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Good Morning Everyone!
I hope that everyone that is able will check in here today. I love to hear the stories of how you are, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I hope that we will have some back and forth chatter too.
I am post RNY by almost 8 years. After surgery I lost 125 pounds but did not reach goal. I was never very disciplined about it, and that lack of effort showed. Even so, 125 pounds is a whole person,so my life was drastically better. In the years that followed I regained about thirty pounds. One thing that I am proud and happy about right now is that since we started using this board as a positive source of motivation and sisterhood, I have lost almost 15 of the regained pounds. And I feel energized but not at all deprived. For the first time in many years I have hope that I can get lower than my post surgical low.
As far as my life goes, I retired from speech therapy two years ago. I was scared that I would lose my identity and not have enough money. Both were not true. Life is not perfect, but I have so much to be thankful about. Our house has been paid off for a few years and the house across the street came up for sale a year ago so we bought it with my daughter to have her across the street and in a nicer neighborhood and house. She along with a roommate handle the payment and living expenses and we do the maintenance and bigger stuff as things come up. We take the tax write off because we have the higher income. And Laura has a pool so I have already been swimming this year. She is my only child and we are very close. I am not sure if I will ever have a grandchild though. I have to let her handle that part. I do know that I would be a great Grandma!
I have been very active since retirement with art type classes, card making, jewelry, etc. I also do some volunteer tutoring each week at my home. I have a greenhouse and a garden and I make sweet little fairy gardens for friends.
Last year I did have an RNY complication that put me into the hospital for a week. I had a bowel obstruction that was caused by scar tissue from the RNY. That was a long two weeks as I spent a week throwing up every thing I ate or drank and a week having the doctors flail about trying different things to fix it. Finally they got a weight loss surgeon who did surgery in the middle of the night to fix the problem. If this happens to you get a weight loss surgeon as soon as possible. I trusted that the doctors could handle me but I think that the whole experience was very dangerous and not handled well until the end. After a number of weeks of recovery I felt so good.
That's my story so far. What is yours?
Julia
Hi everyone:
Debbie here, think I'm still listed as Cajun Angel.
My RNY was August 24, 2004. Currently fighting a weight gain of 30 - 40 lbs. After I retired two years ago (April 2014), I lost almost 20 lbs of the regain in that first year (no more work related stress). Since retirement George and I have been on a wild rollercoaster ride. April 2015 after looking at probably 60 houses outside of New Orleans, we found one that met most of both our needs and desires. We packed up and moved to Slidell, LA. We both wanted a smaller single-story, smaller home. George, ever the gardener, wanted a larger yard and wood burning fireplace, preferably in the "country". I, more of a city girl, needed convenience, a large kitchen. Our next door neighbor has chickens! There are rabbits, turtles, and squirrels galore. Yes, even an occasional snake! This place is country enough for him and city enough for me. George planned to retire soon after we moved. The very next week, he gave his notice. Everything was going smoothly, we had our granddaughter on the way after three grandsons, we were having a ball discovering our new community... Kelsey was born 7/30/15, the day before my birthday! George's BIL passed away on my birthday. My Mom who was having short-term memory problems continued to decline. Strange her long-term memory is pretty good.
Mid October our daughter called to say after 20 years of marriage she and her husband were separating. She is now seeing a wonderful man who treats her like a queen and her son as his own. She has been promoted to GM at work and doing well. Our sons are also doing well, one still in the restaurant business and the other still an ER nurse.
In late October George found a new PC. It's a 45 minute one-way commute to our old doctors during light traffic. After reviewing his records, the new doc questioned why the previous doctors had been lax in checking a spot on his lung. All said it was nothing and concurred that checking it once a year would be enough. This spot had been found over three years ago. New doc insisted on scan, MRI, referral to surgeon, etc. George had surgery mid November. It was a slow-growing malignancy. No, George had never smoked. After removal of 1/3 of his right lung, he has gone through chemo and will wrap up five weeks of daily radiation next week. We still have no firm answer as to whether the cancer has spread. We won't know until something pops up. Regular PET scans will be done. During chemo and since, George has gained over 20 lbs and I have gained about 15. We were almost carb free before all this, but chemo had him wanting nothing but pasta and bread to settle his stomach. So here we are two roly-polys.
My health is up and down. Nothing too serious.
Also in mid November it was discovered that my youngest sister and her husband had stolen over $40,000.00 from Mom over a five year period. BIL had previously been fired from at least two jobs for stealing. My other two sisters and I are dealing with the backwash. All the while I'm dealing with not knowing if I'll have George around for six more months or six years.
