A New Life - Brought to you by Plexus!

I feel amazing! How you might ask, well, let me tell you.  Back in February I joined Plexus Worldwide as and independent ambassador. What is Plexus you might ask, well, let me tell you. Plexus is a plant based health and wellness supplement system that has given me my life back.  It is NOT a diet, loosing weight is a side effect of the products.  Great side effect! There are so many things that Plexus has freed me from that it is going to take me a few posts to get through them all and each day I discover more.  It has been 3 months now that I have been taking my Plexus products and I am becoming a product of the products.  I sleep better, I have more energy, I don't have migraines anymore and I am completely off my migraine meds for almost 2 weeks now.  I don't have bowel pain or need to visit the restroom 20 minutes after every time I eat anything and my chronic back and shoulder pain is almost unmentionable because it isn't really there anymore. I have lost some inches, but not much for scale numbers dropping, but that is ok.  I didn't put on this much weight overnight, so I am sure not going to loose it over night.  I am pumped about Plexus and will be sharing so much more.  

Playground Exersice

Well, I started my day with some good cardio.  I took my kids to school this morning and hung out a while to be able to take pictures of my son's class as his friend "Flat Jeremiah" came from Australia today.  We got there before school officially started and the kids were outside playing, so I went out with my 3 munchkins and somehow ended up in a heated game of tag.  I admit, I wasn't wearing very good tag shoes, but it was fun.  The game started with just a few kids and grew.  I kept getting asked if kids could join, of course!  Being the only adult in the game which involved kids from our 4-H Club, Church and kids from the day care I used to work at along with a lot of kids I didn't know, I was the prime target of being "It".  I wouldn't mind starting my day like that everyday.  It was fun and I got that heart rate up in a safe and healthy manner.  

Today, the scale read........ 272.8 lbs.

Total loss to date = 7 lbs. 

Weekend Success Despite Some Bumps

I had a week moment this weekend.  I had a few chips with dip when my kids had some for lunch the other day.  Boy was that a mistake.  My guts were dancing in knots all day yesterday and all last night.  Yuck!  Not doing that again.  Despite my "bump" in my journey, and I am sure that there will be many, this morning I still pulled a loosing number on the scale this morning.  Happy day!

And the scale says....... 273.2 lbs.

That is a total loss of 6.6 lbs in one week.

I think that I am heading in the right direction.  Finally!  Unfortunately all I needed was a death scare to wake me up.  I know that I won't continue to always loose 6+ lbs every week, but my goal is a 2 lbs loss each week or better.  That is a healthy rate.  I am not setting an ending date that I want to get to "half of me", I just want to keep loosing until I get there.  "Half of Me" is a long journey and I will have hills and valleys.  This is my fight for life, my fight to see my kids grow up and be there each step of the way, my fight to spend as much time with my hubby as I can get.  Nothing in life is certain but I am going to do my darnedest to do what is in my power to make it go as long as I can.   

Anxiety Overload

My heart races.

My stomach is queezy.

Anxiety goes through the roof.

Ever since Sunday, my anxiety has been on overload.  I am worried about having another attack like on Sunday.  I am worried that once my temporary prescription runs out I am going to have stomach trouble again before I am able to go to my Dr. appt. on the 23rd.  I have been using my PRN anxiety meds more than I have in the last 6 mounts and because of the anxiety increase migraines have increased.  YUCK!

On a brighter note.... the scale this morning read 276.4 lbs.  

That is a 3.4 lbs loss!

I am very excited.  Work, my homework & kids' homework has been so busy that I haven't had time to get out and walk yet.  I know... excuses!  This too will change.  For me, I need to do this slowly.  Change one thing at a time, right now that is food: types, portions, timing.  I am the type of person who needs to nail one thing first than nail the next if I am going to do things right.  At least I am going in the right direction.  Anxiety will always be a factor in my life.  It is genetic for me.  

One step at a time.  

I found this picture on a friend's Facebook page this morning and it fits me completely.  It is from the NAIDW- National Association of Injured & Disabled Workers's page, but it can fit any obstacle one may be going through.

It Is A Start

Positive progress today as I stepped on the scale.  I am now at 278.4 lbs and I have just changed my eating in the last couple of days.  I am still in need of getting out and making a real concerted effort to exercise, but it is a start.  I am hoping in the next month or so I can save up enough money to buy myself a good bike that I can ride on our roads up here and in the gravel - which are a lot of our roads.  I do have a nice fat butt bike seat, but the bike I have is a piece and needs to go.  I want to be able to bike the 7 miles from my house to work.

So Far So Good

Well, today is an ok day.  I am not feeling real well stomach wise, but I have been eating better.  I have had no sweets or junk food, very little bread products, no sugary drinks or spicy foods.  I have had lots of fresh veggies & fruit and good low fat dairy (can't take the milk away from this farm girl) along with good lean protein.  I am still very exhausted, but that may be from a combination of feeling like I was dying this weekend, massive anxiety attack and my Nexium which says may cause sleepiness.  On Monday in class I almost fell asleep, I NEVER do that and yesterday and today I could have put my head down on my desk at work and fallen fast asleep.  I have to get control of this tired issue and soon.  Not much more to update at this point, still waiting for my Dr. Appt. 2 weeks from today.

