Day to Myself

It's been a really long time since I've had a Saturday to spend all by myself... and I'd forgotten how refreshing it can be. Don't get me wrong - all the things that have been going on for the last couple of months have been wonderful, and I've enjoyed it all - but sometimes you just need a little time to refresh.

So I spent my morning slowly getting ready to run what I thought would be my one weekly errand... grocery shopping. Which really is more of an ordeal since I have to shop at Walmart... long story, but it's what works best for the budget - and even though I loathe Walmart - I suck it up and go once a week.

Anyway, while working up my courage to fight the masses... I stopped in at Starbucks for some liquid comfort - I thought it might help with making me feel a little better overall as I'm still fighting this head cold junk.

From there - I go sidetracked into Lane Bryant... and can I just say - how is it that one store can make me feel like I've regained 92 pounds?! Their pants don't fit me for anything in the world... and their new sizing system is ridiculous. Like overweight women are stupid enough to believe that yellow 4 or red 5's are any different than the normal sizing numbers...

I had a real reason for going in there, and it was even more miserable. (Dad - stop reading - seriously... the next 2 paragraphs are NOT something you want to read about your daughter.) I needed a new bra because mine is really way to big. I was really sad to find out that my favorite style has been discontinued - so I'm forced back into the world of under wires... which seriously... is there ANY way that a woman invented those? I think not.

So I tried a couple of styles, and I'm still not convinced that I bought the right thing... either that or I have a LOT of extra skin in my armpits that I didn't realize was there before. I'm going to try it on again in a bit and see what John thinks... either I bought one that is too small - or I'm just in between sizes. The stupid thing is that in order for me to get one that fits around - the cups are too big... so one way or the other - it isn't going to fit right in one of those areas... is it better to cut off circulation so that the cup size is perfect... OR should there be enough room for 2 boobs in each cup so that you can breathe?

From there, I went on to Walmart - my own personal hell, and did the shopping. I don't know if any of you experience this, but what is it about that store that causes people to go insane? I mean every screaming kid in northwest Houston was there today... and for some reason people were there stocking up on the essentials... you know, chips, Velveeta, beer. It is the Super Bowl after all. You'd think that the store management would realize that there are certain times of the year that they might need some extra help. We all know that they have a bazillion lanes that they could have people checking out on, but they only have people working like 5 of them.

So I spent 45 minutes waiting to check out because like a genius - I got in the lane with the slowest checker on the planet. Seriously, I don't know what her deal was, but she'd try to scan things 3 times before realizing that the bar code was on the other side of the box! Then when she asked me for ID to buy some DayQuil... I made the mistake of asking what that was about, and slowed down her ability to check me out even further. Did anyone else know that you have to be 18 to buy a long list of household products now that kids have figured out how to make drugs and bombs out of them?

It seems like someone should notify people of those things... I mean seriously - how many times as a teenager was I innocently sent to the store to pick up something we'd run out of... and now - what happens when your 16 year old comes home to tell you that they couldn't buy bleach or tile cleaner because they aren't 18! I totally get it, and support the stores in helping prevent kids from their own stupidity... but it just seems like these are things that consumers should know.

I got home around 12:30, and spent the rest of the afternoon doing a little baking, working out (Jillian Michaels treadmill workout 1 kicked my butt today!), scrapbooking, relaxing, and cooking.... now I'm about ready for bed - but I'm waiting for my laundry to finish so that John has something to wear to church in the morning. He's currently putting his new smoker together so that he can make a brisket for our dinner tomorrow...

20 Worst Restaurant Foods

I signed up for a weekly newsletter from the people that wrote the book Eat This Not That... and I thought I'd share some of the information with you.

20 Worst Restaurant Food Items:

20. Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal

Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips from McDonald's (5 pieces) with creamy ranch sauce
830 calories
55g fat (4.5g trans fat)
48 g carbs

The only thing "premium" about these strips is the caloric price you pay. Add a large fries and regular soda and this seemingly innocuous chicken meal tops out at 1,710 calories.

Change Your Chicken: 20 McNuggets have the same impact. Instead, choose Mickey D's six-piece offering with BBQ sauce and save yourself 530 calories.

19. Worst Drink

Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie(30 fl oz)
900 calories
10 g fat
183 g carbs (166 g sugars)

Jamba Juice calls it a smoothie; we call it a milkshake. In fact, this beverage contains more sugar than two pints of Ben and Jerry's Butter Pecan ice cream.

Turn Down the Power: Seventy-five percent of this chain's "power smoothies" contain in excess of 100 grams of sugar. Stick to Jamba's lower-calorie All Fruit Smoothies, which are the only menu items that contain no added sugar. And always opt for the 16-ounce "small."

18. Worst Supermarket Meal

Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie(whole pie)
1,020 calories
64 g fat
86 g carbs

The label may say this pie serves two, but who ever divided a small pot pie in half? Once you crack the crust, there will be no stopping.

Pick a Better Pie: Swanson's pot pie has just 400 calories.

17. Worst "Healthy" Burger

Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger
1,145 calories
71 g fat
56 g carbs

We chose this burger for more than its calorie payload: Its name implies that it's healthy.

The Truly Healthy Choice: Skip burgers entirely (few at Ruby Tuesday come in under 1,000 calories). Instead, order a 9-ounce sirloin with a side of steamed vegetables.

16. Worst Mexican Entree

Chipotle Mexican Grilled Chicken Burrito
1,179 calories
47 g fat
125 g carbs
2,656 mg sodium

Despite a reputation for using healthy, fresh ingredients, Chipotle's menu is limited to king-size burritos, overstuffed tacos, and gigantic salads—all of which lead to a humongous waistline. (Oh come on... we in Texas can find more fattening Mexican Food than this!)

Make Over the Menu: There are two ways to make a Chipotle burrito healthy enough to eat:
(1) 86 the rice and tortilla and request your meat, vegetables, and beans served in a bowl, or
(2) Bring a friend and saw the burrito in half.

15. Worst Kids' Meal

Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni 'n' Cheese
1,210 calories
62 g fat
3,450 mg sodium

It's like feeding your kid 1 1/2 boxes of Kraft mac 'n' cheese.

Your Best Option: The 390-calorie Grilled Chicken and Broccoli.

14. Worst Sandwich

Quizno's Classic Italian (large)
1,510 calories
82 g fat
3,750 mg sodium
106 g carbs

A large homemade sandwich would more likely provide about 500 calories.

Cut the Calories: Isn't it obvious? Order a small—or save half for later.

13. Worst Salad

On the Border Grande Taco Salad with Taco Beef
1,450 calories
102 g fat
78 g carbs
2,410 mg sodium

This isn't an anomaly: Five different On the Border salads on the menu contain more than 1,100 calories each.

The Salad for You: The Sizzling Chicken Fajita Salad supplies an acceptable 760 calories. But remember to choose a noncaloric beverage, such as water or unsweetened iced tea.

12. Worst Burger

Carl's Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger
1,520 calories
111 g fat

Carl's brags about this, but also provides convenient nutrition info on its Web site—so ignorance is no excuse for eating it.

A Simple Solution: The Low Carb Six Dollar Burger has just 490 calories.

11. Worst Steak

Lonestar 20 oz T-bone
1,540 calories
124 g fat

Add a baked potato and Lonestar's Signature Lettuce Wedge, and this is a 2,700-calorie blowout. (Umm... can I just say that even before my weight loss surgery I couldn't eat 20 oz of meat, a potato, and a salad!! They probably give you bread too!)

Make the Cut: Stick to fillets and sirloins in steakhouses—they're the two leanest cuts of beef.

10. Worst Breakfast

Bob Evans Caramel Banana Pecan Cream Stacked and Stuffed Hotcakes
1,540 calories
77 g fat (9 g trans fat)
198 g carbs(109 g sugars)

Five Egg McMuffins yield the same caloric cost as these sugar-stuffed flapjacks. (Holy COW!)

Order This Instead: The Western Omelet has 654 calories and 44 grams of protein.

9. Worst Dessert

Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream
1,600 calories
78 g fat
215 g carbs

Would you eat a Big Mac for dessert? How about three? That's the calorie equivalent of this decadent dish. Clearly, Chili's customers get their money's worth. (Well, when you tell me it's like 3 Big Macs... then no - I wouldn't eat it... but ignorance is sometimes bliss...in all seriousness though - I haven't ordered a dessert at a restaurant since I can remember. I might have a bite of someone else's but that's it. How many calories are in one bite?)

Don't Overdo It: If you want dessert at Chili's, order one single-serving Sweet Shot; you'll cap your after-dinner intake at 310 calories.

8. Worst Chinese Entree

P.F. Chang's Pork Lo Mein
1,820 calories
127 g fat
95 g carbs

The fat content in this dish alone provides more than 1,100 calories. And you'd have to eat almost five servings of pasta to match the number of carbohydrates it contains. Now, do you really need five servings of pasta?

Pick Another Noodle: P.F. Chang's Singapore Street Noodles will satisfy your craving with only 570 calories. Or try the Moo Goo Gai Pan or the Ginger Chicken & Broccoli, which have 660 calories each.

7. Worst Chicken Entree

Chili's Honey Chipotle Crispers with Chipotle Sauce
2,040 calories
99 g fat
240 g carbs

"Crispers" refers to an extra-thick layer of bread crumbs that soaks up oil and adds unnecessary calories and carbs to these glorified chicken strips.

Switch Your Selection: Order the Chicken Fajita Pita: At 450 calories and 43 grams of protein, it's one of the healthiest entrées you'll find in a chain restaurant.

