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My Tate 1984 Classmate Contact & Reunion Page

Before Surgery  After Surgery:   2001    2002    2004    2005 and After

01/01/2003:    HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Life is super busy lately, with the holidays and our work schedules and all, but at least I can run till I drop now.  Things are so different.  I am SO active, unlike the last many years.   I am maintaining now about the same weight throughout the month.  I fluctuate between 143-145 lbs. and am still in a comfortable size 6.  I have a few WLS friends having surgery this month, which is exciting for them.  They have a good surgeon and should do just great.  Two of them are lightweights, which means they will have less to lose over their first year, and should do great.  We are looking for a car my son, and my husband want a very specific car, so that is taking some time.  Hopefully we will find something soon, as it is hard accommodating everyone's schedule without enough cars.  My son is flourishing with his art, having many pieces displayed & winning honors in different art shows this year.  We are hoping for a scholarship, as he wants to go to Montevallo's Art School so bad.  He is SO talented.  He is working very hard right now to make that happen.  Keep your fingers crossed.  Health-wise, I am doing just fine.  Taking all my vitamins (except for this week, got off schedule).  Trying to get plenty of water in each day, still drinking decaf tea & coffee most of the time, trying to limit my caffeine intake still.  I have gotten so addicted to coffee (thank goodness I like decaf).  I love the stuff. 

Ok, now I have to share.  The weekend before Christmas I went home to Pensacola to see my family.  Me & my sis never get to visit much, she is always working.  So when she asked if I wanted to go out that Saturday night, darn right I did.  Especially since I have been dying to go dancing.  I have asked my husband to go, but he won't.  So I will go with the girls or something sometime.  So anyway, we went.  We had a great time.  I had the best time ever!!!!! I danced for 2 1/2 hours straight!  Didn't even get out of breath, I don't think.  It was SO much fun.  We closed the place.  Sis, thanks for so much fun and for teaching me how to hoist my boobies up to where they are supposed to be & looking like I've had a recent boob job!  And the secret is?  A push up bra from Fredericks (she gave me one, a size to small, so they pop up even more!), then over the bra to wear a tight sports bra, and it holds them in place.  I told her there was no way this would work, I had tried everything with my "rocks in socks" and they still hung to my belly button.  But this works!  And I look amazing!  So sis, thanks for that too.  Many post-ops will benefit from that one, because we all suffer from sagging after this surgery & nothing helps.  Believe me girls, this does! 

01/02/2003:    Something cool I just realized.  My starting weight was 341, my current weight is 143.  The numbers are reversed!

02/02/2003:    I know I haven't been keeping up very well... Been really busy, sick, lots going on basically.  But hopefully things will start to slow down some... they have to, as I don't know if I can keep going at this pace!  Got the son a car, finally, but I am so nervous it is about to drive me crazy (no pun intended)... I am so scared something is going to happen to him... but I am trying... it has helped with me having to chauffer him around all the time... so I do tend to have more time now, but since I was sick, I spent all my time resting lately, so at least I was able to rest instead of run the roads till all hours of the night like before...  Hubby bought me a remote start for my van for Christmas & now I can start my van on freezing mornings from my apt (back side of the bldg) and it can warm up & be nice and toasty by the time I get up there to leave... that is totally cool too.  Son has been having art in more art shows, won "Best of Category" at a juried art show recently... had another piece at Birmingham Southern which was a big honor... he has another art show he is working this next week/weekend, so that has kept him busy in addition to his school/work/church/girlfriend... don't see him much anymore, but he is 17 years old, so not supposed to... man kids are expensive, especially at this age... he is working, but it is not enough to keep him paid for all the time, because of all the other activities.  Will have to make it until summer, then he should be able to earn more money & help out.. he is trying.. that is all that matters.  Hubby still working all the time.. He is still a sweetheart.  I had my first mammogram recently.. boy that was fun!  I told the girl I never thought I would be happy to say I had saggy boobs, but that day, it was definitely a plus!  I recently got a letter saying everything came out ok, no malignancy, which was great, since I am very lumpy & have started finding lumps lately... My family has always been very lumpy & my mom has always had tons of cysts...