Eye Opening

On April 5 & 6 I experienced something that I never want to experience again.  I though I was having a heart attack.  It all started about 9:30 on Saturday evening with severe heartburn/re-flux.  Not out of the normal, I have had that many times before and when I do I always feel the pain up my spine in the the back.  This time it got worse, I couldn't lay down in bed or even be comfortable in the recliner.  My dear hubby had to be to work at 2 am.  I walked all night trying to releive the pain.  I drank milk, I tried a few "home remedies" I found on Pinterest and I didn't have any Tums, Zantac, or Maalox.  Nothing.  It got so bad that I vomited severely many times that night.  I wanted to go to the ED (emergency department) or the store or something to find relief, but our 3 young children were sleeping.

Finally at 5:20 am I could not take it any longer.  The pain was not just re-flux/heartburn pain it was like the top of my stomach, diaphragm and lower lungs were on fire.  It hurt to breath, it hurt to walk, it hurt to talk.  Being a former EMT, still an Emergency Medical Responder trainer and Pre-ADN student, I knew things were getting bad.  I called my hubby at work to see if he could get off early (he had to work until 10 am) and take me in.  He said to wake the kids and have them get dressed and he would be home as soon as possible.  He is a jailer/dispatcher for the county we live in.  I woke the kids, they got dressed and into the car.  By the time I got myself down to the car Hubby was driving in the driveway and jumped in the car.  My upper stomach hurt so much I couldn't sit still, I would crunch up and then stretch out, I tried to breath through the pain like labor breathing.  This was so much worse than that and I was in labor with my son for 36+ hours counting 3 hours of hard pushing only to discover he was stuck face up and I needed a c-section.  Just over halfway to the closest hospital (not our preferred one - too far to go) my lips started to feel numb.  I could picture all of the training videos that I have watched over and over while training people in EMR.  Then my upper stomach contracted like it was the worst labor contraction in the world and I felt it in my back as well.  Then my arms went numb and I had a hard time moving them, my breathing became very labored and I couldn't get enough air.  I told hubby that we needed to call 911 because I thought that I was having a heart attack.  I handed him my phone, the kids in the back seat started crying, they know what 911 means, we have trained them.  Hubby had a hard time dialing so I took the phone back and I called.  It was so hard to talk and I was talking to hubby's co-workers.  They got the nearest Ambo going to meet us and hubby kept talking to them until we saw them.  I kept telling the kids it was alright and that I loved them, trying to stay calm for them and for hubby.

I didn't want to die.  I knew it was a possibility.  The number one thing that heart attacks are mistaken for are heartburn, I teach that all of the time.  Here I thought it was happening to me.  I am morbidly obese at 279.8 lbs and 38 years old, I have a family history of heart attack with my father who experienced that 10 years ago, my bp (blood pressure) has been on and off elevated, but not too bad and I have had higher cholesterol also.  I am a prime candidate.

Once the Ambo got there, I was out of the car and into the rig before the EMT's even got out of the front seat.  Like I said being a former EMT for this ambulance service, I know my way around a rig.  I started telling them everything I knew that the needed to know, OPQRST: onset, provocation, quality of pain, region/radiate, severity and time as well as SAMPLE history: signs and symptoms, allergies, meds, past pertinent history, last oral intake and events leading up to.  Anything to make it quicker.  They put me on O2 and my O2 SATS were 110% which was good.  I was still having pain and difficulty breathing for a time in the rig and then all of a sudden my stomach pain was gone.  My arms and lips were still numb and breathing was still rough, but it was better.

At the ED, my EKG was fine, O2 still good and pain was gone.  They couldn't get my veins to cooperate to put in an IV or take blood.  I had a chest X-ray which was clear, no pneumonia.  They also ran a urine which should a slightly higher blood sugar.  After all of that they figure that it may be the start of ulcers or gal-bladder issues compounded by my already diagnosed anxiety issues.  My grandmother had her gall-bladder removed and also had anxiety issues.  I got a 10 day prescription for Nexium and was told to follow up with my regular Doc.

Right than and there I decided that I have to make a change.  I have to get my health under control, eat better, exercise more and loose weight.  I believe I can safely loose half of me, hence the title of this blog.  I need accountability, guidance and help.  This blog is my way to keep track of my progress, spread the word of getting and being healthy and maybe find some accountability along the way.  My goal is to loose 140 lbs safely and not unhealthily fast.  I am not sure of what program I will use yet, but first off is just paying attention to what I eat, no grease (gall-bladders issues don't like grease or fat), no artificial sweeteners and limiting natural sweeteners, keep up my calcium intake as well as Iron because taking Nexium messes that up.  I have a follow up appointment on April 23rd (not within the 10 days I had hoped - but it is scheduled) and I am going to start walking again, October Whistle Stop half will be here before I know it and this will be my 3rd.

So here is to my journey to loose half of me and to never experience Saturday night/Sunday morning again.  Wish me luck!