Kathy Barnett

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5/19/04: Wow! Today was a whirlwind! Had my appointments with Spectra and met with everyone (nutritionist, psyche, nurse practioner and my primary doctor). Wonderful group to work with! Very informative and supportive! Only have to go back one time in 2 weeks to turn in some food plans and food logs, then its on to the surgeon! This is all happening quicker than I expected, but I am not complaining! My employer has informed me that I need to try to get this done by the end of August because they need me there otherwise. (It's nice to feel needed, anyway!!) Anyhow, I hope everyone is doing great and I look forward to sharing my experience more in the near future!


5/26/04: I received good news today and wanted to share! My initial appt with Dr. Murr is set for 6/7, so I get to see him before he goes on vacation! At least this way, they can work on my insurance while he is gone, although I don't think there will be any problems. I am receiving a lot of good information from this site and appreciate everyone's contributions and friendship! Thanks!



6/5/04: What a day! My husband and I went to the Tampa Weight Loss Expo. My surgeon and primary had a booth set up there and there were several post ops volunteering their time. It was nice to see some of them again and nice to meet the ones I haven't seen before! I am actually going for my appointment with Dr. Murr on Monday. At the Expo, they had a lot of vendors of diet products and nutrition products. They also had healing people, Tupperware, and more. Over all it was nice to have so many resources under one roof, but I noticed that the larger percentage of the "sellers" were very nasty and made nasty comments if you walked by their booth and did not take them up on their offer to "try this or that or enter their drawing". Now, don't get me wrong, I would say "no thank you", etc., but it didn't matter! It is so truly amazing as to what this world has come to, even since I was a little girl! So, back to my WLS....In the week between my appointments with my primary and the dietician, I actually lost 6 pounds! Not alot when you are obese, but every bit adds up! I have been workling hard on taking good care of myself, taking my supplements, checking my sugars several times a day, and all that good stuff. I am aiming to have the WLS in August, so I guess I will know soon enough!


6/7/04: Saw Dr. Murr and Dr. Gonzalez today. Looks like I will be having my surgery the old way (open) due to my large hernia being in the way. I was prepared for it anyway, so no big surprise. Just a matter of time now. I am getting excited!


6/25/04: Well, I have come a long way in this process of starting a new life! I found out the beginning of this week that my insurance approved the surgery. They called me themselves to tell me! I thought that was pretty cool! It only took 4 days! Today, I received my date, which is August 11, 2004. Wow! It really is right around the corner! I have lots and lots to do before it gets here too! I will update more this weekend when I have a little more time.


7/25/04: Time is such a valuable commodity! I have no idea where the past few weeks went! Surgery is sneaking up on me and I have been trying to organize and get things done at work and home. School will be starting 2 days before surgery and I need to get the boys' school shopping done. Very hard when you get home every night after 7 and are so tired you can hardly walk in the door! Hell, I need this surgery just to rest! LOL. On a more serious note, I have been worried sick about my Mom. She lives in Lynchburg, Virginia and has been having so many problems since a botched back surgery 2 years ago. She is 58 years old and has spent the last 2 years chair bound, Now she is dealing with an adrenal tumor that has me worried sick. I am so so torn about having the surgery and not being there for her. I have 2 sisters that live next door and of course my Dad, but they are all so exasperated with her care and her "giving up" that I just don't know what to do. Please pray for us! I am looking forward to being a "loser" and coming back on the "other side". I keep telling myself I have to take care of myself for once so I am around to care for everyone else! God Bless!


8/5/04: Six days and counting. Went through all the pre-op yesterday. It went well. I feel like I have accomplished something at least! Vicki Mayer is having her surgery right after me, so her pre-op was yesterday too! We more or less went through it together! She is sweet! I will be spending time this weekend, packing for the hospital and shopping for school supplies. School starts the 9th! Two days before "the day"!!!


8/18/04: Well, here it is 1 week post op and I am sitting in front of the computer updating my profile. It has definitely been an experience. Two days after my bypass while still recovering in Tampa General, I was privileged enough to have a front row seat to the Charley clouds rolling in. They had evacuated most of the patients in the hospital and there were only a few of us left, but I was too out of it to be worried! Fortunately, Charley missed us a little but our wonderful neighbors south and east of us were not spared. God Bless Those People and their families. As for me, I am doing okay. Adjusting. Getting around pretty well. Just still tired and draggy feeling. I am confident it will pass in no time. Finding it hard to keep the fluid running but am battling that head on like I do most things. I will update more in a few days when I can sit a little longer. Just know the "new" me is right around the corner!


