~ 23 September 2002 ~ Well, looks like I'm going to have to go through the 12 weeks of diet attempts to be approved...and let's just hope they approve after that instead of coming up with yet another stall tactic. I have been reading some real horror stories about Cigna. don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful that I have insurance. It seemed like forever since I went to the doctor or gyn or anything like that..so I'm not complaining. But everywhere I go I hear, "you have Cigna?!...oh no!" It's like the sentence of death or something! haha When I went to the GYN earlier this month, he said that Cigna regularly waits at least 90 days before paying even the smallest thing. What a pain!

Anyway, I have been calling everywhere that I have been in the past that I knew of where I had records and no one can help me. Weight Watchers don't keep records unless you become a lifetime member, and one doctor that had given me medication has died and the office destroyed all the records that were not picked up. Well dang-it! I knew I should have made a point of forwarding all my addresses for the last 10 years....just in case somebody croaked or something! Yeah right. The other medication I took when we lived in Germany so...nuff said about that. So, I made about 3 calls to Cigna and finally got to talk to someone who was willing to help me. Her name is Bernice and she knew Joyce from Dr. Duncan's office and told me that I would probably have to do the diet thing. Well, my pcp's office has been telling me that "they don't usually do that kind of thing." WHAT?! I thought that is why they call him a PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN .....because he is the doctor who takes care of me. I told her...look, just put me on the diet so I can come in every month to weigh. That's all they want. Just for me to be monitored by my physician. Finally yesterday she agreed. So this means that I won't go to Weight Watchers, I'll just be on this diet the doctor gave me and the best thing is ....since it was mailed on the 11th of September, my start date can begin from there and that means I have only 10.5 weeks to go!

~ 29 September 2002 ~ There are a couple of things that have happened to me in my personal life that is really exciting that I haven't mentioned, up till now, in my journal. The first that happened was sometime in the beginning of July, (or maybe it was the end of June ....I can't remember). Anyway, my mom called to tell me that she and her husband were eating at Shoney's one night and in the middle of dinner this woman came up to her and said, "are you Judy?" "yes." It turned out to be Pam Pettis (now Crum) who was my best friend as a kid! We had lost touch about 10 years ago and she had been trying to find me for 5 of those years. We were 14 when we met...at Youth for Christ in Sedalia (my home town), when I came there to sing. We were never apart after that. We shared so much and went through so much together. Anyway, it's been so good to be in touch again! She is a new mama of identical twin boys that are SO cute! When I get pictures, I'll have to put them on my photos page. She's also in the computer field and has a Master's degree...I'm so proud of her! She's happily married to someone other than the guy she was with last time we spoke and I'm happy that she's happy.

The other thing that happened to me....well, when my mom married her current husband, my brother was not too thrilled (looooong story) and just disappeared from our lives. That was over 7 years ago. Jared will be 7 this next January and I don't think I've spoken to Curt (my brother) since before I got pregnant with him. Anyway, I'm sure there are other reasons (on top of the one we already know) he left, but we didn't know them at the time. Well, on the 12th of July this year, my mom called telling me that Curt called....just out of the blue! I was floored. I was actually speechless and that doesn't happen very often! Haha Anyway, he came back in a whirlwind of problems that are still plaguing him. His wife's sister is trying to take their kids from them. I know what Tammy is going through....it happened to me. Thank GOD they didn't succeed, but I know the anguish you go through wondering if you'll ever see them again. Curt and Tammy were finally able to get an attorney and from what he has heard, he says it's a no-brainer. Tammy and her siblings were practically raised in the back of a car.....which was parked at the local bar. She remembers falling asleep on the floor many times in front of the jukebox at bars that her mother went to. Eventually, her mother put them in foster care. It's a sad story. This is what I know....imagine the the things that have happened to her that I don't know. Well, to make a long story shorter, her mother is now helping her sister (half at that) try to take her kids from her! AND THE COURT IS GOING ALONG WITH IT!!! Can you imagine a screwed up system letting a drunk take two kids from a good mother?? It's because the "trial" is taking place in Podunk USA and this is the biggest thing to hit that county in a hundred years. Not only is Tammy's mom a drunk, but her current husband is also a drunk and they fight like cats and dogs. Curt said that the last few times they saw her she was all wrapped in ace bandages from the bruises. Darla, the sister, has 4 kids of her own that she didn't raise, yet she wants to help raise Tammy's kids. Darla's ex fought her for custody and WON, and then had to fight her for another 7 years for child support....and won that too....after she was thrown in jail! What a family. Till next time....

