Speed Bumps

Tomorrow is the big day, the day I try to completely overhaul my lifestyle.  I haven't even started yet and I've already hit a few speed bumps.  Sunday night I had a gallbladder attack, which I have been getting off and on for years, but lately these attacks have been getting more frequent and more intense.  I was never diagnosed with gallbladder disease, but I was pretty sure that was what it was.  I have talked to doctors in the past about it, but they pretty much blew me off without even trying to diagnose the problem.

Anyway, Sunday night I suddenly got the familiar pain in the center of my upper abdomen that seemed to go straight through to my back.  Usually it goes away after a few hours, so I went to bed hoping it would pass.  Around 2:30 in the morning the pain got really intense and I woke up my husband to ask him to get me some water and some Tylenol.  Tylenol doesn't usually help, but at this point I was desperate.  Finally my husband convinced me to go to the emergency room, which is about an hours drive from our house.  Reluctantly, I agreed, fearing that it would just be a waste of time and money.  Our daughter was staying over at a friend's house, so we woke up our son and piled into the car.  I was in pain the entire drive to the hospital, but literally the second we pulled into the hospital parking lot the pain suddenly went away.  Against my better judgement, I went into the emergency room anyway.  When the doctor saw me I told him what was going on and he said since I wasn't in pain any longer he was going to send me home.  I told him where I had driven in from and he decided that since I lived so far from the hospital he would go ahead and take some blood.  I agreed, although I wasn't feeling very optimistic at this point that a blood test was going to do any good.  When he got the results he came back and told me, "Well, I'm actually glad I ordered the blood test, it showed that your gallbladder is probably inflamed."  So they did an ultrasound, which showed a gallstone partially blocking a duct.  The doctor talked to the surgeon on-call and they decided that I would see the surgeon the next day and schedule a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) in the next one to two weeks.

So, I saw the surgeon and my surgery is scheduled for Monday afternoon, January 11th.  That is going to put a bit of a kink in my diet and exercise plan, but hopefully this will make me feel better and help me lose more weight in the long run.  Since my last gallbladder attack I have been feeling a little nauseous and just tired with no energy.

Of course yesterday (New Year's Eve) I started feeling like I was coming down with a cold or flu.  Then in the early evening I started feeling really crappy.  My head was killing me, my nose was plugged up, my joints were aching, and even though I didn't have a fever I was really cold and could just not warm up.  Took a nap and then got up to watch the new Terminator movie with my husband and the kids.  Of course, my husband fell asleep during the movie and just would not wake up.  He does this every time we rent a movie, he is absolutely hopeless.  Then the movie ended just in time for us to watch the New Year's celebrations on TV.

Well, after everything that's been happening this week, I still have not made out a meal plan or gotten the needed groceries.  So I will be working on that this afternoon and will then have to send hubby to the store when he gets off work.  I would go myself, but that's a bit hard to do when I don't have a vehicle.  We are hoping that we will get a good tax return this year so we can pay off some bills and start saving up for another car.  Of course, trips to the emergency room and surgery co-pays don't really help.

My Resolution

Okay, it is December 27th and I have decided that my New Year's resolution this year will be .... you guessed it, to lose weight.  I have avoided making this resolution in the past because, let's face it, who wants to be so completely unoriginal and ordinary?  Plus, who really keeps their New Year's resolutions?  Sure, maybe the first few weeks or even couple of months you do really good and stick with it, but after that we all usually slip up and then give up altogether.  But, honestly, I have a LOT of weight to lose and I need to do this not only to feel better about myself, but for my health as well.  I need to do this for myself and for my family.  I want my kids to be proud of me.  I want my husband to think I'm one sexy bitch (he claims he already does, but since I can't even stand to look at myself in the mirror I find this really hard to believe).  Hell, I just want to like myself.

The plan - starting Saturday, January 2nd (I know, I'm starting off one day late, but Saturday is just a better day for me) I will start exercising regularly, 4-5 days a week for at least 1 hour.  I will modify my diet to eat healthier and cut out all the bad, evil foods.  My biggest weakness, Coca Cola/Pepsi.  How will I do this?  I have no idea.  Really, I don't know what I'm doing.

Okay, I guess I've got some reading and planning to do.  First, I need to make a meal plan.  For someone who doesn't eat breakfast (and sometimes lunch), sticking to a diet is not going to be easy.  I need simple meals.  I hate to cook and will not take the time in the morning to cook a fancy breakfast.  Fish, which is so highly recommended and features in most healthy diets, is not an option.  I've tried to implement fish in my diet in the past and I know it's just not going to work.  I hate fish.  Cannot stand to eat it at all.  Well, unless it's beer battered Cod, but I don't think that's very healthy.  Or lobster absolutely coated with melted butter, yuummm.  Okay, that's not helping.  So, no fish.  I'll probably be eating a lot of poultry.

So, Saturday morning I will weigh myself to get my starting weight.  I will have a meal plan (and hopefully the groceries to go with it).  I will set aside time to go to the gym.  This will not be easy, as we are a one vehicle family and my husband usually has the car.  So I will need to work out when I can.  My workout time might not be ideal, but it will have to do.  Okay everybody, see you on Saturday.  Cross your fingers for me and wish me luck, I'm gonna need it.