6. Worst Fish Entree

On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans
2,100 calories
130 g fat
169 g carbs
4,750 mg sodium

Perhaps the most misleadingly named dish in America: A dozen crunchy tacos from Taco Bell will saddle you with fewer calories.

Lighten the Load: Ask for grilled fish, choose the corn tortillas instead of flour (they're lower in calories and higher in fiber), and swap out the carbohydrate-loaded rice for grilled vegetables.

5. Worst Pizza

Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza
2,310 calories
162 g fat
123 g carbs
4,470 mg sodium

Downing this "personal" pizza is equivalent to eating 18 slices of Domino's Crunchy Thin Crust cheese pizza.

4. Worst Pasta

Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce
2,430 calories
128 g fat
207 g carbs
5,290 mg sodium

This meal satisfies your calorie requirements for an entire day.

Downsize the Devastation: Ask for a lunch portion of this dinner dish (or any pasta on the menu, for that matter), and request regular tomato sauce instead of meat sauce. You'll cut the calories in half.

3. Worst Nachos

On the Border Stacked Border Nachos
2,740 calories
166 g fat
191 g carbs
5,280 mg sodium

More fat and sodium than you should be getting in one meal, let alone in a single appetizer.

Nix the Nachos: Start with a Chicken Soft Taco instead. At 250 calories apiece, this entrée is as close as you'll come to a healthy starter.

1. The Worst Food in America

Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing
2,900 calories
182 g fat
240 g carbs

This weapon of mass construction is the caloric equivalent of eating 14 Krispy Kreme doughnuts, before your dinner arrives. Even if you split this "starter" with 3 friends, you'll have downed a meal's worth of calories.

Super Substitution: Both the Seared Ahi and the Shrimp on the Barbie offer a big dose of protein, which helps diminish hunger without putting you into calorie overload.

20 Worst Supermarket Foods

Very interesting... thought I'd share.

America's Worst Supermarket Foods
There may be no place on the planet more daunting than the American supermarket.
By David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, Men's Health

From the produce section to the frozen-food aisle, the modern-day market is loaded with 50,000 food choices, all vying for your hard-earned money. That's why we created the Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide, the brand-new follow-up to our national bestselling nutrition books that will help you cut through marketing mysteries and food-label lies in order to make the smart choices that lead to fast and permanent weight loss for you and your loved ones.

And there's no better way to start slimming down in 2009 than by eliminating the most egregious offenders in the supermarket from your shopping cart. Some are conspicuous calorie bombs, others are junk food masquerading as healthy food, but all 20 of these foods have one thing in common: They'll undermine your efforts to lose weight and feel great. So study up on the list of the Worst Supermarket Foods (and while you're at it, don't forget the 20 Worst Restaurant Foods in America), and resolve to master your market in 2009.

20. WORST CRUNCHY SNACK

Gardetto's Special Request Roasted Garlic Rye Chips (1/2 cup, 30 g)
160 calories
10 g fat (2 g saturated, 2.5 g trans)
40 mg sodium

Gardetto extracts the worst part of its Original snack mix and tries to serve it as a gourmet snack—a sneaky move that might have serious repercussions for even casual munchers. Each single serving exceeds the amount of trans fat deemed safe to consume daily by the American Heart Association.

Fat equivalent: 3 strips of bacon

Eat This Instead: Snyder's of Hanover Sourdough Nibblers (16 pieces, 30 g)
120 calories
0 g fat
200 mg sodium

19. WORST COOKIE

Pillsbury Big Deluxe Classics White Chunk Macadamia Nut (dough; 1 cookie, 38 g)
180 calories
10 g fat (3 g saturated, 2 g trans)
13 g sugars

Stick to Nestlé Toll House when it comes to big-brand cookie dough; the people of Pillsbury have a penchant for scattering trans fats across your market's refrigerated section. This cookie has one load of dangerous oils mixed into the flour and another blended with sugar and interspersed throughout the dough as "white confectionery chunks."

Fat equivalent: 5 "fun" size 3 Musketeers bars

Eat This Instead:
Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (1 1/2-inch ball, 28 g)
130 calories
6 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
11 g sugars

18. WORST YOGURT

Stonyfield Farm Whole Milk Chocolate Underground (6 oz.)
220 calories
5 g fat (3 g saturated)
36 g sugars

Stonyfield is notorious for being a little too generous with the sugar, but the nearly 3 tablespoons in their Chocolate Underground is bad even by their supersweet standards. Not even Ben & Jerry's makes a flavor of ice cream with this much sugar. (Check out the rest of America's Most-Sugar Packed Foods.)

Sugar equivalent: 4 Cherry Popsicles

Eat This Instead:
Breyers Cookies n'Cream YoCrunch Lowfat with Oreo Pieces (6 oz.)
120 calories
2.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
11 g sugars

17. WORST CANDY

Twix (1 package, 2 oz.)
280 calories
27 g sugars
14 g fat (11 g saturated)

Twix takes the already-dubious candy-bar reputation and drags it through a murky pool of saturated fat. With more than half the USDA's daily consumption recommendation for these dangerous fats in each package, this is one hazardous after-lunch snack.

Saturated fat equivalent: 11 strips of bacon (OMG! I love Twix... especially the peanut butter ones... which I'm sure have more fat! Sad day...I'll never look at these the same again.)

Eat This Instead:
100 Grand (1 package)
190 calories
22 g sugars
8 g fat (5 g saturated)

16. WORST CONDIMENT

Eggo Original Syrup (1/4 c)
240 calories
40 g sugars

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but not when this sugar slick hits the table. Excluding water, the first three ingredients are all different forms of sugar. If you want real syrup, make sure it's 100 percent maple.

Sugar equivalent: Two Häagen-Dazs Vanilla & Almond ice cream bars

Eat This Instead:
Smucker's Sugar Free Breakfast Syrup (1/4 c)
20 calories
0 g sugars

15. WORST ICE CREAM

Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter (1/2 c)
360 calories
24 g sugars
24 g fat (11 g saturated)

Häagen-Dazs makes great-tasting ice cream with an impressively short ingredient list, but that doesn't make up for the fact that their pints are consistently the fattiest in the freezer.

Fat equivalent: 1 McDonald's Double Cheeseburger

Eat This Instead:
Edy's Slow Churned Peanut Butter Cup (1/2 c)
130 calories
13 g sugars
6 g fat (3 g saturated)

14. WORST DRINK

AriZona Kiwi Strawberry (23.5 oz. can)
353 calories, 0 g fat
82 g sugars

It claims to be blended juice, but only 5 percent of this can is any sort of real-fruit derivative. The remaining 95 percent is a blend of water and high-fructose corn syrup. (Believe it or not, this pales in comparison to some of the other Unhealthiest Drinks in America.)

Sugar equivalent: 4 Original Fudgsicle Bars

Drink This Instead:
Tropicana Lime Raspberry Fruit Squeeze (15.2 oz. bottle)
35 calories, 0 g fat
7 g sugars

13. WORST "HEALTHY" PANTRY ITEM

Pop-Tarts Whole Grain Brown Sugar Cinnamon (2 pastries) 400 calories
14 g fat (4 g saturated)
5 g fiber, 28 g sugars

Whole grain ain't the whole truth. There's also a glut of vegetable oil and seven types of sugar stuffed inside. (I'm cracking up - never in my life have I ever used the words "healthy" and "Pop-Tart" in the same sentence!)

Sugar equivalent: 1 Snickers bar

Eat This Instead:
Sun-Maid Raisin English Muffins with Cinnamon (1 muffin)
170 calories
0.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
2 g fiber, 13 g sugars

12. WORST FROZEN "HEALTHY" ENTRÉE

Healthy Choice Complete Selections Sweet & Sour Chicken (340 g)
430 calories
9 g fat (1 g saturated)
600 mg sodium
29 g sugars

Since when has fried chicken been healthy? Certainly not when it's cloaked in sugar. (wow... I knew frozen meals were some sort of conspiracy!)

Sugar equivalent: 2 scoops Breyers Reese's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream

Eat This Instead:
Kashi Southwest Style Chicken (283 g)
240 calories
5 g fat (0 g saturated)
680 mg sodium

11. WORST CEREAL

Quaker 100% Natural Granola, Oats, Honey & Raisins (1 c)
420 calories
12 g fat (7 g saturated)
6 g fiber, 30 g sugars

Granola, for all its good reputation, is usually weighed down by a deluge of added sugars. In fact, for the same amount of sugar, you could have a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles more than twice the size—and you'd get more fiber and save about 60 calories in fat.

Calorie equivalent: 8 chicken wings

Eat This Instead:
Kashi GOLEAN (1 c)
140 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
10 g fiber/6 g sugars

10. WORST PACKAGED PASTA

Pasta Roni Fettuccine Alfredo (1 c prepared with 2 percent milk and margarine)
450 calories
25 g fat (7 g saturated, 3.5 g trans)
1,140 mg sodium

Once again Alfredo proves itself to be the biggest belt-busting option on the shelf.
This side has a meal's worth of calories, and if you try to turn it into a meal in itself, expect to top 1,000 calories.

