A Reprint Of My 3 Month Photo Comparison's

Hey Ya'll,

This is a reprint of my 3 Month photo comparison post, for any who didn't see it the first time around.  This way the photos are shown with the new Measurements in the prior post. 

 

3 Month Photo Comparions :)

  

This is me at 3 Months Post-Op.  Comparison photos, below.

  

  

Well Ya'll,

Here you have my 3 Month Post-Op photo comparisons.  Unfortunately, it was a bit too cold to wear the same outfit that I wore in the Pre-Op photos as they were taken in late October!  I will try to wear the same outfit in my next set of photos, so the real comparison can be seen.  Because of this, I'm afraid that you can't see much difference.  

But, I must tell you that the pants that I am wearing in my new photos, are a size 14.  Pre-Op I was wearing size 18's!  And I didn't realize how baggy my behind area is in these pants!  And here I thought I was looking good in these pants!  LOL.  My top is now a bit too big I think.  If you look closely, you can see where my top shifted to far to the side baring my bra strap.  And you would think that my DH would advise me of this so that I could correct it!  Yea right!!

By the way, this has nothing to do with this, but I just saw a commercial on a particular product which I had tried a few weeks ago, and decided that I just had to warn you about it!  The product is called V8-V-Fusion.  It is supposed to give you a serving of Fruit and Vegetables in each serving!  Well, I love V8 Juice so I thought I would try it.  I figured, it could help me get in some more fruit & vegetables without too many calories.  Well....I hated it!!  My DH had to drink it for me.  He didn't really like it, but he didn't dislike it as much as I did, and we hate to just waste money, so he drank it!!  Some may love it, I just wanted to give my opinion on it.

 

  

  

Give me the news, good or bad what you honestly think.  Can you see any improvement?  Well, I will be posting another post a bit later.  It will be longer though, so I decided to separate the subjects into separate posts.  So, till later.

Aloha My Friends  :)

3 Month Post-Op Comparisons :(

 

Is it safe to look?

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I am only about 10 days late in posting my 3 Month, Post-Op Measurements.  At least they are finally being posted!  I haven't lost much weight since Surgery, but at least I have lost some inches.  Not too many, but a loss is a loss, right?  Well, without further ado, here they are!!

                                 Before        Month      Month       Change Since

                                Surgery           1               3                Surgery

Breast                        50.0"          47.5"        47.5"              -2.5"

Under Breasts           43.0"          40.5"        40.0"              -3.0"

Waist                         48.0"          42.5"        42.5"              -5.5"

Hips                          50.0"          47.5"        46.0"              -4.0"

Upper Arms     
(L)                            17.5"          16.0"        15.0"              -2.5"
(R)                            17.0"          17.0"        16.0"              -1.0"

Forearms         
(L)                            11.5"          10.5"         10.0"             -1.5"
(R)                            12.0"          11.0"         11.0"             -1.0"

Upper Thighs  
(L)                            26.5"          24.5"         24.0"             -2.5"
(R)                            27.5"          25.0"         24.5"             -3.0"

Calves             
(L)                           16.5"          15.5"          15.5"            -1.0"
(R)                           16.5"         15.75"        15.75"          -0.75"

Ankles             
(L)                           10.0"           9.0"            8.5"             -1.5"
(R)                            9.0"            8.5"           8.25"           -0.75"

Neck                        18.0"          17.0"         16.5"            -1.5"

Total inches lost to date is, 32!!  Not great, but not too bad either.  After all, a loss is a loss!  LOL  

Well, I have been very busy lately with tons of paperwork!!  Every time I begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, my DH piles a ton more requests on me!  Sometimes I think that I will never make it to the end of the tunnel!  But!  I do know that the worst of my never ending chores will be done within 3-4 months!!  Thank god!  Now lets hope that I make it till then. :(

For down time, so I can relax from the never ending work.  I am still working on my Nieces Baby Afghan as well as my Step Daughters Afghan.  Plus, I have begun another painting.  I am still working on Aggie's painting, but I needed to start on my next painting, so that I can finish it before we potentially move to a place where I won't really have the space to work on it.  

This painting will be my largest painting to date and is another variation of my MIL'S Lake Tahoe Photo.  This painting will be about 2'x4'.  It was supposed to be our painting, but if we downsize like we planning on doing, then it will be wayyy toooo biggg forrr ussss!!  LOL  So we are planning to give it to DH's employer so they can hang it in their office.  Aggie, if you are reading this, don't tell Barry as it is supposed to be a surprise!!  Because who knows, Walt may not be willing to give it up!!  Anyway, I better go, I have a TON of work to do!!  So, till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

 

 

A Big Shout Out To Robin !! :)

Hey Ya'll,

I was checking in and found a new Follower!!  Her name is, Robin and her blog is, "Robin's Band Theory".  She was banded on July 22, 09, but has just started blogging!!  She lives in the beautiful State of Colorado and has lost 64.2 lbs so far!!  The best part is....I was lucky enough to be her 13th Follower!!  But she could use some more great Follower's!!  So please check out her blog and give her the support we all need!!  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

A Big Shout Out To Aimme Jo !! :)

Hey Ya'll,

I just checked in and found I had a new Follower.  Her name is, Aimme Jo and her blog is: "This Life, This Lap Band, This Experience".  She has been banded since Aug '09 and doing great!!  Please check out her blog and give her the support we all need!  So "welcome to my nightmare", Aimme Jo.

Aloha My New Friend  :)

New Look, What Do You Think?

 

Nothing special, just thought it was cute!!  :)

Hey Ya'll.

I have spent a good part of today redoing the look of my blog!  I can't tell you how many different times I redid it!!  But I wanted something different for a change.  However, if it is too difficult to read, let me know and I just may change it back!! 

