Happy ~ Oh okay I wear thick socks right now so should I get some thin ones or what kind of socks should I get?

Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, January 6th at 11:00 am. Samantha is going to take me as Curtis has no one to run his route, but the good thing is C is off on Wednesdays so he can tend to me on Wednesday. I am planning on going back to work on Thursday. We shall see. Not looking forward to the bleeding and cramping, but if it gets rid of everything then I am good with it. Bleh.

Tonight we are having a tea at the church for the women. It is 6 bucks a person and covers the speaker, tea, finger sandwiches and desserts. I have never gone to one so it will be an experience for me. Our lil group of women have reserved/paid for two tables of 10, both are full. I am kind of excited about it. C and Sassy will have to fend for themselves. The church is decorated beautifully for Christmas.

Still just 10 lbs down, no gain, no losses. That is ok, I will take it. On the bright side I only want to lose another 20-25. Then I will be back to the weight the bariatric doctor wanted me to park it at. Slow but sure wins the race. Right?

HAPPY....on the job situation, or stuck working period just because you need decent affordable health that it seem big companies can only supply these days. I can first hand say the "Affordable Healthcare" issued by the government is neither affordable nor condusive to my needs. The pay at a decent job you like, best stick with it. Sheese I only have like 15 more years before I can retire. Used to be 5 years less but heck who can afford anything anymore. The Worldly commune is looking more and more necessary. If we get enough people we LIKE to be in our commune, maybe we can get a group rate on health insurance. ba hah ahahahahah

LAURA...you need my neighbor that leaves exactly 5:50 every day without a hitch, how do I know. Well, he starts up his HUGE 4x4 diesel truck at that time EVERY morning and it is very loud, I can hear it and I know that is the very last minute I can stay in bed. He better never take a vacation. lol Good job on the stairs, I would be a cripple if I did that. This ankle and knee cannot take it. It took me an entire week to re-coup from the fire drill and 17 flights of stairs down only. Whew.

CHELLE...I am anxiously waiting your check up results. I know it is only noon-thirty there and you are probably not at the doc yet. Do post your results as soon as you get them. I will try to check back in tonight to see if you posted.

Hellos to everyone. Make it a marvelous night/morning to you Miss Shaddie.

Hugs

Terra - can you tell if your socks wrinkle/ bunch up in your shoe? That could cause a blister.

Morning - tried to log on yesterday at the airport however the computer was crap and hung itself. Then I went to a table and dug out my own computer. The internet link was so slow, that I gave up after I had typed 2 sentences without anything appearing on my screen.

Home for the weekend. It's humid and we are being threatened with storms for the entire weekend which probably means I can't do much outside - but the rain will be welcome. It apparently rained overnight but I just came in, dumped my bag in the laundry and fell across the bed where I stayed until 5.00am this morning.

Terra - socks are interesting things. Don't go for pretty. Go for cotton which will allow the foot to breathe somewhat. Wash them often - you might need to buy several pairs and swap them out every day. Then you may need to think about shoe innersoles which cushion your feet. It's not funny with blisters - just ask me. I have one which is determined not to go away and that is because I have to wear nylon knee hi stockings or full panty hose and synthetic innersole shoes to go to work. Have to look somewhat professional. I've never had a blister that took so long to heal.

Anyway - while it isn't raining or storming I need to go put the washing out, sweep the pathway which is covered in those red flowers and water some of the pots that I put under the verandah in anticipation of the gutter man, who got behind in the storm and who is not now coming until next Tuesday. At least they rang me. *sigh*. Now I have to tee up the DS2 to check up on it for me over again.

I'll be back later if it rains and/or tonight if it doesn't

Hello! Our offsite was great! We have some good ideas for our team to work on for next year. Our sponsor, who is my VP, was with us all day. We reviewed what worked last year, talked about what to keep, what to try again, what not to try again, things like that. What was really cool was that the VP sent a note to our managers (my Director told me about it today), that said she was amazed at how we had hit the goals we set for as a team for this past year and how organized we were about it and how much value we brought to the Business Unit. She said " I'm thinking that maybe these Admin's should lead the company!"

