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Member Interests
- Business & Career - I work as a Home Health Aide. I love taking care of the elderly.
- Dogs - I have a dog named Rascal. He loves to play frisbee.
- Native American - I am 1/2 Inupiaq Eskimo. We travel to Alaska each summer.
- Beadwork - I love to do beadwork. I make Native American type earrings and other items.
- Cancer Survivor - I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2006. All is well.
- Interest Groups - I belong to a local Native American Center in MA.
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Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how
badly we want things.
~ Dr. David Pausch
HW 253/SW 220/CW 145/GW 145
Almost July and doing great!!! on June 30, 2009 2:42 am
 Well, it's almost July 1st. I am almost 8 months out and I feel so good. Right now, I am holding at 150 and I'm happy with it. I've been at this weight for almost a month now. My pant's size are between a 14 and 12.
Many people will see me after not seeing me since before my surgery. Due to my bout with breast cancer in 2006, they all assume that "I'm sick again". I've told just about everyone which I see that I've had surgery so they don't think I am dying.
Getting all my protein in is still somewhat of a problem for me. One day, I can eat with out any problems and the next day, I feel full as soon as I start to eat. Alot of times, due to my work schedule, I don't get to eat until I am very hungry. That right there is my biggest problem because I try to eat too fast. When I have the time, it takes me almost 30 - 40 minutes to eat a meal. If I go too fast, I feel like things are stuck and I need to stop. As far as exercise goes, my husband and I walk just about every day. I have started a new job which requires a lot of physical activity. That is fine with me. I'd rather be busy than have to work on my time there.
I think if there was one thing that the Weight Loss Center should of told me about before the surgery would be problems with constipation. I've had problems with that quite a bit. I had to visit the doctor recently due to hemorrhoids. (quite embarrassing!!!) but I'm doing much better now. I take colase each day along with keeping up with fluids and some fruits. I make sure that I keep up with all my vitamins each day. As of today, I'm only on my blood pressure medication and my anti-cancer meds. My BP is normal with the use of my meds which is great. Prior to the surgery, it was still somewhat high even on my medication.
Do I have any regrets from this surgery? Nope, not one. I am glad that I had it done. The benefits of it will add years to my life. I remember the first few days after surgery. If you would of asked me then if I had regrets, the answer would of been a huge YES. For those heading to surgery, just remember, the 1st few weeks are the toughest. Hang in there because the benefits are truly worth what you go thru during this time. It can get depressing but keep your eye on the prize.
We will leave for Alaska in a few days. This year, we will be visiting Kodiak Island for 5 days and then to Anchorage to visit with family. I'm excited about exploring this area (Kodiak) and learning of the Native people from this area. I'm sure the area will be breathtaking. My husband and I are planning a kayak tour of Kodiak. Stayed tuned for some pictures of our trip. Life is Good!!! 
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6 Month P/O check-up on April 9, 2009 3:23 am
Yesterday was my 6 month post op check-up. I lost 19 lbs since my January check-up bringing my total weight loss, from the day of surgery, to 64 lbs. Since starting the program at Emerson Weight Loss, I've lost a total of 97 lbs!!!!! My lab work all came back very good. I feel so good. It's funny, I see people which I haven't seen all winter long and they don't recognize me now!!!! I am at what EWL considers to be their goal weight although I would like to lose at least 10 more lbs. The Nutritionist told me that if I could maintain this weight, they would be happy. Last week I was stuck at 162. I had been there for about 3 1/2 weeks. The scale was not moving. Like magic, the beginning of this week, it dropped down by 4 lbs and then within a few days, it dropped another 2 lbs. This whole weight loss is so unpredictable!!! I look forward to a wonderful summer. I want to be outdoors a lot and get in as much excersize as possible. Life is good!!!! 
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3 Months out and doing great!!! on January 14, 2009 1:23 pm
Today, I had my 3 month post op appointment. I only met with the nutritionist. My BMI is now 29.1 I am now considered over weight and not obese or morbidly obese as I was when I started this whole journey. That makes me so happy. The nutritionist asked what I was thinking about as a goal weight. I told her about 135 - 140. She said if I lost another 20 lbs, they would consider me at a healthy goal. Can you belive that, only 20 more pounds. Holy moly!!!!!
As of today, I have lost 45 pounds since the day of surgery and a total of 78 pounds since starting the whole process in June 2008. I feel great.
I haven't heard anything about the bloodwork which I had. The nurse is due to call me today or tomorrow to go over it.
I still have some issues with my fluid intake during the course of the day and getting in all my protein but I'm working on that.
My husband and I are going up to Alaska this coming summer. We'll be going to Kodiak Island for 4 or 5 days. I want to go kayaking and do some hiking. I will actually feel comfortable getting in to a kayak.
