Hi Donna! Congrats on the weight loss progress. Feels good doesn't it? You have earned the bragging rights for being able to walk (even if it's only 5 feet). Baby steps Donna, baby steps. About conference - it was great! I think the best part of conference for me was the Saturday morning session where the prophet announced the new temples. He announced one for Twin Falls, Idaho. That's in my neighborhood!!!! I was listening to conference at home on the internet and I screamed when it was announced and it scared my little girls and they started to cry. Of course I was crying too, not from being scared but from the excitement of the temple announcement. I thought the prophet looked like he had aged 10 years since the last conference six months ago. I became concerned for his health. I know the prophet's in his 90's but he's always been 90 going on 40. This time he really looked his age. It looked to me like it's been rough since he lost his wife. The owners of our local movie theater are LDS and in our ward and they showed the movie "The Other Side of Heaven" for a ward function a few years back. It was very good. I enjoyed it. It's good to read that you're doing so well. I think about you often - I'm just too lazy to pick up the phone and dial your number. I still can't tell you apart from Vickie (ha ha) she could probably carry on a whole conversation with me and I would never know I wasn't talking to you. Have a good week at school. Melody

My hair isnt' long enough to do the ratting with. It is pretty thin all over. Thinking that the Sinaid O'Connor look would be okay? NOT!! I knew that my hair would thin. I thought I had prepared myself mentally for this to happen. But I didn't think it would look this bad. My mom says it looks fine. But that is what moms are supposed to say right?? Anyways, I wrote a mini update in my response to Melody. Thanks again!! Gala

Hello everyone, My name is Edith Zamudio. I live in Salt Lake City. (heart of "mormon country") I have been here since 1997 and love it. I am from Mississippi and joined the church when I was 17. I am married to a wonderful man from Mexico. We do not have any children and are not planning to have any. I am 45 years old and will be a little older in December. I am scheduled to have my roux-n-y on October 18. My husband wasn't too happy about the date because that is his birthday. So much for celebrating it that day. I love the gospel and would not change any of the things I have done in my life. I feel that all of them have made me the person I am today. It is funny how the things that we think are absolutely devastating in our lives turn out to be the best things that could happen to us. Even now, I feel that although I am overweight, the knowledge of the challenges facing the obese person will make me more understanding and compassionate to others in the same situation. Anyway, my husband and I met during a monthly ward temple trip. He is paraplegic and was in need of a ride to the temple that night. My best friend offered him a ride but was not able to put his wheelchair in her trunk. I had not met him but I offered to drive our little group that night because my car had a huge trunk. We attended the session and had dinner afterwards. The next Sunday, he asked for my phone number and one thing led to another and we married 4 months later. One thing that I am looking forward to is being able to sit in his lap without the fear of injury to him or his wheelchair.

GOOD GRIEF GALA! I'm so sorry to hear about everything. I hope they get the problem fix, pronto! My hair's also starting to thin out quite a bit but I was blessed with thick hair in the begining so I actually enjoyed the hair loss for a while. But, the sides are getting thin enough where you can see my scalp if I fix it a certain way. I don't know how long your hair is but you might try backcombing (ratting) it a bit and then smoothing the ends out over it. In school that's what we did for some of the elderly women who didn't have much hair. It's what I'm going to be doing to my sides here pretty quick. Well, my prayers and thought are with you! Hydi

Just thought I would give a quick update. I went back today to have a urine sample tested. And the plan was then to strait cath afterwards to see how much remained in my bladder. Well - first I wasn't able to go to the bathroom. I haven't since yesterday evening. No desire nothing. Mary decided to not worry about doing the retest and just to the cathing. That was another hole problem - 45 min. later Mary gave up and said there was no way her or the other person was going to be able to do the strait cath. I left and and went to the hospital for a CT Scan of my abdomin. It was mainly supposed to be for my kidneys and bladder and also some lab work. So off I go. The clinic told me to wait at the hospital while they got the results and then they would talk to me over the phone. The Rad. Tech has me wait and then comes out and says "You need to go back to the clinic. Mary will talk to you over there.". Okay - back to the clinic I go. The CT of my kidney and bladder was okay. There was no sign of dialation and such of "something" (I can't remember the name of it) that they were looking for. There are no stones or blockages either. So now I am being refferred to an urologist (sp??) for urinary retention and because the opening of the uriter (??spe??) is smaller than a babies. Mary said she has done many cath's before and never not been able to do it. She used pediatric foley still with no luck. When the Radiologist read the CT Scan she seen a cyst type of formation on or near (i don't know where - i'm so frustrated right now) my liver. She reccom. I have a CT contrast scan of my liver and an u/s of my liver done right away. Now...they could have done it this week one day but not till 2:45pm. The gal told me I couldn't eat or drink ANYTHING after midnight the night before. I told the receptionist that is not possible. I have history since WLS of being dehydrated and nutritionally I can't go that long w/o eating. The gal got snippy w/me and told the person on the other line "she can't do it. she will get to dehydrated". Then says to me "Well, they can't get you in till next week. Is 12:30 ok?" Trying not to cry and be completely a b_ I said "it will have to. I dont' have a choice I guess". I told them numerous times while I was standing there that I am tired and fed up and just going to forget the hole thing. In which the recpetionist would then be bit nicer and say "oh its okay. everything will be fine" whatever. Has anyone else ever had anything like this? When Grace (nurse) told me she seemed concerned and said that Mary wanted her to make these appts. asap. So she went and had the receptionist do it. When Mary came in she was very quiet and didn't seemed to concerned about it. I played like I didn't know anything because I wanted to see her reaction. Truth betold...It does bother me. My hair is falling out in hand fulls. I have no bangs left. I don't know what to do or how to style it. We had family pics done this weekend at one of those Vintage Old Time Shops. I bought the CD. So I will have to somehow figure out how to get my family pic up. I was glad we decided to do this because I had a hat on and you can't see how thin my hair is. Yet, I have had 2 people today ALONE ask me "Gala, your hair is really thin. Why is that?" I just gave a half smile and said "just is" and kept on going. I am loosing about 1-3 lbs a week. Which is seems really slow to me. I feel like I have been at "60 lb" loss forever. I see my surgeon tomorrow for my 3 mon. check up and I will be discussing this stuff with him. Gala