Katrina support on this board???

Vanessa, I went to see Chris today and I forgot to tell her that you are moving to Houston. Chris said her house got flooded. I figured it did because I know where she lives. My lab work was fine. My protein level is finally in the normal range. It has been below normal since surgery, but I have been drinking more protein shakes to up my protein. And my ferritin is above 50. I have been taking iron since my PCP wants my ferritin above 50. Chris didn't think I needed to take iron, but I took it anyway because my PCP said anyone with a ferritin below 50, needs to take iron. You need to get your labs done and take care of yourself before you move. Lynn J., lap RNY 9/29/04 -150 lbs.

Girl $12.50 an hour is good for Target. I just got a new "temporary" job today. Depends on how much money I see I can make, as I usually rely a lot on commission. I am praying my old job comes back with my better pay and seniority that I am use to. But it isn't looking as good as I thought for that. Sorry to hear about your house. It is depressing being here. I tell everyone I was much better off when I was evacuated. Things will never be the same and I think that all who have been thru it will have long term effects mentally, physically, financially. It is almost tormenting to constantly see the devastation. And although Slidell is coming back pretty fast, most people here rely on New Orleans for their jobs. The stores are not stocked well. You wonder if you will run out of necessary things you need just in your daily life. I too may relocate if I don't see things come back as they were. My kids want to go to school here. I will probably stay long enough for the oldest to graduate, and the younger one will be old enough to cope with a move then. Girl if ya need to talk let me know. This is hard for everyone. I hope your tests are good. I haven't done my 3 mos ones yet. I am sure they are not great.

Kelli, My labs were good and I got to see Dr. Lavin's new southshore office in Metairie. Today was the first day that it opened. It is so depressing. I need to buy a dress for my son's wedding. We drove all the way to Slidell to go to the mall and Dillard's was closed. There are no malls open in Metairie. I will have to go to BR this Saturday to look for a dress. I dread going to BR with all the traffic. Take care, Lynn J., lap RNY 9/29/04 -150 lbs.

I am glad you labs were good and I sent you an email in response.

Kelli, I have been so absent from the boards that I haven't been able to keep in touch with all that's been going on. My family and I have relocated to Mesa. AZ. The kids are adjusting but I am having trouble with the oldest one. He wants to return to New Orleans and doesn't want to accept the fact that life as he knew it no longer exists. I had dehydrated once we got to the Phoenix area but am doing okay now. I had to go in for some IV fluids. When we first evacuated we went to Memphis, then to KY, then to Nashville and finally AZ. It's been a nightmare but things are starting to settle down. We are very blessed in how the state of AZ handled the evacuees. All of the necessary services were put together under one roof (at the Colesium) and was very efficient. We were able to get our food stamps, FEMA assistance, medicaid and Bruce has started getting his unemployment. Red Cross, Salvation Army, St. Vincent De Paul and many other organizations have really done an outstanding job here. I was able to speak to the Governor of AZ personally on 2 occasions (once at the ASU-LSU game) about my concerns for the evacuees and in particular my son's services that he received in LA (he's autistic). I was interviewed on TV twice (the day before I ended up in the hospital--I looked terrible). Must have been good for the fundraising telethon since I was the lead story. The AZ Republic did an article on my oldest son, too. Bruce just got back from New Orleans on Saturday. He went back to retrieve his tools so he could become gainfully employed here. He said it was so depressing and not the city we know and love. I have been so busy trying to get things settled that I haven't been taking care of myself as I should. My weight is down to 102-103, which is too low. I have not been good about my protein either. This stress has been unbelievable. Bruce has lost about 25 lbs this past month (which he needed to anyway) but this isn't a diet I would recommend to anyone. I will have to find a bariatric doctor in this area that will take me on as a patient. Please know that I am thinking of you all and hope that your lives get back to some sort of normalcy. BTW, we are putting our home on the market immediately (4 bd/2 ba--1850 s.f.) We sustained very little damage and will only be taking our personal items from the home (not taking appliances, furniture, etc.). We lived on 27th Street--a block from Chapelle. If you know of anyone that might be interested, just give them my email address or my cell (504) 338-3142. Rhonda

Rhonda, God Bless you and your family. I know things turn out for a reason and hope you will be happy there. We will miss you here. Denise

Rhonda, I am glad that things are getting better for you. You are lucky that you are not in Louisiana. It is so depressing here. I would like to move to Austin in a few years. I don't think the New Orleans area will ever be the same. There is nothing to do here as there are hardly any stores at the malls open and everything closes at 6pm or 7pm. There is only one movie theater open and that is in Kenner. You really need to take care of yourself. Drink some protein shakes and try to eat more. Good luck to you and I hope you sell your house soon. Lynn J., lap RNY 9/29/04 -150 lbs.

