Milwaukee day 1

Well, here I am in Milwaukee. It is hot as Hades here, so after a quick trip to the mall I went swimming at the hotel. I had the pool and hot tub all to myself, which was nice. I hope to swim more later this week. I weighed myself before I left this morning... 215.5. I cannot let it get any higher. If it weren't for being excited about moving and being away from work for a week, I'd be seriously depressed. Being so busy with traveling today, I actually didn't eat lunch because I wasn't hungry. What does that tell me? I've reverted to some very bad habits. Eating for comfort, out of boredom, to spite someone else (quite possibly the most ridiculous reason). I'm definitely NOT only eating when I'm hungry. And that is just bad news in general. In the normal course of my day, i'm not held to any specific lunch or dinner time, so I truly should be able only eat when I am hungry. This week though, I'll need to eat lunch during the class break, so I will just have to focus on actually feeling the hunger between meals. I didn't bring any snacks with me for my hotel room either. My alarm is set for 4:30, so I can get a workout in before class. It starts there.

So much for that...

Well, hello there! Yes, I've been hiding. You know... that thing we do when we're struggling and whatnot.

The main reason I haven't been posting is that I've been busy feeling sorry for myself. It's been a five star pity party over here. Remember the EGD I had? Well, the verdict is that I do have gastroparesis or slow stomach/esophageal motility. The good part is that at least I know I'm not crazy. The bad part is, he doesn't want me to have a fill for at least six months. That is what sent me down the rabbit hole. I was really banking on having that fill to help me get back on track, and now that has been taken away. I still haven't been able to talk to my band doc about what this means long term. Knowing what he thinks about the whole situation will help me settle down a bit. For now though, I feel like I'm on my own. I have fleeting restriction even with my band empty, which is a plus. And I've been known to need an unfill almost EVERY July when it gets super hot and humid here. So maybe I'll be ok. I don't know.

Part of my problem is that I'm up to 214. That's 12 pounds up from my low. It's the most I have ever put on after surgery (outside of my two pregnancies). So that is rather depressing. The last few days have been better, and I've felt like I've shaken off the funk a little bit. And, as always, I have a plan. First, me and my buddies (you know who you are) are doing a little six week challenge. Second, I signed up to run a 5k in September, and to get ready for that, I'm eschewing C25k for the NerdFitness Running Guide program. That starts Monday.

In other news, I'll be in Milwaukee for all of next week for a training class. Any bandsters out there in Milwaukee? Shoot me an email!

My other HUGE news is that we finally have a plan to get our of our house! I have been wanting to move pretty much since the day I moved in here, but after the market went to hell, we ended up so underwater I thought we'd be here till kingdom come. We've decided to go with a property management company that will rent our house for up to 6 years, and we get to build a new one. I am seriously peeing my pants with excitement. I can't even believe that I will be living in a brand new house twice the size of this one in less than a year. Lest you think we'll be building a mansion, it's important to point out that my current house is a mere 900 square feet. Exactly. With two adults, two kids, and two cats, you can imagine the chaos we create. This whole thing is also a big part of my mood lifting. Even my hubby noticed!

So that's where I'm at. Since I'll be all lonely in Milwaukee this week, I promise to check in more often. I'm even packing workout clothes. Aren't you proud of me?

Lazy Monday

I took today and tomorrow off for super fun medical procedures. I wish I could say I was resting and enjoying  it or at least being productive, but, eh. You know. I've at least caught up on some movie watching.

Today was my mini D&C with the gyno. The good news is, my lady parts look pretty good. No fibroids or polyps. The bad news is my pap was abnormal. I've been down this road before -- there was a period of about three years when I had to have pap smears every 3 months due to abnormalities. Time to start supplementing with folic acid again.

Tomorrow is my EGD or gastroscopy -- the one where they stick a tube with a camera down your throat. I'm hoping for no ulcers and minimal gastritis.

Oh, I forgot to tell you about this new GI guy. He was suggested to me because he's knowledgeable about bariatric procedures. I was quite pleased, actually. Without getting bogged down in details, I will just tell you what stuck with me the most. He said that just by having a band - just having it in there - eventually causes slow stomach motility. So, the reason I feel bloated and stomach-achey all the time is probably because food is taking a really really long time to GTFO of my stomach. Fun. I'm on prilosec for a month to "get the extra fluid out of there," as he said. Guess what you do for slow stomach motility... small meals. And don't eat too many vegetables at one time. Things I should be doing anyway, right? Le sigh.

Barring anything nutty showing up on the EGD tomorrow, I'll be all set to get my fill back next Monday. There is a light!