8/21/04: Everything has been going pretty well except the fact that I spent last night at Tampa General receiving steroids for a bad reaction to Percocet (or rather the generic Oxycodone). I tolerated it well when crushed with liquid but 2 nights ago took one pill, scored it in half and swallowed each half. It seems because my body could not dispense of it in a timely manner, it stayed too long causing me to be covered in hives!! I put up with it most of the day yesterday, taking Benadryl and smothering myself in anti-itch cream, but yesterday afternoon when they started inching themselves onto my face and eyes, I was advised to go. So, after 12 hours there, I am feeling MUCH better!!! Still have a few of the little buggers but much more manageable! Been getting around good and even working a little bit from home. Can't wait to go back to work but I am approved for short term disability until 8/31 and I get full pay so I am going to make myself wait til 9/1 to go back. I weighed when I came home from the hospital today and I was down 15 pounds. I am pleased. Can't wait to get the all clear to excersice and swim, etc!!!


8/27/04: Time is going by so quickly! Just to update on the hive thing. I had to go back into the ER on Sunday and was admitted. My whole body was covered. My head was blown up like I have never imagined. My throat was closing. It was plain horrible. Stayed in hospital until Tuesday afternoon, then went to see an allergist Wednesday. As I figured, there is no way to tell what caused the hives but I did receive numerous medications for relief of the symptoms. I am pleased to say they are under control right now. While in the hospital, I was weighed and I am down 24 lbs. I am for the most part doing well. Can't wait to get around a little more, but just so sore and tired. Hopefully by next week I will have some strength back. I am making more of an effort now to get my protein in, and am doing fair. The support boards have been a godsend in sharing recipes and ideas. I really don't know if I would have been able to come this far without all the wonderful support at this board. Thank you everyone! My family for the most part has been wonderfully supportive. It means a lot to me. There are some points I feel alone and wonder, "Oh, my God, what have I done!!???", but it passes. I acted prematurely yesterday and went into work for a bit. I lasted about 3 hours before crawling home and getting in bed for the next 7 hours straight. And all I did was talk and look over paperwork! Go figure! Anyhow, I am hoping to return to work next week. We will keep our fingers crossed!


9/10/04: Well, I made it to my one month post op and I am down 45 pounds! Yeah for me! It has not been as bad as I first imagined. I am eating regular food by chewing alot and taking small bites and doing very well. I joined a gym and hope to go for the first time tomorrow. I meet with the personal trainer Monday. You must understand that alone was a huge step for me. I would have never seen myself at a gym for anything! I really hope to get alot out of it too! I have been back to work full time since last week and I feel so much better! I am just not one to sit around and do nothing! I am so pleased that I had this surgery and I truly hope my experience will help anyone else out there contemplating on having it! Thanks to all the wonderful people I have met through this web site especially my dear friend and angel, Kim! I love you girl!


9/13/04: My Goodness! Can't remember if I posted about this...but I joined a gym (Shapes in Temple Terrace) last week. I went for the first time on Saturday and basically experimented with some of the equipment and swam a bit. But tonight I had my first meeting with the personal trainor. She was very nice and very informative. We came up with a plan that I think will suit me perfectly. But Lordy!!! She had me try all these different machines and I basically "worked out" for an hour straight. First time in my entire life! It felt damn good though! The hardest part of joining the gym was walking in the front door to sign up. After that, it has been fine. I just can't believe that me, Kathy Barnett, belongs to a gym and is actually using it! HA! There was one funny thing that happened though! She got me on the treadmill and was showing me how to use it. Well, she set the speed a little to fast for me and I felt like one of those comedy routines trying to hold on for dear life...cause I was going off the back end! I was laughing so hard, I almost peed myself! WOW! Now I just realized not only do I belong to a gym, am using it, but I can laugh at myself too! Me go girl! Yeah!


9/27/04: Well, it's been awhile since I updated so thought I would do it now. We have been busy getting through all these hurricanes. Jeanne hit us pretty heavy, but no major damage. Mike has been in Mexico on business for the past week so he missed all the excitement. I have not been able to go to the gym since he has been gone because of the kids, but watch out when he comes back! I need to work out. I feel like I am at a stall. I have lost 53 pounds since I last weighed a week ago. I try to only weigh on Wednesdays. I have been doing pretty good with the food but I know I need more protein. I am currently trying several samples of protein supplements that I have ordered, so hopefully, I will find one that I like soon. Wish me luck!


