Illness & weight loss

So for some reason after I turned 30 a few years ago I have had random medical issues.   That is about the time we found out we were pregnant with Charlotte.  Well with that came definite high blood pressure and a hyperthyroid, plus it was the first time I had morning sickness.  The best part about the hyperthyroid was I lost weight during the first three months of pregnancy without having to do a thing!!!  That's right I had some sort of chocolate candy bar and a 32 oz soda everyday and still lost weight!!!  It was awesome.  So I started somewhere around here:

Taken a few months before we got pregnant.

To about here:

Taken a little over a year ago.

I lost around 30 lbs being pregnant!!  Not too bad but I was still overweight.  So my old co-worker and I decided we would join a gym and workout during lunch.  We did okay for a few months but then she got engaged and distracted and I got yet another crazy illness.

So after Charlotte my doctor took me off the blood pressure medicine and everything seemed to be fine until about 5-6 months later.  I thought I needed to go talk to him again about my blood pressure and see if I still needed medicine.  I, sadly enough, was right and he in all seriousness told me that I needed to lose weight to see if this was weight related problem or possible inherited problem I would have all my life.  That kinda scared me.  So I go on meds again and tried to see how to diet correctly.

So within the month between doctors visits, all of us got the stomach flu once but I got it about three times so I decided to bring it up with him since I was there anyway.  The flu seemed so strange because I would not be able to do anything for about 24 hrs.  It was extremely debilitating.  He asked me a few other questions and told me that I probably didn't have a weird flu but that I probably had gallstones.  Tests would have to be run.

So I looked it all up on the internet and yep he was right.  There were signs and symptoms that I thought were nothing but when added together gave me a problem.  I had probably been having issues for years.  A few attacks after Lizzie was born, probably some of the morning sickness with Charlotte was actually a gallbladder problem.

I continued to have attacks every 10-14 days while it was verified and insurance claims were being settled.  I did find that if I ate less dairy and hardly any red meat I would have them less frequently.  So...I finally had the surgery to remove my gallbladder to solve the issue.  And solve it, it did.  Here is a picture of me and Charchi while I was out on medical leave.  We had a great time hanging out for two weeks.

Yes she had pink eye that day!

While my body is readjusting I have to eat a low fat diet.  No fatty meats (So far only white chicken and tuna are safe) and cutting back on all the other good stuff that makes life worth living.  Basically my body is readjusting to life with out the bile back-up system.  So if I do eat "bad" things my stomach goes into overtime to try to digest the food and can't, therefore giving me severe stomach/intestinal pains.  The best part about this diet is that if I "cheat" I have immediate consequences of getting extremely sick for 24 hours.  Hey, it keeps me honest!!

So with this problem and working out and dieting I have lost over 35 lbs since January!!!  Here is a picture of me a few weeks ago.

That's right over 65 lbs since that first photo!!  I still feel I have 10-15 more to go but I am now in the "normal" weight range for me!!  I am now officially below where I was when we got married as well as below where I was six months after I got home from my mission!!  It feels real good!  I just hope that this year doesn't bring another medical issue!!!