New day, new program.....

Well, today is the day. I started my morning at the nutritionist getting my shakes and bars. I went home and had a strawberry shake. It was tasty. I have a chocolate and a vanilla shake in the fridge here at work, along with a chocolate peanut butter protein bar. I get to have the bar and a shake for lunch, and a shake for an afternoon snack. Then it is home for a frozen meal and a shake for evening snack. We asked today if I could have a piece of chicken and veggies for dinner instead of a frozen meal, and she said YES! So now I can have 3 oz of lean protein (including fish...yummy!) and up to 2 cups of veggies. I am super excited. I love veggies, and I love chicken and fish. I think this is going to work out well for me.
I went and got my hair done last night, I figured since I was starting new on this program I would have a new haircut and color to go along with it. I went from light brown to almost black. It is a dramatic difference, and I love it!
Well, I will let you know how my weekend at the beach works out with all that delicious food down there!!!

Tomorrow is the day!

Tomorrow morning at 7:30 I will be receiving my 28 shakes and 7 protein bars! I am super excited to be starting this process. It stinks though that we are going to the beach for a long weekend away. I will miss eating Grotto's Pizza and Dippin Dots! Although, I think that is what got me into this mess to begin with!! Too much junk!
We will be celebrating DH's birthday this Saturday, and I hope he has a wonderful time. He certainly deserves it! I hope we can just spend the day lounging by the pool (no rain please!) and just enjoying everyone's company! We might be renting a boat on Friday to go fishing, but we are not 100% on that yet. We will definitely be going to play putt-putt. I'm not sure what else we are going to be doing yet, but I'm sure it will be fun no matter what we choose to do!
I will let you know how my first full day of shakes goes tomorrow!

Samples

Just wanted to let everyone know, the strawberry optifast shake tastes just like strawberry milk! It is quite tasty! The chocolate protein bar tastes like a protein bar. Not fantastic, but doable. I haven't tried the chocolate shake yet, but I have high hopes for it. I will try it for breakfast tomorrow morning. I drank the strawberry for breakfast this morning and I was not even hungry! I had a small snack at 10:30, and a small cup of soup at 12:30 and I am feeling good! I still have a sandwich, apples and a yogurt in the fridge!
I am looking forward to the weekend, and the beginning of the program next week.

First Appointment & Fitness Evaluation

So I went to my first appointment today for the OptiFast Program, and it went well. I don't know why I assumed that I would be starting the shakes today because they have to order them. So I will officially start it next Wednesday when I go for my second appointment. I will be drinking 4 protein shakes a day, along with 1 protein bar and 1 frozen meal for dinner. The meal can be any frozen light meal from the grocery store. I am actually looking forward to not worrying about food for 3 months!
My fitness evaluation went well. My aerobic ability is not so good, but the lady doing the evaluation said that most people on the weight management program can't even finish the 8 minutes on the treadmill, and I did it with an incline of 5. On the brighter side of things, the evaluator said I was very strong. I was able to use the arm machine (the one where you pull the weight towards you) up to 100 lbs, and the arm machine that you push away up to 67.5 lbs. They put me on a resistance training program with a green resistance band 2-3 times a week at home. They also recommended I join their gym, but it is a little pricey so I have to think about it. We are already paying so much for the program and the shakes. Hopefully it works!!
We are getting ready to go to the beach next weekend for a long weekend, and I am so looking forward to it! We are going to leave on Thursday night and come home on Monday night. It will be a nice relaxing weekend that's for sure!
Well, I have 2 shakes and 1 protein bar to try this week. I will update once I have tried them to let you know how they are.

Program

So, I just paid the big bucks and signed up for the 12 week weight loss program!! Yay me!! I am so glad I have such a wonderful DH who just wants me to be happy and healthy. He is my ray of sunshine everyday, and I love him so much.
My thumb hurts! I sliced the side of it with a mandoline on Sunday, and it is still sore! I'm glad it is Friday, but I do have to work tomorrow morning until 1 pm. After that I am free!!! Well, the fax is coming through for my new program. My appointment is on Wednesday!! I am super excited!!!

