Kat817

Don't forget me! I wanna go!!!!!! Kat

Hi Cherie, welcome to LBT---and our Fabulous Forties crew! My suggestion, from experience personally would be to hit the induction phase of Atkins hot and heavy!!! HIGH protein, and extremely low carbs. Lots of meat, cheese, and eggs. With the only additions being fresh veggies, and avoiding corn, peas, and of course the carb filled potatoes. It will drop weight quickly, it will also help reduce the fat on and around the liver, making your surgery easier. It was in fact the diet given to me as a pre op diet. And add to that steady...but fairly gentle at this time to lose the weight....exercise. Lots of walking for instance. Move as much of the time as possible---even if it is simple leg lifts while we sit at our computers!!! I did this many times, it always worked. Unfortunately for me, I could never stick with it past the first 50 pounds or so! And when the weight come back, it come back with a vengeance!! But since you will be having surgery by that time you should be good to go!! Good Luck! Kat

Good Morning Girls~~ Trying to wake up and warm up here---we are well below zero again! I am ready for spring!!! Not sure what is on the agenda for today. Rick wants to see a movie---he wants to see The Bucket List. Might do it this afternoon. Manda is off early so she will have Kinsey. Rick said he is beyond proud of me for doing this trip with you guys. I am not sure if he is really proud, or really shocked!! LOL I need to make an appointment and go see my fill Dr. I do not want a fill at this point, I am waiting at least until I decide if I am going to persue the TT soon. But just for a check up...to touch base. But it is over some really trecherous mountain passes, and this winter has been harsh up that direction, so I am putting it off. It isn't like I haven't seen a Dr. and had the basics done!! Well I guess I will go get something to drink, and get started with that for the day!!! Check in with y'all later! Kat

Yep, head count me! I need to check and find out whether I will fly in from home or from Abilene or Austin....might end up being the same time we would have been on the ranch. I mentioned needing to know dates to my MIL today. She tells me my SIL has mentioned this trip, but thought we were going back east! I told her I had no idea what she was talking about, we have already done a final tally of who was coming. If she pops in here and thinks she is going to be involved---I am outta here! No seriously it would take more than that, but I would be an unhappy camper! She rubs my nose in the fact that she is below goal every second of every minute we are together. Makes mean comments about me being deformed looking with my belly hanging, and the rest of me being too thin for it. I would end up being mean, and I hate that! Pamela---do we still plan on meeting up for the remainder of the flight, if I leave from home? I will know as soon as tomorrow. When we go to TX this next time, it will be to take my inlaws to their high school reunion---it is like over 60 years! They go every 3 years or so---and we said we would drive them down. I will make her find the newspaper with the dates in it. Rick is hoping not, because the following weekend is Memorial weekend, and we are leaving for a rally----8 hour ride for the years innaugural run---I feel the pain already!! I am excited we made a plan!!! Yea Us!!! Hope it works for everyone. Think Alex knew I was considering a larger font, cuz my eyes are getting so bad???!!!! OK---well I am off to bed. Keeping up with this resolution. Ate like crap today---did great with the Water. Thinking if my blood work comes back ok, and I don't have to screw with my meds for thyroid---about calling for my consult for the TT next week! Makes me nervous as hell though!!! If Jen can fly I can have this operation! Kat

I leave for a little while, and come back to nothing I recognize!!! All my ways of getting to my usual threads are gone! I hope you are right Pamela and that I get used to this!!! I am good with the trip plan, I like it, I say we are a go! Will go see if I can find the other thread, and check in there too! Had fried mushrooms with dinner, and they seem to be sitting--not stuck exactly, just not digesting....yuck! Kat

If it is a violent PB, you may have a tiny tear of the esophagus. That is not something to take lightly---it is time to ask the Dr. in my opinion. My DH is not banded, but almost died from a tear to the esophagus---he almost bled to death! I am not just trying to scare you, but I do feel it is something you need to see a Dr. for. We could guess and swap ideas with you all day, but none of us are qualified, and it IS your health we are talking about. Much better to see the Dr, and have a slight unfill, than to have a major esophageal tear, or an erosion and lose your band altogether! Let us know what you decide to do....good luck!!! Welcome to LBT---I sure do hope all is ok with you! Kat

Oh well as they say.... Sink or swim!!! I'm in for the trip, just hope I am not in for a dunking!!! LOL~~~ No worries, I could probably save my own life....but nobody else better count on me!!! Kat

How well do you have to swim???? I have been told the way I swim, I would quickly splash enough water out, and be able to walk to safety..... Kat

Judy--I will be the same way....3-4 hours to the airport---then the flight. Which is why I keep saying someplace close to the airport!!! Kat