I know how hard it can be to read blogs sometimes, when the colors or font isn't right.  The worst for me, is when the font is barely readable because the background color is too dark.  For me, my blog font is almost too small for me to read without my glasses right now!!  But the font is as large as I can make it.  But I do love the background photo.  The flowers in the header portion, is a photo that I took myself.

Well, not too much happening right now except for the ever consuming work that we are doing right now to try to get to our goal.  I will explain more at a later post.  But it probably won't be for another 3-4 months.  I am crocheting again at night.  I am making some Christmas gifts as well as making my Step Daughter Kat, another Afghan that she requested.  It is actually going pretty fast and will be finished in a couple of weeks at most.  Now remember, I am only working on it late at night for a few hours each night.

So, I better go for now, till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

This Is Unbelieveable, Another New Follower, Nazran!!

Hey Ya'll,

Just checking in and saw that I had another new Follower.  His name is Nazran, however I don't know his blog address.  If you would like to provide your blog information, I would love to check it out!!  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

I Can't Believe It! Another Shout Out! This Time To Maria!!

Hey Ya'll,

I would like to say welcome to my newest Follower!  Her name is Maria, but unfortunately that is all I know.  She came in with a Silhouette picture and no blog information when I tried to pull it up!  So Maria, if you would like to let me know what your blog address is, I would love to check it out and start Following you too!!  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

A Big Shout Out To Jacquie !! :)

Hey Ya'll,

I just checked in and saw that I had another new Follower!  Her name is Jacquie and her blog is, "Can't Wait To Lose It With The Band".  She is Pre-Op, and will be Banded in Mexico on March 24th!  So please check out her blog and give her the support she needs right now!!  Especially those that have had their Surgery in Mexico!  I'm sure she could use all the information she can get regarding your experiences having your Surgery out of the Country.  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

Beautiful Blogger

Hey Ya'll,

I just read Banderific Beauties post, and it was an eye opening read!  Everyone should check it out.  She has survived so much through her young life, and has come through so much stronger.  But she could use all of our support, as she just had her Surgery on Feb 11th.  Here is a link to her blog, "My Journey Into A New World....".

So, I would like to nominate her for a great big Beautiful Blogger Award!!!  Thanks for reading my post, and I hope that you check her's out too.

Aloha My Friends  :)

The Girls Have Dropped!!!

 

Nooooooooo!!!!!

Hey Y'all,

Well the first thing I want to say is that I got my letter from the Radiologist regarding my Mammogram/Ultrasound and......it's NORMAL!!  Yea!!  So I guess that Vanessa and Band Groupie was right!!  Since they switched to the new/better equipment, they wanted to make sure they got good digital pics to compare with the past Mammograms, and for future reference regarding any changes!!

BUT!!  I was looking in the mirror the other day when I was getting ready to take my shower, and....I couldn't believe that the girls had completely dropped!!  Yikes!  I see these pictures, usually comic style, of women whose boobs have lost all muscle tone holding them up, so they just sort of hang loose, like a flat pancake against their abdomen!  

Who knows, maybe all the Mammograms I have had through the last 36 yrs, have helped to lose the muscle tone.  I am sure that the Mammograms didn't help since they flatten your boobs out like pancakes for the images!!  I used to dream of losing enough weight so that I lost a good portion of my chest size.  Then once my weight was lost, having Surgery to further reduce the breast size to a 36B or 36C, AND a breast lift so that they didn't lay flat anymore!!!

Is this asking too much?

Oh well, I know that this is a fact of life, especially if you are big breasted AND overweight!  It's just that some women have enough money to be able to afford the necessary Surgery to correct this problem, and most of us don't!  Too bad that Insurance doesn't cover this.  But unfortunately, they consider this elective Surgery and not Medically necessary.

So ends this post.  Sorry for being Debi downer today.  Those of us who are older and bigger breasted, understand what I am experiencing.  For those of you younger women, it's good that you are losing the extra weight now.  Hopefully, it will prevent you from having to go through this later on!!  So, till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

A Big Shout Out To Robin !! :)

Hey Y'all,

I was just checking in before going to bed and noticed that I had another new Follower!  Her name is Robin (Canadian Bird) and her blog is,  "Band On The Run".  She is new to blogging and is hoping to have a Surgery date in April if not before, so please check out her blog and give her the support we all can use, especially in the early stages!  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

A Big Shout Out To Amy !! :)

Hey Ya'll,

Just checked in and realized that I have a new Follower.  Her name is Amy!  And I think I figured out that your blog is, "Babbles Of A Bandster".  If this is not your blog, please let me know so that I can update the information.  She was Banded in November like me, so please check out her blog.  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

Help!! I Have Questions!!

Hey Y'all,

I have decided that I should start looking at buying some Protein Bars to eat on occasion.  The problem is this, I normally hate them!!  In the past, they have always tasted like cardboard.  Yuck!  So I am hoping that I can get some suggestions from you for some "REALLY GOOD ONES"!

My problem is that I am very picky about what I eat.  Not to mean that I only eat whats good for me!  Not at all!  I just don't like a lot of things, so I am more picky like a kid would be!  I don't particularly like Peanuts, so Peanut Butter flavored ones are pretty much out.  I don't like Raisins, or Cranberry's, etc.  So I am really in a pickle as to what I could eat, AND what actually tastes good and not like cardboard.  HELP!!  Is there any hope for me?  If so, what brands do you find the best?  I hate to spend a lot of money on something that I will never eat.  Any and all suggestions would be much appreciated!  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :) 

A Big Shout Out To Janelle !! :)

Hey Y'all,

I wanted to give a great big welcome to my newest Follower Janelle!!  Here is the link to her blog, Lap Band Living.  She is a new blogger and her Surgery is TOMORROW!!!  Her mother is also a new blogger and had her Surgery in early January and her blog name is, "Me And My Band".  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

Welcome Amanda, my 100th Follower !!!