The grandkids are the bright spots in our lives and help us keep our sanity.
Luckily we found a church we like and have met several people in our age group. We attend 7:00 Mass on Sunday morning and go for breakfast afterward. Some weeks our breakfast club has six people, and some weeks we are as many as 18! These wonderful people are very supportive. If for some reason we or another of the group don't show up, texts are sent to ask if everything is OK.
If not for the support of our three children and the church group, I/We would have lost it months ago.George is clamoring for lunch. Can't wait to read what all y'all are up to!
Jeanne,
You are so spot on and I think the reason I drifted from this and regained, in part because I did, was that I didn't feel like this was supportive in the way I needed support and felt that I could do Facebook for what was going on here and didn't have the energy to do both, but as you said last week in different words, this is about the journey we share, that is about the lives we live and it is this journey that gave me a life that I could live out on FB, which as a result of regain and other age related aches and pains, been a little less lively of late. You also made me feel welcome when I came back and told my story of regain and yes, I do know, just by viture of people who I know where I had my surgery (friends I made), that regain is a very big part of many stories, I also look up to a particular gal, she came back to our support group meeting after 3 years, she had struggled with alcohol dependency as well as regain, she has a number of years sober now, runs the support group and gotten down to her goal weight for herself and is doing fabulous, so I know it can be done, but there are times it seems daunting and I don't want to do what I need to, however, I am doing the Global Corporate Challenge at work and it is a kickstart back to being more physically active and that helps me with better food choices, as it is all tied together. . .
Thanks again for your steadfast support, it means a lot!
Laureen
PS, it would be nice to meet you, maybe it can happen, depending on a few factors in my life, money being one, the other is my oldest daughter is getting married on Thanksgiving weekend in North Carolina (Asheville). . . which is part of the money stuff. . . but if someone pulls it together, perhaps I will be able to manage a getaway. . .
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
Linda,
I've had the great pleasure of meeting you a couple of times and you are one of those upbeat, active in many different areas people. Glad you are here and it's nice to reconnect.
Laureen
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
Thanks for bringing me back Julia! I did not realize I missed the gals here until I peeked back in and saw some of those old timers, people like Jeanne, Trish, You. . . . Hope to see you again, somewhere, one day in the near future. . .
Laureen
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
Carla,
Glad you've been able to maintain well. . . I love the idea of the Florida Floozies, I miss camping, when I lived in NY, I had a group of friends that I went camping with at least 4 to 6 times a season, but now between work and people's lives changing, oh and the 90+ miles that separates me and those friends and their lives, I haven't gone but once in the past 5 or so years. . . what fun that must be. . . your granddaughter is a sweetheart and I love your posts, some of the wonderful things I remember about you, is how you just seem to go with the flow and your very open nature!
Enjoy your day!
Laureen
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
Good Morning Ladies
I had my RNY in September of 2006. I lost right at 100 pounds. That allowed me to realized a dream I'd had since grade school. In 2010 I went to the Galapagos Islands for a week of exploring. It was definitely a once in a lifetime event. I live in Kingwood, Texas and this spring I am gradually developing web feet and feathers. We are flooding for the 4th? 5th? time this spring. I am high and dry but there are roads close to me that are not. I have 2 grown children, a son, Matthew, and a daughter, Staci. Matthew and his wife Keely have my only grand daughter, my sunshine and my bright and shiny star. She is a hot mess and very independent just as a girl should be. My daughter and her husband Mike have my two grand sons, my wonderful, athletic, love em to death, boys. My husband, John and I will have been married 27 years in August. We are both retired and travel a lot. I am 68 years old.
My first goal after RNY was to reach onederland. I did that for about 30 seconds then settled in around the 205 mark. My ultimate goal was to reach 175. I never did do that. I have gone up and down over the last 10 years and I am more up than down right now. I did come to my senses about 6 months ago and I am downward bound but it is slow. My tool is there and any issue with weight is mine and not the surgery's. I don't think I will ever make the 175. I don't think I am motivated enough. I do want to get back to my lowest point. I just finished my sessions with a personal trainer and now feel competent to go into any gym and be successful. I go to the Y for weight training 3 times a week and I go to line dance classes 2 times a week. My aerobic capacity needs improvement but at the moment 2 times a week is all I can muster. When I first started I had to sit for a few minutes after 2-3 songs. Now I don't need to do that. I still need to break between songs because I get overheated and need water. I also walk on the days I dance. My goal is to walk 10,000 steps on a walking day and 6,000 steps on a non walking day. This all comes with a caveat. I live in Texas, the hot and humid part of Texas. I can't tolerate heat. What that means is I have had an active spring because the weather was glorious. Summer has come to Texas and I am struggling. My walking is suffering. I am not much of an inside walker. Give me a hiking trail with fresh air and bird song. On the plus side I go to Atlanta to see my grand daughter in a week and she will definitely keep me active. I return home on the 18th and 10 days later go to see my boys in Dallas. We leave Dallas and head to Wyoming and I will have cool weather and mountains to play in. This year we were not able to get accommodations in Sheridan until mid September so will be staying in Cody instead during the summer months. Yellowstone will be my playground. We have national park senior passes and get in free so I will be hiking as many trails as I want as long as the bears leave us alone. I will definitely leave them alone.
