New blog

So I have had gastric bypass surgery, but I decided that I want to focus a seperate blog on that an not dwell on that here. I'm going to post updates on my kids and family here.

My new blog is www.theskinnymonkey.blogspot.com

Yikes

So Santa has visited our house, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care and all of that...and I am awake, because sadly night is when I'm awake. I've got plenty of time to sit here and worry.

I have been approved for surgery. I have a surgery date. December 29. I just keep thinking what is going to happen to my little guys if something happens to me. I have a very knowledgeable surgeon who has been doing gastric bypass surgeries for nearly 30 years. I have researched my options. I know the risks and complications that can come from surgery. I have thought and prayed about my decision and have felt good about it. Now...I'm worried. I'm worried about my little boys.

Earlier this week, I had an ultrasound and and upper GI study (with barium)....to prepare for surgery. Did I mention that they were both awful?
Ok, I get that I'm fat...but seriously the girl doing the ultrasound pressed so hard into my guts to get a good picture, that I seriously have huge bruises all accross my belly. That, sadly, is nothing compared to having to drink barium. I couldn't eat at all before the test, and so I already had a bunch of acid in my throat from my acid reflux. Then, the hand me a drink that is about 10 times more fizzy than 7-up, but it was an awful lemon lime flavor. They tell me it will make me feel like I have to burp, but do not burp. Then they hand me this cup and tell me to drink three big swallows. It was seriously the consistency of pudding. I gagged but didn't vomit.
and the glass of nastiness down. Then they tell me to lay on a table, and roll around to coat my belly with this chalk garbage. I was already feeling nauseated, but then they said we're going to have you lay down and sip through a straw while we're taking x-rays. Um. ok. Well, it didn't quite work like that. I attempted to do what they asked and the barium inside of me decided to head on back up. I was able to keep it down and they finished the test but it was awful.

Also, I'm a little worried about the cost of the surgery. I was told initially that I was going to have to pay $500 for the cost of my patient education and supplies. This isn't covered by insurance and I have to pay it on December 27. It's been 6 months of trying to get approved for the surgery. During this time, we've managed to save nearly enough to cover these expenses.

I got a letter from the surgeon yesterday that informed me that I will actually have to pay nearly $2000 prior to surgery. This pays a deposit on the surgeon, co surgeon and pays a deposit to LDS hospital. I will also be taking 7 days off of work unpaid,assuming I am approved after that for my short term disability.

My short term disability will not be decided until AFTER I have surgery, which makes me SO nervous.

Tonight Robert and my Dad, Brandon and David put their hands on my head and gave me a blessing. I feel better. I know it's a good idea, but I'm still nervous about the unknown.

I worked my last night taking telephone calls for delta...well at least for 6-8 weeks. I work tomorrow and the next day, but I'm helping with the new hire classes and so I get to work an earlier shift and I won't be answering any calls....until Mid-January to February :)

APPROVED!

It's funny how a couple of weeks can bring clarity to a situation. I have waited and waited for the new shift bid. I kept feeling like, life could return to normal once I got a different shift. Then we bid for our shifts...and I got pretty much the same grave yard shift with thursday friday off. I was devastated.
Then I've struggled with getting approved by my insurances for gastric bypass surgery.
Now, a couple of weeks later, I have started bay assisting/helping new hire classes and they change my shift to have me do that.
Not to mention, today I was approved for gastric bypass surgery.

I can't really believe that I'm to this point. I call tomorrow to schedule a surgery date. I'm waiting to find out about a leave of absence from work. So far, everything seems to be working out.

Hopeful.

I can't even explain what the last couple of months have been like. I don't want to be a complainer, but I really have felt like life was caving in on me. First of all, Robert lost his job several months ago, and it has been just me supporting the fam. That's a hard place to be, I was very grateful to have two jobs, but then was laid off from my job as a newspaper correspondent. Let me just say, $10 an hour is not enough to support 1 person, let alone 4. So, needless to say, it's been rough. I felt a total loss after losing my correspondent job. I loved that job. I seriously would have done it for free. But, there is a reason for everything. I really believe that is the way it needs to be. I work a terrible shift for Delta. (Love the job, hate the shift) seriously, 730 pm to 4 am. I have Monday Tuesday off and with the other job, I had to go to council meetings on Tuesday nights. brutal. I must say it has been a joy to be able to be home with my kids on those nights.
Also, I made the decision to get gastric bypass surgery. The insurance through my work has denied me on several occasions; not because I'm not fat enough, but because I have to work for delta for 5 years before they will pay for it, and even then, they won't pay for the surgeon.
Just when I thought the world was going to cave in on me...Robert got a job at Discover card. I have never heard of a company that treats their employees better. They only pay $12 an hour, but he will make commission and they have health benefits from day one....that cover gastric bypass.
I'm almost afraid to hope. But it appears that I qualify no problem. I'm hoping for surgery December or January...basically we're waiting to get our insurance ID numbers so that I can get the surgery approved. If we can get the surgery approved, then we'll be able to set a date for surgery. The doctor we are hoping to use is Dr. Sherman Smith, and he said it is usually a couple of weeks from approval of insurance.
Realistically, this could be my last Thanksgiving and Christmas pre-surgery.
I am so wishing that it was my mom's year to have thanksgiving, because this will be the last thanksgiving that I will be able to eat more that 1/4 cup. (Anyone who knows my mom, knows she is an amazing cook. She comes from the Glanvilles, and it's basically genetic.) Instead we're having thanksgiving at the inlaws....where everything minus the fried turkey is store bought....sigh.
At work, things are going well, We bid for a new shift in a few weeks, the new shift will start in January. I am hopeful that I will get a better shift, and a more normal life to follow. I guess we'll see soon.

