My old buddies

Where are my old buddies? I miss you all. Arlene, I know your tied up until tax day passes. Then we are going to expect some really long posts and an update. You left me hanging worrying about that blood. That leaves a ton of others I am wondering about. Chanise, Susan, Chrissy (how did the job interview go?), Cori (you have been around, but haven't posted an update), Craig, Im Not Giving Up, Kimanne, Lauren, Maggie, NANCY, Sonya, Stacie, Terry, Empty Stomach, and I know I am missing a couple of people. I am calling y'all out. I want to hear how your doing and what your doing and where your doing it at. Hat

Hiya Hat! Things are going fine in my neck of the woods. I'm just busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger...SHEESH! Unfortunately, I do not see things getting any better until school gets out. The kids have so much stuff going on, and I just took on another contract for my work, soooooooooo that pretty much takes up most of my free time these days...waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! I am doing well as far as the surgery goes. I am a little over six months out, and am 12 pounds from goal. I am feeling pretty good, nothing really to complain about. My labs all came back fine, although I have to have them drawn again in June, amazing how time flies when you have to do something every 4 months. I get to share clothes with my 14-yo daughter, so that is kind of fun. The only thing I really wear of hers, is her jeans. I'm just too old for most of the other stuff! LOL!!! My bra size has actually gone down, I am now a C cup, which is kinda fun, except the poor girls are looking a little droopy now My hiney is going to be behind my knees before this whole process is over, but I guess that is what plastics are for...LOL I am still a very bad girl and do not exercise, I just HATE the E word. One thing about it, I never lied to my surgeon and told him I would exercise after surgery. I told him I hated exercise, and probably would not. He just said "okay". I figure as much housework that I do, and I will walk to our mail box, which is about a 1/4 mile away, I figure that is going to have to be good enough. I bought a puppy in February. She is a great dane. She is 4-1/2 months old and weighs 85 pounds. She is a sweetheart, but unfortunately is going to be bigger than I am before too long...LOL I got her for a walking buddy, JUST IN CASE, I ever get the urge to start walking daily. You never know, it might happen. I might HAVE to start walking to get this last 12 pounds off, boy have they slowed down in coming off. I'm losing about a pound a week, which is still okay, but DAMNNNNNNNNNN its driving me nutso. I will try to get updated pictures posted soon, I wanted to wait until I hit goal, and I am hoping to do that by June 1. IF that doesn't happen, I will go ahead and post new pics anyway. Hope all is well with everyone else! Hugs! Laura

Hi Hat!! I just popped in to see what the goings on were on the WA state boards. It's so hard to keep up with it nowadays! I'm glad I saw your post. I look forward to reading everyone's updates! Tell us how things are with ***YOU***! I am well. Busy as ever. I am one week shy of 7 months out and down 115lbs. I comfortably wear a size 12 and have lost over 9.5 feet in circumference measurements! I am only 11 lbs away from my original goal weight of 150 but I officially changed my goal to 138 at my last Dr appt. I'm shooting to be "1/2 the woman I was before." I hope to reach 150 in the next 5 weeks and seem reasonably on course to make it. I hope to reach 138 by the tri - in August. My labs came back fine. Iron was in normal range but on the low end so I am taking double my iron now. Will the potty and I remain friends? I almost eat like a normal person (compared to a new post op, anyway)... about 1/2 C servings now (depending on what it is of course... I can eat nearly a half cup of soupy, mushy things, but only a few bites of meats and cheese.) I average 1100 cals a day! That seems like so much! I feel good about it tho. I easily spend twice that a day, leaving me with about a 1000-1500 cal deficit each day. I am losing about 2 lbs a week. Breads, sweets, potatoes, rice or pasta are *not* a part of my regular diet. Chicken is more agreeable now but sometimes I still toss it so I still do not eat it much. I am diligent in training for the Danskin Triathlon. I have discovered that I enjoy swimming - a lot. I need to work on running, tho. And biking seems to be on track. This last weekend I completed the Tulip Pedal - a 20 mile bike tour of the Skagit Valley tulip fields. My butt isn't half as sore as I expected. Next year I want to do the 40 mile! Anyway, I'm training with about 10 other ladies, several of which are from the Stevens WLS support group. We call ourselves "Women of Substance" and I tell ya, there is a lot of inspiration and spirit to draw from amongst us. It's very cool. I am considering doing the Reebok Tri too. I plan on having surgery for my "very close" veins in October... that's the tentative timeline. I could use plastics everywhere, but am still very unsure of that path. I plan to wait til after I have maintained for 6 months or so. I would love a new set of boobs. I never thought I'd say something like that, ever, but reallllly... flopsy and mopsy are in dire need ;) Neat things: Last week I wore my *skinny* hubby's jeans - 32s! I don't have a single measurement at/over 40"!!! I can share some clothes with my 12yo daughter... she's a size 4 so this is limited to sweatshirts etal. Sex is great! I mean great! I have hip bones and collar bones. I can run, jump, dance, skip... all without peeing my pants! Someone asked if I was going to stop losing weight now - how cool is that? There are countless ways life is better... a friend commented recently that "I glow." I know I do. I feel fabulous! I am excited for all the recent post-ops and those with new approvals and dates. I extend a heartfelt congrats and promise to pray! My advice: get moving now... get a pedometer and each day do a few more steps than the previous day. You will never regret a single workout... you only regret a missed one. Thanks so much for posting and calling out ;) Update us all soon! Hugs, Nan

I am doing well. I had my labs done and they all came back within range. I was a little surprised because my eating wasn't as balanced as it should be. And, I still can't find my multi vit and iron. I hate my b12, so I haven't been very good about that. The PCP I saw was pretty good. I gave her a list of what lab work I wanted done and she ordered. The lab tech couldn't believe all that was ordered though. I have a mammo and US tomorrow to follow up on the two lumps I found last Nov. I have two appointments with plastic surgeons. The one that is closer and would allow my mom to be there to help me can't get me in until the end of June. Tricare runs out for me in mid Aug. So, once again, time is a factor. So, I made another appointment with another guy for the beginning of May. The drawback with using him is that he won't do my breast lift and TT at the same time. So, even though I am seeing him sooner, it will take longer to get it all done. I am thinking of doing one with one surgeon and one with the other. I have to pay 20%. But, there is a $3000 cap on how much I have to pay. I am putting away my tax return money to pay for my share. I decided to stop losing weight. I dropped as low as 139 right after my period. Then I bounced up to 141 and stayed there. I figured my body had decided that was enough. Plus, my face is starting to look sunken. And, with less weight, some body parts that didn't need skin removal are starting to sag. And, I seem to have lost my curves. I liked having a butt. A friend of mine said I was a white girl with a getto booty. I was happy with that. Now, I am just a flat butt girl. Anyway, even though I decided to stop losing and stay in the low 140s, I got on the scale this morning and was 137. BTW, I am in a size 6 pants. But, I am headed into a size 4. Some of the 6s are baggy. And, my shirts and pants are size small. I don't think I have been a size small since elementary school. Speaking of my rear, DH has decided he wants me to have a LBL. I know Tricare won't pay for it. And, I am not willing to pay for it either. But, it does sag. Since it was a recent disappearance, I am hoping my skin will catch up. I think my calories range between 500 and 800 a day. I still eat really small meals. Today so far, I have had two small bites of steak, 2 oz of rice, and 1/2 of a BBQ sandwich that was light on the meat because of the BBQ sauce. I usually limit the bread and rice, but it was tasty. My biggest vice is CF Diet Coke. I am also drinking a lot of coffee. You mentioned peeing your pants. Or, I should say no longer peeing your pants. That was one of the greatest things with my weightloss. I was on meds for it. But, it looked like I would need surgery for it. Now I don't. I stopped my meds for it until recently. For some reason, it has become an issue again. For violent barfing, I sometimes need to hold myself. And, when I have to go, I have to go NOW. I wonder if that will help to get the muscles fine tuned during the TT. Speaking of barfing, I had a scare the other night. I thought I might have developed another stricture. Ends up, I had the flu. I was so thirsty and starting to get really worried. Then I remembered I had ice pops. They did the trick and I was able to get some fluids in. I still barf about 4 times a week. It has gotten a little worse recently. That is why I started thinking stricture. DH is still unemployeed. It is a big stressor for me. I would just go get a job. But, there is noone to watch my youngest son. Half the family that lives here I wouldn't leave my kids with. The other half either won't keep him or can't because they work fulltime. DH does have a lead on a job. If he gets it, it won't start until next month. And, then it will only be a few hours a day for a month. He would go full time in June. The inside word is that he has the job. Anyway, he might be a cop. The background check was amazing. They called everyone that he has ever known. Then they came and interviewed me. Their main concern with me was that I would freak out over the danger part of the job. I pointed out that I was willing to send him off to war where I knew someone would be shooting at him. So, this wasn't much of a big deal. And, they wanted to know if I could handle the bad hours. Once again, I can live without him. (I mean that in a nice way) So, it isn't an issue. Well, that is more than enough about me. I have been trying to keep my profile updated. I figure that most of what is going on with me is boring. So, I don't post it. But, if you want to check it out, its there. I am glad that your replied. I had so many good friends in WA. It seems like they all disappeared when I left WA. I guess that some of them don't know how much they meant to me. Hat

I'm really glad your labs came back so good, Hat. Dr W doesn't order that thorough testing, you know. I figure that as time goes on, I'll visit my pcp and have him run all those tests once a year. A size 6???? OMG! I can't even imagine that size! Did you ever think you'd see that? Congrats on overshooting your goal and reaching a place where you want to stop losing! That's where we all want to be and stay! I am thrilled for you! Have you heard of the MedGem or other similar devices? They measure your Resting Metabolic Rate and basically tell you how many cals you need to be a couch potato and maintain your current weight. That number can help you pinpoint what you need to do to maintain. Many nutritionists use them. Some walking clinics around here have them and charge like $35.00 for a measurement. There is part of me that wishes I was still eating in the range that you are right now, 500-800 cals. But training really takes it out of me and, as it is, I often experience dramatic reduction in energy from week to week. I don't know how you do it! Sorry that you are still barfing -- that stinks. I hope that gets better! It's been a long time since your surgery tho... what's the projection on this? BTW, I still pee myself if the heaves are hard and long. But I don't puke like that very often any more. Let us know if the remaining issues on that improve after the TT. Tricare is paying for your breast lift? and TT? I have not done ANY research on plastics so far. What is needed for approval? PLEASE post an update when you get the results of the mammo and US, ok? I found a lump the other evening. I find that I doubt what I feel. Each time it takes quite some looking to find it again. The girls are pretty lumpy (yet flat, what a picture!) anyway. I intend to make an appt. I still do not drink carbonated bevs. I hope to never go back. I drink Crystal Light (or Wal-Mart's brand) all the time. I have every flavor in my cupboards. I drink coffee every morning to keep my plumbing moving ;) Popcorn (well buttered) is my biggest vice by far. :| I also really like Quaker's Soy Crisps. BBQ flavor. yum. The Q-smart snack crisps have twice the protein, but are not as crunchy or tasty. Occasionally, I want food (esp carbs) just for the sake of having them. It's just something I have to ride out. If I indulge at all, I'm screwed. The craving does end. OH! I also drink wine a few times a week. A half glass and I am loopy! Not that I stop at a 1/2 glass. Not the best choice, eh? I pray that DH gets this job. I sincerely wish you and your family peace and security! Your profile is looking good! Your charts are amazing!! WOW, I wish/hope my numbers keep going down like yours! I think most of our WA state board friends are out enjoying their new bodies and lives. That is my hope for each of them, anyway! I know life is so much better now. It's hard to sit still and even write about it. It was wonderful to chat, Hat! You are an inspiration. Keep up the good work and keep us posted about the lumps and plastics. God bless! Nan