PaulaJ

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Hello out there!

I just wanted to take a minute to post some exciting news!  After initial consultation with a plastic surgeon, it appears that there is an excellent chance that my insurance is going to cover the expense of my breast reduction/lift! 

You know what that means!  No more tripping on my own girls and no more black eyes when I decide to try to run.  LOL

I actually meet with the surgeon on Nov. 25th...and should know more about it all after that.  I have so much to do in the meantime, though.  I need to get a mammogram....as I'm sure that will be a requirement to satisfy both the surgeon and the insurance company.  I am also going to need to see my primary care physician and begin collecting records and data to support the fact that a reduction is going to help me, medically speaking. 

I'm told that it will, most likely, take three to six months to get everything done in order to meet the criteria of the insurance company.  If I learned anything during the whole process of getting my RNY approval....it's not to wait and expect everything just to fall into place.  You really have to be proactive, almost aggressive, in getting everything gathered up and in the right hands, yourself.  It took me nearly two years to get the approval for my RNY!  Once or twice....I dropped the ball and it was my own fault for the slow progress.  But the clerical staff at my surgeons office screwed things up a few times, too.  :(  Anyway, it doesn't matter now.....and I'm down 100 pounds!  (Gotta keep going, though.)

Well, I just wanted to post this little update.  I hope and pray that all of you out there are feeling well and getting close to those goals we set.  God bless you all.....

Paula

Hello, Everyone!

I'm so excited to report that today....my very own B-day...I get to enter the Century Club!  That's right...when I got on the scales this morning, I had hit the 100 pound weight loss mark.  Yay me!!!

I only wish that was all I had to lose.  But, alas'....I must keep going.  lol  I'm not gonna stop til it's all gone!  So you know what that means.....no b-day cake for me!  LOL  Truly...that's definitely an "OK" thing......all the sugar and fat in it makes me feel like I'm gonna barf and I nearly go into a sugar coma.  haha  It's a welcome trade off.....I give up the cake...and my ass shrinks.  I'm happy with that arrangement!  haha  I must confess, though.....I do have a bite or two...and that is more than enough to satisfy the craving without making me feel like death on a cracker.   haha

Keep on keepin' on, Everyone!  We can do this weight loss thing!  God bless you all...

Paula

I was talking to some friends of mine about how some people are successful after WLS and some are not.  While I am not at goal, as of yet, I do have a couple of theories about the subject. 

The first, is that how badly you want it has EVERYTHING to do with your success.  In my case, I was really sick for quite a while.  I wasn't even able to walk very much.  I had to use a cane for a while and those damned little scooter things when I'd go shopping.  It was humiliating.  But after getting my knees replaced and fighting my way back to having some strength back about me...I have found that all of those hardships have made me APPRECIATE how important good health is.  Going through all of that certainly sucked out loud....but it instilled within me an understanding and an incredible desire to get my health back.  Which is something  I knew could only be accomplished by losing weight and getting fit.  I'm still working on it, mind you.  But I'm already so much better!

Secondly, I think those of us who have to undergo the counselling for 6 months or more are more likely to be successful.  While it's a drag to have to wait and, sometimes, you just kinda hear what you already know all over again....those consults have a way of seeping into your brain and sticking there.  I seem to have developed an enhanced awareness of being responsible for everything I put into my mouth because of those consultations.  Also, going through that made you have to sort of work for it.....you had to actually do something to qualify....and that made it seem more important...more real, if you will.....and it helped me to realize that the surgery itself is NOT a quick fix.  It made me realize that I still had to be responsible and work to get the weight off.  And that the surgery truly is just a tool.

While I am feeling so much happier and healthier, these days, I find myself also feeling sad because of recent events here close to home.  Those of you who know anything about me, know that I have mild lupus.  Thankfully, it has been brought under control and my meds manage it well.  I'm expected to have a normal lifespan and, other than occasional fatigue, I'm leading a pretty normal life.  My cousin wasn't so lucky, though. 

Tomorrow.....which is, ironically, my birthday.....the family will bury my cousin, Irene.  Lupus hit Irene early in her life.  She went undiagnosed for too long and it caused her devastating and irreversible damage.  Also, when she was diagnosed the meds that are available today, weren't available then.  She has suffered much of her life because of this terrible disease.  While I am so sad that the world has lost such a sweet and wonderful person, I also feel relief for her that her suffering is over.

