Bah, Humbug!

     I seem to be a bit (read major) of a Scrooge when it comes to the holidays. I really dislike the Christmas season. I enjoy the atmosphere, and the lights and music, but that's honestly it. My wife and I have never really had a lot of money, so Christmas shopping always seemed more of a chore or a bill than anything. Last year we decided to tell the family not to get us anything, and we wouldn't get them anything (except for the kids). So now we just buy for the children of the family. The problem is that we both have separated families, and we were having to buy for like 30 people!
     With that being said, I do enjoy winter, and the spirit of the holidays, just not the commercialization of Christmas. The one where if you dont spend $1,000 on gifts, then you aren't in the spirit of giving. However, if you go to a black friday sale and pepper spray the 90 yr old lady over the last xbox, you are a saint. I also dislike the commercials! Thank goodness we dropped cable for Hulu and Netflix on the Xbox. The Target commercials make me want to claw my eyes and ears out! You know the one, with the blonde chick with ADHD. Yea, she annoys me.

     Moving on.....I have my bariatric surgery seminar this week. Dec 1 to be exact. I have all my paperwork together, and I'm ready to get the ball rolling. The hospitals require you to do this seminar before getting surgery, but at this point, I don't care if they tell me I'll be throwing up blood for 3 months, I'm still getting the surgery.

As always, Ill keep you guys updated.

Thanksgiving....a time for reflection

     You know, I see a lot of people post on facebook, the things they are thankful for on a daily basis. Sometimes I wonder if I could do the same thing. Don't get me wrong. I am blessed, in my own way, but it's a matter of being able to count those blessings. It takes a special frame of  mind to be able to spot the small things in your life that you are thankful for.
     I'm not going to sugarcoat things here either. My regular readers should know that well enough. This has a shit storm of a year. It seems that not a damn thing has gone according to "plan". Just to recap, Amanda lost her job, we had Gracie, Amanda had gall bladder surgery, I lost my job, we started school, we both struggled with depression, and obviously, the aforementioned has caused quite a strain on the one thing that I thought was unwavering; my marriage. Things are slowly getting better. However, It will take a long time for things to be back to the way they were before we got to this point.
    I think its important to not that I have had my own personal struggles as well, and during these times it was difficult to be the husband and father my children deserve. I don't think its appropriate at this time to go into details, but let's say that I am a better and healthier man for it.
  I am thankful for my absolutely beautiful wife, and gorgeous daughter. For those of you that dont have the pleasure of knowing my wife. I promise you...she is someone that can change your life just by knowing her. She is loving, incredibly intelligent, and crafty. I am thankful for my daughter even though she is a handful. I am thankful for my son, and all his incredible talents, and as odd as it sounds, I'm thankful for his other family. He has a Mom that cares for him to the ends of the world, and a step dad that loves him like his own son, and thankfully shares Xander's love for sports. Lord knows, I know nothing about it,
    I am thankful for my family's support through all these trials that my family has been through. They have never once judged me. They have simply supported me, and told me they loved me. They support me in more ways in one. My mom and dad and working together to make sure that I get the bariatric surgery that i so desperately need. I'm also thankful for my wife's family, and my job and co-workers. I'm sure there is someone I am forgetting, but I didn't intend for this to be a long blog entry.
   I got my paperwork turned in at NEA Baptist Hospital to see if I qualify for charity care since we are still struggling financially, and hopefully I will get approved. I was able to get letters of medical necessity from my family doctor and chiropractor. I will be attending a seminar for the bariatric surgery as a first step on Dec 1st.
   I will keep you guys updated. I am also thankful for hospitals like NEA Baptist that are willing to help those in need with these types of programs.

   Ill try to update the blog after the seminar on the 1st!


Happy Thanksgiving BFL Readers!

The next step....a gastric sleeve

   Well, I got my test results back. Everything was normal. I guess it's as good a time as any to let my readers know that I plan on undergoing bariatric surgery. Namely, a gastric sleeve. Regardless what some readers think, I have genuinely tried to lose weight, but unfortunately, back and hip problems have kept me from the ability to remain active. I have a pinched nerve in my back that makes my legs burn and tingle when I stand. I was also diagnosed with Lumbar Radiculopathy which is a fancy way of saying a herniated disc. Therefore I was able to obtain a letter of medical necessity and have begun the first stages of getting the surgery done.
   I know this will controversial for some readers, as not everyone agrees with bariatric surgery, but I'm not doing this for my readers, I'm doing it for my family and myself.
   Thankfully my father is helping with the red tape at the hospital while my mom helps financially. I am getting the surgery done at a non profit hospital so they will put me on a sliding scale for payments. Dr. Jones will do the surgery at NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital, and I am going to push to get it done by the end of this year, or early next year, as I already have all the paperwork done that needed to be done.
   I will pick back up on blogging, although it certainly wont be daily, I will keep the blog up to date as I go into this journey. If anyone reading this has gotten the gastric sleeve, please post your experience.

For more information on the gastric sleeve click me.

Chest Hair and Doctor Golden.....

   Not ready to make the big announcement yet, but I went into the doctor today and a full, head to toe work up in preparation for a referral. My morning started with them running a complete (8 vials!) blood lab. Checking Cholesterol, Liver and kidney function, blood glucose, thyroid, and a whole host of other things. I should have the results from the blood tests tomorrow.
   Now before I go into any further details, I need take the time to explain a momentary laps of judgement. The other night, in the attempt to draw a laugh, I decided (since no one sees my chest except Amanda) to shave a heart into my chest hair as a gag. I do not have alcohol to blame as I am 11 days sober!!! Unfortunately, it was just me being stupid. I woke up the next morning and suddenly it dawned on me.... I HAVE A FULL PHYSICAL TOMORROW! They are going to see the heart, and I am going to have to explain it.
   The visit was almost over (i thought). They had done xrays, bloodwork, measurements, BMI...you name it. Well, I went to pee, and when I returned to the room I was greeted by 2 nurses and an EKG machine (SHIT!) I knew what was coming. "Mr Boling, we are going to do an EKG, please remove your shirt and lie on the bed." I immediately went on the defense. "OK....but before I take off my shirt, I need to explain something" (at this point, I think they were prepared for me to tell them I had a third nipple, or an alien baby growing from my abdomen, sans Total Recall). "I thought it would be cute to shave a heart into my chest hair, so when I remove my shirt, don't laugh, OK?" The nurses both acknowledge with smirks on their faces. No quicker did I have the shirt above my head, they were both laughing. "See this is what I DIDN'T want to happen. Don't be gossiping to the nurses!"
   They hooked me up to the EKG and the shaved heart proved to be useful when attaching what felt like thousands of what I call "Diodes". Im not sure that's the technical term. They finally finished, and a few minutes later, my good, familiar, and favorite doctor was in the room (Dr. Golden). I have been seeing this man since before I had pubic hair. He explained to me that the EKG uncovered what is known as a "Bundle Branch Block" (sounds like a decent band name). If you are interested in reading more about this disorder (for lack of better word) you can learn about it by clicking here.
   I was also put on blood pressure meds, and given a referral to a (currently) undisclosed Dr. Golden took a full physical (turn your head and cough please), and really put me through the ringer. I will post my blood test results tomorrow. 


I will make a big announcement when/if things work out like I'm planning. I dont want to get ahead of myself.