New Timeline

OK, so the doctor's office says I can start the opti fast program. I am going to do it for 12 weeks. It is going to cost quite a lot of money. Just to start it is $690. That covers the 12 appointments with the nutritionist and the fitness evaluation. Then it is around $100 a week for the shakes and stuff to go along with it. I am hoping that it works really well. As of right now I am 6 months out from getting any surgery. So I will try this program for 12 weeks, then 3 more months of 1 nutritionist appointment a month and some life skills classes that DH and I have to attend, then we can schedule my surgery. I also have to see the cardiologist, the endocrinologist, and a pulmonologist. So many "gists"!
Hopefully it will all be worth it in the end. If this program works as well as I hope we might be able to start making our little baby M in 3 months. If not and I get the lapband in about 6 months we are probably looking at 2 years. I just want DH and I to be healthy and happy when we bring a baby into the world.
I am going to pay the big bucks tomorrow and hopefully I go in for my first appointment for the program on Wednesday!! Yay!! I will definitely update and let you know how the appointment went.

Bad day

Well, the test was negative. Another negative. And no biopsy this month, apparently I waited too long. So today was less physically painful than I thought, but I am still heartbroken. Even though I knew it was going to be negative, I couldn't help but hope that it might be positive.
So the doctor said we have to wait until next cycle to start again. A whole month before we can even think about it again. I said we were going to take some time off and get healthy, so I called the surgeon's office to see about starting the liquid diet for the month. They haven't called me back yet. I have heard good things about this program. It is just high protein liquids. One soup, one protein bar and 3 protein shakes a day. I am actually looking forward to not cooking or having to go to the market for a month! I am also secretly hoping it works so well I can just do this for a while and not have to get surgery.
Before I start we will be taking my step mom out for her birthday this month to a wonderful restaurant. DH and I actually got married there in the ballroom. Luckily, my stepmom likes it too! They have the best prime rib sandwich (I order mine with no bread, haha!) and their salad dressing is out of this world delicious! Not to mention....the creme brulee is to die for. My mom would have loved their creme brulee. She even had a little torch and the little ramekins for homemade creme brulee! I think that's where I get my love of sweets from. So before I plunge myself whole heartedly into getting healthier I will eat prime rib, salad with yummy dressing and creme brulee for dessert. All in the name of Happy Birthday Stepmom!
Unfortunately DH's birthday will be spent food less for me, and maybe him if he wants to. He doesn't like to celebrate his birthday very much. Last year I threw him a big surprise 30th birthday party at his mom & dad's house. It was fun, but he doesn't like so much attention so this year, we will be spending it at the beach. We were going to go out to dinner, but we may both be all liquid then, so dinner might be out of the picture. So we'll spend it by the pool or hanging out on the beach with family. It will be super fun and relaxing (I hope!)
I really need to get my butt back to school. I just need to go sign up for classes again.
Well, I am off to wait for the nurses call about the program and try not to look at baby stuff for another month! I will update when I have some news!

P.S. No specialist appointments for a whole month!! YAY!!!

Endoscopy done

Well, I am officially home resting after the endoscopy this morning. The nurses were wonderful! I had to get an IV (which I dread!), and the nurse who put it in was fantastic! I barely felt it, and so far....no bruise!!! I don't remember anything, except waking up in recovery to a drink and some delicious crackers! Anything is delicious when you can't eat after 12! They did find a hernia in my stomach, so that explains my reflux. I am just so happy they found an explanation! Hopefully I can get it fixed when I get the lap band, and no more medicine!!
So tomorrow is the big day, the testing day. It's going to be negative, I already know. So now I get to have a biopsy of my lining done. 2 tests in 2 days. I feel like a pin cushion!
Now I am off to rest, feeling drowsy! I will update tomorrow after my (hopefully not painful) biopsy.