 

Hey Y'all,

I just checked back in and noticed that I had another Follower!  I don't know this Follower's name, or blog name, as it appeared in Silhouette!  However, the name in Silhouette is, "Crazy 4 Guinea Pigs".  I attempted to find this blog so that I could Follow it as well, but to no avail!!  So my 100th Follower, I would love it if you made a comment, and provided you blog information to me.  However, if you prefer to stay anonymous, that is ok too.  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

UPDATE: I have found out that Amanda M is my 100th Follower and her blog site is, "Stressed Spelled Backwards Is...Desserts?!".  Her Surgery is April 7th and she has questions.  So please check out her blog and give her the support we all need at this time.  She is a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and after asking her Doctor how much time she should take off from work, he responded 14 days!!  She has to occasionally lift patients, etc!  I don't know about all of you, but my Surgeon told me to NOT LIFT ANYTHING OVER 10 LBS FOR 6 WKS!!!

Aloha My New Friend  :)

The Beautiful Blogger Award

The Beautiful Blogger Award

Wow!  I find it hard to believe that I was nominated for a Beautiful Blogger Award, by 4 of my fellow blogger's!  When I saw this award being sent around, I truly didn't think that with so many great blogs out there, that I would be given it as well!!  I am humbled and excited at the same time!

1) I would like to thank  Tracy, Metamorphic Journey for nominating me for this award!  She is the closest to a band buddy that I have found so far, as we were banded only one day apart!!  AND, she has lost more weight than I have!  But all silliness aside, you have always been there with advice and support whenever it was needed, thank you Tracy!!

2) Next I would like to thank Stephanie, Dreams Of Skinny High Heels.  She loves to travel like I do, and especially loves Hawaii, so I feel a kind of kinship with her.  She lives in Florida (can you spell jealous)?  She is in the last days of Pre-Banding, as she is being Banded on Monday, Feb 22nd!  So I will keep good thoughts for you Monday, Stephanie!!

3) I would also like to thank Nikki, To Be Or Not To Be...FAT Is The Question.  I can't say enough about Nikki!!  She is an Army wife having to live apart from her Husband, while taking care of her sweet Step-Daughter.  Which makes her a very strong and determined young woman.  Nikki was only banded a week ago on Feb 12th, and should be enjoying her new Band.  But she found out today, that what was causing her so much pain, is an Inverted Port!!  Because of this, she has to have minor Surgery to repair it!  So other than the fact that she has been such a supportive friend, I can say that I am totally envious of her getting to live in Hawaii!!  :)

4) And last but certainly not least, I would like to thank Dawn, What I Weighed In High School.  Dawn was my 3rd Follower and although her Banding wasn't until just recently, she always managed to follow our blogs and give her great advice and support to all of us that was Banded before her.  She is also so lucky to be one of the few Bandster's whose Husbands were Banded with her!!  They were both Banded on Jan 27th.  And I was Banded on her Birthday!!  Dawn, you are finally on your way!!

Here are the rules:

* Thank the person(s) who nominated you for this award;

* Copy the award and post it in your blog;

* Link to the blog of the person who nominated you;

* Tell seven interesting things about yourself;

* Nominate seven bloggers and;

* Post links to the blogs of your nominees

So, I guess I need to post 7 interesting things about myself. 





1.  I love to fly!  Both in large aircraft and small private planes.  I grew up flying with my Dad, in his small 4 passenger plane and always preferred to fly over driving!!  My husband Walt and I started taking flying lessons about 9 yrs ago.  I finished ground school, but only logged 10 hours of actual flight time.  My husband is a pilot.  He has his Private, Commercial, and IFR certifications.  I may not be able to fly legally, but I can fly our plane with Walt flying with me as Pilot In Command.  I can also land us in an emergency (which is what counts!).

2.  I have been married 4 times (yikes!).  The first was when I was barely 18, and it lasted 5 1/2 years but produced my beautiful daughter Christa.  The second marriage was for all the wrong reasons, and I ended it after 5 1/2 years as my husband refused to grow up and support us!  The third marriage was to a man from Jordan.  We were also married for about 5 1/2 years and probably would still be married today, except that he wanted to move back to Jordan to be with his family, and wasn't sure he would return.  I refused to move to Jordan, especially with my young daughter, so we divorced.  I met my current husband Walt, 19 years ago and we have been together ever since.  Oh and we were married on a Friday the 13th!!


3.  My lowest weight as a young adult was 89 lbs and my highest weight as an adult was 226.8.


4.  I love to dance, and when I was younger, I wanted to dance professionally.  I am hoping that once I lose more weight, I can at least dance a few dances with Walt, before I have to sit in pain.  Since I have been able to walk up to 2 miles without my walker Post Surgery, I have every hope that I will!


5  I have taken up painting in oils and love it.  I also crochet and I used to ride dirt bikes while camping with my family as a teenager.


6.  I love to travel!!  All forms of travel.  I have been to Hawaii 7 times.  I have been on 4 Cruises.  I have Cruised to the Mexican Riviera, the Eastern and Western Caribbean and a 12 day Cruise from Vancouver, Canada to Hawaii.  We have traveled to England, France, and Ireland.  We would still like to travel to Scotland, Germany, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, among others!!

7.  And last but not least, I love, love, love Hawaii!!  SURPRISE!!  BUT!  I don't like being in the sun!!  My idea of paradise is sitting in the shade, reading a good book listening to the sound of the waves.  Ahhh.  The reason I can't be in the sun is that I was not smart as a young kid, teenager or young adult and never used suntan lotion to protect my skin, and now I am in constant fear of skin cancer.  I have already had two pre cancerous spots removed from my nose and two suspicious moles removed.  Lesson learned, use sun protection!!

