Quick update on my brother

Thank you all so much for your prayers and good thoughts. My brother made it okay through the surgery yesterday. It took about 6 hours and they removed a tumor the size of a golf ball from the right front side. They've kept him sedated and unconscious and in restraints since the surgery so he won't fight the ventilator. He's away having a CT scan right now to see how things are going and if he's doing all right they should extubate him and let him wake up some time today.

We won't get the biopsy results back until tomorrow at the earliest, more likely it will be Thursday. Apparently brain pathology takes longer. The surgeon told us last night that the tumor looked very agressive and his best guess is that it's a form of melanoma, which is normally associated with skin but can affect the brain as well. They won't talk about any next steps until we get the offical results.

I can't get on the wireless at the hospital which means I can't update and I can't work until I get a wireless card. I'll do that as soon as I can but in the meantime, I'll update again when I have a few minutes to run home like now.

Please keep the good thoughts coming. It's so hard to stay positive when I look at him in that hospital bed, tubes and wires running everywhere, so helpless. So completely different from the sweet, capable, larger-than-life guy I'm used to seeing. He's always taken care of me and it scares me more than I thought possible to see him like this. Thank you guys for everything and please continue to keep us in your thoughts.

Bad news about my brother: brain tumor

Hey guys, I'm home. Comicon was amazing and I have tons of video and pics that I promise to upload soon. But right now, I need all the good wishes and thoughts and karma and prayers you can send my way.

I got a phone call while I was at the airport waiting to leave San Diego this afternoon. It was my brother telling me he has a brain tumor and is having it removed tomorrow. Mr. F picked me up from the airport and took me straight to the hospital - we've just now got back. My brother is in good spirits, the surgeon is optimistic, but they won't really know anything until they get the thing out and biopsy it. They said it's in the front-right side, which is apparently the best place to get a brain tumor if you're going to get one.

He found out Thursday but waited to tell me because he didn't want to ruin my vacation. That's so like him, always thinking about other people first. The surgery is tomorrow at 12:30 MST. Please, please, if you can spare a minute, do whatever it is you can do to help him through this. Please ask anyone who knows me to help. Pray, cross your fingers, send good thoughts, stomp grapes, throw salt, rub a rabbit's foot, anything. We need all the good stuff we can get. I'll update when I know more. Thanks, guys. ♥

OW. *stabbity stab*

DAMN YOU, OVARIES! *shakes tiny fist* Ow ow ow.

OW.

Why must you torment me so? I'm talking to YOU, righty.

NOT ON.

*curls into whimpering ball*

State of the me

Another state of the me... Got back a little while ago from Day 8 birthday drinks with Debra and cousin H1. Yes, it's true, I am officially off the wagon again. Am taking it very easy with the alcohol and having lots of water along with, but it's just nice to be able to go out for drinks with friends again. Was lovely, but H couldn't stay as long as I'd've liked. Great to catch up and chat with them both, though. And H gave me a birthday card and a Starbucks gift card! I can't wait to go get one of those strawberry drinks for my next treat.

Speaking of birthdays, Mr. Fantastic and I had our combined family birthday BBQ at my brother's on Day 6 of My Birthday this weekend. Got tons of great stuff, including a beautiful necklace from one of my SIL's, some gift cards for department stores (great for buying new clothes when I need them!) and a Flying Spaghetti Monster emblem for my car. Also, I ate some ice cream and it was yummy and didn't make me sick as I've been told any kind of sugar would do, due to my surgery. It was nice to know I can have a little indulgence now and then.

Speaking of health, had a doctor's appointment on Monday to draw some labs in preparation for my 3 month follow-up with my surgeon next week. (Can you believe it's been three months since my surgery?! I can't!) Blood pressure went from 146/92 before surgery to 120/70. Quite an improvement. I can't wait to see the results of my blood work - cholesterol and such. Should be interesting. Have now lost a total of 45 pounds. Yippee!

However, I am officially an Old Person. Because of the surgery, there's like a million pills I have to take every day, both morning and night. I kept forgetting which ones I took and when and so I finally broke down and got one of these: a pill organizer. Sigh. Also got a B-12 shot while I was at the doc's office, so that's one less pill I have to take every day. Plus, I really, really HATE the way that B-12 pill tastes, and I can't just swallow it, I have to let it sit under my tongue until it's gone. Blecch. But the shot is good for a month, so Yay, no more nasty B-12.

Last time I was at the grocery store, I bought Alba shave cream. This stuff ROCKS. It's more like a lotion than your tpical shaving cream, and it's a billion times better than any foam-type shaving cream I have ever used. It makes shaving so easy and so much less of a chore that I have been inspired to shave my legs more than once a month. Plus, super-soft skin when I'm done and no nicks. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Various and sundry

You want to know just how fantastic Mr. Fantastic is? Unprompted, he DVR’d the Spelling Bee for me. That’s love, man. Or at least, that’s knowing exactly how big a geek I am. And still loving me anyway.

