Today I claim success. Victory, of sorts. Though I was under a lot of stress today I did not graze. I did not make poor choices. The temptations were there...trust me; sweets, breads, rice. But I made good healthy choices today.
I fully believe its because I started my prayers this morning with this, "Father, I choose You over food. I ask that you help me to say no to the temptations." And I believe with all my heart that He is the reason I was able to do so today. The cheesecake / pie / desserts didn't even look appealing at lunch. I chose fruit. The croissants for the chicken salad looked lovely... but I was satisfied with no bread at all. Chips? No thank you. Salad? Yes, please!
It may seem like a silly post this evening, but it is my way of claiming today. Of remembering that this gift God has given me is to be taken care of properly. I am thankful and need to keep focused every moment of every day. I refuse to let food control me ever again!
Thank you God for answering my prayer!
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"I praise you [God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~Psalm 139:14
A-Weigh We Go
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
I Can Pray
CME and I were at Walmart this past weekend when we were approached by the mom of a friend of our oldest son. I don't know her exact words, but it went something like this... "I need you to do me a big favor. I need you to pray for my husband. He's in the hospital in <city 90 miles away> and isn't doing well."
He had gastric bypass in that city about a week or so ago. He was sent home, but had a leak, became septic and had a hematoma on his liver. His kidneys were even beginning to shut down. She was needing to finish some last minute purchases before school started this morning and then was leaving the kids with friends and heading back to the hospital. I'm not sure that she knew I had RNY...though I'm guessing she did. But that's not why she approached us. She wanted...needed...prayer. So I prayed with her...right there in the kitchen gadget aisle. I prayed for complete healing for her husband and for peace for her and her children as they navigate this time. Our son asked the friend today how her dad was doing; she said he seems to be better. Praise God! Though I know that prayers are still needed.
I don't really know how to describe how hearing her husband's story made me feel. Grateful? Yes. Saddened? Yes. Guilty that God has blessed me and my surgery? Yes. Confused as to why others (those who have a personal relationship with Jesus like I do and those who don't) have complications? Of course. I am reminded that this family will not have the same experience that I have had. I am reminded that gastric bypass surgery is not the "easy way" out. I am reminded that the gift He has given me is not to be taken for granted.
What I do know is that this family needs prayer. There's not a lot I can do in this situation, but I can pray. I am thankful that she felt compelled to ask us. I am grateful that God has given me the courage to pray in the middle of a public place - not caring what the world may think about that. But most of all, I am so humbled that we have a Creator that loves us and hears our prayers...always.
So...how can I pray for you?
________________________________________________
"I praise you [God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~Psalm 139:14
He had gastric bypass in that city about a week or so ago. He was sent home, but had a leak, became septic and had a hematoma on his liver. His kidneys were even beginning to shut down. She was needing to finish some last minute purchases before school started this morning and then was leaving the kids with friends and heading back to the hospital. I'm not sure that she knew I had RNY...though I'm guessing she did. But that's not why she approached us. She wanted...needed...prayer. So I prayed with her...right there in the kitchen gadget aisle. I prayed for complete healing for her husband and for peace for her and her children as they navigate this time. Our son asked the friend today how her dad was doing; she said he seems to be better. Praise God! Though I know that prayers are still needed.
I don't really know how to describe how hearing her husband's story made me feel. Grateful? Yes. Saddened? Yes. Guilty that God has blessed me and my surgery? Yes. Confused as to why others (those who have a personal relationship with Jesus like I do and those who don't) have complications? Of course. I am reminded that this family will not have the same experience that I have had. I am reminded that gastric bypass surgery is not the "easy way" out. I am reminded that the gift He has given me is not to be taken for granted.
What I do know is that this family needs prayer. There's not a lot I can do in this situation, but I can pray. I am thankful that she felt compelled to ask us. I am grateful that God has given me the courage to pray in the middle of a public place - not caring what the world may think about that. But most of all, I am so humbled that we have a Creator that loves us and hears our prayers...always.
