Judge if you will....

For those of you who have known me for a long time, I've always struggled with this problem. I've tried everything under the sun, but nothing seems to stick for long. I've done a lot of thinking, researching, and pondering in order to come to this decision. I HATE being overweight...and it's time to actually give myself a true chance to be successful and keep it that way.

SO, on April 21st, I will be having weight loss surgery. Some people may view this move as taking the easy way out...but I don't think so. The myth of this surgery is that you don't have to do anything...the weight just falls off and you never have to worry a day in your life. This is not the case. Weight loss surgery is just a tool. If you are interested, I'll be glad to tell you more. If you aren't, I'd just ask you to pray for me on April 21st around 8am.

I've got a long road ahead of me...even just to get to my surgery date. Days of no Advil, a week of only liquids, and the fear of pain await me. I'm going to need a lot of support, even if you don't agree with my decision.

On a completely different note, I am SO excited to go to Boston in 9 days! I have never been there but have ALWAYS wanted to go! I'm staying in this very beautiful and lovely hotel right in the heart of the history! Excitement!

Okay, better be off. There are many puppies in this house who are circling my feet for attention!

April 21

A new start. A big change. A drastic move. A well thought out plan.

Want more?

Exciting times!

Well, some very exciting things are brewing....but you have to wait until after Friday morning to discover them. Let me just warn you, they are FABULOUS! :)

This week has been perfectly hilarious. I have spent the week watching a 40ish woman act like a child....and who wouldn't find that funny? Really! :) I also fell completely out of my chair today, right in front of all the cardiac clinic nurses and one of the ICU attendings (a cute one at that!). Thankfully, said ICU attending helped me OFF the floor and didn't comment on my lack of grace. For those of you who DON'T know, I actually broke my arm after falling out of a chair today whilst teaching a room of 7th graders in 2001! Never let it be said that my teaching days were boring!

Work is busy. We're listing kids left and right, which makes it so much harder for the person on call! The more kids that are on the list, the busier it gets! :) I think we may actually list three kids in the next few days...which is madness!

SO, stay tuned for future announcements. I am excited about it! :)

Dana's challenge!

Dana asked what our song would be. I absolutely agree with Kendi when she said she would be a mix tape. I have so MANY songs that define certain points in my life. There are songs that remind me of good times, and songs that make me want to absolutely shut OFF the radio.

One song that means the WORLD to me is sung by one of my favorite groups of all time. Why do I love them so? Well, they are down to earth, hilarious, and produce the most beautiful 4 part harmonies I've ever heard. I've seen them in concert since the mid 90's and never tire of their voices and stories. This song has seen me through some hard times. I listened to it five times in a row before I could muster up the courage to go into take my nursing boards. I've listened to it when I was happy, just because I wanted to hear the beautiful harmony section (skip to 3:20!). I've listened to it in order to encourage myself that I need to remain true to who I am.

So enjoy Avalon singing "Testify to Love". I know I have and will for years to come. Thanks Jody, Janna, Michael, and Melissa...you're amazing! :)

The never-ending drama!

My job is drama. Sheer drama. Let's just say that I am a serious threat to my co-worker...in her eyes, NOT mine! Today, I spent a lot of time working on research projects because there was absolutely nothing else to do in the outpatient world! Ah well, it's really feast or famine. At least when I have projects to do, I feel productive and get my name on research papers! Fabulous! :)

Liberty is sick again. I thought she was better and had even moved her food back to normal food. Her little doxie stomach did okay for a few days, but she got sick in her crate today which is completely unlike her. SO, we're back to the antibiotics and bland food. She'll survive. She hasn't lost her appetite, so I think we're gonna be ok.

I'm starting to count down the days until I go to Boston. Did I mention I am going to Boston? I can't remember. Anyways, I'm going to the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation conference in Boston! I'm staying with one of the docs and I am excited to go and learn! I'm also excited to meet all the people I've been networking with over the last few weeks! I've been doing a small survey project for my surgeon and it involves me calling a lot of transplant centers. I'm excited to meet people who do exactly what I do! I find at these transplant conferences, there are a lot of liver and kidney coordinators, but heart coordinators are few and far between.

One of my favorite reality shows started last night! I love Top Chef! What a great show for someone who is SO addicted to cooking shows, but can barely boil water! :) I really miss having The Food Network....so this is a good alternative. I'm a sucker for reality TV! Next week, the Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars starts again! How exciting is my week!?! I really am not that attached to my television. I survived in Honduras for 2 weeks without it...I just think reality TV is hilarious! :)

Tomorrow I am going to one of my very sweetest patient's schools. She was transplanted the day after Christmas and is going back to school after spring break. She's so excited for us to do this! I absolutely love her! It will be nice to see her in her natural environment and meet all her friends!

Okay. I guess I've rambled enough. Liberty is sitting on the couch across the room from me, just staring creepily at me. Creepy ween!

I'm alive!

I know, I know...this seems like a strange, yet obvious title. However, if you'll indulge me, I'll explain why it's so amazing! :)

First of all, I get hit by GI bugs very VERY easily. If your friend's friend is throwing up, chances are, I will be soon. I am just very fragile when it comes to that, and I really REALLY hate it! Thursday night, I went to bed feeling full. I hadn't really had all that much to eat, but it still felt odd. I woke up about 10:30 to my pager going off. It was a call with a donor heart...and a request to call my surgeon. After our short conversation and his deciding the heart wasn't good, I ran to the bathroom and the saga began. Thus would be the same for the next 5 hours. Up every 15 minutes. ICK!

About 3AM, I had a brilliant moment. I'd call my doctor and see if she could prescribe me something to stop the vomiting and everything else. Of course, I was thinking CRAZY then...with all the dehydration and all. She called back and said I needed to go to the ER. Lovely. I threw on clothes that were not disgusting or vomited on...got in my car with three plastic bags, and prayed I would not throw up in my car. I had a split second decision to make. I have 2 ER's about the same distance away. I needed to find the one where I thought I would wait less time. I remembered my friend Whitney had told me once about her trip to one of these ER's and how quick and efficient it was. I took a chance and went to that one. Mind you, it was SNOWING and frigid...and 3:30AM. Thankfully, the roads were clear and the snow had yet to cause any drama. I pulled into the ER and walked inside. I was the only person there. I was whisked away to triage and within 10 minutes of my arrival, I already had an IV giving me the fluids I'd lost and nausea medicine to stop the tirade of disgustingness. Hooray! I spent 3 hours there...and to my knowledge, was still the only there when I left at 6:30AM. I still felt exhausted, but no longer wanted to throw up everything that I even looked at. I went home, took the nausea meds the ER doc had given me, and blissfully slept until about 4pm. I got up, attempted to be alive, then went back to sleep for another 11 hours, in attempts to make up for lost sleep time.

Today, I feel refreshed and alive! I'm still not eating much, but that will come back eventually. I've even felt good enough to clean the bathroom...no small feat after all the action it saw Thursday night!

Even better, I'm off this weekend! I'm so glad to have an opportunity to get completely better! Hooray!