Gnaughty Gnomes and one pound lost!

This weekend we have Artcar Fest 2016 ~ our 20th  Anniversary Celebration weekend!  My new/rebuilt Porsche High Performance VW bus engine is still being broken in, and I am still on the mend from surgery, so I did some fun things to my daily driver, 2000 Honda Passport 4 x 4.

I have had a secret Gnome fetish for years, now the world knows.  In fact, when I found Larry the squirrel years ago, I was actually looking for angry Gnomes.  Well, I finally found some very naughty Gnomes and did something with them.

Gnomes with attitude.

Gnaughty Gnomes from behind my car.

The holographic paint looks cool in the sun!

Night light effects!

This is what you see when sitting behind me at a street light.

Did I mention that I am a silly girl?

I am back on track for weight loss. I'm still not able to lift anything heavy yet recovering from a full hysterectomy surgery, but still having fun.  I had fun friends come help me over the weekend.  We helped raise money at NIMBY to pay for gas & food for the artists that came from all over the country and Canada. OH CANADA! I could drink a case of you....

Sarah, Christina & Tom Cat ~ Bartenders at the Mar 'Gnome' Rita Bar!

OH YEA, I LOST A POUND THIS WEEK!

This month has been a huge life changing one for me...

For about 4 years, I began suffering from peri-menopausal symptoms.  Hot flashes, like ('Crazy Flop Sweats' whenever I would take a sip of coffee or wine), Night sweats, like (I had run a 100K marathon in my dreams), and mood swings, like (Everything in my life was really great, but for no reason at all, I felt like I was going to cry like the world was ending all the time)  It was so awful living this way.  

I was not sleeping most nights and that wore me down even more. I went to my doctor and had my hormones tested.  Sure enough, I was slowly beginning the change of life and my body was taking it's sweet ass pimp time going into menopause, but my ovaries were healthy and still producing eggs, which meant this torture could continue for years. 

In the last year, my menstrual cycle was crazy irregular and when it arrived, it was extremely painful and heavy so much, there were times I thought I was dying.  I was spending most of my time in bed abusing Motrin to try and function.  The blood loss was so extreme, I was becoming faint and almost passed out more than twice.  I still had to work at my full time intense start-up day job while this was all going on.  I took a break from jazz singing and managing the band.  I longed to perform beautiful music, but couldn't because of my suffering.  My life was a living hell.

I had to fight to get the help I needed.  I saw several doctors and finally found one who could help me.  They did several ultra sounds and saw that I had developed a 3 centimeter sized tumor in my uterine wall near my cervix.  I had never been pregnant, so my uterus was small.  I had read horror stories of woman who had fibroid's the size of grapefruits, but how could I be suffering so badly?  I had this little dark thing that didn't look like a fibroid in there.  They did a biopsy and is was benign, but this thing had to come out.  

I had tried every natural remedy to help, with no relief.  We tried all kinds of birth control pills and medications to try and help the symptoms. Those side effects were worse than the original problems.  My last resort was surgery.  I love kids and wished I would have had some, but I am a young hearted 53 year old lady who is past my prime for that.  

I did a lot of research to make this decision.  I have no cancer in my family tree, so keeping my ovaries would be easiest on my body.  I would wear an HRT patch to help manage the estrogen loss as I transition with the peri-menopausal symptoms. I would continue to go into menopause, keep producing all of the hormones needed to keep me happy and keep my libido in place. They would need to take everything else out, like (Permanent birth control with no more period EVER!)  

So I did it!  I had a full laparoscopic robotic hysterectomy with a high uterosacral suspension, on Monday, September 12, 2016.  I went into the hospital at 10:00am, and was home the same day around 8:30pm.  They removed my uterus, tubes and cervix and anchored my vagina to keep it secure and in place.  I went under full general anesthesia and had no complications.  It took 5 days off from work to recover.  I was on major pain medications that I took every 4 hours. I certainly needed them.  

I slept a lot and watched all 5 seasons of Arrow. (I think Stephen Amell - 'Oliver Queen' is delicious.  A great distraction while healing.)  The most pain I was having was gas pain from the CO2 they filled me with during surgery that was trying to escape my body.  You have pains all over, it's really weird.  I ate soup and little sammiches. I did not do keto and did eat sugar & fruit and flour, I ate some chocolate. But kept my calories around 1500 per day. I did drink lots of water. I was very sore and swollen.  I could walk but not do stairs for the first week very well.

I was able to work from home the second week.  This is when the other problem began. The side effects from the pain meds caused bad constipation.  Imagine that. Your whole area down there is full of staples and stitches inside and you can't poo.  You can't push or you would pop the staples. It became really awful. I was in agony.  They had given me stool softener to help, but it didn't help at all. I tried almost everything, but what ended up working was drinking a bottle of Cherry flavored Roto Rooter ~ Magnesium Citrate Dulcolax.  That got everything moving and working normal again. I stopped taking the heavy pain meds and started on Motrin.  The day after this, I felt like a miracle had happened. 