And now I need to nominate seven bloggers.  But how to narrow it down to just seven!!  Everyone deserves this award.  But I will list my top seven, under duress!  

1.   Amy, Once Upon A Time...In The Land Of Cheese And Sunkist.  Amy's blog was the first blog that I read and I found her to be really fun, fun loving and funny!!  She is not afraid to make fun of herself and is a great inspiration and motivator to others.  We all look up to and Heart Amy!!!


2.  Gen, I Heart The Band.  Gen was my first Follower and has always been the sweetest, kindest most supportive friend we have!!  She is so sweet and has a beautiful family, that she loves doing things with.  She has a fantastic way of looking at things and is always positive.  Gen, you are shrinking before our eyes!!  I hope your recovery from Surgery is smooth and easy, so your vacation to Mexico is the best!  I Heart You Gen!!


3.  Cara, The Dash.  Cara is everyone's best friend from Down Under!  She is like the den mother we all wish we had as kids.  Cara is always smiling, always willing to give support and is very generous with her compliments.  I consider her my "special friend".  I Heart You Cara!  Hugs

4.  Vanessa, Dinnerland.  Vanessa is always very supportive and has had to overcome so many obstacles to get to her Surgery, not to mention what she is going through now!!  She is always there for everyone.  She is a very driven, focused person and not afraid to tell it like it is!  Which is why we Heart Her.  Vanessa, I hope your finger and arm gets better soon!


5.  Roo, A Brand New Roo.  Roo is such an outgoing and adventurous woman!!  She is very sweet and always supportive.   She is not afraid to work and travel alone in a Foreign Country!  Did I mention that she has lost over 30 kg's in only 6 months?  Fantastic!!  Roo, you are one of the nicest women I have been in contact with and I Heart You!  You will find the perfect man for you yet!  Don't give up.  Any man would be lucky to have you for his own. 


6.  Dee, Kajun Gumbo/Nawlins Lady.  Dee is such a beautiful Southern Woman.  She is fantastic, and loves her family so much.  She always gives such great advise and is always complimentary and supportive!  She has lived through Hurricane Katrina, although she lost her home to it!  She is still in the process of getting her home rebuilt.  She is awesome and someone I would love to meet someday!  Dee, we all Heart You and hope your home is rebuilt soon!


7.  Sandy, The Weight Loss Rollercoaster.  Sandy, you are by no means the least of my choices!!  I love you all.  Sandy is Canadian (I love it), and always very sweet and supportive to everyone that needs supporting.  She was just Banded on Feb 10th after some very last minute stress, from a possibility that she may have to postpone her Surgery, due to an abnormal EKG.  We were all so happy for you, that it turned out ok!!!  And don't worry Sandy, the weight WILL start to fall off!  Just give it some time!  I Heart You Sandy! 


Now that I have taken several days to write this, I hope you aren't all tired of waiting for it!!  By the way, I have finally reached a new low since Surgery!!  I am getting close to the 180's!!  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

A Big Shout Out To Kristen !! :)

Hey Ya'll,

I just realized that I had another Follower!!  Her name is Kristen, and her blog is called, "Kristen's Lapband Journey".  I have already been Following her blog for some time now, and she is such a sweet person.  She was banded about a month before me and is doing fabulously!  So Kristen, I would like to welcome you and say thank you for joining me in my Lapband Journey!!  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :) 

A Big Welcome To Sally !!!

Hey Ya'll,

I would like to welcome one of the most successful of the Lap Banders, Sally!!  She was banded on 08/08/08 and has a lot of information in her blog!!!  So if you are newly banded or soon to be banded, I would highly recommend reading her blog!!  Her blog name is, "Sally's Journey With Lapband Surgery".  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :) 

Pancakes Are Evil !!!! :(

Hey Y'all,

Well, I had my 3rd Fill yesterday and at the time, I didn't think that it did any good.  I was able to eat about 3/4'ths of a Grilled Cheese sandwich and a few French Fries (I know, I know, slap me down now!!).  So at breakfast today, I had originally planned on ordering a bowl of Oatmeal.  But the restaurant had a huge party in this morning that wiped out their whole batch of Oatmeal, so I ordered their special.  2 Eggs, Ham and Pancakes.  Well, I ate the Eggs and Ham with no problems.  Then I cut the Pancakes in half, gave half of them to my DH, and started to slowly eat the other half.  I got about 4 bites in and realized that I was full.  So like the good bandster I am, I stopped eating immediately.

TMI ALERT, TMI ALERT!!  If you are easily grossed out, please skip the next 6 paragraphs!

Unfortunately, I didn't stop soon enough!  I shouldn't have eaten the Pancakes AT ALL!!!  By the time I was walking out of the Casino, I realized that I was more stuck than I originally thought.  In the restaurant, I felt a little tight, but not really stuck.  I decided to go back inside to the Ladies room just in case I needed a toilet or sink!  Once in the restroom and sitting on the toilet, I realized that I may actually be getting ready to have a PB episode.  Now I have only had one PB to date, so I had little to go by, but I was fairly certain that I was not going to leave there without losing something!!

I got a big wad of toilet paper together and shortly after, I bent forward and retched into the toilet paper!!  No food came out, just a ton of slime!!  So much so, that I couldn't contain it in the paper!!  It spilled over onto the floor in front of me!  Luckily, I was in there alone!  If someone had walked in, I think they may have thought that I was pregnant and my water had broke!!  I immediately felt much better, so I cleaned up the mess off the floor as best I could and walked out.