Terry-------I only have one question...... Can we go tomorrow???? It is so cold and yucky here I am game to go anywhere!! But I really don't want to cancel!! Even if I could arrange this to coordinate with our Spring trip to TX---I am then in the Abilene area, so a long ways off! But might be worth me looking into... Kat

Maybe she pulled a "Kat" and left home with her computer still logged in here at LBT and on our thread!!! Kat

Me!!! Me!!! Another Dr. Phil Hater!! Makes my skin crawl to hear him talk, so friggen condescending!!! Kat

I had surgery the end of November---also by Eberhart. He worked long and hard to save the left lobe, due to some other tumor activity I have going on that he is monitoring, he said he would like to see some of the thyroid stay. It is his own theory that the thyroid is similar to tonsils, in that it filters out many things---so he would prefer some of it remain in my case. I currently have tumor growth in my mastoid that he is monitoring, and in my fibula, that Dr. Lucas is monitoring. When I go see one or the other, they run back and forth behind the offices, comparing scans!!! But for now all is good. I know I want warm weather! Rick is off, and we wanted to go riding....but I don't think so!!! Kat

I saw her here a while ago, but she never said anything. I was waiting for her to chime in....maybe she has gone off to look for things! Maybe we will hear from her with an awesome deal! I am game for either....we need to hear from some of the rest of us! Chime in Girls!! Kat

Terry------your assignment should you choose to take it----is get us some San Antonio links---or did I miss them??? The riverwalk many, MANY years ago was enough that my DD who was 7 (so almost 20 years ago) still talks about it and wants to go back. She remembers the ride on the canal----it is also something I would love to do again. Branson is somewhere on my TO DO list---------so.......I too like the narrowing down of it! Laura, I was just kidding---the mall is something I have to do with my girls! It is a long convoluted story. My DD and my former best friends DD, Jesica, grew up very very close. Jesica lives in Minnesota now, and wants us to come see her. What muddles things up??? Her Mom, one of my old time best friends from grade school....is now living with Manda's Dad, my ex husband! Which in an of itself, I could deal with, but she lied about it to me for years! I would chew Manda out about keeping my business my own, not to share details of MY life with him. He would call over here, usually drunk, and know all this stuff. I had no clue---for all I knew only thing we had in common was a daughter! Then by total accident, when going over to visit the DD in from Minnesota----I saw pictures of him, and figured it out. I could have dealt with her lack of taste, but her lack of honesty killed the friendship. He and I divorced because he was fooling around. He is still married to someone else, and living with her, he has not changed! Anyway the girls have kids 2 days apart! Gage was born 2 days after Kinsey. So we made tentative plans to go in September of this year. Not a big deal---malls are a take it or leave it for me. I will say I like them much more now that I can buy things in them in many stores besides Lane Bryant!! Ok no cruise or we have to take Charles.....and if we take Charles, we don't see any of Tracy!!!!!!!!!! So much for him acting as body guard!!! Hugs~~ Kat

Wow! Both Branson, and San Antonio are both very doable! Tracy or Maziemommy(I know you have a name besides Mommy---I just don't know it, and it isn't in your signature!)----give me an idea what you do for the weekends you go, that is not an expensive show..... Just out of curiosity. Tracy can you get that many places, I thought I read a limit of 2....I probably was reading something totally different though. Sounds like a lot of this is within walking distance as soon as we get to the park? Is that right? If we opt for TX--there is going to be driving involved. It has been years since I drove in SA.......the damned inner loop and I hated one another!! Do we have willing drivers? Kat

Yep I am in NM. Parts of NM are much warmer year round, but I am in the far NW corner, near the 4 corners---the only place in the US that you can stand in 4 states at one time, and also be on 2 Indian reservations at once -- woo-hooo!!! We are only like 11 miles from the Colorado border. You can drive north for an hour and be deep into the mountains, or drive south for that hour and be in desert land!! This is very cold even for us. It is not commonly this cold. We regularly freeze throughout the winter months, and have snow. But it usually snows, and by the next day or so it is gone, melted in...and nothing more than a memory and mud! This last snow is still sitting though because it got so cold!!! We will have equally hot spells in the summer where we go days above 100!! They are kind of like these sub zero temps, not a frequent thing, but also not that rare!!! We truly see each and every season change, both in weather, and in temperature. And personally, by the time the seasons change, I am usually ready for the next. Right now I am hoping for an early spring!!! Kat