The painting was so much fun! I am not artistic at all but it was so fun and I'm happy with my painting. We had fun painting, and singing and we had two drink tickets...some had wine, but I stuck with a gingerale and water...I don't drink with work people. Just a rule I have for myself.

I had TOPS tonight and losst 2 lb. I'm at almost 20 lbs lost for the year.

Michelle: You are an amazing friend to your friend Bob. I was be praying for him. What an ordeal he has and is goning through.

I hope your appointment went well today.

Annie: I am coverning you in prayer! I know it will all turn out ok. Your event at church sounds very nice. I hope you just relaxed and enjoyed every minute of it.

Terra: It sounds like you have good advice on the socks! What in the world woke you up at 1 a.m and kept you up?

Laura: I think that Happy and Annie said some very true and right things about the career issue and gave some great advice.

When you were talking about your 1st day back i the office, I could relate. My day was a bit like that today. I should have known it would be, I wore these pants that I hate. I keep thinking I will like them but I don't...I just need to get rid of them..I keep trying to wear different things with them thinking I will like them. I"ll have to check out the book that your book club has picked.

Happy: on your decision to join a gym. If that trainer overworks you to start with, just speak up and tell them. Remember this is about YOU!

Ceejay: 5 days off to yourself? You are going to love it! I would love it.

Shad: Enjoy your time at home until you have to go back.

Hi Dee--I hope things are ok and that we see you soon.

Worked outside this afternoon raking leaves and it's supposed to rain tomorrow. I'm going to call the street and sanitation early in the morning if it's not already raining to see if they can get the leaves. Almost mulched them with the lawn mower but the leaves were to wet from the previous rain.
--------
Annie
Hope all things go well. Sending good vibes your way.

Pictures from the painting at Cheers to Art.

One is group picture and the other is my painting. We all painted the same thing but you can see how they all looked different.

Wow! I don't log in for 24 hours and I've missed so much! And I'm tired again...so I can only skim the posts. My apologies.

Susie - I LOVE your painting! I've thought about going to a workshop like that, even though I can't paint or draw very well. Congrats on the note from the VP! It's always wonderful when executives appreciate all that non-management do, especially Admins who are often the unsung heroes.

Annie - I'm praying for you and will be doing extra praying as your surgery gets closer. Big hugs dear sista. I hope you had a nice time at the church tea. I'm sorry I didn't post earlier (you're probably asleep now).

Laura - as for the junk food and sweets...you could pretend you had my surgery and convince yourself that eating that stuff will make you feel faint, dizzy, nauseous for anywhere from 15-20 minutes to a few hours. It really makes my favorite desserts seem unappetizing and makes the sugar free pudding taste really awesome!

Happy - Good for you for signing up for a gym. I'm going back to the gym tomorrow.

Shad - Enjoy your weekend home even if it is raining.

Laura ~ Nope they dont but my left sock always comes off after I've been walking around the house for awhile, I'm not sure why that happens.

Shad ~ Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely check into getting shoe innersoles but I already wear cotton socks so I guess thats a good thing.

Susie ~ I had to go to the bathroom at 1 a.m. yesterday morning and I just couldnt get back to sleep afterwards.

more stuff....

my friend Bob is doing about as well as can be expected. He has a mild infection, which is common. He's also experiencing phantom pain (where he feels pain in the cancerous leg even though the leg isn't there. It will take some time to retrain his subconscious that his leg isn't there. Today, I got to the hospital right before lunch, so we actually were able to visit for about an hour. After he ate, they gave him more pain meds so he went back to sleep, which is exactly what his body needs to heal from this very traumatic surgery.

At my follow up, my doctor was so pleased at how well I was healing....ok, so am I! He said I could progress to eating soft solid foods (eggs, canned tuna or chicken or moist chicken or turkey, canned fruits and veggies). I have to chew everything REALLY well or it could "get stuck" (which would cause vomiting and that would be about the worst thing I could do to my stomach pouch). So...I'm going to chew and chew and eat really slowly (per the doc's instructions). I went to the grocery store and got my "new" foods. Oh, and the doc also said that he STRONGLY encourages me to exercise every day. I can do whatever I want as long as it doesn't cause pain in my stomach. He said that for the first time in my life, I can exercise and burn a bunch of calories and I won't be able to increase my calorie intake to make up for it. The estimated daily calorie limit with this new food stage is 400-600 cals. And I'm not hungry and I have a bunch of energy....except I do get fatigued by evening. I'm taking tons of vitamins and making sure I get enough protein....so this eating regimen is not advised for non-bariatric patients.

