Aryn Gets Sleeved

On Monday I start my pre-op diet (the first phase of it) which largely consists of sticking to 1,200 calories or less and getting in plenty of water and protein--the purpose is to shrink the liver.  Two days before my surgery (my birthday!) will be the all-liquid diet.   To celebrate the upcoming surgery and having my last restaurant experience as life as I know it I picked for our family to go to the Cheescake factory where I ordered "Evelyn's Favorite pasta" full of penne, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, kalmata olives, artichoke hearts...it's amazing.  It's not that I would never be ever to order and eat that ever again...but, it will be really important for me to focus on eating protein first, and for the first year it's likely I won't have "room" to eat anything other than mostly protein, multivitamins, and water.   I also had my birthday dessert today because I'll be a liquid diet on my actual birthday.  I had Mango Key Lime chee...

I'm super excited to say that I have a surgery date!!  July 8th!  It's unfortunate that it is my first contract day back, but I know that it will all work out just fine.  Ultimately my students and colleagues will have a healthier teacher working with them and that's a GREAT thing.  From listening to doctors and experiences of others, I think I will be "out" from work for 2 weeks.  My hysterectomy was similar incision- wise so two weeks sounds about right to me.  I'm going to work on walking every day over the next few weeks in hopes that my recovery will be the best it can be. I had a dream that someone told me I was taking the easy way out.  Obviously it must be a doubt/worry that whispers at me, otherwise I don't think it would be a dream that left an impression on me.  When I woke up that morning I thought about how I felt about people who might think that ... or WILL think that.  Then I thought about my issues...