Monday, August 13, 2007

I feel better today :o)

I actually was a slug today and did nothing but sit on the couch and watch reality TV (I would never admit this to anyone...so consider yourself privileged ;o) Sad, I know...but yes...I happen to enjoy reality TV every once in a while. Not the super trashy ones, but the dance competitions and talent competitions. Those are always entertaining. RealityTV was having a marathon so I indulged. :O) So I did that, took a nap, because laying on the couch watching TV is soooo exhausting and then took a shower and I feel like a new girl. I am feeling better about the DH situation. He has started a new exercise program, that I am VERY proud of him for doing and hopefully that will help to shift his luck and help him to get his life going again.

As for me, I heard from one of the jobs today, she said they are still interested and are trying to find a time to get me in for an interview. The other two I don't expect to hear anything until next week at the earliest...so I'm not freaking out yet. ;o)

I signed up for a nutrition class for Gastric Bypass patients who are trying to maintain their weight. I figured it would help me with this journey I am on. My fear is that I will end of like so many who have had Gastric Bypass and lose all of the weight to no change any of their habits and gain it all back. I never want to go back to the person I was, so I am trying to do all I can to get my head in the right place to stay healthy and fit.

Welp, I should head out. I am late to my MS support meeting. A chiropractor is going to be teaching a stress reduction class...should be interesting. I've been looking for a good chiropractor. I also need to stop and get some coffee...because I never really woke up today. :o)

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Husbands...what to do with them?

Okay, so it had to come...I've had two up beat and happy posts....so I guess it's time for a more dramatic one. ;)

DH, he has been retired from the Army for a year and a half now. After he retired he decided he wanted to go back to school to become a Physicians Assistant. Well, he went to school for a year and decided that he didn't want to be a PA after all. He was sick of being in school and wanted to return to the work force instead. Fine. I can completely understand that, being someone myself who really doesn't want to be in school. So....he started applying for jobs. He decided that he wanted to so something where he felt he was making a difference. He has very bad back problems and is a insulin dependent diabetic so he could no really do anything in law enforcement like he wants. So, he thought being a 911 dispatcher would be a good second choice, since he is fairly level headed and it would still be an important job in which he was making a difference. Now is had been 6 months and he has applied to dozens of cities for dispatcher positions, has made it to the end of the hiring process for a few to only find out that he wasn't chosen for the job. Frustrating!! He has a degree, no criminal record, is a veteran and is totally able to perform this job well. Why won't someone give him a chance?

So now, money is getting kinda tight....we don't need much...but a little extra coming in would certainly help things. Also, I worry about him being home all day long...he doesn't really do much....I know he is depressed and I honestly think any job would boost his moral and make him feel much better about things. He is being very picky though and wants to just apply to dispatcher positions which as we know are very hard to get. And well...to be honest I am a bit jealous. I have never been unemployed for more than a month my whole life. What must that be like? It kinda drives me a little (okay a lot) crazy that I have to go to work...and to a job I am really not happy doing right now (okay, I hate it) and he gets to just lounge around the house....all...day...long...and for a year!! No fair...I want to do that. Not sure if I could, I think I would go crazy after a month (which is why I have never been unemployed for more than that) but I have to say it is kinda annoying. Also, I want to be a two income family again. I miss being able to spend money with reckless abandon. It's nice to do sometime. :) Now whenever I spend money or something big comes up,....I have to think about how we are going to juggle things to make ends meet. Not to mention I am someone who HATES to carry a balance on her credit card, and now we have one....not a huge one...but it's there...driving me crazy and reminding me that we are not as financially healthy as I'd like us to be.

So I've mentioned to him that maybe he should look at getting a part time job at a coffee shop or grocery store, just something to bring in a bit of money and give him something to do with the days. That has not gone over so well...and now whenever I bring it up, it causes a fight.

I guess we were just raised in different ways...that's the only thing that makes sense to me. He was raised in a upper middle class family in which it was okay not to work and someone would always take care of him. I was raised in a lower middle class family and I had to start working in HS just to be able to pay for clothes, yearbooks and lunch. So, being without a job really scares me, because I know no one is going to take care of me...and I know what it is like not to be able to afford something. I honestly don't think he has this same fear.

Although, on the other hand...he is getting a pensions from the Army and maybe I should just be happy for him and let him enjoy this time since he did put in 15 years with the government. But, I just don't think it's healthy...he is 35...I think he should be working still. And....he wants to spend money...and for some reason I am resentful of him for that. I feel like he should get another job if he wants to spend money frivolously.

Well, he just came back in from doing yard work...and is looking at me like he wants to do something, and I feel bad for writing about him while he is staring at me. :) So, I'll go for now....

I have lots of emotions about this whole unemployment thing...and most of the time I am okay with it....it's just every once in a while all of the emotions bubble to the surface (like now) and I feel like I want to scream at him (which I have done in the past) and it does no good. So maybe if I write about it, it will make me feel better.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Amazing times.....

