Thank you Tony, I appreciate it. Gosh

Hello, Today is my surgiversary. One year ago I was experiencing the joys of phospho soda and undergoing the loop-de-loop of my intestines. I was 272 on a 5'6" frame, and am now 179. I was hoping I would get to -100, but hey, I came durn close! My pie-in-the-sky has been to reach 150, but to tell you the truth, I don't care so much anymore if I get there, one way or another. I'm happy where I am. I no longer have to support my Immodium habit (I should've bought stock, I could've lived well on the dividends from my purchases alone). No more blood pressure medicine. No more fatty liver. No more shortness of breath for only going up one flight of stairs at work. No more exhisting in a life of I can't, but now living a life in which I participate. No more medicine to help me cycle, and the prospect of having another kid, when I'm ready. Being able to play with my kid. Not having to wait for my husband to find the "round-to-it" to get chore X accomplished. Now he says he wonders when I'm gonna get rid of him, since I don't need him anymore (I tell him I need him to knead me, lol). As they say, the surgery's on my body, not my head, so I'm still no social butterfly, but I have noticed that I'm not ridiculed nearly as much as I was, and as I make these observances I find that other's negative opinions matter so much less to me than they used to. I had a shaky marriage before surgery, and still do, but dangit, I need a few more decades of practice on torturing that man, before I'll let him go! I had bills and debt before the surgery, and I still do. Those hurricane bills just don't die! I had complications from my surgery. I had to have my strictures dialated a couple of times, and scariest of all, I had to have emergency surgery to repair a twisted, strangulated, internal hernia, that burst. While they were fishing that around they also decided to yank the appendix, too. I was told later that if it had gone for even an hour longer, that I would not be here. I'm glad to be here. I wanna see how my son turns out. You hear a lot of people talking about clothes and what size they wanna be. My personal goal was to be in a size starting with a one and a weight starting with a one, oh, and single digit unddies would also be appreciated. I have reached that goal. Everything else is gravy, high protein, lol. I guess the question you ask yourself, a year later, is..... Would you do it again. The answer is YES!!!! I am so much better off than I was. No longer am I the one eating 10-12 plates at the buffet. My mom can no longer call me Hoover. I eat like a normal person, live a normal life, do normal things. I was a lumpy bumpy person before surgery, and I'm still a lumpy bumpy person. I don't strive for physical beauty, my son's got me beat on that one! I'll never be the best person in the world, or live up to anyone else's expectations, but I can live up to mine, and lead a better life. I was determined, a year ago, to make a major change for the better, and I did it! I may never reach my pie-in-the-sky goal, and to be honest I don't do everything by the book (of indeterminate authors, that may change at any given moment), but I do what's right for me. I have normal blood work for the first time in a decade. This is an amazing thing to me, lol. I celebrate the wonderful change in my life, and hope that your journey finds you just as glad in yours, Enjoy the journey, Gosh

Way to go Bill! Life if much better now huh? Take care and keep up the good work.

SO i know alot of you have heard me ***** over the last few months how unhappy i was at my job...well i quit and started to serve again at a chain resturant that just opened and they made me a lead server and a key employee I couldnot be more happy. I run around like a crazy person all day and just love it!!! AND i am "seeing" someone..NOW dont get all excited lol its only a week old BUT...i like him a whole lot. he is crazy like me and younger than me WOOHOO and cute and i will post pics soon...but i am really happy NOW get this...I have lost 6 pounds and another size lmao WOW WHAT HAPPIENESS CAN DO FOR YOU! J

If we approach the coming year with the same determination and drive that we did this first year we'll more than make it. Those things that don't kill only make us stronger and so long as we have websites like this one where we can share our journey with those who know what we are going through we can and will be successful! God bless you on your journey. -Bill-