Sodium equivalent: 4 medium orders of McDonald's French fries

Eat This Instead:
Pasta Roni Nature's Way Olive Oil & Italian Herb (1 c prepared with water and olive oil)
250 calories
8 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
800 mg sodium

9. WORST BAKED GOOD

Otis Spunkmeyer Banana Nut Muffins (1 muffin, 114 g)
460 calories
22 g fat (3 g saturated)
2 g fiber, 32 g sugars

Despite popular belief, muffins are very rarely healthy. Case in point: The first ingredient in this muffin is sugar. The result is metabolic mayhem: Blood sugar climbs, pancreas goes into overdrive, and the body begins storing sugar as fat. Shortly after, you'll feel sluggish and crave more sugar. (Interesting - I would have thought their chocolate chocolate chip muffins would have been worse than the banana nut.)

Sugar equivalent: 3 1/2 Rice Krispies Treats

Eat This Instead:
Vitalicious Apple Berry Muffin (1 muffin)
100 calories
0 g fat
5 g fiber, 10 g sugars

8. WORST FROZEN TREAT

Toll House Ice Cream Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich (1 sandwich)
520 calories
23 g fat (9 g saturated)
44 g sugars

Do you really want more than a quarter of your day’s calories to come from an ice-cream novelty? If you're going to take in this much fat and calories in one sitting, it better be dinner.

Calorie equivalent: Two slices of hand-tossed pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut

Eat This Instead:
Skinny Cow Low Fat Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich (1 sandwich)
140 calories
2 g fat (1 g saturated)
15 g sugars

7. WORST INDIVIDUAL SNACK

Hostess Chocolate Pudding Pie (1 pie)
520 calories
45 g sugars
24 g fat (14 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)

Skip past the enriched flour and water on the ingredient list and here's what you get: animal shortening, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, modified corn starch, butter, chocolate liqueur, and so on. Any one of these ingredients alone might prompt you to raise an eyebrow, but taken together they should invoke a gag reflex and a sprint for something far healthier.

Saturated fat equivalent: 2 McDonald's Quarter Pounders

Eat This Instead:
Chocolatey Drizzle Rice Krispies Treat
100 calories
8 g sugars
3 g fat (1 g saturated)

6. WORST PACKAGED LUNCH

Oscar Mayer Maxed Out Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Combo Lunchables (1 package)
680 calories
61 g sugars
22 g fat (9 g saturated, 1 g trans)
1,440 mg sodium

Here's your first clue that this meal has issues: The ingredient list—in its squinty small type—is a full 4 inches long. It includes just about every form of fat and sugar you can imagine. Your child deserves better.

Calorie equivalent: 15 Chicken McNuggets

Eat This Instead:
Oscar Mayer Deli Creations Fajita Beef & Salsa Flatbread (145 g)
280 calories
9 g fat (4 g saturated)
890 mg sodium

5. WORST STIR-FRY

Bertolli Grilled Chicken Alfredo & Fettuccine Complete Skillet Meal for Two (1/2 package, 340 g)
710 calories
1,370 mg sodium
42 g fat (22 g saturated)

A dinner for two should get your blood flowing, not stuff your arteries with more than the entire day's saturated fat.

Saturated fat equivalent: 22 strips of bacon

Eat This Instead:
Birds Eye Steamfresh Meals for Two Grilled Chicken in Roasted Garlic Sauce (1/2 bag, 340 g)
340 calories
880 mg sodium
13 g fat (5 g saturated)

4. WORST FROZEN BREAKFAST

Jimmy Dean Pancake and Sausage Links Breakfast Bowls
710 calories
890 mg sodium
31 g fat (11 g saturated)

As if the calories, fat, and refined carbohydrates weren't bad enough, Jimmy D tops the whole thing with two Hershey's bars' worth of sugar.

Calorie equivalent: 6 bowls of Froot Loops

Eat This Instead:
Jimmy Dean D-lights Breakfast Bowls Turkey Sausage (198 g)
230 calories
730 mg sodium
7 g fat (3 g saturated)

3. WORST FROZEN PIZZA

DiGiorno for One Garlic Bread Crust Supreme Pizza
850 calories
1,450 mg sodium
44 g fat (15 g saturated, 3.5 g trans)

The bloated crust and the greasy toppings will saddle you with 60 percent of your day's sodium, 75 percent of your day's saturated fat, and nearly twice the amount of trans fats you should take in daily.

Calorie equivalent: 6 slices Domino's Thin'N Crispy Cheese Pizza

Eat This Instead:
South Beach Diet Deluxe Pizza
340 calories
660 mg sodium
11 g fat (4 g saturated)

2. WORST FROZEN ENTRÉE

Hungry-Man Classic Fried Chicken
1,020 calories
1,570 mg sodium
57 g fat (12 g saturated)

They should rename the company Hungry-Men, because there's no way a single man needs more than a pound of fatty fried chicken, oily potatoes, and a brownie.

Calorie equivalent: 5 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts

Eat This Instead:
Banquet Select Chicken Parmesan
350 calories
870 mg sodium
15 g fat (3.5 g saturated)

1. WORST PACKAGED FOOD IN AMERICA

Marie Callender's Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie
1,060 calories
1,440 mg sodium
64 g fat (24 g saturated)

Marie Callender's perpetrates the ultimate sleight of hand here: The nutrition information says this medium-size entrée has two servings, but honestly, when have you ever split a potpie? Lard-strewn pastry tops and cream-based fillings are the lowest common denominators of the nutritionally nefarious potpie, and this one, with an ingredient list that reads like an O-Chem final, beats out dozens of horrendous iterations to earn this special place on our list.

Sodium equivalent: 8 small bags of potato chips (Holy COW!)

Fat equivalent: 23 strips of bacon

Calorie equivalent: 7 Taco Bell Fresco Beef Tacos

Eat This Instead:
Marie Callender's Oven Baked Chicken (369 g)
320 calories
990 mg sodium
12 g fat (3 g saturated)

Hanging in There

Well, I feel like a truck has backed over me repeatedly today... unfortunately - I can only breathe out of one side of my nose, and my head feels like it's a balloon. (nice, right?)

Even with that though, I pushed through last night and did a good workout. I walked for 45 minutes, and did 2.5 miles. That's only about .4 of a mile less than the night before and 15 minutes less of walking time... so I pushed it a little harder on the speed. It felt good, and I was glad that I got myself to do it even though I really could have easily plopped on the couch for the duration of the evening.

I'm here at the office now trying desperately to get through this project, but after a day and a half... I'm only at the "Ba" portion of the alphabet... can we say that it's going MUCH slower than anticipated?!

Baby Harper is off the ventilator now, and is in the arms of her wonderful parents... please click the "Praying for Harper" icon on the right and go check out some pictures of her parents getting to hold their daughter for the first time... she'll be 2 weeks old tomorrow.

I just wanted to pop in and update my accountability chart, and say "Hi"... now I'm going back to sneezing and muddling through the remaining 3 hours of my workday. I'll try to catch ya'll later tonight if I have anything interesting going on.

We Are SO Over

After ONE workout - my body and I are no longer speaking to each other! One workout... and here I go coming down with a cold. ARG! I am determined to push through this, but seriously... can't my body throw me a bone?!

I'm going to give it a whirl working out tonight - I might not make it a full hour, but I'm going to do something... even if it's just half an hour - I'll feel like I'm at least working toward a routine.

You'll notice in the top right hand corner... I've added an accountability box so that you'll know where I am with my goals and daily habits. I might tweak this over time, and I'm trying to find something more sophisticated - but while at work... there are limits to what I can Google.

Anyone that is interested in joining in on the daily Bible reading - I've posted what I read for today... but you can easily still jump in by reading Genesis chapters 1-8 and Matthew chapters 1-3.

I've taken my B12 dot, D3+K dot, and 3 Flintstones vitamins today... plus in an attempt to beat whatever is ailing me... 2 vitamin C gummies... I'm SURE that I've gotten WAY more than what is needed on the vitamin C, but we all know your body just releases that when it doesn't need it... so no big deal there. I am still looking into the other vitamin regimen that I talked about a while back, but I think I'm going to make it my own, and figure out a combination of what I'm currently doing with the new stuff and see what works best for me. For right now though - I'm finishing up the vitamins that I already have... but it's time to get an order done for whatever I'm going to switch to.

I am setting a weekly goal for the number of workouts that I want to get in... this first week, since I started late - I'm shooting for 3... that will change next week, but I've got to figure out what is realistic for me... I'm thinking that 5 workouts is what I'm going to try to make the goal for normally. My break days will probably be Wednesdays & Thursdays... because Wednesdays are tight with John having worship team practice and Thursday nights are set aside for our Small Group when that starts back up again. Anything over 5 workouts in a week would be bonus... so I'd be thrilled if I got in a work out on Wednesday night or something in addition to the other days.

Here's the thing though - I need you guys to check this and drop me an email if for some reason you don't see it changing on a daily basis... sometimes when I get sidelined for whatever small things come up (lets just call it LIFE) my entire program gets derailed and it's months before I realize that it's time to get back in the saddle again. Feel free to make suggestions on things I can do to make this better - maybe being more specific and laying out what I did in the workout? I'll tell you that the majority of my workouts will be on the treadmill, but sometimes they might not... so I can certainly tweak it to tell you how long I worked out and the calories burned/distance or something like that.

I know I need help here, and I'm doing what I can to put it out there not only so that you guys can be my eyes and ears... but also so that if I put it out there - maybe I'll feel obligated to keep doing it until it becomes a habit. Regardless of if I lose any more weight - these are things that go a LONG way into making me a healthier person in body and spirit, and certainly won't hurt in the process of trying to figure out this crazy infertility mess. (I've got another post to write about that one...)

Question/Answer Wednesday

I have to say that this was an experiment that I'm not sure what I think the outcome is at the moment... a couple of these questions bordered on hurting my feelings a little bit, but I promised that I'd answer whatever ya'll asked so long as it was clean.

