It's enough to turn your stomach!!!!

After a very relaxing Thanksgiving break (although not as mobile as I'd like to have been)....I arrived home to a horrendous stench in the house!!

Ashley had been over this morning to feed cats and called me complaining about it. I told her to take out the trash and empty a bowl I'd left in the sink, but I couldn't imagine that it would be so bad that it would make her gag and throw up....twice!!! She took care of it....

Well, not really.....I opened the back door...lit a candle...double checked the trash can...poured bleach in the sink....and then decided I'd better put up the fruit and milk I'd carried in.....and then it hit me!!! OMGOSH....right in the face!!!! gag....ick....revolting.....

The fridge had gone out and everything in it was spoiled and stinking to high heaven....blowing hot air and a hot horrible smell....and had probably been that way for most of the time I'd been gone. I remember getting a bottle of water out Tuesday morning when I left and thinking it didn't feel as cold as it usually does.

I don't even want to think about how much in groceries I'm throwing away....the freezer was packed with shrimp, salmon, chicken, veggies, frozen fruit......

I'll be making a trip to Sherman tomorrow afternoon and come home with a new fridge.

Still dropping!!

I've enjoyed the turkey and dressing and pumpkin pie!!! ....and still losing!...despite not being able to move around much on my ankle. Woo hoo!!!

The bigger they are, the harder they fall...

Last night when leaving Lynn's to go home, I walked through her garage in the dark to my car. My left foot stepped on the little ledge between the garage and the carport. I immediately felt it give way, but before I could even shift my weight, I heard a snap or pop and because I was already in the act of moving to my right leg, I pitched forward on to my right knee....and landed hard on it, breaking the rest of the fall with both hands. Immediately, I knew that I had the most severe strain...and it hurt!!!....so much that I was just stunned with pain and couldn't even move as I lay on my stomach. I rolled on to my back and lifted my left leg to see how much movement I had in it and saw a large swelling on the outside ankle. It took a while before I could even contemplate getting up, because the right knee had taken such a bang on the concrete that it was painful also. I was right in front of the car, so I rolled over to it and was able to get some leverage to get up and get in the car....however, once in the car, I was shaking a lot and my teeth were chattering like a wind-up toy! I drove home and manage to get in the house....get a bag of frozen okra out of the freezer, lay down on the couch and get my foot elevated. I tried to call Kari & Warren, but no answer, so called Lori who told me the RIE treatment---rest, ice, elevation--and take ibuprofen. I called Lynn and told her what happened and had her call Ashley to bring me a bag of ice. Ashley was worried about me when she saw me and volunteered to spend the night with me and take care of me. She is such a good niece!!!

Needless to say, this is just beyond bothersome to me! I had a list of things to get done before I went to Lisa's on Tuesday and now I can't get them all done....and now Lisa is sick with some sinus/cough thing, so she is going to the doctor tomorrow....and my aunt Wilma is not doing well and Mother needs to go visit her this week.....please remember all my Smith cousins during this time....they are a special bunch and they've been blessed with a wonderful mother (my aunt Wilma) who is probably not long for this earthly world. My ankle just isn't all that important anymore.

Downsizing...

I know it is NOT my imagination that standardized clothing sizes are not what they used to be. Recently, I was looking at some denim/twill pants at Wal-Mart (for everyday school--I have a dirty job! lol with kids, boxes, the floor, books, which are the dirtiest! I'm not spending lots of money on school clothes.)...anyway, I was needing a smaller size. The size I thought I needed...I swear to you, looked like they'd fit Ashley!!! I looked at the tag to make sure they weren't supposed to be leggings--they weren't. I did NOT buy them. I looked at tops in Target today--because I'm celebrating wearing a size smaller bra!!--same thing---the tops look teeny tiny!!! Like this would fit Kari! I was under the impression that current clothing sizes have been cut larger--for example, a person wearing a size 4/6 today would have worn a size 10/12 thirty years ago.

I'm downsizing by inches and weight....but not necessarily by clothing size. Somebody is messing with my mind!!

Finally...a pic!

ok...here it is...finally! Can you tell I've lost weight?? This was taken 10/27 in Reno where we presented at the AASL Conference.

I've lost more since then....and will continue to do so, especially since I've had the fill. I'm having to relearn portions....and definitely having to eat slower and smaller bites.

I spent 30 minutes having painful spasms and throwing up tonight after eating 3 bites of smoked salmon and 2 bites of avocado salad. I didn't think I was eating too fast or too big bites, but I was really hungry, so maybe I did. I'll be eating some yogurt or cottage cheese/jello later...icky feeling and very painful and my mouth salivates a lot when I'm about to regurgitate (very weird!). I've had two other "episodes"---once I swallowed too much water, too fast and that caused painful spasms, till it all went down. Another time, I was eating a piece of shaved turkey and on the last bite, I didn't chew it enough....and came back up. Each episode has been different, so it's not one of those "why didn't you learn the first time?" kind of things for me.

Does it fit or not?