~ 7 October 2002 ~ Well, I've done it!! I've graduated from my Associates program at AIU! This is such an accomplishment in my life....you'll never know. I'm so excited and proud of myself. Although individual grades have been posted, final grades have not so I'm not sure what my GPA will be. I made an 88% in Biology and a 99% in Sociology. Right now my GPA is 3.93, so I'm hoping it will at least stay the same. If it does, that means I graduate Suma Cum Laude. Cool huh? I can't wait to get my degree on paper. I'm going to hang it above my computer! lol

Now I can do some things that I have wanted to do such as update my site, do some sewing, some psp'ing, some baking (yummm)....lots of neat stuff. I picked up a quilting project last night that I started when I was pregnant with Jared....and he'll be 7 years old in January. Sad huh? And I got quite a bit done in just a short amount of time. If I'd done that 7 years ago when I started it, I would have had it done in one night....ONE NIGHT! LOL I am such a procrastinator about some stuff.

OH...update on my brother's situation. He went to court and was fully prepared to represent himself. Here was his kids, his mother-in-law...his sister-in-law....their attorney...all sitting on the other side and on his side there was him, his wife and our mother. Mom was going to testify on his behalf, and I had written a letter on his behalf and emailed it to him the night before. Anyway, he asked for a continuance so that he might have a chance to secure an attorney and lo and behold the judge said yes! So, passing through the Lake area on their way home, they thought they'd give this attorney another try. They had contacted him before, but asked for $3000 dollars up front....a sum my brother did not have. Curt got him down to $1000....but could not get the money in time for court, which is why he was representing himself. Anyway, they stopped off to talk to him feeling like if they could see him face-to-face, that he'd give them a break and help them. They were right and he said he would!! Isn't that great?? After going over everything that has been happening, he said that he'd start doing his homework so Curt and Tammy could breathe easier. I'm sure they're going to win....and Tammy's family is going to be sorry they messed with them!

~ 12 October 2002 ~ Today we went to the fair in Cumming with Bill's parents and had a really good time. We started off the day eating breakfast at IHOP, then went to the fair, came home for a quick shower and rest for a bit in the air conditioning, and then went to eat supper at Red Lobster. It was a great day.....except for an incident that happened while we were at the fair. I talked my mother-in-law into getting on this really scary looking ride with me. It's been SO long since I had been at an amusement park of any kind and this fair had over 40 rides....I was in heaven!! Anyway, we got on, but I could tell right away that it was NOT going to be comfortable because of my size. The seat was way too narrow and when the thingy came over my head in order to lock me in my seat, it wouldn't go in far enough to lock. So, the guy in charge was looking around at all of us and approached a couple people and pushed really hard against this bar....and then he came to me. He pushed three times and I thought he was going to crush my ribs (and my boobs! haha) it hurt so bad. Anyway, long story short, he did this 3 separate times and no matter how hard he pushed, it kept coming undone and so he told me that I had to get off.....in front of all those people who knew why. I was mortified. This is the first time anything like this has ever happened to me and I swear it will be the last.

~ 15 October 2002 ~Well, today was my first "weigh-in" at the doctor's office and I was pleasingly surprised to see that I had lost 9 pounds!!! It was a nice ego booster after what happened on Saturday. I'm not quite sure how it happened, although I suspect that it's because I have not been sitting in front of the computer all day and have been more physically active since graduating. That, and the fact that all the running around I have been doing has caused me to drink about a gallon of water a day!