Meghan asked:

What are your choices for names of a baby girl or baby boy?

This is a tough one because I've had a girl's name picked out since I was about 12... and all I'll give you is the first name because you know... something needs to be a surprise for when that day comes... but her first name would be Bailey. (Which happens also to be my maiden name) The middle name is also picked out - I think, but I'm more negotiable with that... so if John has strong feelings about it - we'll see what happens.

When it comes to names for boys - that is still up in the air. John has expressed interest in having a son named after him, but I'm not entirely keen on the idea. Mainly because I can't imagine myself with a child that people call "Junior." (eeew!) I've tossed around the idea of having him be a , II child... but I'd want to call him something other than John... so I suggested Jay as a nickname, but John doesn't like it. Needless to say - there is a lot of work on name negotiations should we end up pregnant with a boy at some point.

How are things coming along with your sisters/father and all that?

The familial issues weren't with my sisters or father... but they are doing well. I still haven't talked to my Mom, and I'm not exactly ready to do that. I'm still taking my time to figure out where I stand with my past, and what that means for my future.

The one thing I can tell you is that I'm not upset with anyone, I'm just trying to live my life and continue making choices that remain true to who I am. If I stop liking the person I become around another person... then I have to back off and figure that out. That's simply what I'm trying to do... I'm not mad at anyone or harboring ill will...

I am doing my best to not talk to anyone at this point about it much at all, and just give myself time to figure it out. When I'm ready - I'll probably have a discussion with both parents separately about different things. Or maybe not, I don't know yet. I'm just not sure if it all needs to be rehashed at this point or if I just need to make peace with it and move on.

How has the wls journey affected your friendships?

Interesting question. I've had a lot of turmoil in this area over the last year and 4 months... not only because of the weight loss surgery. I've found as I've gotten involved in churches that the majority of my friends are tied to that part of my life, and the week that I had the surgery - our original church home closed. The ladies that I still talk to from there, say that I've changed quite a bit... (Jenn, Tasha, Staci... you might answer this better than me.)

So at that time in my life - I met a bunch of new women, and had already changed in a lot of ways... just that I am not as much of a wall flower. (I still am shy though!) So Renee and the ladies at our new church might not describe me in the same way that my old church friends would.

What I've gained the most over the course of this process are some wonderful blog friends that I only wish lived close enough to know them in person... and a couple of them that do - but I haven't met yet. The support of my fellow "cut and paste" girls, and others that I have met along the way has been instrumental in me being able to get through all of it.

Overall, I have gained some friends and lost some over the course of this weight loss process. Not really any of them though I would say have been a direct result of the surgery itself... just different circumstances and situations. I do notice that I am different though - but I've always tried to be more of a "go with the flow" kind of friend... all of that being said - I've noticed more changes within my family relationships than I have with friends.
Jenn asked:

Is John jealous of your wls?

Not at all, sometimes it might not be fun for him - but we went into this knowing that if I didn't have this surgery - we might never be able to have children. So it wasn't just about vanity for us... it was about health and our future.

I can't imagine John ever being jealous of anything that I've done... I can't imagine being jealous of anything he's accomplished. He's my husband and all I would feel is proud of him for whatever he's done... and I believe that he'd say the same.

Honestly, John has his own stuff coming up that we're working on. So I believe my journey will shape his and make us both more aware of how we can help each other in the future.

If you had to do it all over again, would you have the same surgery?

I absolutely would have the same surgery. My results haven't been exactly what I had hoped for, but the journey isn't over yet. The differences in my health are measurable, and while I have set backs from time to time... when I get it all working together - I feel great. Now that I've gotten off those blood pressure medicines - I feel pretty good. As soon as I get myself working out again, I know that it'll make an even bigger impact - but right now I'm focused on my fluid intake and my vitamins... and I already feel like I'm getting there.

It's not easy relearning life, and I'd encourage anyone thinking about a surgery like this to do their research - but I wouldn't change a thing.

What is your favorite activity outside of writing?

I enjoy reading, scrapbooking and cooking... but I don't do any of those really consistently. Well, I guess I cook consistently - but not really for enjoyment. I like trying new recipes and stuff, but during the week it seems more like a chore than a hobby. So to that end, I guess my favorite right now is reading magazines...

I wish that I'd make more time for scrapbooking because I enjoy it, but lately I haven't been doing that well. Maybe I need a scrapbooking night or afternoon with friends so that I can get some inspiration again...

Mama Jean asked:

Where you were working before, you vented a lot. Is this new job better, or, do you still think you should be teaching?

In some ways the new job is better, in others it's just different. I feel like I'm back doing things that are more along my talents... which is great. I am not sure about how I fit in with the people around me, but I'm trying to move beyond that. The only other thing that I'd say is tough to deal with at times is the pressure cooker that I'm working in right now. In 2 or 3 months things might be very different and settle down... we'll just have to see. The people I work with are a lot more balanced or at least human than the ones I worked with at the last job.

My last employers were just out to be mean, and to break people down... that's not the case here. In some ways it's the exact opposite and I'm like an abused animal trying to figure out when it's safe to share my ideas.... that probably doesn't make any sense to you, but basically I got so beaten down at my last job - I'm afraid at times to step outside of my clearly defined areas and do things that I can do or share ideas that I have about things outside my expertise.

I know that teaching is real stressful, can you handle it?

I believe that stress is relative to doing what you love, but while every day wouldn't be perfect... I do believe that it is a career that I'd love and really enjoy. It has been my dream job since I was a small child, and I feel like it is something that I could do for many years and enjoy it.


So, I'll go one more round and see what I think next week... so ask your questions in the comments and I'll answer them for next week.

How Cute Are These?

This made me smile this morning when I saw it on my computer... I just love furry babies of all kinds! :-)

In My Head

Tonight, I got back on the horse... I spent an hour on the treadmill, and if it weren't for my skin itching like crazy right now - I would have enjoyed it. That's not to say that I didn't wish for every minute to pass faster... but I hung in there and burned 400 calories in 2.9 miles.

For some reason in there my left foot felt like it was going to split open, but if I lowered the incline or the speed for a little bit - I could keep going.

One thing that I have found interesting today is that I became acutely aware of the fact that my body is very different than my own perception of my body. I remembered a moment this weekend when I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror and suddenly I saw something that I didn't expect.

I almost saw my stomach looking rather flat... now I know that it's not, BUT it is a lot more flat than it used to be. (And it was flatter on Saturday than it is today... bloating STINKS!) My point here though is that I walk through this life forgetting that I'm not 320 pounds anymore... I forget that people don't see that anymore when they are talking to me.

I don't know if my mind will ever catch up to my head, but sometimes my eyes can't deny it. I still remember how it felt though, and I really feel for people when I see kids making fun of them or people treating them differently because of their size. I sometimes take it personally because I forget that people now think it's okay to do that in front of me... it'll never be okay with me though because I know how badly that hurts.

Sometimes I still get scared when I walk into a waiting room... thinking and wondering if I'm going to fit into the chairs, because it wasn't that long ago that even if I did fit - it wouldn't have been comfortable.

When walking through a restaurant, I still get anxiety wondering if I'm going to be able to fit between the tables or in a booth...

These things haven't been a problem for a while, but I still can't get it through my head. I wonder if things will ever be different... or if I'm always going to struggle with my own self image. I guess it's not a bad thing to never catch up, and always appreciate the things that you can do. If it never becomes the status quo... maybe I'll never get complacent enough to gain any of the weight back... just a thought.

Where Did It Go?

How is it that the fastest 48 hours of the entire week are Saturday and Sunday? It sort of seems like a sick joke... just when I get started resting - it's time to go back to work again. ARG! Even when you take vacation time - it's like any time that is your own is going in a fast forward speed - and it seems like half the time. Isn't it funny how you make all sorts of plans for your time off too, and how much of that do you actually get done?

At least today went well - I had to give another training, and while it was a little weird that my boss and Vice President came in to give the training "context"... at the very least - we should start seeing some results from the work in the next few days or so. Which means that 8 people will start giving me data to enter into my database so that it will finally begin to grow... apparently I've been charged with not only restructuring our data, but also taking the database from 10,000 records to 150,000 records... whew! They certainly dream big!

One step at a time though, it'll get there - it is just overwhelming to think of all the things they want me to accomplish... so I have to just take baby steps. The one good thing my Vice President does for me is stop me when I start getting freaked out - she just looks at me and says - stay with me... we're right here on letter A... we'll get to Z, but we've got to perfect what we're doing over here at A first. I guess she's worked with people like me before - people that get so caught up in trying to get the big picture together - they lose sight of the small everyday progress that goes into the overall project because they are so busy stressing about everything else.

I had so many other things I wanted to get done today, but I did the most important - I started my Bible reading... and kept my head above water at the office. Tomorrow is another day, right? I hopefully will have a little more time to do the things that I typically would do - like read all the blogs that I love so much!

I only had enough time this evening to catch up on one blog and that's only because I have to know the specifics of how to pray for baby Harper... and guess what you guys... she opened her eyes today! She's just over 10 days old - or so and they are just now able to wake her up... so her beautiful parents were able to see their baby awake today for the first time. God has been so good to them throughout this process, and Kelly even said in her latest post that their story has brought 3 more people to salvation today... for a total of 4 people that have found Jesus because of the story of their lives over the past 10 days. Simply amazing!