I wore a dress to school Friday that was too tight last year. I wore it once at the beginning of school this year (after the surgery), and it still felt a bit snug, so hadn't worn it since. Friday I was told TWICE by two different teachers that the dress was too big for me! What? Looser, yes. Too big? Hmmm.... One said, "It looks like you are going to have to start buying new clothes. Isn't that a great feeling that your clothes are getting too big?" The other walked up to me and said, "Honey, that dress is too big for you....and you can give it to me!"

I looked a little closer in the mirror---ok, the dress is not loose around my round backside, nor is it loose around my amply endowed chest. Now granted, the last person who commented is ALWAYS cinched up and poured in her fashionable clothes...she's got lots more clothes than I do and always looks like she stepped out of clothing shop. She is also from that cultural school of thinking that one should show off the junk in the trunk.

The dress is washed and I'm giving it to her Monday.

Shopping...in my closet

I'm thrilled to report that my last year's school pants are just getting too big to wear and look down right sloppy. So I've had to go "shopping" in my closet. The lower rack contains clothes that had been, sadly, too small for me to wear last year. I didn't even know what was hanging! Found a pair of khaki pants and was shocked to discover that they fit me even better than when I bought them about 2 years ago!

Haven't "shopped" for tops yet. There are two things that are prohibiting that for the time being....if you know what I mean~ ;)

I can assure you, I'm not pregnant!

After signing in at the hospital (and being told their records show I hadn't met my deductible...are they nuts?? I told her that I'd had surgery in August and had written plenty of checks and I was pretty sure I'd met my $500 deductible--she didn't argue. It's a good thing--6:30 in the morning is not a good time to pull that kind of stuff with me!), I was then escorted to the lab.

The attendant asked what I was there for (lord help!!! am I supposed to know everything that is going on??) I told her I was there for my first lapband fill, so she hands me a cup and tells me she needs a urine sample. For the life of me, I don't know what that has to do with anything, but ok--whatever.

Then I go to the waiting room in X-ray where, in addition to drama (written about in previous blog), I find out just from listening to conversation that I wasn't supposed to have had anything to eat or drink the night before after 10 pm! Well, I hadn't, but....what if it had been a night like tonight....when it is midnight and I've had a glass and a half of water!

I continue to listen and find out that the urine sample was for a pregnancy test!!! Hello! One of the women was explaining to another that she always refuses because there is no sense paying for one when you've had a hysterectomy and then she has to sign off on paper that she is refusing. Well, guess, what....there is no way I could be pregnant either!!! (*rolling my eyes in a dramatic fashion*)

Needless to say between all the sharing of what problems they've had (especially the one whose band was too tight and another one who'd had the same thing happen to her and ended up in the ER!), I was just a tad nervous about having mine filled! I'll be digging out those papers they gave me when I left the hospital that I'm supposed to have on hand at all times in case I end up in an ER, so they'll know what to do with a lapband patient. One felt the need to continue sharing info about how drinking the liquid makes her so nauseated (great--it's now 7:00 am and I've had nothing to eat and I have about and hour and a half drive back to school!)

Dr. Green comes to get me and he's wearing a big navy apron that is splashed with white stuff--oh, lord, help!! I'm told to lay down on the x-ray table and scoot down so that my feet are resting on a footboard. I'm told to pull up my shirt (note to self: don't ever wear a dress on these days). My stomach is swabbed with betadine and then I'm told I'm going to have a little local to numb the area. Yeah...well, the initial stick wasn't bad, but all that rotating around to numb the area was a tad uncomfortable. Then Dr. Green immediately tells me that he is going to insert the "special" needle. Special needle?!! I take it this means I probably shouldn't look. But wait! Doesn't that local need time to numb---you know, like at the dentist office?? Guess not. I didn't feel a thing except the pressure of him pushing and then sort of a "pop" feeling when the needle went through the port. Then he tells me he's going to inject the saline. I was pretty relaxed, thinking I wouldn't feel a thing. I was wrong. Gadzooks!! There was this sudden rush and squeezing sensation that caused me to audibly grunt!! I was then tilted up and handed the dreaded glass of white liquid and told to take a mouthful and not swallow it (gee whiz!)---thank you, God, for it turning out to just be white colored water---no flavor, no chalk! Then I was told to swallow and the two doctors watched to make sure liquid was going through. Took out the needle, stuck a bandaid on me, and told me to stay on liquids for 3 days. What?? All I have with me in liquid form is a protein drink!!! I have my stewy soup, string cheese, crackers, and cottage cheese.

Guess I'll be looking for even more soup recipes...


Cream of Pumpkin Soup (sent to me by Kari, who swears it is delicious!)

3 Tbsp. butter
1 large onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 14-oz. cans chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked orzo or wild rice
1- 1/2 cups half-and-half, light cream, or milk
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 15-oz. can pumpkin
Cracked black pepper (optional)

In a large saucepan melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in crushed red pepper; cook for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to boiling. Stir in orzo or rice. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 10 minutes for orzo or 40 minutes for wild rice or until orzo or rice is tender.

