My battle with disease & Old age!

Wow, where do I begin? In my 40's I was very active, working the Fire Dept and Ambulance a shift a week, and full time Island Transit. Doing all that I still got diabetes, diverticulitis, arthritis etc. I was 49 yrs old and was trying to hold on to my fun life but had to get to the truth. I am too old and getting diabled! DANGIT ALL!! I quit the Fire Dept as the Medical Program Coordinator. I let go of the ambulance shifts and settled to just the 40-60 hour job at Island Transit. During the years my diabetes got worse so I was put on insulin. I gained 100# the year I was on insulin, and felt horrid. I had a prayer group pray with me and I went off insulin and lost 80# a couple years later I was on metformin and got all puffy and rashy. I am allergic to metformon so I went back on insulin. Yep I gained another 100#. Back & forth, trying to lose weight and not able to. The embarrassment of being so obese is something I would not want ANYONE to go through. People see an obese person and think QUIT EATING FATSO! Hey folks, sometimes it just happens. The depression that follows is a deep pit. Fast forward to 2013. My retirement date for Island Transit is March 1st 2014. Back in October 2013 I got really sick with something like food poisoning (probably the noro virus) and was actually too sick to get dressed and call 911. I made it through the night and decided I better get to the doctor. I did and the doctor's PA wanted to give me an MRI etc. I went home and a week later spiked a fever and went back in. They sent me STAT to Everett Prov ER and I was there for about a week. I saw three specialists. One told me my gall bladder needed removed, which I have known for years, yes. the other said I needed a bowel resection temporarily to cut out the abcess I had in my lower bowel. Oky, then the third told me that the abcess went down my falloppian tube and I needed a hysterechtomy. Okay....Now I am in shock, because not one of the doctors wanted to touch me as I am high risk for any operation much less all three! So they asked me if I was agreeable to go see a specialsist at the Universary Hospital. I agreed, and I went to see the specialist. Well the specialist was maybe 22 yrs old, fresh out of college and NO personality!! He more or less told me He will do a re-section then IF it healed they will go on for the other two operations. He told me I probably will not heal from that so I walked out of his office in tears, vowing I will never let him touch me with that attitude!! I had strict orders from my doctor to stay away from germs and if I spiked another fever I was to go back to the ER. So I took sick leave until March 1st and retired. Last October 2014 I saw my doctor and told him my gall bladder is worse, and I am starting to have difficulties. He sent me to see the surgeon and between the surgeon and my Dr and a specialist, I was sent to Virginia Mason for a consult. During that consult I was told my best option would be a RNY Gastric Bypass. That would be taking two thirds of my stomach away and leave me with a small pouch for a stomach. The cut away part is stapled and left in the belly to produce digestive juices to help the pancreas digest foods and I would not need insulin. HUH???? There is a solution? WELL go for it! Okay...but...my insurance told me not Virginaia Mason, but to go to Overlake Hospital in Bellevue to their Bariatric surgeon, then I can go get the gall bladder removed. Well I am retired now and need to go where the insurance company lets me go to. It took months, and I was high priority, but my paperwork got lost in the shuffle. I had to start all over again, and FINALLY I got a date for a consult in September 2015. In May I was told that the head of the bariatric surgery dept was taking 7 patients and I am one of them. I was to lose 30# by August 24th to qualify. HARD work, tears and dedication got me there. Last Monday I went in for the operation and the surgeon did BOTH operations at once. He took out the gall bladder and did the RNY Gastric bypass. PRAISE GOD!! Two days before the operation I had only lost 23 pounds, but they said to come in anyway. Monday morning I got on the scales and WHAT???I lost 7 pounds in a day???? Thank You Lord!! As I checkin in, I had to sign a lot of greusome paperwork like advanced directives, who will say pull the plug, and do I want that done? I do not want to be kept alive on machines. No way! So, when I went into surgery I was accepting that this is all in God's hands. HE is to decide where I end up. It is all for Him! The operation could last about 4 hours and IF they did everything without complications, I will be in the hospital 4 days and be sent home. A few minutes later they were shaking me and I asked what happened. They said all is well. They took the gall bladder and did the bypass with few complications, and I am going to my room now. WHAT??? I SURVIVED IT?? REALLY??? DANG, now what?? The operation took about an hour and a half. Sherry was there by my side though it all Bless her heart. I love her SOOOOO much!! I was in the hospital Tuesday and was tolerating jello and juice, so they came in Wed and said go home and start the phase two diet! I am on that for two weeks and then I graduate to solid food. I drink premier protein shakes (4oz) three times a day and 4 oz of pureed split pea or lentil soup once a day and sip water. I took myself off Oxycodone, and now on liquid tylenol for the arthritis pain. Other than that, I have experienced hardly any pain what-so-ever. PRAISE GOD again!! OH!! Speaking of that, when I got home my weight was back up the seven pounds I lost to make the 30# mark. Hmmmmm, yep I am giving HIM that glory! Thank you!! I am now 34# down and will keep an update. Sorry, no selfies....I do not do selfies!

