Morning!!

I know everyone is busy, but take a minute to drop in and say hello. So many have passed through and just....POOF.....their gone. Support is so important on this journey, no matter the stage you are in.

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I'm in the middle of getting the daughter ready for the first day of Band Camp.....back shortly.

Well she is on her way to Band Camp, I'm going up later to check it out. She's a senior this year and is looking forward to a fun year in band.

What is it about Sunday's?? Last Sunday I had a really bad eating day and yesterday, while not as bad as last Sunday, was not a good day either Way too many carbs!! Once again, back to protein and water......protein and water......protein and water...........

The adjuster came and took a look at the son's car. He estimates the damage at $6,800.00. This using "after market" parts. Hubby is not happy about that. Barb do you or 'ole Alvin with your refinishing business have an opinion on so called "after market" parts? I would be very interested.

I squeezed my arse into a pair of size 16 non-stretchie jeans last week I could, I guess wear them out if I wanted to, but they were just a wee bit tight........but I GOT THEM ON...........BUTTONED AND ZIPPED!!!!

Boring day today, errands and checking in on band camp. Have a good one all

I’m here! But I have decided to write about something a little different today. Last Thursday was John and My 9th Wedding Anniversary and it has been a somewhat reflective weekend.

I’m just going to gush about my husband today. I am so happy with my life and what we have been able to accomplish together. We have two wonderful, healthy children, the house, dog, and pretty much everything you hear about being the “American Dream” my husband is even a Army Vet.! And now he has his health!

I am so appreciative for everything we have together and what we can now do together! We were so busy doing everything, and nothing this weekend, working on the house, playing with the kids, etc.

It was just nice to sit back and actually enjoy life, enjoy being alive and being healthy! I would highly suggest it to everyone on this board who reads and posts! Just take a step back and REALLY look at what you have, what you have accomplished! It is really amazing!

On the weight loss front, John’s surgery will be 5 months out this Friday the 25th. Drum roll please. . . he has lost 90 read that again; 90 lbs! Actually 110 lbs from his highest weight ever. Man, I really have a new husband! And I like him VERY much! He is fun to be around, he can do things with us! He can run in the back yard and play with the kids! He actually walks around the house looking for things to do! He is enjoying learning new things he can do things that he really never though he would be able to do again!

I am also so appreciative to the doctors who gave me my husband back! This surgery is a life saver. It can and will give you back things you have not be able to do in years, it really can give you back life. I am now realizing how many things we all take for granted. Being able to move and breath, being able to play and enjoy life, even being able to do chores and the things that we really do not WANT to do, but at least we CAN do.

So for me please just today, just enjoy being you, take a walk and really look around yourself at you surroundings. Be a kid again, be amazed at the sun, grass, birds and trees; and breath, really breath and move, if you can do that, it is something MANY others can’t! Enjoy it and appreciate it!

Diane

What a wonderful post Diane

Sometimes we forget, thankyou for reminding us.

Amen Diane !

Hi Girls,

Just wanted to pop in and say hello. Looking around I can see everyone is doing wonderful, this is so uplifting spiritually. I am so happy for all your successes (is that how you spell it ?? ROFL).

Well its just another day here for me SOSDD... doing Atkins and wondering why. But here we go, another week

Hope eveyone is having a great day, I'll be talking to you soon.

Hugs !!

Leenie

Diane I agree with everything you had to say, but Yesterday I came in and threated to kill ole Alvin!!! I walked into the den and he had TWO 12 PACKS OF DIET COLA on the table!!! I read him the riot act!!! I told him that I wasn't going to set there and watch him ruin everything he had worked for and suffered for any more!!! I told him that I had'nt said much when he drank a soda every now and then, but I wasn't going to set back and let him do that to himself, and it was like DUH What's wrong with it??? So to make a long story shorter, he took the soda to work today and gave them to they guys!

Maybe there is hope!

Diane, what a great post. I think we (as overweight wives and husbands) forget what our weight does to our spouse. I know there are many, many things my husband has not done so as not to exclude me. He would just pretend he didn't want to do it so I wouldn't be hurt when I couldn't keep up.

Diane enjoy your newly slim and trim and most importantly HEALTHY hubby.

<tearing up again over diane's post> there isn't a day that goes by without at least one of those PING moments. i picked up my neighbor's 3 year old girl for a hug and a kiss the other day. couldn't have done that presurgery.

stood at the deli counter at the grocery store... couldn't have walked there before the surgery!!! i'd plunk my butt in a chair and give my list to someone in the store to collect what i needed.

hiked for two hours on saturday. couldn't make it down my front steps! <and of course avoided yellowjackets! didn't need to do that before the surgery since i couldn't leave the house>

and picked some wild blueberries.

went to my nephew's baseball game... couldn't have considered it.

take the garbage cans to the road for pickup...

have dinner with a friend and then walk a few blocks for an after-dinner starbucks

park downhill from a shop, and walk up the hill without passing out

carry anything!

oh. the list goes on and on.

but here's the real news.. an appt with the plastic surgeon this past friday!!!! i like him. he's a ranked top doc in the US. and he spent a whole hour with me. and he listened! he wanted to know what led me to the surgery, the condition i was in presurgery, all kinds of things.

bottom line: liposuction for my legs [since one is bigger than the other because of the old blood clot] before the skin is lifted. and a boob lift. and the BIG one.. a 'circumferential lower body lift.' those were his words. my belly, butt, and lower back will be snipped, lipo'd, and tugged and stitched. that last one will be good for a couple of days in the hospital. the others will be separate in office procedures.

when to start? he said that i could do it now, since my weight loss has slowed so much. i said that i wanted to lose another 20 pounds, since i have only 30 pounds to go [not counting the skin removal]. he thought that would be an OK idea.

and the real trick, of course, is insurance approval., since the CPT codes govern what's reimbursed, and there are no codes for this stuff [apparently the closest is a 'tummy tuck' and that's NOT what we're doing here, it'll have to be an exception, and will probably have to be appealed.

he urged me to get as many docs as possible to buy into this and to file statements. so far, i have the PCP, the orthopedist, the chiropractor, the peripheral vascular disease surgeon, and probably the pulmonologist [as long as i take my asthma meds...].

so, if all goes according to plan [and why should it????? nothing EVER does!] it looks like 2004 will be the year of reconstructive surgery!! OUCH!!!! good thing they have drugs!!!!

and happy anniversary to diane and john!!! and congrats to the every popular skinny deb.

and you go, barb!!!! it's time to keep up that yelling at ole alvin!!! we DON'T want him to fail... not after all he's been through....

love to robin and leenie..

WOW Jiff, the first part of your post made me wanna cry and the second part gave me goose bumps...OUCH!

I LOVE YOU !!!!