Some good, some not so good

Hi OH family....wonderful supportive MARCHers!!!! Guess it is my turn for a one year update. What an absolutely amazing journey this has been for us all. Everybody has done so good and I am so proud of all of you and proud of me! I had my one year check up yesterday and I left floating on air!!!! The best report of anything was my lab work...I was so excited. Everything was in the perfect range! My AIC was 5.5 - just before surgery I had the highest AIC - 9.5 and for the first time in my life they put me on metformin...I was petrified to say the least. My poor sister is so diabetic - she has 4 insulin shots a day and I feared that. My daily blood level from the lab report was 81...my poor sister's stay in the 200-300's even with 4 insulin shots a day. My total cholesterol was 164 with the good and bad being in the best range for both. My iron had gone up from 49 to 89 by switching vitamins I think. All my vitamin levels were in the perfect range - testamonial to "taking those vits" every day!!!! But then in addition to my good labs...my total weight loss is 145 pounds since my initial consult and 115 from surgery date and an amazing loss of 88 3/4 inches...that is is almost 7 1/2 feet of flab gone!!!!! I have lost an entire person!!!! I want to lose about 50 more pounds and I know that will be slow going, but hopefully with spring and much more walking I can get a good start on it. However, they have just said our Easter in New England will be colder than Christmas day - go figure!!!! So in congratulating all you MARCHers who are so close to goal...I hope I can find a few of us that still have those final 50 or more pounds to go!!! I think since I am 56 years old my metabolism isn't as functioning as some of you youngsters...but I am hanging in there! So my one year check up was such a birthday present to me! Now for the not so good - my dear hubby spent 2 days in the hospital this week. He had a terrible chest cold last weekend and went to the doctor for the purpose of doing blood work for his physical this Monday and while there asked if the doc could see him to perhaps prescribe an antiobiotic. In checking him out - long story short - they determined he has "atrial fibrillation" - which basically means an irregular, rapid contraction of the atria in the heart. All his other blood work was perfect - cholesterol total was 127, his blood pressure is perfect and an echo cardiogram revealed a normal size heart with no enlargements - his heart just beats irregular. So they have put him on medication to try and regulate the heart beat and coumadin to thin his blood to prevent a stroke - probably forever. He has to go every 3-4 days to the doctor for a blood test until they regulate the coumadin. He has no restrictions of any activity....(STYLZ and Stephanie Smiles - he can still work at your house...inside joke!). Other than taking this medication, and recovering from an awful chest cold - hopefully he has a good check up that will last another 40-50 years!!! So it has been a busy week and the week before that we were in TN - just my absence from the boards for a few days. The fun thing about our trip to TN - to visit my beautiful grandkids - was the airline flight. When we got to Manchester to check in at the security gate - the lady kept looking at my photo on my driver's license and made me show her additional identification. She asked me if I had lost a lot of weight and complimented me on how good I look - what a sweet lady!!!! So in summary - some wonderful news (1-year check up), some complimentary news (airport security), and some going to be ok news (hubby's diagnosis). Thanks to all of you and all the wonderful support I have gotten from this forum. Keep up the good work MARCHers. I am going to post a before and after picture soon - so will let you know when I do! I am looking forward to lunch with STYLZ and Stephanie Smiles in 2 weeks! Wish you all could come to New England and go to lunch with us! Thanks for reading this long post....hugs to all....Barbara

Hi Barb, Congratulations, it does sound like a great one year check up. Keep up the great work!!! You don't have to worry about finding us out here to keep along with you as you lose your next 50 lbs. I don't think any of us are really going anywhere. At least I hope not. I know I have been MIA off and on but that is due to being busy etc, not because I feel I've got to goal or close to and now don't need this board. I think we all need the board, to keep coming here until we reach goal and beyond. We need to keep eachother in check!! So believe me you will not be alone in the rest of your journey and beyond. I still have some weight to lose. Ideally another 30 lbs or so. It might happen, might not, but I'm going to try!! I guess I shouldn't set might happen, then I'd be setting myself up for not accomplishing it. let me rephrase... I AM GOING TO LOSE ANOTHER 30 LBS!! How's that? Hope that your husband is responsive to the medication and is feeling better soon. Take care of eachother and have a Happy Easter!

Thanks for your kind words...and yes we will all hang in there for each other - for those getting to goal and those maintaining! I must admit I miss your exercise motivational posts....I really need to step up the exercise...and I was more "on a roll" when you were posting everyday...but glad you are staying busy and like your job! I will be glad for warmer weather and then I can do some serious walking during each day!

