I am officially...

no longer considered diabetic.

Went to my Dr and he took me off all diabetes meds. I still take 1 for the arrhythmia and 1 for blood pressure. I was taking 6 so I'm pretty happy. I am not taking the blood pressure medicine for blood pressure strangely enough. My BP was 116/60. The years of diabetes took a toll on the kidneys so the BP medicine is working to help the kidneys.

I jogged/walked 1.75 miles yesterday in 32 minutes. Slowly but surely, I am winning this battle.

I had a piece of pizza last night for the first time in about 3 months. As expected, it was awesome! I did not get through half of it before I started to feel full. That's the trick. Stop eating when you start to fell full. Before, I took that as a sign to eat faster because I didn't have much time. Now, I take it for what it actually means. Your body doesn't need any more. For a skinny person, those aren't decisions they consciously think about. For a large person, it is a matter of life or death.

I was doing something outside in the dirt and I went to wipe something off my hand and when I did my wedding ring went flying into the jasmine. Needle in a haystack my keester, ever try to find a wedding ring in the jasmine. Not an easy task. Nonetheless, I found it. All that to say, it may be time for some tape around the ole wedding ring less I lose it.

It may be time to start kicking Steve's butt in racquetball again...I've decided...yes, it's time.

2.8.8.

That's 288 lbs!

Those of you reading this who think man that is still a lot of weight, are right but it ain't nothing compared to 333 where I started. Go find a 50 lb weight and lift it, or a bag of sugar times 50.

It is amazing to think about.

They cleared me to do whatever I want. I am not restricted on foods or exercise. I can eat what I want. Strange, but I don't want what I wanted before. Although the hamburger is still on the list.

Just wanted to let you know about the weight loss. Thanks for reading.

I may have to change my song soon.

Week 6 of post surgery...

and all is very well.

I seem to be pulling the belt tighter every day. I am down to my last notch. I may have to pull out the scissors to make more because I'm not ready to buy new clothes just yet. I like pulling on the britches and having tons of room. This weekend I was out cleaning the pool. I was skimming the leaves and my shorts dropped around my ankles. Good thing we have a high fence...and I was wearing clean skivies. I thought that was pretty cool.

Tomorrow I have a Drs appointment. I will get weighed. Haven't been weighed in over a month. I hope it's where I want to be. If not, I need to focus on the shorts around my ankles. I like not knowing what I weigh. I like focusing on pant size and peoples feedback. I'm starting to get a lot of

"Have you lost weight?"
You damn skippy!
"How'd you do it?"
I had 80% of my stomach removed!

That always gets an "Oh!"

Ian had his first game on Saturday. I swelled up when he hit his first ball and ran to 1st. What a great moment. I think I will be watching my grandkids play and flash back to that moment as if it was yesterday.

Madison continues to amaze me. She is so smart. We play a game called The Person Game. Someone gives a clue of a person or character and the others try to guess who it is. I remember playing with her when she was younger and she would give clues for Cinderella and Belle. Now she gives clues for Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Two of the clues, I did not know. I asked her where she learned that and she said she read it in a book.

She reads 300 page books in an afternoon. Chapter books. Not kid books.

Reagan...what can I say about Reagan? Independent. Headstrong. Fiesty. Pretty much just like her mother. Her vocabulary is expanding every day. She loves to mimic her older brother. She loves to draw. She has the best pitch of all 3 kids. She really can carry a tune. She stays on key, has rhythm, the whole nine yards.

Yep just like mommy.

I thank God everyday for my good fortune. A beautiful, talented and caring wife. My children who are the reason I was put on this earth. My health.

I am blessed.

Almost 6 weeks...

without a solid bite of food. The closest thing I have had to food is a sugar free popsicle.

I can't believe I made it.

Starting Monday, I can have oatmeal, eggs, shaved deli meat, low fat cheese, ground lean beef etc. It's all down hill form here my friends.

I am walking a mile a day. Taking 21 minutes. Not bad for me. By the time the 5k Turkey Trot rolls around in November, I will be ready. My goal is to be able to run the 5k in about 36 minutes. If I can go faster, more power to me.