          I AM OUT OF PAIN - FOR REALS!

I feel like the dark cloud that had been over my spirit for so long, has been blasted away and has freed me.  I feel amazing!  I sort of feel like a 12 year old girl again.  I will never have a period again, that is celebration enough, but I seriously feel clear headed and balanced again. I had brain fog and memory issues due to all of the pain meds I had been taking for so many years.  The patch is seriously helping the other symptoms too.  

I am feeling so good, I went back to work on week 3 and had to take it slow.  I am not supposed to lift anything heavy or overdo it.  I was exhausted the first day, but every day afterward, I felt a little stronger. Then I made a huge mistake.  I lifted something that apparently WAS too heavy for me and injured my staples inside.  It was only maybe ten pounds, but maybe it was how I lifted it. This was yesterday. I had these big plans, and now have to back step and start over.  I am back in bed healing.  For those that know me, this is the hardest part.  I am a fireball and it's hard to stay in place when I feel so good.

I am laying low and trying not to over do anything, which is really hard for me with all the fun stuff that is going on in my life right now.  My favorite Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is happening this weekend, and I will not be going.  I am watching it on the live webcast. Next weekend is my big Artcar Fest 20th Anniversary weekend.  My Leopard Lair Ultra Lounge VW Bus engine just got rebuilt and the guys are breaking in the new engine.  It won't make it in time for the show, so I am doing something fun and silly to my Honda Passport for next weekend. 

I have had a secret Gnome fetish for years. 

The New Naughty Gnome Art Car will be there. 

I learned from my experience with the Squirly Whirly Art Car, the Gnomes would not last one night in public without being vandalized and abducted. These Gnomes are naughty and awesome. Fuckers would be taking them off and stealing them, straight away.  I have a plan to keep them safe and won't keep them on my car after the big weekend. Sad to say but true. I'll get my original art car back soon and continue the restoration project. My Honda just has one Gnome keeping an eye out for me, (Louis was only vandalized once so far) but it's more mundane as my daily driver.

                                                             Lookout Louis

My hood ornament on my Honda Passport 4 wheel drive.

Meanwhile, I am taking it slow and being careful not to do too much, which is Really Hard for me because I feel so awesome in every other way.  I do a little more everyday.  I weighed myself and the scale said 229 pounds. I somehow gained 14 pounds this month. Shocking!  I asked my doctor if this is normal. He said that surgery is a trauma to the your body and my body's natural reaction is to accumulate lots of extra water while it recovers from the shock.  I won't even measure myself yet. The swelling is still there, so I don't think it would be accurate.  

So it's back onto a Ketogenic diet lifestyle and Intermittent Fasting protocols.  This really works for me, but it takes shopping, planning, prepping, and cooking.  I had been alone doing best I could to care for myself all month, making easy stuff, eating out and doing take-out delivery.   I need to get back on track and get to my goal.  Once I am healed completely, I plan to get back in the gym and get toned and strong again.  

A Giant step was made, some steps backward, but Huge Steps Forward for the better!

Talk to you on Sept 30th....

Hey World,

I have decided to take a short hiatus from VSG weekly updates for now because I am prepping for surgery on the 12th.  My weight is not the focus this month. With all of the medications, hormones and healing I will be doing,

I am writing off the month of September 2016 

as a personal medical transformation month. 

I expect to come out on the other side in October, with a new pain free lease on life!  The scale and the inches will be changing like crazy up and down for sure. They will have to remove my Uterus, Cervix and Tubes, but we are keeping my healthy ovaries.  I was feeling pretty good last week, but the pain has come back and I am still experiencing moments of debilitating cramping, enough to make my toes curl even on NORCO.

I can't wait to get this surgery over with! I may not be feeling too good for the next few weeks, but after this is over, I expect to get my full life back and get back up on the jazz stage again and get back to a more athletic lifestyle. It may take me some time to get my heart, soul and personal rig back in shape for giving the way I love to do.

For those who know me and have not seen much of me in the past few years, I have been suffering for far too long with uterus fibroid/tumors. We have tried everything with no relief, so this surgery is the last resort and should help me live a better quality and more active life.

My goal weight is still 145 - 155 lbs. and a size 8.  I am looking forward to getting my bitchin back tattoo probably around my birthday in December.  I'll check back in on Friday, September 30th with a full update.

HRT & VSG Success

I lost one more pound this week and two inches overall!  It's sort of a miracle because last weekend a dear friend and I rented a vacation house up on the Russian River in Cazadero, CA.  She has breast cancer and is at the end of her chemo-therapy.  She has lost all her hair and is very creative at head wraps and wearing fun wigs. We were a pair. I, the Fibroid, tumor suffering mess, she recovering from a lumpectomy and in the midst of full breast cancer recovery.

