Welcome to this new month's challenge all you April Bandits!

I think we should do the bronze silver and gold again so that we can accomodate all fitness levels.

Bronze - 14 sessions of at least 35 minutes

Silver - 18 sessions of at least 40 minutes

Gold - 23 session of at least 45 minutes

If you need to do more or less than this just put it in you signature what you personal goal is and let's go get 'em this month!

Today was nice here in the NW............so after my NIA class this morning - Alan and I worked in the yard for several hours............everything is so pretty - including the weeds!

Julie - we are going to be staying at the Helmsley Park Lane Hotel while in NY - 36 C Park So.................maybe we can take that same walk? or ??? or at least have lunch or dinner.........we'll be there on Sun, June 3rd, Mon, the 4th and Tues the 5th...........going to Ellis Island, Stat of Liberty on Monday afternoon, seeing Spamalot on Tues eve..............rest of the time is open????? Just going to be doing touristy stuff. Need to give my "child" a hug!

Betty - I am back. I was out of town (left Thursday), so I missed NIA this weekend. I did manage to get some exercise in!

Julie - Thanks for the advice re: running. I am going to check out coolrunning.com. I am not ready to start running yet, but I will be soon! Biking is fun, but you do get a little numb. There are a lot of bikers here and because of that, there are many great rides - even through the city.

You all are great exercise motivators!

Jen, Whenever you can - I'd love to have you join me at a NIA class to see why I love it so much! Sounds like all is well? I have a bike, but am a bit afraid to take it out on the streets...............Alan and I sometimes ride around the neighborhood.............yes, the "crotch numbness" is a bit of a bummer - my son who is a real bike rider says that goes away with time spent, but I've never really given it a chance.

I SO want to see "Spamalot"! (AND I SO want to see Julie, AND I SO want to give you a hug, too!) I'm jealous, Betty. But also, I am working on my plans for the upcoming months. I'll let you know when and if I will be in your town!

Have a nice week everyone!

I have many shows for the next month. I'll try to post at night when I can. Mainly, I'll try to run. I will be dancing, too!

Just a quick note,

Today I reached my goal (at least the one I thought would be amazing to reach when I was so heavy). So... I will have to set a new goal. I can't belive it. I owe a lot to you guys for all the support along the way. It has been an amazing adventure. We just booked a hiking trip in Switzerland, as part of our European vacation - I would not have been able to do that before!!!

Today is my happy day. To top it off I had a great run this morning - 4.3 km in 30 minutes!!! l love my life right now!!!

Dawn

Banded april 4th, 2006

Montreal

358/178/179 ( I guess I need a new goal)

How about go with this

358/178/165???

Exercise sessions this month = 5

Wow Dawn -- you reached your goal. That's so amazing that even the bananas aren't dancing, they're so in awe. Congratulations. The rest is gravy.

Betty, let's make plans! Can we see each other on Sunday? With my new job starting in 2 weeks, I'm not sure what my weekday nights will be like, and I'd love to see you on Sunday. We can do that walk around the park for sure, if you like!

Dawn - I am so happy for you! You are a truely amazing young woman. How proud we are for you - you have worked, and continue to work so hard............such an inspiration for us all! Go Dawn - onward to 165 or whatever you desire. Your family must be so happy to have such a tiny, healthy/buff wife and mom.

That hiking trip to Europe sounds like such fun. I'd sure love to meet and hug you also............do you think you might be able to join our NW retreat at Betty's this fall? We have to start talking dates soon - Boo, Julie, Molly, Jen - who else?

Took today off the gym - my head is full of "snot" and I'm going to give myself a rest day....................might break down and take a walk later in the day...............don't know if I can get myself to just stay put?

Julie - Sunday is good. We'll be sleeping over in Yonkers (Alan grew up there) on Sat eve and then driving into the city on Sunday. Don't know if we'll get into the city in time for that big walk, but for sure we'll get together for maybe a little stroll, coffee, or dinner? I'll send you a PM and we can exchange phone #'s and make plans.

CONGRATULATION's DAWN on reaching your goal, surpassing it even! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: standing ovations

Well I haven't gone into too much detail as to how I haevn't felt well, but it has involved some nausea and severe abdominal pain and lots of other symptoms that could either be gallbladder issues or severe constipation. Because I have been eating some of the major trigger foods for gallbladder problems and because I did see some gallstones pass, I suspect that the pain was probably coming from issues with that although I am not positive. I might have just passed a silent stone while having constipation issues, not sure. But either way I am in process of a home remedy to alleviate gallstones and in the process it will totoally cleanse out my entire digestion system so whateer the issue it will be gone at least ofr now. One day of the treatment and already my pain is gone. The first part of it is 3 days of nothing but apple cider to eat, I feel like I am back in bandster he**, lol, no restriction and no solid food! But for now the pain is gone so I am a happy camper with that, time to get dressed and go to the gym.