Yep...I hate to even write it...for fear that I might jinx it. But for the first time in gosh...maybe 10 years...my professional life has the potential to be really awesome. ;o) I say potential, because nothing has become official yet....but things are looking good. There are three potential offers on the table, have I mentioned that three is my lucky number? :o)

1. A small company, doing admin/sales working directly with the customer. I LOVE customer service, I know.....silly really because I am an admin. I am a nerd and just "get" all things technical. But, for some reason talking and helping people every day, really excites me. :) So, this job excites me. I had one phone interview so far and the manager of the department said he loved me and I was perfect no less than 3 times (yep, there's that number again) It really was an amazing interview. I spoke to the recruiter and she said that that they want to schedule a second face to face interview (which is mostly a formality) and hopefully will offer me a position in the next week or so. :)

2. A department at work is looking to hire someone. It's a definite step up, but still a contractor position (which is what I am now) I would prefer not to take another contractor position, but it would be a promotion and I would learn lots. This job as you can see, I am not as excited about....but it would be a promotion and a good move career wise. The manager of the department has contacted me and asked me to submit my resume for it...and seems very interested in hiring me for it.

3. I was contacted today and a manager wants to submit my resume for a new HUGE high profile project at work. This would be a definite promotion and would be huge because it mean becoming a full time regular employee instead of a contractor. It would also look REALLY good on a resume and could really open a lot of doors for me. Only problem, 1. it's a long shot. 2. It would be working for my current company which I pretty much have no respect for. But, again, it would be a very, very good career move.

So, I have submitted my resume for all three positions...and am now pretty much just waiting. Gosh, I hope I don't end up interviewing for all three next week...that would make for a tiring week. ;o)

But, all the same...very exciting and very flattering. I hope at least one of these pans out. :) I really do...really, really dislike my current job...and want to move on to something else.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Just need to write

Hi! I don't know if anyone is even reading this thing anymore...but I gotta write...so I'm writing here. :O)

About me, I had Gastric Bypass 13 months ago and have lost 140 pounds so far. Yippee!! I am a completely different person than I was a year ago. I won't say that I feel completely different, because it's more than that. I AM a completely new person. Like I got the reset buttom pushed on my life. Crazy. And quite wonderful! I feel wonderful!

Anyways, enough about that. Today has been quite the eventful day. I went to see my surgeon for my 1 year anniversary of my surgery. He said I am at my goal. Really?!? At my goal? Seriously? Yep, he told me he did not want me to lose any more weight. That was very strange to hear...I can't remember ever hearing that before. Ever, I've always had a few pounds to lose.

Amazing! Also, I asked him when Dh and I could start trying to have children. He said we could start whenever we want. My weight is stable enough to start trying. Wow...I thought it was going to be another year before we could start, nope...

So, now the only problem is my MS drug. If taking it while TTC, it could induce miscarriages. So...now I need to talk to my neurologist about how to stop taking the drug and DH and I need to get serious about trying.

The good news is that my periods are as stable and regular now as they have ever been, every month right on time for the last 8 months. I haven't charted, but I believe I have seen signs of ovulation. So, I think we're all set. Gosh, I hope we will be able to get pregnant. I've heard that people who have had gastric bypass and were infertile before, are more fertile after the weight loss. (fingers crossed)

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

The dreaded diagnosis....

Often in life...when one huge obsticle is removed, another one comes along to take it's place. This is what happened to me. Gotta love challenges. ;)

Last September 3rd, when DH and I were getting ready to leave for a super fun vacation to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore for the first time. I woke up in the morning not super excited and rushing around getting ready for our big trip, but very concerned. My left leg was completely numb from my knee down. At first I thought maybe I slept on it wrong. I tried to shake it off and just get ready to go. In the shower I could not feel the water on my leg. I couldn't feel the heat of the water or the drops hitting my leg. I could feel the texture of the tile floor on the bottom of my foot. I could feel nothing. When I got out of the shower I pushed my sharp fingernail deep into my leg, this should have hurt...yet..I felt nothing. I could see the mark it left on my leg...but it felt more like a gentle dull push...not a sharp painful prick.

When I got out of the bathroom I decided to tell DH what was going on because I was getting very concerned. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. He down played it, but I could see the concern in his face. We decided that this was just a fluke, it would go away and why ruin a long planned vacation because of it.

So we went.....and it was fun...but the worry was starting to rise as the numbness rose up my leg. By mid afternoon the numbness was up to my thigh. I could not figure out what was happening to me. It was so strange....and very scary. But...I would not let it ruin our vacation....even though it was trying awefuly hard. ;)

By the time I when to bed that night the numbness was just below my bottom. DH and I figured maybe I had a pinched nerve or slept on it wrong and it would be better in the morning. DH massaged my back and hoped that would help.

