No more BIG MOMMA!

Hello, my name is Karri and I am addicted to food! At breakfast I think about what's for lunch. At lunch I think about what's at dinner. At dinner, I think about what I can eat while I am watching TV! It's really pathetic and I'm over it!

After a year of praying and 10 years of dieting (unsuccessfully) I have decided to take the big plunge! I am having the gastric Lap-Band procedure this Monday. Some people say this is the "easy" way to lose weight, but it's really not. It just forces you to do what you have no will power to do on your own.

I have been thinking about doing this for 3 years, but I couldn't ever get my act together to battle the insurance companies. However, about a year ago I was easily approved by BCBS of alabama. Then, mom and jr died and my whole world fell apart and I just didn't think I could mourn them and food too. When your approved you only have a year to take advantage of it or you have to start all over with mountains of paperwork. That meant I had to make a decision by the end of this month. So, with blessings from Jason, I scheduled it!

Why go this route, some people have ask? Well, as I said earlier, I have tried every diet known to man and admittedly failed at every single one of them. And over the past couple of months I have been examining my life, how I live it, and what kind of example I want to set for my children. I am angry at myself for letting my body get to this point. I am frustrated that even with prayer I haven't had the strength to do anything about it. I am embarrassed to have to shop in the "big girl" stores. I am sad to feel beautiful on the inside and not be able to portray that because of how i look on the outside. I want to be healthy. I want to eat smart and not be hungry. I want my husband and kids to be proud of me. Most of all, I want to be around to see my kids/future grandkids grow up and to grow old with my husband.

I get so angry sometimes when I think of mom and jr. If only they had never smoked or even stopped smoking when they found out how dangerous it was...they might still be here today. So, if I can save my children some pain down the road by doing something today, bygolly I am going to do it (Lord willing, of course)

I am not ashamed that I need help to do what it takes to lose the weight. I am just happy that there is some help available. I am going to chronicle my weight loss and emotions. I know it is not going to be easy physically or emotionally, but I am ready.

Me and my family have probably drained your prayer bank this year, but if you have any prayers left, please pray for us as we go through this together. I can't promise I will be in a good mood for the next few weeks, I am told it is a bit like going through drug addiction withdrawals but I know with prayer, good family, and supportive friends, I can and will get through this!

Love you all!
Karri


PS. The Church Cookbooks are back in! If you know someone who would like one, would like to take some to work, or know of a business that would sell some for us please contact myself, Jenny Mann, or Lisa McKay! All the proceeds go to the community recreation center!

Feelin the LOVE!

I just wanted to tell everyone who prayed for Taegan yesterday, THANK YOU! By the grace of God, she is ok!

Between my two kids, I would've never picked Taegan to be the first one to have a concussion.

I'll start at the beginning. We were just getting home and as soon as we walked in the door Taegan had to go to the bathroom. She didn't have shoes on, just socks, and she took off running (on the hardwood) to the bathroom.

The next thing I heard was a loud thud and screaming and crying. I tore off through the house and there was my baby girl, laid out on the floor screaming her lungs out, holding her head. I grabbed her up to check her out. There was the biggest goose egg and blood everywhere from her forehead.

Poor Cohen, he was scared to death. I was trying to keep it together for him and he was such a good helper. He ran and got me a baggie with ice in it and put his clothes (he still had on pjs from spending the night with my sweet friend Tammy) on faster than I have ever seen anybody change.

I knew right away this was not just a knock on the head. Taegan couldn't stand up straight and she was talking crazy with slurred words. So off we went to Ft payne. That was mistake #1. I thought I would just take her to rapid care and let them do an xray to make sure she didn't have a skull fracture. I knew she had a concussion, but I just figured they would tell me to watch her and send us home. Nope, they said she didn't have a skull fracture but we needed to go to the ER right away for an MRI or CT scan because her head was still swelling and she still couldn't walk a straight line.

Mistake #2- I took her to Ft payne ER! Keep in mind they sent her info from rapid care over. So we got to triage at the ER and I can't keep Taegan awake and neither can they, but they make us go out the waiting room for 2 1/2 hours before taking us back. Forget about brain function, they said her vital signs were ok so she could wait! Oh no they didn't! This mad momma caused a scene in that ER (not that it did any good). Anyway, if the waiting wasn't bad enough, once we did get to a room, they put my otherwise healthy child in a room with a baby who had a 106 fever on one side and a 6 yr old with a staph infection on the other side. Hello? INFECTION CONTROL ANYONE???? Since I was by myself with both kids, holding a sleeping Taegan, and no staff ANYWHERE around, I reserved that issue for a little letter I am putting together for the director of the ER.

In the meantime, aunt Deanie came and got Cohen, Jason was close to being back from the men's church conference trip, and the doctor on staff and the nurse practioner could not agree on how to treat my baby.

The doctor wanted to observe her for 8 hrs, the NP wanted to get a CT scan. Meanwhile, Taegan is STILL sleeping. They woke her briefly to check her walking and speech, neither of which was normal yet.

Finally, 4 hours after arriving at the ER, they finally decide to do the CT since she is still not waking up. She slept right through the CT scan with no problems. Jason finally gets there and an hour later....still no CT results. He goes to ask someone and they say they don't have a radiologist there to read them so they transmit them over the computer. Apparrently, Taegans got lost so they have to resend them. AAARRRRGGGG! 6 hours after we got to the ER, CT results get back. She does have a bruise on the frontal lobe of her brain but no active bleeding and she of course has the pocket of blood and swelling between her skull and skin (the gooseegg). They classify her as having a moderate-severe concussion and want to observe her for two more hours.

By this time she has woken up and is talking normal, but still a little shaky standing and walking.

Thank you Lord God Almighty that this was not super serious! I don't know how I could live without my sweet baby girl!

I learned/reaffirmed several things from this incident.
1. God is Good!
2. I love my kids more than anything in this world!
3. I have the best family and friends that anyone could ask for
4. Anything else ever happens to my kids, they will be taken to TC Thompsons unless I cant stop the bleeding before I can get to Chattanooga
5. Ft. Payne hospital may be good for general surgeries, but their ER needs more staff, and they do not need to be treating pediatric patients if they don't know how to care for them
6. Hardwood floors, socks, and doorframes are not a good combination
7. Watching a sleeping child is just about the most precious thing ever
an
So, once again thank you all so much for your prayers for Taegan. And thank you all for your prayers for me over the past couple of weeks. I have never worked so many hours in my life!
Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him. I hope my lifesong always thanks HIM and honors HIM!

I love each and everyone of You!
Karri