Expect the Unexpected

Lately, I have been learning things about myself that I never would have guessed. The most important thing I learned was that having Gastric Bypass changed my life in so many, many more ways than I ever would have imagined.

1. I look like a whole new person.
2. Physically, I feel like a whole new person.
3. The world treats me better.
4. I treat me better.
5. I know that no matter what medical issues I have, they would have been much worse if I had not had the surgery.
6. If you try a food enough times, you'll find that you like it. (ie, yogurt)
7. I'm starting to believe that I really can do anything.
8. Even thought I will never consider myself an optimist, I do have to admit that sometimes it feels like everything is going my way.

 

There are a few others things that seem so much smaller than the ones above but I can't help but be amazed by them! Most of these were milestones I crossed a long time ago but I still think about them regularly!

1. I can tie my shoes while standing up.
2. While standing, I can look down and see my feet without bending over.
3. I can cross my legs when I sit.
4. I no longer have to look at the weight limit on scales before I step on them.
5. I can make a dozen Chinese chicken wings last for days instead of minutes.
6. I no longer have to use a seat belt extender in my car.
7. I am not afraid that chairs with arms will be too small for me to fit in.
8. I can buy clothes, straight off the rack, at almost any store I go into.
9. I no longer cringe when I step on the scale at the doctor's office.
10. I can fit over a dozen pairs of pants into a drawer that used to hold 6.
11. I can say that I don't really miss ice cream and mean it!
12. I am not afraid to get into a bathing suit this year.
13. I hug people with more gusto because I'm not worried they'll realize that their arms don't go all the way around me.
14. I don't have to be strategic about how I can make the fewest trips up the stairs when I bring home groceries. Everything goes upstairs right then, no matter how many trips.
15. I can reach behind my back to hook my bra hooks with no troubles!

I know I have talked about some of these things before but I have been trying to have a more positive look at my life. Some days this is very  difficult. Other days, it seems like nothing could ever go wrong.

 

I have had some really dark times in the past 2 months but things seem like they are turning around. I'm not going to be unrealistic and say that nothing bad will ever happen again, however, I am going to bask in the glow of the positive things that are happening in my life right now.

 

1. I have an amazing husband.
2. I have a job that I like, even though it exhausts me.
3. I have a home that is mostly remodeled and I love it.
4. I have a car that starts EVERY time I turn the key.
5. I have a dog that misses me, even when I've only been gone for 10 minutes.
6. Did I mention that I have an amazing husband?

 

I hope that this blog post helps me when times get tough. I hope that this blog post helps someone else when their life is hard. Most of all, I hope that I continue to get blessed with great days fill with great moments with the great people in my life.

Doctor Love?

I have been to the ER 3 times this year already. I have also been to see my doctor as many times. Today I am headed to the doctors again.

Every now and then I think maybe my husband is right, maybe I am a hypochondriac. I mean, who else goes to the doctor so much? But then I remind myself that there is almost always a diagnosable problem when I go. So, obviously I am not making it up.

I have never considered myself a "sickly" person before but I am starting to wonder. I mean, who else goes to the doctor so much?

Ugh!

Maybe I am just not aging as gracefully as other people do? Wait! I am only 31! I'm not all that "aged," am I?

Maybe I have some underlying condition that is causing all these problems? Wait! I spent 3-4 hours last week looking into this and I cannot find any information in regards to these problems being linked.

Maybe I just have crappy luck when it comes to my health? This might be true because when I weighed 360 pounds I didn't have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or any of those things? Now, at half that weight, I still don't seem to have any of those problems but I have a whole plethora of other ones. Bad luck is the only way I can explain that.

Does anyone else ever feel like they go to the doctor too much?

Even though I have more health problems than most people I know, I am thankful that the doctor I have is with me all the way. I am thankful that each day I can still get out of bed, even if it does take a ton of effort sometimes. I am thankful for so many things.

I am thankful that I no longer weigh 360 pounds simply for the fact that it would have made all of the things I have been going through that much more difficult. Lots of doctors in the past have just blown off any health problems as being caused by my obesity. Now, they actually have to figure out what is wrong with me. That I am very thankful for!

I am also thankful that I have a wonderful doctor. When I call, I can get in to see him within a few days. He listens to me and never seems to be in a rush. He never tries to pawn me off on some specialist but has offered to do so if I feel like he can't handle it. He's kind and gentle and has a great sense of humor. If we both weren't already married, I'd consider asking him out. ;-)

I am am even more grateful that he is a family doctor. That way, when I have children, he'll be with me through the whole pregnancy and also be the babies' doctor as well. The idea of my children having the same doctor their whole lives is incredibly appealing. As a child, I lived in a very small town and went to a clinic where the doctor changed too often. It always felt like you had to give an entire life's history every time you went.

I think that more people should get to have a doctor they love!

P.S. Don't tell my husband. ;-)