As for me, I have to admit that it is definitely an odd feeling.  Odd and very scary.  And it gives me yet another reason to appreciate this "second chance at health" that God has given me.  You'd better believe that I am not going to be sitting on my butt and not taking advantage of the opportunity that the WLS has given me.

I hope that these words will inspire someone out there who is having trouble getting motivated.  Never, EVER, take good health for granted.  Realize that it is such an important aspect of life.  Without it, your possibilites for happiness become so limited.  Nothing is as enjoyable.  Life becomes very dark and solitary.  It is the fundamental element that makes happiness possible.  Don't let obesity handicap you.....yes, I said HANDICAP you.  Because that is just what it does.  It steals your health, your life, and your happiness away.  Fight it...FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! 

As for me.....between the lupus and the obesity....I feel like I've spent the past 4 years down in the bottom of a deep, dark well.  I have had to claw at the walls of dirt and rock to dig myself back up out of those depths.  And, now....thank God....I feel I'm near the top.  I'm climbing those last few feet that are going to take me to that freedom I have longed for and needed for soooo long.  I am sooooo THANKFUL!

God bless you all.  And, remember.....we CAN do this!!!

Paula :)

I really need to get to my doc and start asking questions about this subject.  I've needed a breast reduction & lift for a long time.  Now that the weight is coming off, it's beginning to look like I'm gonna trip on the "girls" if I'm not real damned careful.  haha  So, does anyone know if I have to weight until "all" the weight is gone?  Or is this something I can do now?

Common sense tells me that I am, most likely, gonna have to wait.  But OMG, I want to have it done now!  Also, it is commonly know that nearly all women have a slight difference in the size of each breast.  Well, as I am losing weight, the difference isn't so "slight", anymore.  It really looks like I'm losing more weight in one breast than in the other.  ACK!  Why me???  Why do the freaky things happen to meeeee?  hahaha 

Oh, well...I might have to wait a bit....but the girls are gonna get a makeover....that's for sure.  And I'd really love to hear from anyone out there who has had this procedure done. 

I know that most insurances will pay for the reduction, but will the doc include the lift in the procedure or is that gonna be a seperate expense?  Hmmmm....  Again, I'd love to hear from someone "in the know" about these procedures.

Well, that's about enough of my complainin' for today.  I'm taking my daughter to the park and I am gonna try to remember to take my camera and snap some photos of us.  I need to post some new and up to date ones.

Have a wonderful day, Everyone!

Paula :)

Hello, Friends...(and anyone else bored enough to wanna read this)  LOL

Today is September 1, 2009.  A new...and very sexy, I might add...friend of mine has inspired me to update my blog.  His name is Woody and his success is AMAZING!  Just check out my friends list and click on his page if ya wanna see an amazing transformation. 

Anyhoo...I have lost 95 pounds at this point.  My surgery was Dec. 30th, '08.....so I guess I'm doing pretty well.  Not the faster loser, but not the slowest either.  No matter how long it takes....the bottom line is what is important to me.  They say it doesn't matter when you get to Rome, as long as you get there.  And while I'm just as eager to shed these pounds as the rest of the population here on OH...I realize that a slower loss has it's perks, too.  They say you're more apt to keep it off if you lose it slowly.  And your skin also has more time to adjust to the new size of your body.  Nonetheless...I find it wisest to look at the rate of my loss like I look at everything else in life.  It will happen when God intends for it to.  I just need to do the best I can and roll with it.

I am so thrilled to be feeling so much better.  You see, I have lupus....which drains your energy levels.  The added weight I was carrying was an additional drain on me, so you can imagine how much better I feel.  I still have a way to go.  I want to lose, at least, another seventy pounds.

Sometimes, people ask me what are my best tips that I have learned on my journey.  The first, is that you HAVE to realize that if you want a great result you gotta EXERCISE.  If you cannot exercise just after your surgery, then start as soon as you can.  BE PATIENT, too.  At first, I could only walk about a half a mile.  I built up slowly and now I can walk up to five miles a day.  I, usually, only do 2-3, though.  However, I don't really go by distance.  I make sure to walk about an hour a day, now.  But in the beginning, I started at 20-30 mins.  Again...PATIENCE!

Also, I found that I would get bored with the same routine.  So when I feel that boredom creeping in, I change something.  Since walking has been my main exercise to this point, I'd change my route.  I started out walking at the YMCA around the top of the building.  Then I went outdoors to the walking track @ the park.  Next, I hit the sidewalks and started walking all around my hometown.  Nowadays, I've kicked it up a notch, and started hiking the trails in the hills.

