It's been nine months since surgery

I have been through a lot of trial and tribulation. I have reduced by 147 lbs, my atrial fib has required me to be on disability since January 1,2013, and I have a new grandson.
I am wearing size 3-4 x down from 7x. My weight is the lowest it has been in over 30 years WOW! I am trying to break the 300 barrier current weight is 300.5 been kinda lingering there for a few weeks so I am trying to not focus on it. My approach to my life is to continue with the small meals protein first, then veggies, then carbs plus fruit daily. I am still not experiencing hunger but I crave things now and then. I keep my sugar intake under 9 grams to avoid "dumping syndrome" which I have experienced only nice and it was not fun at all. I don't deny myself things just keep to the rules eat slow don't drink within 30 min of eating before or after and avoid sweets etc. I eat low carb which has always fit me best. I have been doing physical therapy in the water for 6 months and its really working. I can finally walk more then 1 block without the severe burning pain that crippled me. The knees and back aren't great but way more ability and comfort.
I went to the beach with my son daughter in law and 2 grandsons this month and the contrast to last year was a revelation. I was able to chase the grandson, do things for myself, walk from ocean to parking lot without a cane, pain, or rest stops every ten steps. It was to cold to get in the water so I couldn't compare the difficulties I had last year but I hope to get there later in the summer.
I swim and do my aqua therapy three times a week. I joined the gym up the street and use the pool there to do laps and therapy on my own, plus the aqua boot camp once a week.
I bought some jeans and tops from a great website " simply be" they come from England and man they are comfortable made with nice materials. I have purchased some jeans from a thrift store that are a few sizes to small now but they were such a great deal one dollar each that I can use them to see the change in my body. I look like a deflating rubber person but I can live with it til I reach goal. I am thinking under 200 hopefully 175 or less by next summer. I am still thinking of international traveling in a few years.
As to my heart issues I am hoping to have the ablation surgery this summer and get my ass back to work. Drama with the long term disability payments is my pressing concern right now. Short term disability ends July 7 and they denied me long term with faulty dates I will be fighting it in the next couple days.
That's it for now will try to update more often.

I am never hungry

So I never feel hungry. I have been on liquids for 3 weeks 2 pre op 1 post. I got behind on my water the last few days so today I made myself drink a liter of water by sipping 5 times every time a commercial came n tv. Urine is not as dark and I feel a bit better. Also I got my broth from a progreso soup minus the veggies and meat it was so much better then the crappy Swanson broths I have been eating. I made a unjury shake earlier with chocolate and strawberry flavor drank half and need to get the other half in tonight.
I really want to move onto mushy but I am supposed to wait til Tuesday. I am healing well I think although I occasionally get a deep twinge on my left side. The baby was crying hysterically and I Had to pick him up. that really hurt my left side. He is way over 10 lbs. took a pain pill and feel ok now.
I have no way to weigh myself here at home but I feel smaller.

Home post op

Hi everyone I am home. Passing gas up and down so that's good. I get up and do 5 laps around the apartment. Taking my pain meds. Belly is quite sore, but I still have my q pump so the burn is not to bad. The SI joint thing went away what a relief that added so much pain to my experience completely unrelated to my surgery lol. My doc gave me tordol an NSAID . I questioned him but he reassured me a short course would be ok and I jumped at it. I think it worked hope it hold that SI joint.
Buttttttttttttttttt
I went into atrial fib last nite so walking is a bit more tiring and I think it makes me pee very frequently cuz it runs more fluid through the kidneys and a faster rate then normal so I have been up every two hours to the br all night ick!
I have to take my Bp medicine crushed and it tastes gross but you got to do what you got to do.

Post op

I had surgery at 815 this morning , it lasted almost three hours. When I woke  up I had major pain but no severe nausea. They medicated me til my pain was about a 6 and transferred me to my room. The wonderful nurses did a thorough exam which entailed a bit more movement then was comfortable. Their attitude was the best medicine encouraging, caring, and skilled: awesome! I used my pcs button and got my pain to 2/10, rested, and most important of all BURPED. Gas release is crucial after laparoscopic procedures. I got up and walked before 4 pm it wasn't to bad at all and I knew I had to do it, then I sat up in a chair for30 min. Took a nap and feel pretty damn good all in all.

A few details: my dr saying in the or before I went out " can we get a warm blankie, where are the warm blankies" the ice packs to my low back, my wonderful supportive son by my side before and after, and mouth swabs!

Letter to myself night before surgery

Dear Rachael,
   No matter how hard it gets remember why you are doing this.
To be able
To get healthy
To travel
To be there for your grandkids
To be there for your kids

Yes it will be hard but you can do it. You tried for over 50 years to lose the wt yourself and this is your chance to really get it done. Use the tool to change your habits. Focus on goals, exercising , and eating to live. It will not be easy but you have survived this long and faced many obstacles and emerged victorious. Your family loves you and wants you to succeed. They want a mom, sister, grandmother that can be with them a long time and go places with them. You can be that person.

Drama drama drama

I am a drama queen
Hopefully it's like a play and I am getting all the complications done in rehearsal instead of opening night.
After my IVC filter I developed a raging pain in the top of my thigh and my right butt cheek. It actually started before they did the filter on the table. I called the doc from CVIR he said it could not be from the filter. I called my chiropractor and when I got there my hip Was completely out my right foot was literally 2 inches shorter. He put ice on it for a few  then adjusted me but when i got home I could not get Comfortable unless I laid on my stomach ( haven't done that since I was 8). Been putting ice packs on it all day trying to rest fair condition right now. Also my damn drs office called me Friday to tell me I needed to drive all the way to their office (45 min in good traffic) to be weighed Monday. I was like I am working 9-5 monday I just weighed myself thursday at the pcps and I was reduced to 428 net reduction 20 lbs since I started low carb and optifast. They finally agreed to let me weigh at my pcps office Monday and call them.
The wt loss will be no problem as I can't eat at all today, I have 3/4ths of a protein shake which was made with 1. Optifast shake 1 1/2 scoop unjury protein powder plus ice.

Just as I feared

(this paragraph was posted a month ago)

Then there is my MRSA which is meth resistant staph aureous. This infection used to be named a nosocomial or hospital acquired infection but they changed it to MRSA and now it seems to be treated like leprosy. You are labelled for life and isolated whenever you are in the hospital. Which means i get a private room which works for me but it irritates me that I am treated like a leper and the hospital the freaking source of the microorganism is absolved of all blame or responsibility.

(wrote this today)

I got bad news yesterday. My nasal swab was positive for mrsa. MRSA is a nosocomial infection which means its hospital acquired and the organism is resistant to treatment. As a nurse for almost thirty years I guess it's inevitable to be colonized but it's devastating to be told your surgery may be delayed because they have to do you last so they can decontaminate, you will be unable to be on the bariatric floor but will be placed on a floor on isolation, and have to get an infectious disease clearance.

I did not take the news well I got very upset on the phone asking why i can not be on the bariatric floor that i have heard such good things about? Isolation is isolation. I will have a private room they are all private on the bariatric floor. she started off with you may have to be in ICU I could understand if they wanted to watch me closely but to be put on a medical floor its odd. I just do not get it.

So I made an appointment with a doc for Monday and I am starting some antibiotics that have from my last infection, I am going to bath in hibicleanse everyday and may do a nasal lavage with it . I feel desperate!