15 pounds lighter!

bahahahahahaha!!! Sometimes I feel like a caged animal in a zoo. The fatty fat girl in me wants to go and chow down on all you can eat Chinese buffet with Mexican for desert.  But I don't wanna die plus I like seeing the scale showing smaller and smaller numbers!!!


Oh yeah, back to the reason for this blog.  I just wanted to encourage others reading this and let them know that you can do it if you set your mind to it.  PLUS, I now believe that you have to be ready for it.  It is one thing to talk about it and want to lose weight but it is like smoking, drugs, or drinking.  And by that, I mean, you aren't going to make lifestyle changes until YOU are ready for it. 

For years I have talked about losing weight.  It took a stupid heart attack to get me motivated.  With my family history I figured I better get my behind in gear and try to maintain the healthiest lifestyle that I could.  So, I am doing this without any weight loss drugs, special programs, and I am most certainly not starving myself. 

MAY 30: I weighed 176 lbs at 5'8"
JULY 10: I weighted 161 lbs (and still 5'8") 


Here are a few things I have been doing:
1) I measure what I eat.  From the stove to my plate.  No more putting food on the table so I can have 2nds, 3rds, etc!!! I also measure out my snacks, ie 10 grapes, 1oz of cheese.

2)  I am counting carbs.  I alternate 30-45-30 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then do about 15g for my snacks.  Basically, I am like a cow and grazing all day long.

3) For the first few weeks, NO SODAS! Now I have a Pepsi Max every once in a while as a treat!

4) I am drinking about 90 ounces of water (or water fixed with a flavor) a day.  I find it easier to drink if I use the big hospital 30oz cups that they used to give patients (thanks sis for that idea and a big thanks to the grents for finding one for me!!!)

I am sure there are plenty more things I am doing but right now I can't think of them.

I can say that I am now hooked on sugar-free jello with sugar free cool whip!!!

I need to hit the gym, because I need to tone up on what I am losing :)

I had a friend today ask me what my goal was, and I thought about it....I really don't have a goal.  I am comfortable in my marriage and know that Gary loves me unconditionally.  I don't care if I ever look good in a bikini (not that I am wearing one now!).  I am not interested in getting back into booty shorts (after all I will be 33 in a few months). I just want to be healthy...so that is my goal :)

The whole point of this blog is to say that you need to figure out what works best for YOUR body.  We are all different and what works for Sally Sue might not work for Plain Jane. 

Oh and if you see me out and about and catch me trying to eat something that I shouldn't be eating, please feel free to knock it out of my hands!!!

xoxo tiff

No news...will drive you crazy!

Yeah well that is what they say......but in my case...No news was driving me crazy!!!!! LOL

I had an appointment last week at my cardiologist's office to do an echocardiogram (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/echocardiogram/MY00095) to see what the damage was to my heart.  The tech told me it could take up to 48 hours to get a call with my results.  He said (and I quote) "now if you get home and there is a message on the machine from the doc, that usually isn't good, but if you don't hear anything, well...no news is good news."

Ok, so I wait.....and wait....and then Monday at 1630 (4:30pm) rolls around and nothing, so I call.  And this is how the conversation went down....

Me: Hi, this is Tiffany Williams and I had an echo done on Thursday.  I was just wondering when to expect the results.

Nurse: Well if we don't call you, then it is good news.

Me: Ma'am, I am 32 and had a heart attack a few weeks ago. The echo was to see if there was any damage done and I have been kinda worried all weekend.

Nurse:  If we didn't call you, then that is good.  It means that the doc reviewed your echo and found everything to be good.

Now, don't get me wrong...I am OVER THE MOON THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE NO DAMAGE FROM MY HEART ATTACK, BUT A PHONE CALL TO STATE THIS WOULD HAVE MEANT THE WORLD TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  LOL (I didn't say this to her but I wanted to.)

I guess I am being dramatic but this isn't your everyday lab/diagnostic study being done! 

But this has taught me a lesson I won't forget....I need to remember my patients and their feelings and make sure to always follow up with them. 

Now I am off to celebrate being damage free by cleaning the house....LOL

DA DA DA DA DA DA DA DA CIRCUS DA DA DA DA DA DA DA DA AFRO CIRCUS AFRO CIRCUS AFRO POLKADOT POLKADOT POLKADOT AFRO

Ha, I bet the name of this got your attention! For those of you that know me and well for the ones that don't, I will tell you the story.