The waiting game....

Hello again, I last blogged September 18th 2013. Since then a lot has happened! I got sick on Halloween night and thought it was food poisoning, but it wasn't. I was weak and stayed home getting "well". A week later I spiked a high fever, went to the Doctor and they sent me for an MRI and found I have infectious diverticulitis, and slapped me in the hospital in Everett for a week. They ended up putting a drain in the abcess in the lower left abdomen. They sent me home with the drain intact and I went back a week later for removal. They said to watch it closely and when it gets better they will decide what to do. Long story short, I am HIGH risk for any surgery. #1 my weight, #2 I have COPD and it would be hard coming out of anesthesia, #3 I have a history of infections and they are afraid I might not heal. Sooooo I stayed hame for a month with strict orders to stay away from any virus that could trigger another attack. I went to work for about a week or two but stayed away from folks for fear of getting any bug going around. I truly believe I caught the Norovirus that triggered an old abcess to flare up. ANYWAY, I got sick again in December and went to get an MRI, CT scan, etc on New Years Eve. They sent me to Everett again for consult with a surgeon on Jan 4th. I saw three different Doctors. I have three major things going on. #1 My Gall Bladder needs to be removed. #2 I need a bowel resection. They will take out the bad part and reconnect it and see if I heal from that. #3 The abcess intruded into my Uterus and down the fallopian tube, and I need a hysterectomy. They sent me to the University of Washington and the specialist I saw there was a "Doogie Howser" and upset me. He said they need to do three different surgeries, and the first will be the bowel resection and he doesn't think that will heal. WHAT??.....Hey, I know the risks, but I do not want a surgeon touching me with the attitude I will not heal! I want him to tell me this COULD happen but he will do his darndest to make it NOT happen! I left there knowing I will not return to him. I told my doctor and he agreed. So I stayed home on sick leave until March 3rd until I retired. They wanted to see if the abcess will heal on it's own. It is now June 12th and I went to the doctor Tuesday with pain and they are now sending me to Virginia Mason for a consult with doctors that know what they are doing. The waiting game continues. I do not have a fever, so they want to get this all done BEFORE I get worse. I need to get on with my life! I have things to do!! I am working part time now at the Elections Office during elections, counting ballots. Very easy, no stress and fun! I also am getting a "Celebrate Recovery Meeting" organized at my Church for every Saturday night. That started at the Saddleback Church in 1992 and has gone world wide and very successful. It keeps me busy and a purpose in my life. I also am going to volunteer at the Department of Emergency Services teaching CERT classe and disaster preparedness to the communities. I do not have time for sickness!! So any prayer Warriors out there please pray for God's will and for God to be with the surgeons hands during the surgeries. I have a lot of work to do and I am giving the rest of my life to the Lord to do His work!!

Hi Strangers!

Well I wonder where the other post went?! I haven't been here for 2 years and decided I need to keep this going. I am close to retirement so I will have plenty of time to keep this up. I am retireing March 3, 2014. That is 23 more Monday mornings! I keep the count up on my Facebook page. Look me up and "friend" me. So much has happened the past two years I cannot really come up with it all. Some good times, some bad. All I can say is aging SUCKS!! But it is what it is, and I accept everything God sends my way. My sister Mary Lou, (Life after NEXCOM) started Blogging when she retired and got me to come up with a page so I did in 2003.(I think) I met so many neat people that I still keep in touch with via Facebook and it has opened a new world. I am tired from a long day today but I'll be back!! I like to spread Cheers, not Jeers!

Hi Strangers!