For now friends, I'm going to relax for the rest of the evening with that good news and with my dogs cuddled up around me... is there anything better than being at home with your husband, cuddled up on the couch with the dogs? HA! The laptop is making the little dog, Missy, hot - so I guess I must sign off now... she's giving me the evil eye.

Accountability

Yesterday, I spent most of the day with Renee while John and K worked at the church. We had a lovely time shopping and running our errands together, and ended the day at Chick-fil-A so that little L could play on the playground. While we were there John and K told us that they'd like to become accountability partners in their spiritual walk.


I think it's a great thing, I love that John will have another guy to talk to and bounce ideas off of when trials come up for us. I know that women are much more suited to relating and talking through things together... it's even better knowing that I respect K and think that he's a wonderful person - so I'm looking forward to watching as this friendship helps John grow closer to God.


At the same time, I talked to Renee about the two of us branching our friendship into a little bit of spiritual encouragement as well. So I thought that the two of us could start a program that would have us read the Bible through in a year. I found this program, and we're planning on starting it tomorrow. There are three choices in terms of the reading program - so if anyone else is interested in joining in on this journey - email me or leave me a comment with an email address and I'll let you know which one we chose.


John has been doing the same program since the first week of January, and really seems to be doing well. He got an MP3 version of the Bible for Christmas, so he loads in the play list for the week and listens to his daily reading several times throughout the day. I personally don't learn by listening - so that wouldn't work for me... but he loves it.


At the same time, I've decided that I'm going to start praying for God to give us things that only he can through our journey. This doesn't mean that I can turn off the emotions, but I know that the journey ahead of us is bigger than even I can imagine right now - and God will be with us through every step of the way.

I've been reading about Kelly's story so much over the last few months and now with Harper's birth - God is even more apparent in their lives. Kelly prayed this verse while she was waiting to become pregnant, and it is now one of the cutest decorations in Harper's nursery...

Ephesians 3:20 (NLT) Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.

I think this verse is beautiful, and I'm going to read it and pray it everyday in my own journey. I'm going to put it up in my cubicle in the morning - along with another one we read in church today... which will be another post for another day. I might even put it up so that I see it first thing every morning while I'm getting ready as well... I want to remember it always, and remind myself even through the hard parts - God will be with us.

In one of the comments from yesterday's post, the other Kim, who has been through the infertility roller coaster herself told me to guard my heart because this could be a very long emotional process. She is right, but the guarding my heart thing doesn't come easily to me... I wear my emotions on my sleeve... whatever I'm feeling, most people can see it on my face. Certainly, it'll be right here in the blog every step of the way as well - because where else do I have the platform to process through my feelings in the way that comes naturally to me?

I remember distinctly after our women's retreat last spring, wishing that I had a friend that I could build a deep lasting spiritually based friendship with. A friend that I could count on through the ups and downs in life, and that could depend on me for the same thing... and at the time - I had no idea who could become that person for me... I reached out to someone at that time to build such a relationship, but it wasn't meant to be that for us. She's a fantastic woman, and I really respect her - but we weren't destined to have that relationship.

Little did I know then that there was a woman in my life that was put there for that purpose. We both are shy by nature, and it's taken us a while - really until I was laid off... and even through that - if I weren't so afraid to put myself out there... we would have had several months to hang out while I wasn't working. Renee, I'm so looking forward to reading through the Bible with you - and being there for all of the ups and downs of your life... only God could have provided me with such a wonderful friend at the perfect time.

Catalyst Moments

I missed you guys yesterday, but it was a very emotional day for me - and I needed to take a little time to process through some information before trying to dive into writing about it.

Isn't it interesting how one moment can change so many things? One argument can be the catalyst to get several balls rolling in positive directions...

It's also interesting how men and women approach things so differently... or at least in my house they do. John approaches things much more cautiously than I ever would. When I'm ready to do something, I'm ready... lets go.

Well, yesterday we came to one of those crossing points where we had to figure out which way to proceed with a certain decision, and to a point - we're being more cautious than I'd like to be.

The time has come to get serious about starting our family, and while I'd like to throw caution to the wind and charge ahead - my decisions there are governed by my emotions. To say that my biological clock is ticking would be the biggest understatement possible... it's like a freaking time bomb!

I'm so clearly at the moment when my head is playing tricks on me - I can't pass the baby section of Wal-Mart without the strings of my heart playing a lullaby... or an image of me there buying something for our future baby...

Never did I dream in my life that I'd be 30 years old without a child... I know that many have gone before me, but honestly - it's the one thing missing from my life. I've got a great marriage, and a wonderful husband. We have a beautiful home, a wonderful church family, and I've done just about everything I've ever dreamed of in terms of working... the only thing missing is the pitter patter of little feet in the house.

Some of what John had to say made sense to my brain, but not to my heart... but we came out of the day with some doctors appointments set up that are positive steps in the right direction for two critical issues.

On February 9th, we are going to see the reproductive endocrinologist that I talked about a while back. His name is Dr. McWilliams, and he specializes in patients with PCOS. So with his guidance - we will figure out what the next steps are for us in order to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. I pray that we come out of that appointment with some more peace and information in terms of our journey.

Human

Well, we're still on the blood pressure roller coaster, but my numbers came down last night - so there is a correlation between my being at work and the numbers going up. I feel somewhat better overall, but my exhaustion is still sticking around.

I've been working really hard at hydrating and so far, I'm doing pretty good. I'm not quite to the level I need to be, but I'm getting little in a little bit more each day. The one thing that stinks is how cold I get - I literally was sitting at my desk shivering today.

My eating is getting better too - so all that's left is to get my exercise train rolling... I'm hoping to get that moving again this weekend... I'll have to start small and work my way back up, but it'll feel good to get moving again.

Work has been incredibly insane, but with the projects I've been working on - I've instituted "Quiet Day" where no one in my department can contact me during those 8 hours so that I can make some progress toward my 90 goal of cleaning the database. It's a beautiful thing... it's like the only day during the entire work week that I am able to get anything done. I'm not sure how it happened so quickly, but seriously... no one in the department can complete a project without me having something to do for them.

It's good to be needed, but when I have my own goals to complete... it gets really tough. Not to mention the nonstop emailing... seriously... I get so frustrated that I get copied on every single email that they send - even when it has NOTHING to do with me. Is it too hard to just tell me what I need to know when I need to know it?

Anyway, things are completely nuts at the office which makes me completely overprotective of my few hours at home in the evening. I wish that there were more of them, but my body is still shutting down by 9 every night... so I only have about 3 or 4 hours of time in the evenings... and some nights - like last night - I crash out on the couch by 7:30! How embarrassing!!

I'm still praying for Baby Harper - from what Kelly's blog says - Harper is doing a bit better today which is great news! Praise God for having his hand on that family... he has shown some amazing things through their story. Click on the "Praying for Harper" icon at the top of the page and it'll take you over to Kelly's blog.

Also my friend Renee has written a post about what her family has been going through the last few weeks... her family has been struck with several deaths lately, and now they are also struggling through another hardship. If you remember a couple of weeks ago - I asked for ya'll to pray for a friend that was going through something personal... well it was Renee. Extra prayers are always welcomed in our lives... so please keep her in yours for the time being.

Want Some Answers?

A friend of mine has recently started a Question and Answer post for her blog - where she invites readers to ask her questions via the comments section of the blog... she collects them and then posts the answers on Fridays.

I thought this was a GREAT idea - so I'm inviting you guys to ask me questions... about anything (keep it clean). Leave your question in the comments section. I will collect the questions of the week and post my answers the following Wednesday.

So think about it... Is there anything about 'lil old me that you want to know? Is there something else you want my opinion on? You are able to leave your question anonymously - BUT I will not answer a question without a name... so please leave at least your name.

Little Engine

I'm trying to take the Little Engine that Could approach to this whole health thing... and keep saying "I think I can... I think I can..." (if you loved this book, you'll know what I mean here)

I'm trying to step back and take it one day at a time. I feel slightly better today, but my blood pressure is higher - so I'm not sure how long Dr. W will let this experiment go on... maybe it's just a crazy fluctuation being the first day off the medicine - who knows?

I've charted the readings I've gotten so far - which means it's pretty much a waiting game for me to fax everything in on Friday and see what he comes back with. I have a feeling that Kim might be back on some blood pressure medicine by then, but we'll pray that it doesn't happen.

I'm not exactly praying because it's a horrible thing to be on medication for blood pressure, because certainly its not... I just sort of hoped that at some point through this process of weight loss surgery that I'd be one of those success stories that could say that I've come off of all my medications.

So far that isn't the case, but the journey isn't over... I know that. I just need for everything to come together and give me the best opportunity possible to keep this train moving forward... and right now - we've sort of run off the tracks for a while.

I'll try to write some more tonight when I get home and relax, and will try to come up with a more interesting topic. :-)

What a day

I'm going to give it to you straight here - in chronological order - but just know this has been one WEIRD day!

I started off the day by killing some time before my doctor's appointment - I got some breakfast and was driving through my old neighborhood in Houston... Memorial. This is known as one of the wealthier areas of town, and in a lot of cases there are very large old homes... next door to places where the homes have been torn down to be rebuilt. So today, I'm driving along and I look over to see one of these situations where a home is being rebuilt.

Now, I know from the building of my own home that there is always a port-o-potty on the construction site... BUT only in Memorial do you find the construction site port-o-potty with a gazebo built around it so that it doesn't mess with the aesthetics of the neighborhood. I laughed out loud and immediately called John... another moment when I realized that I really need to carry a camera with me at ALL times.