May 25, 2012 was a regular day like any other....except that after breakfast, I got sick. And when I say I got sick, I am talking about violent, nasty, gross sick.  It wasn't fun and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  Around 5pm I couldn't catch my breath, oh and my pulse was over 100.  Time to go to the ER (and for folks that really know me, you know I hate going to doctors and even more the ER because I think it is was overused for silly things).

Well it was dehydration for me. Two bags of fluid, some zofran and phenergan for me.  Later on in the evening, the doctor comes in and ask if I am having chest pain.  Ummmm No, I am just puking my entire stomach contents and the lining out. Then he tells me my troponin level was slightly elevated (http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/troponin/tab/test) but my other lab values are good to go.  Even my EKG was normal.  They then informed me that they wanted me to stay in the ER overnight for observation because the telemetry floor was full.  I was like I will go home and come back in the morning for more lab work, I am NOT staying overnight in the ER on this uncomfortable gurney.  Well after signing my AMA papers (papers stating that you are leaving against medical advice) I ate a cracker and started throwing up all over again.  And this time my whole body starting hurting.  My friend Brittany said, "you aren't leaving, I have never seen you like this." So I stay...

During the night I am woken up for various tests that most of you won't understand or find boring.  LOL But I had ABGs drawn (they hurt!!!), EKGs done, and about 100 sticks from the lab for various lab work.  Antibiotics were hung because my white blood cell (WBC---indicates infection) count was high.  So now I am nauseous, worried about why my troponin level is elevated, and trying to figure out why and where this infection might be.  Oh and I tried to sleep between all the alarms going off every few minutes.  (If I even took a deep breath, the leads from my cardiac monitor would fall off and ding ding ding!)

In the morning, a new doctor (who I loved!) came in and said (in her lovely accent), "Tiffany, you are a mystery to us but I promise I will find out what is wrong with you and get you better.  My lab work had shown that my troponin level was rising and I was hanging out with no shortness of breath, chest pain, or anything.

Well at about 1030am, the nurse is about to give me meds and the Heart Catheterization (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cath/) team came running in, taking off my leads, and telling the nurse not to bother with my meds, that I was going upstairs now.  Oh, by the way, this was a Saturday and they were on call, so when the team came running in and they were in regular clothes, I thought....oh crap, this isn't good!!!

I was moved to a table, some AED pads (used to shock you) were applied, and I was given Versed.  And then the team said, we don't have authorization.  I replied, "do what you gotta do." (At this point all I could think about was crap, I am gonna have to have open heart surgery and will have to delay my last semester of school).  Well versed usually makes you drift off but once I saw that there were four big screen tvs that was showing the procedure, I thought to myself, "You gotta stay awake for this!"

So I did.  I got to watch everything that the cardiologist did and it was amazing.  Took about  an hour.  The doctor looked at me and this is what he said, "You had a heart attack from a blood clot. I put a stent in. Your birth control tired to kill you."  So I now have a stent in my LAD (http://www.cardiologysite.com/html/lad.html) which is also known as the widow-maker. (So yes, I am extremely lucky and blessed to be alive and typing this right now!)

Do what??? I am only 32 and I have had a heart attack??? Ok, someone wake me up now.  But it wasn't a dream.  It was reality.  Something I had decided to take to regulate my periods tried to kill me...Now I am not going to come and out say what I was on because you run a risk with every form of birth control.  I am going to suggest that you ask your doctor, and be your biggest advocate.

I got to hang out in CCU for a few days and then was discharged to home with about 800 meds.  (Well not that many but if you know me, you know I have a taste from drama. LOL)


So there it is in a nutshell.  I know many people have been curious as to why at 32 I had a heart attack but just didn't want to ask.  But if you have questions, I want you to ask. Sorry this post was so long but people (especially women) need to know that we don't have the normal signs and symptoms of chest pains.  The tech at my cardiologist's office said 97% of woman never have chest pain, arm and jaw numbness and tingling. 

(Ok some of you might not find the humor in this, but I have chosen to be thankful that I lived through this and not dwell on the bad stuff.  I hope that I can be an inspiration or make a difference in someone's life.)  P.S. Thanks Britt for this picture!!!


This has changed my life so I will be posting (when I do) on my lifestyle changes, my progress, and will be doing some PSA on women and heart attacks.  And I might add some of my wonderful humor in here from time to time.  If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me...I would love to answer any and all questions!

xoxo-tiff