Quick update

I just went by my family doctor's office to weigh in on their scales just to see how mine measure up...and it showed about a pound more lost than mine did! Anyway, I'll stick with mine...that makes me down 38 pounds. Yea!!! =)

Just got home from DC

Saturday we went up to DC and went to the Holocaust Museum. It was a very sobering experience. So much information, you really need a whole day to look at everything, we were there for several hours and made it through the main exhibit which is 4 floors...and still didn't really get to see all of that due to the crowds. After the museum, we drove around the neighborhoods right around the capitol. It was so cute. People are buying properties and painting them and renovating them. They look great, they're like brownstones, all lined up in rows and a lot of them still have their Victorian style trim pieces on them, and painted in pastel colors. Loved it! Being Memorial Day weekend, DC was packed! On top of that they were having some biker thing called Rolling Thunder and there were hundreds of bikers there in support of Memorial Day. The streets all around the mall were blocked off and traffic was crazy.

We stayed at the Dulles Airport Marriott, outside the city. There were lots of places to eat and a movie theater in the same complex, so we ate at a couple of those places and I even had some ice cream from Cold Stone made with Splenda! It was pretty darn good. Took me two days to eat a small, but it was good. And when we got home I'd lost a pound! Life is good. We ate at this little Mexican place, they had all kinds of burritos and you could get one "naked", which means without the tortilla. So I had one of those, once again...I ate about half of it and saved the rest for the next day. It was full of protein, chicken, cheese, salsa. Very yummy, that's something we could make for the kids too. (I'm not quite ready for bread...need another week or so) We also shared salmon and soup. Mac has been great, of course! He's such a trooper and he's very supportive. It's just healthy eating, so it's good for him too.

Sunday we drove over to Georgetown. I'd never been there and wanted to see it. Once again...packed! It was like in the movie American Graffiti when they go cruising. All the main shops are on M Street, and it was bumper to bumper for a couple of miles. I hadn't been feeling too good that morning, so we just drove up and down once to get a look. We decided we'll come back another weekend and maybe it won't be so crowded. It was really quaint and a canal runs behind M Street and there's a bike/jogger path. We'd like to go back and walk around next time.

This morning before we left, we had room service. We shared a fruit plate and a plate of eggs with ham folded in and hash browns. It was the first time I'd had eggs and ham since before surgery. I had about 4 or 5 bites and I was done. It tasted so good. It's not that I'm hungry, but it's nice to just taste something other than a protein shake. So I always make sure I get all my protein in and if I can fit in veggies and fruit then I'm doing good. I took along my travel protein tubes. I've decided to use those to travel, they work great.

So that's our long story for this weekend! Have a great week and have a great Memorial Day.
Cindy

On a roll

All my sharp pains around my incisions are starting to fade. I still get little pings here and there, but overall it's much better.

Our internet has been on the blink for two days, so I haven't been able to blog or check email. But today I did some laundry and cleaning out my closet. I got ride of two paper bags full of clothes that are too big. I've come down at least 2 dress sizes! I'm eating a little more, chicken salad, shrimp and tuna salads, asparagus, green beans, soups, sugar free applesauce, yogurt, sugar free pudding. It's just hard to get in all the daily requirements! I have found a new protein drink that tastes like fruit punch koolaid...it's only 3 oz and it has 42 grams of protein, and I'm supposed to have 50 grams a day. So this will be easy to take and to carry with me for travel.

This holiday weekend Mac and I are heading to DC to walk the mall. So I hope to get lots of great exercise and we always see something new every time we go. If you've never been come out and visit and we'll take you up for a tour.

Not much else going on, Megan and Justin are home, Scott is in Richmond with his roommates looking for an apartment for next semester, and Mac and I are watching the Daily Show and Colbert. Life is quiet in Williamsburg!

C.

We had a very nice weekend in Williamsburg. Great weather, so Mac and I walked Saturday and Sunday. Once around Colonial Williamsburg is about 2 miles.

This weekend Mac made his fabulous tortilla soup and I made a Mediterranean tuna salad. I found the recipe in a book I bought, "before & after" by Susan Maria Leach. She had gastric bypass surgery several years ago and the first half of the book is her story, and the second half is full of great, low carb, high protein recipes.

I'm still sitting at 33 pounds lost, but I read that if you're not losing weight, you're losing inches. That must be true, as I tried on some things in my closet and I'm down at least 2 or 3 sizes. Which encourages me.

I wish I could have been in Texas this weekend...we missed baby Z's 1st birthday bash. =( Maybe next year!

Also, I want to say hello to Aunt Pam, Uncle Orvie, Julie and her cute husband...Brenda said she was passing along my link to yall. Welcome!!

I'm off for my walk. Talk to you soon...
Cindy

Update

I am now at a total loss of 33 pounds and still climbing. I didn't get to walk last night, just as we started to walk outside a major rain storm came pouring down. I'm about to get dressed and hit the pavement. Our neighborhood is great for walking. All the streets are lined with huge trees and houses with nice green yards and lots of colorful blooming flowers. It's such a nice walk.