~ 29 October 2002 ~Can't believe it's already the end of the month. Halloween (Bill's favorite...except for Christmas :-)) is just a couple days away and the kids are getting excited. I've been busy making stuff for Christmas and have not been on the computer much. It's almost been a month since I graduated and I haven't gotten done nearly what I wanted to. Time sure gets away from you doesn't it? We're also making plans for my brother and his wife, and my mom to come for Thanksgiving. I can hardly wait!! The thing that sucks is that Caleb will be here for Christmas, but he's just going to miss seeing mom and Curt. See, we're planning on trying to go to Missouri for the New Year so we can have a late Christmas with my mom and brother....and Caleb is coming in between. Oh well, hopefully we can see them next summer when Caleb comes to visit then. It's been a long time since Caleb saw his uncle Curt and although Curt has missed out on a lot, he is aware of this site and checks it often for updated pictures of the kids. Well, not much more than that happening....so if I don't get back, everyone have a spooky Halloween!!!

~ 19 November 2002 ~Sorry it's been so long since I have updated. I have been busy getting ready for the Holiday's and enjoying my time off from school. I received my paper degree in the mail the other day and I was never as proud of myself as when I read my name on that paper. What a wonderful feeling!! My heart just welled up. Anyway....in other news....my mom, Curt and Tammy are coming to my house for Thanksgiving! I'm so excited! I have so much sewing to do in the next week...I'm almost beside myself haha.

In the weight loss department, I have been to my second weigh-in and have maintained the original loss, so that's good. If all goes according to plan, next month we'll be able to re-submit everything to the insurance company and I'll be approved!!! Well, not much else to say. We're painting Jared's room tonight so....gotta go. Later......J

~ 21 December 2002 ~Wow...time sure has gone by TOO fast! I have been meaning to get back here to update....so much has happened since I last wrote. First off, Thanksgiving was GREAT!!! I was so excited to see my mom and brother. Curt looks really good after all these years. We had a great time. When they first came off the escalator (sp) Curt eyed me and came straight over and hugged me so tight! The first thing he said was, "Your hair smells good". haha Anyway....we had a really good time.

Then, I went into the hospital on 4 December because I had finally decided I had had enough children. So, I spent about a week mourning my fertility. Then, I started making Christmas presents for everyone when my best friend Tammy emails me with this idea she and another girl had for making extra money through the holidays. They were making those cute cookie jar cookie mixes and selling hot cocoa. She said they had already made over $400 in a week! So, my wheels got to spinning and I decided to come up with an original recipe for gourmet hot cocoa...and I did just that! It tastes soooooo good that we have decided to sell it! We have our own domain (no content yet) and have named our business The Baker's Pantry®. We're so excited about the prospects. We might even add gourmet flavored coffee's later. I have made some contacts and things are rolling along really well. Well, that's about it. I'll definitely keep everyone up to date on what's going on. OH!! Almost forgot to tell you that I had my last weigh-in on the 12th of December and the office has sent off the paper work for review. WISH ME LUCK!!

~ 7 January 2003 ~ Hey everyone! I have some GREAT news!! I'M APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHHA YEAH!!!!!!!!! I am so excited I don't know what to do with myself!! I just found out today. Okay...to back up a bit. You know that I completed my last weigh-in on the 12th of December. Well, after that, everything was sent in so I was just waiting to hear something. Well, one day while working on my site for The Baker's Pantry, I noticed an envelope on the floor. I looked at it and it was from Cigna! So, I opened it and it said that they had received my appeal and that they would get back to me within 15 days. Well...by the time I had opened the envelope, it had already been over a week, so I called the number. The rep was Donna Ryne and she told me that they didn't have a decision made yet, but they might as soon as the next day (which was Friday...3 January). So I called back but she wasn't there. I thought ok...I'll wait till Monday. Well, Monday I called and her voice mail kicked over and I hung up and called the services number on the back of my insurance card. After finding all my stuff, they told me that Cigna was upholding the original appeal. I said WHAT?!?! She said she had no idea why...couldn't see that screen. So I called Donna back and she answered this time. I said what's going on? She said she didn't know and that she would check it out for me. Well, while waiting for her call, I got the letter from Cigna! It said that I hadn't met their criteria of having at least 2 supervised weight loss plans for a period of 26 weeks each!!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes!! The FIRST denial said that I didn't meet the criteria of having 3 supervised diets of at least 12 weeks each. What was this...are they upping the ante on me or what?? So, I called Donna back and said NO WAY....she said that Cigna has changed their criteria (effective November 2002) of diet attempts for 26 weeks each. I said well I started this appeal BEFORE that happened and there's no way that it's fair for them to hold me to that. So, she said she agreed and that she would talk to the board the next day (which was today). I waited till about 1:30pm and when I hadn't heard from her, decided to call. She said that the person she needed to speak with had not been in her office all day and she had just checked again 30 minutes before. So, she said she'd go check again and call me back. WELL......not even 5 minutes later, my phone rang and it was Donna telling me that I was indeed APPROVED! I SCREAMED into the phone and started laughing...I know I sounded like a mad woman! haha. Anyway...that's the story. Before we hung up, she gave me the authorization code and told me to call Dr. Duncan's office, give it to them to get a date...and then let them know. So, I did all that and they said they would call me back...maybe by Friday....and give me a date. So there you have it. It's really going to happen for me.

