I Really Can't Leave Home Without It

Ok, people, the time is nearing. Only a week and a half to go! I am more than ready to get started on that part of the journey.

I have been on my liquid diet for a week now. And when I say liquid, I truly mean an ALL liquid routine! Five packages of sugar-free instant breakfast, one every 3 hours, for the nutrients. Beef, chicken, or vegetable broth, sugar-free jello (just to have something to chew on, I suppose), and all the coffee, tea, and low cal drinks I can handle. The goal is to drop a rapid 15-20 lbs in order for the surgeon to "see" the stomach area more clearly and get rid of liver fat, which apparently melts off first. I also think it is to prepare me for the small amounts of food I will be able to nosh on after the surgery.

Of course, since I am a 4-F SWF of older persuasion, "handling" the drinking of so much liquid presents its own set of challenges. You know what I mean, or do I have to explain it to you???

Since I have to drink pretty much all day long, I don't roam far from the house. Sitting in the house with the TV on all day long is not a very good option, since all the commercials on EVERY network involve food or dieting after eating too much food. Knowing I can't have that for a while, that isn't much fun. So, I have been inventing little errands to run just to pass the time away. However, that requires a lot of logistical planning, because I CAN'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!

Now, many of my friends will tell you that this problem is nothing new. And that is partly true, since I have been the brunt of the jokes about my "problem" from those in my inner circle for years. You see, I never met a bathroom I didn't like...

Now, in defense, it really is a legit problem. I know this will border on TMI, but I did promise to be honest. My bladder never grew to adult size, so I can't hold the same amount as a normal adult. When I was teaching, they used to joke that as soon as the bell rang I would be the first out the door heading for the ladies' room.  And I really got laughed at when one of those trips kept me locked in for over  two hours because the lock broke. They had to call a locksmith. But I will save that story for another time.

The bottom line is I pee. A lot. And now that I am on the liquid diet, and the weather is colder, well I make a lot of extra stops in a two hour trip. I know where every clean public restroom is within a twenty mile radius of my house.

HEB Grocery Store is my favorite. One stop shopping in the real sense. I can spend an hour going up and down the aisles looking at all the now forbidden food, knowing that I can take a time out any time I need to. Walmart and Lowe's aren't too bad either. Of  course, if I plan my mall browsing just right, there are all sorts of great possibilities.

When I am home, I am drinking something all day long. I have found creative ways to combine the broths to make vegetable beef or chicken vegetable broths. Add a few spices, and it actually is tolerable. Of course, since I am sipping more and more, I make more and more trips to the potty. I cannot wait to get this month's water bill.

Ten more days before surgery, two more weeks after that, then a gradual reintroduction to solid foods. But in the mean time, I drink and drink and drink....

I really can't leave home without it!