So...how can I pray for you?
________________________________________________
"I praise you [God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~Psalm 139:14
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
We Interrupt this Blog...
...for a "guest" post from Paige at Finding Joy in the Journey. She has beautifully posted about the cowardly bombings at the Boston marathon yesterday. Though I've never run in a marathon...or even a half marathon...I know the bond between runners is strong. I've witnessed it in even the 5k races I've participated in over the past year. Paige gave me permission to link to her blog...so please take the time to read the entry at the link below.
Praying for God's peace...one that only HE can provide...for the racers, their families and friends, for the community and for our nation.
Read Paige's entry here: My Boston Friends
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"I praise you [God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~Psalm 139:14
Praying for God's peace...one that only HE can provide...for the racers, their families and friends, for the community and for our nation.
Read Paige's entry here: My Boston Friends
________________________________________________
"I praise you [God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~Psalm 139:14
Monday, January 28, 2013
Could Use a Little Prayer
So this post is totally off the WLS topic, but our household could use a little extra prayer. Seems like that oh-so-nasty stomach bug has hit our home. I'm not sure exactly what it is, to be honest. Each of the boys had headache/cold/fever symptoms last week into this weekend. But have been fever-free yesterday and today.
Then, this morning our oldest woke up with nausea and dry heaves. I kept him home from school. He threw up a couple of times throughout the day coupled with diarrhea. The youngest woke up complaining of his stomach hurting, but since there was no fever and he wasn't vomiting, he thought he could make it. Wrong. My phone at work rang at 10:15 because he was in the nurse's office not feeling well and since his brother had the bug, well, they sent him home. Smart move. Diarrhea hit him first and then vomiting at 3:00pm. UGH!
Not only did the boys catch whatever it is that's going around, CME's Mom and step-dad were in town this weekend and my mother-in-law caught it too! Made for a really long ride home back to Michigan for them! (So sorry D!) So far, CME and I haven't had the stomach issue.
I've Clorox-wiped down everything the boys could have touched. The smell of Lysol permeates through the house. This may seem silly to say, but I'm a little fearful of what a stomach virus would do to my pouch. I mean, I know people get sick after gastric bypass, but if I can somehow avoid it, please God, let me!
So, if you're the praying type, will you keep our family in your prayers? Pray that the boys and my in-laws recover quickly and pray that CME and I avoid this nasty virus!
________________________________________________
"I praise you [God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~Psalm 139:14
Then, this morning our oldest woke up with nausea and dry heaves. I kept him home from school. He threw up a couple of times throughout the day coupled with diarrhea. The youngest woke up complaining of his stomach hurting, but since there was no fever and he wasn't vomiting, he thought he could make it. Wrong. My phone at work rang at 10:15 because he was in the nurse's office not feeling well and since his brother had the bug, well, they sent him home. Smart move. Diarrhea hit him first and then vomiting at 3:00pm. UGH!
Not only did the boys catch whatever it is that's going around, CME's Mom and step-dad were in town this weekend and my mother-in-law caught it too! Made for a really long ride home back to Michigan for them! (So sorry D!) So far, CME and I haven't had the stomach issue.
I've Clorox-wiped down everything the boys could have touched. The smell of Lysol permeates through the house. This may seem silly to say, but I'm a little fearful of what a stomach virus would do to my pouch. I mean, I know people get sick after gastric bypass, but if I can somehow avoid it, please God, let me!
So, if you're the praying type, will you keep our family in your prayers? Pray that the boys and my in-laws recover quickly and pray that CME and I avoid this nasty virus!
________________________________________________
"I praise you [God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~Psalm 139:14
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Horror Stories
We've all heard them. The gastric bypass horror stories. The stories from a friend who knew someone whose relative had gastric bypass and it was horrible. As in that old "telephone" game, the story is usually exaggerated by the time it's retold the 1,000,000,000th time. So, usually I don't listen to those. I knew before the surgery that there are stories like those out there. I knew the risks associated with the surgery. I chose to trust God with this decision (not to infer others didn't) for my life and proceed with this journey.
