Monday, March 10, 2025
Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Next Chapter about to begin on 10/4/24
The next step in my new transformation is about to begin! My hernia surgery is scheduled for 10/4/24. Lets hope and pray that this time is a success.
I have managed to lose over 80 lbs, and I feel so much better already. I've been able to do things I've not been able to do in years. I have taken many long walks that I would never been able to do 80 pounds ago. The last time I flew home from Florida, I was walking through Atlanta airport, and all of a sudden my Fitbit went off, flashed 5000 and fireworks! I was trying to get to the next terminal so I was like "what the heck?" I'd never seen that on my Fitbit before. Evidently I managed to hit 5000 steps! And before the day was over, I managed 7,100 steps! I lived too! LOL
So this hernia of mine, (Her name is Hernatia) is about to become history, I hope. From what the surgeon and the plastic surgeon who is in charge of closing me up says, it's a kind of a big deal surgery. The hernia surgeon will split me open from breastbone to hoo-haa. He will tuck all my intestines and colon back where they are supposed to be, and use my inner skin to sew it all in nice and tidy. I'm not sure if he will use mesh or not, it just depends on what he finds when he gets in there. Then the plastic surgeon will close me up. in the beginning, the plastic surgeon said he would remove the excess skin (called an apron), but after discussing it with hernia surgeon, they decided that another incision from hip bone to hip bone would be too much to try to recover from at one time. So I may have skin removal later on. But honestly, I am not trying to be a sexy beast, I just want to feel better! I have grandbabies I need to spoil!
Without the support of my family, I could never have gotten this far. Especially my sister Debbie. She is my partner in all of this and has been there for me for every long boring trip to Indianapolis, every appointment, every panic attack I've had, all of it. I can't ever thank her enough. She is going to be with me for my surgery, but I feel bad because I'm going to be in the hospital 5 to 7 days, which means a big hotel bill. I keep telling her to go home till I get released, since I'll be well taken care of in the hospital, but she is a stubborn old heifer. But so am I, so we will see who "wins".
So the process starts with pre-op testing on Friday. Then the countdown to 10/4. I am so ready for it to all be over with. And since I've had 2 previous hernia surgeries, I kinda know what to expect. I hate sharing pictures but this one kinda gives you an idea of the size of the hernia (around 20 lbs). Yes it's huge. As the surgeon said "it's not the biggest hernia I've ever seen, but close". And also in this picture are the reasons I can't wait to be able to be back to normal! I've got grandkids to spoil! Nana is coming kids!!!
Thank you to all my friends who have been so supportive through all of this drama. Won't be long and all of this will be a flicker in the rear view mirror! Love to all....
Thursday, November 30, 2023
A New Journey begins today, 1/30/23
Twelve years ago today, I had my second hernia surgery. It was supposed to be the last one I'd ever need. And of course, I had complications. I wasn't released from my surgeon's care until the following July, and in between spent another few days in the hospital, and also had what should have been another surgery in my doctors office to remove dead skin. He was hacking away on me and I didn't feel a thing. He said after it was over that I should have been in the hospital for the procedure. But I digress a bit....
My hernia returned sometime in June of 2012. And it has grown since. I consulted three surgeons in Nashville before I moved to Indiana. None of them would do another surgery. I decided to try a specialist in Indianapolis a year ago. He does nothing but hernia surgerys, and is reported to be one of the best in the country. He said I would need to lose some weight because I didn't have the "skin" on the inside to pull together to hold it all in. He suggested Bariatric Surgery. His suggestion took me totally by surprise, but after much thought and discussion with my family, and my boys, they encouraged me to give it a try, My surgeons appointment was November 9th, 2022 if I remember right, and I have been doing the work to get approved for gastric surgery since.
So next week, December 6th, I am scheduled for gastric sleeve surgery. Once I lose enough weight, I will be undergoing what I hope will be my final hernia surgery.
I have hesitated saying anything on social media about it. Twenty years ago (dang has it been 20 years???) I was fairly successful living a Low Carb lifestyle. I learned how to cook healthy, colorful, tasty food, and enjoyed the process a lot! But like most of those I know who fell off the low carb bandwagon, I gained my weight back. I usually say "life got in the way" but really, I got in my own way.
So I am putting this story out there, on my blog that has been all about my fun in the kitchen, and hoping no one in my low carb world is terribly disappointed in me. I hope that my friends will be around and support me in my next chapter. I am both excited and petrified at the same time. I don't have a very good history of "easy" surgeries. And I have been very hesitant about even sharing all of this on social media, but I've told several people in my "real" life. So I feel supported, and I feel loved, and I GOT THIS!!!
Peace and love to all of you. And "God forbid" should anything happen, know each and every one of you have been an important part of a life well lived.
Sunday, June 13, 2021
Ain't No Pasta-Pasta Salad
Last week I bought some pasta salad at a local grocery store. It was gross. And I know I need to stay away from all things carby....like pasta... so I started thinking about it and came up with this. All ingredients except the herbs were bought at Aldi's, and I have enough left over for a nice veggie soup.
I've kind of lost my way in the Low Carb World in the last couple of years, and I need to get back to it. This new recipe should help, and maybe it will spur my creativity on!