Everything is going well, last night I had a small cup of mashed potatoes, and that tasted good. I've been getting all my protein in and taking my vitamins.

After we missed our walk, we came home and watched "The Rear Window", Mac had never seen it. He fell asleep during the movie, but woke up near the end. It is one of my favorite old movies.

Mac is at work, the kids are all home (sleeping) and I'm heading out to walk. Talk to you all later.

I'm Free...

from my tube! Yipeee!! I can't tell you how much better I feel. Now I'm just letting that heal and trying to take it easy. My doctor does encourage walking 5 days a week. I started a week ago yesterday, 30-45 minutes a day and then this past Friday we went to Relay For Life and walked for about an hour and a half.

I skipped walking yesterday, but Mac and I drove up to Richmond to this area called Carry Town. It's full of vintage resale shops, boutiques, antique shops, places to eat, etc. It is so beautiful out today, 68-70 degrees, sunny and a nice breeze. We really enjoyed it.

So my total loss is now at 31 pounds. I'm thrilled. Starting today I can add pureed foods and we Mac & I) made our first protein shake this morning. It's not bad and it has 50 grams of protein, which is what I need daily. We had a chocolate shake with peanut butter and half a banana. It was creamy and surprisingly pretty tasty. I also had some sugar free apple sauce. Not bad either. It's nice to taste something with texture and flavor! Luckily I haven't had any problems at all tolerating anything. Other people have issues even handling water. When I got the tube out Thursday, I also saw my nutritionist. She loved my food diary. It's a spreadsheet I made up, I am the spreadsheet queen after all. =) I documented everything, from how much I drank, protein grams consumed, pills/vitamins taken, to how much walking I did.

Things are going well, and I want to say Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there! =)

And special thanks to Mac for all his support. It means a lot to me! =) I have been a little emotional, which my nurse practitioner said happens at some point. In addition to that my Uncle Curtis in East Texas passed away this past week and all of my family was at the service held for him Saturday. I wish I could have been there, but it was just a little too soon for me to travel. So lots of love and kisses to everyone back in Texas! Miss you all.

xxoo
Cindy

Tomorrow...

I visit the Dr., actually the nurse practitioner, and I cannot wait! I can only take one more day of this tube thing. Everything is going great. I've been walking in the neighborhood each day for 30-40 minutes, drinking all my protein and Mac made some yummy tortilla soup last night.

I started working from home Monday, so at least my charts are up to date and the Shipyard can go on!

Tomorrow morning Mac is driving me up to Richmond for my appointment and hopefully I will be able to get around better. This Saturday we're going to Relay for Life in Newport News, which we're looking forward to...and Sunday we'll probably go walk around Colonial Williamsburg.

Talk to you all soon! =P

Four more days till...

my first checkup with the surgeon! Thank goodness, this drainage tube is ewwwww.

Everything is going good. My instructions are to take it easy and be careful of my drainage tube, but get outside and start walking up to 30 minutes, then in another week go up to an hour. So Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market at Colonial Williamsburg and walked around then later we went to Barnes and Noble. Today we went to Lowes and then I walked around the Williamsburg Antique Mall. It's so pretty outside, we sat out on the deck for a little while, but it's a little chilly. (in the 60's)

Mac has been straining soup for me and I've been getting all my protein and liquids down every day no problems. Hot showers are nice too, in the hospital I just got the sponge bath thing and that wasn't quite the same! I do feel a little emotional, but that's supposed to be normal for people after this surgery, not to mention I am a girl. I was very puffy and swollen from all the fluids I received at the hospital and that's just starting to go away.

Megan is visiting her boyfriend this weekend, Scott did some yard work (go Scott), and Justin cleaned his room so now he's exhausted!

The Sunday night, I don't want to go to work tomorrow thing has set in with Mac and I don't blame him! Tomorrow I start on my work from home and prepare the monthly ops charts and weekly backlog reports. I'm so dedicated! =P

I'm posting a link to a public photo album I started on AOL, you don't have to have AOL to view it. Just click on the link: http://pictures.aol.com/galleries/cleuty (scroll to the bottom and start there...move your mouse over the pics to read the captions)

Again, I'd like to thank everyone for the well wishes! I know all your thoughts and prayers have helped me keep on my path.

Talk to you soon...take care!
Cindy

First Day Home

We I made it home today! After the whole ordeal with the hospital, being told to be there at 530 am, but not being called in until 1030...then upon resting in the recovery area, only to be left there for about 24 hours while they tried to find me a bed. I finally got to my room about 5pm yesterday. I immediately was up and taking my first walk since arriving. Not really in pain, just sore. I had lots of pokes and prodes, shots, they took so much blood one time they gave up cause nothing would come out. After I walked around with a physical therapist and talked to my nurses and surgeon, they said I was doing great, looked great and they were very encouraged by my progress and that I could go home.

Pre-op

Leaving the hospital...puffy from fluids

1st day home.


So, now I'm home. I took a small nap and now Mac and I are watching The King of Scotland. I'm feeling good, still a little woozy, but overall doing well!

Thanks for all the calls and flowers! I'll keep you posted. =)

xxoo
C.