DAY 69 - MIRACLES STILL HAPPEN!!!

Well hello there! This is a picture of me on Saturday, the day after my surgery. I had hoped to blog by Sunday, but that just wasn't in the cards. Let me bring things up to date. If you read my previous blog post(s) you are aware the my saline implant ruptured last week and this past Tuesday I saw the plastic surgeon who let me know that I would have to have surgery by Friday or Monday. (I opted for Friday) but I also needed to fly to Houston for work THAT DAY and thankfully made it there.


I had a lovely ride home and sat next to an awesome guy named Jeff, who made the trip go by so fast and comfortably. Without him I would have likely been dwelling on the surgery that was awaiting me just a few hours from then. He has no idea of what he did for me, but THANK YOU JEFF!

We went through some magnificent clouds as we flew back into Ft. Lauderdale that I managed to make some cool pictures of....also another nice distraction from what was dominating my thoughts. Just prior to the last leg of the flight I was made aware that my surgery time had been moved up from arriving for prep at 9am to 6am. I was thankful to get off the plane and find the driver who was taking me back home right there. I was equally happy to find that he was a great guy and made the long ride fly by, with a lot of laughs.

Thankfully my flight home had been bumped up to an earlier time - the previous flight would have had me arriving home after midnight. So instead I was able to shower, relax and had a good amount of sleep. The next morning my husband took me to the Palm's West Surgical Center. Now the biggest concern I had,was the same as EVERY time I've had surgery. I am a recovered alcoholic/addict of 26 years and in that time I have had surgery 2x prior to this one. Pain medication is something I have no interest in having in my body at all if it can be avoided. In the past two surgeries there was minimal exposure, but that is exactly why my memory of this surgery was so bad, "because I FELT every moment of it" last time. This is the best picture to describe my feelings about what was coming.

 Now this is where things got interesting. As for the surgery...I remember ZERO and SO thankful for that! ha! After surgery everything appeared as if it was going to be a repeat of my bad memories of the first one. (i.e. - I was dizzy leaving and on the way home got "very sick" in the car - THANK GOODNESS for plastic bags!) I don't really recall how I got in the house or much about the first few hours at all. But towards the evening my husband said, "Do you need pain medicine?" and I realized.... I HAD NO PAIN!  Now when I say "no pain", what I mean by that is NO PAIN!

To refresh on exactly what was done: The surgeon had cut below my breasts on both sides through the pectoral muscle, removed the ruptured implant and the non ruptured one on the other side, pretty sure he cut away 20 years worth of scar tissue, put in new implants...yet I had NO PAIN. (...and I hadn't received any kind of block for surgery either). Before bed my husband thought that perhaps the pain might come during the night, so I took 1 Tramadol...but upon waking the next morning...no pain. Rising up, laying down, arms up, bending over....no matter what I did..NO PAIN. From that point to now, I've not even needed even Ibuprofen. I'm telling you, as far as I'm concerned, it is my feeling that God just stood between me and that pain and continues to do so.

Today I went to my first follow up and was thrilled to tell my surgeon, who's name is Dr. Jeffrey L. Wisnicki at Palms West Hospital, about what happened. I think he was equally pleased that it had been such a good experience for me. I can't say enough about him - if ANYONE needs the help of a plastic surgeon, I would most definitely recommend him - he was very kind, gentle and honest with me. His staff was the very same - really good people! So I will go back Thursday to get my stitches out AND I get to go back to work tomorrow - YAY!!!

http://www.write2recovery.com/alumni/in-the-blink-of-an-eye-dui-car-accident

I have one more miraculous story to share with you regarding my husband Larry Wayne. Today is the 3 year "Life Day" Anniversary from the day he was hit by a DUI driver in 2012. Above is a link to a blog post I wrote (and also an audio recording of it) about what happened that day. Below are photos from that morning when he was in his car (Honda Civic) and was struck by a DUI driver in an F-150 Truck that came from the "on coming traffic" side across and into his driver's side - knocking him unconscious. His car then went across two lanes and went directly into and under a parked Jeep.

Also in the car was our little toy fox terrier "Zeke", who just prior to impact had crawled behind a towel draped over the front seat - when the car went into the parked Jeep the towel had wrapped around Zeke as he was thrown into the dashboard. Long story short...Zeke walked away with a concussion.