I got to my doctor's office, which started off normal... the usual... they took my vital signs. Then a few minutes later, the nurse came back in and had me lay on the table so she could take my blood pressure again. My reading went up. Then we waited a minute or two, and she had me stand up while she took my pressure again. This time it drastically went down. To which she was puzzled... apparently this isn't the normal reaction - go figure!

Dr. W came in a few minutes later, and we talked about my symptoms a bit. We talked about everything that has been going on since I was in the hospital, and he did a quick neurological exam. We also talked about the possibility of an inner ear problem causing all of this.

We decided for me to stop taking my blood pressure medicine for two weeks, and take my blood pressure at random times every day at least twice. I am to write it down and also how I'm physically feeling at the time of the reading... then fax the readings to him every Friday morning. I am also planning on including some blood sugar readings as well so that he'll have a complete picture of all the things I can measure when I'm not feeling well. If my symptoms go away - then we'll be just fine... but if they don't he's concerned that it might be one of the said inner ear problems or it could be a form of an internal seizure disorder beginning to show itself.

After the appointment - I headed to the office. I got to work for all of about 30 minutes before our CEO came by and forced me into the conference room to watch the ceremony for Obama. Yes, I could have made a stand but I just honestly was so blind-sided by the way this went down... I didn't even fully understand it until much later. My real issue with this is that in the same country that we're allowed to vote for the president - having the right to choose... I was not afforded the same choice in whether or not I wanted to watch the inaugural ceremonies live.

I spent over an hour watching the ceremony, standing out in every way because I was the only one that stayed quiet and just watched. Everyone else in the room was crying, and cheering... and all while I was having my own emotions about the day - because my favorite president and hero was leaving office, and not a single person gave him the respect he deserves. Support him or not - he has held the highest office in our country through some very turbulent times, and that deserves some gratitude and respect. Just in the same way that Clinton deserved it when he left office, and every other president in our history.

On we go with the day once the initial portion of the inauguration was over, we went back to work. We are currently in the middle of our annual audit, and the pressure is pretty high right now for me and my coworkers in accounting. One thing I've learned though is that there is always a lot of pressure about everything in our office. The Vice President over my department is exacting and relentless in her expectations.

This afternoon, my direct boss and I had some heated words about some projects, nothing bad... but she was already mad about another situation and I just caught some of the brunt but in an odd twist of fate - she started crying. Any of you that know me really well know that I'm a crier, and usually it's me that cries in the workplace - no matter how much I try to not cry - I can't seem to stop it in some instances. So I felt completely weird being on the other side of this situation... what do you say to your boss when she's crying? I mean we all know to comfort the person if the situation warrants that - like a tragedy or something, but when she's just crying out of stress... what do you say? The words "it'll be okay" just don't sound profound enough.

All of this has made for one exhausting day. Not to mention the need to break out the mygrastick in order to combat a very big headache. In 20 minutes - I have a date with my pillow.

Baby Harper Prayers

Here is an update on baby Harper - I am still praying for her daily... but here is an update from Kelly's blog:

Update on my girl:

We were able to meet with Harper's doctor today for the first time since she has been there. It was a very good meeting. He gave us a lot of details. It was very difficult for me to sit and listen to him talk about how sick my little baby is. Our families felt it was very positive but it was just scary for me. Basically it is a long and gradual process. They believe she got an infection which has caused the problems with her lungs. They think her heart and brain are both good. Very, very slowly - they are trying to get her off the oxygen that is supporting her lungs. They think ECMO is a final resort. We will most likely be here for weeks. Her numbers seem to improve little by little and we do have a lot of hope. She is critical but stable.

A lot of you ask how I am doing. It's hard. I'm very swollen and in a lot of pain but it's getting better every day. I have a hard time doing the things I should like resting, eating, Pumping on a schedule - because I'm so focused on everything else. I'm trying hard to slow down and focus on what I need to get well so I can be the best mom for Harper I can be.

What Does it Mean?

When your doctor's office calls you back to tell you that he wants to see you at 8:45 in the morning? (before he even normally starts seeing patients) Well... I guess we'll find out...

I sure hope that I can get some sleep tonight instead of worrying about what could be going on with my crazy body!

I just need a full body transplant! :-)

Will it Ring?

Will a watched phone ring if a watched pot won't boil? Call me crazy, but I just sincerely hope that I will get some sort of sense of relief when my doctor calls back. Even if the actual problem isn't resolved... just validate that something is strange here... and lets move on.

I talked to the lady in his office for a good while, and explained the situation... she asked if I'd tried stopping the medication. Ok, seriously... when have you ever had a doctor's office ask you that? Don't they generally discourage people from self diagnosing and changing their own medications?!

I calmly told her that I'd considered it, but was afraid that my blood pressure would go to the opposite extreme. That is to say - sky rocket back to it's crazy old numbers... which incidentally cause the same symptoms.

I don't even know if my blood pressure is alarmingly low - probably not - I would expect, but something is happening. Maybe the diuretic in the pill is just leeching something important from my body... who knows? That's what I pay him for, right?

Here are my readings for the last week or so:
Sunday (Jan 11) - 103/67
Monday (Jan 12) - 110/74
Tuesday (Jan 13) - 109/68
Wednesday (Jan 14) - 101/71
Thursday (Jan 15) - 98/67
Friday (Jan 16) - 102/73
Saturday (Jan 17) - 108/75
Sunday (Jan 18) - 101/67
Monday (Jan 19) - 104/73

Again, I'm sure these aren't alarmingly low by any means... so what's up?

I need some answers... my husband demands some answers - I guess he's tired of his lifeless wife falling asleep at 8 on the couch every night. :-)

Honestly, I am too - so I'll bring news as I get it - but it might not be until late this evening before I get a call back.

I Have to Wonder

Let me save you guys the trouble... if you already know my politics and don't agree - you might want to skip this post... although - I'm not bashing anything... just stating my opinion... which you are entitled to not agree with - so long as you realize that I'm just as entitled to have it. :-)

I walked into the office this morning to find this sitting in my email inbox:

Democracy is an unparalleled vehicle for change. Our country’s democratic process allows for the planned, people-driven transition of leadership of our country from one President of the United States to the next. This transfer of leadership begins with each new President’s Inauguration Ceremony. While any Presidential Inauguration Ceremony is an important event in the course of our country’s history, this year’s ceremony is especially significant. For the first time in our nation’s history, an African-American man will be inaugurated and assume the office of President of the United States of America.

Barack Obama, the forty-fourth President of the United States of America will be inaugurated on January 20, 2009. The live Inauguration Ceremony will be broadcast by television and over the Internet on Tuesday morning beginning at approximately 11:00am CST.

Staff assigned to, or visiting, the Bissonnet Street location on the morning of January 20th are invited to join us in the Board Room where we will view the Inauguration Ceremony as a family. Directors, please arrange for as many of your staff members as possible to be able to attend.

The entire world will be witnessing this great occasion in the history of the United States. We as Americans have a responsibility to not only watch ourselves but to also ensure that all those within the scope of influence are watching as well.

Senior citizens who never thought that they’d live to see this day should be watching together in groups wherever possible to witness and reflect upon how far we have come.

Adults who are caught in the maelstrom of current financial, political, and social crises and who will be immediately impacted by this transfer of leadership should be watching in groups so that they can be formally invited to stay informed and to do their part to help themselves, their communities, and our country to get through these difficult times.

Children in classrooms should be watching as the world that they will inherit changes forever. The significance of the day should be explained to them and every effort should be made to ensure that “Barack Obama’s Inauguration Ceremony” is a memory that they will keep for a lifetime.

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Please join us in witnessing this unprecedented event.

I had to first, fight my initial urge to vomit... but really - can I just say that this isn't at all about the fact that I'm less than excited about our new president. It really has nothing to do with that at all.

I wish the president-elect well, and hope that tomorrow is everything he's dreamed of for himself, the people that have supported him, and his family. I pray that he can lead our nation to put aside some of our differences and come together to make things better, but I know that it won't be all of his making when that happens. God will be leading the healing and rebuilding of our nation - so long as we don't allow people to cut him out of our government entirely.

What I am so unbelievably tired of hearing about is how historic the day will be... yes, we elected a black man to be our president and it's the first time... which is a great thing and I'm not making light of that fact. (I do not believe that the response would be the same at my office in particular if he were a conservative republican though.)

BUT don't we realize that anytime we inaugurate a new president - it's a historic day.

If McCain/Palin had won - it would have been a historic moment for women - as she would have been our first female vice president, but I have to wonder... would we be hearing the same things in the news? I think not... and I doubt that they'd be making such an effort to have our staff watch the ceremony.

I know that I have readers out there that will disagree with me, but I just wish someone would wake me up when it's over. Honestly... I am a huge fan of the man that is leaving the office, and I know that is an unpopular opinion - which I own and am alright with... but you know what? I never watched his inaugural speeches either...

So when I am respectfully sitting in my cubicle tomorrow working while everyone else is in the conference room watching the ceremony... how will they treat me? Hopefully with as much respect as I will give them to exercise their right to be excited and entertained by their new president.

Personally Speaking

It has been another full weekend... somehow time gets away from me every weekend, and by the time I realize it - I'm going to bed on Sunday night wondering where the 2 days off went. Sadly, I don't have tomorrow off - like most everyone else I know...

The dizziness is continuing to go on... and I think that John is at his wits end with it at this point, so I'm going to call the doctor back in the morning. In talking with my Dad tonight, he thought that it might be possible that I'm suffering from Ménière's disease which is a condition of the inner ear. My Dad has this, and while it isn't necessarily considered genetic... who knows? I'll certainly put the information forward to my doctor.