As far as me and my WLS-wise: Doing ok, lost two more pounds a couple weeks ago.. so got down to 141, which was a whole total of 200 lbs. lost... that's totally cool!  Still size 6, sometimes snug, sometimes loose...just depends on the day.  Eating fine still, do notice I can eat more again, but assume that is normal, to help keep me from losing too much weight at this point.. I never thought I would say this, but I am skinny & don't need to lose anymore... I would love to stay at 141.. so am trying for that... I love fruit, sweet tea with lots of lemon, and my decaf coffee w/sugar... I do put sugar in my drinks more so now, since I have lost the weight and need to stay at this weight... I snack on popcorn at work, that is what I like lately.. it changes from time to time though, depending on my mood.. I carry peanut butter cracker with me if I get hungry out & about.... If I go too long without eating I start filling up with "air" and then when I finally eat, I burp awful for about 20 minutes or so getting rid of the air... I have done that all along, so I can tell when I HAVE to eat... when I start burping lots of air I have gone too long! LOL!  Obviously very active, and my health is still very good.. I have to take my vitamins, get my water in, etc... but as long as I do, I do well... if I don't, I start feeling crappy... PCP called the other day to say my B-12 level is low & I should come in monthly for shots...I can't with work, so I am going to see if I can get a prescription for it & have one of the nurses in my group give them too me... one offered, which I thought was very nice.  I had a bone density scan done too, but haven't gotten the results back yet.. It will tell me if I have lost any calcium in my bone the last year so as to avoid osteoporosis, and detect any problems early... I figure I have, since I don't do perfectly on my calcium, but I have been trying to do better, so we will see.  I want to start back exercising soon.  Maybe once the weather warms a little & I am not so cold (lol) I can go walking outside.. I have met many people, heard from many who either found my website on AMOS or through the Webrings usually.  They have questions or want to say hi... both are nice... and I like hearing from others on their journey and who want information.  I like helping.

02/22/2003:    Not a whole lot going on lately, just really really busy & trying to keep up.  I like my quiet time now, when everyone goes to work & I get to watch TV or just rest... No interaction with anyone sometimes is great!  I went to a support group meeting last week with a new hospital.  It was pretty good.  They are new & just starting out & it is small, so it is nice everyone gets to just "talk" after they finish with any speakers, etc.  Am doing fine on my weight... I lost another pound about a week or so ago... I am at 140 lbs. which is so awesome.  I went shopping last week for clothes for work.  I bought a size 4 blue jean skirt at Lerner's for $9.  Marked down from $33.  I clearance/bargain shop almost ALL of the time. Very rarely do I pay full price for something unless the price is already pretty cheap.  I bought the cutest blouse for $12.99 (regular price).   I shopped at the Body Shop in the mall.  Wow, so amazing & how much fun it is to just walk into a regular store where they sell regular clothes & be able to buy something cute.... I even got compliments from the girls at work the other day for how "cute" I looked!  And they are skinny people!

I am trying to drink a protein drink right now, and man is it nasty.  Don't know if I am going to be able to get it down. I am such a wimp. I commend all these people that get their 64 oz. of protein in a day.  I can't do it with supplements.  I had my "hematacrit" (spelling) checked the other day (I think it has to do with iron level) and normal is like 40-47 or something like that.. mine was a 42.  So I must be doing pretty good.  I have not been doing any iron in quite awhile either.  The constipation got too bad.  Couldn't take it... I am constipated most of the time now, but on my own, so I guess that is a good sign, if constipation can be good. LOL!  My blood pressure was an astounding 108/70!  Isn't that so awesome, no blood pressure meds in 8-9 months now.  I have good energy most days... some days I don't.  I need to get my B-12 shot, that will help.  If I slack on my vitamins (like I have been doing lately), I can really feel it.  I have to get 2 chewable Centrum's in a day to feel totally wonderful.  Weekends are my worst.. I get off schedule and forget them.  My skin is really dry too.  I know I need some dry vitamin E, but just don't want to spend the money.  Been rubbing down with Moisturizer/Vitamin E cream, that helps.  I have been having rash/irritation problems under my panni pretty bad.  Trying to tough it out.  Don't want surgery... May have to have it removed one day though.  Summer is going to be rough, I can tell now.. If winter was bad, whaoh!  My boobs have shrunk to a 34 D & C, depending on the bra.  I have a hard time finding something that fits though, because they are so droopy. They don't conform to a bra.  I really need a boob job just to keep them in place & to be able to wear a bra.  But, hey, we can manage that too, with some creativity!  