My husband, though believed by the the ER doctor, to have a severed Liver...walked out of that ER 5 hours later!! He was injured greatly...but it was undeniable to him and everyone involved that a miracle had happened.




So I am overrun today with feelings of hope and motivation. I know that I'm facing about 4-6 weeks before I can get back into my cycling...but I'm already making fitness plans to get me through until I can get back in the saddle again! No worries - my posts are going to be back on track with this FABULOUS journey! Life is good! God is good!...and I am PUMPED!!!!

DAY 64 - WHEN LIFE GIVES YA LEMONS...MAKE LEMONADE!

http://www.write2recovery.com/alumni/full-glass-lemonade/

(Above is a link to a written/audio article I wrote you might like)

For those who follow my blog, my apologies for the multiple days that have passed since I last posted. I don't know about you, but I've long known that life simply does not ask to send you a curve ball. What I'm about to share is not something that is generally "spoken of" in mixed company and I have given fair debate and talked to a few trusted friends regarding whether to post it here. My decision? Well, I started this blog to be an honest and authentic documentation of the ENTIRE journey over the 14 months leading up to turning 50. So I'm going to give a re-cap and update of where things stand. If you've read my earlier blog posts, there had been a couple of breast cancer scares, that resulted in a VERY thorough mammogram, ultrasound on the right side and a skin biopsy on the left side to test for Paget's Disease - all of which showed negative outcomes for cancer - and SO thankful for that.

(I was blessed with this beautiful ride into work)

Well, (I had a breast augmentation in 1995), and this past Friday night at some time during my sleep, the right implant ruptured in my sleep. Saturday morning was when I noticed it and initially found myself really just stunned. I called the breast surgeon who had worked with me with the recent testing and he calmed me down a bit, because my implants were saline and he said this was not an immediate health concern. Ultimately a friend gave me the name of a surgeon that she recommended Jeffrey Wisnicki (Wellington, Florida), who I met with on Tuesday. 

He ultimately told me that I would need to replace the implant asap and both would be done. (This was an extraordinarily painful surgery when I initially had it done - because I was VERY small and they were sub-muscular implants - and I NEVER wanted to do it again.) I've been assured it will not be so painful this time. (I sure hope not)

Now...while this was all going on, I ALSO was scheduled to fly to Houston, TX on Tuesday evening. (Thankfully I was given permission to go, BUT I have to have surgery Friday morning - I will be back from Texas Thursday evening.) So it was a hectic dash from work to the doctor, then handle the financials, go get blood work done, get home to be picked up by the driver, then get from Greenacres, FL to Ft Lauderdale and on the plane by 6:40pm. BUT...then we ran into a HUGE storm and EVEN saw a small tornado on the way. As I went through the TSA area, I had all my hair products confiscated - UGH! Then made it to the gate RIGHT ON TIME...only to find out that due to an electrical storm the flight was delayed THREE HOURS! haha!

(My view leaving Ft. Lauderdale)

(My flight-mate - Jonathan)

I finally arrived to my hotel just after midnight and got to sleep around 2am. I've had a productive trip so far and will be flying back around 1:30pm tomorrow (thankfully my flight was changed from 8:30pm, so I'm not going from the plane to almost the operating room. Now here is the thing...I will be honest that I have been, and AM wrestling with a LOT of emotions. I don't like the idea of another surgery AT ALL. I have been upset with the fact that I've not been able to cycle ANY and will likely not be able to for about a month - though I'm hoping it won't have to be that long. But you know what I realized? That's life! It doesn't have to ask my permission. What's more, ALL OF THIS is really about how I choose to look at it! The glass of lemonade is half full OR half empty and it is up to ME how I will look at it. Though I don't like what is coming, there are a world of people dealing with MUCH worse and I'm blessed to just be able to take care of this. The fact I won't be able to cycle, well...that is just how it is. Perhaps God wants me to exercise my spiritual muscles for a bit!  So, my posts will be a bit of a different nature for a while...but that's ok.

I will likely not post again until Saturday or Sunday, depending on how I am after the surgery...but it WILL be one of those days. Those who pray...your prayers will be greatly appreciated!

DAY 58 - CHECK IT OUT!!

Hey - CHECK IT OUT! I thought today I would post some more of my favorite Pinterest Pins, along with their links in the event that it might be of interest to anyone else. Before I do that though, I thought I would give an update on a few things. 