Now, I have only PB'd one other time, and it was a very mild PB.  I was not prepared for this episode!!  I always wondered exactly what the slime would be like.  I know that many other blogger's had reported having slimed a ton!  But not really what it was like.  To me, the slime was a little like an uncooked egg white, just not as thick.  It is gross and messy!  Oh, I almost forgot!  I also could tell that I was starting to PB when my eyes would start watering, and my nose needed to be blown.  By the end of the PB, I had to wipe my eyes and blow my nose several times.

So!  We got into our car and started driving to Walt's Mother's house for the day.  I didn't even get out of Reno before I realized that I may PB again!  Luckily, I had a bunch of napkins in the car from a fast food place.  I needed them!  This time I PB'd in front of my poor Walt!!  Before I knew it, he got off the freeway and pulled into a Taco Bell (I guess I grossed him out more than I thought!).  He told me to go inside and get some more napkins, but for me to I threw out the others first!  I went into the restroom and slimed into their trash can for a few minutes and thought that I was done, so I grabbed 15 of their large paper towels and walked back out to the car.

We got on our way again, heading to his Mom's place.  In about another 15 minutes, I lost it again and PB'd!  Luckily, I remembered that I had bought one of those trial size packages that had about 15 travel size trash bags in it from Target.  So I immediately put the paper towels in one of the trash bags.  Again, I felt much better.....until another 15 minutes!  Again, another episode.  Luckily we were within 15 minutes of his Moms place by then, so I was hoping to make it there before it hit again!!!

We did....but not by much.  I spent the next 20 minutes in her bathroom, bent over her sink slimming.  Finally, I started to feel worse and before I knew it, I bent over and actually threw up!!!  I finally expelled what ever was stuck!  A few small pieces of Ham and some mushy Pancakes!!  I can say that this time I felt immediate relief and that was the end of the problem!  Of course, it only took about one to one and a half hours to get it out!!  I don't know how so much slime could come out!  What I couldn't believe, was that through all of this, I didn't get anything on my top!!!  Usually that is the first place anything that doesn't make it into/or comes out of my mouth ends up!!

The rest of the day was fine.  We took his Mom to dinner later, and I ordered a bowl of Oatmeal to be safe, and I had no problem with the Oatmeal.  Now!!  You can slap my wrist about eating at all!!  I know that I am not supposed to eat anything the first 24-48 hours.  But I always do.  I just try to eat something that is easily swallowed.

So the rest of the day has been smooth sailing, that god!!  Although I wouldn't qualify this as a painful episode, it was definitely unpleasant and extremely messy.  It wouldn't have been so bad if I had been at home where I could ralph in private!!  I felt sorry for my dear Walt!!  He had to be witness to all but the last 20 minutes!  He said that he was very supportive and considerate.  I said, yes, you kept your mouth shut, eyes forward and tried not to look!  He said YES, that's the one!!!

Well, I will go for now so he can use his computer.  I will post my thank yous for the nominations tomorrow after we get home!!  Everyone have a great weekend, ya hear?  So, till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

A Big Shout Out To Amanda !!!

Hey Y'all,

Just noticed that I have another new Follower!!  Her name is Amanda and her blog name is, "Amanda's Weight Loss Journey".  She was banded on Friday, February 12th, so she is a newbie bandster!!  Please check out her blog and give her some much needed support!!!  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

A Big Shout Out To Camille !! :)

Hey Y'all,

I wanted to make a quick post to say welcome to my newest Follower, Camille!!  Her blog is called, "Living Large in C.C.".  She is in the Pre-Band stage hoping to be banded in March!!  Please check out her blog and give her the support we all need, especially in the early stages!!  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

I Got It !!!!! :)

Hey Y'all

A real quick post here to let you know what happened at the Surgeon's office today.  My DH ended up going to his Mom's place to help out with paper's, etc so I went to the office alone.  I was expecting to have to beg for a larger Fill, but I told her that I was able to eat anything and was going to be in Reno until Sunday so if I was to have a problem with the amount of Fill, I would be local.  I asked her if I could PLEASE have a 1 cc Fill?  So she checked to see what I currently had, and said that she would give me the 1 cc!!  So now I have 5 cc's in my 10 cc Band.  Yippee!!  Can you see me doing the happy dance?  If I were home, I would have put in a funny photo, but I am on my DH's laptop computer.

Well, I gotta go.  I am still trying to make my post for the award!  These posts takes me a long time!

Aloha My Friends  :)

Tomorrow is Fill #3 !! Yipee! :)

 

This is how I feel right now!  Stealing someone's barbecue!!!  Animals are devious.  Restriction, oh Restriction, where fore art thou Restriction?  What do you think, could this be the Fill that does it?  Nah!!!

Hey Ya'll,

Just a short post to say that we are leaving tomorrow after lunch to drive over the Sierra's to Reno for my 3rd Fill appointment.  We will be staying until Friday morning, so Walt can spend some time with his Mom again.  But don't you worry, I am taking my handy dandy Crochet materials to keep myself occupied during the drive over again!!

I currently have 4 cc's (which I had to beg to get the last time) in a 10 cc Band, and the PA told me that from the 3rd Fill on, the most I could get would be .5 cc's at a time!!  I have absolutely no Restriction whatsoever!  I doubt very highly that I will succeed, but I am going to attempt to beg her for one more Fill of 1 cc.  Otherwise I won't reach any Restriction for at least another 1.5-3 months, if I am lucky!

Anyhoo, I am sorry to whine again!  I better get off for now, still have things to do before I can go to bed.  I will post what I end up with Wednesday evening after my appointment.  But I am sure that you already can guess what I get.  LOL!  Till next time....