I've lost 13.5 lbs since surgery, and I'm 43 lbs down from my highest weight. My surgeon says that a good goal weight for me is somewhere in the 130s, which got me so excited. I still might shoot for 120 (I haven't been that weight since I was in my 20s), but I'll be ecstatic to get to the 130s!

Love and hugs,

Just a quick post as I have my work cut out for me today. Have to package 3 loans for closing. This involves about 500 pieces of paper. I know this cause I have put two reams of paper 500 sheets into the printer so far. And still printing. Then to get them in all the right order and get them "sign here" color coded tag for each person. Never knew there were that many arrow sign here tags in so many colors and designs. lol There are usually at least 5 signers for each loan if not more. Have done one for 10 signers. What a momumental task. Thank God most of these are 4-5 signers. Glad they are not closing today, I certainly do not want to sit in as the notary this evening on a Friday closing out a loan. Bleh.

CHELLE...so glad your check up went so well....WOWSER 13.5 lbs. Congrats, go with while you can. Once you hit the one year mark, the hunger comes back, you can eat more, and the weight comes off very very slowly after that, if at all. I had no trouble, but I was still in my "honeymoon" stage of OMG I am losing weight so I did not eat much. Whatever you do...DO NOT EVER START DRINKING ALCOHOL, even after they tell you, you can, DON'T. No one told me a side effect of bariatric surgery is becoming an alcoholic. Yes, 4 of my closer friends who had bariatric surgery are now alcoholics and I have been on the wagon for quite some time. Hopefully it doesn't get me ever again. It helps that C does not drink either. ANYWAY...Congrats girlfriend. Hugs xoxo Glad to hear BOB made it through surgery and is doing as best as possible, beats the alternative. Prayers for his speedy recovery. I did get your texts last night but was already in bed and too tired to answer, thank you Nyquil...haha

SUSIE... what a huge compliment from the VP and told your boss too! Kudos to you sister. At least now you know all that extra work and long hours do pay off, now lets see it in the paycheck $$, big raise, big raise!!
The painting looks marvelous. Great job on that too!

SHADDIE...it is so typical that the computer techie, you, has so many issues with your computer and logging on line. Figures. Kind of like a plumbers home needs the most plumbing work done! Have a great weekend at home, try not to fit too much work in and enjoy yourself.

CEEG...luckily we live in a young neighborhood. Our trees are barely all gutter high, which involves few leaves. So far in the 7 years I have lived there, no raking involved. On the other hand, the trees do not block any wind or snow either.

Hellos to all ya'll. Must get busy, long day ahead.

Hugs

Woke up at 6:00 a.m. this morning, I'm currently eating breakfast, I already let Clyde out and I already gave him fresh food and water. My plans for today are Clean the bathroom and do my noon and night chair exercises.

Called street and sanitation but no particular yes or no, just maybe. He said they were running behind from Thanksgiving, excuses. Oh well. If I have to do this again because of no pick up, I'm putting them in bags.
We have rain coming I later today.
-----
Annie
wow that's a lot of paper work. But it keeps you busy.

Michelle
I am happy for you. I've started to post again on my fitness pal.

Susie
What a compliment! That would make me extremely happy.

To all the rest. I'll be back to find out what you are doing later this afternoon.

Morning all. We're going to MS Office 2013 & of course my overnight installation option didn’t work, so I'm without a computer at the moment.

Ceejay- Ugh, wet leaves. Hope they get picked up soon.

Terra - How'd shopping go yesterday?

Michelle - Glad to hear all is great with your recovery. Great progress, and you'll really get going when you increase your exercise.

Shad - Yay for the rain.

Okay, I'm back in business. I'll have to fiddle with settings to make the screen easier to read as everything is now gray and white. Sigh.