03/07/2003:    Well, I figure out the other day that Yahoo has cancelled our ability to upload our websites via Front Page and I cannot even access my website to update it without using their piddly program... and in doing so, would wipe out my website as it exists now... so I have not been able to update my website since like January, my counter hasn't worked for months & I am sure that is why... I wouldn't have minded as much, if I had gotten some kind of notice, but nope, found out after the fact, and the alternative is their "nice" little note saying "purchase our package" to be able to maintain my already current site... so I refuse to pay for something from someone that did it that dirty way, so I found another place to pay instead.  It is the principal of the entire matter.  So now I am excited, I have my own website address that is MINE and no more advertisements/banners, etc. to dangle over my page & get in the way!  Cool!  I definitely wanted to continue my site, as I get so many emails from people saying it inspired them or helped them out in some way.  I want my site to continue to evolve and grow and reach as many people as possible.  Real people, real experiences, that is what helped me out more than anything.. reading their stories & looking at awesome before/after pics.  Pictures make more of an impact than any words can.  I guess that is why I have so many pictures on my site.... even the obese yucky ones, because the after pics in comparison show such a difference.  My worst before pic is my best before pic now! 

03/18/2003:    I have been very active lately with support stuff with WLS.  I have been going to the hospital & visiting people after they have surgery, mostly people from out of town, especially since they don't know anyone here & it helps fill their time.  I really enjoy it and they seem to too.  I recently had to find Carraway Hospital, so that was a new thing for me.. never been there, no idea where it was.. now I have been there twice in the last week.  And I got to see Dr. Dewitt for the first time... Boy is he a CUTIE!  I imagine all these surgeons to be so much older, I am shocked when they are young like that.  A different local hospital has started having support group meetings and I have attended a couple of them.  I am glad there is another alternative for local support.  There cannot be enough support in a town this size... a big city like this having multiple options for support is great!  And when the people are kind and it is comfortable, then that is even better!  I have met alot of new people lately and that is really nice too.  I am looking forward to the National Convention this August in Nashville, TN... I expect to have a great time.  It will be a real treat for me, since I never go anywhere.  This will be a weekend vacation for me too!

04/26/2003:    I know it's been awhile since I have updated, but I messed up my website on my computer & it took me forever to fix it before I could upload anything new.  If you notice any problems, please let me know. I am fixing them as I find them.  What's new?  Well, any other time I could think of tons, but my brain is dead from re-doing my website today.  My little 19 year old sister had a baby this week.  My son has gone to 2 proms in the last month.  His Junior & his girlfriend's Senior.  Then they broke up this week and June would have been a year for them.  He is way too young to be so serious.  I do hate it, but it is expected and quite normal.  He did LOVE her family so, and plans on remaining close to all of them. 

I have not lost any more weight I don't believe.  I fluctuate between 138 & 145... this week I am about 142 lbs.. I am still in size 4's & 6's.  I am having to buy all new clothes for summer, and I just got my winter clothes bought!  But I am not complaining!  I put on two pair of my Capri jeans from last August that fit me great & they were size 10 & 12.  They fell to the ground!!! I was in shock. I did not realize that I had actually lost that much weight since then.  I remember wearing those pants & thinking, "hmmm... size 10/12... this is a good size for me, I am done."  NEVER did I ever expect or realize that I would lose this much weight.  I have been REALLY lucky! 

I realize now after my weight loss time is over and I can eat more (that's normal) that it is really easy to revert back to our old eating habits. Life becomes more routine, food is not as much an issue anymore (for once in my life!) and everything is easy to eat.  Carbs make us crave more, and I have found myself back with the BBQ Lays Potato Chips mostly... so I have had to learn to treat myself here & there, but eat them in moderation.  I can sit & eat 1/2 a bag again, but I have to maintain that control that this surgery gave me.  When I realized that, it became alot easier to control.  One girl in the group found herself eating lots of carbs & started gaining a few pounds.. she freaked out & put herself on the Adkins' diet.  She lost all of those few pounds in a week. So it is very obvious, that even though we have had it so much easier losing the weight, we still have to maintain control for the rest of our lives.  We tend to do alot of emotional eating still, so knowing what is causing the emotional eating helps too.  I have to pay attention to myself & not let my life get "out of hand"... when we feel like we are losing control of other things in our life, food is our comfort.  We have to make an effort to not do that or realize when we do that & stop it.  And we can do it.  We are proof.

