Jaime Breckenridge

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It is always so nice to return home after being away.  I missed my wife and son terribly the entire time I was gone all I could think about was them.

I am having some issues with cold sores when I get overly stressed.  I have never gotten one before but my wife has gotten them since childhood.  I got my first one about two days after I got my surgery date and I got my second one the day I left for Michigan to visit my sister and her family.  I think this one was from the guilt I had leaving my wife and son behind (they still had school, wife is a special education teacher and my son is only 14 so he has a few more years of school).

I brought my nephew back to Illinois to stay with us for about a ten days or so.  He is seven and a great kid.  He is quite active and one of the most intelligent kids I have ever had the pleasure of hanging out with so far.  I mean the kid is in second grade and is doing 5th grade math, reading at a nearly high school level.  The things that come out of his mouth are amazing.  I told my sister he is like an old philosopher or something.  It must be the Aspergers Syndrome because I haven't heard a seven year old talk in such a philosophical intelligent way.

OK, well enough about me I guess.  I am down to 388lbs and can't wait, I have less than 130lbs to the goal Dr. Rossi set for me.  None of my cloths fit but my Dad and stepmother got me about a dozen t-shirts for my birthday and they should fit me in about 2-3 months.  ( I asked for the smaller size planning ahead!)  The only pair of Jeans I have are a pair that were too small a year ago and they are about 16 inches too big.  I wear a belt with them and it is like an accordion around my waist.  Good feeling but I hate to buy anything when I should be at goal sometime this summer.  I know I have said this a time or two before but I just hate the idea of spending money on something I will only be able to use for a few months.

-Jaime

This is the second year in a row that I went the wrong way for spring break.  Everyone else goes south and I get turned around and go north.  Maybe next year I will get it right.

Actually I am in Traverse City, Michigan visiting my sister and her family.  I didn't fully decide to come until Friday about 3pm and drove up Friday evening/Saturday morning.  I felt horribly guilty going away without my wife and son because they have school still (wife is a special education teacher) and they don't get a break.  They assured me that it was all good and that I needed to 'get away' for a little bit.  So I reluctantly left Macomb, IL about 6pm and got to traverse City at 3am Illinois time, 4am Michigan time.  I made pretty good time but along the way I stopped in Michigan City, Indiana to mess with my son and fill up the gas tank.

He loves White Castle.  I had a step-dad that called the burgers from White Castle 'rectum rockets'.  I bought two and took a video of me putting one under my back tire and driving away cause my son loves them so much and he has school this week.  The other one I decided to eat.  BIG mistake!  I had terrible cramps and horrible grease (I know you fellow ds'ers know what I mean by grease).

The snow is everywhere but luckily not on the roads and beginning to melt off everywhere else.  I am sure they will have more before the end of March, they normally always do.

I have tried to continue eating well but I did have some potato soup and some chicken noodle soup (both loaded with carbs) but I limited the amount I ate.  Other than those two meals I have only had meat and cheese.  Only drinking water, OJ, apple juice and decaf unsweetened tea.  Some gas and a little cramping due to the added carbs that I am not used too but all in all doing well.

I will update weight once I get back home, unless I can track a scale down up here to check myself but going a few days without weighing myself isn't a bad thing cause I am staying on track for the most part.

Hope you are all having a good March so far,

-Jaime

I am fairly excited, as I probably should be after losing this much weight.

I have had a bad few weeks.  After taking 2 months off last semester from school because of having the DS I took an incomplete in two classes.  All the material is due by Friday March 13th so I am a tad stressed between that and the midterms.

I will get through it though.

I will post a new collage shortly.  One of my classes is graphic communications so I am learning Photoshop right now and doing a lot of playing with it.

-Jaime

Well... I am on week two of working out and it is going okay.  Sore because I haven't used these muscles like this in a LONG time.  I am down 171 lbs since October 17th so that is cool.  I wanted to be at 235lbs but Dr. Rossi wants me at 250lbs.  So I go with Dr. Rossi and will see how I look and feel at 250.

Good luck to all.

-Jaime

I saw Dr. Rossi Friday the 13th, exactly 4 months from surgery date.  I also had my first bodpod (measures lean mass vs body fat).  The door on the bodpod wouldn't shut pre-surgery.  IT SHUT!  he-he.

My body fat is still high but not like it was, I am currently at 57% fat and I have 175 lbs of lean mass (everything but fat so organs, muscle, bone, etc...)  My weight is down to 411 lbs.  I have lost 159 lbs in 4 months and I finally got my release.

Since I decided to finish my degree at Western Illinois University I get a discount on a personal trainer.  In town it is $50 an hour but at the recreation center at the university it is $50 for 4 one hour sessions.  I had my first today and I feel great.  Don't get me wrong, I hurt but it is a good hurt, one I haven't experienced in a long, LONG time.