Test results Part 2

Ok, so just got off the phone with the RE's office and they said my progesterone level dropped. My doctor says he's not really worried about it. I go in on Tuesday for my pregnancy test. If it is negative I get to have a biopsy done...yay me! I think next week is going to be tough for me. Monday I have to get my endoscopy. Tuesday is the biopsy. Wednesday DH has a test scheduled (an EMG) where they stick needles in his legs and give him little shocks to see if his nerves are dieing. Then free and clear for Thursday and Friday, but I have to work Saturday so, it is a long week. Oh well, it's all worth it in the end I guess! Have a wonderful weekend!!! Tomorrow's suppose to be beautiful!!!! We will be enjoying it outside hopefully! I think we are going to take our nephew to the zoo if it's ok with his mommy. He's the cutest baby you ever saw in your whole life! I will update after the endoscopy on Monday.

First Comment

Hi! I just read the first ever comment posted on my blog, and boy was it a good one!!! Thanks for the support and the good vibes! I am trying so hard not to get my hopes up, but it's getting harder and harder the closer the 11th gets!
I just wanted to say thanks for the comment and I am glad people are reading my blog, although I'm sure it's not the most exciting blog out there. I go in tomorrow morning to get my progesterone checked again, so lets hope for good news!!

Progesterone

Oh what a wonderful world this is! I just got a call from my RE's office with my progesterone results from this morning, and they are EXCELLENT!! Good is anything above 15 and mine is 24.5! I asked her if that was a good sign and she said oh yes! I am still not holding out much hope for this month to actually have worked, but it is nice to know that everything (knock on wood) is working out the way it is supposed to! This way, when we go to try another month we can be pretty sure it will work out correctly. It might not result in a baby, but at least my body is back on track.
DH just brought me lunch as I am all by my lonesome at work today. It was so nice to see him in the middle of the afternoon! I love him so much! It's amazing how my heart just fills with love when I see him. It's a physical feeling of my heart swelling. I know, sappy love stuff!
I am looking forward to seeing my family on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in September. They are all such wonderful people, I hate being this far away from them! One day, we will be closer!
Have a wonderful day! I will update either tomorrow or Friday afternoon (another Progesterone blood draw on Friday).

August

I can't believe it's August already! It feels like this year is flying by! We had such a wonderful weekend at the beach. We spent all of Saturday at the pool, and it was really nice. The sunburn is not so nice, but the pool was! Now we just have 3 more weekends until our next long weekend at the beach!
I am looking forward to celebrating DH's birthday at the end of the month. I still have no ideas on what to get him for it, but I am going to take him out to a nice dinner with some family.
I have to go to the doctors tomorrow morning for a blood test to check my progesterone levels. The it's off to the lawyers on Wednesday for some good news (I hope!). We were hit by a drunk driver 3 years ago, and we still are dealing with insurance companies and lawyers. It is definitely dragging on and on!
I always go to a specific coffee place in the morning before work to get a bagel and a coffee. Usually I get a garlic bagel and an iced coffee or vanilla chai tea. Lately, I have been so disappointed with it so this morning I decided I won't be going there anymore. The coffee never tastes the same (even though I order the same thing), and sometimes the bagels are extra toasted, sometimes they have no cream cheese, and other times they are delicious. But either way, I pay the same amount. So it's no longer worth the money to go there. And...they discontinued the blueberry bagel (who does that?). So I will be eating breakfast at home....it will save us money and be healthier for us.
As far as the lap band, I faxed my nutritionist information to the doctors office to see if my insurance company will accept my last 7 months on her program for this. I am also going in for an endoscopy next Monday. It's nice because the girl who gave me my RE's information is going through the same things I am with the weight loss surgery. Most people don't understand how exciting and scary it is to go through this. She does, and she also understands the hurdles of ttc at the same time. It's doubly hard! It's good to have someone to talk to.
I will update after my blood work tomorrow!!!