In a screw-top jar combine half-and-half and flour. Cover; shake well to combine. Stir into orzo mixture; cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in pumpkin; heat through. Transfer to an insulated container. Sprinkle each serving with cracked black pepper. Makes 6 to 8 side-dish servings.

[Note: might could add left over turkey to this?]

Drama in the waiting room...

While waiting to get my first fill (an injection of saline) into my lapband, I shared the waiting room area with 4 other women, two of whom were teachers, one was the mother of six (and I swear she looked like she was barely 30!). During the chit-chat, I discovered that one hadn't had a fill in a year, the other had lost 70 lbs., but gained it back and had begged Dr. Green's staff to get him to take her as a patient; another had had a fill a week ago, but had only been able to get about 3 bottles of water down and had lost 7 lbs., so she was in to get some of the "fill" taken back out; and the last one hadn't had a fill in a very long time either, but was wearing a size 18 after having been a size 26/28.

Then the talk turned to problems they'd all had with scheduling--one person said she'd had to call and make all of her appts. because the office staff just never followed through--they all got to sharing and it seems that one person in particular is the source of the scheduling problems.

When Dr. Green breezed through, one of the school teachers snagged him and said, "Wait just a minute, Dr. Green. I think you need to hear what we have to say about your office staff." I swear---you know how school teachers can be!! Needless to say, he got an earfull from this particular teacher and pointed out to him that 4 of the 5 had had scheduling problems due to this person in his office. Drama in the waiting room!!

Getting soooo hungry.....

I'm a month overdue for a fill. I'm not happy. Wondering if I can switch doctors. Defeats the whole purpose of the surgery if you can't seem to fill up, your stomach growls, and you feel hungry!

Am going to have to do some cooking this weekend using some low fat/carb things and stir in the whey protein powder. Hoping to find something to fill me up and satisfy me for more than an hour or two. Am feeling like I did when I was about 2 wks. out from surgery---the "I need some food!!" phase. Dips are helpful when feeling snacky--can use the soy chips or rice chips and get filled up pretty quickly.

Guess I should be thankful I'm not suffering any major cravings for anything bad and can't say that I've even cheated. Although it would be great to lay into a big bowl of queso from Los Amigos with warm tortilla chips! ;)

Have gone to Curves twice this week instead of every day, but will get up and go in the morning. Will get some more exercise tomorrow afternoon helping Ashley & Keith clean up my yard in prep for the winter.

Have felt so tired still from all the traveling, hard shopping, and conferencing that we did last week (not to mention those darn long plane rides!) I admit it--at this age in my life, I'd rather pay extra for a direct flight--problem was there were none! At least not on Southwest. Kari & Warren managed to get a direct flight back, but not out. And hotels are another thing...am really spoiled to staying in nice ones! The older I get the more I understand that old phrase, "you only live once." So why not fly direct and stay in a great hotel?


Healthy Artichoke and Spinach Dip (25 cal.)

15-to16-ounce can no-salt-added cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
4 medium green onions (green and white parts), chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained, or 10-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup fat-free or low-fat plain yogurt or fat-free or light sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a food processor or blender, process the beans, green onions, and garlic until smooth, scraping the side several times. Add the remaining ingredients. Process until smooth.Transfer the dip to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate for 2 hours to 4 days before serving.

Anytime Frittata (130 cal. 11 gr. protein)

Note: You can use whatever veggies and cheeses that you like. To up the protein a bit more, you can add chopped ham, turkey, or bacon.

1 T. salted butter
1 small zucchini, finely diced
8 mushrooms, finely diced
6 lg. eggs or the equiv. with egg beaters
1/2 c. 1% milk
1 c. 2% low-fat cottage cheese
1 c. shredded Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese, about 1/4 lb.
3 green onions, sliced
1 ripe Roma tomato, diced
1 T. chopped fresh dill
vegetable oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat butter in md. nonstick skillet and lightly saute the veggies until the released juices have reduced and the veggies are lightly browned. In a lg. bowl, beat the eggs with the milk until well blended, then stir in the cheeses, onions, tomato, dill, and sauteed veggies. Pour into a 9 x 9-inch baking dish that has been lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Chicken & Wild Rice Veggie Soup (a recipe of my own creation!)

1 lg. box chicken broth or 3 cans
1 box of Rice A Roni Nature's Way Long Gain & Wild Rice
1 sm. can sliced mushrooms
1 10-12 oz. can chicken, drained and shredded
1 heaping T. tomato paste
1 15 oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can petite chopped tomatoes
1 sweet onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 ribs celery, sliced
1-2 small yellow squash or zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 T. olive oil
salt/pepper to taste

In lg. skillet, saute onion and garlic with olive oil until soft and almost caramelized. Put celery and squash in ziploc steam bag and steam for about 6-7 minutes.

Put all ingredients in large soup pan (including onion/garlic mix and squash/celery mix) except for box of rice and bring to a boil . Add more water to soup if you think it is not soupy enough. Add rice and seasoning packet. Stir well and let simmer for about 25 minutes.