Our support group has not met as a large group since December.  We are planning a get-together next weekend, May 3rd & I am hoping many of our members get to come.  We all bring food & beverages & snacks... all high protein or sugar free foods & we usually get to try new things.  We swap clothes, which helps many people tremendously.  And we all have clothes to give away once we start losing weight & we all need new clothes too! We take new "before & after" pics, individually & as a group.  We get to socialize & meet all of the members that we just chat with online.  That part is really nice.  We have such a great time!  We have many new members too that we hope to meet then.

I am helping with the planning of my 20 year high school reunion in Florida.  Boy, wow!  I am reacquainting & meeting (online) with all of my old classmates, and it is SO weird.  Like a time-warp!  I am enjoying it though & hope we can make it a great one.  It is next year, 2004.  I did not go to my 10 year reunion, so this one is even more important now.  I am looking forward to meeting my old friends and even some new ones next year. 

05/09/2003:    We had a get-together last Saturday & we had a great time.  Thanks to those who brought clothes. I know those who benefited from them really appreciated it. 

This last week, many parts of Birmingham experienced massive flooding & tornados.  Most of the city was devastated.  Some people I know were flooded out & suffered major damage.  My thoughts are with those who are having it hard right now.  My husband spent the day yesterday with a friend helping him bail water & clean up.  So much damage. So senseless. 

My son is going to his 3rd prom..taking a friend to this one.  He & his girlfriend are back together.  Young love.  Sometimes you miss those days & other times you are so glad you are past that! 

Some friends that had weight loss surgery in the last year or so are having rough times for various reasons.  Not all of them, just a few.  Mostly it is "food demons" and fighting the carbs & starches.  Sugars & breads & such.  One or two are having some physical problems.  I hope you all feel better soon.  The food issues can be bad some days & better on others.  Control is a major part of it all   When you "lose control" of your life, things go wrong, have a bad day, or anything to that affect, you tend to revert to old eating habits... comfort food.  It is important to recognize those signs & to regain control of yourself & your eating habits.  Life gets to going so fast sometimes after surgery, that we lose ourselves in everything that is going on.  It is easy to let food take back over.  The good thing is that we have the ability to do something about it now.  None of us had willpower before, especially because we knew it didn't matter.  It didn't' help.  We would never keep the weight off.  But now, that is not true.  We have the ability to get control & stop the bad habits.  Because when we get control, we can lose weight now.  We don't have to gain & gain & gain & never win.  Falling off the wagon here & there is normal. I do it quite regularly.  But it is so important to realize it and stop it.  Have some faith in yourself.  You can do it.  I am living proof.

I have found that when I don't eat fruit, I don't feel as well.  Don't know exactly why, but on the days I eat a lot of fruit I feel so much better.  There is a lot of liquid in most of the fruit I eat... I am sure that helps.  I have been trying to eat a lot of fruit lately & I feel so much better when I do. Weird, I know.. but that is part of paying attention to my body & listening to it.  I may not always understand it, but I do listen!

I need some new pictures.  The ones taken last weekend are not very complimentary.  I don't think baggy overalls do the trick with you are trying to show your weight loss & after shots!  LOL!  So maybe I can get some soon.  I will post as soon as I have some decent ones to share.  I really show my age now.  Or at least I think so.  I have heard that the rapid weight loss, excess skin "ages" us.  I can see that, but I don't care.  I would still rather be where I am today.  I may look 20 years older but I FEEL 20 years younger!

05/11/2003:    Well, today is Mother's Day.  Son is off at church & hubby is working.  I will do "chores" all day, but that is fine. I am actually looking forward to the "quiet time" where I can get stuff done.  I think about this time 2 years ago when I was SO sick & could barely function.  Life is so much better now.

I spent most of yesterday going to different stores & trying on beautiful dresses for a wedding I have next weekend.  I looked great in many of them, but could not wear them because of my upper arm skin.  I could complain, but why?  I could not get into a size 6 or 8 dress before.  So how can I complain when I can?  I just have to find something that I can wear.  I just have to be more inventive now! LOL!  Before, I would not have gone to the wedding.  Physically couldn't handle it, plus I would have had to buy a tent to wear. LOL!  I am maintaining right around 140-145 still.  That is good for me.  I am very comfortable now.  Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.  Pamper yourself.  You deserve it.