10/14/04: Things are going well. I am down 58 pounds and have lost a total of 19 1/2 inches. Still hard for me to tell but others notice. I feel better and have lots more energy. It has been 2 months and one week, but it sure doesn't seem that long. I have been very busy at work and home. Trying to regain all the time I lost being inactive, I guess. I have asked Mike to take me on a cruise next spring when I am down 100 pounds or more to celebrate the new me. What's nice is that he has really noticed as well. I am having no problems with food except if I eat too fast or don't chew well enough, but even those times are few and far between. I did have Mike take new pictures this morning and although I can't see any difference, I will try to get them posted because I do like them better than what is on my page. Until next time, thanks for checking in and have a great day!


10/30/04: Saw this on my friend Kim's Livejournal account and thought it was cute!





10/31/04: Now that I have a few minutes, I can update! I am down 65 pounds as of last Wednesday and wearing sizes 18-20. So unbelievable! I went shopping with my friend, kim yesterday and had every intention of buying a new outfit, but I didn't! I guess it just felt too weird shopping in stores I have never shopped in! I mean, all of my teena nd adult life, I have shopped in Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug or the "Women's" section of department stores and now all of a suddent o be able to go into regular stores and look for clothes almost scares me! I know I have to work on this and I will! Outside of that, everything is still going well. I need to get to the gym a little more. I have been working so much overtime this past week I did not get to go, so I think I will change to the mornings and go more this week. I am going to Puerto Rico in 3 weeks with Mike. He has to go for work and invited me. Don't tell him, but I am looking forward to being alone with him for a few days and hope it will work wonders for us! Well, that is the latest anyway. Need to get off here and start preparing the costumes for tonight! Happy Halloween!


12/13/04: Wow! Hard to believe it has been over a month since I updated! Alot has happened. Went to Virginia for Thanksgiving to see my parents and sisters and their families. It was nice but I still did not feel "at home". For the most part everyone said I looked good and that made me feel good inside. My Dad didn't say anything either way, but at least that's better than every other year making some sort of comment about my weight. My sister, Michele did not seem to want to talk about my weight loss but I guess it's because she is so unhappy about her weight gain. I hope she finds out something from her endocronoligist soon. All in all it was an okay trip. Got home after a week there and went back to work, then got word that my Mom took ill and was in critical condition. Ended up going back last Sunday and just got home yesterday. As of right now she is in critical but stable condition. They took her off the respirator today and so far so good. If she does good tonight they will update her condition to serious. She has severe pneumonia in both lungs and ARDS on top of that. Still do not know what is causing it. I just know that while there I witnessed first hand the power of prayer! God is good! Anyhow, I am 4 months out now and down 85 pounds. I am in size 18, but this past week, I noticed that they were getting a little big too. It's really weird being smaller now than when I got married 20 years ago! Last time I updated, I mentioned a trip to Puerto Rico and we did go. It was nice to get away from the everyday thing called "life", but I was bored silly! Oh well! I will update more later!


12/25/04: Happy Holidays to Me! :) As of this morning, I am down 96 pounds. WLS was the best present I could have ever given myself! I can do so much more now! It's sad to think that I was missing out so much in life! Last weekend, we went to Islands of Adventure. I have never ever been able to ride a roller coaster and still did not want to, but I had to know if I could fit! Fortunately, they had sample seats outside the ride that you could try before you made an ass out of yourself and got in line. I FIT! I just sat there with tears in my eyes. I knew people thought I was some kind of crazy lady, but that feeling is something I waited for my entire adult life. What's even better, I fit and my husband didn't for once! I plan on making 2005 my year to shine! I start it off by turning 39! Hard to believe I am pushing 40! Yikes! But I feel so much better and to top off everything, my Mom is home for the holidays. The hospital sprung her yesterday!


1/1/05: Happy Birthday to me! :) In a way, I am so glad to see 2004 behind me! However, I did have my WLS and it was the best thing I have ever done for myself! I am entering 2005 97 pounds lighter and I feel good. I can't remember ever saying that. I plan on making this year my year. May sound selfish, but I have spent enough time in my life worrying about everyone else. I want to focus on me now. I have learned so much the past several months and I credit all of my friends on OH with this! So, Happy New Year Friends and make this year your year to shine too!


