Hi Everyone

Thank you Sara.
The weight comes off so easily in the beginning that it's easy to slack on the exercise and just allow the weight to "melt off".  Don't get caught up in that and not exercise.  Use this time to build up your endurance.  Once the "honeymoon phase" is over you are going to need excercise to continue loosing weight and to maintain your weight once you have reached your weight loss goal.

Caribou!
It's great to hear from you. I sure hope that stone gets blased out soon. Kidney stone pain is the worst. Hopefully you have some good medication to relieve the pain until then.

Glad to hear you are maintaining your weight.

It sounds like you have had a change in career or are working towards something new. Good luck- hope all works out well for you.

Thank you Emily. 
It's actually rare that I'm not enrolled in a class or two but at this time I'm working full time to complete my program.  I just felt the time was right to go full speed ahead!
I'm sorry I missed you when you came up this way.  You were sooo close to me.  Hopefully the opportunity will come again. 

Hello,
We haven't "met" yet, but I am in the process of getting all my ducks in a row to have RNY surgery with Doctor Loggins. Your kidney stone plight really struck a chord with me. I've had 8 or 9 lithotripsies for kidney stones. In case you have never had one before, I just wanted to let you know that the procedure is a piece of cake!  It is so much better than it was in the 80s. You go in for day surgery, nothing to eat or drink after midnight. They give you an IV. Put sleepy meds in it and take you to OR. Then they move you onto the table and give you a bigger dose of sleepy meds and you wake up in recovery. You may pee a little blood (or not) for the first day or two, but there is very minimal pain, if any. They will probably have you collect your urine in a strainer to collect the bits of gravel after the litho. Tiny tiny little bits of gravel and you take them back and they will send them off to have them tested to see what the chemical makeup is. All in all, it is a cynch and so nice to get rid of the pain. I hope you are able to have it done quickly. I don't even miss work now when I go in for the litho, except for the day I have the surgery or maybe one extra day if I want to rest.

Blessings to you!
pat

Hi Pat.
You are exactly right about the proceedure.  I had it Wednesday and although I am still sore I am doing much better.  They gave me pain meds but I have only taken the one they gave me immediately after the proceedure because although I am sore I am not in a lot of pain.  Unfortunately they did not ask me to strain my pee for stone fragments.  I was told my doctor doesn't do this the first time you have a stone.  I'm really not cool with it because I'd like to know what the stone is made of. 
Good looking baby....she's very cute!