The next morning was the scariest of all. I woke up and the numbness had traveled to the middle of my back. My whole leg, genitals and trunk were all numb on the left side. I was completely freaked out now. DH still was thinking it was a pinched nerve and to just block it out. I couldn't...I was so scared...I need to go to a doctor. So, in a strange state....in a strange town...we looked for an emergency room. We traveled 50 miles to a hospital in South Dakota and I saw a wonderful doctor who was very nice. He quickly ruled out sciatica (what DH and I were hoping it was) because it had traveled up my back. He said it looked like I might have had a stroke, but I was so young. He did a cat scan, and fortunately, it was negative. He then said it looks like it might be Multiple Sclerosis, but I would need to have further testing by my regular physician to make sure. He said that there was nothing more they could do for me in the emergency room...to enjoy the rest of my vacation and go see my doctor as soon as I get home. So we did....well...at least we tried to enjoy the rest of the vacation. :)

When I got home I went to see my regular doctor who didn't really know what it was, but also mentioned Multiple Sclerosis...even though I didn't tell her about what the other doctor had said. She did an MRI and I would have to wait a couple of days for the results.

Two days later she called my husband, she left her cell phone with him and told him to have me call her as soon as possible...I asked DH if he thought it was good news...he said well...she left her cell phone..doctors don't usually do that if it's good news..she really want you to get a hold of her. I was hoping DH was wrong...

He wasn't.....

When I called her back, she said that the MRI found a leision on my spine which is what was causing the numbness. This could be caused by two things, either a tumor or Multiple Sclerosis. *Sigh* I didn't know which one to hope for.....she said I should go see a specialist, a neurologist. So, the next day I met my wonderful neurologist.

She looked at my MRI and said she wanted to do more testing...but was 99% positive it was MS. She showed me a pamphlet on MS and it had a picture of an MRI with a spine lesion, and it could have been mine. *double sigh*

Now I was officially scared, she wanted me to go in to get a brain MRI, to see if there were any other lesions. She gave me a bunch of info on MS, and the whole time I thought, why am I getting all of this info on MS...I don't have MS...all of these doctors are wrong. Surely, I don't feel like I have a disease...I just have some numbness...it will go away. It has to go away...I am young..I have so much to do...I can't be bogged down by this disease. Not now...can't it just come back later?

So, the brain MRI came back with lesions...very small ones...but lesions. So it was confirmed. I have MS. The neurologist was very aggressive with her treatment. She started me on it immediately. I had to get a pic line put in (this was not fun) It's like an IV that taps in to your artery (I think, it's like a super duper IV, that can stay in longer than a regular IV). So, then I had to have 5 IV steroid treatments, that was not fun. Then, she started me in a weekly injection medication called Rebif. This medication is self injected 3 times a week....for the rest of my life...to keep the diease at bay. There is no cure for MS....but there are treatments that are supposed to slow it's progress...so hopefully I will have a "normal" life longer.

Since my diagnosis, I have had one more flair up. It happened in January. This time it was numbness on my right side...which even after treatment is still there. Luckily, after the treatment for the numbness on my left side, it is completely gone. So I am hoping the right side will be gone soon too. I have my 6 month check in April...I will be getting more MRI's done them. I am hoping that there are no new lesions. In MS, there are two different types of lesions. white (active) lesions which do not represent permanent nerve damage and black (dormant) lesions which represent permanent damage. Luckily, when she did the MRI before, I only had white lesions. Hopefully the one in April will show the same...and no new lesions.

Anyways, that the dreaded diagnosis, MS. But, MS these days isn't what it was in the past. There are lots of treatment options and things one can do with diet and alternative medicine to slow the progression of the disease. The people you see in wheel chairs, are unfortunately the ones that did not have treatment available to them. If you were diagnosed with MS before 1998, the basically gave you the diagnosis and sent you on your way...they could do very little for you. So I feel blesses that there is so much hope now for people with the disease. I am also meeting more mobile people with the disease. It's good to see...because when I was first diagnosed I was getting ready to go out a shop for wheel chairs and sell our house and move to a single level home...now...I am going to live my live the way I always have (well...trying to keep stress at bay, watching my diet and take better care of myself (which I should be doing regardless).

The incredible shrinking woman...and I feel GREAT!

August 06? Really? I've been gone that long? Wow....so much has happened....I have so much to catch you up on. hmm...where to start?

I guess I could start from where I left off.....yeah...that would be good.

My weight. As of this morning I have lost 102 pounds since my weight loss surgery. Yep....and I feel wonderful!! Seriously, I feel so much more like a real person. Not that I didn't feel like a real person before....but I never really realized how much I allowed myself to hide behind my weight. For EVERYTHING. Now that I've taken away my number one excuse (I can' do that, I am too fat) The whole world is starting to open up to me...and I feel like I can do everything.

Here are some stats for you figure heads out there, I have gone from a tight size 24 to a very loose size 14, almost in 12's...and then 10's....wow! That is my dream.....I would be happy in a 10. :) I have lost almost 10 inches on my waist alone, 3 ring sizes and 2 shoe sizes. I am the incredible shrinking woman. ;) I still have 40 pounds to lose according to my doctor, and if you look at my BMI I am still considered "obese" so, as long as I get my BMI under 30...I would be very happy with my weight....where ever it happens to end up. I don't think I need to get down to 130 (my dr's goal) in order to be healther. I am 5'6 BTW. :)

I think I am going to leave this post and write another one for my happenings. :) Just to keep things neat and tidy. :)