I've always openly admitted that I am lazy...

I know, I know. I have had so many people comment that I haven't updated. But honestly, do you really want to hear that I am still sick?

Well, no really, though. It's more like 'again' than 'still'. And it isn't just me. All four of us have been circulating a cold/flu/virus/stomach thing around for over a month now. It hit Allie first, then one by one we toppled. This last week hasn't been fun, as I have been particularly miserable with a headache.

Yeah...the headache. When I was in my 20's I started getting migraines. To the point where 1-2 times a week I was in the ER for fluids because of dehydration. They ruled my life. Oddly, when I got pregnant, they went away. I had 12 migraine free years. Two days after my surgery, while still in the hospital, I had a migraine. And...they're back. Like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. I've been having one every 1-2 weeks. It sucks. I hope it is just an adjustment period thing - right now I am still pretty malnourished (as I should be...that's part of the surgery) and my body is in shock. I think as I am able to eat more and things settle down, not to mention getting this darn virus out of my house, that they will go away again. (Fingers crossed!)

The weight loss? Excellent. I have lost 60 pounds. Jeans that didn't even FIT two months ago are now on the last belt loop of a belt! Woo-hoo! It's true what they say though - that it takes a while for the mind to catch up. Allie and I were at the store the other day and I tried on a couple of shirts. Allie thought they looked great; I thought they looked tight. And small. And revealing. I'm so used to wearing large baggy clothes in a (failed) attempt to hide my body.

And holy crap am I sick of protein.

But overall I am healed, better, and glad I did it. There is just lots of changes! And I am still losing about 5 pounds a week!

Everything else is going well. Justin had his 9 month post-op last week. Everything is healed, and we can schedule surgery #2 any time. We are thinking August. It is a relatively quick and easy - they go back into the leg to remove the plate and screws, thus allowing for bone growth. He grew FOUR inches over the winter!

Allie is on a quest for a cell phone. We told her that she would have to pay for it herself, and we would give her a trial run for a couple months. She has to prove she can do the extra chores to earn the money, no tantrums or complaints, and prove herself reliable and trustworthy. So far? I'm thinking Allie might not be getting a phone for a while... She also knows that every evening we will view all her texts, view all incoming and outgoing calls, etc. We'll see.

Sadly, Jim lost a friend a couple weeks ago. It was pretty hard on  him. He was able to attend the funeral in Ohio, which I think provided some comfort, but still...it was awful. He's been doing work around the house - putting in a new microwave cuz ours died, stuff like that. He finished up a class last week - maintained his 4.0 gpa and now school starts again next week. How many years does it take when doing one class at a time? I am SO ready for him to be done.

That's all for now. Oh, except Jack. My scruffy woobie is going to have his 'cousin' (my sister's dog) come stay for 10 days. We are excited - I think the dogs will have fun together.

Overeating

I am starting to see some results - that's a good thing, right? I started at 260 lbs and in under three weeks I am down to 235 lbs. I can tell that my face is slimmer and my belly is a bit smaller. It is still swollen though. Sigh... But today when I showered I was able to put on an XXL shirt - that doesn't sound like a big deal, but I have been in a plus size 3-4 X for many years. To be able to wear a shirt that didn't come from the plus size department is a pretty good feeling!

I am still on purees, which suck! I was excited for them, but they are nasty. It might be better if I was hungry, but since I'm not, eating slimy food isn't up my alley. The worst was the day I made tuna - pureed with a bit of mayo and pickle, it was a loose enough consistency that I could have sipped it through a straw. The whole 'the taste is the same' is a bunch of b.s. - I had to gag that down. I have to focus so hard on protein, that the purees I am eating are egg, meatball, cream of wheat (which I like but am getting sick of...), tuna, refried beans, etc. I did cheat a couple times and have mashed potatoes, but those are nutritionally a waste of time. They don't provide any of the nutrients that I need.

I am still only supposed to be eating 2-3 TBSP three times a day. Yesterday I didn't drink my liquids as much as I was supposed to, so come dinner time I actually WAS hungry for the first time. It was one of my cheats with the mashed potatoes, and I ate about 1/2 cup. OMG what a mistake! I was sick for hours. I went for a walk thinking it would move things through, but it didn't. It all got stuck in my stomach, and finally several hours later I had to bite the bullet and throw up to get rid of the pain. Jim thinks it is funny cuz he, Allie, AND Justin ALL told me I was eating too much, but I didn't listen. I learned my lesson. No more Frank Sinatra moves for me! (I did it myyyyy waaaayyy...)

On the 31st I will move to soft foods. It will be the same foods I can have as purees, but not pureed. Unfortunately that doesn't excite me too much - once you've eaten liquid tuna, going back to it regular still sounds disgusting. By March I should be able to add things like a quarter of a piece of bread, small bites of meat, REAL food!

I'm excited for summer - I can't wait to be feeling good, looking good, etc. Already I feel completely healed, but my energy is still low. Walking helps, but I have missed some days because of the cold. You know it is cold when I get halfway down the block and Jack just sits down - done, refusing to move his little paws any further. Nothing like having to drag a 20 lb dog back to the house.

And Amy? We still have a mouse. I'm so proud of him for evading capture all this time! He gets the peanut butter off the traps and everything! He's a mousy little genius! I'm going to be sad when he is gone - I've never seen him, but I'm quite fond of him anyway. (Jim just says I like him cause he poops on HIS desk, not mine...)