No new snow here, but it is too cold to snow!! It is after 10, and we just made it to above zero! At my house it is now a whopping 4 degrees!!! And a breeze is blowing, so the windchill is gonna take us below zero again! brrrrrrr I get my check ups done without fail. Just went through a massive scare! I suddenly began growing an Adams apple! I had a cold, and at first thought it just another swollen gland, but the cold went away and it did not. I made an appointment, and it was my thyroid had a mass on it. By the time we completed the testing, I was having trouble swallowing, and could not lay on my back without it cutting off my air supply. The first biopsy come back as cancerous cells. I was devastated, I did not want more chemo! During surgery, (pathologist was in the OR with us) they found the tumor to not be of a cellular structure to be dangerous to me at this time-it would have become cancerous, but it would have choked me to death long before that! They removed a tumor the size of an orange, and still managed to leave a small amount of my thyroid in tact. They removed the entire right lobe, and the isthmus (center), leaving a partial left lobe. Hoping without the tumor it will once again produce natural hormone. I get my blood results this next week to let me know how it is doing. I come out of surgery in a fog of course, I remember my DH saying "no chemo"--I was ready then to dance out of recovery!!! And you should see, I really have collarbones again without that lump!!! Life is GOOD!! Kat

The other thing that was brought up when Oprah gave away the cars to the audience that year, was that she herself did little to give the cars away. It come out that most of the give aways are from the company---not Oprahs company---but the product. So if she gives away HP laptops say--it is actually a promotional thing from HP. It is not a huge cost on her. It is a proven audience---they get their product spotlighted---and it likely does not cost any more than a commercial would! Kat

I wanna go everywhere!! Kat

My Dr. actually recommended reading the Southbeach diet book for guidance on diet. It allows carbs in a healthy manner--whole grain mostly. It is a lower carb approach, but not as strictly as Atkins. It seems like it focuses less on eating ALL meat, and allows vegetables, and whole grains. It places importance on the Glycemic Index of foods. I have the book, and glanced at it. That sounds terrible!!! He recommended it, at my first appointment, before my first fill even. So I bought the book, then within a matter of a week after, my DH was diagnosed with a failing heart valve, and had surgery, and multiple complications....and I muddled my way through, with eating out, and hospital food for days on end. Then when I got home, I guess I just never gave it much thought!!! It was however what was recommended to me through the doc!!! Kat

These all sound good. And you know when this all began, it began as a discussion about a cruise!! One of the 3 day cruises, someone mentioned is how this all began I think!!! That would work for me too. If Clay happened to be in Branson, we may need something to scrape Judy loose with so we could bring her back with us!!!! Kat

Not that I am aware of. Many of our Dr.s provided us with a card stating we had had WLS, and asking that they honor our request to order child size portions. That is the best we can do. Look for healthy foods, cooked in healthy manners, if it is something you do often---dine out I mean. Ordering a al carte is an option---just a side dish of something, or a bowl of Soup. Many salad bars now have things like chicken salad etc on them. Fast food kid meals are more than enough! I usually order some sort of chicken or burger, and ditch the bread. French fries are VERY tricky. One or 2 very slowly, or I instantly feel 100% completely totally full! Mexican food is by far the easiest for me to eat of anything!!! Chinese is ok, if I watch the amount of rice. I know of no book---just recommendations from the people here, and common sense, and I have survived it. Welcome to LBT Abby!!! Kat

Judy, I just saw your link, we must have been posting at the same time. I was sold! Then saw a link to the Lilac Festival.... LOL, I am massively allergic, so I need to know as far in advance as possible if I am going to be around that many lilacs!!! I can use prescription meds for normal exposure, but for something that extreme---I take shots, for several weeks! I breathed too much lilac at the fair a couple of years ago, and ended up in an ambulance! My Epi pen is all that saved me from being trached! I take allergy meds anyway---and will work with it, I just need extra care---and to warn anyone with me about it! But horse drawn carriages everywhere? How cool is that?? Kat

3 things I am wanting in this trip...besides the obvious of meeting all of you would be... warmth---not looking for something I have to bundle up with---it has yet to make it up to above zero here this morning! activities---whether it be rafting, shopping, even gambling---just something we can do. I will love time with y'all, but I can only sit for so long, I need something to DO! Other than that, it is the affordability of it, the ease of access---to the airport or whatever. I do like the Texas idea---I know it would be warm!! That time of year in Colorado is iffy. I have been in that area of Colorado for a wedding on May 23rd, and had 18 inches of snow for an outdoor wedding!!! So while I can and would do that, we have to keep it in mind!!! What is the weather that time of year in PA? Mall of America could be fun....but we might get separated and never be heard from again!!!! Jen---you can do it......you have motivation to do it!!! And lots of Purple power behind you!!!! Terry---the TX thing you mentioned, any idea of costs involved? We may have to do the blindfold----spin around---and pin a spot on a map!!!! When we get together with our friends for our motorcycle trips, we begin in early spring, and write all our possible locations down on slip of paper, then each weekend we have free, we pull one from a hat! We resorted to that because we each wanted to go different directions all the time. This way we eventually get to them all, but it eliminated the back and forth!! I understand that cost is an issue---we will do our best to keep in affordable yet safe and fun for everyone!!! Kat