Yesterday, I heard a snippet of one of those horror stories. This time was different. This time it was from the patient herself - someone I've known for about a year. It wasn't a second-hand story and it wasn't hearsay. It was her life and her experience with gastric bypass. Not only that, it was through the same bariatric center and surgeon that I have. Obviously it caught my attention. She didn't start the conversation, I did. I had heard the second-hand cliff notes version so decided to ask her about it. I'm glad that I did, though I must confess it put a tiny bit of concern into my brain.
Disclaimer...excuse me if I mess up some of the medical facts, or forget some. I am relying on my memory and was trying to absorb all she said. (Again, it's like that old telephone game!)
Some years ago, she was the second patient of surgeon when gastric bypass was started in our city. Her surgery was open, not laparoscopic. She didn't have any complications and the first 12-15 months were glorious for her. Weight came off, she felt successful, etc. The one thing she kept experiencing after the initial year or so was a constant pain in her stomach. Though she kept addressing it with surgeon she felt as though her concerns were brushed off. According to her, bariatric center even suggested that she see a psychologist - which she did since she was also dealing with depression from the pain. Long story, but after a scope was done, they found an ulcer. She said she felt as if surgeon thought she had done something wrong to get an ulcer...that she wasn't following the plan, etc. (I do understand that not everyone's feelings are reality, but I do not dismiss the fact that it's truly how she felt!) Meds wouldn't fix it so they made the decision to do surgery and cut out the ulcer. That's when they found out that her stomach had perforated...to her liver??. Not sure if that's what she said, but it's what I remember and I know that's NOT a good thing. So they fix the pouch and a little later she suffers from another ulcer, another perforation and another surgery. Add to that the fact that she had to be sent home with a feeding tube. To make a long story short, her health was NOT good...and NOT improving. She could barely walk around her house, had no energy at all and was pretty well bedridden. It was so bad that a nurse told her she was in stage 3 starvation and sent hospice to talk with her. After literally being on the brink of death, the decision was made to do a reversal. Since her reversal - her stomach doesn't work properly. The vagus nerve that communicates between the stomach and the brain is pretty much broken so she has no concept of hunger or fullness. (That nerve also has other functions, but I didn't ask her if those functions were affected as well.) She says she's doing "ok" as she puts it... 99% better than at her worst. Still, she cannot eat more than 2 oz at a time and has severe hypoglycemia. She wasn't complaining, necessarily. She just said that she has learned to "deal with" the life she's living. She did say that she wished she had never had the surgery.
I really didn't think our conversation affected me negatively. I was wanting to know so I could be informed. But as the day went on...and as today has gone on, her story has had more of an impact on me that I originally thought. I'm really trying to keep the worry out of my thoughts, but here's what's happening in my brain: I feel good. (So did she at my stage). I placed this journey in God's hands. (She's a believer too...think she didn't?) I'll be sure to bring issues to the attention of surgeon/bariatric center as soon as they arise. (She did that...but felt dismissed.) Yes...these are the games that the evil one is playing with me today. Today's message at church was on the healing power of prayer and the timing was perfect. I will continue to be in prayer as I progress in this journey and ask that you pray for me as well. I will add this person to my prayer list. She needs prayer as much or more than I do at this point! She's not in anyway angry at or blaming God. She is, however battling feelings of guilt of having the surgery done and is still suffering through the complications she's experienced. Praise for her though...she's not been in the hospital in the past 9 months which she said is a record since her problems began!
So I'm needing to hear some positives. Some encouraging words. If you've had gastric bypass and are years out, please share your experiences. If you've never had gastric bypass and have some encouraging words or Scripture, please share that as well. You can comment anonymously on my blog...feel free to do so in order for others to hear those encouraging words as well! But most of all, please keep "C" in your prayers. He is the Healer!
