Here's for you Katie

Some Pics and Maybe a Word

A few more photos

Kinda Weight Loss

This week has been a hectic round of walking the new hospital wings, dropping off and picking up Larry, being the carrier and the hiker and I realized today that a year ago even one of those trips down those long halls would have been difficult for me. I have been all over the new and expanded hospital keeping up with gurneys, climbing new slanted hills in halls that lead from old to new and most of it quickly and easily. Hmm. I have lost 124 lbs since last Feb's surgery and it has certainly made me physically markedly pain free..almost. I finally had a weight training workout this week, but due to my husband's heart attack, I couldn't go to the second workout. My arms were sore all week and are still sore today if I straighten them. The workout was Monday and this is Friday. I also could lift way way less than I could last year, I simply must rebuild my muscle strangth! Right now I need my mental strength to get through the days ahead with DH having open heart surgery and possibly needing 5 bypasses. He was at a regular doctor's appointment and his seeming minor complaint turned out to be an MI. He dodged a much bigger one by getting in so quickly. more later.

Husband Ill

Larry had some chest pains, not the kind he had with his first heart attack. (foreshadowing) As it turned out, he was having a heart attack, though the discomfort was very minor and didn't run down the arm or up the neck. He thought he pulled a muscle and he works very hard physical labor. This morning he had a heart catheterization which revealed that every major artery was blocked. When the effects of the blood thinners he had to take for the heart cath wear off, he will have bypass surgery, not sure of the number, is 4 maximum? The heart attack itself was caught so early we consider it fortunate and a blessing. He is pissed as this does not fit into his neat calendar of events for the near future. As of today, he still has a near future to complain about. L is resting comfortably in the hospital waiting for time and day, but for the blood thinners it would have been today, and thankfully he was not presenting with a massive heart attack. That was building.

I personally am exhausted from sleeping so fitfully last night in the fear Iw ould oversleep which I never do! I did not oversleep this morning, either. I shall crash early tonight and pack a few things to knit and to read for tomorrow. I will also check in at school and hopefully get a chance totalk to my sub in person and see how she feels about the art assignments as she is not an art teacher, but she IS a real teacher. More later family.

In the Cold

The last 2 days of school were cancelled for the weather. I find that the longer I hole up in the cold, the longer I want to hole up. It will be good to get back to school and back on schedule. I shock myself by how quickly I can become a hermit. I have done a lot of reading, "The Tall Book", came out of that feeling a little freer, a little prouder, but in the world of the tall and super tall, 6ft is really not that much. Felt shorter just reading it! I admit I like to be in Indy during the women's b-ball championship seeing the crowds of tall girls walking around the circle center mall, I stand up really straight and enjoy seeing them. I read "The Plague of Doves," one of Louise Erdrich's well-drawn masterpieces that retains a mystery until the very last page. I am trying to finish "American Wife", loosely based on Laura Bush. It is making me like her though I always wanted her (in real life) to stand up for teachers against the insanity going on in education today. It is a book I pick up, read a bit, put down and read a whole other book before I come back to it.

I took a little trip to my favorite store today, just to get out of the house, only to find my car dead, not quite as a doornail, but not turning over. I had not turned off the XM radio so it was draining the battery in the sub-zero temperatures. grrrr, but better to find it today thatn in the sub zero morning to come! I spent some money on absolutely non-essential items like lovely scented candles and another pair of exercise pants for my workout, tomorrow I should have both a workout AND a haircut.

The Season and Some Weightloss WLS Style

I had a message on FB so I thought I should update a little. I am closing in on 11 months post surgery and I am still losing weight at a steady slowing speed. At least I think it's slowing. I am wearing the same size I was married in though I am nearly 20lbs heavier. My daughter got me an impossibly skinny sweater for Christmas and I fearfully tried it on, (old clothes as gifts anxiety) and it was great. I looked at the scale today and I am down 124lbs. I always lose another 3 or 4 pounds when I am in charge of my grandson for a few days! We are busy. As I have said before, I am satisfied with where I am. if it stops today, I am GREAT!
I made cookies this year for the first time in 40 some odd years, I mean from scratch, not slice n bake, and had one in the morning and one at night, to no ill effect. This is really the first time I have deliberately eaten something with sugarbut one little cookie followed many hours later by another did not harm me. I have religiously followed the sugar rule for the entire 11 months, which is sugar no higher than 5 on the list of ingredients. I have had a few bites of pasta from time to time, recently, but it is too too filling. Overcooked meat in the crockpot goes down just fine, you know when the meat is falling apart. I also had success with my daughter's amazing Christmas Roast and I am sure that is the name of the roast, "The Amazing Christmas Roast" though in honor of the 4 11/12 I called it roast beast!

Since I have failed at making myself go to the Y and swim since school started I am starting back in with the school trainer deal and get back to that, because, dear WLS readers, you will not believe what needs toning after such a major weight loss--EVERYTHING and then some. This wellness deal also gives us access to a local hospital fitness center. I am excited to get back on the elliptical, because, even when I had not lost weight, I loved what that machine did for me! I have said before (again) but the nurses at the hospital said the reason Iw as not having the pain everyone else was having was because of the 3 years with a trainer and my abs, though buried were in great shape, if you are beginning to explore this route, do yourself a favor and really exercise and work on those abs, you will thank yourself later when you have a super amazing nearly pain free recovery. I also recommend meltingmama.net as a really helpful WLS site.

Random Thoughts and a Little Weightloss

I have come to the point in my weight loss journey where I don't really care if I lose any more weight or not. I am looking and feeling better than I ever expected I could at age 62 and just dropped another three pounds. I know many of you think WLS makes weight loss effortless, but that is not the case. It is different, but it is still not effortless. My total at this point is a loss of 118 lbs. I had to drop another size in jeans this week and am in the size I wore as my skinny self from about 35 years ago. Of course that is not taking the new vanity sizing into account, but I don't care, I feel really good about where I am and now I just want to stay put, or knock off a few more pounds so I can safely bobble there for all time.
I have had a student teacher who has been completely in charge of my room for at least a month, this week is her last week and I am eager to get back to teaching myself. I have done a lot of reading and some knitting. I also made a cute quilt for my new grandbaby during my free time. I have spent most of my time in the library so I can use a computer whenever I like and have learned some new (to me) art skills that I can teach my students, thanks to my student teacher.I have also subbed or covered for several people during this time. My student teacher is so good I have had no worries and am not pining quite as much for my room as I have in the past with lesser student teachers. My kids are safe with her and learning a lot.
I had grandson H over Friday and Saturday night, we went to see Planer 51 which was so much fun and then Saturday we did Thanksgiving with my cousins and all the children of the third generation. H had a blast, everyone was a little bigger and a little older, and it was rough and tumble and he totally loved it. I had a great time being with my cousins and their kids, myself. Of course there was a groaning board of food, but that is not anything that bothers me. I tasted several things, stayed away from sugar, as usual and got to rock babies to sleep. All in all a very good day. I also passed out the hats I knit like a maniac last week to babies, including one for my newest grandson.