Wow, a long time between posts, but I refuse to give this blog up!
What have I been up to?
LIFE, that's what!!
I seemed to have hit this monstrous plateau in my weight loss regime, but I am sort of maintaining. I go up and down 5 pounds. I am not changing my eating habits, but I tried to exercise and that hurt me so I then got the "fear of moving" in me. I still work full time at my job, and I do not want to be out of work because of the excrutiating pain I seem to get when I exercise. I am 62 years old, Arthritic, Diabetic, Fibromyalgia, severe reaction to chlorine (no swimming aerobics), and work 40-50 hours a week. I went to a Rheumatologist and she told me all of the above and said to exercise 5 minutes at a time as to not over strain the muscles. Makes sense, but the music to Sweatin to the oldies is 45 minutes. ok, I can do it and I will in my time or should I say "God's time".
With this said I felt the calling to start an Overeater's Anonymous meeting in my town here. There is one 12 miles away at 7:00pm Monday nights. I'm ready for bed at that time! So I started one here at 4:30pm. I registered it on the OA site and we have 4 gals coming so far.
http://www.oa.org
I put up poster in town but they seem to disappear. jerks.
The twelve steps are the same as alcoholics anonymous, and is conducted the same as an AA meeting we only replace the word alcohol with food.
I am still 50 pounds loss from last year at this time. I gave up beef, pork & butter July 22nd 2010 and have not had any since. I try really hard to eat mostly what grows from the ground or has a mother. I try to keep away from processed foods. That is hard, but I am getting there.

I crochet, and I am also into making jewelry. I buy seed beads and other small beads and make bracelets & earrings. I love it. It is very therapeudic and keeps me away from the computer.

TaTA for now!

Fabulous "50"

I made the Fifty Pound loss!!

It is going much slower, but it is still going down and not up!!
WHOOOPPEEEE!!

This is too cool! A driver at work saw this doll in the hospital gift shop and thought OMG that's Phyllis!! So he bought it and brought it in for me. I saw it and thought "OMG it's ME as an old lady"!! WAH But then the more I looked at it, it tickled me that it really DOES look like me! And I have a red hat and red boa at home. And I have a brand spanking new PURPLE coat!! So the next day I wore them to work. We laughed all day!! One gal in Dispatch couldn't look at it because she saw an Alfred Hitchock movie about dolls that came to life and killed people. Well....I teased her all day with the doll. I would poke it around the corner at her, then hear her scream. Then I left it by her chair when she was on the phone. Heeheehee. Ok I'll stop. But what FUN!!

Now to the diet! I have officially lost 45 pounds as of Wednesday. I really would like to hit the 50 pound mark before the end of the year (2 weeks) but maybe not. I gave up beef, pork (except for ham) and butter in July. My cholesterol was 300. I just had a physical and it is down to 67!! Yes, 67!!!!

It is slow going, but I am sticking with it now. I plan my snacks. I take a sliced apple to work and at 10:00am I will eat half of it with cinnamon sprinkled on it. NUM! Eat lunch then at 2:00 I eat the rest of the apple. Then I have dinner. At bedtime I eat a banana with peanuit butter. NUM! Having Diabetes is a challenge because the Pancreas slows down the metabolism. But I have the rest of my life to work on this.
I look at the positive side...I get excited at what I CAN eat, not getting depressed on what I CAN'T eat.

35 Pounds!

Ok, my happy dance is slowing down, now we are to the waltz. It is going slower, but I am still losing. I hit the 35 pound mark now. I have quite a few more to go so it is going to slow down for a few weeks I'm sure. I want to get to the gym more. I started last week and boy did it HURT! My leg isn't quite ready for the treadmill yet but I am easing into it. 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there. The weights are the ones I really want to get going on. Build up muscle in my back and shoulders. I have Fibromyalgia so the pain seems to last longer than normal but I am getting there. The pool was great but I have a reaction to the chemicals in it. My sister thinks it is all in my head but she doesn't have to live with the ugly itchy burning rash on her face in the public eye at work either! Life is full of challenges, but I like a good challenge once in a while. I am having fun finding the foods I can eat. It is all about taste and not feeling hungry.
I love the apples this time of year. Honey Crisp right off the farm! crispy, sweet and juicy! With a chunk of extra sharp cheese. That is a meal in itself. Alot of salmon and chicken cooked in various ways. Thursday will be crockpot chicken soup before the Bible study. 8 of us gals meet every Thursday so I decided to have crockpot soup every week, as we all work and have no time to cook before the meeting.
Time to get ready for bed and another week of work!