2/5/05: Hope this update finds you all well! It has been a busy 2005 so far. I am almost 6 months out and down 125 pounds. I was on a plateau for what seemed like forever, but have started losing again. Have had a lot going on emotionally but nothing I can't handle. Also, been having a strange pain in my chest cavity which I am thinking may be a hietal hernia. I went for a cat scan, but have not received the results yet. I am hoping I am wrong of course, but we will see. Work is doing real well. The kids were real sick with some strange strand of flu. I have not seen my boys that sick ever. Doing well now though! Mike has been traveling alot so not too much to comment on there. I have been feeling real good. I am trying to get used to the new me. I am going through clothes like crazy. In 16's comfortably now and a size L-XL shirt, depending on style. It is still extremely hard to go into a store and walk past the plus department. I cannot tell you how many times I have went in stores after Christmas to check out the clearance racks only to find myself in the plus dept wondering why nothing would fit me. I wonder how long we will live with that "old me" looking back at us whenever we look in the mirror?


2/17/05: Had a few minutes so thought I would update. Things have been going really well. The craziest thing happened and I forgot to post about it before. At my last doctor visit, I was talking with the doc and was shocked to find out that they had my pre-op weight at the 330 mark. It seems that my old scale at home was way out of whack all this time. I had weighed 330 when I was preganant with my youngest but that was 10 years ago. I really had no idea that I had crept that far back up. Not that it matters too much now, but now I have officially lost 127 pounds! I am 6 months out and I swear I have never felt better. Ever! I am even taking my boys to the State Fair this weekend for the entire day! I would have never done that before. I couldn't have. I am wearing a size 16 in most things and a size XL in tee shirts. Tonight, just for the hell of it, I took my measurements and compared them with the ones from pre-op and I am shocked! Like I have said numerous times before, when I look in the mirror, I still can't see too much of a difference, however, the measurements can't lie! I have lost over 31 inches! That is almost 3 feet! Another analogy I did for myself was looked at the 127 pounds I have lost and figured that it is the same as (25.5) 5 lb bags of sugar! Now go to the supermarket and try to carry that around in your arms without rupturing something! It is truly amazing when you look at it in those kind of different ways! I have never said this to anyone and surely not to myself, but I am proud of myself for taking the steps necessary to live so much better! I will try to get some new pictures sent in to update as well!


3/19/05: I am finally under the 200 mark! Wow! When I started all of this, I always said my first goal was to be under 200. I am now 198! I never really thought I would hear the day I said that. I am 7 months and one week out of surgery and feeling good. So much more energy! I am finally starting to see the difference in my pictures too! Still not the mirror, though. It's strange how our minds still play games with us. Anyway, I wanted to do a quick update and I am going to try to update my pictures too.


May 21, 2005: Wow! Life sure changes when you are able to move! My weight loss has slowed down dramatically and I do take a lot of the blame. I need to get myself motivated and back on track before the year anniversary gets here. I have about 19 pounds to lose to hit my surgeons goal of 175. I would love to hit 150, but as I said before, I always wanted to be under 200 and I am! It is such a grand feeling. I am in Large and Extra Large in misses clothes. I cannot wear plus sizes anymore. WOW! I have some 16's I am still trying to hold on to and wear but a lot of them are falling off my shoulders. It truly is such a weird feeling! My pant sizes are different depending on brand. I think a lot of that is due to the excess skin I have. If my calcualtions are right, I think I would comfortably fit into a 14 if I had all of the skin removed right now. I read an article not too long ago that the "average" size for women was now a 14. Damn! Does that mean I may one day soon be average? HAhaha....Regardless, I have come a long way and I do not intend on going backwards. I recently got a nice sized Walmart gift card from one of my agents at work for doing a big case for him and I have been thinking about buying myself a bike! I laugh when I think about it because I haven't ridena bike sine I was 15 or 16..that's 23 years! I wonder if I still can? Anyhow, if I do, I will be sure to get a picture of me and the bike put up on the website, so you can see. Take care and I will work on getting more recent pictures uploaded!


