Angel Ornament

I worked hard on this sucker. I made 12 for my cookie exchange. That meant covering 121 mini spools with ribbon. I managed to do all 12 in one night. My obsessive nature forbids me to quit in the middle of a project, so it was an all or nothing kind of an affair. I think they came out cute and that the girls really enjoyed them.

The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

This is what I will be having. Let me start from the beginning. I am 46 year old female. I am 5'8" and my weight...well, when I get more comfortable with myself, I will reveal that. Suffice it to say, I am what is called, "Morbidly Obese." Although that doesn't bring music to my ears, I am what I am. When I found out thru my family medicine physician, Mbue, that I was diabetic, she asked if I had ever considered the Gastric sleeve. I explained to her that I had never heard of this, but would be willing to learn about it. That was the catalyst-that is what got that ball rolling. My doctor submitted a referral to General Surgery/the Bariatric clinic at Wilford Hall, at Lackland, AFB.

Step one was to go to the first briefing. At this briefing, they spelled out all the procedures that Wilford Hall does, along with the benefits and the possible complications that come with each procedure. They offer 1 Lapband 2 Gastric Sleeve & lastly 3. Gastric Bypass. It was a basic overview. It was enough for those attending to be able to make an educated decision as to what they were leaning towards. It was at that time that I found out that I was not a good candidate for the sleeve because I have a diagnosed case of acid reflux. The program will not allow you to have this procedure if you have been treated and are currently taking meds for reflux. It will make your reflux a lot worse. That was a bit of a disappointment, as I thought the sleeve would be a better route. So, now it looks like Bypass is the way to go.

Step 2 was to attend a 4 hr briefing on Gastric Bypass. This is where you will learn everything you need to know about Gastric Bypass, but were afraid to ask. There was a quick discussion as to the papers that we needed to sign & initial, and then a Nutritionist came to speak to us. She was very open with us and was very blunt as to what we are going to have to look forward to. She didn't candy coat anything. On the contrary...she was very clear. We were then visited by the Sleep Lab. They explained their purpose, and afterwards scheduled all those that needed to get this study. I set up my appointment with them, and then waited until I could go up to the Director of the program (Nikki) to give her my paperwork. It was then discussed that we would be needing some referrals from her, and that they wouldn't be availble for scheduling for about a wk. Step 2 done-onward to step 3.

Step 3 I had my Psych. test. I went to the office, she asked a few questions. She also shared with me that she had the surgery back in November of last year and has lost 110 lbs. She offed to assist if I had any questions for her. I think through conversation, she knew I meant business, and wasn'[t wishy washy about this procedure. I spoke with her for about an hour. She also encouraged the group meetings that are held once a month. She said that if Arturo had any reservations, that he should ask the questions here. There would be plenty of people answering his questions.

Journey to a healthier me

I know I need to make changes in my life. Getting healthy is important to me, and now is a better time than any. Of course I can't do flexible yoga poses like the above, but one day I aspire to. First thing first...

I noticed that my body was doing things it normally doesn't. You know how it is when you know something is very wrong with your body? Well, this is what happened to me. I noticed that I was getting up several times, during the night, to go to the rest room. I was having a heck of a time going to sleep without these frequent trips. Something told me to start checking my glucose levels. I had a gut feeling that things were taking a turn for the worse---my sneaky suspicion that my sugar was on the high side, meaning the inevitable---DIABETES. I decided to test my glucose for a week before scheduling an appointment. By doing this, I would have something to show my Primary Care physician, to assist her in what action to take. I knew I'd have to get some blood work, but didn't know any more than that. After checking my levels, it became very apparent that my numbers were high at 150-174 without even eating in the morning. It should be 90-120. So I knew the levels were just too high.

With my glucose readings in tow, I went to my scheduled appointment. This was the first time I saw this Primary care physician, so I was a little nervous. As it turns out, I did well by bringing in my readings, as this shed some light for her. She sent me to lab, following my appointment, put in an order for the following: A referral to the foot doctor, nutrition, and she gave me meds. for the diabetes, as well as refilled my other meds.

We spoke of other options, since my BMI was pretty high. She was concerned about my weight. One of the options was to send me to Nutrition. I told her that I had been already, but it had been back in 2005. She said that since it's been over a year, she would send me again. No problem. Next, she explained about the foot doctor-it was necessary for me to get my feet checked out and that Dr. would give me a referral to get diabetic shoes and get custom fittings for 3 inserts. That was a bonus for me, since I haven't had shoes to fit me right since I had my accident with my foot, back in June of 2005. Taking care of your feet is so important when you have diabetes. She then asked me if I had ever considered getting a Gastric Sleeve. I told her that I had never heard of this procedure. I explained that I had been thru all the process of getting gastric bypass, but since I had my foot accident, I couldn't get it done. She was glad that I was open to it, and would consider it. She explained that I had 3 options-Gastric bypass, Gastric lap band, or Gastric Sleeve, if I wanted to go this route. She recommended the sleeve, saying that she thought I'd be a great candidate for that particular procedure. She put in a consult for the Bariatric clinic, at Wilford Hall. Now I'm not all that thrilled about having to make this trip to Wilford Hall, but I will do what I have to do. I'm only hoping that I can do all the other appts at BAMC, and bring the reports to Wilford Hall. I'm not sure whether or not I'll be able to do that, but we'll find out after my appt on July 24th.