05/17/2003:    Went to a wedding yesterday.  Have not been to one of those in years.  Had to find a dress.  Well that was an experience.  I had in mind what I wanted to wear.  But finding one I could wear was the problem.  It was going to be hot & I was going to be driving in the afternoon heat for an hour and 1/2 to get there, so needless to say it had to be light.  Everything I found was sleeveless.  Well, that is not an option with my upper arms.  I am not complaining, don't get me wrong. I am very thankful for coming so far.  It was just more of a challenge than normal people have to go up against trying to find a simple article of clothing.  But, after about 100 dresses, I found one & was happy.  And it was only $20.  What a shocker.  All the others were like $50 on sale.  It was comfortable too & had a shirt/jacket over the sleeveless dress part.  It is the one pictured as my after pic right now.  I did go buy a girdle thing that went from my upper abdominal area to my thighs.  In dresses, the excess skin tended to "show" under the material really bad when I moved.  The girdle thing squished everything together really tight & made me look much more proportioned with no "rolls" to see.  Then I figured out the dress was see-through from the waist down, so needless to say we had to get a slip too.  Man, now I know why I don't wear dresses and prefer jeans!

A funny experience was the other day I went with my hubby to visit an old friend that I have not seen in about 6 years.  He apparently had not known I had the surgery.  When we walked up, I said "Hi, Jim". He said hi back.  About 30 minutes went by & we all had been talking and all of a sudden he freaked out.  He said in shock "I am SO sorry.  I just now put it together.  I just figure out you who you were.  I had been wondering & when I saw you put your arm around Tommy I though, hmmm, that is weird.  I know Tommy was not the kind to cheat.  Maybe it is her sister.  Then when you hugged him, I thought, well, this is a "close family"... then you I listened to you talking and it hit me.  Oh my God, you look GREAT!".  It was hilarious, to say the least.  I did not know he didn't know who I was, because he greeted me back when I greeted him by name.  He said I didn't even look like the same person.  This was a man I used to see quite often.  He worked with my husband before & I used to talk to him when I went up to my husband's work to see him many times over about a 3 year period.  So funny!

The constipation has returned for several weeks now.  I am not taking any iron, scared to now.  Don't know if that means I am getting alot of iron in my foods, or what.  Go to my PCP in a month or two for check-up and will have everything checked & see how I look then.  I feel alot better lately.  I have been taking sublingual B-12 here & there and have also gone back to 2 Chewable Centrum multi-vitamins a day.  Makes the world of difference in my energy level.  I still have a hard time getting my liquids in each day.  But I do make a conscious effort to do the best I can.  Weekends are worse, when I get off-schedule.  I still do not drink sodas (causes ulcerated pouch at the least) and rarely any caffeine.  I make decaf tea & coffee every day.  Love my tea & coffee.  Bleach my teeth alot. LOL!

06/19/2003:    I have met many post-ops lately.  I find a couple things that really bother me.   The first is all of the people that have this surgery, don't follow the rules, then complain about their weight loss.  When certain "issues" are brought up about some of the things they are doing that are "defeating" the surgery, they have every excuse in the world & don't want to hear it.  Then why complain if you are not going to do what it takes to be as successful as you can be.  This surgery takes work on our part.  It takes dedication to do things right.  To eat & drink the right things, to exercise... so many things.  Why have the surgery if you are not willing to make those sacrifices?  This surgery is a gift.  It gives you the ability to do something you couldn't do before.  And so many people are wasting it.  That really really bothers me.  Especially the fact that these people don't care to be educated or make the changes that need to be made.  Part of me says they get what they deserve when they don't get to the goal they want to.  I know that is mean, but I worked my butt off to get where I am.  I continue on a daily basis to work hard to maintain.  I will be successful for the rest of my life.  I can be content in knowing that I am doing everything I can to make that happen. 

The other thing is people who are borderline or just at the 100 lbs. overweight-mark.  Someone who is only 100 lbs. overweight is obviously going to lose weight ALOT slower than someone who is 200 or 300 lbs. overweight.  It irritates me every time I hear someone say "I was only 100 lbs. overweight & I have only lost 30 lbs. in two months and am not losing fast enough".  What do they expect?  To lose all 100 lbs. in 3 months? On an average, it is supposed to take 1 year to lose our excess weight.  Since when did that time get shortened to 3 months? Hopefully those who have alot of weight to lose, continue to lose over that one year.  Those who only have 100 lbs. may lose it in one year or even sometimes less.  But it will never be in 3 months.  If we take the excess weight we have to lose & divide it by 12 months, then that should give us a goal of how many pounds a month we should work for.  The first 3 months we lose it much faster, then it starts to slow down... and every 3 months it will slow even more.. that is why it is so important to work so hard, to drink our fluids, to exercise, get our supplements/vitamins in... not blow our time so in a year we can get to goal.  I see people that didn't exercise.. or drank sodas/caffeine/milk, etc. and then when they get to a year wonder why they didn't lose all their weight & all of a sudden it is a concern... but by then it is too late.. for most.  There is the rare occasion that one can start to work hard & lose a little, but if there is alot of excess weight left, then chances are, it is not going to come off. 