It's more likely that it's some sort of side effect of the blood pressure medicine change, but I certainly hope that we can get it figured out soon.

In other news - I'm going to start moving toward more protein and sometime probably toward the end of the week, I'm going to go back to several days of protein shakes only. I'm thinking that I'll do a 5 day fast from chewable food, but we'll see how it goes. I'm just hoping to back off of the carbs and kick start some weight loss again.

Sometimes, or so I've heard, the best thing to do to get the scale moving again is shock the system.

I also dropped dinner off at a friend's house tonight, and her sister had a RNY a couple of years before me... and my friend was telling me that her sister has to work really hard at staying hydrated, which helps her feel better. She also has to avoid caffeine. The last thing that I find totally true and interesting is that her sister hits a wall around 9 PM and just runs out of energy... that is SO me! She said that her sister used to be able to stay up and scrapbook and stuff until 1 or 2 in the morning... but not anymore.

I will continue to try to bump up my hydration, and talk to the doctor to see what he has to say... and we'll go from there.

Praying for Harper

Harper, Kelly and Scott Stamps still need the power of as many prayers as we can muster for them. Clicking on the icon above will lead you to Kelly's blog, where there are some amazing stories of wonderful people coming out to show them their love. Truly inspiring stuff - it just goes to show you what can be done if we show each other some Christ-like love.

An update from Kelly's blog says this about Harper's current condition...

We are waiting to hear from the doctor today and I will let you know what he says. Right now she is still stable but in VERY critical condition. They think she could be having heart issues. We may have a very long road ahead of us but we believe that God is going to heal our baby and He is going to use her in a very mighty way. We know God says in the Bible that when two or more agree in His name - He will answer. And we know we have 2 or 3oo,ooo people praying for us. Our prayer is that all who pray for Harper will see God's might and power and His love in the miracle we know He is going to do for us.

Prayers

You guys, please keep Kelly and Harper in your prayers... she was born last night, but is having some serious health problems right now. They've flown her to another children's hospital for treatment. Kelly, Scott, and Harper could use all the prayers they can get... so please help me lift them up today and until all health issues are resolved.

Can't Wait

A while back I found a blog documenting the pregnancy of a wonderful woman, Kelly, who suffered through infertility. Today she is in the process of having the beautiful baby that she has dreamed of for a very long time. Click over through the link on her name and get updates on the progress... we're all waiting to see pictures of baby Harper in her first monogrammed onesie!

Kelly is such an amazing Godly woman - she also has a prayer blog in which she has all of her followers praying for John and I personally (and a host of others) to experience the joy of having our own baby. To date of the women on her prayer blog - 16 or more of them are now expecting!!

If that wasn't enough... she also has a third blog that lists out some of the recipes that she makes in her daily life. You wouldn't believe the treats she's made in the last week or so for the hospital nursing staff and even her visitors... oh to be one of her visiting friends!!

Less than Inspired

Nice, catchy blog title, right?

I am struggling through this craziness that has become my dizzy nauseated life... and it leaves me less than inspired to work or do much of anything right now. I've struggled through 5 days of work this week, and at the end of the day - I fight to keep going long enough to cook dinner for John and I... then I pretty much fall on the couch until time for bed.

Last night, I even fell asleep during my favorite show... something is seriously wrong with this picture!

This whole deal has been so strange because I don't have any warning really, just BOOM - reality check. When the dizziness comes on, I've tried everything I know to do... I've upped my fluid intake, gotten something to eat, made sure that what I was eating was primarily protein, closed my eyes and held on... you name it and I've tried it. Nothing seems to make a significant impact on bringing me clarity.

My plan is to give it a bit more time before calling the doctor back - because I've had slightly similar episodes before that last for roughly a couple of weeks then miraculously disappear. No one has ever been able to figure out what causes them or what is going on - and for all the expensive testing that has been done... you'd think by now someone would have an answer.

If I can find a few minutes this weekend in which I feel like I have both feet planted firmly on the floor... I'm going to give the treadmill a whirl. I got this really cool deal from my sister with Jillian Michaels workouts programed on it, but I haven't had an opportunity to test it out yet. I want to - really I do... but well... walking on a moving belt while you're dizzy - spells disaster, no?

Only 3 more hours until I officially have two days off... anyone know why Saturday and Sunday are the fastest 48 hours of the week?

Also - if a certain wonderful husband, were to... I don't know... read this and want to take his wife to dinner on the way home from work... he might just find himself called a HERO in my next blog post.

Interesting

Have any of you had the pleasure of watching the new commercials on television by the corn growers of America explaining that high fructose corn syrup is actually not as bad as it has been made out?

Isn't it amazing? It's not a good thing that so much of our food is made from things that we can't even pronounce, but also that our food is packed full of sugar these days. So while I'm not exactly a fan of high fructose corn syrup... I don't think it's entirely to blame for the problems our nation is facing with obesity either.

It's just interesting that they feel the need to spend millions to try to win back the American people.

Can the Splenda people get on television and explain to my sister that the little yellow packets are not "packets of death?!" Or better yet, the Splenda people and the Sweet N Low people get together and put out that commercial... because I'm SURE that it will change her mind.

How would ya'll like to hang out with my sister?? HA! No, I'm only kidding - but we don't see eye to eye on all things relating to food. Then again, we have different issues that we are battling... my issues revolve around insulin problems and hers are more along the lines of allergies.

Have I ever told you guys how fun/entertaining it is to cook for that side of my family? Seriously... to make a salad takes around 6 bowls with each salad ingredient being separate. I haven't given in to this one... I had to pick out the stuff I wouldn't eat for years... I see it more as a right of passage for the kids.

The once you get past the salad... we've got diabetics, vegetarians, low-sodium peeps, low-carb peeps, organic eaters, weight loss surgery... what else?? Oh seriously, isn't that enough?! It's a riot! Somehow though we all can come together over our love of sugar cookies. HA!

Products & Challenges

A few weeks ago, I read about a new protein drink that Melting Mama was reviewing for the first time. It's a new product out by Isopure called Isopure Plus, and for each bottle there is 15g of protein. It's a nice little boost in a 60 calorie beverage. It also has added vitamins as well. Now all of that being said, the taste was pretty good. I tried the Alpine Punch flavor - which Melting Mama hit on the head - it's sort of like watered down Hawaiian Punch. The only problem I had was that the smell was a little overwhelming.

That being said - it overall was great... I just tend to be sensitive to ingesting things that I don't like smelling.

I bought both flavors, Grape and Alpine Punch from Bariatric Eating - 6 bottles for $12.99. It seems high, but protein enriched foods are always higher priced...

Today, Renee found the 50 Million Pound Challenge for the two of us to join with our husbands and her Aunt. I signed up, and the cool thing is that you get a nifty pedometer and stuff via a visit with a State Farm agent. Now, in my sick little head - this tickles me because State Farm can't beat my insurance prices by a long shot... but I love to watch them try.

So - all of this being said - I'm about to get back to being serious about all of this weight loss business. My friend, Donna, also has contacted me as she's about ready to sell her BodyBugg which could be a really good tool for me to test out, and use to figure what the issue is that keeps me from truly losing the weight I want to lose.

Now if only I could get my dizzy spells and nausea to cooperate so I can get in a workout!

Update

It's possible that I'm feeling a bit better today - I had some bad nausea this morning and a dizzy spell or two, but for right now... I'm just freezing. I'll take it! I was allowed to drive from John's office to mine this morning - a step up... but it was touch and go for a while:

Me: "I can drive from your office to mine."
John: "Not when you're dizzy"
Me: "I drove to the doctor while dizzy."
John: "You shouldn't have."
Me: "Right, but I can drive from your office to mine."
John: "Can you promise 100% that you won't have an accident or pass out?"
Me: "No, can you?"

So, I ended up driving from his office to mine - and all is well. I didn't bounce off any cars or anything! HA!

I tried out the recipe on our other blog yesterday for Spinach & Chicken Skillet, and it was amazing. I added some white wine (I use the fake stuff even though chefs tell you not to) and fresh garlic... and the spinach was to die for! For some reason, I've become obsessed with fresh cooked spinach in the last couple of weeks - do I need iron or something?

Tonight, I'm making Baked Shrimp Scampi, Homemade Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread. I haven't put this recipe up yet because it is from another blog, and I felt bad stealing her pictures - so I'm holding off to get some of my own first.

Finally, please pray for one of my dear friends as she is going through a very hard time right now. I'm not going to put her name out there because her struggle is personal, and private. Just know that my heart aches for her, and John and I have been praying for her as well as her family in this situation for a little over a week. It doesn't seem that, God is answering our prayer quite as we had hoped - but we know that he is with them, and in time he will answer the prayers in his own way.

If you're really bored, keep reading through the next post... it'll take you through the ABC's of me...

A to Z about Me

A-
Available: no
Age: 30
Annoyance(s): liars, cheaters
Animal: 2 dogs, Maggie & Missy and some fish
Attitude: laid back and easy going - I think

B-
Beer: never touch the stuff
Birthday: May 16
Best feeling in world: Love
Best weather: mid 70's and sunny
Been in Love: I am
Been on stage: as little as possible
Believe in God: Absolutely (have you read much here?)
Believe in Santa: Maybe

C-
Candy (favorite): Peanut M&Ms or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Color: purple
Chocolate/Vanilla: typically Chocolate
Chinese/Mexican: depends on the day
Cake or pie: both
Continent you want to to visit: Europe
Cheese: Yes, please.