One of the BEST tips I have is to listen to upbeat music that you love while exercising.  When I walk, it just comes naturally that my step falls into line with the beat of the music.  I really don't think that I would've stuck with it as well as I have without my tunes.  And the same holds true with your music....when you get bored with what you've got programmed into your iPod or mp3....then download some new stuff.  I always get an extra bit of motivation to walk when I have some new great tunes to listen to.

My second tip is to be patient with yourself and not compare yourself to others.  Our bodies are all unique and complex machines.  There are so many different factors....things like our body compostion, our metabolism, our environment and levels of health....that make it impossible to make an accurate comparison of ourselves to someone else.  When you put all these factors together...there is no way our equation of weight loss is gonna be the same as someone else's.  Our journey is going to be as unique as the individual who undertakes it.  So don't frustrate yourself by comparing yourself to others.  I did it.  And it was a mistake.  Don't waste that emotion.

And, I guess lastly.....I'd advise anyone trying to lose weight to FOCUS.  I was sick a while ....four years, actually....before I had my surgery.  So I am chomping at the bit to get out there and resume my life.  But I know that my health....getting my body in the shape it needs to be in.....has to be PRIORITY ONE.  Without your health....everything else is damned near impossible, or you are going to end up doing whatever it is half-assed.  And half ass doesn't work for me.

I've learned some tough lessons in life.  I've been as hard headed as a person can be, I suppose.  But I finally "get it" now.  You gotta get your priorities straight.  And never....ever....EVER.....settle for less than you deserve.  NEVER settle for "half-assed"......whether it is in relationships or in the journey to getting your health back and your body into shape.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm kidding myself.  I catch myself thinking that I'm never gonna get down to that goal weight.  But I just kinda compartmentalize that fear....tell myself to shush it up....and keep working to do the best job that I can TODAY.  Somedays, I don't do so great with the diet, etc.  But the next day I jump right back on the proverbial wagon.  I WON'T give up.  And if it is God's will....then I will reach that goal weight.

Anyway....sorry if I've bored you guys to tears....I just wrote about what is on my heart and in my mind on this day.  I still have a way to go....but these things I've mentioned here have gotten me this far and I pray that they will continue to work for me to get me to where I wanna be.

Oh, yeah....I need to post new pics.  I'm gonna try to do that in the next couple of days.  Good luck and God bless anyone and everyone who might stumble across my meanderings....

Paula 

I just kinda figured it was time to type in something here.  I'm not sure anyone will bother to read it....seriously doubt it, in fact...lol  But I suppose I'm writing it for me, too....to help me keep track.

So far I'm down a total of 79 pounds.  Which makes me feel extremely better than I did.  However, I can't help but feel a little envious of those who have already lost over a hundred, by now.  It's so frustrating because I'm trying my best and my results aren't are great as they could be.  I know, I know....I gotta stop comparing myself to others.

I am enjoying being in a smaller size of clothes....6-8 sizes in fact.  But I just can't wait to be in even smaller ones!  And even though I know that 79 pounds is a lot of weight lost...and that I am looking much different, already...I still get sooo worried that I am going to fail at this thing. 

I remember them telling me that RNY was going to be a tool...not a cure.  But I seriously underestimated how much work and dieting that there STILL is to it.  Or is that just me?  It seems to me that some folks don't even halfway try and still drop weight like crazy.  I'm happy for them.  But why can't I be one of them!???  lol

I've never been a super patient person, and I don't mind telling you that having to wait and see how it all goes is making me crazy.  lol  I'm terrified that a little later on down the road I won't have lost much more than I already have.  Oh, well....guess I might as well go and take me a big ole chill pill and get over it.  lol

In the meantime, I'm going to keep walking and swimming and doing whatever....as often as I can.  If I could only stop drinking with meals, though!  THAT is something I can't seem to shake.  Although, I do try to restrict liquids as much as possible.  I'd choke to death without something....I just know it.  lol

Goodbye for now....and good luck to all who might stumble across my page!