First I've had a couple of good rides, which I must say I continue to enjoy SO much! It's funny because pretty much every time just before I get on bike I think to myself, "I don't want to ride to far today" - but within about a mile or two, that is replaced with a desire to just keep going until I can't go any further! Each day however, we have had storms role in, which prevented that long ride...but the rides I had felt pretty awesome! Today I didn't ride because I am feeling sick and though I better not push it. I would rather miss a day by resting, than miss multiple days because of pushing to hard!

I STILL have my Birthday money from LAST year AND this year....and I'm REALLY tempted to buy one or more of these items! They ALL look SO cool!!!! I just LOVE LOVE cool things!!!!!

This evening was really fun because Larry Wayne and I got to go to the Cracker Barrel for dinner! You know why? Because my friends Chris and Emily gave me this awesome gift card for my Birthday! We ended up having a GREAT dinner, purchasing our first cast iron skillet and getting a couple of other little "smell goods". It was just SUCH a great evening.

I don't know if you've ever played the "Jump All But One" game...but Larry Wayne did it PERFECTLY right off the bat!

So, the first Pins I'm going to post is actually a "two part" post. You will notice that the photo I took off of Pinterest is the: 3 Minute Workout with Melissa Harrison on Buzzfeed AND Foods To Get You Fit with Skinnymom.com. The links are pretty awesome, so if you have an interest in either of these topics you should definately check them out!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/melissaharrison/three-minute-workouts-for-your-arms#1u40kur

http://www.skinnymom.com/19-foods-fit-people-love/

Now I don't know about anyone else, but I am NOT NOT NOT NOT....did I mention that I am NOT a morning person? This next pin is a REALLY great one for anyone else that may struggle with this particular aspect of living and is by Bemby with, you got it - skinnymom.com!

.

http://bembu.com/healthy-morning-rituals

My last item to post tonight is what I consider the BEST of them all! Although it is directed towards women,(10 Mental Rules Fit Women Live By - by Lisa Kallum with Healthy Minds): Certainly it can be applied to whomever would find a subject like - rules that fit people live by - to be interesting! 

http://healthyminds.pw/10-mental-rules-fit-women-live-by/

DAY 55 - JUST DO IT! (NEW PHOTO)

What a GREAT 3 days it has been! Do you want to know why?? Well let's see...

First of all, this past Friday I received a call from the doctor and my biopsy that was done to see if I had Paget's Disease (a form of breast cancer) came back NEGATIVE!! ...and you know what? I would SERIOUSLY be able to stop right here and that is PLENTY awesome! But it was wonderful news and (needless to say), made my birthday weekend much more enjoyable. From there, my staff surprised me with a birthday cake, decorated my office, gave me a REALLY sweet card and gift(s), (including a gift card to my FAVORITE place - Chipotle Mexican Grill)!

THEN on Saturday we went to The Garden's Ale House with our Auburn Family to cheer on our Auburn Tigers!

The game was rather intense, in that we all thought this would NOT be a "challenge" because they were playing a smaller school... but BOY were we wrong! It ended up being quite the "nail biter", but thankfully the Tigers did win! Right towards the end of the game I was BEYOND surprised when it turned out my sweet husband and our friend Kat had worked together to pull off a REALLY great Birthday surprise with a BEAUTIFUL cake and having everyone sing. I was so surprised!!

I began my Food Lover's Plan, which at the moment is helping with learning to make my plates in a more healthy way, by having the right amount of fast carbs, slow carbs and proteins. I will expound on that at a later date, but it is pretty cool! I also have been growing stronger in cycling, beating some personal bests... 

...and getting in longer distances...though I am still chasing after that elusive 20 mile marker!

 
The last thing that I am pretty happy to share is an updated photo! Now, it's not like one of those HUGE weight loss photos, but I'm pretty dang proud of it. More than the photo though, is what you can't see...and that is muscle and stamina - THAT is what I'm MOST excited about! 

Sooooo....the first picture is from spring when I was right around 185+  
...and this is me tonight after my ride at 172.3lb.
It has been a really awesome journey the past almost 2 months now and I'm just totally stoked looking forward to the next 12 months!!! This last photo I could not help but to post, just because it made me laugh. I don't know who these girls are...but I would have DEFINITELY been the little one - bahahahahahaha!!!!