I don't know how much weight I have lost. I don't have a scale. I do know none of my pants fit me anymore and my t-shirt world has opened up considerably. Pants and shirts I haven't worn in years are coming out of the closet. One of my favorite shirts of all time, a Harlequins rugby shirt, came out of the closet last week. I hadn't been able to wear that shirt for 9 years. It felt really good.

I have to say I am at the point where everything I've gone through and the money I spent is absolutely worth it. My sugar levels have been below 100 since the surgery; from 89 to 97. My blood pressure has been 130 over 70. I am taking 2 pills instead of 6. And the 2 may go by the wayside too.

Feeling very good and starting to feel better about myself. Which is the main thing. Going through life not feeling good about yourself is a hard thing to live with. So much so that you start to take it out on other people.

I had a Barney Fife moment. Well I've had more than one but this is kind of a milestone. Ian had his first baseball practice this week. Now his first practice was not so good. He thought it was going to be him and I and his cousins going to practice. Well when he got there 14 kids were running around. It overwhelmed him a little, well alot, and he did not practice. He just sat on the sidelines. I was disappointed but I can't convey that to him.

We talked about it and he said he would play next time now that he knew what th deal was. And play he did; catching the ball, throwing, hitting, he did it all. He did extremely well for his first baseball practice ever. Insert BF face here.

At the end of the practice, the boys put their hands together and yell "Dodgers!" Well, he didn't like that too much. Way too loud. He started to cry. He then said he didn't want to play tball anymore. I told him he didn't have to do the cheer at the end of practice. He could do it from afar and he perked up after that. We are going to the field today to field some grounders and throw and bat a little.

Baby steps, Ian. Just like your old man.

Saw the Dr yesterday...

well actually his PA, regardless I am on the mend.

Staples were taken out. Ian was fascinated. He wasn't there of course but he realy liked looking at my staples. When I came home and they weren't there. He really thought that was cool.

I have lost a total of 30 lbs in about 4 weeks. Not too shabby.

Skin healing nicely. Stomach healing nicely. Barium slid through the banana like a luger. Next appointment is at the end of the month and I intend to be well into the 280s by then.

I met a fellow gastric sleever in the Drs office. Nice guy. Had the surgery the same day as I. Same Dr. Same hospital. Same day to get his stitches removed. We are pretty much on the same path. So you can imagine my surprise when he informed me he had already eaten a few little vegetables and had a small bite or two of brisket. I couldn't believe my ears.

The reason they tell you not to eat solid food is because regardless of how well you chew it, small particles could end up getting caught in the staple lining of the stomach and cause infection. If having a stomach lining infection is something I can avoid, I think I just as soon will.

I don't think that guy has read any literature. Something I can't be accused of. I know the dos and donts, ins and outs, rights and wrongs of this procedure backward and forward and I am following them to the letter. Call it a return on investment. Don't get me wrong I look forward to the day when I can have a piece of cheese or maybe a small helping of hamburger, sans bun of course, but I am not about to jeopardize what I've worked for to this point for that. Is eating a piece of brisket right now more important than walking my daughters down the aisle?

The answer is a resounding NO!

Home Again. Home Again...

as my mom would say.

I arrived at the hospital early Monday morning at 7:00. Bright eyed and bushy tailed. Ready, willing and able...Then proceeded to wait 3 hours until they finally called me back. Apparently some guy before me had a lot of scar tissue and he was a tough surgery. Knocked everythng back about 2 hours.

The first thing they did was weigh me. I was looking forward to that because I know where I started but had no clue how much I had lost on the liquid diet. They weighed me in kilograms. D'OH! I did the 2.2 conversion in my head but just gave me a rough estimate. Turns out I lost 23 lbs in those 2 1/2 weeks on the liquid. WOOHOO!

The guy came in to give me the IV. He asked where I have had my other IVs and I told him my hands. Blood taken, IVs all in my hands. He then proceeded to needle me in the forearm and poke around for what seemed 5 minutes. After not being able to find the vein, he put one in my hand. I asked him why he bothered to ask me where my IVs go when it was clear he had an agenda. He was very apologetic and we left on good terms.