Oh and I will get the rest of the info for the Breast Cancer walk in BC and post it

OK here is the website with all the info

http://va07.endcancer.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=va07_homepage

Dawn - That is so great that you hit your goal! I can't wait to see what that feels like. So many times I tried and lost 20-30lbs, but never got to a point where I felt "normal". I bet it feels so incredibly good to have hit that place you dreamed of being.

Yes, the "crotch numbness" goes away... but I think when you are as overweight as I am, it still hangs around a bit longer. I do love it though. Betty, there is this ride called Summit to Surf. It's at the end of July... quite a beautiful ride. You start up at the Mountain and ride into Hood River. Maybe you and Alan could ride...

Hi everyone---sorry for the sporadic reporting. I feel so bad---I KNOW you are always there for me, and then I just flake....it has been a rough week. Rick has not made much of a change. The Dr. situation is not acceptable. We are in a catch 22, and totally unsure what to do about it. All of our local cardiologists, hace recinded their hospital privileges. Yep, there is not a single cardiologist in our area, who can practice in the hospital, this is a hospital with a new state of the art cardiac care center. The dr.'s do not like the hospitals guidelines, so are pulling out. So the day the cardiologist sent Rick to the hospital, he went to ER---then he had no Dr. His PCP is out of town.....so they admit him, without choice, he is in A-Fib (atrial fibrillation). The top part of his heart is not beating correctly, it is quivering, as opposed to beating. His heart rate is not going down below 100, and hasn't for 2 months, and has been as high as 186. That is higher than mine when I am doing cardiac training exercise! So once he is admitted, he has no heart Dr. So the Dr, filling in for our PCP for the weekend, comes in ,and he studies the situation, and puts Rick on blood thinners, despite the GI bleed he had. Says that is the best option. So we are stuck in the hospital---no way to leave other than AMA---which would trash our future insurance coverage of this. No one wanted the responsibility of letting him go. Finally Monday morning our PCP released him with STRICT orders concerning the blood thinners. The PCP is the one who saved his life with the experiment he did. So we go see the cardiologist, who is less than helpful---and schedules him for some tests----on the 30th of May! He keeps his blood thinner on a VERY high dose. The PCP wants his PT/INR checked every 3 days---the cardiologist says it is ok to go until today. Ignoring the PCP's orders, who we trust implicitly with the bleeding issue. Rick felt crummy all weekend, no energy, we are afraid his blood is too thin, his heart rate remained in the 120's. So he goes today for the check on his blood, and they cancelled him, there was no one to do the check, the girl had to leave to have a tooth pulled. Their response---maybe tomorrow, they would call. So we go to the hospital, and were turned away, we had no orders. I tried to get the PCP, he was in surgery (he's a gastro--and does back to back colonoscopies all day on Mondays she said), I even ask the cardiologists nurse for a prescription for a blood draw at the hospital for PT/INR, and they refused. I was a basket case! I come home and sat down with the phone, and called his original heart surgeons office, at the Heart Hospital of NM and told my story several times, finally getting to talk to his cardiac surgeons nurse. Bless her! She actually had me talk to the Dr. who set us up with the cardiac electrophysiologist---he said if he needs electro shock or ablation she is the best. And she would know best if he needed either. He said if he had problems of Rick's nature, she is the Dr. he would choose for himself. She is going to call our PCP, and send him a holter monitor to hook Rick up to for 48 hours, then she will have some info when she sees us next week. I got off the phone and just cried. Relief...... someone is going to at least take concern!

I had it out with my SIL over this, and family relations have been very strained. It has been a difficult time. We live here, our lives are here, his job is here, but we have health issues that are only able to be met now 300 miles away!

So......that's been my life!

Weight is stuck.....food is not, it is going down real easy!!! And right now with all the other stress, I am not even going to consider a fill. If it takes another year to get the rest of, then so be it!

Will be back to catch up with each of you!!!!

Kat

Kat............don't worry about your weight/exercise right now - your band will help you maintain...............you've got plenty of time to get the rest of it finished!.............so important to just take care of Rick right now! Sounds like you need to get to the docs that know what they are doing - it must be hard to live so far from a good medical facility when you need it. Our best thoughts and prayers going your way.

Kat, I don't even begin to know what to say other than my prayers continue for you and Rick both and that your band will always be there, when the stress is over and you are ready to work it again, you will, there is no limit to time with the band. But please keep us informed as I know I am not the ony one who is worried about you and Rick! Take care and we are here when you need us