A friend of mine that I have been in contact with was at the same consultation "class" at Dr. Duncan's on the 15th when this whole thing started. We swapped email addresses and have kept in touch ever since. She had her surgery on the 9th of December and is doing FANTASTIC! She has lost over 30# so far and has had NO complications...can eat everything. I SO hope that's me in a few months! haha Well, signing out for now. Will update when I get a date. Lots of love, Jeralyn

~ 7 March 2003 ~ Wow...time sure flies when you're havin' fun huh? I have been meaning to get back here to update, but there's not anything to tell really. I'm just waiting for my surgery date which, by the way, is May 19th! How exciting!! I'm glad it wasn't any sooner than that. It has given me time to reflect and prepare myself wholeheartedly for this extreme change that's going to happen in my life.

On a more personal note, I have switched degree programs. Instead of Information Technology, I'm getting a degree in Visual Communications. This way I can do what I really love and that is graphic and web design. I have learned SO much from doing this site and also my business site and I know that is only the beginning. I'm SO looking forward to learning more as time goes on. I've decided it's time to update my photos pages...(I know, I know...it's about time huh?) Anyway, I'm putting up some pictures of Bill and I and pics of me when I was younger....just pre-op sort of stuff. If anyone reading this has ANY questions that I might be able to answer, please do not hesitate to email me and we can chat. I'll be happy to pass on any and all info that I know about this procedure.

Something else that I wanted to write about.....is that I was thinking about the things I want to accomplish by having this surgery. I mean, yeah....I used to be thin. I was not overweight until after I married my ex....but for me personally, why am I doing this? So, I've compiled a little list of things that I want out of this surgery.

~ 16 April 2003 ~ Well, it's been a while and thought I better write some stuff down before I forgot it! On the 12th of March, I had two appointments. Early in the afternoon I went to the cardiologist office so he could talk with me about the echo I had and what it showed...and I also had a sleep study that night. I had gotten a scare a couple weeks before when I got a letter in the mail telling me that there was a slight abnormality in the echo. See, I have had to do all this pre-op testing in preparation of my surgery...and since they knew I had been on Phen-Fens in '98, they had me do an echocardiogram. Anyway, they sent me to the specialist and he said it looked like my heart wall was too big (tall) and that there was some "wiggle" in it when the blood passed through so they wanted me to come back and have a stress test to get a better idea of what was going on. So...I went back on the 19th for the stress test only I didn't do it the regular way, they had to do it with medication. They dilated my heart and then took pictures so they could see. the good news is the next day they called me and said that everything was ok and that my heart was normal! YEAH! This was worrying me because I have heart disease on both sides of my family.

