Post-Thanksgiving post - SUPER EXCITING NEWS

Good Friday morning, people! I'm at work today (ugh) while many are out and about chopping like maniacs. Last night after leaving the minions at my moms (she's off today and is hanging with them while hubs and I work), Anthony and I decided to stop by Wal-Mart to laugh at the people standing in line waiting for things they don't need. We were surprised to see Wal-Mart was actually already open (7:00PM) and so we went in. People were already lined up at different stations to get their TV's and other electronics. It all seemed very civilized... but by just 20 minutes or so later, things started getting hairy. People getting a little louder, things were a little more crowded and I decided that I had had enough. Outtie.

Alright, so let's rewind. Back to Wednesday evening. I got the most AMAZING news. READY??

BOTH of my surgical reconstructive procedures have been APPROVED by the insurance company!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAAAAAHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

I could NOT believe it when my husband told me I had a voicemail on the house phone that told me they were BOTH approved and we needed to make a date for the surgery BEFORE May. NO PROBLEM. I would do it TOMORROW if I could. But, I am aiming for March.

Why March? Well, there’s a work aspect to it. The hospital is transferring to a new EMR system, and I am a “super user” meaning that I will be taking all of the training 2 times each in order to be secure enough to help the others with the transition. They are asking for us to not take ANY PTO late January through February. Of course, my supervisor said I could if I needed to, but I don’t see any harm in waiting an extra month.

So now, I have a big goal. First, I want to be at goal weight by surgery (170). But even more important, I want to be the fittest and healthiest I can possibly be by then. It will seriously aid my recovery and I’ll be going in there with the best chance possible. It will be a 5 hour procedure, with 2 different surgeons working on me. Any surgery has risks, but being super-fit can reduce that risk by a TON.

SO, obviously I am incredibly excited. I still need to fundraise for my hospital co-pay and for a paychecks worth so my family is not affected financially by this surgery. I can’t guarantee my PTO, because of the kids getting sick, etc, so hubby is donating a week to me (sweetie) and I need to have the $ for at least 2 more weeks. So, my new fundraising goal is $2500. I KNOW that will get us through, and all I will need to do is recover.

Alright, on to Thursday. It really went quite well, I thought. Hubby went for a walk in the AM, we went to church, and then I went for a run when we got home. The weather was gorgeous and I was so thankful for that. I couldn’t run the whole time. Some walking moments, but I felt great. I also made it a point to run up ALL the hills. I did a total of just over 3 miles. My legs are feeling it today. Love it.

After we went to my in-laws. They, of course, made a ton of food. During the “appetizer” time, I stuck with raw veggies and some fresh mozzarella. For dinner (lunch), they had turkey and stuffing and potatoes (mashed, white, and mashed sweet with a shit-storm of brown sugar in them), green bean “casserole”, rolls… you know, carb fest. I chose to have white meat turkey and about ½ cup of the stuffing. I was happy with my choice, but I did get some “looks” because my plate was practically empty. Whatever. We were there for dessert, but it just didn’t look good at all, so there was no fight with myself. Later, we went to my moms. She made spinach lasagna. I had a piece and it was really good. Totally worth it. Once again, I wasn’t interested in pie. We went home, and I had a chunk of really awesome, amazing chocolate and called it a night. My only regret food-wise is that I didn’t drink nearly as much water as I should have.

I really hope everyone out there had an awesome day yesterday. I’m booking out of work early today to start the weekend off right. Love to you all!!