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