I miss my motivational exercise posts too! LOL I wish I had the time, or I wish I'd make the time more often to exercise. I corrected myself because as the quote goes... "You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it". - Charles Buxton We can always find excuses why not to exercise. I know quite a few. LOL But i have been doing better and back to the gym at least twice a week, some weeks I have been making it three times. But what I do try to do is always fit in extra steps / work in my daily routine. I take the stairs at work all the time, when the weather has been allowing this past few weeks I go out at lunch time for 30 to 40 minutes and take a walk. I just try to add steps etc to my day. We actually had a false alarm (fire alarms went off at work the other day ). Well once we were ok'd to go back in, the elevators wouldn't work to our top floors. They come down and lock up. You can take these other ones to the 8th floor and then walk the last two. I decided that this time I'm going to give the stairs a shot. Exercise!! wooo!! So I started up and did pretty well, got to the 5th floor before I was getting winded and thinking oh darn. LOL But from there I just did one flight at a time and stopped a minute between. My thighs were burning at this point each flight. There are about 20 steps between floors. So 9 floors x 20 = 180 steps. I think that was pretty darn good considering last year I would have been dying to make the first 20! So try to keep motivated! The nice weather for sure is going to help us all I think jump start a few more pounds we'd like to lose. I think with the long winter it has made things a bit harder, we are less active, inside more, prone to pick at things. Now we should be out there in the sun having fun and moving. I know I am so looking forward to riding bikes, going hiking, walking and what ever else I find along the way. Oh yea, golf! Have a great Easter Sunday!

Hey Sis...what and awsome check up!! I didn't even get those kind of stats at mine...I'm jealouse! You can tell who the slacker is huh? I can't wait to see the before and after pictures...I bet the transformation will be amazing. I hate to hear your hubby is having to go through all of this, but glad to hear that they already know what's causing the problem. So often it takes doctor's forever to decide what's causing problems with people. Now that they now and are already on top of it he can get back to leading his life probably even better then he was before. Hopefully his cold will clear up quickly. I am glad you enoyed your grandbabies while you were down...when you come down this summer be sure to let me know so we can meet in Nashville or Dickson. I hope you, Stylz and Stephanie have a great time together...I want to go!! Hugs and kisses! Mimi

Well sis - thanks for your reply! Come on up in 2 weeks and have lunch with Stephanie and STYLZ and me! You can stay with me! Of course, it might still be snowing...gotta love this New England weather. I am about ready to move to TN now instead of 5 years from now. We will definitely get together in June! Barb - the other MeMe!!!

Barbara, WOW, you have done so good. I am proud of you. It doesn't get much better then having a good doctors report. I had someone question my ID the other day also. I have done some flying and never been questioned at the airport, but the guy at the hardware store is the one that noticed the difference on my drivers license. It is kind of funny but I lied by at least a 100 pounds on my drivers license and now I am 40 pounds less then it says. I don't get a new one for 2 years unless I go in and request one. Sorry to hear about your hubby's troubles, but glad they have figured out what is wrong and working on a solution. He is lucky to have you by his side. Good luck as you continue with your journey. We are all on the same path, but we are getting closer to our destination. Life is good, Rick

You are so right Rick - LIFE IS GOOD! Don't you just love it when they question your ID....I too cannot get another one for 2 more years unless I want to pay for another one...but hey - what's a few bucks - might do it anyway. Thanks for your kind words and thanks for being another wonderful inspirational person to us MARCHers! Barb

wow what a great report!!! I'm going for my blood work this week and my appt next week.. I have to say I'm a little nervous for my blood work results since I'm not an avid vitamin taker (but with all those drinkable yogurts I drink, my calcium better be normal!! ). I try to get them in every day, but forget maybe twice a week Aaawww poor John!! Tell him I'll give him a pass on working at my house, just because he came up with a creative "excuse" to get out of it! Let him know I hope he's feeling better, I'm thinking about him and get better soon (oh, and thats only a pass, he's not off the hook ) love you both! ps- are you coming to the meeting on Tuesday?

Well my surgery sister...can't wait to see how your blood work somes out. You are going to like the new office building - so big and bright and sunny! I probably won't be going to the meeting Tuesday because I was out of work last week several days while John was in the hospital and was out Friday for my doctor visit and his. Have a lot to get caught up on, but will see how it goes Monday and let you know. I'll tell John he isn't off the hook and thanks for thinking about him...hugs to you...Barb