WHEW! What a week!

I don't have any pictures to share with you today... I do have many pictures that I need to share, but not any that pertain to today's post.

This has been a WHIRLWIND of a week for me. And, I thank God that I have Bryan to help me handle it all.

#1 - I went to Real Estate school about a month ago and kept procrastinating on taking my license exam. With my upcoming surgery (more on that in a bit) I decided last week that I was going to buckle down & study, study, study so that I can take my test this week and get it over with (if I passed) before my surgery and the Thanksgiving holiday. So, that's what I did. I studied non-stop (practically) from Friday night through Tuesday night and took my test on Wednesday morning. It's a pretty grueling 2 hour test and I am happy to say that I PASSED! WOO HOO! On Saturday, Victoria from Prudential took me to lunch to talk with me about what they have to offer. On Monday, I had a phone conversation with Century 21 and on Tuesday, I went to the team meeting at Keller Williams and talked with the broker there afterwards. I have decided on Keller Williams. They all seem to offer the same things... commission rates, ongoing training, business development, and all 3 are in the top 5 companies in Oklahoma. I decided on Keller Williams based on the agents that I met at their office on Tuesday and the overall team-friendly atmosphere. Everyone seemed happy and were talking with each other and helping each other out. Being a newbie in the business, it makes me feel better knowing that they will be willing to help me out with my relentless questions. :) So, between the studying, meeting with brokers, and the test I was under a bit of stress for that.

#2 - Since I was going to be off work for 10 days starting on Thursday, I was feeling under pressure to get AHEAD in my work. With the end of the year coming up, I've got many reports & spreadsheets to prepare for the 2009 year that need to be done by Dec 1st. I'll be off work until the week of Thanksgiving and then that week is only a 2-day week so I knew I had to have them done this week. So, I was bringing work home with me to work on in between reading chapters & taking study quizzes for my real estate exam. My schedule was: read a chapter & take a quiz, get up & put in a load of laundry, log into my work computer & do some work, change the laundry from washer to dryer, read a chapter & take a quiz, fold & put-up the laundry, log into my work computer & work on spreadsheets... get the idea?

#3 - My nerves were on high gear all week because I was having surgery on Thursday morning. With having lost 145 pounds, I've had issues with extra skin. It's a myth that exercise can eliminate that problem. Exercise can tighten the underlying muscles under the skin but it can't shrink the skin. And, trust me, I am an exerciser. But, with that much extra weight and with being overweight most of my life, it was inevitable that I would have extra skin. This is my 3rd plastic surgery to help correct this issue. It's not about the cosmetic issue of the skin but more about the emotions the extra skin reminds me of my "former self"... a person that I never want to see again. This surgery was to deal with the skin folds hanging from my inner thighs. I had to buy pants 1-2 sizes too big in the waist & hips in order for them to fit my thighs. I've been very happy with my surgeries in the past and I hope that this one is no different. Even though this is my 3rd surgery, I was still so nervous. I wasn't nervous about the pain... I can handle the pain. But, I absolutely hate that time frame of when you are first waking up and trying to get your bearings together, the dry heaves, the scratchy throat, and the overall inability to stay awake (I'm pretty much out of it for 24 hours). I guess it wasn't so much "nerves" as it was "dread" of knowing what was coming. And, also, I hate being wheeled into the OR completely awake, hopping up onto that super cold bed (they keep it like 55` in the OR!), getting strapped in, and then the dizzy feeling I get when they are administring the anesthesia. Ugh, there is just something about that feeling that I hate.

Well, I am happy to say that today is Saturday and all of that is now behind me. :) The boys stayed the night with their Aunt Dea on Wednesday night because we had to be checking into the hospital at 6am Thursday morning. Bryan & I sat around in my hospital room... poor guy, he had to listen to me chatter away. That's what I do when I am nervous. I talk. And, Bryan doesn't talk. Luckily, the nurse came in after awhile & she & I talked. :) My dad came after awhile, also, and so he & I talked. At 7:45, they wheeled me into the holding area and got my IV hooked up, and various people came in to talk with me... the anesthesiologist, OR nurse, and of course, Dr. Panchal. He has a very calming demeanor that he always seems to calm me down. They asked me if I wanted some anxiety medicine, but I declined because I don't like how those medicines make me feel. Dr. Panchal got out his markers (good 'ole sharpy markers) and marked up my thighs with the areas that he was going to cut, and the areas that he was going to do the liposuction on so that my thighs can be in a good proportion. After that, they wheeled me into OR room #3. I loved my OR nurse. When I got into the OR room, I had to stand up in the middle of the room so she could disinfect my whole body with an alcohol wash. So, here I am standing up stark naked in the middle of the room with various people walking in & out of the room bringing in supplies & such getting ready for the surgery. Can't be modest in situations like that. LOL! My OR nurse and I just chatted away and even giggled a bit and ignored everyone else (she was the one washing me down). After that, I layed down on the table, they strapped my arms in, got the electrodes hooked up to my forehead and chest, and that's all she wrote until I woke up in the recovery room.

Recovery wasn't so bad this time. I had dry heaves after my last 2 surgeries. I think it was because of the morphine. They didn't give me any morphine this time. They just had me take loritabs when I needed them. They wheeled me into the surgery room at 8:15 and they were wheeling me out of recovery around 12:30pm. Around 3pm I was ready to try getting up out of bed to go to the bathroom for the first time. Ummm... ouch! That was difficult. I had a male nurse that afternoon, but they sent in a female nurse when it was time to help me go to the bathroom. She started pulling me up out of bed and I called Bryan over to help her. I ended up telling her "your going to have to use more muscle than that... I cannot use my legs at all". Once I got up on my feet, it wasn't so bad. I could scoot across the floor fairly well. But, I couldn't lift my legs at all or bend them to get in & out of bed. Ever had your thigh muscles (quads, inner thighs, out thighs, and hamstrings) really sore after a vigorous workout that you had a hard time moving around? Picture that 20x and that's how bad my leg muscles hurt. LOL! AFter I was able to go to the bathroom, they were ready to send me home. We were in the car on our way home at 4:30pm.

I dozed on/off a good part of that evening & night in the livingroom recliner. Friday (yesterday) was about the same... a little less sleeping, but the pain was about the same. I only got up to go to the bathroom. Today the pain is better and I am getting up out of the recliner a little more and walking around the house. And, as soon as I log off here, I get to go take my first shower... WOO HOO! I had to wait 2 days before taking a shower. What I am NOT looking forward to is trying to get this compression garment back on over my swollen legs. UGH! Wish me luck on that one!

Bryan has been WONDERFUL. He has taken on alot this week to take up my slack from being so busy and then incompacitated and he doesn't complain (mostly :) ). I try to be as self-sufficient as possible to help him out. I need to get up to stretch out anyway so I might as well scoot myself into the kitchen to refill my own drink, etc. But, he is always willing to get me something if I ask. He finished off all of the laundry yesterday, and took the boys to Kaleb's soccer pizza party today. Tomorrow, he's going to the grocery store. He's a good man. I love him!

Well, that's all I have to say for today. I'll try to post again in a couple of days for an update on how I'm doing and by then I'll have some pictures ready to share on some other events (Halloween, maybe?).