shemchin 21 years ago

HAPPY THIRD ANNIVERSARY, ALEX!!!!!! Haven't seen you and Janne in a while, we'll have to get together soon. I am busy with school and trying to finish up this math class - it takes all of my time. I have been going to the Starbuck's coffee's every other saturday on Abrams road. Maybe I will see you guys at the next one. Take care!! Love Ya!!

Cinna G. 22 years ago

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO YOU! Best wishes to you today, your TWO year anniversary from surgery. I hope this post finds you healthier and happier than ever. Please remember to update your profile so that others can follow along on this amazing journey. Have a fantastic day today!!

Alexander M. 23 years, 8 months ago

To all the great people that have followed my progress, I sincerely thank each and every new friend that has e-mailed me. I truly enjoy the e-mails that are sent my way. I would have upgraded my page sooner but the mainframe computer will not recognize my existance. It says that Alexander (Alex) Mcneill does not exist in its database! I cannot get into my own site! I have been out of the hospital about six weeks. I have been regaining my strength after 80 straight days of hospitalization. I am happy to report that I am now on regular diet. The doctor discovered that my Jackson-Pratt drain was in the new stomach pouch the whole time that I was hospitalized! He pulled it back about 4" and voila, my pouch leak healed closed within 5 days! I went through a flouroscope test to prove that the pouch was closed and ready for food. I still have two small wounds on my abdomen that are healing slowly but surely. I am quite mobile and have been driving about the last four weeks. Have I lost anymore weight? You bet I have! I am now at 486 pounds, down from 640 on March 29th - the day of my surgery. That is a loss of 154 pounds in four months! I feel great and am literally falling through the range of old unworn clothes that I stored away a long time ago. My waist has gone from 78" to 66". Granted, I am still a large person but the thought that I will never be huge again thrills me to no end!! The weight I have lost will stay gone this time! As a final comment, I would like to say that I would surely go through the problems I have endured if I had to again! I went through hell but to see the results that I am producing show that I have started a new life as a thinner, happier person. As Janne, my wife , says, " I can see past your belly to watch t.v. while in bed now!-LOL Again, to all of you, I say thank you! Alex. McNeill

Barbara I. 23 years, 9 months ago

Dear Alex, Well how does it feel to be "Free At Last"?? No more training IV's around, and not having to see medical personnel every day. Bet it seemed like you might never get to this point, but you made it!! Now that you're loose from all those entanglements, I bet you feel like dancing:) Just keep it to a slow dance or two for the near future (wouldn't want you to trip over those baggy britches now would we). Just think that when all those fireworks go off this weekend, you can Really Celebrate Your Independence! Have a Great Weekend:) Warm Healing Skinny thoughts still headed your way! ttfn Diane aka Barbara

Shar /. 23 years, 9 months ago

This is from Alex: "Tomorrow I come off the I.V. and it will be almost three months to the day. I am impatiently waiting! I drove today for the first time since March. I fit behind the wheel a lot better and didn't have to tilt the seat back like I used to. My occupational therapist released me today. She said I had improved far more quickly than expected and did not need her services anymore. My Physical therapist comes tomorrow and I intend to take a short walk with her in front of our house--at least to the corner and back. That should be about 300 feet. I feel that I can handle it." I'm off on vacation all - my best wishes to you while I'm gone. Love,

Barbara I. 23 years, 9 months ago

Dear Alex & Janne, Well it's about time you got rid of all that hardware you've been toting around. It's really Great to hear that things are finally going your way and that you are finally on the road to full recovery. But Especially great to hear that there was no need for additional surgery! But don't let all this success go to your head:) Follow Doctor's orders and don't try to do things too quickly. I know that after all that "down time" you probably want to get out & go anywhere & everywhere. But take it easy, besides Janne needs the rest:) I still haven't gotten confirmation from Aetna, they say maybe a decision by this friday. I'll keep you posted:) BTW the CRT is officially on Stand-down, but they have let me know that they are always ready to move at a moments notice should I ever need them again:) Warm Healing Skinny thoughts now headed your way:) ttfn Diane aka Damsel aka Barbara

Roslynn P. 23 years, 9 months ago

HALLELUJAH! (Conducting the choir as they sing the "Hallelujah" chorus). Alex, I feel as if I have known you forever. I am bursting with pride for you and I am so happy to see how things have worked out for you. I give God praise for you and your well-being. Continued Success with your recovery. Roslynn Parker