To sum up. I am human. I have had successes and failures. My atta girl, and my fault. I have benefitted from this forum. In the beginning I learned a lot that kept me healthy. Now I still learn occasionally but mostly I find support. I am not here every day, I am out living my life.
Julia,
I have left the board and then came back to lurk and have rejoined and been misplaced but this last time, I swore to myself that I would not leave; I would do everything in my power to help turn the board around and thanks to you and a few others, it's getting there.
Everyone knows my story. I won't dwell on it but I am working to get 15 pounds off that I regained. I am walking some but my damn knee just makes it almost impossible so the knee replacement is fast approaching. I am really into yoga and meditation because I can do yoga in my office and we have a group of us from work who meet and spend 30 minutes a day doing yoga...I am not advanced by any means but I am very good at the few moves that I do...mostly I do the standing up stretches and holds and those in a chair but I do get in the floor some too. Meditation has saved my life and kept me from going off the deep end in both what I eat and what I say....
The greatest thing about having WLS is the tool still works...and if I eat for living instead of living to eat, I do great.
I guess my biggest change by far has been the giving up meat...I started eating vegetarian in October last year and have not regretted it one bit. This year, we are moving all the way to vegan...it's just so much easier for me to lose weight if I get my protein from plants....but that's me.
So, ladies, I cannot wait to read what you gals have been up to and I hope you keep coming back and help us get healthy and help us help the newbies who are just having the surgery...remember those days of hanging on to the words of those folks' who had been there and done that...they pulled my butt through so much and taught me so much....Karen C. and Jan from MO were my WLS dictionary. I probably would have never made it had it not been for those two ladies. Before I had WLS and was as big as a house, they met me, my DH, and my grandson in AR for some food and inspiration and then we went to Karen's hotel room and she gave me the traveling bathing suit that had covered countless super obese ladies and it finally made it to me and for the first time in years, I put a bathing suit on and it was so much easier getting into and out of the pool with a suit than the long shirts and shorts that weighed me down...plus they gave me the courage to get out in public in a suit....they sure did...and thanks to those two, I continued struggling to get my red blood cells up so I could have the surgery....and it happened and they answered questions and said, girl, totally you can drink a coffee or you can do this or that....they were my guides. I hope so much to see all of the oldies....every single one offered me something on this journey.
I'll be checking to see who comes out of the wood work.....
Carla,
You are so busy and that is great. The reason I still live in AR is because of my grand babies. I love AR don't get me wrong but if my baby girl was a few years older, I'd so head over to the Middle East and teach for two or three years and totally retire wealthy; however, I cannot leave my babies...so I will forever be middle-class...
I'm always amazed at people who camp. Two of my graduate students have spent the last two weeks camping all over AR...and I admire the hell out of them for doing it but the tent thing and outdoor thing would kill me...Be safe out there cause you know, if you watch Criminal Minds, there are some crazies....
Laureen,
I think every one of us can totally relate to the struggle of regain and the difficulty in taking it off again. I am so glad you have been coming by and joining the group and I am like you, when I am here and things are positive and we support each other, I do well; I hope you hang around and, like me and the others, talk through these times when you drop the ball so we can tell you that you're not alone. I so want all of us to meet this fall, if possible, and have some face-to-face activities that will bring us all closer together. There are lovely cabins in the mountains around here and very easy trails that we could walk a little on...Anyway, please come back and help us keep the motivation going. One of the most important things for me is you and the other gals who know what I am going through.
I tell my DH every day that I want to see my grandkids succeed so I force him and I force myself to move and eat healthy....we need to be there for them...you need to be here for your babies and eating and moving will add years to your life, right? Number 1 reason for eating healthy is you; number two reason for eating healthy is the babies. Totally the babies.