My wife said she is going to buy me a treadmill this weekend.  I am excited in the thought of working out at home in the evening and at the rec center in the mornings.

The add/adhd testing is in a couple of weeks and they are pretty sure I have a mixture of both, I always thought it was the same thing but apparently you can have one form or the other... or both.

Keep your chin(s) up and keep your eye on the goal.

A guy finally has only one chin

-Jaime

Well, I had to give some blood today so they can check my vitamin levels and such.  I thought I would weigh myself while at the hospital and I was shocked.  I even reset the scale and got on a second time.

I was 570 the day I got out of the hospital and today I am 420.  That is a 150 lb loss in just under 4 months.  I am elated.


Best to all of you,

-Jaime

I see my surgeon, Dr. Rossi, Friday the 13th for my 4 months checkup.  I hope everything goes well and I can start exercising with free weights and doing more cardio than just walking.  Luckily I can get a personal trainer for only $50.  That gets me 4 sessions.  I am stoked.

I still MUST take my codeine or bad things happen, intestinally speaking, but it could be worse.  At least the codeine works right?

I did get a picture taken last week but I am in the mist of trying to get a slide show put together.  However, resuming school has eating a lot of my free time and I am finding it hard to get things done.

Unfortunately I am still suffering from memory loss, lack of concentration, poor sleeping habits... among some other issues.  I was really hoping wl would help with some of those things but they seem to be worse.  So off to my PCP Thursday to see what can be done.

Hope you all much luck and well being on your wl journey.

-Jaime

I am feeling better but the intestinal issues are still there.  I have to take medication to keep my issues at bay.  I hope the issues resolve themselves soon because I hate to think of being like this the rest of my life.

Other than that I am so glad I had it done.  Not the first 6-8 weeks but now that some time has passed and I have healed a bit I notice a difference.  Not so much in my looks but in the things I can do... for example.

*I can tie my shoes without huffing and puffing and doing yoga to reach the laces.
*I can walk, talk and keep up with people and not break a sweat or get winded.  (except on those cold blustery days)
*I haven't broken a sweat in 4 months.
*I get cold very easily and I have never worn a coat unless it was close to 0 and even then only if I was going to be outside for an extended time period.  (not just going to car from house or to store from car)
*I can move around, get up, sit down, get on the floor, and other such things that I had trouble doing before.
*I can fit in chairs with arms on them.  (I have yet to try the booth or older smaller armed chairs but it is coming... this summer I think.
*I sleep better at times.  (my bi-pap was running an average of 22-25 and now it is only pushing 17-18 on average)
*My sweatpants have to be taken in from ankle to waist. (I am constantly holding my sweatpants up)
*I almost swim in my shirts.
*My bluejeans fit, and they haven't fit for 8-12 months.  (they are bunched up around the belt like an accordion)

There are a few others I am sure but off the top of my head those are what I can come up with right now.
I hate the idea of spending money on new cloths until these absolutely do not fit.  So I suffer for the time being with what I have.

I will try to get some new photo's up this week.

Best of luck to all of you,

-Jaime

My loving wife, wonderful son and I went to Traverse City, Michigan for Christmas to visit my sister and her family.  I just knew it was going to be miserable with the horrible stomach issues I have been having the 3 weeks prior to the trip but my surgeon, Dr. Rossi, gave me a prescription for some codeine sulfate.  It works wonderfully.  I haven't had a single bout of diarrhea since the first dose.  I am a tad concerned with how I will do once off the medication but for now all is good.

I have lost a total of 117 lbs since the day I got out of the hospital.  My wife and I figured it out and that is 1.5 lbs a day.  I have noticed several changes but only just recently.  I stepped up a curb yesterday and didn't stop to make sure I had good footing, it was all in normal stride.  I should point out that the curbs around the square in town are about twice as high as a normal sized curb.  Before this I had to stop at the edge and step up/down carefully.

I lost 9 lbs over Christmas and ate terribly.  I snacked on and off all day for a week while at my sisters because they have young children who eat constantly.  Plus there were about a dozen family members who were there for 4 days and brought a ton of candy/cookies.  I steered clear of the candy but did eat cookies, pie, carbs, etc...  I did not overeat but I did eat things that weren't the healthiest choices.  Dr. Rossi told me this last week that I could start exercising a bit now, walking and other light non aggressive/light impact things.  I was stoked to hear that finally because I have free gym membership and I want to use it.

I am going back to school to finish my degree and the university has a great facility.  I can even get a personal trainer so that is cool.

OK, I am going to sign off for now and post some more photo's later this weekend if I can remember.

-Jaime

So things are going well but I still have terrible diarrhea.  It has been going on for over a week now, two more days will be two weeks.  I told the doctor that I don't have diarrhea when I don't eat or drink but that seems counter productive to me so I eat and drink as usual and I know that in 30 minutes to an hour I will have terrible diarrhea for about an hour or so.

Other than that everything is going well.