Getting Back to the Grind

Tomorrow is my last day of freedom from work...and I'm sad. I am also a little bored, to be perfectly honest, so I'm glad I'm going back to work, just maybe not super thrilled with the work I'm going back to. I'm still waiting on my scores for the third (and final) section of the CSET, which will determine if I pursue the social science teaching credential program I applied for which starts in five weeks. 

I've been starting to think about what my career path looks like if I do not end up pursuing teaching. I've taken a bunch of those "what job should you have" tests over the years, and it always goes back to a helping type profession. So I toyed with the idea of nursing, but let's be honest, I don't love working with sickness and blood and all that stuff. So that's out. Social work would take too long to get my Master's and do an internship and get settled, plus I feel like I would take all of my work home emotionally and I just don't think I'm in a point in my life where I can do that. 

So then I start thinking a little bit outside the box in terms of what a "helping" profession could mean. And then I remind myself that I'm 40 and probably should have figured this out awhile ago, but I was busy raising kids. There are a lot of things about HR that I don't hate. But I do know I need something to change on the work front. 

The season of waiting...here it is again. Just a few weeks and then I'll know for sure which way I'm going in terms of whether I'm pursuing another educational path to lead to a new career path. If not, then I need to make some decisions about what I'm doing currently and what lies ahead for me, whether that's in HR or down some other road. 

Post-surgery update: Things are moving along well. I am down 16 pounds since my pre-surgery weight of 273. I am feeling decent, sleeping well (more than usual - probably due to less calories being taken in and therefore less energy; plus, I'm not drinking anything with caffeine), and able to tolerate some soft high protein foods, along with taking my supplements and making sure I get 64 ounces of fluid in everyday. I have a post-op (in-person) appointment with my surgeon on Thursday, so I'm hoping he'll be happy with my progress as well. I am a little concerned about one of my incisions that doesn't look like it's healing as well as the others. So I will definitely have him check that out too.

One thing that I've incorporated back into my diet that has helped with my energy and feeling full is protein shakes! I'm glad to have those back in the rotation, it gives me a little kick start in the morning. Here's what I'm currently eating/drinking most days:

• 60+ ounces of water everyday
• 12 ounces of Gatorade Zero (I prefer Fruit Punch flavor)
• Daily medications (Zoloft, Aygestin)
• Supplements/Vitamins
• B12 sublingual
• Magnesium Oxide
• Multivitamin
• Gas-X
• Colace
• Pepcid
• Calcium Citrate 
• Protein Shake (8 ounces) 
• String cheese for a snack (late AM)
• Scrambled egg with a dash of salt and a sprinkle of shredded cheese (early PM)
• Sugar-free popsicle (late PM)
• Mashed potatoes with a little margarine (PM)
• Sugar-free pudding (PM)

I need to incorporate fish into what I'm eating, since that's the only meat I can eat right now. But I tried salmon and cod, and didn't tolerate either one, so now I'm going to (hopefully) try some tuna with a little mayo, or halibut or tilapia. Honestly, I don't really want to try any of them because I was so nauseous after the first two attempts at fish but I know I need more protein in my diet. So that is a work in progress!