________________________________________________
"I praise you [God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~Psalm 139:14
Yesterday, I heard a snippet of one of those horror stories. This time was different. This time it was from the patient herself - someone I've known for about a year. It wasn't a second-hand story and it wasn't hearsay. It was her life and her experience with gastric bypass. Not only that, it was through the same bariatric center and surgeon that I have. Obviously it caught my attention. She didn't start the conversation, I did. I had heard the second-hand cliff notes version so decided to ask her about it. I'm glad that I did, though I must confess it put a tiny bit of concern into my brain.
Disclaimer...excuse me if I mess up some of the medical facts, or forget some. I am relying on my memory and was trying to absorb all she said. (Again, it's like that old telephone game!)
Some years ago, she was the second patient of surgeon when gastric bypass was started in our city. Her surgery was open, not laparoscopic. She didn't have any complications and the first 12-15 months were glorious for her. Weight came off, she felt successful, etc. The one thing she kept experiencing after the initial year or so was a constant pain in her stomach. Though she kept addressing it with surgeon she felt as though her concerns were brushed off. According to her, bariatric center even suggested that she see a psychologist - which she did since she was also dealing with depression from the pain. Long story, but after a scope was done, they found an ulcer. She said she felt as if surgeon thought she had done something wrong to get an ulcer...that she wasn't following the plan, etc. (I do understand that not everyone's feelings are reality, but I do not dismiss the fact that it's truly how she felt!) Meds wouldn't fix it so they made the decision to do surgery and cut out the ulcer. That's when they found out that her stomach had perforated...to her liver??. Not sure if that's what she said, but it's what I remember and I know that's NOT a good thing. So they fix the pouch and a little later she suffers from another ulcer, another perforation and another surgery. Add to that the fact that she had to be sent home with a feeding tube. To make a long story short, her health was NOT good...and NOT improving. She could barely walk around her house, had no energy at all and was pretty well bedridden. It was so bad that a nurse told her she was in stage 3 starvation and sent hospice to talk with her. After literally being on the brink of death, the decision was made to do a reversal. Since her reversal - her stomach doesn't work properly. The vagus nerve that communicates between the stomach and the brain is pretty much broken so she has no concept of hunger or fullness. (That nerve also has other functions, but I didn't ask her if those functions were affected as well.) She says she's doing "ok" as she puts it... 99% better than at her worst. Still, she cannot eat more than 2 oz at a time and has severe hypoglycemia. She wasn't complaining, necessarily. She just said that she has learned to "deal with" the life she's living. She did say that she wished she had never had the surgery.
I really didn't think our conversation affected me negatively. I was wanting to know so I could be informed. But as the day went on...and as today has gone on, her story has had more of an impact on me that I originally thought. I'm really trying to keep the worry out of my thoughts, but here's what's happening in my brain: I feel good. (So did she at my stage). I placed this journey in God's hands. (She's a believer too...think she didn't?) I'll be sure to bring issues to the attention of surgeon/bariatric center as soon as they arise. (She did that...but felt dismissed.) Yes...these are the games that the evil one is playing with me today. Today's message at church was on the healing power of prayer and the timing was perfect. I will continue to be in prayer as I progress in this journey and ask that you pray for me as well. I will add this person to my prayer list. She needs prayer as much or more than I do at this point! She's not in anyway angry at or blaming God. She is, however battling feelings of guilt of having the surgery done and is still suffering through the complications she's experienced. Praise for her though...she's not been in the hospital in the past 9 months which she said is a record since her problems began!
So I'm needing to hear some positives. Some encouraging words. If you've had gastric bypass and are years out, please share your experiences. If you've never had gastric bypass and have some encouraging words or Scripture, please share that as well. You can comment anonymously on my blog...feel free to do so in order for others to hear those encouraging words as well! But most of all, please keep "C" in your prayers. He is the Healer!
________________________________________________
"I praise you [God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~Psalm 139:14
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