The sleep study (on the 12th) went ok except that I barely got any sleep with all that stuff taped to my face and head! I got a letter in the mail about two weeks ago telling me the results of that. It said that I had significant obstructive sleep apnea. For those of you unfamiliar with sleep apnea, it's a condition that causes you to stop breathing several times a night. The lack of oxygen and the fact that it wakes you up just a bit every time it happens causes you to be extremely tired and lethargic every day and you feel as though you have not been to bed when you wake up in the morning. At least I found out why I am so tired all the time. No wonder. Anyway, Last Wednesday I went in for a second sleep study. This time with a CPAP machine breathing for me. I STILL didn't get any sleep because I was just not used to the mask on my face. I'm still waiting to hear whether or not they're going to get me one for home. This and the fact that my pre-op appointment with Dr. D has been moved up from May 8th to April 24th is about all the "new" news I have. Still haven't updated my photos page. Sorry about that....with school and kids and so many appointments, it's hard to find the time....but I promise I will. Keep checking back. Lots of luck to those starting this journey or those getting ready to have surgery. If anyone would like to chat, drop me a line and I'll be glad to talk with you. Ciao ......J

~ 10 May 2003 ~ Well, the days are closing in and I'm nervous/excited/scared...all those crazy emotions one feels before jumping out of a plane...I mean before having surgery :-) I still haven't gotten my clearance from the nutritionist. No one will call me back. I have called them three times and still nothing. I called Dr. D's office and they said they'd have them call me...and I'm sure they've given them the message...but I haven't heard one thing. I called Dr. D's office again yesterday and talked with a really nice young man that told me not to worry, that he would get SOMEONE to call me. They better, because if they don't and I don't have that clearance before my surgery and it gets cancelled an account of it, someone is going to hear from ME!!

On a personal note, I got a call from my 16 year old son Caleb this morning wishing me a happy Mother's Day. I always get excited when I hear from him. His dad and I are supposed to be sharing custody, but it hasn't really worked out that way and I am the one who got the short end of the stick. So, Caleb has been more like a visitor than my son for the last 8 years. Well, I've known for some time now how selfish his dad is about some things and Caleb is getting old enough that he sees it too. I have offered for years to have him come live with me but he turns me down because he says his dad would be lonely and he doesn't want him to be unhappy. I always say what about YOUR happiness?? Well, I know his dad has had a lot to do with why he feels this way. Anyway, this morning when he called he told me that things are really bad around there and his dad has essentially checked out emotionally. They don't do anything together anymore and his dad just slinks off when he gets home from work and doesn't really want to be bothered. A couple of years ago He started cruising the bars and having a new girlfriend every other week...even leaving Caleb alone for the weekend to go somewhere with these women. Now, he doesn't do that but just wants to be alone all the time and Caleb said he's grumpy all the time. I have always wanted him to come live with me so bad and begged him every time I talked to him....but Caleb has been old enough to make up his own mind for a while now and just couldn't bare the thought of leaving his dad alone. If things had been different, I would have had him outta there so fast it would have made Tom's head spin! Anyway, he wants to come live with me now and I'm SO thrilled I don't know what to do with myself!! His plan is to come for a "visit" like he does in the summer...and just not go back. He doesn't want to tell his dad till he gets here and I hate to say it, but I agree with him. Normally, I'm not that kind of a person and if I felt his dad was in his right mind, I would definitely encourage Caleb to talk it over with him...but this is not the case. I feel Tom has kept him from me all these years by emotionally blackmailing him and I'm not about to ruin my chance of getting him and finally having some influence in his life in favor of taking the "high ground". I might change my mind in a week or so once I have had a chance to think about it but right now...my mother's heart is concentrating on the fact that her baby is coming and wants to stay here and nothing else really matters.

~ 18 May 2003 ~ Well, here it is less than 24 hours till I have to be at the hospital. They called me on Friday to tell me to be at Atlanta Medical Center at 5:30am Monday morning. I am to be the first patient of the day. My husband has taken the kids bowling and I have some time on my hands since I'm not running to the bathroom every 10 minutes (you remember the phospho-soda??), so I decided to update my journal and fix some stuff I've been meaning to do for a while now. Also, I thought I'd let you guys know that I finally got someone to call me and I went for my nutritionist consult on Thursday. It went GREAT! I was so impressed at how savvy she is on the eating habits of post-ops. She disagrees with the CIB and Tums regimen for "healthy" post-op nutrition....much to my relief! I mean, I am going to be in control anyway...it's my health...but I'm just so glad to know even my surgeon's nutritionist is on the ball! I educated her on several other points concerning protein ingestion for life (if you want to keep from regenerating) and she was eager to learn.