I am sorry to vent, but this is a once in a lifetime chance at success for us.  It seems that the more people have this surgery, the more people I see taking advantage of it & doing it for the wrong reasons.  They do not do research or they are not willing to make changes.  They want a quick fix & want to whine & bellyache when they don't miraculously become a model of perfection as they have pictured in their mind.  This surgery does not give us the perfect body.  We have excess skin & wrinkles & other issues that arise with the weight loss.  This surgery will not make you perfect or fix your head.  If you do not like yourself and are not happy with yourself as a person before surgery, this surgery won't do that for you.  This surgery aids you in losing weight.  It is up to you to do the rest.  How much of a success you are is completely up to you.  Are you willing to do what it takes?

07/05/2003:    Yesterday was July 4th and a pretty good day.  My son spends all his time with his girlfriend on Holidays so we don't see him much.  Understandable.  When I was his age, I'd rather be with friends or my boyfriend than my family.  As long as he stays out of trouble, I don't mind.  Tommy & I went to the McWane Center and goofed off, then tried a new pizza place (no crowds, so that was nice), shopped a little, then came home & watched a movie.  The best part was that I got Tommy to get in those little picture booths with me & take pictures.  I don't have any pictures of us together, only one when we met & one about a year ago.  So it was nice to have a new pic of us.  Those little photo booths are pretty cool.

I think back to two years ago & I could have never done those things.  I would have spent it on the couch or in bed, sick from overexertion or recuperating from the workdays before.  Instead, we went all day & had fun.  And I never could have fit in a photo booth with Tommy.

As far as my weight goes, I am still maintaining between 140-143 on most days..... as long as I take my fluid pills.  If I don't take them enough or drink enough fluids, I go up to about 145-146, then I take a fluid pill and am back down at my normal range.  I am in a solid size 6.  Sometimes I buy 8's to have extra room.  I am in small & extra small tops.  My butt & hips are still larger than the rest of me, but then again, they always have been.  I am proportioned fine though, and wear clothes that are flattering to my figure on most days.. trying not to wear anything that looks bad.  It is easy to do with this excess skin, so I work around that and am fine.

07/19/2003:    Haven't been on-line much lately.  Long days & hours, operating on not much sleep.  Fighting sinus infection, felt crappy for few days this week.  Just need some sleep!  We bought a new 2003 Honda Element.  Totally cool vehicle. Very excited.  I posted bunches of pics on "My Family Pics" page for anyone wanting to see it (1/2 way down the page under "our place & stuff").  Can you tell I am proud? 

Still doing support groups.  Working with a lady on getting one going at a local hospital.  That would be great!  She is doing all the work, so we will see what happens.  There is one at Baptist Montclair on the 2nd Monday of each month that I hope to be able to attend soon.  Every month something has come up.  I go to the one that Brookwood holds at the HealthSouth Building just down the road in Vestavia on Highway 31 on the 3rd Tuesday of every month.  Both of those are open to any surgeon's patients.  I hear that Carraway Methodist is trying to get one started soon.  Don't know anything about that one.  Of course Medical Center East has their huge one on the 3rd Saturday of each month that I used to go to way back when... and hopefully Shelby Baptist will have something in the next few months.  Will keep you posted.   We still have "lunch" every now & then around town.  We hope to do the next one at a local restaurant on July 26th.

Still maintaining.  This morning I weighed 142 lbs.  Seems about normal for me.  Still in a 6 most days, sometimes those are snug, depending on the time of the month or fluid retention on that day. 

Getting excited about the 2003 National Weight Loss Surgery Convention in Nashville at the end of August.  Can't believe it is so close.  Have to start saving money, but school registration & art classes for my son are going to strip me of saving anything pretty much.  So it is going to be a crunch.  But we will have fun either way.  A "girls" weekend for many of us.  Get to spend time with many WLS friends and drive my new vehicle up there & play for a couple days.  It's going to me a mini-vacation/get-away for me.  Carla is my buddy & we are rooming together & going to have a blast!  Get ready for some fun Carla! 