Aloha My Friends  :)

A Big Shout Out To Joey !! :)

Hey Ya'll,

Just checking in again, as I am getting ready to head back up to Reno tomorrow, and I noticed that I had another new Follower!!  Her (yes her :) ) name is Joey!  And her blog name is, "Volume Control".  She is one week away from Surgery, and I found her blog through Amy's, "Once Upon A Time...In The Land Of Cheese And Sunkist".  Anyhoo, Joey has a great sense of humor just like Amy, and I am sure that she will be just as interesting to read!!  Check her blog out!  So...."welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

A Big Welcome To Kagead !!

Hey Ya'll,

I just checked in and found a new Follower!!  Her name is Kagead, and her blog is, "Provoking Practicality".  She is in the Pre Surgery stage and could use all our support.  Please check out her blog and say hi!!  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

A Big Shout Out To Michelle !! :)

Hey Ya'll,

I was just checking in and saw that I had a new Follower!  Her name is Michelle and her blog is, "The Life Of My Lap Band Diva".  She is newly banded and could use our support!  Please check out her blog and say hi!!  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

Mammogram/Ultrasound Adventure!!!

First off, I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!!! tomorrow. :)

Hey Ya'll.

Warning, warning, extra long post and lots of photos!!!

Well, my appointment for my Mammogram/Ultrasound was yesterday.  My daughter Christa had originally intended to go with me, but at the last minute she couldn't make it.  So my DH stepped in for her and went with me.  As it turned out, I am glad that she didn't go, and I wish that I had just went by myself!!  I have been to this location many times for multiple reasons, such as CT Scans, MRI's (Brain, Upper (Neck), Mid, Lower Spine), Standard X-Rays, etc.  So I wasn't afraid to go by myself.  They just felt that I needed some support with me.

I had told Walt in the past, that men are not allowed in the back area where the women wait in the staging area for the Mammograms, Ultrasounds, Dexa Scans, etc.  And I forgot to tell him he should bring something to read to pass the time!  Usually, I take something to read myself, and I barely have time to read more that a few pages and I am called back and then released to go!!  So I didn't bring myself anything to read this trip either!  Bad decision....as they had nothing interesting to read back there!  They did have one Oprah magazine, but it was dated....September 2008!!!  Talk about old. LOL.

Anyhoo, I was taken back to the women's private waiting area, and instructed to disrobe from the waist up, put on the nice thin cover up, so that it opened to the front, yada, yada, yada.  After about 10 minutes, I was called back into a special Imaging room, where they had one of the special Diagnostic Digital Mammogram Machines setup, using CAD (Computer Aided Detection).  This is the first time I have had a Diagnostic Mammogram, and to tell you the truth, either I am just getting really used to these (I've had a Mammogram almost yearly since age 35, with my first one at age 18!), or this machine didn't hurt me as much!

But anyway, I was called back pretty quick, so I figured that they would give me the go ahead to leave within a few minutes as per prior years after making sure the scans were clear.   Uhm.....yea, not!  I was back there sitting in my skimpy thin robe for so long that I was just about to ask someone if they had forgotten me (as other women were going back, getting their Mammograms, Ultrasounds, etc AND LEAVING)!!!  Finally, the Lab Tech that took my Mammograms came back out and requested that I return for further Mammogram Images.  So she took another 5 images of the right Breast, making it about 10-11 images total with all but 2 of them of the right Breast!

Then I was asked to sit again in their sitting area, to see if the Radiologist was happy with the views she got.  Again, I was there for a longgg time!  In fact, by then, I had been back there for about 2 HOURS!!  Walt finally went to the receptionist and asked if she could find out if everything was ok.  He was afraid that maybe I had passed out or something.  I was ok, just WAITING!  Finally, another female Lab Tech came out, and called me back to the Ultrasound area where they proceeded to do my Ultrasound.  So finally, 2.5 hours later, I was released to go home.  It was now 3:15, my appointment was 12:45 and I had not had a bite to eat all day!!

Now I have to wait about a week until my Doctor gets the results.  So I am trying not to think about the worst case scenario and concentrate on the positive that in past years, it has always come back ok.  But this year felt really different.  They were so much more thorough that they either ruled out Cancer or found it!  Here's crossing my fingers and toes that it is the latter.

So although Walt was not a happy camper, since he didn't have anything to read while there, was alone the entire time, and missed out on working as well.  He felt really bad about my experience and the implications of what the day could mean, and that I hadn't eaten yet, so he kept totally calm and took me to dinner at Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que Restaurant.  We shared their 3 Course BBQ Feast For 2 and it was gooood!  By the time we got our food, Walt was in much better spirits and so was I!!

Tonight we went for our nightly walk together as usual.  But this time I suggested that since we hadn't eaten yet, we walk down to the closest Subway Sandwich Shop and split a Footlong Sandwich.  Walt thought it was a great idea, so we took off walking there.  The walk there was super easy as it was down hill all the way.  The return walk was of course, uphill all the way.  But, it turned out to not be too bad tonight!  The round trip was about 1.8 miles, but because we sat down and ate there, I forgot to clock the time of actual walking.

The funny thing is, we made a point of not walking in front of our favorite local Pizza place, which is in the same strip mall, as they know us, and would have been crushed to see us walk by and not go in to eat there!  So we walked a route that enabled us to not walk in front of the Pizza place both directions.  We thought we were in the clear.  Then......an SUV pulled up along side us, and opened their window (we were thinking who the hell is this?).  Sure enough, it was the Mother of the owner of the Pizza place, out running a Pizza delivery!!  She asked why we didn't stop in and eat!!  Oh well.  We will have to go in later in the week and visit so they don't feel like we were avoiding them.

So, now that I have made one of the world's longest posts, I will go for now.  But first, I want to say, YEA!!!  NHRA Drag Racing started again this weekend!!!  I will also be posting some more of the photos taken at my FIL's Memorial.

 

These are 3 of Walt's Nephews.  Mathew on the left, Chris in the middle and George on the right.

