Can you tell this bugs me?

Supe is sick again. I think he may be allergic to the cats. He doesn't think so, but he missed work yesterday due to this new illness. He may not be allergic as I woke up coughing and stuffy and gravelly throated. So, we'll see. Poor baby. He's only had a little over a week of non-sickness.

Oh! In other Supe related news, we are having challenges with getting his new power wheelchair. Right now he is using one from the MDA pool of equipment. It's a total blessing because we didn't have to pay for it and can use it as long as he needs it. When I started at Big Bank Co, I just chose a healthcare plan that I thought would work best. When October rolled around and it was time to re-up our health insurance, I took the time to check out all our plans to see which would cover power mobility. The one we started with would not cover it under any circumstances. So I found one that would cover it only in the cases of neuro-muscular disorders, which is what Supe has. So, we switched.

Now, we are finding out that the MD doctors Supe sees, the doctors that perscribed the chair, are not covered by our insurance. This was a blow to us because these are the doctors SUpe HAS to see since they are MD specialists. But I talked with our patient advocate and we think we may have it figured out. Supe will have to see YET ANOTHER doctor. He will have to see a neurologist withon the plan's network and that doctor will have to perscribe the chair and we will have to get the chair through a network provider as well. But the good news is, once we have jumped through all these hoops, the chair will be 100% covered! Praise God! So, it's a hassle, but it will be worth it in the end.

Now all we need is an accessible van.

Today's weird search...someone found my journal by searching for "My husband 1s a f0rmer p0rn star." Who are these people and how do they end up here?

6:58 a.m. - Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2004
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