To those who have emailed me recently, I apologize if it has taken me forever to get back to you. I have been on the go & not on-line much lately.  I am so sorry, but I will respond soon, I swear.  I am trying to clean my wreck of an apartment today, as that has been severely neglected too, while I have been running the roads till all hours of the night lately & just getting home to drop in the bed & back up early to work the next day... vicious cycle.  I have slept most of the weekend from pure exhaustion & still am tired.  Never could have done ANY of this before... wow, life goes fast now!  Everyone have a great week.... more later.

August 10, 2003:    GREAT NEWS!!!! I am so excited.  Two of us girls have been given the go-ahead on leading a support group at a local hospital for WLS patients.  The other girl, Lisa Horton, has worked hard on getting approval & deserves a lot of credit where that is concerned.  Without her, it might not have happened.  So thank you Lisa for all you have done.  Our first meeting will be September 22, 2003 (6-9 p.m.) at Shelby Baptist in Alabaster, Alabama.  I am in the process of doing the webpage for the support group and a brochure/flyer that the hospital will mail out to current WLS patients there too.  Hopefully we will have a very successful support group and we are really looking forward for what is to come in the near future.  You will have to join us!  I will post more details later as I get them and get the webpage up & running. 

August 14, 2003:   Had a 6 month check-up today.  All my blood work, etc.  I was shocked when they weighed me & I weighed 139, fully dressed.  Pretty cool, because last week when I was sick with head cold/sinus infection/bronchitis, I didn't take my fluid pills for days & gained up to 150 lbs.  Besides it being my time of the month.  Was happy to see the scales say "139 lbs."  I met a lady who had WLS 18 months ago, her name was Lisa too.  Just so happened she was at my Dr.'s office when I was there & she desperately needs aftercare info & support.  It is nice to be able to help people out like that.  When it really helps someone it means so much more.  I got copies of my test results from December, as I had not seen them.. just figured everything was fine when I didn't hear from the PCP.  My bone density scan was "normal", which is great.  But, it did say that I had suffered bone mass loss since the scan the year before.. so I have to be better about getting my calcium citrate in.  All my "levels" were in normal range.  That has never happened in my life.  Totally awesome!!!! My BP today was 100/70, another fantastic result of my surgery.  He gave me a prescription for B-12 so I can do my own shots (or a friend can is more like it) and I got a B-12 shot today.. so we will see if it makes a difference.  I love my PCP.  He is so great.  I don't know what I will do if he ever retires.  No one can replace him. 

August 21, 2003:    MY 2 YEAR WLS ANNIVERSARY!!!    (139 lbs., Size 6, BMI 23) Thank you Carla for making my day special.  We went to lunch, ate Chinese & she sent flowers at work to commemorate my special day!  That was so sweet.  It has been a whirlwind the last two years.  I cannot believe how time has flown by.  I have come a LONG way these last two years.  From a hermit to a somewhat outgoing person.  A great WLS friend, Lisa Horton and I will be running a new support group at a local hospital, I have an on-line email-based support group that has been thriving for almost 2 years now.  Life has completely changed for me.  I remember wondering how I was going to keep working and going to live 2 more years.  I was so sick & vomiting & deathly ill.  People told me later that when they talked to me on the phone, they could tell I was miserable, because you could hear it in my voice... now I am always so happy & positive.  Why not, I am alive now & plan to enjoy life for a very long time now.

September 6, 2003:    We went the the Convention in Nashville last weekend.  For my first convention, I have to say it was ok.  There were so many things I wanted to do, and just didn't have the time.  There were 10 of us from Alabama... 6 from Montgomery area went up together & 4 of us from the Birmingham area.  Carla & I shared a room.  We had a good time.  Got to take some pictures, but no where near as many as I wanted.  Met a lot of new people, but hate that I didn't get to meet everyone there.  It was a thrill meeting people that I had been in the AMOS chat room with all this time.  Watching people smile, get dressed up, cut loose and have a great time was so satisfying. 

I am still somewhat shy, in the way that I still cannot approach people.  I can talk FOREVER to anyone about WLS that approaches me first though.  My friends can attest to that.  Just recently, on our trip to Nashville to the WLS Convention, we stopped at Bob Evans Restaurant by the hotel (my first time) to eat... The four of us girls ate & the other 3 went ahead to pay for their dinner... meanwhile I get to talking to the waiter & then the staff and before you know it, we are all cutting up & laughing (they were picking on me because I am bow-legged & pigeon-toed) and having a great time.. We left & when I got back to the hotel, I realized I never paid for my meal. How embarrassing!!! So, the next day I had to go back & pay for my meal & eat there again!  I love that place.  I meet so many nice people now that I am more outgoing.   I still don't like attention.  I feel comfortable in a WLS crowd usually, but not always everywhere else.