Well, it is now 6:30pm and I need to get some things ready to go for the morning. The next post I make will be from the other side. Thanks to everyone who has prayed for me and wished me well...it means so very much to me. ~hugs~ Jeralyn

~ 21 May 2003 ~ Well, I'm home again and I feel GREAT! Things were so uneventful, there's not much to tell LOL. When we arrived at the hospital, I met 4 other women...Christi, Krystal, Sabrina, and Michelle. We were all having surgery the same day. Anyway, we sat for a while and talked and got to know one another and it was so good to talk with others that were about to make the same commitment as I was. Krystal's sister was there and she had just had surgery with Dr. Duncan 2 months before and looked just beautiful! Sabrina's mom came with her and she had also had the surgery (though not with Dr. Duncan) and had lost 90#. She looked awesome! She told us girls the next morning that we were all going to be so fine that folks would have to use a flashlight to find us in the daytime! LOL. Anyway, they soon called me back and took me to a private room where I changed into a HUGE gown (way to go Atlanta Medical Center!) and waited for the nurse to start an IV. I always hate getting those because my veins are not as large as they use to be since I have gained so much weight. They usually have to stick me more than once to find a good vein, but this lady was great. Got it on the first try...much to my relief! After this, it was no time and they were coming to get me for surgery. I was taken to the "holding room" where I saw all my WLS sisters being wheeled in beside me and it wasn't long...maybe 15 minutes...and they were wheeling me to the operating room. The whole time, I was in such peace and knew I was doing the right thing. I had prayed and many others had prayed and I just "knew" things were going to be ok. After moving me from the gurney to the table, they started making all the necessary preparations for monitoring and such. Someone put a mask on my face with plain ole oxygen and then the anesthesia started going in. I commented that I could feel the effects and started drifting off....the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room.

After waking up enough to be coherent, they took me to my room. Other than some mild discomfort, I wasn't really in any pain so this was a good thing! lol. The thing I remember most is the DRY mouth. Man...I was so dry I could hardly speak properly. There was just no saliva to help facilitate good speech. I was SO ready for those ice chips! lol. Later that night I was up and walking and doing great...still minimal soreness. I never even used my morphine pump. They came in and gave me some Toridol (sp) through my IV about every 8 hours, but this did me well enough that I didn't really need the pump. Now, I know others don't get on quite so well, so I have to tell everyone that I do have an extremely high tolerance for pain. I had 4 out of 5 children natural childbirth and that didn't phase me so...this was a walk in the park compared to that! lol. The next morning I discovered my vein had rolled and my fluids were going into the tissues instead of my vein so they took out the IV altogether because I was just minutes away from going downstairs to take the second leak test and if everything was fine, they would be taking it out anyway so they did it sooner. This is something else about Dr. Duncan that I find SO neat. While his patients are still on the table, he does a leak test sort of like you would for an inner tube. He submerges everything in water to see if any bubbles are coming from anywhere and when they are satisfied that all is ok, they close you up. Then later, you get to do another test after drinking some vile liquid and when all goes well there, you are on to actually getting to drink something! YEAH!! So, my test was good and I went back up to my room and they brought me some water in a little medicine cup (30cc) and I have never in my life tasted anything so good LOL. It went down great and 30 minutes later I had more. 30 minutes after that I had 30cc of juice and that went well so they told me I could go home...and I did! No NG tubes, no drains...it's been a great experience. Not once have I questioned why I did this or had feelings of "what did I do to myself". I am so thankful I have come though and am going on from this point excited about what my future holds.

Also, wanted to let you all know that I'm getting in my water fine...no taste change so far. I had some broth in a coffee mug last night with 15 grams of procel in it, it went down fine and this morning had my first 4oz. shake! Proscore 100! Plus, I have taken all my vites like a good patient and I attribute my feeling so well to this. Course, this will only go up from here...but it's better than none at all!