The ball has begun to roll. The first step is the Nutrition, which I found out will be 6 months. I've already gone to my first appt, and turned in my 2 wks worth of food diary. She requested another weeks worth of food diary again, and to email this to her. My nutritionist will review it, and let me know what changes I need to make, and whether or not I will need to get my thyroid checked. I can say that I have lost 10lbs from the time I went to my primary care physician the first time, which was a couple of weeks back. The nutritionist says I have to lose 40-45 lbs while on this 6 month program. I think I can do it with no problem. I'm actually shooting for more, if I can. She explained what I'm going to be doing-they'll incorporate an exercise program, for which I will have to set my own goals. I'm trying to walk now-but it's been so dang hot lately. I need to go in the mornings and not make any excuses. The nutritionist says that towards the end, I will have to do the pre-surgery diet and the post surgery diet. So that should be interesting. She also said that I will have to encounter several other appointments prior to the surgery. I will have to have a gastric study, EKG, psych, sleep study, etc...all the stuff I had to do before. It's a drag that I have to do all this stuff over again, but I understand why-things change from one year to another. She said that after the 6 months of nutrition, it may take a month or 2 to finish the other appointments and then I can have the surgery. She says, ball park time to have the surgery will come in January or February. That'll be here before you know it. I'm glad it will be after the holidays. It will be so much easier to deal with after that passes.

So I am well on my way to a road of healthier eating, and a healthier lifestyle. I do feel like I am making some progress already, but I do have a long way to go. My goal is realistic, and ultimately, I want to feel good about myself and feel as healthy as I can be. I want to get rid of the diabetes, and lose the risk factors for heart disease that both run in my family. It's not going to be an easy road, but I'm up for the challenge. I can't wait to live the life that I am supposed to live, and not miss out on another world of adventure. I've missed too much as it is, and don't want to miss anymore.

A colossal loss of for the music industry

Never in a million years would I have ever expected the announcement of Michael Jackson's passing. It was an announcement that actually left me with a dropped jaw. At first I thought there had to have been a mistake. I hadn't heard of Michael being sick. With two celebrities gone, there was one more in the "happens in threes" scenario. I thought that third one would be Patrick Swayze, I hate to say. Since his battle with cancer has been so public, and it seems that his Cancer is in a high stage at this point, I surely thought they would have announced his name. I am glad he's hanging in there, and it wasn't him, but Michael's name was never a thought in my mind. So now the mystery continues with this eccentric man, who came with controversy. What caused his death? Was it prescription drugs, or was it natural causes? Who will get his kids? What do they stand to inherit? Will he now become so remembered that his birthday or his date of death will be remembered annually like Elvis Presley? Lisa Marie Presley stated that Michael once made a comment regarding his demise being like her father's. Was he foreshadowing his own death? Well, one thing is for sure and that it that we will be hearing about Michael for a long time to come. Although he's had his legal problems in the past, and no one knows what is true and what is fabricated, they can't take that thing away from him. He was and always will be known as the King Of Pop. Not only was he an icon here in the states, but a man recognized all around the world. To have made an impact on that many people just goes to show what an incredible talent Michael was. He will be remembered always and is now a part of history. God rest his soul.

My newest project

Here is a project that I worked on for about 3 weeks or so, off and on. This was made for my brother in law's wedding that is this weekend. I am pretty proud of myself as it's the biggest cross stitch project I've taken on. The actual work is 8 x 10, and it wasn't as bad as I though it would be. I'll have to try something a little more challenging next go around, but I'm sure that will take me way longer. I'm sad to have to let it go, but I am very proud of myself for getting it done as quickly as I did.

What did he say?

I was chatting with a fellow teacher, and we were exchanging some funny stories. The topic, of course, was when kids say things that have some shock value. We were also discussing how sometimes we are just blown away by how growup some of these kids sound, when they are so young. One example of this is when I had a very intellegent 2 year old in my class. He was way ahead of the class in his smarts, and would even bring in articles pertaining to science discoveries and such. Well, it was almost naptime, so I began putting out mats, blankets and sleepy toys. When I got to this particular child's mat, I called him over with a smile on my face and said that I needed for him to come to his mat and plant himself. His response was, "Plant myself? Ms. Annette, I can't plant myself." Then he started to laugh really hard, he then slapped his leg and said, "Ms. Annette, you kill me." LOL! That was 7 years ago and I remember it as if it were today. I laughed so hard because it was just so incredibly odd coming from a young 2 year old.

After sharing this story with my fellow collegue, she had one to top me. She said that she was listening to the kids in her class, when one of them said that one of the other kids was "Stupid." The teacher corrected him and said that this was not a nice word to say and to please not use it anymore. Right after she spoke with this child, another came up to her and said, "Yes, we shouldn't say Stupid because it's a bad word. Another word we shouldn't say is Shit because that's a bad word too." The teacher's mouth dropped. She didn't want to make a big deal of it and responded by saying, "Yes, that's true. That's another bad word we shouldn't use." She just wanted to die laughing but contained herself as best as she could under the circumstances. Of course after hearing this story, I told her that she won-that story topped mine by a long shot. Never a dull moment when you are surrounded by young active minds.

Swing Talk

This past week has been wonderful! I hadn't realized how much I have missed being around little ones every single day. I suppose I took that for granted while I was there. I had the opportunity to visit with my former students and was also able to visit with their parents, who were so thrilled to see me. It's always a great feeling to be missed and appreciated.

The other day, while on the playground, one of the kids (3 yrs of age) was swinging with 3 others. They were all just about in synch with one another, swinging side by side when out of the blue I hear one of the girls shout out, "You're a poopie head!!!" I thought maybe I should let that one slide, but soon it became quite clear that the "poopie" comment quickly spread like a wildfire that had consumed the others swinging along side of her. Next thing I hear was tons of giggles and the following comments- "You're a poo-poo!" "No, you're a poo-poo!" "No, you eat poo-poo", and that's when I had to interject and bring all the "poo-poo" talk to a screeching halt. Although it was over the top, I did have to chuckle at how they all immediately jumped on that poo-poo wagon. It doesn't take much when dealing with 3 yr olds.