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two milestones to remember today by

eight years ago was my wls...............today was my 4th of 4 chemo treatments............

was feeling good about the lifechanging/saving events til the oncologist said that he wants me to have more chemo after my surgery before my radiation.................

now; i'm not a real deep thinker-not really sure how i am feeling tonite.........................
i can say that most days i am still happy that i had my wls even tho there truly are some foods that i miss...and i can truly say that when i was initially diagnosed with my cancer my thoughts went to "great...i had wls to live! what a waste that was"--i don't feel that way today, tho...... i know that this cancer would be worse if i was still morbidly obese.......

eight years ago i weighed in at 233# the day of surgery....today, after all of the stresses of michael's illnesses, jobs, moving, umpteen times, my cancer, etc etc i weighed 168.1 # ---that means that i have retained a loss of 64.9 # or that i have maintained a loss of 64.9% of my desired weight toward goal. i have to think that i am still successful;i have no one to blame but myself for never reaching goal......

happy surgiversary to me!

IT'S SO GOOD TO COME ANS SEE MY MARCHERS HERE. IT'S LIKE  IT WAS 2 OR 3 YEARS AGO, BUT IT'S OUR 8TH YEAR. I'M NOT ON MY GOAL . IT IS NOT EASY, I WAS ON 180 . LIKE A YEAR AGO. NOW I HAVE GAIN LIKE 25 POUNDS. I WAS DIAGNOSE WITH ME AND FIBROMYLAGIA.  SINCE  A YEAR AGO MY LIFE HAS CHANGE A LOT. NEW MEDICATIONS, HAVING CORTISONE TO ALEVE MY PAINS. IF HAVE MY WLS AGAIN I WILL. THANKS TO  DR. FIALLO .   

Okay girl, I'm here! I almost forgot about the anniversary!

I think 175 is awesome, myself! That was my all time low, and I'd love to see it again! I was always a slow loser though, so I made peace with it as best I could. Hey, it beats the hell out of 338, right?

I got lazy and let myself gain back up to 225 about a year and a half ago, but my kiddo wanted to go on a diet, so I did it with him and realized I was not keeping up my end of the wls bargain! I am back in Onederland, and I'm going to get to my drivers license weight of 185 someday soon. Lol!

I know I'll never be a size 6, but I'm content and still grateful for this chance to live a halfway normal life.

For me, I struggled in getting my vitamins in for a long time, but I finally have a system down and have done well with it for over a year now. I went through a point where I was so deficient that I was losing hair, lethargic and somehow clueless about what I was doing to myself. I have a hard time regulating my iron and B1, but I'm on an even keel now.

I think back and have a hard time remembering what it was like to be morbidly obese now. I guess enough time has gone by that I critique myself based on what I could never have imagined before. some days the only thing that reminds me that I had wls is the fact that I can't drink real milk and I still dump badly with some foods like crackers, "soft" carbs like cake, soft breads, ramen noodles, some crackers, etc. I'm thankful for that. As a matter of fact, over the years I've lost my craving for sweets, and that was my biggest problem before.

I wouldn't say I'm a poster child for wls, but it has made my life better, and I'll say again, my only regret is that I didn't have it sooner!

i lost my mom the week of christmas 2 days after my birthday...

God, Karen, so good to see your beautiful face again! CONGRATULATIONS on 5 flippin' years of sobriety! WOW! I remember so well what you went through and am so proud of what you've accomplished. Yes, like you I've gained 25 lbs. and am struggling mightily. The key is MOVING especially for us old farts who are in full blown menopause! Everything slows down, ev - er - ry - thing... Listen, if you ever want to talk email me - would love to reconnect. So, so happy to hear from you again. God, I love this Board!