Ain't No Pasta-Pasta Salad
Friday, January 31, 2020
Cheesy Creamy Spaghetti Squash Casserole
This recipe reminds me of good old Mac & Cheese. Warm and comforting. And the cheese sauce can be used in a huge variety of ways. Over veggies, eggs, toast (LC of course). And you can mix up your cheeses too.
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Cheesy Creamy SS Casserole pictured with Keto Instant Pot BBQ Ribs |
- Instructions:
- put cream in a heavy stock pot on the stove over a low burner
- once it's fairly warm, add the room temperature cream cheese and use a whisk to break it up a little bit.
- allow it all to warm but not boil. Slowly heating is best.
- Add all the seasonings and whisk.
- Add the shredded cheese and gently whisk till it's melted.
- Pour over cooked Spaghetti Squash and onions in a casserole dish and mix. Bake till browned and bubbly, about 35 minutes at 350 You may have more cheese sauce than you want, so it can be saved and gently reheated for veggies or eggs, etc. All depends on how much SS you end up with and how saucy you want them to be.
- To Cook Spaghetti Squash:
- Cut squash in half, either length wise, for shorter strands, of cross wise for longer strands. Using a large spoon, dig out all the seeds and membrane from the middle. (save the seeds for planting or roasting if you want to) I use the cross ways cut and cook in my air fryer on 370 for 20-25 minutes. Or you can bake it in the oven at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes. Just until a fork sinks into the meat of it easily. Let it cool a little bit (unless you like burning your hands) and use a fork to pull out the strands.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Thanksgiving Turkey and Un-Dressing
Tis that time of year again! and I've been playing in the kitchen making some low carb sides. Here is one I did over the weekend that was really good. Turkey and Un-Dressing.
It starts with a good cornbread. This recipe is my go-to for cornbread.
It is on the internet everywhere called Green Onion Corn Bread. But for this, I don't use the green onion. In fact, not sure I've ever made it with the green onion.
this is the regular amount ingredients, but this makes a very thin cornbread when you use an 8 x 8 pan. So I always double the recipe.
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1-2 green onions, chopped (not necessary)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted then cooled slightly
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Now, if you can keep your fingers out of the corn bread, it's time to dry it out for the un-dressing. I used the dehydrate setting on the PAFO and let it dry out for 4 hours. All I did was crumble it onto parchment paper on the racks. You could cube it, if you wanted to, for croutons.
Also, if you are serving this along side the Turkey and trimmings, you can leave the turkey out of this. I thought about browning a half pound of sausage to add to it instead of the turkey.
This blog is not being used as a revenue maker! I do this for my own pleasure, not to make money. And it helps me remember how I made something. LOL
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Low Carb NOLA Gumbo
Making this recipe today, is a "perfect storm". LOL Kroger had large shrimp on sale for $5 a pound, which is unheard of in our landlocked Tennessee. Also, I had just made a fresh batch of chicken stock. And I had just bought some summer sausage because it was on sale. The only thing I had to make a trip to the store for was the green pepper, celery and frozen okra.
This recipe calls for frozen shrimp, but I've got this beautiful fresh stuff. The first pound of shrimp that you add is going to pretty much disintegrate. But it adds such great flavor. Add the last pound of shrimp at the end of the cook. It stays whole that way.
SO Lets get started!!! Here is all my ingredients (except the onion) ready to go. Of course I'm using my Papa Smurf! I love him so much and I've almost worn him out. He's getting a little temperamental.
First you sweat out the veggies, onion, bell pepper and celery. When they start getting soft, add the sliced sausage and let it brown up a bit, and let out some of the yummy fat.
Then add your chicken chunks and when they are about half cooked, add the chicken stock and the 2 bags of okra. Oh, and the seasoning like it says in the directions.
- Green pepper, diced
- Medium onion diced
- Celery, diced (about 3-4 stalks)
- 2 TBSP butter
- Smoked sausage (1 pack Johnsonville)
- (3) Chicken breast, cut into chunks
- Cajon Seasoning (to taste - I use about 1TBS of Tony's))
- Shrimp, frozen (at least one pound)
- Chicken stock (Approx. 3 - 16oz containers) I used 48 ounces of home made
- Crab boil, liquid (I like this stuff...I use about 2 TBS) Zatarains is really good
- Old Bay Seasoning (1/2 TBS)
- A couple bay leaves
- Tobasco (to taste)
- Okra, frozen (2 - 16oz bags) or 3 bags (see my notes)
- Shrimp, thawed (1 pound)
- In stock pot, sauté onions, peppers, and celery in butter. After that cooks down a little, add the sausage.
- Once it starts rendering fat, add the chicken. Season everything with Tony's seasoning. After the chicken has mostly cooked, add some frozen shrimp, if using. Let that cook for just a few minutes, and then add the chicken broth. To that, add Crab Boil (liquid) and Old Bay seasonings, more Tony's, bay leaves and tobasco.
- Once everything is simmering, add two bags of frozen okra. Let this simmer for at least an hour, until the okra has totally broken down. About 10 minutes prior to serving, add the raw shrimp. You can turn the heat off at this point, as the residual heat will cook the shrimp.
- Note: some people don't want to "see" the okra. I happen to like it, so I add another bag towards the end, before the last pound of shrimp, and let it cook till done to my liking.
- I hope you try this, and let me know how you like it.
- Just so you know, I do not blog for profit. The links in the recipe are only there to show you the product. I make no money off of the links. I do this for fun and sharing only.