A horrible photo of Walt and I, but it's rare to get a photo of the 2 of us, so....I take what I can get!

Walt and his Daughter, Kat

I couldn't resist putting this photo in!!  Walt's Mom chose this photo as it has his Dad in it of course, but she didn't even think how it might look to have a photo of Walt's first Wedding there when he is remarried!!  So this photo is of Walt and Carolyn's Wedding Day!  Did you notice the hand written note in yellow by my MIL announcing this was Walt's (Hank to his family) 1st Wedding. Yes, I am really understanding and actually found it funny!

I have since found out that it was Walt, not my MIL that included this photo!  But there wasn't very many photos of my FIL to show!

This is my Dad and our Son In Law, Mark.  I am sitting just in front of the camera with my Grand Daughter Emily to my right in purple.  The framed photograph right behind my Dad is one of Walt's Dad's photos he took.  He loved photography, especially black and white, and was really very good at it.

Our Daughters, Christa and Kat

Our Grandson, Walker.

Our Granddaughter, Emily

Walt's Sister Elizabeth, and her Daughter Maria

Kat and her Mom, Carolyn (AKA my Sister)

Another of Walt's Sisters, Susan, Carolyn (Walt's ex-wife) and myself (we call ourselves the Sisterhood)

Walt's Mom, Shirley and one of Walt's Nephews, John (Susan's son)

My MIL Shirley and Kat

So, time to go, sorry this post went so long!  Hope everyone is having a great weekend and a fantastic Valentine's Day tomorrow!!!!

Aloha My Friends  :)

3 Month Photo Comparions :)

  

This is me at 3 Months Post-Op.  Comparison photos, below.

  

  

Well Ya'll,

Here you have my 3 Month Post-Op photo comparisons.  Unfortunately, it was a bit too cold to wear the same outfit that I wore in the Pre-Op photos as they were taken in late October!  I will try to wear the same outfit in my next set of photos, so the real comparison can be seen.  Because of this, I'm afraid that you can't see much difference.  

But, I must tell you that the pants that I am wearing in my new photos, are a size 14.  Pre-Op I was wearing size 18's!  And I didn't realize how baggy my behind area is in these pants!  And here I thought I was looking good in these pants!  LOL.  My top is now a bit too big I think.  If you look closely, you can see where my top shifted to far to the side baring my bra strap.  And you would think that my DH would advise me of this so that I could correct it!  Yea right!!

By the way, this has nothing to do with this, but I just saw a commercial on a particular product which I had tried a few weeks ago, and decided that I just had to warn you about it!  The product is called V8-V-Fusion.  It is supposed to give you a serving of Fruit and Vegetables in each serving!  Well, I love V8 Juice so I thought I would try it.  I figured, it could help me get in some more fruit & vegetables without too many calories.  Well....I hated it!!  My DH had to drink it for me.  He didn't really like it, but he didn't dislike it as much as I did, and we hate to just waste money, so he drank it!!  Some may love it, I just wanted to give my opinion on it.

 

  

  

Give me the news, good or bad what you honestly think.  Can you see any improvement?  Well, I will be posting another post a bit later.  It will be longer though, so I decided to separate the subjects into separate posts.  So, till later.

Aloha My Friends  :)

Getting To Know Me Better Quiz

Hey Ya'll,

I spotted this quiz on Julie's blog, "The Wonderful Adventures of Julie and Sammy".  I thought that I would post it here too!

Getting To Know Me Better

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?   Yes, my Grandmother.  My middle name is Beatrice.

 
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?   Probably not that long ago I cry very easily

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?  Sometimes, but at least you can read mine!!  Not my DH's!

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?  Ham, Beef Bologna, Spam (cooked), Pulled Pork with Barbecue Sauce (but not all together!).

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?  Yes, Christa (36 in April), Kat (28 in November) & Russ (24 in June).

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?   Yes

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?   Sometimes I do, probably more than I realize.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?   No, I lost my Tonsil Virginity at age 17!

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?   When I was younger, YES.  But I can't with my Spinal issues now.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?   Original Life or Oatmeal.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?   Yes, unless they are slippons of course!!  LOL

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?   Vanilla or Butter Pecan if it is Hagan Das.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?   Their inner person, if they will let others see it (otherwise, if they smile and are welcoming, etc., how they interact)

15. RED OR PINK?   Pink!

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?   My Weight

17. WHOM DO YOU MISS THE MOST?   My Grandmother, Mama Myrt

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?   The more the better!

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?   Right now I am in my PJ's and no shoes.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?   Listening to the movie, "Pearl Harbor".

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?   Blue or Pink or Yellow or Red, oh hell!! I want to be the whole damn box!!

23. FAVORITE SMELL?   Carnations, Ocean, Melons, Babies, Freshly Mowed Lawn, Rain.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?   My Daughter Christa.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?   Nobody sent it to me, I found it in Julies Blog.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?   NHRA Funny Cars & Top Fuel, Drag Racing!!!

27. HAIR COLOR?   Blond, getting dirtier and grayer by the minute!!

28. EYE COLOR?  Blue

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?   No, I can't due to dry eyes and allergies.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?   Where do I start?  This isn't fair, I must stop thinking about food...

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?   Both!!

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?   Signs, by M. Night Shyamalan, with Mel Gibson (what can I say, I love his Blue eyes!)

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?   Again, I am wearing my PJ's.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?   Neither, Summer is too hot, Winter is too cold!

35. HUGS OR KISSES?   BOTH!!

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?   Must I list only one?  My all time favorite is German Chocolate Cake from scratch (not this fake German Chocolate Cake you get at most Restaurants where they make a regular Chocolate Cake & put on Coconut Pecan Frosting!  German Chocolate MUST be German Chocolate!  It is a much smoother, lighter Chocolate!  Can you tell I LOVE my Cake???)