Okay...going to close for now. Keep me in your prayers and I will do the same for those on their way to this decision. Take care and thanks again for all the wonderful encouragement you have given. It means so much to me.....J

I forgot to mention that my friend Alda came to visit me on Monday night. I hadn't seen her since the class we took together 9 months earlier in August at our initial consultation. She had her surgery in December and has now lost 70# and is absolutely beautiful!!! I almost did not recognize her when she walked into the room. What a difference just a few months have made...and for the better! Congratulations Alda! YOU GO GIRL!!

~ 29 May 2003 ~ Well, I'm a week and a half post-op and feel great! I started my cycle yesterday and so I'm a little run down because of that, but I'm getting my max 120+ grams of protein in per day and my 64oz. of water and all my vitamins (and I take about 20 pills a day!) so I'm doing stellar!

Two notable things that I wanted to mention; my clothes already feel looser! How cool is that?! I have these shirts that are 100% cotton that looked really comfortable that are 2x but were just slightly tight. Tight enough that I didn't wear them often because they didn't want to come all the way down over my "stomach" and hips so to me, they made me look fat (doesn't everything??). Anyway, on Monday (Memorial Day) I got dressed putting one of these shirts on and I could tell it was looser! It just didn't feel tight anywhere! I was (and still am) so amazed...just amazed that in a week things could change that much.

The second thing is that the morning of surgery, Bill helped me measure my neck, bust, waist, hips, upper arms, wrist, thighs, calves, and ankles. I have started a spreadsheet in Excel (which I plan to turn to html to put up here) that also includes weight and total inches and weight lost. Monday when I measured, I was a total of 8 INCHES SMALLER!!! In JUST a week!! I was almost moved to tears. No wonder my clothes felt so different! It's just amazing :-) Weight wise, I was 283, down from 291.5...which is also fantastic. I know I probably could have lost more but there's the monthly factor, plus I have not been walking as much as I should...two kids are enough for one day especially dealing with them on my own while hubby is at work...and I'm only a little over a week out. I'm probably still bloated from surgery and fluids. All in all, I'm very happy with my progress and it's so comforting to know that I am still losing even as I type this. When has this ever happened in my entire life??

In other news, we went to Stone Mountain to see the laser light show on Monday night and I did very well with walking the distances I had to walk to get where we were going after parking. The show was incredible! I took my bedtime vites, a shaker with my protein powder and some water, and sat in this comfy chair my hubby had so sweetly purchased on our way up and all was right with the world. We went with my in-laws and some friends of theirs who came to visit from Florida. The woman (Judy) is also a WLS patient and is down about 90#. although she looked good weight wise, she looked wrinkly in her hands and face and just generally older than she did before. I personally attribute this to the lack of nutrition she gets. She takes Viactiv for calcium (can we say O S T E O P O R O S I S??) and only a Centrum multi. She also does not drink any protein shakes, but does drink regular Coke...and not much water. I tried to explain why these (vites) were not good enough and could tell she didn't really "hear" me. Well, in another year when I'm still doing stellar and she is even more sick than she is now, she'll be calling...I have no doubt. She was incredulous that I did not have any tubes or drains and that I was only in the hospital for one day. I know that many people stay longer and they do well too, but this lady was sick for the first 6 months! She just couldn't believe it.

Well, going to close for now. Yesterday I went to the gym we belong to and found out they have a daycare! So, today I'm officially going to start walking on the treadmill while the kids play and see if this works out. If so, I'm set for the summer :-) Signing out one happy post-op....J

~ 5 June 2003 ~ - 15.5 pounds. Well, decided it was time to update and let everyone know what's going on with me. Tuesday, I went back to Dr. Duncan's office for my 2 weeks check-up and found that I have lost a total of 15.5 pounds! How exciting! They measured my neck and said that I'd lost 2" just in my neck. I know I can see a slight difference in my face and my neck. I keep checking daily to see if I can wear my wedding ring yet lol. It goes on but still fits too snug for my taste so back it goes till next time :-)