Speaking of Mr. F loving me…do you know how much better sex is after you’ve lost 40 pounds? LOTS. The difference is all on my end – things feel different physically and I feel different mentally and in general the whole thing is way more fun. However, showing up at your 9 a.m. meeting sporting beard burn and bite marks may be slightly unprofessional. If I’d also been drunk it would’ve been just like college.

Speaking of sex…due to my surgery, I’m not allowed to get pregnant until next year. And my surgeon does not recommend that I take the Pill because in some people it doesn’t absorb as well as it should. So at my annual exam yesterday, I got a new form of birth control: the patch. I’m Paris Hilton! Except for the jail thing. So, anybody have any feedback about the patch? The doctor gave me a sample to try for a month to see if it’s what I want to use, but I’d love to hear from you all.

Also, apparently, it’s Blog Like It’s the End of the World Day. Um. So, eek, zombies are eating my cube neighbor and I fear I’m next. At least I got laid this morning.

6 week follow up: 33 pounds!

Had my 6 week follow up today and got weighed. Total lost so far is 33 pounds. I was worried it wasn't enough but they tell me it's right on target for where I am. Not that 33 isn't great! They say that's a typical reaction in bariatric patients and it's why they tell you to stay away from the scale.

After the doc, the went to my local Curves and joined up, as they were doing a 3 months free deal and I figured now's the time to do it. I have to go have my orientation (maybe Friday) and then I'm ready to go. Yay! I'm actually looking forward to really working out and doing some resistance training. I feel so weak - not as a result of the surgery or anything, just in general, I feel like I'm not very strong. So maybe I'll be able to open pickle jars for myself in the near future.

State of the weight

It's hard for me to tell where I've lost weight since I'm mostly still wearing stretchy waistband pants and/or not getting out of my jammies for much of the day.

I did try on some jeans the other day and had to tighten the belt by two notches, which totally rocked. Am still dutifully hiding my scale so I dunno how much I've lost. I think it's hard to tell anywhere else, but I can definitely see in the pics that I've taken that I've lost a lot around my middle. So yay for that, definitely! *\o/*

27 pounds!

Had my one month follow-up today and I've lost 27 pounds already!

me me me

I was just in the shower listening to music (Shut up. Yes, apparently this working-from-home thing means I'm in my pj's until 3 p.m. So what. It's comfortable.) Anyway, I had it on shuffle and the last two songs were Seasons of Love, from Rent, and F*** Me on the Dance Floor by Princess Superstar. Oh, iPod, how I love you and your wacky choices.

So, who watched Grey's Anatomy last week? I finally did, and BWAHAHAHAHA! Col. Caldwell gets a candiru! Hee. In other t.v. news, yes, I'm watching Dancing with the Stars, and no, I am not ashamed to say, YES, I have a giant crush on Joey Fatone. He incorporated a light saber into the tango. I have no defense against that.

As far as how I'm feeling, I feel great. For the most part, better than before the surgery, even. I think I've lost at least 25 pounds now, and can really tell when I walk the flight of stairs from the parking garage to the lobby to get the mail. WAY easier already. The incisions are all healing up great, you can hardly even tell some of them are there anymore, and the neck business is barely noticeable now. Still a bit of pain on the left side but it's totally not bad. I have a follow-up with Dr. Snyder tomorrow, so I'll get weighed. Also, I'm hoping to get the all clear for nookie again. Keep your fingers crossed.

Also, note to self: Do not chew gum. Tiny Tummy does NOT like it. Blecch. Barfing up mint-flavored foam is not as pleasant as it sounds.

Getting back to work; getting better

Spoke to my boss today and we've decided to start me on half-days from home this week. It's still hard to sit for long periods, but he totally doesn't care when or really how much I work, as long as I keep up with the e-mail. So, getting back to the real world for me!

Put up a few more pictures of my neck and surgical sites. The neck is a million times better. I was finally able to shower and I loofahed the heck out of it and got all the dead skin off. Way less itchy and looks better. Belly looks better too, although I'm having some trouble with the incision where the drain came out. It feels like it's not closing up and hurts. Mr. Fantastic cleaned it up and put a butterfly bandage on it, and I'm going to pop in to the Doc's office tomorrow and ask him to look at it. It feels a lot better with the bandage, so maybe it needs to be glued shut like the others.

Trying to stay hydrated is a pain - literally - I can't gulp water like I used to, and when I forget and take too big a mouthful, Tiny Tummy protests ouchily. That's taking some getting used to. The good news is I'm not craving any foods or wishing I could eat. So far the cottage cheese, protein pudding and yougurt are doing me just fine, even if it is only an ounce at a time. Takes me half hour to eat it anyway!