A couple of the speakers were really good.  Ray Miller, well, he was perfect!  Many of us needed to hear what he had to say.  He has been there, so to listen to him talk, we can identify.  He touched on areas of insecurities that many WLS patients have.  Very motivational.  Definitely my favorite.  The plastic surgeon was cut short, because of time.  Wish he could have had more time.  That is something that is very important to almost every post-op patient. 

I wish there would have been an introductory period each day so that we would know who was who.  We got to hear the stories of 3 or 4 people, but I like to hear other's stories, so I would like to have heard more of that.  Because we tend to sit with our own group, it would have been nice if they mixed us up a bit.. maybe musical tables or something to MAKE us meet others quickly.  Many people are like me & won't just go up to others and start talking. And we missed out on a lot I am sure.  Knowing this was the Butterfly Foundation, Inc.'s first convention, it is expected that things won't go perfectly.  But you could tell they put their heart & soul into this & worked so very hard.  Thank you for that.  Because of the location, I was able to attend, where as I never would have been able to do so otherwise.  I hope next year is just as close and being there before I will know more of what to do/expect/change for next time.  I think we should all let them know what we did & didn't like, only as constructive criticism in order to make the future conventions better. 

The hotel was magnificent.  I only wish I had more time to spend there.  I would have liked a club with a dance floor that stayed open really late.  Some of us were looking forward to going out & having a great time, and not having to drive somewhere was an issue.  We didn't want to drive elsewhere, but am sure we will next time.  We were tired most the weekend.  The schedule was packed and trying to fit fun in between was hard.  But we managed to visit a couple of the shops inside & take the little riverboat ride inside the hotel, which was cool.  That Sunday we visited the Opryland Mill (Mall) behind the hotel.  What a massive place that is.  And packed!!!!! We enjoyed walking & looking & shopping for great deals.  Wish we'd been able to eat lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, but from what I understand, the wait was about 3 hours.  Needless to say....

There is so much to do there, more than you can take in in a few days.. and to have the convention to attend, well, needless to say a trip back is definitely in order!

September 9, 2003:    Well, finally, the new Baptist Shelby WLS Support Group website is up & running.  We look forward to a very successful support group.  You are going to make the difference & make this group what you want it to be.  Come join us, help us & meet many people who travel the same journey that you do.  We will have a great time, discuss & learn from each other.  It is all about support!

December 27, 2003:    Unbelievable that another year is ending & another new year is beginning.  This next year will entail me maintaining and keeping myself within my current weight range & not gaining.. I can see that I am going to have to watch what I eat & exercise routinely... I have gained back about 5-6 lbs., and it is obvious it is because I am eating junk food, not drinking enough water, and not exercising.  The main things we learn to do right after surgery, the basics.  I have the ability to control these things now, whereas no matter what I did before surgery, it did not help.  Now it does.  And I would be a fool to waste that and end up like I was before.  Being complacent about 5-10 lbs. caused me to gain and become obese before.  It took someone else saying that paying attention to those 5-10 lbs. makes the difference in whether we regain another weight problem or not.  I did not think of it that way.  I thought "Oh, what's 5-10 lbs.. it will come back off".  It was that kind of thinking that got me in trouble before.  So now I have to stay within a certain "range" that I am satisfied with, and if I gain over that, then get my butt in gear.  Although it would be smarter to deal with it on a daily basis, rather than waiting till I gain those 5-10 lbs., and then trying to get them back off.  Well, now to see how I do.  Right now I am at about 145-146 lbs.. which is not bad, considering... I have set myself a range of 140-149.. if I hit 150, then I HAVE to get back on track & get it off.  Hopefully, I can work on it more often & maintain between that range & not have to "hustle" to work hard to lose weight again... I would much rather maintain.  Realizing that this is my way of life for the rest of my life helps too.  The mindset that some have that all they have to do is lose weight, then do whatever they want, is dangerous... This is a life changing event and takes dedication for the rest of our lives. That is fine with me... it is so much easier to do now.  I can stay healthy like normal people.  I just have to do my part.