I was given the go ahead to eat (yeah!!) pureed foods but, instead, I am chewing everything up very well and everything I have tried so far (with the exception of black olives...but didn't throw up) has agreed with me and nothing has been getting stuck so I'm just eating a few bites every 3 hours or so. Today, I didn't eat anything till about 1:30pm because I just wasn't hungry. I had already drank 16oz. of water and was doing some light housework and I just wasn't hungry. My sweet MIL came over to help me with the housework and took the children to the movies so I could have some time to myself. I really lucked out in the in-law department. Anyway, after they left I decided to make some crab salad as I have had a craving for that and had some imitation crab in the freezer on hand. I made it with about half a stalk of celery (sliced very thin) and a couple tablespoons of mayo (regular) and some old bay seasoning. It tasted great! I ate a few bites of that with about 3 crackers and I was full. How neat is that? So, I'm good to go for lunch, just need to take my afternoon vites and drink a shake and I'm set till dinner. I probably won't be hungry before then but if I am, I'll just grab another spoonful of crab salad and be good to go. It's so amazing how full you can get with so little. Not sure if I mentioned it or not, but on Memorial day I decided to eat something (didn't make it the full 2 weeks of liquids...I felt like I was starving!) and so I ate grilled chicken, steamed broccoli w/cheese, and some baked potato. Course, I only ate a few bites of each, but everything went down great and I felt so satisfied because all the liquids were just not doing it for me. Anyway, I'll never forget sitting there with my plate of food very carefully cutting very, very small pieces of the chicken. I almost chewed it with my front teeth because I was afraid if it got too close to the back of my throat, I'd swallow it before it was chewed to mush and then something awful would happen! As I ate, everyone was staring at me...not sure what they were waiting for...my head to spin or something...choke...spit it out...not sure. But I finally asked why everyone was watching me eat. I laugh now. My husband still watches me...very closely. I'm not sure if he thinks he'll have to perform the Heimlich maneuver or what! lol. Till next time.....

~ 19 June 2003 ~ - 21.5 pounds. Hey everyone! I am now (as of this last Monday) down 21.5 pounds!! How cool is this?! AND...drumroll please....a whopping 19" from head to toe! I'm just thrilled and amazed everyday at this gift I was so blessed with. *sigh*. Tonight, because it's been exactly one month since my surgery, my husband is going to take a set of pictures and I am planning to post them on the photos page (the before and after section). He took one set with a front, back, and side view 3 days post-op and I have yet to post those, but I plan to. They were in my bra and panties so I may decide to just put up some other photos of me pre-op instead haha! I don't know why I didn't get some additional pictures with clothes on as well....what can I say? I was on pain medication! LOL Anyway, the important ones that he took back then were of my tiny scars (for those who don't know, I had the surgery LAP) so I would have record of the healing process.

The good news is that I still haven't thrown up and have not been nauseous from food at all. The only time I have been nauseous is when I overeat (and in the first couple weeks I seemed to be doing that quite a bit) because I was having a hard time knowing when I felt full. I still struggle with this some, but not as bad as the first couple weeks. The full feeling seems to "creep up" on me if I am not careful. I am eating and all "feels" well, but if I'm not careful I can overeat and then 15 minutes later I'm really sorry! I have been so bloated I felt like I was going to toss it, but never did. I don't have to. Just that feeling is enough for me to get it :-)

Something weird happened to me in the shower last night. I was only in there maybe 5 minutes when all of a sudden I started feeling dizzy and really nauseous. I started hyperventilating and tried turning the hot water down, thinking this was the problem...but it didn't help. I hurried to get out and when I did I felt so nauseous that I stood over the sink and retched about 3 times, again with nothing actually coming up, but this seemed to make me feel somewhat better. I then went to bed and laid down and after about 25 minutes I started feeling better. I have no idea what caused this. I did some research today and the general consensus is that I am a little dehydrated. Hmm ...thought I was doing good in this department. I guess things sneak up on you really, really quick now so the lesson is ....DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS!!! Another theory is that my electrolytes could be off balance so I went out and bought some Propel water that has electrolytes in it and so far I have drank one bottle (this on top of the water I had this morning). I do feel much better than I did even this morning so it must be working.

I have been asked what kinds of foods I have eaten already so I thought I would jot those down. I have eaten: