Long Overdue Update

    I have to start out by apologizing for the length of time between updates on my blog but it has been a whirlwind of activity these last few months and I have been on the go constantly. I know, it is no excuse really. How long could it take to sit down and write an entry into a blog but it just seems like I would think I should write an entry and then I would get off onto something else and forget all about it. But enough about that, I am writing now and am very excited to update everyone on what has been going on with me. My life and my body have changed so much since my surgery it is almost too good to be true. If it was somebody else telling me about the changes in their life, I would have a bit of trouble believing that there wasn’t a bit of exaggeration in there. First of all, my diabetes is gone. My blood sugar readings are normal, I don’t suffer with constant thirst and the result of that of having to go to the restroom constantly. I sleep all night mainly because of the not having to get up and go to the restroom and because my sleep apnea is gone. My blood pressure is lower now than it was it high school. My joints are feeling better and better each and every day. The pain in my knees has gone from a level of 7-8 in both knees to a zero in my left knee and 1-2 in my right knee. I can walk 2 -3 miles with no problem, I can ride my bicycle 20 or more miles, and I even backpacked up a small mountainous area in Brazil with about a 30 pound pack and climbed a lot of rock steps to get up to see a waterfall that I would not have been able to do 4 months ago.

     And now for the biggest news of all, I have lost over 90 pounds since the middle of May. My body has reduced in size so much and face has changed so much I barely recognize myself when I look in a mirror. I was wearing a tight fitting 44 waist pants that were down below my belly and now I wear a loose fitting 34 waist at the belly button line where they are supposed to fit. I have some loose skin that I need to tighten up but I think with a little time and exercise that will correct itself also. I cannot believe how much my overall body size has reduced. I am wearing a large shirt size down from a XXL and they are loose fitting on me. The only thing really keeping me from dropping to a medium is the length. I am just too tall for a medium shirt. I have not worn clothing like this since I was in high school or shortly after. I have run into several of my friends and associates that have not seen me in a while and they did not recognize me at all. I had to tell them who I was. You really cannot believe what that does for ones self-esteem and ego. I feel better now than I did when I was 35 years old and I am 55 now. I could not be happier with the results. Would I do it all over again? In a heartbeat. This has been the best thing I have ever done for my health and overall well being. I cannot believe how much it has changed me and the way I about myself.

   I am currently on an airplane. Now that I don’t have to carry insulin, needles, test equipment, and worry about keeping it refrigerated, travel is so much easier. I can fly without a lot of anxiety. I can sit comfortably in the miserable coach sections of airplanes, even the small regional jets like the one I am on now. I can sit my laptop on the tray table and actually open it and use it without it being jammed into my belly. It sure does make my job easier to be able to travel and not be miserable the entire trip from being so uncomfortable during the flights and at the airports. Still, going to TSA is a pain but not nearly as much as having to put up with all the BS of having to get my insulin, needles, and supplies through security. I don’t lay around my hotel all evening watching TV and eating everything I can get into my mouth. I like to go for walks. If the hotel has a pool I really enjoy swimming laps and refreshing myself in the pool and or sauna.

    While I still have about 20 – 25 pounds to go, I am so excited about where I am now and yet I am still excited about reaching my goal of getting on the scale and seeing that first number be a ONE. It will be a large difference from the many years of the that number being a 2 and at times a 3. My hope is to be able to get to my listed goal weight of 195. If I can reach that and maintain it for awhile I won’t mind if I go back up to around 210 or so. I think I will let my system pick its comfortable weight and then work my butt off to stay there. I don’t want to ever get back to the weight I was or the shape I was in. My goal for the long term is get this weight off and keep it off the rest of my life. I am so much happier now and I just feel good.

   Are there any regrets for what I have done? Not a one. I don’t miss the foods I can no longer eat. I don’t regret for one minute the loss of the diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, sore knees, lethargic lifestyle, being fat and miserable. My life is improving with each passing day. I have more energy, I look better in my clothes, and I feel human. This surgery saved my life and I am determined to do all I can to help others learn about and to make the decision to make this same move. It is tough starting out, but the rewards are so much more than the difficulties. The difficulties are short lived and the benefits are lifelong. If you are out there considering this course of action, please, contact me and let’s talk. My assistance and advice are there for the asking. I would love to help you get started and get through the process and reap the rewards that a healthy and happy lifestyle can bring you. And to those that supported me through this part of my life, my love and gratitude to each and every one of you cannot be expressed in words on this page. I cannot express how much I appreciate each and every comment and word of encouragement. It has meant the world to me to know I have such good friends and those that love me.

Going to Brazil

This is a delayed posting on my blog today as I am currently sitting on a plane bound for Sao Paulo Brazil. I am going to be down here for the next 3 weeks on business. I sure do hope this trip turns out better than it started. I made it to Atlanta only to find out that my travel companion Wes did not. His flight out of Richmond was cancelled due to mechanical and he will not make it down until tomorrow morning. So I get to find a hotel and crash for one day in Sao Paulo. I might rest up a bit and see if I can get on a tour. I have a whole day to kill until he gets here tomorrow. I tried to get my flight changed and stay in Atlanta for the night and then travel down with Wes tomorrow but Delta wanted $554.00 to change my flight. I remember a day when something like that happened the airlines would accommodate a change like that with no problem. But now being the money grubbing companies that the airlines have become, they no longer believe in customer service. It is a sad state of affairs that has overtaken the airline industries. Probably why most people have no pity at all over their plight. If they all went belly up it would not break my heart in the least.

To make matters worse, I had a serious episode with the food on the plane during the flight. I have never been sick on an airplane in all the 34 years I have been a road warrior. It was not a pleasant experience. I spent about an hour in the head barfing up supper and thought for a while I was going to spend the entire flight in there. I really have to be careful with what I eat and the speed in which I eat it. I am not sure what triggered it, but I thought I was being fairly careful. Anyway, later in the flight I drank a hot tea and then had a Carnation instant breakfast that went down well and I ate a banana and had a little orange juice for breakfast and seemed to handle it quite well. So hopefully I can get off this plane, find a Sims chip for my phone and get myself to a decent hotel without a lot of trouble. I guess a bit of an adventure lays ahead for me. I will post this blog and let you all know the results later today. End of delayed post....
  The story continues, I did make it to a hotel finally but not with my luggage. Delta managed to leave my bag in Atlanta so I am hoping it will come with Wes. Which by the way, it did. I was able to walk to a large store near my hotel and get a Sims chip for my cellphone and got it working. I can't believe how hard that was. But now it is a couple of days later and I met up with Wes, I got my bag and we drove up to the city, which is Araxa Brazil about 6 hours north of Sao Paulo. It was a beautiful drive and we had a good time on the trip. Things finally seemed to be getting better on this trip. I was wrong.
  We get to the hotel and the my room is about the size of a matchbox with two little bitty beds about half to three-quarter size of a twin bed. I did manage to sleep on the thing but it is really small. I would be more comfortable in a hammock. The food here is good and I am finding things to eat without too much trouble. No low fat anything but I did manage to find a few sugar free items and am diluting the milk with ice so I hope I don't have trouble with it. I think I can manage with the hotel.
Then we get to the customer's plant this morning and it is going to be a disaster but I won't bore you with all the details of what is wrong here. Let me just say, it is going to be a very boring week. It is pretty darned cold here too. As I sit here in the open air lobby of the hotel it is about 45 or so degrees. I am wearing a long sleeve shirt and have goosebumps. All and all, a pretty interesting/disastrous trip so far but I am surviving. More later as things develop. Stay tuned. George

Phase III of Diet And Still Doing Great

  I am getting ready to head home for a few days and go for my next doctors visit. I am feeling really good. Still losing weight and exercising daily. I really love the swimming and hope to be able to keep it up in Brazil. Oh yes, did I mention, Saturday, I leave for 3 weeks in Brazil. I have 2 different jobs to go on down there and will hopefully have a pool at the hotels I will be staying at. If not, I guess walking will once again become my major regimen. Sunday I did manage a 10 mile bike ride followed by an hour of swimming laps and stretching in the pool and hottub. It is so nice to be getting healthy again. It has been too long. I really enjoyed the bike ride and hope to get another one in before I have to leave.
    My blood sugar levels have been marvelous and I can tell improvements in it all the time. Last several measurements have been in the 110 to 130 range and I feel great. No more insulin and the neuropathy is almost all gone in my feet, my toenails are returning normal and my legs look better than they have in almost 15 years. My blood pressure has been normal the last 3 times I checked it and I am sleeping soundly all night long. I wake up feeling totally rested. I never realized how badly I was sleeping before. So far I have lost around 55 lbs. My clothes no longer fit and I have started buying some smaller sized items to wear. I am back in XL shirts and L underwear. It is such a nice feeling to see what is going on with my body.
   I am anxious to see how I do flying on a long international trip this weekend. I have been so miserable the last few years even on short flights, now with the weight loss I am hoping the airline seats will be tolerable. I know they won't be comfortable but bearable would be great in my book. I have a long drive home starting this afternoon and am all packed and ready to go. I can't wait for the folks back home to see what I look like now. I have changed a lot in the 2.5 weeks I have been gone. Good eating habits and exercise really make a great difference and the fact that I don't have to take any medications is a real blessing. I am feeling great and feeling happy. Thanks to all who have supported my throughout this process and I hope I can help you in return. Have a great day everyone. George

Almost 26 Days

  Well I am back in Richmond, VA and going to  spending a few more days here, then off to Oklahoma City for a quickie job and then down to Brazil in South America for a month of work. It was a interesting day yesterday. I had done really well the last 4 weeks of avoiding the dreaded "dumping syndrome" they kept warning us about and ended up having it twice yesterday. Once because of my own stupidity and once because of unknown reasons on a product I had not tried since my surgery. I stopped on my way back from Delaware, where I worked over the weekend, to have a small bite of breakfast at a Waffle House. I thought that I could easily eat one soft scrambled egg and a small amount of grits. Well, having several things on my mind and a knee that was just killing me, I popped a couple of acetaminophen and swallowed them with a small sip of decaf coffee and a few minutes later began to eat my breakfast. Within just a couple of bites I was nauseous and cramping as I realized to my horror the mistake I had made of taking both of those large caplets at once. They hung up and now the food was hung up and I thought for a few minutes I was going to die. I had taken pills before that, but only one at a time and had waited several minutes before taking the second one. At first, I thought it was the grits that were causing the symptoms as I had not eaten any of them since my surgery. I went in to the bathroom thinking I would have to get them and the food back up, but as soon as I felt the strongest urge to do that, the plug broke loose and everything stayed down. I went back out and tentatively ate a few bites that went down just fine and caused no further problems and the grits were fine also. What a relief. It kind of freaked me out on a large scale.
   The second time it happened was later in the afternoon after eating lunch, I went in and sat down with a cup of sugar free jello. I ate just a couple of bites of this and it hit me like I was being run over. Back to the bathroom again and this time I was sure it was coming back up, but after several minutes of feeling like I was going to explode, I felt better and then it was gone. The only thing I think of about the Jello is that it was the type of sugar free Jello that you don't have to refrigerate. It must of had a different sweetener or carbs in it that my system did not like at all. I had eaten the regular kind on several occasions and never had a problem. I might try it again in the future but I am going to avoid it for now until I figure out what caused the second round of the syndrome. I only ate about 3 or 4 bites of the little tub of Jello but it sure did react in a negative way. So, I had learned two valuable lessons yesterday, first, no pills before a meal and definetly not two at once and second, anything I eat for the first time post op is going to have to be eaten in very small bites and very slowly for the first few bites. I really don't like that experience and would rather avoid it in the future.
   Other than that, I am doing fine. I am getting close to losing my age in weight. I should be around 55lbs lost if not already. Last time I weighed I was at 51 and that was last Saturday. My days have been busy and I noticed it is about time to get headed to work. I do feel great and my blood sugar last night before bed was 109. I have not checked it yet this morning, but I can tell it is still very good. I always know when it gets too high and in the last several weeks it has been great. I hope it stays that way. Talk to you all soon and hope you all have a really great day. George

Still Doing Great!

   Just a short post this morning. I weighed yesterday and lost another 7lbs. for a total of 51lbs. so far. I feel great. I am in Millsboro, DE this morning and had a really beautiful drive up here from Richmond, VA. I crossed the Chesapeake Bay bridge and tunnel and what an experience that was. I also stopped at a really cool state park that a guy told me about and took pictures of some really cool old concrete battleships that they sunk just off shore to make a break water in the bay. I will try and post a few shots later on my facebook page.
  That is all for right now, just wanted to give a brief update on how I feel and what is going on. It has been a very hectic last several days but I am doing great and getting better every day. Best wishes to all for a great remainder of the weekend. Talk more later. George

Staying Active

   The first two days of work went quite well and I feel great. I am really enjoying the workouts in the pool here at the hotel where I am staying. This morning I used their exercise facility and it is okay. It is better than walking outside right now. I went for a short cool down walk and it was anything but a cool down. It is very humid here this morning. I am in Colonial Heights, VA right outside Richmond. I thought I was going to be here a couple of weeks but now it looks like I will be here for about 5 or 6 weeks. This is good. The good solid income will come in very handy right now. I hope to get Melody to come out for a few days while I am here. It would be fun having her along.
   I actually got a pretty good workout this morning and I am sitting here sweating something fierce. I hope I can keep this up. It feels good to be treating my body properly for a change. It has been badly abused the last several years and I feel bad that I let myself go so badly. Of course, flying off a motorcycle at 55mph will have a tendency to cause several bad side effects. It was 3 years ago last Saturday that we had our wreck. I am still trying to recover from that wreck. More emotionally and mentally now than physically but there are still some things that are a result of that wreck. Like my right knee which just doesn't seem to want to get better. My left knee is doing pretty good but that right one is still being a nagging pain almost all of the time. I do think the pain is lessening at times and then it will flair up and sometimes I think it feels worse than ever. I am hesitant to get another cortisone shot as the last ones drove my blood sugar levels off the chart and I felt like a lethargic bag of crap for about a week afterwards. I will just keep trying to rehabilitate it and keep using the Ben Gay ointment. It does seem to help.
   The most remarkable thing for me though is how I feel. I feel great and seem to feel just a little better each day. It is truly wonderful what this surgery has done for me so far. I don't know how much weight I have lost right now. I don't have a scale with me but I can tell I have lost quite a bit more. My ring I wear on my right hand almost won't stay on. I have to be careful it doesn't just fall off. I started wearing my wedding band again a couple of weeks ago as I had not been able to even get it on for the last several years. At first it was very tight but wearable. Now it is even starting to get loose. I can slip it on easier each day it seems. I may have to get them resized before long. Little things that are going with my body make me very happy. For example, I can walk now without the inner parts of my thighs trying to rub themselves off each other. If I stand with my feet at normal width apart, my thighs just barely touch each other. It has been a very long time since that has occurred. I do need to start working the upper part of my body a bit more. Getting a bit flabby in places from the weight loss and I need to tighten as I lose. The swimming will help with that I think and I need to start using my bands more. They work the top part of my body more. I will do that when I get back from work this evening.
   Well, time to get ready for work. Time sure does go by quick when I am writing in my blog. I will be back in a couple of days. Have a great day everybody. Talk to you all soon, George.

On The Road Again

   It has come to that time again. I am getting ready to head back out on the road today. It has been two weeks since my surgery and I have decided that I don't need the extra week at home and I am in big demand right now so I better take advantage of it. I am taking my bicycle, my vitamins, and heading out to the east coast for a couple of weeks of work in Virginia, Delaware, and who knows where else. My next Dr's appointment is July 5th so I have to be home for that. It has been a fabulous two weeks at home. Melody and I have really enjoyed our walks everyday and I am really hoping she will continue. She needs a walking partner. I think this really helps if you have someone to walk with each day. She can really tell a difference on how she is trimming down and feeling better with the exercise. I am glad I was able to get the ball rolling, perhaps she will be able to maintain the momentum.
   I am going to keep my post short today as I need to finish packing and get ready to head out to Virginia. I need to be there first thing Monday morning to work. Again, I must express my gratitude to my wife and family, my many friends, and my large family of online friends and associates that have encouraged me and helped motivate me through this experience. Press on to those that are contemplating doing what I have done and if you need any advice or help, I am here for you. Have a great weekend. George

40 Pounds and Counting

   It has been almost two weeks since my surgery and four since I started the pre-op diet. I am right at 40 pounds off from where I started my diet. It feels great and I am so excited about the weight loss but am even more excited about the fact that I am no longer having to take insulin shots 3 - 5 times a day. I can get up and go for a long walk and I am starting to get back on my bike. Going to take a bit of time to get the backside used to that again. After the first day of riding I couldn't hardly sit the next day. I had forgotten how sore one's butt can get when it isn't used to being used like that. Each and every day it seems I add more activities to my list of things I could not hardly do before and now can now not only get through them but get through them a lot easier than I ever have. It is a good feeling to know that each day my clothes get bigger. I haven't started buying new ones yet but am always looking for a good garage sale where I can get some cheap clothes to pass through on my way to much smaller. I have dropped one shirt size and one pants size but now those are getting loose on me too. I am looking forward to the next size down. It will be a 38 waist which I have not worn for many years. Just thought of another goal to have, pants that are smaller around than they are long. Or even the same number. That would be cool also.
   I am headed back out to work starting Saturday. They need me back in Virginia to work for a few weeks. I am looking forward to the drive out to see how much of a change that will be for me. It used to be uncomfortable at times on the long drives as the extra weight I carried around effected how well I could sit and drive without getting all stoved up. I may fly home one weekend while I am out and I am anxious to see how much better I fit in the airplane seats.
   I think I may have experienced my first dumping syndrome last night. It was a mild reaction but still a bit uncomfortable to my system. I had a small dish of no sugar added vanilla ice cream with sugar free chocolate syrup to make it a sundae but my system didn't like it much. I had some abdominal cramping and the stuff moved right through me if you know what I mean. I feel much better today and I like I say, it was a mild reaction so I sure am going to be more cautious about what I eat for the first time. I did not eat a large quantity of the ice cream and I don't think that was the problem. I think I put too much of the syrup on it and my new setup found it disagreeable.  One more week and I get to start adding blended foods like veggies, meats, and fruits but they must be blended or pureed. I might give some baby food a try since I will be out on the road and it might be simpler. I will take my magic bullet along though just in case the baby food is inedible. Melody bought me a special spoon to eat with. It has the character from Cars on the handle. I wish it had Mater on it but oh well. I still like it. LOL
   Well, time to get busy here for the day. I need to start getting my car ready for the trip and have a few other chores to take care of today. We walking 1-1/8 miles this morning and I plan on riding some more later. I have to adjust the brakes on my bike, they are too loose. Have a great day everyone and see ya soon, George.

Well Into Week 2

  It is well into week 2 since my surgery and I am feeling so good. I went out this morning and road about 3 miles on my bicycle. I would have gone further but I have not ridden my bike in a long time and I stopped for a short break and a drink of water when my tire just blew out. I thought someone took a shot at me. I was about to duck for cover. I sure am glad I wasn't on it going about 20mph when it went. I should have known, the bike has not hardly been used in about 3 or 4 years. The innertubes are probably dry rotted. So this afternoon I will make a trip to get know innertubes and a different bike carrier for my car. The one we bought last year to go on our trip is much to big for my element. I am very excited to be back on my bike. Remember, that was one of the goals for having this surgery. Mission accomplished. Although, it is going to take a bit to get my butt back in shape for being in that saddle. I rode only 3 miles and man does my backside ever know it. But it sure was great to be out on the bike feeling the wind in my face and the old feelings of pumping peddles. I can't wait to get up to where I was before and be able to knock off 20 miles without hardly putting any work into it. I wonder how it will feel to ride without all that extra weight I have been dragging around.
    I did not weigh the last couple of days but the weight loss has slowed down to a much better rate of a pound or two every 3 or 4 days. I am looking forward to going to my support group meeting this evening in St. Jo. It will be a good experience and it is upbuilding to talk to others that are going through the same things I am. I had a great chat with a very good friend of mine the other day and he surprised me by telling me he had been following my blog and was encouraged by it as he is very seriously thinking about doing it also. If just one person that has been reading this goes through with getting the surgery done, then this blog has been worth every second of effort I have been putting into it. I hope many people will read this and be encouraged to go forward with their plans and I hope they have the very same good results that I am having with the improvements in their lives.
    Oh and by the way, I have ankles again. Sexy ankles according to my wife. Haven't seen those in a very long time. My lower legs and ankles and feet are improving by leaps and bounds. I am feeling more sensation in my feet than I have in several years also. The improvement in my health and mental attitude are outstanding. I feel like a 40 year old again. I think I missed alot of those years feeling poorly and being in poor to bad health. It will be a refreshing change feeling good about getting up every morning and hopefully one of these days I will wake up and nothing will hurt. I hope that doesn't mean I am dead. Have a great day everybody and until next time, I hope all is well with each and every one of you, my friends. George

Walking, Walking, Walking

   I am really starting to fall in love with walking. It makes me feel good to go for a mile to a mile and a half walk twice a day. It gets my system pumping and slowly but surely my knees are starting to get better. I really enjoy it when Melody and I walk together. It is quiet and peaceful just being outdoors and walking together. We see people we know along the way and it is fun to visit with people that we have not seen or talked to in quite a while. I can really tell the difference in the shape of my legs and the condition of my skin on my lower legs. I actually am feeling more comfortable wearing shorts because for a long time I could not wear them because of the way my legs looked. I do believe also, that my neuropathy in my feet is improving as there is less tingling and more sensation in my feet and toes. I am walking much better and my stamina improves every day.
   I think I am going to go back to work next weekend. I planned on 3 weeks off but the recovery has been marvelous and I feel like the 3rd week is not necessary. It would be nice to stay home another week but I need to get back to work. It will be great to be back on my bicycle again also. I am hoping to start riding on Wednesday. Just a short 2 to 3 miles but it will be a good test to make sure the insides can handle it. I did start doing a few leg lifts just this morning to start some mild testing on the insides and so far so good. I hope to get up to 10 to 20 miles pretty quickly as that is when I feel like I get a really good workout on the bike. I plan on taking my bike with me next weekend so I can ride out on the road.
   We need some rain around here pretty bad and today the humidity was up some so perhaps it means there is rain in the air. If you have any extra you can send out way, it would really be appreciated. Our lawn is looking pretty thirsty out there. Melody is having to water her flowers and garden every day but our yard and her gardens are really looking great. She is doing a marvelous job on the flowers and lawn care. I am so proud of her.
   I saw a baby preying mantis yesterday and got several pretty cool pics of it. I will try and post them to facebook later. It sure was a fun day yesterday and I hope to get some things accomplished today also. My energy level has almost doubled already and I can work at things longer and better. I hope that continues to increase as well. Everybody have a great day and talk to you soon, George

One Week

   Hey, one week down and many more to come. I am feeling better now than I have in several years. I have not had an insulin shot since last Saturday and my blood sugars have been being fine. I am getting to eat small amounts of some soft foods now like scrambled or poached egg, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese. These all taste great to me. I am amazed at the new feeling of full I am having to learn. I eat a very small amount of food and it feels like, heck, I am not full and then I wait 2 or 3 minutes and wow, I am full and don't want anymore. I also am trying a couple of bites of a new item and waiting to see how my system is going to react to it. A couple of things I tried for the first time took a little getting used too so I wait now and let it have a little dose to play with before consuming more. Everything I have eaten has not been a problem but it has grumbled a couple of times at first and then said oh okay, I know this substance and it is okay. I had a poached egg this morning. Just one and as I sit here typing this, I am very full. It is a great feeling knowing that I am doing this right.
  So what are the results so far? No more diabetes, no more high blood pressure, no more sleep apnea, and my knees are a little less painful almost daily. I am walking 1 to 2.5 miles a day and am pretty active. My energy level is very good and I find my stamina is getting better and better each day. Yesterday Melody and I visited yard sales all morning, tinkered around the yard some, I visited with one of my fellow ham radio operators at the diner over coffee, walked about a mile, and then finished off the day with a trip to Walmart for a few items and some more plants for the yard. It was a very busy day and I wasn't totally trashed at the end of it. I slept really well. From my weight before I started the liquid diet until now, I have lost 37 pounds in three weeks. I feel great.
   Was it worth it? You bet and I would do it again in a heartbeat and highly recommend this to those of you that are thinking about having it done. It has really changed my life these last few weeks and I have no regrets. I stick with this phase of the diet until the end of the month and then switch to phase III and that includes a lot more foods and I go from a 1/4 cup per meal to a 1/2 cup per meal. I eat small meals several times a day and still use my Slimfast and now Muscle Milk protein drinks to get the protein I need. Still no meat in my diet but the eggs and cottage cheese sure are good.
   Have a great weekend my friends. I will probably post again on Monday or Tuesday. Take care and thanks again for all the love and support you have shown. George

So Far, Success!

  I go for my first post-op doctor's visit today and I am excited to do this as it means quite a few milestones will be reached. I get my adhesive pads off and stitches removed I think, and I get to move up to phase II on the diet which means back to a full liquid diet and hopefully a few soft foods. I can't wait to try out the new system. But the more exciting part for me is, I have lost 33lbs to date and my blood sugars have measured in the 115 to 145 range ever since my surgery and I have not had an insulin shot since last Saturday. To me, that is a success in my book. I feel very good, just got in from a 3/4 mile walk with Melody and I haven't had any pain medicine since I took a half dose before bedtime last night.
   We went to Heartland last night and went to my first support group meeting and it was a very enjoyable meeting. I met several very nice people and had a good time talking to others going through the same things I am going through now. I hope to go to more of these as I think they are a very big help and have changed my opinion of support groups altogether. I always had the opinion that these really weren't necessary for me as I have always leaned on my own internal strength to get me through any difficult or crisis situation and felt like talking with other people that I barely know or don't know at all was not manly. But after yesterday evening, I have a completely different opinion and think that the encouragement received and fellowship with like individuals was indeed a well worth hour out of my life and several more of these hours will be spent in the future.
   The most amazing thing to me about my post-operative recovery is how quickly and easily I bounced back from this surgery. While not completely healed I am able to function for myself and my pain levels are down to nothing and I am ready for this next phase and be able to slowly enjoy a return to more normal types of foods. Of course, I will never be able to eat again like I used to, but that is really what I wanted and to gain the health benefits of not being enslaved to food. I had a lot of doubts throughout this entire process and even some after the surgery but now those doubts are almost totally gone. I feel better now than I have in the past 10-15 years. Was it worth it? You bet it was. I highly recommend to anyone thinking about doing this procedure to get the process started as soon as possible. It has made me very happy so far and I will continue to be happy with it always. It has changed my life for the better and I am so thankful I went through with it. Gotta run for now. Have a great day everyone. George

Feeling Better Every Day!

   I just got back from a 1 mile walk with my lovely misses and we had a very nice visit with a few of our neighbors along the way. It was very nice being out on such a beautiful morning and feeling as good as I do. I am really feeling better each day. It is going to work and I am very happy about that. Still doing the clear liquid diet until Wednesday when I go for my first checkup. I am hoping they say I can move on the Phase II diet and start adding a few soft solids to my diet and drinking things like Slimfast and Ensure. I have discovered that I really hate crushing vitamins and supplements and adding them to either applesauce or Jello. It's like eating applesauce or Jello with gravel in it. And so so bitter. I am now searching for liquid replacements. I don't think the crushing of tablets is going to work for me.
   Melody mixed some of my applesauce and Jello together for my last serving and that was a refreshing change. I really am getting used to not eating and I also am a great fan of hot tea. I was before, but I have really come to appreciate it now. I like it alot better than decaf coffee. I am going to try to walk at least twice a day and will try a third time as long as it doesn't get too hot for a midday walk. I feel so much better out walking than laying around in my recliner doing nothing and I don't tire that much from the walks. I am very surprised about that. I figured it would take a week or so to get my stamina and strength back but I really do not seem to be phased by the surgery at all in that department. Of course, I will watch that I don't overdo it, but as long as I rest plenty, keep my water intake up, and don't overextend myself, I think I will be fine.
   For those of you that are reading my blog and wondering if you should do it or not, do it. I've had my doubts and wondered it I did the right thing, but I know now that this is definitely going to improve my health and the surgery and recovery was and is alot easier than I ever dreamed it would be. I still have a couple of tender spots, and coughing is still not pain free, but it has greatly improved in the last couple of days. I can do full coughs now with only minor pain. Hiccups are still a pain and fortunately I am not getting them much, but when I do, I know they are there. I am going to go and sit on the deck for a bit and relax, I am a little fatigued from the walk, but still feel a lot better today. Have a good day everyone. George

48 Hours

   Well as the first 48 hour mark approaches my recovery is amazing. I cannot believe how good I feel. I'm not ready to jump on my bike and take a century ride but I am a lot better than I thought I would be on Day 2. I just got down taking a leisurely stroll around the block which in this neighborhood means about 6 linear blocks. 2 up 1 across 2 back and 1 return. It was a nice walk and my Shih-Tzu loved every minute of it. She is so funny. She has drop a little trowel in every yard we go by.
   Everybody told me that it would be an easy recovery and I guess I really didn't believe them until now. Also, no insulin. Doc told me not to take it if my readings stayed normal to normal high or even low-high. Of course, the number of times I got poked and stuck in the hospital was equivalent to about 3 weeks of insulin shots, or so it seemed.
   Now that I am home, I am taking an oral pain medication and vitamins. I don't mind it too much but it doesn't taste very good. I am going to explore different vitamin solutions to get the best one that will work for me. I have a pill crusher but I really don't care for crushed up pills even in applesauce. The applesauce does not do that good of a job covering up the taste. I forgot to ask them at the hospital whether or not I could suck on sugar free mints. My mouth gets to tasting like dirty socks smell.
   I've had two small mishaps that sent a shockwave through my system. My little dog has taken me by surprise twice and has jumped up onto the middle of my abdomen. The first time was the worst one, I thought I was going to passout from the shockwave of pain that emanated throughout my body. I was laying flat on the bed and she just lept up and landed right on my midsection. I could not sleep in bed. I did for about an hour but had to get up and go sit in my recliner and sleep. Too much pressure yet when I lay down flat and forget about laying on my side or stomach. Those are definitely out of the question.
   All in all though, I am very happy with what is going on. Having to drink 1oz of liquid every 15 minutes is kind of a pain, but I am getting used to that also. I am not hungry at all and that is one thing I am very happy about. Everybody enjoy the rest of the weekend. Thanks again for all your thoughts and encouragements. George

First Full Day

     It has been an eventful morning so far. I went down and got xrays taken while I drank this nasty chalk sludge that showed them how well things are going down. It was a bit slow allowing the liquid to go down so they may end up keeping me one more night. They did however, let me have water finally and that was the best water I ever drank in my life. The pain is pretty manageable, it is just the getting up and down that are painful. I actually enjoy the walking and have done one lap around the block of rooms up here on the 4th floor. I am hoping the recovery will be quick. I did not use half of the morphine they had me allotted for and have removed most everything I had attached except for one IV.
    Nathan and Heather came by today and Melody is here now also. I think I am going to go for a walk here pretty soon as it does really help me feel better. I've had a constant parade of doctors, dieticians, physical therapist, respiration therapist, and all sorts of people coming to talk to me and making sure I am doing fine. I feel good and now some of the regular aches and pains are returning.
   I am moving around much better this afternoon. Been up and about a couple of times, taking in some nourishment. Well, as much nutrition as broth and fruit juice can bring you. I am really enjoying the fine attention by the folks here at Heartland. Every few minutes they check on me and see if I need anything. I feel like I am healing already as up and down in this recliner is getting easier and less painful.
  I have been reviewed a couple of times on what my diet will consist of for the next week. A lot of clear liquids and broth, jello, popsicles, oh boy. I am hoping to get to go home this evening and get it started. It will be good to hit my recliner and let my favorite lady wait on me hand and foot. LOL. So far, no regrets and I am really looking forward to the changes ahead. George

It Is Done!

   It is 1:00am and I am wide awake and doing fine. I sat up on the edge of the bed and was able to sit there for several minutes and I have only used my morphine twice. The pain really is very manageable. It was good to sit up but I sure do wish they would give me something to drink or at least wash my mouth out. I am dry from my lips to my belly button. Two or three ice chips would be heaven right now. I slept most of the afternoon and evcning but now I am wide awake. My abdomen feels bruised like someone punched me in the gut and I have several gismos hooked up to me so it makes it difficult to move around. I still doze a bit and it is hard to type with this pulse-ox on my finger but I am getting by. I think I will take a nap now and get back on later. george

Last Pre-Op Post

   This will probably be my last pre-operative post. I got a pretty decent night of sleep last night despite the cleansing and the nerves and the excitement. I slept fairly well. It is a cool morning here this morning and I think it is going to be a beautiful day. We leave around 9:00 to head to the hospital. The no drinking and no eating is a bit tough this morning but manageable. I am ready for it to be done. I hope to be able to get awoke enough and feel up to at posting a status report on my Facebook page so stay tuned to that. They tell me the surgery will last around 2.5 hours and I am not sure how long the recovery is to come out from under the anesthetic.
   A few doubts have crept in. For one thing, on this diet the last two weeks I have lost around 25 lbs. Do I really need this surgery is one that creeps in. I feel while I could probably go on and lose the weight, I would just fall back into that same old trap of heavy eating again and then be right back where I was or worse. So I know I am doing the right thing. I also have this little nagging fear that I get to the hospital later this morning and they tell me I lost too much weight and now I am not eligible for the surgery. That would be devastating after all this work.
    I have to hand it to the folks at Heartland Hospital. They have been very attentive and caring throughout this process. I got two phone calls yesterday checking up on me and making sure I was prepared and had no questions about the preparation and procedures for today. If their in-house care is as good as their pre-procedure care, I am going to be in very good hands. It is calming to know that they care about how I do and what happens along the way. The people of Heartland Gastric clinic have been super too. I have called a few times with questions and concerns and they have taken the time to answer my concerns and give me a boost when I have needed it.
   And of course, all my friends, Facebook pals, blog readers, and family have been very supportive of me and made this a much easier and enjoyable experience for me. My wife has been my biggest cheerleader through all of this and I love her dearly for it. I know I am going to be a gigantic pain in the rear for the next several days but I know I can count on her to help me through the recovery. I love you Melody, always.
   Well that is about all for now. I need to get a couple of more things done this morning before I head out and I can see by the countdown that it is just hours now. Thanks again for all your support. George

Preparation and Prep

  Wow what a heck of a day. I have filled out my will and advanced medical directive and power of attorney. I took them to the bank and had them witnessed and notarized. I have been to Walmart and picked up the anti-nausea patch they want me to wear and the wonderful little bottle of that magical potion that makes you clean out whether you want to or not. Although, after 2 weeks on a liquid diet I can't hardly believe there would be much to clean out. I took a quick trip to Plattsburg, MO to drop off a device to Trevor to fix a problem on his ham repeater. Let's see, what else, oh I had visitors Cassie and Becky dropped by to wish me well. I have had dozens of phone calls, one of which was to go over all the things I need to do today and tomorrow to prepare for my surgery.    Now I am preparing to spend quite a bit of time riding the porcelain throne which excites me very much. NOT!!! I've played this tune on the piano before and it is not very much fun. I still didn't quite get everything done I wanted to do but I will have some time in the morning to get a few more things done and some time this evening between trips to the restroom. The excitement level is definitely starting to crescendo. It won't be long now and I will be making that long drive to St. Joseph, MO to go check into the hospital. For those that are wondering, I have been told the duration of the surgery is approximately 2-1/2 hours. I will try and get Melody to post to Facebook as soon as I come out and hopefully give everyone good news.
   I've been so busy these last several weeks that the rest at home for 3 weeks might just do me a world of good. I hope I can relax and recuperate quickly and be able to do some fun things while I am home as well as get the things accomplished that I need to for a successful beginning of my new life after surgery. I am also looking forward to the results in regards to my diabetes. It is already showing improvement and I sure do hope it will be a thing in the past after tomorrow. I won't miss it. These last few weeks of writing this blog have been one of the most rewarding parts of this procedure so far. I have enjoyed the comments and encouragement I have received from those that have been reading and replying to me. It is a very good feeling knowing that I have people that enjoy my writing and are encouraging to me as I go through this operation. I know several will be thinking about me tomorrow but I probably won't be thinking about you as I will be unconscious I hope. Two biggest fears, a last minute cancellation of my surgery after all I have done to prepare and waking up during my surgery. What a terrible thing that would be. I have read of accounts of that happening though. I hope the gas man does a good job. Well I better run for now, no play on words there, but I will be posting again tomorrow and I will see how I feel if I can I will post after my surgery too.

"O"-day - 1

   I am home at last and had a pretty good nights sleep. I thought I would wake up more nervous than ever but am really feeling pretty relaxed. I have a busy day planned and am enjoying a nice hot tea to get the day started. This is a clear liquids only day so it is going to be a bit of a challenge. I get to finish it off with a  nice round of the terrible liquid a person has to drink before a colonoscopy. At least it is only one bottle though. It sure was good to get home yesterday and hug my wife and puppy. She is doing fine by the way. Melody brought home the stones they took out of her and I will post a photo of them later on my facebook page. I cannot believe how big they are for such a little dog.
   I am sure at some point today the nerves will begin to set in. I did have trouble going to sleep last night even though I stayed up until 12:30 in the morning playing on the radio. I got to weigh for the first time since I started this diet two weeks ago and I have lost 21lbs. I knew I had dropped a few but was pretty surprised by that. I do believe this surgery is going to have the desired effect with my diabetes. I have already greatly reduced the amount of insulin I am having to take and my blood sugar readings are starting to get back to a more normal range for me. Still high, but at least not over 200 like they had been for quite some time. My low reading so far has been 128. I am very happy with that.
   I have so much to do today I am not really sure where to start. I have a chiropractor appointment, I need to go to Walmart pharmacy and get the drink and a patch they want me to put on tonight, I have paperwork to do before surgery tomorrow, and I need to put my window air conditioner in my mancave so it will be comfortable in there over the next few weeks. I believe I will be spending a bit of time in there. I hope to keep myself very busy over the next couple of weeks so I don't have time to think about such nice things as pain, hunger, pain, thirst, pain, boredom, pain, recovery, and of course there is pain. You think I might be obsessed with that?
   Tomorrow will get here fairly quickly, I think, because of the amount of things I need to get done and the amount of time I have to do them in. It is getting very exciting. Stay tuned, I will be on throughout the day.

Butterflies

   For the first time since I started this little adventure, I woke this morning with a small herd of butterflies running hotlaps in my gut. I am finally on my way home and I think the realization that the day after tomorrow I will be in St Joseph's Heartland Hospital having my bypass surgery. The nervous anticipation is finally starting to catch up to me. I am in Central Ohio not too far from Dayton where I stopped for the night on my return trip home. It was a very long day yesterday but a good one as the feeling of finally being on my way home after 5 plus weeks on the road are coming to an end. It will be so nice to get home.
   Mitzi did well on her surgery yesterday and Melody will bring her home later today. It was a big relief to her to find out that our puppy came thru the surgery just fine. Now she just needs to get her other kid thru his surgery and all will be right in her world. I know she is nervous and has been for several days. The nerves really didn't get me at all until this morning. I woke up and was just nervous as I could be. It will probably be even worse the next two days.
   I'm not going to be very long on this today as I want to get an early start on the final leg home and it is already after 7AM eastern time and daylight is burning. I am sure I will have a lot to talk about tomorrow. So much to do and so little time to do it. Everybody take care today and I will post up some more info tomorrow. Glad you all are along with me. It sure does help. George

It's Monday Monday

   Wow what a lazy day I had yesterday. I actually dreaded having a lazy day because I thought all I would do was miss food. But I really didn't. A couple of urges during the day but nothing I couldn't easily handle. I did my laundry early and went back to the hotel, relaxed, watched racing, and pretty much did nothing at all. I don't think I even got on the computer more than 15 minutes all day. It is amazing how sometimes your body just tells you, enough already, take a break.
   So here it is, Monday morning, time to face my final few days before the big event and I am getting more and more excited every day. I can't hardly wait for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to get here. Why Wednesday? That is the day I am headed home finally. It has been a very long 5+ weeks on the road and I am ready to get home and get this over with. The anticipation is elevating to the point that I probably am not going to be sleeping much over the next few days. I did sleep well last night and I thought I wouldn't after laying around all day, but I did and I woke up pretty refreshed this morning.
   I will finish up here today and head back to King Of Prussia, PA for one day to hand off that job to the guys that are going to finish the startup and get it running. I will then beat feet for home and a happy reunion with the folks at home and my sick puppy. She has surgery tomorrow and I think Melody is more nervous over that than over mine.
   I have a lot to do when I get home. Financial planning, advanced directive planning, a trip to my chiropractor for an adjustment, and a pre-surgical cleansing somewhat similar to a colonoscopy but not as severe. Melody and I were joking about what could possibly be up there after being on a two week all liquid diet. But, they say I need to do it and do it I will. I had told myself I would never go thru that hell again but it is only one bottle of liquid crap remover this time instead of three so I think I should be able to handle it. I remember my colonoscopy a year or so ago. It was ten times worse preparing for that procedure than actually going thru it.
   So it will be a very busy week and I am hoping that will make the time fly a little more than it has been. Of course, this entire trip has been very busy and hectic ever since I left home. I cannot believe how it has linked into such a long and exhausting trip. I have driven close to 6,000 miles since I left home and still have about 1,500 more to go before I get home.
   Just saw a post on Facebook from Laurie and it sounds like she is doing remarkably well. I hope I do that well. I sure would like a quick and speedy recovery and be able to relax at home for a couple of weeks and enjoy some things around home. Have a great week everybody, I know I am going too. George

A Fist Full of Lasts

   Isn't it funny when you think about making a major change in your life and you count down to that precise moment when it is going to take place, that you start thinking about all the lasts in life that will be no more or changed forever. For example, today is my last Saturday with a stomach. Strange to say I know but it's true. When I wake up next Saturday morning it will be bypassed to be never used again. I've had a last meal and now a last Saturday and this week will be filled with the last days before the big surgery. I know, I have a very abstract way of looking at things sometime.
   I did a funny thing last night. I thought I would nod off for a little nap and woke up at 3AM and could not go back to sleep. So I am playing on the computer, drinking my morning cup of decaf coffee, which doesn't taste too bad, but doesn't really do much for me either other than a fond memory of fully leaded go juice. I head off to Richmond VA this morning and will work the weekend there, then come back to King of Prussia, PA and work here until Wednesday and then head home to get ready for the big day. I can't believe how busy I have been these last few weeks but it has helped to keep my mind focused on other things besides eating or not eating in this case.
  We found out yesterday that our little ShihTzu has two large stones in her bladder and will require surgery on Tuesday and a special diet after that for a recovery period. So Melody will have two sick babies to take care of next weekend. I bet I will be more trouble. I am, after all, quite a pansy when it comes to pain. At least, according to my wife, I am.
  I have had a couple of messages back and forth with Laurie, she is recovering well and is dealing with the pain. She says day 3 of post-op is the worst so I am anxious to see how she got by yesterday and is feeling today. She told me we were going to have a very good summer. I think she is right. I wonder if that means I will look good in a speedo by summers end. Probably not. I can see I am going to have my work cut out for me trying to trim down as well as lose weight. I have, after all, had this oversized body for quite a while. It will take a lot of work to resize the container.
  I guess I should get started packing up to check out of the hotel. I will be in Colonial Heights, VA for the next couple of days for those of you that try to keep up with me. Going to work through the weekend so I don't have a lot of idle time on my hands. It will be nice to keep busy. I was afraid I was going to get stuck here for 3 days of nothing to do. That would have made me nuts I think. Have a great day everybody and see you down the log. George

One Week From Today

   Am I nervous, yes. Am I scared, yes. Am I excited, yes. Is time dragging along like a marathon of out of shape runners? As the time grows closer the more excited, nervous, scared, and anxious I get. At least the diet is getting more and more manageable each day. I am no longer non-stop hungry and actually feel like I might survive this torture. I feel like someone packed the clock with mud. I put a countdown timer on my blog page and it looks to me like it is running in slow motion.
   Have you ever wondered how we can manage our way through the slow times and not go totally insane. I have often thought I was going to go crazy waiting on something special I had prepared for but yet seemed to take forever to get to the appointed time. Anticipation and excitement can make the clock stand still. It has a tendency to be like a slow dripping faucet that you can't get stopped or someone scraping their fingernails across a chalk board. It just grates on your nerves as the anticipation builds and excitement multiplies.
   Preparation for the surgery has included meetings with professionals, medical pre-tests like cardiac, blood screening, physical tests, and a psych test that I guess must have proven that I am not totally gone off my rocker. Then several weeks of dreading the pre-surgery diet and 4-5 days of thinking I was going to die from starvation at the beginning. But now that I have gotten into the routine of the diet it really isn't as bad as I dreaded it was going to be. Now I just need to get by this slow time and dragging days. But before I know it, I will be laying on the prep table getting ready to go into surgery and having some really strong final thoughts about am I doing the right thing. I know in my heart that I am though. It has been a long hard struggle with the weight and the diabetes. I am looking forward to that being behind me.
   Something about this diet must be working though. Of course, they tell us that the purpose of the diet is to soften and shrink the liver to give better access for the laproscopic procedure. It must be having the desired effect as something is getting much smaller in my abdominal region. I am losing the large bloated belly fat area by leaps and bounds. I can't believe how much it has gone down in just one week. I have been wondering what skinny George is going to look like. I have not seen him in a very long time. I already feel better from just the amount of weight I have lost in this first week of extreme dieting. Now that I am not nearly as edgy, I can really tell how much different I feel physically than I did just a week ago. I know I am resting better as I am waking up now in the same position I went to sleep. I have not done that for quite a while either. It must mean I am not tossing and turning all night.
   As each day and hour count down to the big event, I feel as if a new beginning is waiting for me just around the corner. There are so many activities I look forward to doing almost like doing them for the very first time. Things that I have not been able to do or not been able to do very comfortably for a very long time. When I get to thinking about things like this I realize that I have actually forgotten what it is like to live as a normal sized person in a normal sized body. I have struggled with weight and size issues for so long, it will be strange being able to do many things without having to be so uncomfortable or miserable because of the shape I have been in for such a long period of time. Silly little things like wearing bluejeans that have a size number that starts with a 3 instead of a 4. I vaguely remember those sizes. Most car seats these days are designed for people with a much narrower frame. So sitting in a car will be more comfortable. Walking up a few flight of stairs without carrying an extra hundred pounds along for the ride. Being able to use pieces of equipment that have a 200 or 250lb listed weight limit without having to worry about whether the thing is going to collapse with my fat but on it. Being able to get up and down off of short seats, especially round porcelain ones, without it being a major amount of work to do so. These are silly little things that go through my mind as I imagine what life after the surgery is going to be like when I lose all of this excess weight.
  One more week and then I can start really experiencing the life as a new me. It is going to be very nice. I just need to remain focused on this weeks events and continue to prepare myself for a very big event, one week from today.

An Easier Day!

Yes, yesterday was a bit better than the day before and I made it thru the day without getting close to fatality. Mine or anyone elses's around me. Wow the difference a day makes. I was feeling like I was going to starve to death the day before and yesterday was totally different. While I felt hungry a few times during the day, it was no more different than when I was eating and would get hungry before lunch or in the middle of the afternoon. The drinks seemed to help my appetite more and the V8 did its thing and I felt pretty good all day.
   I finished off the day with a much needed massage and spent the evening relaxing and watching some tube and not feeling like I needed to eat the wallpaper in the hotel room. I didn't realize just how stoved up and sore I was until I laid on that massage table and the masseuse started working on my. I was sore in places that I didn't even realize I had places. Forty-five minutes later though, I was a new man. Slept like a baby last night and feel pretty good this morning.
   One other piece of good news I received last night is my new friend Laurie was online last night and posted on Facebook that she was doing very well after her surgery and was somewhat sore and tired but otherwise doing fine. How about that. Had surgery yesterday morning and was online letting all her friends know she was doing good that evening. I am very encouraged by that report and hopefully will have the same results. Way to Laurie and keep us posted if you read this.
   I will have to keep this a bit short this morning. We are doing the 7am start time at work and I slept right thru until the alarm went off at 6 so I am going to have to get ready for work and see what today brings. I still do not know what my schedule is for next week. I am hoping to go home but may have to go to Colonal Heights, VA first. Regardless, it has been a pretty good trip for me. I hope everybody has a magical day and will see down the log. George

Days Are Slowly Going By

   It is a very early beginning to Day 6 and I am ready to tackle it head on. It does seem that as the days without eating heavy amounts of food pass by it is getting easier to get through each one. I won't say that Day 5 was a cakewalk but it was much more bearable. I talked my the nurse practitioner at the Heartland Gastric Clinic yesterday and picked up a couple of pointers that helped. One was to add a little more protein to my regimen of Slimfast shakes. Seems I was not quite getting enough protein through the shakes and so I picked up a protein powder mix and can add some to my evening shake which helps the evening go by smoother. Another thing that is very helpful is adding more V8 juice to my daily intake. It is more filling and adds a small amount of protein more often thru the day.
   These tips, along with the encouragement from my wife, mother, and friends on Facebook and emails are really helping me get thru these first few days of carb addiction withdrawal. Yes, I said carb addiction. I never really thought about it that way, but, according to the Cindy, the nurse practitioner at Heartland, that is exactly what I am going through. Withdrawal symptoms to something I never really thought of as being an addiction. She is right though. I have been addicted to carbs in a very big way for a very long time. I was always able to manage the sugars in my diet but never the carbs. I now realize what a big mistake that was in my eating habits of the past several years. And since I had cut out most of the sugar in my diet due to the diabetes I guess the most logical replacement for the sugar was the carbs which I am thinking now are probably worse for anyone than the sugar.
   My diet for the last several years has been a flood of high carb food items like pasta, rice, chips and other snack foods that while not high in sugar, were very high in carbs. And not the good carbs that the body needs but all the bad carbs that add pounds of fat and cause many other health related problems such as diabetes. For example, my normal evening activity would usually involve a snack, or more, consisting of some sort of high carb item like tortilla chips and salsa, which by the way, they had as free appetizers here at the hotel yesterday evening and I cruised right on by without hardly a glance. Wasn't easy, but I didn't let myself linger to get the chance to develop the crave for them. I sure do wish sometimes there was some way to block the smell because that really tends to make me crazy when I get a big whiff of some really good food that I am missing.
   The messages I receive and encouragement from family and friends is fabulous. It really does help strengthen my resolve to make this work. I even got friended on Facebook last night by the sister of someone I know that is going to be having her surgery today. I wish her all the best and her words to me last night were quite encouraging as she went thru what I am going thru and was able to help with some much needed insight that at about day 6 or 7 it got easier for her although she admits she did have her moments even after that. One other thing she told me that I had never really thought about is that besides the need of shrinking the liver for the surgery, the diet prepares you and gets you thru that initial carb withdrawal without having the extra burden of recuperating from the surgery combined with the torture I have been thru for the last several days. I think, laying around and recovering with the added withdrawal symptoms would have been pure hell. Now my body will already be prepared for and past the stages of carb withdrawal and recovery week won't be nearly as bad. It is, after all, an all clear liquid diet for the first week. So no Slimfast shakes or V8 juice for that week. I would hate to imagine what the first few days of carb addiction withdrawal would be like on a clear liquid diet. I think insanity would set in and a person would lose their mind.
   Is all this torture worth it? That is a question that still rattles around in the emptier portions of my head constantly but as I get closer to my surgery date I believe it is and am strongly committed to make it through.
While these past several days have not been the most fun days of my life, I have been able to survive and am not any closer to the edge of sanity that I normally am. Writing this blog has also been a big help and I am very glad that my wife recommended it. It lets me have a chance to focus my thoughts and express my feelings about the different things happening to me as I go thru several changes with each step along the way. I am already seeing benefits to what I am doing as my legs are looking better, I had this really horrible rash looking areas on both legs and they have almost totally cleared up in just the first few days. My blood sugar is lowering, still not into normal ranges but it is getting lower, and my body is already starting to slim down quite a bit. I can't tell how much weight I have lost as I have no scale to weigh myself with, but I can tell in how my clothes are fitting that I have slimmed down quite a bit.
   So here comes Day 6. I am ready and excited to face the day before halfway and hopefully it will be an easier day for me. I am still in King of Prussia, PA working and now will be here until the end of the week. At that point I am not sure what my schedule is going to be for the next several days but am hoping the days will start going by a little more quickly and a lot smoother. I do know that the encouragement I receive really helps and am so happy to have friends and family that are so supportive during this time. Thank you all for the kind words and I look forward to hearing from you each and every day. It is a blessing to have this help. Have a great day everybody. All for now, George.

Day 4 Kicked My Butt

  I was hoping day 4 would plateau or get a little easier but it was not to be. I think part of the problem is a combination of my back hurting from tweaking it while loading my luggage in my car last week and some problems with energy level being zapped because of no caffeine. The hunger seemed worse today then I hoped it would be but I did manage to struggle through it. It didn't help when I got back from work and walked through the lobby of the hotel and they had hotdogs, hamburgers, and other items that I had to walk right by on my way to my room. It was just a tough evening. The day did not do too badly but even it seemed to drag on and on as I seemed to be hungry all day. I managed to get a handle on it finally with a nice hot helping of chicken broth. It does help. Another thing I think I am going to try is buying some hot and spicy V8 and heating it up and eating it like a spicy tomato soup. I think the spicy combined with being hot would be very satisfying.
  Talking with Melody and later with my mom really helped me get through the evening. I managed to get to bedtime without faltering and that has made me very happy. So, even though the day and evening were tough, I made it through it and can look forward to tomorrow knowing that I got through a really tough day and didn't croak.
   Four tough days but four successful days have proven to me that I can make this work. I am not going to kid you, it is tough. I thought it would be tough and tough it is. At this point I don't care if the days get even tougher, I am determined that I am going to make this work and will be successful with my endeavours. Makes for some long days as the big surgery day approaches but for some reason there is a silver lining to the hunger. I am not near as nervous about the surgery as I had been leading up to this diet. I think the reason is the hunger takes my mind about being nervous about the surgery. I have slept fairly well these last couple of nights but it might be because of the total exhaustion I have felt as I went to bed. Tonight, I don't feel quite as exhausted but I also started doubling my vitamin intake using a daytime and a nighttime pill organizer to help me keep track of where I am with supplements.
   It seems to me that I am struggling with this diet but it really isn't killing me. I have had times of hunger but have been able to overcome them with proper drinks and a few sugar free jello cups and V8. The hot decaf coffee and chicken broth are both big helps. So while I think the world is coming to an end at any moment, it really isn't as bad as my mind makes it out to be. I think I need to get my mind in line with what my body is able to handle and then maybe I will see the hunger decrease and become more bearable.
   Tomorrow is Day 5 and I am going to kick it like I have the first 4. All for now. See ya. George

Day Three Survived (Barely)

Wow what a day yesterday turned out to be. I knew it would be tough. Driving for 8 hours without something to nibble on most of the way took some real will power. I have always had a bad habit of needing something to munch on while I drive. It was almost torturous at times yesterday. Chewing gum helped quite a bit and nibbling on ice helped some but not as much as I wanted it too. But I made it through and arrived in King of Prussia at a fairly decent hour.
   Then the evening of laying around doing nothing caught up with me and I almost cracked. That was the worst of it I believe. I really wanted to eat and almost gave in. I finally got the idea of heating up a can of V8 juice and eating it like tomato soup. That did seem to help quite a bit. I had bought a box of K-cup herbal decaf teas but I am just not much of a fan of herbal tea. I like good old fashioned black tea but it was hot and helped. I did manage to figure out yesterday that the spicy V8 will get me by for my cravings for something spicy. It was good to drink one of those yesterday while I was travelling.
   Billboards along the highway were tough. I never noticed before just how many of those things are food related. I was able to distract myself quite a bit of the time with operating on my radios and made several cool contacts around the world. It helps to pass the time and keeps my mind away from wandering around to the topic of food and being hungry.
  I can tell the diet is having the desired effect though. I can see parts of my anatomy that I have not seen in quite a while. I'm talking about my feet, get your minds out of the gutter. LOL I looked at myself in the mirror this morning and could definetly tell that the abdomin region is shrinking. I just hope I can keep my pants up for the next week and a half. I don't have any smaller ones with me.
  That just made me think about something. Will I have to buy clothes in stages as I go down or will I be able to get by with the bigger clothes and just look a bit frumpy for a while? I plan on keeping one pair of my jeans after I shrink down to use a clothes hamper for my new clothes when I am out on the road.
  Today I will be working with my hands and not so much with my mind so I should be able to get thru the day a bit easier. I won't really have time for my mind to wander as it often does when I am just programming or working with the computer. Physical activity, installing and wiring up some robots and conveyors will keep my mind off dwelling on the food and hunger aspects of this diet. So I am hoping for a bit of an easier time with getting thru another day. I am also hoping I am getting to the peak of the hump and the hump is not just growing higher and higher. I would like to get over the hump and have this get a little easier each day, but just getting to the top of the hump would be good enough for today. Going over it tomorrow would work just fine.
  It is time to get ready for work and go out to face the challenges for the day. I will be looking forward to this being a better day. I hope yours is a good one too. Bye for now. George

The Terrible Two's

  I now know where that phrase comes from. I always thought it meant the terrible two year old stage of human children. I think it also came from the second day of anything that majorly changes in our human systems. I think it takes the first day for the body to realize something has changed and then the second day it sinks in the body goes WTF. The second day of not eating, drinking carbonated drinks, and no caffeine settled in like a runaway freight train. Finally towards the evening I was able to obtain some chicken broth and the hot meaty tasting drink really helped. I really thought I was going to starve to death yesterday. I made it through the the terrible two and actually feel fairly good this morning as I sit here drinking my decaf coffee and writing my blog.
   I was reminded of when I quit smoking back several years ago. It took about 24 hours for my body to realize that something was really wrong and the reaction was a horror. In fact, I believe that is the way it was when I quit one other time. I remember going on a new diet a couple of times and having a fairly easy time of it the first day and then when that second day set in it felt like someone ran over me with a hunger truck. It was much more than that yesterday. At least on most diets, you get some sort of solid food. This diet has no solid food at all and wow did I ever know it. But, it was managed and I made it through the day and did not die or even pass out.
  It seemed like everywhere I turned and everything I saw had something to do with food yesterday. There were trips through the food court at the Hamvention, there were commercials on the radio during laundry, and the commercials on TV last night were pure torture. I might as well have been sitting there watching the Food Network and all the cooks preparing everything under the sun. I never realized just how much of our everyday living is surrounded by food ads, shows, and commercials about food. No wonder so many in this country are obese. It is driven into our minds all day long, eat this, devour that, enjoy this temptation. It is constantly being drummed into our very being. Is this really wise?
   I see children every day that are so large they can hardly move. I see adults that have bodies so large they cannot hardly function in their everyday activities. I often wonder if our addiction to food, especially foods that are not good for us, isn't going to eventually bring about a situation so bad that it leads to a far worse economic collapse than we have now. The expense of caring for the health care and welfare of so many that cannot work is going to be overwhelming. I don't claim to have any answers to this problem and even care to dwell on how to solve it, but I am sure if nothing is done about it, society today is going to really suffer from it. But I paint a gloomy picture and I don't really want this to be a doom and gloom blog. It is just something that I think about now and then. It hurts sometimes to see what is happening to people especially our children.
   So I am off to start day three. Leaving Dayton, OH and going on to King of Prussia, PA to work there for 3 or 4 days and then off to Richmond, VA to finish off this long road trip before going home for my surgery. I really had fun this past weekend at the Hamvention and spending time with my brother. As always, I really appreciate the messages and words of encouragement. I hope Day 3 is a little easier than Day 2 but today is the first day of long distance driving which is normally one of my most avid snacking times.
  Have a great day today and I will report in from King of Prussia later tonight or tomorrow morning.

First Day Survived

   I won't say the first day was a breeze, but it wasn't too terrible either. I managed to get thru it pretty well despite being around food and a lot of people eating all day long. I had forgotten about the food court at the arena complex and that I had to pass thru it several times during the day going from one hall to the next. Their were a few moments of torture and agony but nothing I could not handle.
  One of the tougher times of the day was going to the store that evening to get SF Jello and some more water to drink and having to walk thru the food aisles to find what I was looking for. It didn't help that I was very hungry at the time and I really wanted to snatch a bag of chips and just start grazing right there on the spot. Ken was pretty cool though and went to eat before I got back from the show and joined me with a SF Jello when I had one before bed and that was all he ate all evening. That made it easier for me and I really was happy he did that.
  Well day 1 is past and I am off to tackle day 2. If it is like quitting smoking, this will be the tougher day. I got thru the first with manageable difficulty so I think I can survive this one too.Catch ya later.

It Was A Grand Last Meal

   Well the food party is over and now it is time to get down to business. The final supper was a grand event and I enjoyed it immensely. I had a very nice salad with basalmic vinegarette dressing, a side helping of a very nice spaghetti, with a main course of a perfectly prepared and very delicious T-bone steak. Topped that off with a very good cheesecake for dessert and it made for a very good send off of 55 years of a very long love affair with food. It was a bit emotional at times. I really wanted to sit in my car after the meal and have a good cry but with the help of a nice chat with my wife, I said farewell and drove back to my hotel.
   So this morning I am sitting here drinking a decaf coffee which actually isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be and writing in my blog wondering what today is going to bring. This is the day I have dreaded most. Giving up the heavy indulgences in food and caffeine. This is going to be tough but I will make it through it because I have a very loving wife that is backing me all the way and anytime I need to, I can call her and cry on her shoulder. :)
   I have a very busy day planned going to the Hamvention in Dayton, OH and seeing all the vendors, flea marketers, and seminars that I can take in today. My brother is joining me after work this evening and we will have a good time visiting, laughing, and carrying on. I solved the hotel crisis problem and was able to get a room with my Choice privileges points right in Dayton and that is a relief. I won't have to drive 45 to 50 miles each way to get back and forth to the Hamvention. Oh, and by the way, those of you that don't know what a hamvention is, it's a convention of ham radio operators and this one is the granddaddy of them all. It is a blast and it is huge.
  So off I go to start my first day on my totally liquid diet, with no caffeine, pop, or alcohol. I can already feel the dt's sitting in.(just kidding) It will be an interesting day though. I will let you know how well I make it through it tomorrow. For now, have a great day and talk to you all soon. George

The Final Day of Eating LARGE!

   I had this big day of final eating planned, a special breakfast I love so much at the truckstop in Cameron followed by Pizza Hut buffet for lunch and a trip to Em Chama's, a Brazilian Churrascaria in St. Joseph to pig out on my favorite open pit meats but alas it is not to be. I am sitting in a hotel room somewhere north of Dayton, OH getting ready to hit the road for a one to two day service visit in Gypsum, OH and then back to Dayton to attend the Dayton Hamfest which is a yearly event they hold for ham radio operators from around the world. It is a fun event and I think my brother is going to join me there so we can spend a couple of days kicking around and enjoying each others company. He is a reader of my blog, so hi Ken.
  So the big day has arrived, my well laid plans have gone astray, and I am thinking about how I will handle my last day of eating large. I know I want to have a nice breakfast along the way this morning, but I think I am just going to treat it like any other day and eat a couple of decent meals for lunch and dinner and call it quits. The hotel here gave me a bag of microwave popcorn that I did not use last night, so maybe I finish up the day with the season finale of Grey's Anatomy and a bag of popcorn and my favorite soda beverage which I will not be able to enjoy again for a very long time.
  The nervous anticipation of tomorrow, the next two weeks, and the day of surgery have crescendod up to a somewhat record high for me. I usually don't worry much about what things are going to be, I try to be more relaxed about things most of the time. This is something new to me. I actually have butterflies as if I am going to appear on stage in front of a very large crowd and give an hour speech that I have not had time to prepare for or am standing over a winning put to take the victory at a major golf tournament. I have not felt this level of excitement and nervousness in a very long time. Today will be very long.
  When tomorrow comes and I start on the new diet as a pathway to a new George, I will look back on 55 plus years of eating large and fondly remember the times I enjoyed with one of my best friends in life, food. I will however, remember those times, not with regret, but with joy in knowing that the future holds a healthier, happier, thinner me. I know all this hard work will pay off and I will be able to look back and say "how did I ever get into that condition and please do not allow it to happen again". So tomorrow the journey officially begins. Thanks for joining me on this voyage and if my posts for the next couple of weeks seem a little grumpy please forgive me and remember it's the lack of caffeine, soda, alcohol, and solid food that will be behind it. I remember another time I went through something similar, the time I went cold turkey on the smoking which led to my eventual diabetes and this entire last ten years of struggling with weight, food abuse, and diabetes. So good bye to all of that and hello to a new me. No matter how grumpy or irritable I get, I am going to be healthier and happier for it. Wish me well and hope for the best. George

