Cheryl H.

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Well, my summer is coming to a close and for those that aren't teachers, I know it's going to come across as whinning.  It's not meant to be.  It is what it is.  I feel like, as a teacher, we need the break to stay fresh and mentally focused on providing the best for children in our care.  Ok, maybe it is a bit of whinning! LOL!  I don't LIVE (or teach) for summers off.  For some reason, this summer was just one that went by just wayyyyy too fast. 

This past summer, for the 3 year in a row, I taught "Extended School Year" or ESY which is summer school for special needs students that generally regress or lose too much of what they learn during the school year if they are allowed to go all summer without the school routine.  For some, it's just the routine of getting on the bus that helps prevent regression.  Back in the old days (haha!) pretty much every special needs student that was in a self-contained classroom (meaning most of their instruction took place in the SPED classroom) was eligible for ESY.  Because of funding and budget cuts, the requirements have become so difficult to qualify all these kiddos and thus the programs have shrunk.  I was wanting to take a break from it this past summer but I had a student from my own classroom qualify and I wanted to be the one to work with him this summer.  Yeah, my own control issues there!  So it's on me that I didn't take that break. Then the final day of ESY was my surgery day. 

Since then, I'm just trying to get used to the new tummy and all that is involved.  Today I started pureed foods.  It's HEAVEN!  I ate a scrambled egg with cheese and homemade salsa..........oh it was oh so good!  I didn't eat too much and it sat there just fine. 

I love my life and that it's going to be different and more healthy just makes me happy!  I've got to stop worrying about what will be (going back to work) and just enjoy the journey to healthy me!

PS for those of you that don't blog, it's really theraputic!  I highly recommend it!

Thursday is rapidly approaching and I will be returning to work.  There will be days upon days of training and meetings.  Hours of sitting.  Challenges because they ALWAYS have snacks and by snacks I mean totally high carb, crappy things like candy, cookies, sodas, chips......teachers love to eat!  They will supply breakfasts of donuts and/or bagels, both will be a challenge to me! Lunch will be pizza or sub sandwich trays.  I'm planning my arsenal of survival by packing Quest bars, bottles of water with SF mix ins and rtd protein shakes.  I'm going to be on soft/pureed foods so my lunch will be delicious refried beans or cottage cheese or yogurt and soups.  The fact that I am thinking about this, planning ahead and being proactive is partly because of the education I received pre-op and partly because of the fine people on this forum that have posted their experiences, challenges and solutions.  I appreciate everyone on OH!

i feel like puke today......

My energy level is so low.  I tried drinking my protein shake and it just tasted wrong.  I changed to water with Mio and unflavored protein and have a little more that 8 oz to go from a 32 oz Contigo bottle.  I think I will back off thick liquids and concentrate on getting fresh, cold water in. 

Ugh, I feel crappy...........

I thought this was gonna be a great 32 oz bottle to use to get my water in and so far it's been pretty handy.  BUT!  Do not leave it in your car for a quick trip into a store or....I thought it was a fluke when it sprayed water all over me and my inside of the car until it happened again today and this time I had orange Mio mixed in my water and unflavored Unjury protein.  Nope, not the contents you want all over your shirt, pants and car console!  Something about the temperature change in the car seems to create a powerful volcano inside the bottle that erupts when you pop the little top thingie to take a drink.  Of course it's pointed at your mouth so splish, splash you are taking a bath!  I mean it's not just a little squirt but a stream of liquids.....sigh.  

I was at Sprint today and wanted to literally GO OFF on this little girl in training. I had an issue with my phone and she kept wanting to talk about her personal phone plan and her phone with the guy she was supposed to be learning from! grrrrrrrr! I stopped on the way out and told another associate that is was bad manners and poor customer service for that girl to be diverting his attention away from me, the customer! I was HOT!

So, is this how it's going to be for this post menopausal, post WLS middle aged woman now?

Oh Lord, help those that piss me off!!!

I'm really not ready, mentally or physically, I think.

Here's the situation:

I teach school.  My classroom was "broken down" at the end of the school year last year, meaning I had to take everything off the walls and everything packed up for cleaning over the summer.  I work with 5th and 6th grade age students with autism.  My boys (yep, all boys) are basically non-verbal.  Having issues with functional communication leads to behavior problems and sometimes behavior has to be dealt with by physical restraint for the safety of the student, adults and other students, depending on the severity of the "meltdown".  Being at home all summer, most of my boys will hit the ground running when they come in first day......I might get a "honeymoon" period where they can be precious angels testing the water or I may get bouncing off the walls, hitting, screaming, throwing things, etc until they realize that Ms Cheryl is way more hard headed than they are (under normal circumstances of course but I'm not feeling normal!).  If the past 2 years history repeats itself, I can expect option 2. 

I LOVE MY CAREER!  Just getting that out there because teaching special needs students is a calling and teaching isn't a J O B to me.  My students don't come back to school until August 24th so I still have more time to heal.  I don't want to get all stressed out about it now but I am, stressing, that is.

So for now, I will keep resting and healing.  I have one week and one day until teacher work days start.  I need to find something really fun to do!

Staples came out today!  Oh it feels so much better!  Did my barium or whatever that chalky stuff was, swallow today too and even got a picture of my new tummy!!!  It's freakin GORGEOUS!!!  My new life TOOL for health!  My new belly is so stinkin cute!  LOL!

I know he is probably so so busy but I wish he had a WLS journal or blog.  I know he's young too so the skin is probably more elastic and wonder if he had a fleet of personal trainers?  If I were a personal trainer, I would so be learning everything I could about the science of weight loss, building muscle, losing fat as it applies to the post bariatric surgery patient and I would CAPITALIZE on it!  I would develop a safe and effective workout routine to keep us motivated while minimizing the risk of injury on our bones and joints.  

Does anyone else wonder if Graham Elliot actually swallows those tastes of food or does he spit in a bucket?  He doesn't seem to treat any food as something he cannot eat so it just makes me curious.....

I love cooking and I am a good cook.  I just hope that I can master the beast of food and embrace myself as a thinner and healthy person so that I can continue showing my love to others through my cooking.  It makes me happy!  

Something I've noticed is that I NEED PEOPLE!  My family has their lives and they go about it.  I get the check in phone calls but hey!  Life is happening so my big girl panties are on and I am dealing.  I realize this is one of the HARDEST choices I have made for my life....it ain't easy!  And no one can do it BUT me.  I'm day 9 out of VSG surgery and I'm restless and tired all at the same time.  So ready to get these damn staples out.  Can't stand the dust bunnies...they are irritating the crap outta me!  Dropped ice on the floor out of the dispenser and kicked them under the fridge because bending down there still hurts too much! Can't stand my floors.....taking it slow but pushing my Bissell Symphony Steam mop/vac around to be the person I was before surgery.  I can't ask for help....I'll pay for it!  I interviewed a cleaning service today because I can't clean bathrooms or my shower!  Talked to my dear WLS friend for over an hour....OMG, I appreciate you so much Jill!  

This is such a random post......But hey, like Christina Perri's song "Human" http://youtu.be/r5yaoMjaAmE  I'm only human!

Gotta say....good stuff!

I used to love to have a cup of Lipton's cup of soup and Unjury's cream of chicken soup with 21g of protein tastes EXACTLY like it!  It's thin so it doesn't LOOK like it but it tastes really good!  I'm not handling thicker liquids right now so Unjury's strawberry sorbet is also a hit with me! 

I love a company that provides great customer service so if you want to sample their products, I suggest calling the sample pack order in and actually talking to the rep.....they are very very helpful!

Cheryl