Lastly...Over the last 55 days, there have been a few times where I felt (physically and otherwise), less than motivated to stay the course. Each time, one mantra (inspired by Nike), has remained in my mind...

"What I'm doing isn't about feelings, but rather about action contrary to how I may feel...the only thing that matters is JUST DO IT!"

DAY 52 - ALWAYS REMEMBER!

My post today is not about cycling, or what I ate, or what my plans are with regards to myself. My post today is to only honor the memory of ALL those affected by what happened 9/11/2001.

It is an acknowledgment of both the infinite darkness that struck at our nation...

and the INFINATE witnessed by the world as her heart overcame!

The link below is to an article I wrote, as well as an audio link that I recorded about my personal experience that day and observations regarding those events...

http://www.write2recovery.com/recovery/september-11th-the-infinite/

Never Forget

...those who perished 9/11 (both American and foreign)

...the families and loved ones who suffered great loss 

...all those who still suffer from the effects of that day

...all the first responders who sacrificed so much 

...the men and women who've laid their lives down for our freedom before and since 

...those who continue to fight for our freedom and that of other nations

and

God Bless the United States of America!

DAY 49 - LIFE'S AWESOME ADVENTURES!

Yesterday was SUCH an adventure for Larry Wayne and I! We decided, (for the first time), to go for a ride away from home. We were happy to see that the weather was clear and inviting for our upcoming adventure! So we got the bikes loaded up, safety gear, icebox with lunch and water and hit the road!  

We ended up going to the Town of Palm Beach and riding along the inter-coastal. It was a real change from what we are accustomed to riding - which is generally on our park trails and very "non-populated" roads. This time we were in a variety of conditions which included paved bike paths, roads and sidewalks with varying situations that involved privacy, people and traffic. We parked by the Flagler Museum and then started our ride. 

Though the humidity was pretty high and it was very warm, overall it was decent conditions for riding. Being close to the water insured a constant breeze - which was VERY nice! We started our ride and coming around a turn we were greeted with a tremendous view of the water, as well as an amazing tree! You might notice that the fence actually had to be built AROUND the roots! 
We decided that today would most definitely be an "easy ride" day, because of our hope to take in all the sites as well as cover 20 miles. We saw some AMAZING homes as we rode along, not to mention some SERIOUS yachts -  (as I'm typing I realize pictures of these would have been nice - next time!)

  











We rode over the draw bridge, not missing an opportunity to get in a good selfie!

Continuing on we ran into a couple of really interesting people...first there was this fisherman that I tried to talk with, but he didn't really have anything to say - just kind of...stood there...staring at me...

Then we came across this other guy with a GIGANTIC HEAD...he was also one that had nothing to say...just hanging out there wearing his cool sunglasses...so I thought I would just stand there in MY cool sunglasses right along with him!

Around 13 miles in we realized that rain was coming and briefly stopped to see what would happen. It was a steady light rain so we threw caution to the wind and went for a wet ride and IT WAS GREAT!!! Well, that is...it was great for a little while... 

At about 15.5 miles we saw BLACK clouds approaching and at 16 miles it hit. Turned out we were riding in the "pre-rain" because the rain that came was UNBELIEVABLE! Thankfully E.R.Bradley's (a local bar and eatery) took us AND our bikes in just as the storm moved in and almost literally SAT on top of us! 

We had a bartender that fixed us a couple of sodas and  kindly let us sit comfortably, (soaking wet as we were), as the storm closed in with strong wind, extremely heavy rain and lightning that quite literally FILLED the air around us! I was so VERY grateful that we were NOT stuck outside on our bikes!

Finally the storm DID pass and we got back on our bikes in agreement that we would cut our ride short of the 20 mile goal, due to lightning that continued not far away and instead headed back over the bridge towards our car and then home.

We found an AMAZING tree that we just HAD to stop and have a water and photo break at! It was SO BIG that these pictures really don't even capture it all! 

   

After loading back into the car we began our ride home and the greatest love of my life sang me a song - I LOVE when he sings for me and there is no freaking way I'm not putting it on my blog!

After we got home, I went to get our groceries for the week and enjoyed a DELICIOUS seafood dinner! 

OH! We rode 18.12 miles!!! 

Due to the length of this post - I will detail food & weight progress later!