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Almost 5 weeks out from surgery on November 8, 2008 2:51 am
Well, Tuesday will be 5 weeks since surgery. Things have been going really well. I find it's a bit hard to eat but I am working at it!!! I don't have the enjoyment I had from eating like before surgery. At times, it seems more of a chore to do!!!! I have to experiment a lot with what I can eat and what I can't eat. I have a tough time with chicken. I am also lactose intolerant now. I make my protein shakes with unsweetened almond milk which is pretty tasty. I'm just about 20 lbs down since surgery. I'm almost to onederland!!! That's pretty exciting. I've had some problems with remembering my calcium but for the most part, I've been doing good. I got my labs back and they all came back good so far. I'm happy about that. I feel really good and as far as work, I really don't have any limitations. I work as a home health aide. I'm glad to be back at work. I went back on Nov. 1st.
A week from today (11/15), my sister and I are traveling up to Quebec, Canada for the birth of my sister's twin grandsons. We are driving and it will take us a little over 10 hours to get up there. Knowing my sister and I, it's going to take us at least 12 hours!!! We'll be staying overnight on Saturday night, somewhere along the way so we do not have to travel at night. There's a lot of wildlife up there that makes it too dangerous to travel when it gets dark. I'm really excited about the trip. I am making a list of all my things I will have to be sure to take with me.
All is well, I'm happy with my results so far. Life is Good!!!!!!!!
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1 Week Post-Op on October 14, 2008 9:24 am
Today, I am 1 week post-op. I have found that I will have a good day and do a lot of little things and then the next day, have kind of a down day.
I have to go see the surgeon tomorrow for my 1 week appointment. Thankfully, my husband is going to be able to drive me to it. I was a little concerned because they moved the appointment up to 8:45. At that hour, I am still working on my 1st protein shake!! The original appointment was at 2:45.
Today is a good day. The only problem is I feel so run down. Sleeping in the recliner attributes to that, I'm sure. Having the cat walk on my stomach at sometime early this morning, doesn't help either!!!!
Things are improving each day. I am to the point where I don't regret having it done!
That's about it for today.
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My Story I have been overweight since my late 20's. I've tried many, many weight loss plans/medications. (Weight Watchers, TOPS, LA Weight Loss, Phen-fen, some liquid diet which I cannot recall it's name, along with a few others which I don't remember, right now.) Back in 1999, I did manage to lose about 90 lbs with the help of Phen-fen but within 4 years, it started coming back.
In May of 2006, I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. That was probably the scariest time in my life. I underwent a masectomy on my left side followed by reconstructive surgery the following months/year. There was no cancer found in my lymph nodes. Lucky for me, I did not have to undergo Chemo or Radiation. Today, I am cancer free. I do have to take Tamoxifen for the next 5 years. (now only 3 years) Due to menopause, I will more than likely be switched to a different drug when I go to see my oncologist next month. One of the side effects of the drug is weight gain.
I have chosen to have weight loss surgery because I really do want to lose the weight to be a more healthy person. I figure if I did not lose my life to cancer, that I have to do what I can to make myself as healthy as can be.
It sounds vain but one of my fears of the weight loss surgery is losing hair. I've already lost some hair due to the Tamoxifen. I hope and pray that I don't become bald or partly bald.
As far as my cancer goes and the weight loss surgery, I was given the go ahead from my oncologist. That made me feel good. I've talked to the surgeon about the possibility of a reoccurance of cancer and he has reassured me that if something needed to be done (feeding tube for any reason), it would be able to be done.
As of right now, I have a date of October 7th for my surgery. I do have to go for a endoscopy next week for an "irritation" on my stomach lining which was picked up when they did the upper GI test. My surgeon wants it to be looked at a bit closer.
I have a great support team at Emerson Hospital Surgical Weight Loss. The surgeon which I chose, is Dr. Michael Jiser. One of the reasons why I chose him was because the lenght of time which he has been doing gastric surgeries. He is very knowledgable and he is a nice person.
In October, I will celebrate 23 years of marriage to Matt and we have 1 daughter who will turn 19 in October, as well. We live a busy life but a very happy one. I work as a Home Health Aide caring for elderly people. The work is very rewarding. Outside of work, I volunteer at a Native American Center. Our whole family stays pretty busy with different events which we take part in. It's a lot of fun and it's like having another huge extended family.
9/4/08 Yesterday, I had to go for an endoscopy for an "irritation" which showed up on my upper GI test. They found a polyp in my stomach and did a few biopsies of it. As of right now, I cannot remember if they told me that they removed it. When the doctor talked to me, I was still pretty much out of it. I will call today to find out. That's about it for now. (I personally think, that is plenty!!!!) Onward with the wait till October 7th.
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