A little back story to lead into the next chapter...

Hello friends!!

Some of you know all about the story I am about to tell, and others are hearing about it for the first time.  I went back and forth about being so open about everything, as it's sorta a sensitive subject matter and something I have had to deal with for over 20 years.  Honestly, I've also found myself tired of talking about it all and keeping everyone up on "the latest".  Human nature makes everyone want to offer their opinion or two-cents, which can also be a lot to deal with too.  All this being said, I decided that I would blog my experience as many of you are strong prayer warriors and I could use lots of prayers this year.

Early in life I found out I had ovary issues. At first doctors would just tell me all was fine, and would just put me on BC.  In my mid 20's I was diagnosed with PCOS, but within a few years my doctor said she was no longer sure it was that.  In a nutshell they would explain that I had hyper-active ovaries and told me I might need to have a hysterectomy.  Without a hysterectomy they told me I could never go off BC or I would hemorrhage.  I always had cysts, fibroilds, a high number of pre-cancerous cells, and an increased levels of hormones (which were constantly changing).  I was often anemic and vitamin deficient as I became insulin resistant and begin gaining a bunch of weight. My skin wouldn't heal well if I ever got a cut or anything, and I always had digestive issues.  I was put on hormones, diets, and tried all insulin resistant medicines and nothing seemed to really help.  Between medicine and diet, we just weren't finding a balance that was producing any positive results, and things were getting worse. 

When I moved to Houston I had some of my scariest moments with all this, which led me to finding a wonderful doctor who for 20+ years has specialized in working with women with ovary issues.  After 5 years of him trying so many combos of medicine, diet, procedures, sending me to get second opinions, etc., we finally decided I needed to do something more drastic.  Due to  pre-cancerous cells increasing and not finding anything that worked for my insulin resistance, I was having to go in for blood work every 3 months, and PAP's every 6. With approaching 40 yrs old, we started chatting about problems that won't be irreversible once they happened (kidney and liver) and my increased chances of getting cancer.  My doctor, who is also a Christian, was also very worried about my quality of life.  He would always tell me I was "his most joyful patient" and he would always give me a hard time about rescheduling my appts. due to leading mission trips around the world and being active in the community.  He would say he hated this problem weighing me down (even literally) and said he saw this joyful optimistic person start to feel overwhelmed, discouraged and fearful of the future. He suggested we consider some options.

After considering many possibilities, including a hysterectomy and pushing me into menopause, we decided to pursue me having gastric-bypass surgery (generally considered a weight loss surgery).  At first I was resistant and felt embarrassed as I thought it was only suggested due to my weight gain and worried I would still have all the other problems.  After he explained things to me further I learned that because this surgery re-routes your digestive system that I would no longer be insulin resistant (which is one of the hormones that causes me the most problems).  The weight loss and this hormone becoming controlled alone may help us to be able to control my ovary issue better until menopause.  He said at the very least I would lose weight and be able to go off several of the medicines he has me on.  He said that this could also allow me to have a baby, something I had always been told wouldn't be possible,. Even though I would be 41-42 before this could happen, it makes my husband so excited to dream about.   As I quickly learned, this all comes at a pretty high price.  My diet will totally change, and there are some things that I should never eat again: most meats - other than fish, simple carbs and sugar, but all things I have had to watch being insulin resistant anyway.  He said it is going to take a lot of hard work and discipline, and is often a misused surgery (by those who have eating issues - and tend to gain it all back and more), but he was confident that the positive things out weigh the risks and the more disciplined diet.

I have taken 6 months of nutrition classes to learn how I will have to eat, drink and live after surgery and this past Friday (Jan. 20th) I have started the 2-week liquid diet leading up to my surgery on Feb. 2nd, my 40th Birthday.  My parents are coming out for a month+ to help Glenn and I through my recovery and I will take most of the month of Feb. off work (so thankful I work for a great church that is super understanding about all this).

Some prayer requests:

• 2-week liquid diet - that I can stay healthy and joyful on a very limited diet
• Surgery - that all goes well and without complications
• Recovery - that I can stay hydrated (hard to do and very risky after surgery), allow myself to rest and to remain joyful. 

Thanks for reading and for praying!!!  I will write more soon!!