I am here to happily report that I have had a wonderful Mother's Day.  AND I have been a very good girl, to boot.  lol 

I began my day by being incredibly lazy and sleeping in.  After that, my sister and I threw together an impropmtu cookout at her place for the whole family.  Actually, I did most of the "throwing together" but she provided a place to have it.  I went shopping at the grocery store and bought the groceries.  Then I carried them in all by myself.....watermelon and all.  lol  As soon as I got there I proceeded to begin preparing the food.  It felt so great to finally have the energy to do all of these things.  You see, the past five years of my life have been riddled with sickness and fatigue.  The family have all come to know me as the one who is always late...IF I even show up, at all.  So to be the one doing most of the work today felt just awesome!  I feel alive, again!  And I'm only down 65 pounds so far.  After I lose the next 65 my feet probably won't even be touching the ground.  lol

My ten year old daughter, and her cousins spent the day riding around the place in her golf cart.  It was so wonderful to see them laughing and enjoying the perfect temperature of the day and the sunshine.  It really took me back to when I was a 10 year old and we all actually went outside to play every day of our lives.  We had no clue back then that those we be the most treasured times of our lives.  It makes my heart feel so good to see her outdoors experiencing the same sort of play.  I could've kicked myself for not having my camera.  They looked so sweet on that cart.  The were driving the dogs around and everything.  Usually, with Ciara (my daughter) at the wheel.  I get a bit nervous about her driving it, but she does really well. 

My mother was there and seemed very pleased just to have the family all together and experience the closeness and love that we all share for each other.  We're a very close family.   And I am grateful to God for each and every one of them.  None of us could really afford to buy expensive gifts or anything.  There wasn't steaks on the grill, but instead hotdogs and hamburgers...but we could not have enjoyed it any more.  :)

The only downer today was that I didn't get to see my 23 yr. old daughter.  But she did call and I totally understood why she couldn't show up.  She was not feeling well, at all.  So we plan to do something a little later in the week.

I splurged just a tiny bit at dinner.  I ate a weiner that I chopped up, put about a tablespoon of chili on top of that, added some mustard and a little onion and enjoyed a bun-less hotdog.  I also had about a tablespoon of potato salad and......hold on......about 3 bites of key lime pie.  My God, I'd have loved to have just stripped down naked and dived into that pie head first.  hahaha  But I managed to keep control.  Aren't ya glad?

Oh, yeah!  Here's a GREAT idea for the most wonderful summer drink that my sister-in-law brought with her from Manila.  She gets a cantaloupe and scoops out all of the flesh with a melon baller.  And is careful to catch all the juice from it in a pitcher while she is doing it.  She also puts the melon into the pitcher and fills it with ice and cold water.  She uses sugar to sweeten it, but I'm sure equal would do just as well.  Anyway, it doesn't sound like it would be all that great....but it is FANTASTIC!  It's so light and fruity.  It tastes just like summertime in a glass.  And the best part is that you get to enjoy a few chunks of melon that are always left in the bottom of your glass.  Try it!  it's great!

Ok...so I am outta here, for now.  I hope everyone else had an equally wonderful day!  God bless you all!

Hello, World!  :)

I sat down and typed a huge blog entry about a month ago, only to lose it somehow in the great black hole of cyberspace.  lol  So I will try once more.

I will start at the beginning.  My RNY surgery was done on Dec. 30th, 2008.  I was one of the lucky ones who, essentially, breezed through the surgery and recovery period.  My sister, who has also had the same surgery 1 yr. earlier, was not so lucky.  She hasn't had any complications, but she was much more sore and took longer to heal than I did.

The month prior to my surgery I lost ten pounds.  Since my surgery, I have lost 53 pounds.  For a grand total of 63 pounds since early December, 2008.  Why is it that these numbers look insufficient to me???  Everyone else seems to be dropping it faster than I am.  I'm glad for them, but it freaks me out thinking that I'm going to be a weight loss surgery failure.  And I really am trying!

Perhaps, one thing that has slowed me down is that I have only started exercising 6 weeks, ago.  To be honest, it took me til then to feel like I actually could exercise.  You see, I have had both my knees replaced, I have severely herniated disks in my back, and I have lupus.  Lupus tends to drain your energy.  But I'm not going to let all that crap get me down.  It has had me down for too long.  I'm taking my life back!

Anyway, I am looking forward to making new friends.  I'm here to lend my support and my limited knowledge and hope to find a few folks out there willing to do the same.  I wish everyone luck on this fantastic journey we've undertaken.  And I pray that we ALL have the success we deserve. 

Group huggs....

Paula :)