I feel so blessed to have had this surgery!!! I admit I have regained about 25 lbs but am on the way to taking it back off-lost 6 pounds this week at WW and am determined not to let it creep back up.  On a different note, most of you know I became alcoholic after WLS.  I am equally proud to say that as of  Feb 25th, I have been sober for FIVE years!!!!!!!!!!!! What a life!  I was unemployed for a year and was devastated to lose my job of 20 years but did not find it necessary to take a drink or regain 120 pounds!  The weight gain came after finding a new job and just sitting at a desk all day!!! LOL!  Gotta find a way to MOVE this old 59 year old body more without exercising....not happening, eh?  Alas, I will get there somehow!  Hope everyone here is doing well and in good health and spirits!  Happy March!!!

when i was diagnosed i decided to come back to ohio to be nearer to my kids- was not sure what kind of physical help i would need and there are enuff of them here to drive me places etc if i can't. it has been a whirlwind nasty move but i am so glad to be back here- today had a wonderful visit with my eldest granddaughter- don't know how or when  it happened but she is 14 now! anyhow being here is great to be close to them...tomorrow i have a lunch date with my younger son.

i'm not working at all so there is a big strain but we will get thru and i will get work. i was a full time student before dx also- am anxious to get back to school but i am afraid that many of my credits won't transfer so i may have to double take some classes. i should be half way thru my associates but i want my masters- i want to be a social worker and my passion is to help caregivers and the elderly.

funny-last summer i took the Psychology of Death and Dying and had to plan my funeral as one assignment and write a letter to be read at my funeral as another. I've printed them out and put them where my kids know but i have no intention of using them for many many years!!!!!

thank you, i know that you mean it!

Dear Marchers, how is everyone? Happy March! I haven't been "home" in a very long time; it feels much like a long anticipated family reunion; I hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to hearing your stories and catching up.  While my anniversary is March 8, I thought I would share a little about where I'm at and again, I so look forward to hearing from you. Like Pam, I struggle with weight regain. I swear, all I have to do is think about food and I've gained. I have done some research and like everything, there is a reason for this - cause and effect - and it has to do with how the old gut has evolved since surgery. Let me know if you're interested in learning more and we can chat through email. My labs continue to come back insufficient in calcium and Vitamin D, even though I have supplemented religiously since surgery. I now have pre-osteoperosis and my body continues to leach calcium from my bones. Otherwise, my weight is stable at between 170-175 - it feels way too heavy for me and I try mightily to lose a little weight but I just can't seem to be able to shed it, no matter what I do. So, I continue living my life - still riding, which is my greatest pleasure. It keeps me fit, physically and mentally. My daughter is off living her life in Montreal; my son is 18, graduated high school but does not want to go to college or join the military. He still struggles trying to figure it all out. I lost my Dad on January 10th and I miss him terribly - was fortunate to get there in time and spend the last two days with him, and was able to hold him as he passed from this world. All we can do is strive to live life to the fullest because the one thing we know for sure is that it will be yanked from each and every one of us eventually. Live, Laugh, Love. No matter what the scale says, no matter the gray hair, no matter the new wrinkles - Live, Laugh, Love. God bless you all, your Reenie

a few words about diets...dont do them!
now that im use tonot eating certain things i really don't miss them that much. sometimes when i am around them i think gee i remember those i use to really like ----- fill in the blank -----but now that i've not had it why start it again? so i don't
this past week the boyfriend took me to a fantastic wine dinner. new flavors with every course of wonderful food. i dont drink. never couldhandle it and now with all the sugar its just not worth the possible issues that it could give me. didin't miss it.
there were chocolate at the end. yummmm i treated myself to one piece and i ate it slowly it was wonderful. i enjoyed it very much. sooo good.
i didn't have anymore other than that one piece and still today i can remember how very good it was! the best part is there is a box of 4 other pieces in my fridge right now but i have not touched them! in the past i would have eaten all of them in 5 seconds then bought more an stuffed them in!
sooooo what i have figured out is that while i will alwasy have the struggle of trying to lose weight the surgery has helped me in so many more ways then i ever thught it had.
i've kept off over 100 pounds! omg thats fantastic!
and now  i'm the most careful of what i eat ever in my whole life. its helped me with that too. never would i have left chocolate alone! its likei've been cured. please know that this is said with just a slight hint of joking!
my 8th anniversary of my rebirth is wonderful. this is the month of reminders and deep thinking about how my life has changed for the good.
life is very good.