I'll try to get back here later on today.

Howdy girls,

I'm kind of excited about starting the gym today but am also a bit achey from Wednesday's yoga class - I've been pushing it and I know the trainer is going to push it at orientation today. Ok so my motto lately is "do hard things today" - suck it up buttercup. Nose is sneezy too - kitty sitting on my laptop leaving all sorts of fur behind is getting to me also I think. I am trying to push her away but she is persistent and keeps trying to find other ways to climb up here.

Laura - I hope your upgrade goes well. I remember when we went to 2010 - they changed everything all around and I had a horrible time with Excel, nothing worked the way it used to.

Annie - holy cow - 500 page loan packets!!! Oh my. I'll say you'll have a busy day today. Interesting that you should say that about alcohol and GBS. Just yesterday I was reading an article and they said they don't recommend booze - I guess one metabolizes it very quickly and you can get quite drunk after just a few sips. I guess the drunken feeling is what gets everyone hooked and for me, that disoriented buzz was the part I hated and when I knew it was time to stop. Of course that's intensified now that we are older, can fall more easily and it takes longer to heal up It's good though that you are warning people about it. Lots of new things to learn and adapt to. Are you going to have a D&C or a hysterectomy in January? Fingers crossed that you feel better soon.

Michelle - yay on the 13 pounds down. You commented about this not being a WOE for a non bariatric patient. I had a coworker who was a pretty big guy - they said over 350 but I didn't notice. He went through a very messy divorce and I guess decided to lose weight. He whittled down to almost a bobble head at one point. We thought he had surgery but he wasn't off any length of time to allow that. He claimed he just started exercising and watching what he ate but we noticed that we never saw him eating anymore. Turns out he decided to amp up the exercise and he lived on banana protein shakes. Exclusively. He started running on the treadmill - ran for 90 minutes before work in the morning, ran for another 90 minutes when he got home and then drank his shake and ran until he burned off that amount of calories plus 100 more. He did lose about 150 pounds he said. For the life of me, I can't understand how he survived on just protein shakes with frozen bananas in them - I discovered his "secret" one day when I walked into the copy room / kitchen area and saw him churning up one in the blender. I would not think one would get enough nutrition from that alone. As you say you are chomping vitamins and supplements and I'm sure as you are allowed to expand your eating you are encouraged to get in fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. Anyway as one would suspect, after he started eating again and cut down the exercise, he gained the weight back. Not all of it, about half. Then he met a girl, got married again and tried the same routine to lose the weight but this time it did not work as well or as fast. He lost weight but nothing like the first time. Friends were warning him about the yoyo diet but he was crazy. When I first noticed what he was doing I admit I was thinking - maybe this isn't such a bad idea. But I'm not sure you can stick with this if you don't have the supporting circumstances that you get from the surgery to go along with it. Anyway sorry to ramble... I'm glad your friend is stable, hope things go well for him. Glad to hear everything is good with you also. Sounds like you got back on your feet quickly. Interesting too that you say you have so much energy. Is that a side effect or do you think that's from having no junk in your system from standard foods at the moment?

Susie - I love your flowers painting - so cute! And how wonderful on the compliments you got. I'm very happy to hear they appreciate and recognize everything you guys do to keep things running well. Yay you! And congrats on a successful weight loss for the year!!!! s

Ceejay - did you sweep the leaves into the street? We had to bag ours in TN - and when the rains would come the bags would float down the street and clog up the big grate drains we had on the corner. What a mess! Better rain than snow tho

Terra - just try a few things with the socks until you find something that helps. I think the moleskin might work better than the balm - just to cushion things until the blister itself heals. I like the regular white cuffed crew style gym socks for wearing with my sneakers for walking.

Shad - I know you are rejoicing to see the rains finally hit town - did you bring them back with you from Melbourne? Too bad they couldn't fall when you were working since you have a short weekend to get a lot done before you are off again. Hope you can get a few things done.

Ok, I should go get some lunch in me. I wanted to set up another playlist on the iPOD - I like walking on the treadmill to music but I think today's one hour session will be all with the trainer so I'll save that for another day. Have a good weekend everyone.