Four Weeks of a New Life

What a month it has been. This, even in the middle of a pandemic and with a new ostomy, has been my healthiest month in the past year. Mentally and physically I feel like a new person compared to how I felt in early June. Each day I’m reminded how fortunate I am to have the most amazing wife and a beautiful daughter that I actually get to be with in our home. I’m encouraged by the progress I’ve seen in myself and my relationships with others. It’s been great to be a friend again. I know I’ve talked about it a lot here, but it becomes more and more apparent each day how much I need people and personal interaction in my life. When I wasn’t getting that in the hospital, that’s when I was at my lowest and my best days come with plenty of exercise and personal interaction. I love what my body and mind can do, I just need to test them or make them work everyday to get that satisfaction.

This past week has been the most normal I’ve felt in awhile. It has been an improvement on even last week. Each day is better and better. My daily routine now starts around 5:30 or 6 in the morning (thanks Avery). I’ll feed her and change her diaper then lay her back down to sleep. From there, I’ll read for 30-45 minutes while I drink water and an electrolyte beverage. I am still trying to figure out the hydration thing with the ostomy as I still wake up dehydrated most days. I finished up Daniel Kahneman’s “Thinking, Fast and Slow”. Overall, a very good book that makes you reflect on your biases of thought and how the brain works to develop them. It is a dense read, and at times I felt like I needed an undergrad degree in psychology but it was well worth it. I’m now starting Matthew Walkers book, “Why We Sleep”. Please keep sending me book recommendations or asking what I thought of the book! As I said, any and all personal interaction is welcome. After my morning reading, I go for a walk. I’m up to walking 2.3 miles in the morning and another mile at some point in the day with Katy and Avery! It feels amazing to be able to move my body again. I’m anxiously waiting for the all clear from my surgeon which should come on the 18th. After my walk, I eat my breakfast. This always includes a cheese omelette with 3 eggs and 4 oz. of egg whites, my BPN strong reds and greens, then some type of carbohydrate. I love my eggo waffles but I’ll also switch it up with bananas sometimes. I’m going to try to reintroduce oatmeal into my diet, but it may be too high in fiber so we will see how that goes! Once I’m done with breakfast, Avery is typically ready to get her day started and Katy is waking up too. We feed Avery and let her play on her floor mat or swing. We have been really into the show “Blacklist” on Netflix so as soon as Avery starts to sleep or is calmly playing we will flip that on as well. While we are watching and playing, around 10:30 I’ll eat again. This is typically just a protein shake or smoothie depending on how hungry I’m feeling. Most of the day really is spent either playing with Avery, feeding Avery, feeding myself, or watching TV/ reading. My days are typically very slow and relaxing as I need reminded that I am still recovering. My overall diet is still focused on gaining weight and getting plenty of protein. I’ve been a lot more active with walking and light 10 lbs. dumbbell and band workouts. It feels good to work muscles again and I’m very excited to get back into my garage gym! And now a 1 month goal update!

Due Date: July 16, 2021

Check In: August 13, 2020

Be 190 pounds

Current weight: 171! This is up from 163 post surgery and the lowest point of 152. It’s been great to enjoy food again and to see some of the muscle that atrophied so bad coming back. Weight gain spiked pretty quickly so I am dialing back the calories to 2400-2800 per day for awhile to see if it slows down.

10+ pull-ups

The surgeon still hasn’t cleared me to workout so there hasn’t been too much progress on this. I’ve been doing should mobility and light band work to make sure I’m ready to work when i get the go ahead!

Bench 225

Same thing with the pull-ups, I’m making sure I’m ready to go when I’m allowed to go!

Run a sub 27 minute 5k

I’ve been walking 2.3 miles every morning at a sub 17 minute mile pace to build up my aerobic base again. I’ve been doing different calf and ankle exercises to make sure I’m ready to go when I’m cleared.

Read 12+ books

I’ve completed Urban Meyer’s “Above the Line” and “Thinking, Fast and Slow” so far in the first month. I started on my 3rd book, “Why We Sleep”. So far this has been my favorite goal to work on because it is something I never really did before the surgery so it’s been a new hobby for me.

Complete my CFP

This is one that I have not progressed on at all. I’ve really put it on the back burner as I’ve been away from work awhile. It will be more of my focus in September, October, and November to make sure I do get the pre education done before 2021.

Be the Best Husband I Can Be

This has been such a fun and humbling goal to work at. Every day I’m reminded of how short I fall at perfection but how much Katy loves me anyways. She pushes me to be better everyday and I love her for that. We’ve grown a lot through this experience and it’s fun to discuss this during our daily devotional.

Be the Best Father I Can Be

This has also been so fun!! Avery changes everyday and loves to keep us on our toes. I’ve enjoyed being able to play with her and do all the dad things like changing her diapers and feeding her at 2 am. I’m excited to continue learning how to be a girl dad and do everything I can to make sure we raise her to be an amazing woman!

With Love,

Andy