I know I haven’t been updating here much but there hasn’t been much to say. I’m still having trouble with my tummy and I’m not sure why. Nothing to worry about, it’s just annoying. I can’t figure out if I’m having chronic dumping or if there’s something else going on. I’m also losing my hair a lot now. That’s totally normal and will happen for the next three to six months. It still creates a mess though! It’s not as bad as before the Graves Disease was diagnosed. The Graves made my hair brittle and rough and it fell out quite a bit. It looked horrible! At least this time it’s just falling out. Having the perm does help it not be so noticeable.
I was told about a protein drink combo and I tried it and I love it! You mix the Banana Scream flavor with the Sunrise Crystal Lite. The Sunrise flavor is called Classic Orange. You mix them together and it’s a creamish (but not thick, I have a hard time drinking thick stuff) and really good. It’s not too sweet. It’s kind of like a bahama mama type mixed drink without the nasty alcohol flavor.
I’m still amazed at how little I eat. It doesn’t bother me, I am still really amused by it. For example, I went out with a friend Friday night and got a 10 ounce steak with greenbeans and a salad. I ate a few bites of the salad, didn’t touch the roll. I still got two meals and a snack out of the meal. The food went down ok but I do have some trouble with steak. Most people do and I’ve been lucky so far. Nothing like getting the foamies in front of a large group of people!
I then covered a meeting for the community college and they had lunches for everyone. They had salad, a giant wrap (two pieces that were like six inches long each), a pickle and some Baked Lays. They also had chocolate cake. I didn’t have the cake or the salad. I ended up getting three meals out of that. I nibbled on the chips with the first two meals and for each meal I just ate 2/3 of each half of the wrap. I know that doesn’t sound right but that really is three servings LOL. Two-thirds of the first one leaves one-third. The next time I ate I had the last one-third of the first half then one-third or so of the second half. That creates two thirds. That left two-thirds of the second half which I had for lunch today. Isn’t my math ability astounding?
I am preparing to do my taxes or at least get some of the information ready. I still have to get my W2 from work. The cool thing I’m finding out about having the surgery this year plus all the Grave’s Disease is that my expenses are all tax deductible. The IRS allows deductions once your medical expenses reach 7.5 percent of your taxable income. Considering I was dealing with a $1,500 deductible and a $5,000 out of pocket max (not including the deductible), I have definitely met that requirement! I’ve been saving all of my receipts. Once you meet that limit you can count mileage and tolls and other related expenses. I need to figure out how many times I drove to and from Tulsa. I have all the toll receipts. I’m hoping to get a pretty decent refund that I can use to apply towards my loan and put some in savings to save up for all the medical expenses I’ll incur this year! My new insurance doesn’t pay for any follow ups that are related to obesity treatment so I don’t know what will happen with my follow ups. They might be able to code it so it doesn’t seem like obesity treatment. Blech. Enough about that crap. It’s nothing to worry about, just something I need to take care of.
I’ve gone through more of my clothes and found stuff that fits or almost fits. I found a sweater that I think has always fit me but now it fits really well. It needs to be shaved though and I hate doing that. It’s weird that all these clothes are fitting me now but my old clothes for the most part are still fitting me too. The issue is that most of my clothes are stretchy material so they are just conforming to my new body. I have SOOOO many clothes now that I have a hard time telling what I have. I’ve gone through my closets again and pulled out clothes that don’t fit any more or that I simply don’t like anymore. Between my recent closet go through and the sack I have out in storage, I have two large trash bags filled with clothes to give away. I’m kinda picky about giving them to people who have had the surgery instead of Goodwill. I want them to benefit someone who is experiencing the same things I am. Kinda like a club, LOL.
I’m still working on the exercise thing. The place I looked at here to swim isn’t as accessible as they say. There is a place that is free but it’s 30 minutes away. I also don’t have a swimsuit that fits right. I have some friends who are sending me some of theirs so that should resolve itself.
Well I need to work on laundry and run to the store so I’ll stop rambling.
Jamie