The house was nestled in the redwoods, had a hot tub and was a slice of heaven.  We attended an epic Beer & BBQ revival and had help from a friend to set-up a shade structure to stay out of the sun and shared it with many fun people.  Neither one of us really drank too much, surprisingly so. WE BOTH HAD A GREAT REASON TOO.  Another fun lady came up and we hung out and just had girl talk and cried, laughed and rested all weekend together.  Overall the weekend was healing, nurturing and lovely.

Modern Zen House, Cazadero, CA

On Monday, my doctor started me on a new HRT prescription to try and relive my horrible symptoms.  I must tell you right now, I FEEL AMAZINGLY BETTER THIS WEEK. The hormone replacement therapy is the best thing that has happened to me in years!  We finally found the right combination of patch and pill to balance me out hormone wise. I FEEL PRETTY DAMMED GOOD!

No mood swings, the cramping and excessive bleeding has stopped.  No night sweats or hot flashes, I have been sleeping a full nights rest! IT'S A MIRACLE!  I am not feeling bloated or nausea like I did on birth control pills. I think we found the right combination for my body.  It's all about quality of life.  The risks of HRT are scary when you read the label, but if you don't have cancer in your family history, and have tried every natural thing out there with no success, HRT is a very life changing helpful life improving experience.

For those who want to know what my doctor prescribed for me: I am on Estradiol 0.05mg Dis Alvo 7 day patch and I take one Norethin Ace 5mg Tab Teva in the morning daily.  So far so good.  I actually feel normal for the first time in many years.

If you are in your mid life and are obese and really suffering from fibroids and or peri-menopause hell, 
I recommend VSG & HRT.

The next step is hysterectomy surgery soon. I had to cancel all of my vacations plans and I am trying to sell my non-refundable tickets etc. so I can use my PTO from work for surgery recovery time off instead. I am lucky to have a great job with great health benefits when I need them the most. I feel like once these, the last of my serious health issues are handled, I will be better than ever.  I will be ready to make a life come back and start living happier, healthier and better then I ever have in my life.

I have had to fight to get a surgery date and to get the care needed.  I won't stop until I get the care I need, and it is finally paying off.  Handling my personal rig business and getting on with living a joyful, fun filled rest of my life is happening.  I am on the right path to health and happiness.

Good News!

This week is I found an experienced surgeon who can do my surgery sooner than Oct.  My laparoscopic robotic hysterectomy is scheduled for Monday, September 12^th in SSF.  Since I had a laparoscopic VSG surgery last year without any problems at all, I am certain this will be just as easy.

The doctor said it will take about two weeks to recover.  They also started me on HRT that seems to really be helping the other hellish symptoms.  For the first time in months, I feel like there is hope for me.

Of course this is right during the time when I had glamping vacations, shows and fun things planned. Non refundable tickets to music festivals, missing out on seeing friends and playing music, but all that matters is living without pain and improving my health.  I hope that once this is handled, that I will feel better than ever and be able to live a better quality life.  

As an experiment and personal therapy, I will be drinking beer and eating BBQ this weekend for the first time in over a year.  We will see how it goes. I expect to gain a couple pounds. Today I am holding steady at 216 lbs.  No gain, no loss to report.  I'm keeping my ovaries and may have to lose my cervix because the tumor is lodged the the wall next to it and has been causing me extreme pain.  I wonder how much a Uterus, Cervix and Fallopian tubes weigh?  : )

  

I'm happy to say goodbye to the angry girly parts!

Healing with the power of BACON...

I lost 3 pounds this week.  Yay!  Considering the horrible symptoms, I am experiencing while I wait for my laparoscopic hysterectomy surgery to be done and over with.  It is a challenge to experience the change in hormones and how that effects your weight.  Living with an imbalance of estrogen, and other vital hormones, emotional eating is the most difficult thing to control for me right now. 

I lost 3 pounds!

One thing that is helping me stay on track is remembering, I cannot trust my feelings right now.  I need to be in robot mode to survive.  I still have to work and have a very stressful job, so as long as I stay in my head, and not eat or react to anything based on “Feelings” right now in my life, I will be okay.   

After my surgery is done and my body begins the adjustment, (I plan of keeping my ovaries and let nature take its course with me going into menopause) sounds less painful short term.

Think about it, do you think it is a good idea to base what you do (with exercise and food choices) on how you feel most days?   If you only do the right thing when you feel like it, how likely are you to lose your excess weight and keep it off for life?

Action for the day: Today, do what supports your WLS success. For example, don't base your decision to exercise on whether or not you feel like it. Do it because you have planned to do it. 

No excuses. The rest of the time I will stay in bed and saying no to almost anything that involves interacting with other humans. : )

This is how I am getting through this until my body finds balance again and heal.  I am back on the Carb Nite, and it really works for me.  It still feels weird to eat so much fat and lose weight and inches so fast.  When I start longing for sugar or flour based foods, I wait and eat them on my carb nite and then back to the usual Ketogenic lifestyle way of eating.  

The healing power of bacon is good.

No changes to report...

I found this video to be very helpful and knowledgeable.
CHECK THIS OUT!