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?   I don't expect anyone to respond, but maybe some will take it themselves?

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?   Again, I am not expecting anybody to respond.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?   An Echo In The Bone, by Diana Gabaldon.  Book 7 in a series!

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?   Zen rock/sand garden.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?   I listened to Bones, while I was Crocheting.

42. FAVORITE SOUNDS?   Grand Kids playing, the Ocean, Moving Water.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?   Beatles.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?   France

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?   I used to be able to dance really well!

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?   Southern California

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING READING?   Anyone who wants to answer.

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE?   Dancing at a Western Bar!

49. IS THE CUP HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?   Half full.

A Big Welcome To Jenny!!

Hey Ya'll,

Just checking in real quick, I will be posting something a bit later, but I wanted to say welcome to Jenny!  She is in the Pre-Op stage, and could use some support.  Please check out her blog, it is called, "Embracing A New Path".  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

A Shout Out To Leslie !!

Hey Ya'll,

I just got home, and was checking back in and noticed that I had another new Follower!!!  Her name is Leslie, and her blog is, "Band Sweet Band".  She was banded on Aug 26, 09 and is new to blogging!  She could use some Follower's and all the support we can give!  Please check out her blog!  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

PS) I was just reading Leslie's blog and discovered that we have another Banding Couple!!  She was banded in Aug 09 and her Husband was banded in Nov 09!!  Wow!

A Big Welcome To Andrew !!!

Hey Ya'll,

I was just checking in, and found that I have a new Follower!!  His name is Andrew and his blog is called, "Big Daddy".  He was banded YESTERDAY!!  He lives in Abu Dhabi, UAE which means that he is close to Roo!!  At least now they will each have someone close to talk to regarding their experiences.  So, please check out his blog and give him the support he needs!!  So, "welcome to my nightmare".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

Why Am I Always Cold? And Holy Crap, What's With These Cats?

 

Cat's are everywhere lately!  They must think I am their long lost mommy!  But tell me, who could resist that cute face?

Hey Ya'll,

First let me say that we have been walking almost every night that we can.  We are rarely walking less than a mile a night now.  And remember, we are on a hill, so we always have to walk uphill to get home, no matter what direction we take!  Tonight, we walked 1.5 miles in 31 minutes!!  That's super fast for me!

Anyway, there is a cat or two along our walks, that has decided they like us.  One of them lives down the street from us.  This is the cat that just about gave me a Heart Attack back in early December.  Several times this cat has come up to us, especially when we would stop because my feet/toes were going numb so I could rest a few minutes.  It would come up and love us, wanting some special attention.  Tonight we came across another one!  This one we have never seen before.  Our beloved cat Oreo, passed 2 yrs ago last month due to Cancer.  So seeing these loving cats, just makes it so hard to resist getting another cat.

We are contemplating getting rid of our home, & down scaling our living quarters considerably (more to come later, if/when it happens), and it wouldn't be fair to coup up an animal like this.  We also like the freedom to be able to travel when we like and not having to worry about who will take care of...while we are gone, is a big relief.  We don't have to worry, we can just pick up and go.  Anyhoo, just wondering why we are being inundated by cats lately?

So, for the BIG question.  Am I the only one who has noticed this or is it something that is normal?  Before my Surgery, I was always one of "those" people, that was always HOT!!  I hated Summer because I couldn't tolerate the heat.  In fact, I rarely sweated, which made it worse.  I would stay indoors in an air conditioned place unless I just HAD to go out!  Thank god we have our pool!  

But since my Surgery, I have noticed that I am almost always cold, or at least easily chilled.  I never used to wear anything to bed other than my nightshirt and underwear, even in the Winter.  Now I am wearing a "long sleeved" nightshirt, long pj bottoms (sometimes flannel) and two pairs of socks!!  One of them the thick super soft kind.  And I am using a blanket!  In the past, I never used a blanket, even in the Winter.

We have tried to not use our Heater too much this Winter, as we are trying to cut our Gas/Electric bill down, so I have had to resort to wearing my super soft, long sleeved robe to keep me warm on the colder nights until I go to bed as well.  Of course, it doesn't help that we have NO CARPET in the entire house!!  Every room is either wood or tile floors!  The wood isn't bad, but the tile is freezing!

And going outside, I haven't been able to go outside without at least a light jacket on yet!  I mean we have been having days lately where the temps get up into the mid to upper 50's!  In the past, I would have been in a t-shirt, no jacket!  When we walk at night, I always wear my heavier jacket with a thermal lining, a warm hat and gloves!!  Is this normal?  

At the Support Group meeting that I was required to attend before Surgery, most if not all the Post Surgery members in the group said that they too used to be hot all of the time, and are now cold!  This was in Summer mind you, and they were all wearing sweaters/coats in the room the whole time and us Pre-Surgery members were dying of heat!  But since most of them were Bypass patients, I didn't think it would effect me.  Am I nuts or are others experiencing this as well????

Now, I am sure you are probably wondering why I am complaining of the cold, when just a week and a half ago, I was complaining of the HEAT when my MIL stayed with us!  Well remember, she likes the house to be kept around 75-80 degrees!  We had our thermostat turned up to 70, and at night it just about killed us!!  If I get too hot at night, my Sinus's plug up, I can't breath through my nose and I wake up with a headache.  Not to mention, I may wake up dizzy from being too stuffed up!  It is like from one extreme to another!  But given the choice, I would choose the cooler temps over the warmer ones.   

Well, I guess I better go for now.  I will be waiting on pins and needles to hear if anyone else has noticed this change as well.  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

PS)  Christa, are you still going with me to my Mammogram/Ultrasound appointment on Friday?  Let me know.  Love you