(((Rhonda))) I was wondering where you were and if you were okay. It is very depressing. You are lucky to have Bruce to go thru this with. This was one of the few times that I wish I had a better half, as I am going thru it all alone. Wow, you guys really moved around. What made you decide on AZ? I know Bruce wasn't from here, is that where he is from? I hope his business there gets going good and things work out with the kids. We went to Forrest City AR. They were also very supportive. Unfortunately most of the services they offered lasted only a month and it was very hard to get LA to continue them once I came back here. I had to reapply for food stamps and unemployment, and they sent my debit card to AR so I am still waitng for that to be forwarded to me. I did get a new job in Metairie, but am now wishing I didn't take it as it was taking me 3 hours to get home and close to 2 hours to get there. The traffic is unreal because they estimate that ST Tammany Parish now has 100,000 evacuees here, and that is not including all the relief workers. If you can call all the workers that. I call them relief workers if they are doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, not the ones who are here just to make a buck, cause havic, walk up and down our streets drunk, beat up on the locals, etc. When people say it is a war zone, it is no lie. I didn't see this so much going on in Metairie, but in Slidell, the out of state "pirates" as I call them, are all over. The men stare at you so hard, you feel like they are looking thru you or worse. Now, the police stop them all as they go in neighborhoods, cuz so many were going in houses stealing. It has turned from being helpful to hurtful. I was sitting in traffic the other day and one of the out of state workers was in front of me beating up a woman in his truck. No one but myself did anything, I sat there blowing my horn, and I called the cops. He pushed the woman out on the street and made a uturn in the other direction. The woman started walking down the street, since I was in traffic I didn't see where she went. Trust me, your son might not want to be here if he was. My kids don't feel it so much cuz they just go to school and come home. But when or if we go somewhere, they feel it. Cuz then they see what is going on outside our neighborhood. Most of their friends are back, cuz our area didn't flood, thank God. However, the job I took pays less than half of what I was earning before. I told the guy it will only be temporary, and that if I find something better I will be leaving. I could actually make more money working at a store here, but I don't think I could physically stand all day. You and Bruce take care. I too lost 20 lbs the month of Katrina. I have been at a stand still for a week though. Now I gotta watch my sugar cuz I realize I can tolerate it now, so now I want to eat it. I too suffer with getting all my protein in. My oldest daughter has lost 25 lbs as well. The youngest only lost a few lbs, but ofcourse we always shelter the youngest. They both loved AR but soon wanted to come home. Slidell has most businesses open, but they all close early, even Walmart. There are no movie theaters, the nearest is Hammond now. I think Target stays open the longest, till ten, but they are paying more, so they get more help. LOL, I called Walmart the other day to see what time they are staying open till and the lady on the phone wanted to whine to me about if they had more workers they would stay open later. I was like, and if you pay more you will have more workers. Like I wanted to hear all that. Nothing is simple around here anymore. I truly think that New Orleans could move quicker if they wanted to. Politics there are ridiculous. Slidell and Kenner and the West Bank are moving along, there should be more progress in Metairie and New Orleans in my opinion. Although Metairie is now starting to come back. I hope you enjoy your new life and keep in touch with us. We love you.

Hello Kelli. I don't come here too much but I just want to say I'll keep you in my prayers. I live about 15 miles north of Cameron and was lucky to sustain minor damage. They say 95% of our parish was destroyed. It's tough staring over. You keep plugging away. The Cajun

Hi Cajun. I hope you evacuated. Sounds like you were very close to the flood area. Westlake /Lake Charles is really a mess. No highwater in our area, but tree damage is huge. I have a grand daughter living south of the airport and she go****er in her house. She is cleaning and cleaning. Are you in Hackberry?? trying figure out what is 15 miles North of Cameron. Thelma