kuiltdiva

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 A lot has happened to me this year.   My weight has slowly been going down since I moved in with my mom.  Now I get exercise everyday by walking the dog and doing water exercise.  We don't walk fast or far (2 miles at most) but we do walk.  I left my husband in Florida for reasons not related to my surgery.  He did want me to get plastic surgery to remove the excess skin and tone up my body.  I was waiting till I lost 10 more pounds.  Without the stress of him and the cats, I can take care of myself.  My mom can use the help.  She is very active, but at 83 things are getting hard for her.  

Now my nutrition and other blood work is great based on my labs.  I have no food problems other than I still love sweets.  I can control the portions since the surgery.  I have Fibromyalgia, Bullous Pemphigoid and major arthritis and injuries to my low back.  With the weight loss, my cholestrol is normal.  Before surgery, I could barely walk with a rolator.  The pain medicine and spinal injections were not controlling the pain and I was so mentally out of it, I would have my husband take me shopping.   Now, I have 3.5 hours a day that I am really good.  

Next month, I will start shopping for a plastic surgeon.  This site will be very helpful in researching my options and what my expectations should be.   I used to be a size 3x.  Now I am a size 12.  I have lost over 100 lbs.

I am very pleased with my surgery.  I have lost 88 pounds with no effort.  I could have lost more.  I seem to have trouble eating meat or pasta but no problem eating trail mix.  I stopped losing weight.  I switched back to Merita prunes with a slice of white american cheese.  I get the prunes from Sam's Club.  They are moist and sweet.  Much better than Sunsweet or other brands.  I do eat a couple of Reese cups and a cup of coffee frozen yogurt.  I drink unflavored whey isolate protien mixed with Crystal Light.  I enjoy raisins, Fuji apples and Crasins.  I know I need more vegtables.  I love 100 calorie bags of kettle popcorn.  I make a great muffin that includes lots of carrots, egg whites, prunes, whole wheat and pinapple.  This makes a very satisfying meal.  Often, a half a muffin (1/4 cup) fills me completely.  I don't often eat any type of bread.  It seems to plug my stomach immediately. 

I still want to lose 32 more pounds.  My back pain has increased slowly.  I have restricted my activities over the last few months.  This has limited my exercise and socializing.  I have scheduled a spinal block on Thursday.  I hope to recreate the relief I got from my surgery spinal block.  Pain is affecting my sleep, Fibromyalgia, I am grumpy, constipated and my house is not as clean as I want it.  I can not sit up to sew for long.  I was doing better when I got 2 Accupuncture treatments a week.  Now I do it once a week to save money.  My pain doctor increased my medicine but it only helps a little.  I take 4, 600 mg Neurotin a day.  The drugs smother my energy level.

I won my disability case retroactive to 1/1/2009.  That brings needed funds and I am now covered by Medicare.  This gives me some financial independance that I would have lost if my husband started to support me.  My husband wants all the loose skin "firmed up".  He has a nude picture of 24 year old Elizabeth Taylor on his computer table to look at everyday.  He has high expectations but he is not willing to pay for the surgery.  I have to take a 2 hour rest break each day to help relax my spasms from the Fibromyalgia.  It is time to rest.

I am so happy.  Not "I got a new horse" happy but happy.  I am no longer disgusted when I see myself in the mirror.  My condo has a lot of mirrors. LOL  I have not exercised like I should and I still have poor eating habits.  I just do not stuff myself.  I have a lot less cravings.  I am able to walk 2 miles without difficulty.   Before, my back hurt so much, I could not walk across the street.  I don't snack all day or at night.  I do have to remind myself that empty does not equal hungry.  I have lost 80 pounds.  I plan to lose 40 more.  That will leave me with a lot of excess skin.  I am noticing that the loose skin is not just on the outside.  Inside my mouth has loose skin that I could accidentally bite if not careful. 

I just got home from a 3 week trip to visit friends and family.  I was concerned because I have not driven my car a long distance since 11/09.  That trip was quite difficult for me to follow my husband.  We split it into 2, 5 hour drives.  This time, I had no trouble with the 10 hour drive on the first day.   A few days later I drove another 6 hours.  One of my friends was so thrilled with my weight loss that she gave me a large box of clothes.  These are greatly appreciated.  

When I visited my old office, I was greeted by tons of hugs.  I sewed with my quilt group and visited my favorite stores in Cleveland TN.  When I got to Evansville IN, my mom kept me busy with lots of small projects.  My Fibromyalgia limited what I could do.  We still had a great time. 

My 25th wedding anniversary is 4/26.  I know that my husband is proud of having a pretty wife once again.

OMG, how wonderful life has been without the pain!  The spinal block, done for my surgery, must have knocked out the nerve that was causing all the pain.  I knew that the nerve could regenerate and the pain would return.  I am starting to get the sciatic pain this week.  I made the most of the time by walking, shopping for pleasure, sewing gifts and I was able to fly to visit my mom for a week.  We had a great time. 

My skin is still flaring up with itchiness and blistering.  I have a new pain doctor to see tomorrow.  My old one had run out of ideas and was not interested in how the spinal block relieved all that pain.  I have another appointment with my Dermatologist in Jan.  My back brace now fits and is able to support my spine,  I have a lot more energy and enthusiam.

Pain, my life cycles around different pains.  I am always trying to evaluate which pain is "talking".  Then I try to treat it.  My husband and I moved to Florida because he always wanted to live here on the beach and pain prevented me from enjoying my old hobbies.  I have Bullous Pemphigoid.  It appears to be dormant but stress seems to start my skin to feel like it is separating, blistering or itching.  This disease seems to have triggered Fibromyalgia.  Right this minute I took Lyrica.  Otherwise I could not continue to type.  I fell with a horse 8/09 on asphalt.  It was the straw that broke my back.  Treatments for pain have not been successful.  I can walk.  It is always painful.  Standing is also very painful.  Surgery was not recommended to fuse my spine.  I am hoping that weight loss will decrease the pain and allow me to use a back brace.  I have been exercising in the pool.  So sometimes the muscles are sore. 

I am so glad I found this site.