A week of dejunking

I took a week off while my parents move to their new house, so they don't have to watch my two little guys and move 30 years of stuff to a new house. I decided this week that I'm going to dejunk. I've nearly finished the kids room, their toy room, my craft room, the computer room, the office and my bedroom and the kitchen are next. It feels so good to get rid of a bunch of stuff. Speaking of which if anyone is in need of any toys or things for younger children. I have 4 very large boxes of things we're getting rid of.


Also. Here is the official trailer for the book that I contributed to. It was exciting to see.

San Diego.

What more can I say? Isn't this beautiful? My aunt and uncle have this amazing condo on the beach in San Diego. I went there as a child and remember thinking it was magical. As the years have passed, I have forgotten how magical it really is. The last time I went there, I was a teenager. I will say, it's been about 17 years, and it's still just as magical. This time I got to take my sweet little boys. Well, my parents drove there with them. I joined them a few days later and spent a day and a half there. We played on the beach, we walked to P&G (or P&B) store and got souvenirs. We even got panhandled by members of greenpeace. It was lovely.

(I'm omitting the fact that my mom and dad left a light on in the car and the battery died, and I had to pay $60 to get from the airport to the condo...but even with that mentioned...nothing could have ruined the trip for me!)

Robert couldn't get off of work, but I had enough fun for both of us!

It was so fun to stand in the ocean and jump into the waves with my little guys. We had dinner at a nearby restaurant and played in the condo while we listened to the sound of the ocean outside of the screen door.

Before going to San Diego, I had been scheduled to work until 4am. I luckily got off at 1:30 am and got home by 2:30. This allowed me nearly 4 hours of sleep before I headed to the airport to catch my flight.

Tuesday morning my body did not allow me to wake before 9:30 am....10:30 am Utah time. Luckily my dad got the car working and we headed out to see some more sites. We stopped at a local grocery store and bought some snacks for the kids, then we went to Old Town.

On our way to old town, I had a very traumatic experience. Jonah is just learning to go potty on the toilet. He really is doing well. So, we're sitting in the car driving when he announces "I have to poop." Being at a public park, my dad pulls up to the public restrooms and I get out to take Jonah in there. As we approach the building, I see a San Diego City vehicle with a giant pressure washer on the back. One of the worker hands me a roll of toilet paper and says "Good Luck." I laughed because I thought that he meant "Good Luck wrangling your little one."
As I entered the restrooms, I saw a sight of horror. ***WARNING GROSSNESS TO FOLLOW**** There was poop smeared all over a good portion of the floors and walls. My first thought was "HOW ON EARTH DID THAT COME FROM ONE PERSON" I know, gross...
anyways, Jonah looked around and then looked up and said "My poop is gone, lets go find papa"

I couldn't really blame him. There's nothing on this earth that could have made me use those facilities, I was happy Jonah felt the same way.

After our bathroom park adventure, we went to old town and visited the shops, took pictures in an old covered wagon and had lunch at some Coyote restaurant which was really good.

After that we headed to the airport and luckily made our flight home as well. The kids did great the whole flight home. Jonah didn't realize that the plane was taking him from the beach to Utah. When the plane was making its final descent into SLC, Jonah said "I go to the beach now?" I told him that we are done with the beach for now, and that we don't have a beach in Utah. That is the only time in the whole flight that either kid cried. I figure that's pretty good, especially since it's proof that he had a wonderful time while there.

Ok, so it's official. The story I wrote about my dad is being featured in the book
"Life Lessons from Father's of Faith," and will be published by Covenant Communications (a Deseret Book imprint) it's due out on October 1 and there will be a special about many of the fathers in the book between episodes of General Conference. Many famous fathers including general authorities and famous utahns like the Osmonds and Larry H Miller will be included, as well as my dad!