Just popping in to say HI

Hey guys, I haven't been in the Iowa forum for a long, long time. Just wanted to pop in and say HI. It has been 2 1/2 years since my RNY at Mercy Capitol. I always wondered if I would come to a place in time where my surgery would not be on my mind all the time anymore. I am finally at that point. I guess that's why I am never on the OH forums anymore. It seems like once I had my plastics, and got well again, I just moved on with my life and didn't need so much help and support anymore. I don't even remember if my picture that is going to show up with this posting is recent enough to give a good look at how I appear now. If not, you can check out my money-saving blog to see a more recent pic. of me if you like: http://showmethemoneyhoney.blogspot.com/ Anyway.....OK, I had the bypass 12/04. Then I had a tummy tuck last October (9/06), then I had an emergency bowel obstruction four weeks later in 10/06, and finally, about 7 weeks ago Dr. Smolik did a HUGE repair on my abdominal hernia. He went in laproscopic (I didn't know they could do that!) and put mesh across my entire abdomen to make sure this NEVER happens to me again. The hernia wasn't really bothering me, but I exercise a lot and I was worried it may some day become a problem and after that bowel obstruction, I was not taking any chances of getting into any kind of emergency situations again. When Dr. Smolik got in there, he confirmed that if he just did a little patch job on the one hernia, that I'd definitely be back eventually for more. With this big fix, he cured the whole thing and there is less than 6% chance of getting another hernia. I really like Smolik. I think he is an excellent doctor. He has done all of my surgeries (except the TT). So, my life is finally getting somewhat back to normal. I am back to exercising again, and eating pretty much OK again. My weight has been stable at around 132 for a long long time now, so no threat of regaining. I watch what I eat and I am grateful to God that my "shut off valve" works perfectly. I have no trouble with overeating. I think another thing that helps me remain succesful is having an active lifestyle. I try to get as much exercise in as I can. Not because I *have to*, but because I want to. It feels good and right to move my body. In the winter, I take a lot of step aerobics classes at the Y and do treadmill. In the summer, it is easy to bike ride, walk outdoors, etc. It doesn't have to be boring. I take my vitamins religiously. I made this commitment to a new healthy life, and when I did that, I made the commitment 100%. Not just partly. And not just until I got the weight off. I decided I was in this forever. SO, I take Vista Vitamins twice a day. They are formulated for bariatric surgery patients, with malabsorption issues. Yes, they are expensive, about a dollar a day, but aren't I worth it?  I also take Femiron, and b complex. I also take 1500 mgs of calcium every day split up in three doses. I don't feel that any of this is too hard to maintain. It's just part of the healthy living plan. I want to feel the best I can all the time. I had this surgery in the first place to be healthy and live a long time, so I want to do everything I can to make sure it stays that way. So, don't even think about slacking off on your vitamins and protein. I was at least 1 1/2 years out before I could stop using protein. Now, I can eat all the protein I need to be healthy. I hope you all are feeling great about your decision to have surgery. YOU are worth it. And you will not even believe how GREAT your life will be when you are at your goal weight and feeling wonderful. This is truly a life changing procedure. I cannot even begin to articulate how different my life is now. I wasted a lot of years being fat and feeling bad, both physically and emotionally. I am trying to make up for lost time now. It is so good to look and feel normal. I wear size 8-10 pants, size med. in tops and dresses. My wrists are so small that I can't wear my watch and my wedding rings are going to have to be re-sized  because I am afraid of losing them. The night before surgery, I thought we were going to have to cut them off, that's how fat I was and how tight those rings were. Good luck to you all. jean