Lyra

Rock on and good luck! Surgery is a breeze in that you go to sleep and then seemingly wake up a minute later and you're done. Keep us all posted!

allergic to apples ? I have never ever heard of anyone being allergic to apples. That is so sad ! I'm allergic to shrimp and lobster (but no other seafood that I've found so far). Usually it's pretty easy to avoid. Imagine being allergic to grass or dust. ouch !

Yeah, it's kinda funny in that all the females in my family are allergic to apples, but none of the males. Each generation seems to be more susceptible to it, though. My grandmother and mother can eat applesauce, but not raw apples while any form of apples makes me break out in at least hives.

I was reading an article last week that there are people allergic to water. Can you imagine that? This one woman breaks out in hives from her own tears or in the shower. Now THAT would suck!

Dooter you just need to keep this mantra in mind:

I am a kicka$$ bodaciously beautiful woman

My fat lipids fear me and shrivel away to nothing

I am the awesome! The world is my 2 oz steak tartare

I am a kicka$$ bodaciously beautiful woman!

On the serious side, everybody's body looses weight at different speeds from different places. Example: My face and thighs lose weight before my chest. And it takes a Herculean amount of weight loss for my stomach to go away. You'll get there, just think positive!

By the way...please head straight to the e.r. for an MRI. I believe there is a problem with your head. You mentioned wanting to rock climb. Please let me know the results of the test. I'm worried now. :s

*laugh* I LOVE climbing and use to do it all the time along with martial arts but as I got bigger I didn't have the body strength to pull myself up the wall. Also, the harnesses were embarrassing. I can't wait to climb again!

I already feel better (thanks, ya'll!), I don't know why last night everything seemed to hit me at once. I'm blaming it on my monthly visitor being almost two weeks early! Hormones can make a lady nuts!

Awesome post! Congratulations on breaking 300 and just think how it'll feel when you keep getting closer to 'Mount Doom'. (By the way, I love the comparison). Keep us posted and keep rockin' your inner nerd as I'm a firm believer that they make the best, and most interesting, posts! If nothing else, having a sense of humor about it all makes the journey more bearable!

Love your sense of humor!!!I heard that birds did come from dinosaurs, so yes trex is delicious!Also, congratulations on joining the Apple family!! I got my MacBook then my iPhone and I don't think I could ever go back!!

Yeah, I'm loving Fyfer, my new phone, and am already addicted to him! However, I think my club membership t-shirt and secret decoder ring got lost in the mail....

Hi Lyra It's normal to worry that things won't run smoothly up to your surgery. It's ok, and even if it doesn't never lose that excitement you're feeling right now! It will happen and you will be sitting over here on the losers bench with all us skinnies.I'd like to make a suggestion though... *do NOT* get rid of your favorite outfit in your largest size. Save at least that one. You will be completely amazed as you lose weight, and in those times when the scale is being a stubborn mule, you can pull them out and put them on. I cannot tell you how much this makes the scale melt in comparison.

Cool, thanks! Even though Led Zepplin is riddled with holes and is in a sad, sad state of affairs I'll still keep it. It can sit in the back of my closet, alone, and being jealous of all my new, pretty clothes!

Yeah, that does sound odd. Good thinking!

ps- I would be suspicious too!

One thing you can do is tell them that you can't talk right now because you are working/kids/cleaning/saving the world and you will call them back later if they could give you their name, number, and extension. Then google the number and see what pops up.

Well if you don't want to tell anybody about your surgery you can always say you have ulcers/gastroenteritis and are on a restricted diet for awhile. That way if you do get sick at work people will just assume its from the food and your ulcers.

Good luck with your surgery!

Thank you! Yeah, my mom (and grandma!) are amazing. I'm kinda spoiled in that because I'm an only child/grandchild I get a lot of attention. We're all close and those bonds are precious to me. Poor mom has gone through all these classes twice, once with my dad and now with me! She should get a job teaching them...

Yep, everything goes before the insurance next week! C'mon surgery time!

Wow....I have to say that I cried when I read this. I adore my mom and can't imagine a life without her in it. I had a really crappy day today and reading this put everything in perspective and re-solidified my desire to lose weight. Thank you.

I haven't been sleeved yet...but I did have breast reduction when I was 19 and it was one of the BEST decisions I have ever made. I'm 5'5 and at the time I weighed about 145ish and had E/F size breasts. After surgery I went down to a small size C. Now that I've almost doubled my weight (wince) I have a large D.

Before the surgery, though, my back killed me on a daily basis. The key to getting insurance companies to pay for it is to make sure they see it as a health problem, not a vanity problem. Ie- your back/shoulderneck hurts, your bra straps dig into your shoulders, you get tension headaches at the base of your skull, its causing your spine to go out of alignment etc. You might want to start laying some groundwork with your GP or a chiropractor now. My doctor was absolutely amazing and its important to find one that you trust and who also knows how to work with the insurance companies!

As for my recovery, it was actually rather painless. I stayed with my parents and my mom was amazing and made sure that I was on a continuous round of painkiller so I was at a constant therapeutic level. In fact, they had to call the doctor so she would tell me that I needed to rest because I was up be-bopping around! I'm fair skinned, so it took awhile for the scars to fade but now you can barely notice them. Frankly, I wouldn't have cared if it had made me look like Frankenstein as long as my personal torture devices went away!