Shar /. 23 years, 9 months ago

Alex - I pulled these from the message board for you: "06/27 06:37 AM Hi everybody. Laurie, good luck on the 6th. Linda T., I thank you for the appeal info that you posted. Last night, I sat up until after midnight writing an appeal letter. I already have 3 doctor's statements documenting weightloss attempts (medically supervised) in the past 3 years. I only contacted everyone Friday and all have responded. That was quick!! I am going to go ahead and check out the appeal samples on that sight just to make sure mine is even close. Alex, I am not real familiar with you, I'm fairly new to the sight, but it sounds as if you've had a time of it, glad to hear you are doing better. Ava is right, this surgery is not the easy way out. I have not had the surgery yet, but I have no illusions that it will be easy. Jeannie, are you suppose to hear something by tomorrow? I thought I remembered someone mentioning Wednesday. Heidi, I am so sorry for what they have done to you. I have little or no patience, especially when things are down to the wire. I would be bouncing off the walls. Hang in there baby, you'll be there before you know it. Well I went out in garden morning after it rained all night and I have tomatoes and peppers and cukes to pick. By this time next year I will be able to bend over and pick without it almost killing me!!!!!!!!!LOL Take Care everybody -- Kimberly Witoszczak 06/26 09:31 PM HOORAY for Alex! Alex, I was so happy to read Shar's update today! (who, btw, just has to be the best Angel ever!!) I bet liquids never tasted so good, huh? ;-)........ YIKES! I just realized that my surgery is 3 weeks from TODAY! When I was told in April that my surgery would be in July, you might as well have told me it would be next year. But it really has gone by fast. Ack! The nerves are setting in!! -- Lisa Allen 06/26 09:18 PM I have been trying to keep up with the message board....how wonderful to read about Alex!! I believe he was in chat with us last night; what an inspiration to us all. TJ glad to see you post, you too are an inspiration. My job is getting overly stressful and I have only been back to work for 2 weeks, starting week 3 now. I am anxious to get going on planning my second abdominoplasty, want to get it over with asap. The protrusion over the incision from the first one never went down at all and a second opinion confirmed that it was not swelling just a lot of tissue that would not shrink....this protrudes almost an inch on my right and an inch and a half on the left. I am back to doing most g...working out before work daily and swimming whenever I can :o) Alreading doing my back flip off the diving board!! Thinking of going to a support group...I hear there is one near me in Toledo/Sylvania at the Flower Hospital. This would be my first even though I am approaching my 2 yr anniversary...it's never too late to start!! Edith Esper -- Edith 06/26 08:32 PM Where do I begin....First and foremost, Heidi I am so sorry to hear about your surgery being cancelled. I know its hard...but there is a reason.You know what they say! Third time is a charm. Secondly, please join me in congratulating Eva Roberts on her surgery date of Sept 14th! Way to go Eva! Third,how good is it to hear that Alex is making real progress. I felt dehydrated just reading about his inability to drink anything! Shar/UT...how lucky is he to have you as an angel. You have hung right in there for him and for that you should be proud. Maybe you should be an angel preceptor! LOL!!!! By the way...Micki Griffis goes for her pre-ops tomorrow, Micki if your reading this, kinda go easy on the staff there...you know I go the next day for mine! LOL...Jeannie O., what can I say girl, Im here for you and always keep you in my prayers. Your day is coming, please dont give up. Keeping you all in my prayers..... -- Cheryl Simpson"

Rosanne O. 23 years, 9 months ago

Alex, Congratulations on your leak healing. It has been a long time coming. I bet you feel like you have been to hell and back. Hang in there. The best is yet to come. And your dear wife, Janne, must be quite a trooper. This must have been quite an ordeal for her too. These things do not happen to us alone, they happen to our family and loved ones also. I bet you will both be glad when life becomes "normal" again, what ever that really means. My best wishes to both of you. Rosanne Ong

Shar /. 23 years, 9 months ago

Alex - I pulled these from the message board for you: "06/26 08:00 PM Congrats to Alex, I am so happy to see that he is doing well. Talk about trials and tribulations he could write a book. I can't go an hour with out eating or drinking something, and he went three months. Good for you Alex, I am very proud. My consult go moved up a week, so very cool. I called to say that I was approved and if that would mean I could get in sooner and Joanna said yes, that speeds things up trendously. Oh Yea. I movin' on up. But my surgery probably won't be until september. That's ok after the heat is gone is good for me. Heidi, I am so sorry that they postponed you, atleast they could have switched you with the lady they gave your spot too. How Rude. You have the same patients as me and that is not much. At least not when it comes to something that you had your hopes up for. Take deep bbreaths and demand and explanation. Keep us updated. -- Alison Dean 06/26 07:33 PM CONGRATULATIONS ALEX! I'm so glad you're healed and sealed! I've been hoping this day would come--you've certainly waited for it long enough! You've got a lot of courage to weather that lifetime in the hospital! I've never knew how you did it with such a great attitude and good spirits! You're a heck of a guy! You inspire us, and keep us moving forward, no matter where we are in our journey. Everytime I hit a bad patch, I think of you and what you've endured daily for MONTHS. I say to myself 'If Alex can get through THAT, then I can deal with THIS!' You've got all my respect and admiration for sure! You've just gotta know how much we think of you here! (You're certainly the best answer we have for folks that think this surgery is the 'easy way out' LOL!) I look forward to see you here online with us all typin' away; you're already here in our hearts! SHAR--You're absolutely super! You've been a wonderful angel, a great friend, and the best member of AMOS ever! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being the great lady that you are! Love always... -- Ava Lee 06/26 07:20 PM Shar, that is the most wonderful news about Alex. Please give him my best. The poor man has been through so much. I hope that the news is all good from now on and he starts realizing how wonderful this surgery really is. I don't now how he could go so long without drinking anything. Just the short time post op when you can't have anything was too long for me. Heidi, You must be devastated. My surgery got rescheduled one time and I cried so much my eyeballs hurt for 2 days. You poor thing! I feel so bad for you. They MUST give you an explanation for this happening. It is just unacceptable the way it has been done. I am hugging you with my heart. Hold on; it will happen. -- Rosanne Ong 06/26 05:41 PM hi Alex, praise God , you are healing:O) you & Jane will out on the town before you know it:O) i want to thank every one that posted prayers & good thoughts for me, please belive me when i say it helps :O) hug, -- jeannie odeay"
About Me
Irving, TX
Location
89.3
BMI
RNY
Surgery
03/29/2000
Surgery Date
Jan 29, 2000
Member Since

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