Yeppers ... after just over a year of waiting, a gaggle of hoops, doctors, nurses and bureaucrats - it is finally time ... I have the date of my gastric sleeve surgery.

Woot to the HOO! also ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckoh ... what have I done?!

It's a strange feeling to be this much at odds with how I feel about the same issue. Gratitude and doubt ... elation and abject fear ... hope and anxiety - all rolled up into one fajita of crazy. Yup! That's me.

November 16th is the big day. One month from today - 31 days. 4 days before my 38th birthday ... I should even be home by then.

I'm on a 1200 calorie per day diet until then, consisting mostly of "full nutritious fluids" (as they call them). Things like Boost, Ensure, protein shakes and Carnation Instant Breakfast. I am allowed to 'chew' at the evening meal. A lean protein, 2 cups of raw veggies and 1 cup of steamed veggies. And chew, I do. Gratefully. Just like a grazing cow. Fitting, no?

Well .. my husband actually pointed out a number of years ago, that I could not realistically refer to myself as a cow ... due mainly to the fact that my legs are CLEARLY not skinny enough. 

Nobody is more surprised than me that he still urinates without the intervention of modern medicine.

I also have to get my activity level up to a certain tolerance prior to surgery, as blood clots are the biggest immediate concern with having this done, and walking is (apparently) the best way to avoid them.

Gall stones are also a concern - as it is very likely I will be down A HUNDRED pounds  (I gotta say ... that is hard to imagine) by roughly May of 2011. They have already given me a 6 month prescription for a medication that will counteract whatever it is that causes stones, from losing weight at that pace. That will leave me with roughly 38 lbs to go to reach my goal... as I have already lost 11.

I'm stoked ... and scared ... did I mention scared? But mostly stoked.

I also won a 6 month family pass to a local motel's swimming pool/spa area. This gives me unlimited access to their facility until May (as it starts in Nov) - talk about perfect timing. Also - it is located just 2 minutes from where I work - so I will be able to go over on my lunch hour ... which is great, as eating lunch will likely only take me a few minutes from here on out.

So ... there's the big news in my little world. 

I'm ready with my sharpie to X off the days from here on out. The first day of the rest of my life, if you will.

Thanks for listening.

D