Good luck and if you have any questions about before, during, after, whatever feel free to message me!

Thats awesome! Your pre-surgery weight is my current weight and it was great to see where I might be in 10 months! Rock on!

I'm really sorry to hear about that! My dad had a pinched nerve and he would grab a pull up bar and let his body hang so that the weight would realign his back. Would that sort of thing help you? Do you have a GP who might be willing to prescribe you something without having to go in to see him/her? Have you tried something like Biofreeze or Asics gel to help with the inflammation? That stuff is amazing.

Hope you feel better soon! Oh, and I can't wait to do tough mudder too! It's my biggest after surgery goal. Keep us posted about it as I'm really curious! Have you seen their website with that guy's training regime? Woh!

Many of us have already been the caregivers of the groups we find ourselves in. We are often the peacekeepers, the 'git er done's, the motivators, the picture takers, the event planners, the logistics, etc...Now we are admitting to ourselves we are not OK, we have flaws - big ones - and this can make our friends really lost and scared.But, yes, frustrating as all heck.

Wow, that paragraph was like you were spying on my life! .....you're not, right? Just kidding! I hadn't thought about it that they might be scared for me and were needing reassurance. Apparently many of them hadn't realized how desperately unhappy I have been, and how whistfully I had sometimes sat out certain events even when I really, really wanted to do them. Ex: rock climbing, kyaking, etc. I'm not the person whose shoulder is good for crying on, but I've always been the one who makes sure that your fridge is stocked, your house cleaned and your dog taken care of when life hits the proverbial fan. I think people had gotten so used to me being the strong one that it freaked my best friends out when I got teary when explaining just why I was going to allow my stomach to be sliced and diced. They had gotten so used to me using humor and a quick smile to put off any of their concerns that they didn't really see what I really felt. I'm glad that I'm having this surgery and it has brought my friends and I closer together...even though sometimes I still want to plug my fingers in my ears and go "na na na naaa, I can't hear you!" *grin*

Ugh, bosses. Some are great, and some drive you up the proverbial wall. I transferred within my company to another store and went from an atmosphere where I had full carte blanche in my daily duties to one where my manager micro manages us to death. Her redeaming factor is that she does care about us and is reasonable about schedule changes and whatnot. I, too, will be dusting off the ol' resume in another year . Good luck on your job hunt! I'm sure you'll find something so amazing that you'll want to stick your tongue out at your current boss and go, "na na na na naaaa. I've got a better job! ha ha ha". Juvenile, but oh-so-satisfying to imagine.

Best of luck!

~Lyra

*two thumbs up* Good job and congratulations!

good for you,Lyra, and funny you should ask! I had dreadlocks for 6 years, and decided to take them out (you don't necessarily have to cut all your hair off) a couple of weeks ago. my head feels so light now! I think it was all a part of that upcoming major transition...when is/was your surgery?

I've just started jumping through the hoops. I've done the blood work already, I have my "welcome this is what you need to do" class on the 8th, the wellness/nutrition and psycho exam on the 15th, and hopefully will be able to do the required support groups in the beginning of March along with the pre-op class for surgery in April.

I didn't know that you could take dreads apart, I always thought they had to be cut off. I have to admit I love my new short hair! My hair is curly/wavy and when it was so long it got caught in everything, hopelessly tangled, or it would stand up a la Bride of Frankenstein!

I just felt like I read parts of MY life story as well! I was skinny as a child, but at puberty the weight just seemed to go up..and up...and up. I haven't been in a relationship for a long time, and have often felt invisible. To combat this I developed the 'big girl' personality. Funny, sarcastic, witty, etc. Apparently I use it so well that my closest friends didn't even realize how much I hate this body that I'm trapped in. When I found out about the sleeve I almsot started crying from relief. I'm hopefully getting sleeved in April and I imagine my emotions will go through the same roller coaster ride as yours are. All I can say is that you're not crazy and you have a right to feel how you feel. Repressing those emotions would be bad in the long run, but maybe you can channel it into volunteering, running, a new hobby, etc. All of those things can make you feel better about yourself and help steady your emotions. If there are any support groups in your area for post-sleevers, then maybe you can try and go to those. If nothing else, you'll know that you're not alone in how you feel.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Mater, thanks for the protein snow cone idea, it sounds yummy! I especially love the chocolate shakes (yeah, chocolate!), but I think I'm going to experiment with the strawberry ones too. As for fast food, I'm definitely not going to be eating that crap anymore. I spent the whole night feeling disgusting. It was beautiful outside and all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch. What a waste.

Good luck with getting your sleeve! I'm looking at about April for mine (crosses fingers) and I can't wait!

"I'm not breaking up with you, because I still need you to live"

Hahaha! I was drinking tea when I read that and almost had an accident! Very funny!

Thanks ya'll! I will definitely post some pictures over the week (I just moved recently and still have to unearth the camera as the one on my phone sucks). I do enjoy being spontaneous about some things. I'm just so happy right now in my new town, my new job and in turning my life into what I want it to be instead of just dreaming about what it could be. Life is filled with so many possibilities and I can't wait to be able to experience them!

You're gonna rock that sleeve! Keep us posted on how you're doing, and try not to stress too much before the surgery!