D-
Day or Night: mid-day (not into mornings or nights)
Dance in the rain: Sure
Dating: been there, done that
Dogs or Cats: both, I love animals in general (unless they are reptiles)

E-
Eyes: Blue
Everyone has: An opinion
Ever failed a class?: yes

F-
Full name: Kimberly
First thoughts waking up: Is it the weekend?
Food favorite: depends on the nationality
Friendly: of course, but shy upon first meeting
Fan of: lots of things

G-
Greatest Fear: Snakes
Goals: Become a mother
Gum: don't really chew it anymore
Get along with your parents: Most of the time
Good luck charm: No need - I pray when I need help

H-
Hair Color: Brown
Height: 5’ 6"
Happy: Yes
Holiday: Christmas
How do you want to die: I don't think about it, when it's my time - God will determine how

I-
Ice Cream: Cookies in Cream or Orange Sherbet
Instrument: I don't play one
Ice cubes or crushed: Cubes

J-
Jewelry: Wedding Ring and Watch
Job: So many answers - from 7 to 4, database manager.
Journal-writing: Isn't that the point of a blog?

K-
Kids: None, yet.
Kickboxing or karate: Neither
Kooky: Wha?

L-
Longest Car Ride: College Station, TX to Naples, FL (I think)
Love: Best feeling in the world
Letter: Love getting them!
Laughed so hard you cried: It happens, only wish it happened more

M-
Milk flavor: Flavor? Milk only has one flavor...
Movies: Too many to list. I love Romantic Comedies
Music: Old Country and Worship Music...
Motion sickness: Yes
McD’s or BK: McD's, don't go often

N-
Number of Siblings: 4
Number of Piercings: 1 in each ear
Number of Tattoos: None
Number: No clue

O-
One wish: Same as my goal...to become a mother
One regret: None, because everything I have done has led me to where I am today

P-
Perfect Pizza: Beef, Mushrooms and Cheese
Pepsi/Coke: Coke, only a sip here or there - rarely.
Parents still alive: Yes
Party-goer: Not really, unless it's a game-night

Q-
Quote: None come to mind right now
Question for God: Depends on the moment
Quickest at: Typically, nothing

R-
Reason to cry: Stress, Grief
Reality TV: Not my thing
Radio Station: The Oldies Country Station
Roll your tongue in a circle: Yes

S-
Song: Depends on the moment
Shoe size: 10
Salad Dressing: Ginger Dressing from Benihana's, Ranch, or Italian
Sushi: Love the restaurants, but eat other items
Skipped school: In college
Smoked: Tried it, but didn't like it
Skinny dipped: No
Sing well: No
Swear: Sometimes, but I try not to
Strawberries/Blueberries: Strawberries

T-
Time for bed: Between 9 and 10 - Don't judge, I get up at 5!
TV Show: One Tree Hill, 24, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Bones
Time right now: 11:30, lunchtime
Train or Ship: Train, I guess

U-
Unpredictable: No
Unique quality: I'm not sure - you'd have to ask my family and friends
Undergarments: Yes

V-
Vacation spot: The mountains
Victorian or Country: Country, Colonial really... aren't we talking architecture?
Valuables: Wedding Ring

W-
Weakness: Food
Which friend acts like you: No one acts exactly like me
Worst feeling: Guilt/Anger
Wanted to be a model: No, wanted to look like a model
Where do we go when we die: Heaven, or at least that's where I'm going
Worst Weather: Hot & Humid (basically 11 months of the year here)

X-
X-Rays: Yep, just had more last Friday
Xylophone: Only played with the kid version

Y-
Year: 2009
Yellow: What?
Yesterday: Monday

Z-
Zoo animal: Anything with cute eyes... and that isn't in the reptile house!
Zebras-Black w/white or White w/black: Does it matter?

Still Here

Oh the slap in the face Monday morning was to me... time to pick myself up and try to move forward.

I still have the occasional dizzy spell, nauseous moment... but the one thing I really can't shake is the feeling of total exhaustion. I just emailed John - because I have to deliver a training (I'm training grown adults on how to use a form...seriously!) in a little while, and I feel like someone should yell down the hall... "Dead Woman Training!" You know, like "Dead Man Walking!"

Sorry - that's about all the humor I can find right now.

This morning, I watched my little Boston Terrier, Missy climb into her kennel - she tends to spend her days there while we're working. Somehow she feels like it's her den, and that she's safer in there when she can't be touching me.... and I totally got that same feeling.

Like everything is okay when I'm at home - I'm free to recover slowly and take care of myself... but the moment you walk out that door into the cold crazy world... it's a completely different story. If there ever was a bigger reminder than going back to work - I don't know what that would be.

I guess I am just too sensitive, but is it weird that not one person here asked me how I was feeling? I don't expect much, but at least act like you care a little... it's not like I'd launch into the whole story - you know the one... the one I wrote for your reading pleasure over the weekend.

Apparently, I lost a day yesterday - but I just didn't have a post in me... and well then I got sidetracked by the new season of 24. Anyone out there watch? Somehow that show keeps me all keyed up for hours - I wish they played it at like 6, and then some slower more relaxing shows before bed... just so I could go to sleep without feeling like my heart is racing! It's been so long since it was on - I almost forgot the premise... then I had to laugh at myself. Can you imagine having a day like that?!

Forgotten Moments

Can I just say that when I posted last night - I wasn't exactly completely coherent? There were a few moments that would freak people out that I forgot to mention... but also others that were truly amazing.

For starters, I completely forgot to mention that in 24 hours - I lost 5 pounds... leading to the seriousness in which my doctor sent me to the ER. He said that RNY patients have a tendency to have a really hard time catching up on the fluids because of our smaller stomachs.

He wheeled me over to the ER from his office because of the blackout session I'd had at home, even though I told him that I'd driven myself there - and that he was only going to get me in more trouble for having done so. He laughed, and put me in the chair anyway. I found out from the nurse that actually wheeled me over to the ER that last week he duct-taped a lady to the chair and sent her over. I thought that was hysterical, but it wasn't because he was being a punk... it was because she was fainting a lot and it was for her safety.

I'm not sure, but I think yesterday was a bad day for the elderly in Houston - because while I was waiting to get seen by the doctors in the ER... I literally saw no less than 3 older people with head injuries... seriously - they all came in after having a fall, and all had blood gushing from their heads! I felt a little strange in there being that I had no visible signs of my illness/injury - but I also know that those people got fixed up in MUCH less than the 9 hours it took to get me released.

Can I just interject in here and tell ya'll how wonderful my friend Renee is?! She not only tried to talk me into not driving to the hospital, but then she immediately got ready and came up there to spend several hours of her day sitting in a boring room with me. Then on top of all that wonderful friendship... her daughter, little L - was amazing! She's 2, and hung in there like a trooper! She even sat up in my bed with me for a bit and we looked at pictures on my cell phone. (That is for the short time I had a bed...)

At first things seemed to be moving really quickly. I got there at 9:45 - got through triage - by about 10:45, I had a room. Quickly after that I saw several nurses and a doctor... and got my IV line in. By 12:30, I'd had 3 x-rays done, the scan of my head, and the fluids started. (I don't know why they didn't start them immediately, but whatever.)

From there, I saw no one until we started getting really irritated around 3... at which time they told me that they hadn't seen anything in the x-rays, and that the scan of my head showed a cyst in my brain... which has probably been there since birth. If I had been feeling better - that would have freaked me out, but later in the day my regular doctor confirmed that it was nothing to worry about.

At that time - oh we'll say 3:30ish... she told me that they'd talked to my surgeon from the RNY, and that he wanted them to do a scan of my belly. At which time they finally brought me the nausea medicine that I'd been promised at 12. The scan was done by 4, and then it was more waiting for those results to come back.

Around 5 my regular doctor came by to check on me, and told me that he'd seen everything except the belly scan... so he went back out and looked at those. I apparently still have the kidney stones that they saw last summer, but that's okay... and he told me about the elevated white blood cell count. There wasn't much else that could be done, but he wanted them to push me will the rest of the fluids in the bag that I'd gotten at 12... and then another half a bag.

When they gave me the fluids initially - they started them REALLY slow... I had 1000mL bag, and was getting 150mL an hour... even though that wasn't really how fast it was going. He really wanted them to do it more quickly and get me out of there. So they opened up the line on the first bag and I finished it quickly.

John told the nurses that it was done, but it took them another 45 minutes to come check... while by blood was backing up into the IV line. (Nice!) So when they finally came in - the nurse brought in my discharge papers and started trying to unhook everything... John stopped her and told her that my doctor wanted me to have another 500mL of fluids before leaving. She thought someone had already done it, but went back out to get another bag... it only took a few minutes for all of that to go in.

I rang the call button when the bag was empty and she came right away this time... lovely that they're suddenly in a hurry after I've spent 9 hours of my life there in limbo. When she did unhook me from the IV though... ummm seriously - bull in a china closet... she just yanked it all out of my arm with zero thought about the fact that it was in my vein! I've got a lovely blueish purple knot in my arm right now...

So that is a little more clear version of what my day was like yesterday...

Today, so far... my blood pressure is pretty low, but I'm watching it closely. I'm hanging out sipping on some G2 (lower sugar Gatorade) and resting. That's about all I can do at this point - but hopefully it'll all settle down and things will be better by Monday. My boss might have a heart attack if I wasn't back to full capacity again, and surely that would raise my blood pressure - right?!