Is it prejudice or racism when I say I prefer my Drs Asian-American? Dr Kim who performed my surgery as well as Nate Newtons by the way is Asian. He did a bang up job. I was his 8th surgery that day. In and out in 45 minutes. Took 75% of my stomach with him.

The day of surgery you can't drink anything. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. The first thing you get to drink is barium on day 2. 24 hours after surgery. Ever had barium? Nasty, Nasty stuff. And when I say nasty, think of me saying it as a home girl eyes wide open shifting my head back and forth across my shoulders.

Started to drink water and protein drinks on Tuesday. Felt a little nauseated after that I must say. Gradually though, my ounce filled cups have been going down easier and faster. I am right on track so all is well.

The treadmill is here. I have been on a few times. I am ready to burn out the motor. Baby steps though. Baby steps.

Liquids until Monday then eggs and cream soups. I can't wait.

I'll keep you posted.

Tomorrow is the big day...

under the knife.

I am ready. Not nervous. Ready to get on with this chapter of my life.

If you're thinking of me tomorrow at 9:00, I could use a prayer. (The surgery was moved up 1/2 hour)

Don't know when I will get back to the blog but I will make it ASAP.

Surgery is scheduled...

Monday at 9:30 at Forest Park Medical Center on 75 and Forest.

Counting the days. Never thought I would be so excited to eat broth. You see after the surgery I am still on a liquid diet but I can have broth. Sweet broth. Sweet wonderful broth.

I am still not hungry. I get pangs of wanting to chew periodically but I have a sugar free popsicle and all is well. Knowing I will eventually get back to normal is the thought that keeps me going. I say normal but I mean fractions of what I used to eat. There are some things I can never eat again but that's OK. Again, I've had a good run.

I thought of a way to prove Obama is a citizen. Someone steal his wallet. I lost my wallet and trying to get a replacement drivers license is not an easy task.

While sitting at the DPS as the number 025 was called while I held 048 in a room full of sadsacks, one thought warmed my heart. The people responsible for this room will soon be responsible for our entire health care system.

Happy days!

If I were the Governor of Wisconsin, I would tell the protesting teachers, who are doing it illegally by the way, they have 3 days to get back to work. If they do not go back, fire them all ala Reagan and the Air Traffic controllers.

They'd have those jobs filled in a week.

T minus one week and counting...

My surgery is a week from tomorrow. I can't wait.

I am flying through this thing now. I am not hungry. Ice and gum are enough to get me through my chewing need. It's all down hill from here.

As a part of the new exercise pledge, we walked the kids down to the park. While we were there, Ian was climbing a tree. He was straddling the branch between his legs when he broke into song loud and clear for all to hear;

Oh, Oh my teetee hurts.
Oh, Oh my teetee hurts oh yea!

At least he made up his own tune and was on key. That's my boy.

Signed Ian up for his first tee ball team. He will be playing with 3 cousins and a neighbor. It will be a blast. Mike, Steve and I are coaching. Reed, Mike's son, Patrick and Christian, Steve's sons and Ian are all playing. We are the Dodgers. We will be going out today to practice a bit. I hope he has fun. I think he will.

I think perhaps Ian's foray into organized sports may be a catalyst for this surgery. I have always wanted to coach him. In my present state, it would be very difficult.

That is soon to change.

The dreaded before picture...

...And he's large!

Thought I should throw one up here so I have something to look back on.

Not sure what prompted this new mindset. I have been skating along status quo for quite a while. Perhaps it was the traveling I've been doing to Chicago. There are a lot of mirrors in hotel rooms. A lot. Brush your teeth; mirror. Go to the bathroom; mirror. Take a shower; EEEEEEK! mirror.

Geez Louise, I'm sorry, Kelly.

I am starting to feel for the first time that this is very doable. I am looking forward to solid food of course but it is not driving my thoughts. I am not having the all consuming urge to drive into Quick Trip and get a candy bar. As a matter of fact I did pull into Quick Trip the other day and came out with skim milk for my protein shakes and a bottled water. Yea me!

One step at a time. One day at a time.

43 years. I had a good run.