Happy Halloween!!

Hey everyone! I haven't posted here in FOREVER! I hope everyone is doing good! I am doing ok. I have gained some weight back, about 10lbs I think. I don't have a decent working scale at home so I don't know for sure. I missed my 2 year check up in August so I am going tomorrow. I wish I had gone in August, my weight was good then! I am not sad about the weight gain. I still feel healthy and feel like I still look pretty good. It's a little depressing but it's to be expected from what I have heard. Seems like alot of people 2+ years out gain to some extent. I am trying to get back on track with my eating. Making better choices with my snacks. I was on a real carb kick for about a month. I craved sugar and other things that I know I shouldn't be eating. I have switched to fruit or salads, or good old protein like string cheese and meats. And I definitely have been slacking on my water, BIG TIME! I have been battling constipation, I think this could be part of my weigh gain. I can't seem to go "completely" and I feel super bloated. I had my labs done a week ago and they are pretty good except for my liver test. Seems to be a bit high according to what is low-normal. I will be talking to the doc about it tomorrow. Anyway, just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween! I have posted a few pics of me from last weekend on my profile in case anyone is interested. Give a shout and let us all know how we are doing these days! I would love to hear from each and every one of you! Take care, Lori

Hey Girlie.... Glad to hear things are going good. You look AWESOME..... I, too, have gained about 10 lbs. Kicking my butt into gear over the next 6 weeks though because I see my surgeon on the 14th of the December & he was questioning me, back in July, about why I had gained 3 pounds. I can hear him lecturing me if I go in there & have gone up 7 more lbs instead of going down. I also know what I have to do to get back on track & mainly kick up the protein & reduce the carbs. Same ole story. But... I haven't gone up any sizes in my clothes & continue to feel just wonderful. We've been busy with the new house & all since March & we absolutely love the location. I'm excited to decorate for Christmas. Not excited for winter though Has anyone experienced raging PMS since their surgery? I certainly have. I had a d&c in June in the hopes that I would only have 1 instead of 2 weeks of my TOM, but it hasn't helped much & when I do bleed... Jeez I think I need a monthly transfusion. Of course, I haven't called my GYN back as of yet because life has gotten in the way, once again. Should try to get in seeing we have a couple week break now that soccer ended & before volleyball starts. At any rate.... hope everyone is doing AWESOME & using their tool correctly. Can you believe it's been over 2 years.... WOW Take Care....It's great to hear from you Lori Tammy

Hey you! It's great to hear from you too!!! I had my visit yesterday and it went alot better then I expected. I was up 1lb from my visit last February! I was shocked! I am up 6lbs from my lowest so I have gained a bit but not nearly as much as I thought I had! And he said that my labs were perfectly normal. The fact that my liver tests were a bit high was nothing to be concerned about, they were only over by 1-5 points. That was a big relief! I have noticed my periods/PMS alot worse! I too feel like I need a transfusion sometimes! It sucks! But funny thing is, my iron was one of the test results that was in the high range! I can't wait to just stop having them altogether! I am looking forward to the holidays as well. I was dreading winter but have now accepted that it's here. I do miss summer though! I hope we can revive this board a bit. I have been missing everyone so much and need to come back here for support. I feel like I have been totally off track and need to get back on it. Lori

I'm right there with you. Let's make it a point to post more. I'm always so much better when I'm accountable to others. Glad to hear you had an excellent appointment. I'll be hoping for the same. As soon as I shed these few extra pounds I know i put on. So starting Monday I'm gonna try to post daily with maybe a food & exercise log or something along that line to keep me motivated for the next 6 weeks. Wish me luck Have a wonderful weekend........... at least we know we're here... lets work on getting others back to posting. ((((HUGS)))) Tam

Glad to hear you're doing well! I've hit some pretty rough patches the past few months but have come out fairly unscathed in the end. My blood work was redone this week and my liver has officially kicked BUTT taking care of itself after the damage that was done and my levels are all back to normal. I gained a few lbs after detox and I haven't lost it yet. I was doing a lot better with eating for a couple of weeks but not as well the past few days. I'll get back on track soon. I'm home schooling my youngest 2 children and enjoying it immensely. Through the last few months I've come to appreciate my family and my true friends more than ever. And I've found my way back to my faith. Life is good! My time of the month is the same as it was before surgery. I have seen other posts before (on the main board I think) about ladies that have heavier periods post op. I hope everyone is doing well, take care!!

Hiya Mrs. G! So glad to hear things are going so well for you. Sounds like you are definitely on the right track! I am still struggling with my own problems but they seem better now. It's a day to day thing ya know? Great to hear from you!!! Lori

Hi everyone, I agree, I miss everyone from this board. Hope to see you all here more often. I am also having the problem with eating too much of the wrong things and have gained back anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds depending on when I get on the scale. My last appt in August was actually down (199) from the previous Dr. appt, but I have been down as low as 191 at home. I jump up to as much as 206 and then slide down again. Got to watch what I eat a bit better, but most of all, got to get out there and exercise. I have been very bad about that lately because I had some plastics done on 10/15 Brachioplasty (goodbye batwings! ) and 10/19 BL/BA (hello boobies ). Still a bit sore and recovering from that, and not able to pick up anything over about 10 pounds yet, but things are going well. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying life. Good to see Mrs G is back and doing well! Take care and hear from you all soon! Eileen

Hey Eileen! Congrats on the plastics! I am sooo jealous! I sure hope we can revive this board. We all need it! Let's all do what we can to get everyone back in here! Take care, Lori

Hi Lori, I haven't posted in forever either - though judging by the whole 4 messages since Sept, neither has anyone else. My liver enzymes went almost 100 points above normal for almost a year and now they're JUST over normal. No reason, but the program coordinator and the surgeon say it's a common issue post-op and they don't know why. Due to the timing and family history I went through lots of extra tests to rule out anything and everything was fine - including NOT having a fatty liver. I'm up 10 lbs from my lowest of 132, but that was mostly planned. My body couldn't stabilize at 135 so I decided to let it go up to 140 and now I sit between 140-145 and life is good there. What's bugging me though is I've gone up 2 sizes in pants so though I've only gained 10 lbs obviously my body composition has changed. Could it be because I'm not exercising? I go for a 5 mile walk about every other week and that's about it. My surgeon didn't say anything - was quite please actually so I think they plan on that 5-10 lb weight gain which is why some doctors set your goal lower to start off with. I'm just tickled that I've basically maintained a rate range for over a year with not a lot of effort - something I haven't done since my childhood. So, what did your doc say? Dawn

Doc said everything was fine. I was only a couple points above normal. He said they start to worry when it's 100's of points above. He told me I was doing a fantastic job maintaining my weight. I was up 1 lb from my visit in February so not too shabby! I think my body likes to be between 150 and 160 so I am happy with it too. I would have loved to have gotten down to 140 even for a minute or two! But oh well...at least I am healthy! Nice to hear from you!!! Lori