A Wake Up Call

 Well it's been 3 months since I lost my gallbladder this past April....and I did say Id wait for a rainy day to explore that topic! Well though its not raining, i believe I am ready to start sharing a bit more about these last few months and how having emergency surgery, was actually a catalyst for some much needed change in me...

  On Sunday April 15, 2012 my husband had to rush me to the hospital after suffering with excruciating pain for 12 plus hours through the night! I had my suspicions it was    gallbladder related because this was not the first time I suffered with this horrible pain! I have to be on my death bed to go to the hospital and as far as I was concerned that morning I very well could have been. As this tale goes I was suffering from gallbladder complications, my liver enzymes which should have been around 40 were shooting past 1000, and I was in surgery Monday by noon having it removed!

  What put this experience for me personally over the top was the follow up visit I recieved from my surgeon later the day of my surgery. He basically explained to me that he had successfully removed my ANGRY gallbladder and I who suffer from "white coat syndrome", which is a fear of Doctors did not hear a word he said. Thankfully my sweet nurse was there listening and shared with me later that the Dr did indeed describe my gallbladder as ANGRY!

  I know many of you are thinking EVERYONE gets their gallbladders out, whats the big deal? Its true many folks do routinely have this surgery and to them its like a hiccup in their lives...not a big deal, on they go with life as usual. But it wasnt like that for me. For one thing in looking back, I see how truly miserable I had been feeling physically. I had been putting on weight uncontrollably,  and was horribly uncomfortable after eating. The 4 or 5 episodes of pain increased in their intensity and I was pretty much spiraling down into some future health issues if something didnt give....and did it ever GIVE!  

  The"wake up call" im referring to in the title of this post was a call to some much needed change. I have begun processing my surgeons words beginning with the 4 days in the hospital and these last few months! The big question for me was how had I arrived at this place? It was obviously the time to take a good look at my health with regard to my weight and how a certain lack of "restraint " in my eating a diet rich in fatty foods was really what had landed me in this place.

 I learned that eating fatty, rich foods will do a number on your gallbladder over time and in my case was the direct cause of the painful episodes I had experienced. Eating rich, fatty food will catch up with you physically, contributing to late life diabetes, heart health issues, or issues obesity related. Something needed to change for me... 

 I remember praying while in the hospital and asking God to give me wisdom and understanding about these things and in all my search for understanding the one word that kept resounding in my mind and heart was Restraint...when defined it is a virtue of self control, a putting on the brakes type action, a holding back, controlling or moderating one's impulses and passions, even simplicity is a synonym. I had reached a point in my life where I was not exercising this virtue where food preparation and eating were concerned! An inspiring quote Ive come to like says "Just because you can, doesnt mean you should!" and that has been a type of mantra for me in all of this.

  I left that hospital determined to make changes in my diet and the way I prepared food. Now more than ever because my gallbladder which usually helps the liver process fats was gone and would now be working overtime! Sadly w/o a gallbladder fats go right through you and quickly becomes a very good reason to limit your fat intake after gallbladder surgery! Spending 5 days on clear fluids, broth and jello at the hospital in April was the jump start for me to change many things. I began phasing out BUTTER, yep I have! Though I use it occasionally, I keep it to a very minimal. I have learned about safflower oil and how to cook with small amts. I have found healthy food sights online as well as some really good tricks of the cooking trade that do not skimp on flavor, but help cut calories. I have pretty much eliminated the habit of eating cheese everyday as I was used to and most fatty foods from my diet. I'm eating alot more fish and white meats, staying away from alot of red-meat, like we were used to. I have even learned to substitute ground turkey (and its not as awful as I imagined!) Also a really big change is that I am again reading the contents and caloric info on the package. I had gotten out of the habit of reading the calorie count of foods! And I bought a scale!! I haven't owned one of those for years! I even get on it! =)   If I can't read the words that describe the ingredients on the package I usually wont buy it now! One of the biggest changes is portion control! You will loose weight if you keep your eating to 1200 calories a day. I am being especially intentional in what I eat Mon-Fri BUT will allow myself a some  splurges on the weekend...for me it might be splitting a New York strip steak with my husband or a hamburger (yum!) and maybe some sweet thing! And drink lots of water! 

 I will not go back to where I was....it COST me in too many ways and that was wake up call enough for me! In the small changes I have made these few months, I am loosing weight, though that's not the goal. Im happy to report that Im feeling phyically better than I have in a long time.

My first post about this topic: 

http://sojourningalongtheway.blogspot.com/2012/04/kelis-angry-gallbladder.html

before surgery and my wake up call! 2/12

today 7/12 (making healthy changes)