Monday 17th August 2009

Believe it or not, I wrote a massive update to this blog - doing all the usual apologies and excuses for my absence, and the darn internet went off on me and I lost the lot. Ho hum... I will try again !
So, it's been nearly a year since we moved from Northern Ireland to here in Cambridgeshire and it's been an eventful year to say the least ! We moved 3 days before Christmas to our lovely new home which we bought in the nick of time ! It is truly a home now and we are very happy here, and so are the kids. We had to move the kids schools again which was not a decision taken lightly given their upheaval from NI in the first place, however events outside our control in the primary school we had them in meant that moving them was the best bet, and it has turned out to be the right thing for them all. Michael started nursery school there too at the same time, and he is starting in the 'big school' with his brother and sister this september. Rachel has one more year in this school and we have to make the decision again as to where to send her next year for her secondary schooling. Aidan has settled well and has had his educational problems and social difficulties diagnosed as autism now which is something we suspected all along, but it's good to finally have it properly diagnosed and a plan in place for him. I am working just one night a week in a local hospital, and Alan has got a porters job there which he is really enjoying. I quit the weight loss surgery danish company at christmas due to the employers inability to see that the English market is very different to his usual scandinavian clients, and also the fact that he refused to pay me ! I was putting in a 40+ hour week for zip, and that is just an insult that he did not think I was worthy of a wage.
All this aside.... weight loss wise things are just so so. I have endometriosis and progressively things have got pretty bad with it. My gynaecologist tried me on provera three times a day initially but with my tiny stomach pouch, I got the most hideous heartburn which then turned to vomitting, and despite increasing my zantac to 2 and 3 times a day to try and compensate, I knew that I was going to do myself a mischief if I continued with it. I had a bit of a battle to get seen by the consultant again but finally did, and she recommended I had a 6 month course of HRT and Zoladex implants - which works on the pituitary gland in the brain to stop hormone production and induce a menopause. I started the HRT a week before the implant, and my weight increased by 1 stone. Yep- a stone in a week !! I was gutted because my weight had been so stable and I was happy at the weight I was, and then suddenly my lovely size 10 jeans were too tight to wear. I had the zoladex and another 7lbs went on. I have stabilised at 11stone ish now, but this is technically 'overweight' again. I have consoled myself that it was only for 6 months and that this treatment might help take away the pain, but alas I am now at the end of the 6 months course and I have not had a single month's break from the bleeding, and I struggle to keep the weight from ballooning. I had to give in and get size 14 trousers. Alan was right though when he said that a couple of years ago I would have thought all my dreams had come true if I could have fitted into a pair of size 14 anythings ! It's just that at the moment, I don't want to be a size 14 when I have been in a size 10 !
Anyway.... the other thing that has happened this year is I had to have a small umbilical hernia fixed. It was more than likely caused from my tummy tuck and my subsequent rush back to work (because no work = no money) and not giving myself enough time to repair. It popped out when we were moving house from NI and got progressively worse to the point where pushing the trolly around tesco's was painful ! So I have another bit of patchwork on my tum where they have cut and meshed it so it can't pop out again.
Plans for the future ? Well at present I just need to get my health back on track. I just had a horrid week with swine flu, and then subsequently I got a chest infection courtesy of the tamiflu drug. The swine flu was the roughest I have felt in a long time and totally knocked me for six. To add to this, I am anaemic and am now on iron tablets to try and correct this. My Vit B12 was down a bit but Alan stuck a needle in my bum to correct this, and now I just need to get this endometriosis sorted out and my weight back down to where I want it to be, and then I can perhaps think about where to go from here.
I have a very full life with the 3 kids, the house and keeping things ticking by here with family life so I am in no hurry to do too much more. I will play it by ear. I am still here to support and assist anyone who is needing my help with weight loss surgery. It's still a passion of mine, and will always be. I still surprise myself with my reflection even now, and seeing a slim 'me' looking back is wonderful - something I never thought I would have. If I can inspire and help others to feel the same then I am only too happy to do so.
Right... that's the update... I will try not to leave it so long next time !