Food's Final Week

   Well, not exactly, but for many foods it is my final week. I start the big pre-op diet on Friday and will not return to eating any kind of solid food for at least a month. So what is newsworthy about that. I have talked about that before. What's newsworthy is the fact that as I sit here in my hotel room in Atlanta, GA I am thinking back over the weekend at my Mom and Dad's and the good food I ate from Mom's kitchen. I am also thinking about a little something else. A littler George.
   While I was there I helped my dad put up a digital antenna for their TV service. The original one was not working well and they bought a new bigger antenna and rotor to try and pick up the area stations better. I had to work my into the crawlspace under their house to feed a cable thru for the rotor and while I was struggling with getting in their, and panicking a little about being able to get back out, I got to thinking how much easier something like this will be after I lose about 100lbs. That night I pretty much tossed and turned all night for two reasons, sore from the days activities and second my mind was alive with wild imaginings of the things I will be able to do that I have not been able too or have been very uncomfortable to do for a very long time. Of course, I have already told how much I want to get back on my bicycle and start riding again, but I also was thinking about things like how much nicer it will be when I have to fly somewhere on the plane to be able to sit in the cramped up seats that won't be so cramped up anymore or going to the races at the Kansas Speedway without having to pry myself down into the seats.
   This got me thinking about how uncomfortable and miserable a lot of things are for the people that are even bigger than I am. I am 100lbs overweight. What do the people do that are 200, 300, or more pounds overweight. I cannot imagine how miserable a lot of things are for them. I also cannot imagine how they must feel when they are ridiculed and made fun of. I see these people in a whole different light now. I just would love to be in a position to be able to help every one of them. But first, I have to get myself thru this week and it is dragging along. I hate to imagine what the next 2 weeks are going to be like. They are going to seem like forever. I will sip on some coffee with caffeine in it and wait to see what happens come Friday. I have not yet given in to dreading it totally but giving up food, carbonated beverages, alchohol, and caffeine all at once makes me now understand why my wife thought it would be a great idea for me to be out on the road during the diet. She told me it would be easier on me not having to be at home missing the food and being tortured by them eating and having food all around me all the time. But now I see that she is actually fearful for her life knowing what a bear I will be for the first few days after going off 4 of the main staples of my everyday being. Smarter that I ever thought her to be. You see, after 30 years together, she knows me well. So for her welfare and my sanity, I am working through the entire first week and part of the second week of the diet. I think that is best, don't you?

The Countdown to Liquids Begins

   Well for those that are following where I am and what I am doing, I am in North Carolina, it is Friday night one week before the big diet begins, and I am at my Mom and Dad's for the weekend. Seven days from now I begin the two weeks of liquid diet before my surgery and this is countdown week. It will be a long week. I plan to take it easy on the eating yet I plan to enjoy many of the foods that I will no longer be able to enjoy or will not be able to enjoy for a very long time. I think missing the food will be a problem even though people tell me it really won't be, but I do believe very firmly that I will be able to handle it. I will admit I have awaken a couple of times during the night worrying about how I will handle it. Of course, once the surgery is done, I will definetly have to be able to control what I eat and how much I eat or the dreaded dumping syndrome will kick in and from what I have learned, it does a very proficient job teaching the meaning of watching what you eat.
   I have a very busy schedule over the next couple of weeks and Melody and I both agree that keeping very busy will help keep my mind off the food and help me in my endeavours to succede. It looks like I will be working up to a day or so before my surgery. I don't even think I will get home until a couple of days beforehand. This is good on several accounts. One, I won't be home and constantly tempted to snack on food in the house. Out on the road, I have to go get food and that will make it easier to keep from being tempted to cheat. Two, it will help the financial situation to make sure I have enough income built up to carry me thru two or three weeks of not working. I really would like to stay home three weeks after the surgery, but the Doctor says I can go back to work after two weeks as long as I have mended well and am having good success with the post surgery processes. I think having the extra time to heal, with what my work life is like, would be a very good thing indeed.
   So what do I anticipate through this upcoming week. A lot of worry, a lot of anticipation, a lot of anxiety, a lot of trying different foods, and a lot of mental preparation for the following two weeks. I am also going to start to wean myself off of caffeine and carbonated drinks which I will no longer be able to have. I need to check into when I need to switch to the new vitamin regimin. The one I have been on for several years will need to be changed but that will be no problem as I am very good about taking my daily supplements now. So many exciting things coming up and yet worrisome things too. I know I must maintain this diet for my surgery to be a success. I know I must excersize more and drink lots of clear liquids. Stopping the caffeine will be a pain in the head and in the rear but it is something that must be done. I really like my caffiene and it will be missed. Thank goodness for 5 Hour Energy drinks.
    I had planned a big day of final eating with Melody but now I will not be home in time to do that so I guess I will find the best food I can eat wherever I am for my final "normal" meal. Of course those so-called normal meals are what pretty much got me into the shape I am in today. I am thankful that a procedure has been found that has such good results combating Type II diabetes. I wish everyone that needed this surgery could get it but that is another story altogether. It does break my heart though when I see good hard working family men and women that cannot get the surgery they need to save their lives because of red tape and no coverages by insurance companies. But alas, I digress and should stay on the topic and leave that can of worms for a longer more detailed post here on my blog. I do appreciate all of you that come and read my blog and wish me well. I thank you all and also hope that any of you that are contemplating this action will benefit from the thoughts I lay down on these pages. Take care for now. More to come.

George

Mama's Home Cookin'

   Many things in life are meant to bring one a lot of joy. Nothing more than a home cooked meal that has been prepared with a hard work and love poured in. Having been an on the road service technician for over 30 years has given me a perspective on just how true the above statement is. I have eaten foods from dozens of cultures and countries over the years and it's just nothing like coming home to a good ol fashioned home cooked meal. Between my wife and my mother I have enjoyed some of the finest meals a man could ever be blessed with. And it isn't the ingredients, recipes, or process for cooking they use. It's the love they pour into each meal they work so hard to prepare. I have enjoyed meals in some of the finest restaurants in the world and they have been great meals don't get me wrong. But it's just the fact that it's at home and it's being enjoyed with family that makes those other meals secondary in comparison.
   I have pondered and worried over whether I am going to miss all the foods that I will not be able to enjoy anymore. It has been a constant little nagging thought in the back of mind. Will I miss? and the list goes on and on. I think I will miss it but can I live without? I believe I can. Others do it everyday and I have met some very helpful people along the way that have reassured me that it is something that you handle and get over. I am looking forward to that time when I can look back, hopefully over a much leaner shoulder, and say "I have put that in my past and I am much healthier for it."
   So for now, I am enjoying my last full size meals and trying to enjoy a variety of the foods I will no longer enjoy in the future. I am not going hog wild on the eating but am giving some of my favorites one last ride. It's funny, they use the tell us not to be doing a "restaurant victory tour" before our surgeries because we have to do a two week liquid diet to prepare for the procedure. They don't say anything about the two weeks before the two weeks. That's when my victory tour is on full swing. Like I have mentioned before, I am dreadful of the two week liquid diet procedure but I am very determined to make it happen an make it happen successfully. My new life begins shortly after that and I am going to love it, but for now, I am counting down the meals to that final day and am enjoying the ride with a few delightful dishes and favorite treats along the way.

My Wife Won't Let Me Have A Bell

  Melody and I were talking earlier today and I was telling her that she needed to go to the doctor and have a tick bite looked at just to make sure it didn't progress into anything really bad. I jokingly told her, we wouldn't want her to develop a problem that would keep her from taking care of me after my surgery. Face it folks, when it comes to pain, I am a bit of a wuss. PAIN, oh my goodness, there is pain involved in this process. Okay, that's a deal breaker, bring the forms, where do I unsign? I know, there is going to be some pain involved. They haven't quite perfected painless surgery yet. When I was recovering from my motorcycle accident someone gave me a little bell that I could ring to call Melody whenever I needed something. It was more of a joke than anything as it would get her kind of wound up whenever I would use it too much. I told her that I would need my little bell and she told me exactly what I could do with the little bell and besides, she claims she had gotten rid of it, joke or no joke. I told her that I knew where our cowbell is that I had bought her to use at football games until they banned them for being a nuisance. Go figure.
   So I have been thinking about what is expected of me before and after the surgery. Things that I need to do to make this a successful procedure. It will take a lot of effort on my part and a lot of other people in my life as well. I am very determined to give 100% of myself to following the steps necessary for this to work. The 2 week all liquid diet is going to be very tough and I am feeling more than just a little anxiety as that date approaches. It is the biggest area of concern I have going into this procedure because if I fail to follow this diet properly the surgery cannot happen. It seems there is this big blob in the way called a liver and if I don't follow the diet properly, they won't be able to do the surgery using the laproscopic procedure that makes this operation a success. May 18th is coming and I am excited and nervous and somewhat scared to death.
   After the surgery they stress the importance of getting up and moving around as soon as I can deal with the pain enough to be able to get up and about. Oh good grief, here we go with that PAIN thing again. Ever get one of those little shivers that starts at the base of the tailbone and reverberates up the spine, across the shoulders, and down both sides to the bottom of your feet? Well every time that thought comes up so does that little shiver. Getting up and moving around is important and I know I will be able to handle that part of it. If a little pain needs to be endured I will get thru it and getting up and doing for myself is probably the wiser thing to do instead of using a little bell to drive my wife nuts with. It's just so much fun to drive her nuts with that bell and listen to her carry on about it. But I will behave myself, do what my doctor and other health professionals tell me and man up to the situation. Besides, I really am not that big of a wuss despite how much my lovely wife says otherwise. Catch ya later.