6/19/05: A lot has happened since I last updated. I was on a plateau of sorts, but then again I wasn't really trying. Life has had some more bumps in the road, but I am working on getting them smoothed out again. I recently found out I have cervical cancer. It all started with an abnormal PAP smear, then went into a positive HPV test, another positive HPV test, a positive small biopsy, and finally a coloscopy with a larger biopsy. That was on Thursday, the 16th. My doctor found a lesion on my cervix which, to the naked eye, looks like a stage 0 or 1, which is the beginnings of cervical cancer. I had to have more scrapings done on the inner part of my cervix because there was an area of suspicion further in that the scope could not get a good look at. If that comes back positive, then I will have to have further removal. If it comes back ok, then I will be monitored very carefully and plan the next step for preventing any more. I am sharing this here, because I have always been faithful in getting a yearly GYN exam and it has paid off! I urge every woman out there from teen on up, to do the same. It can save your life! I shudder to think what would have happened over time if I had not went for my annual exam! The thought of any foreign disease or yuckiness growing inside me totally un-nerves me! I am not afraid now. I sort of knew, because as I was going through the process and the weeks of waiting for all the test results, I noticed that I could not be myself. With that, I mean, I usually attack any of these kind of things that happen to me or my family head on and trudge right on through. This time, my inner self would not let me. Every time I tried to read or learn more, I would shut down. I was very in tune to that, but could not do anything to stop it. Strange. Funny how the mind can work. Anyway, I went from being afraid to being mad. I kept pitying myself, saying, "Why me?". I have worked so hard the past year to change myself into a much healthier human being and then WHAMMO...I get cancer. I am sort of over that now and back into regular mode, where I am just doing what is necessary to get through it all and move on. Will life ever be the same as I know it? Probably not. Now that I actually stop to think about it, NO, it won't. It never is. We have no way of controling that, now do we? LOL. We can try to make things as good as possible, but thats all. So, my life goes on. I do want to try to live it a little more though. I just always seem to busy to breathe if you know what I mean. We are taking a true family vacation in a few weeks and going camping in the woods in a cabin. I am going to make the most of it and truly try to relax and enjoy my family...maybe even fish and lay out in the sun....maybe start that book everyone wants me to write.....I guess I am at that age where I need to stop putting off all the things I want to do one day and start doing them. Cause you just never know. So, now that I am off my plateau, I am losing again. Down to 187. It is still so amazing. I never thought I would be under 200, much less 187! I want to get to 175 now before my year anniversary, which will be here before you know it. I think I can do it! I am wearing 14/16's now. Amazing. Utterly amazing. Me, Kathy Barnett, in a size 14....now that takes all!


7/31/05: Just a short update! I am down to 185 and feeling good! Eleven more days til my "re-birthday". My goodness, time has flown! The quality of life is so much better now! I could have never ever imagined it! School will be starting for the kids in one week and that means it will be even busier here at home, but as usual I thrive when busy. I am in the appeal process for myhernia repair and tummy tuck, so wish me luck! I can only get the hernia repair if I get the excess skin taken off otherwise what is the sense? It will just come back. I am praying that this will be over soon! If I am approved, I would like to have surgery before the middle of October so I can still travel for Thanksgiving and be around work for year end. Speaking of work, we hit a record of 635,000 PC's for July and I was on vacation for a week! LOL! I guess the extra hours I put in prior to vacation were well worth it! All things considered, life is good, I am feeling better than I have in years and happy to say I am happy!


8/21/05: I know I should have updated a week ago on my one year anniversay but I was too busy living life! LOL! I look back over the past year and at what I have accomplished and it seems so surreal! Time has flown by. I have been truly blessed to have this have worked so well for me. Now it is time to focus on staying on track and enjoying life like never before. Some stats for you: I have lost 147 pounds so far. I am down to a size 14/16 from a 30/32. I have lost 50 inches of my body. That is 4 feet 2 inches! Truly another person! I am a visual person, so I have compared my weight loss to 29) five pound bags of sugar. Go to the supermarket and try to carry 29 bags of sugar to the check out line! It is no wonder people are killing themselves with obesity! I pray for everyone that they can get a handle on their health and discover what living is really about! My surgery has truly saved my life. I was type II diabetic taking 8 pills a day and insulin shots twic a day, slept with a CPAP machine, could hardly walk. Not now! My A1C's have been 4. I sleep great! And can outwalk my kids! LOL! Emotionally, I still look in the mirror and see my old self, but when I am walking by a store window and catch a glimpse of myself and feel that "WOW! Who was that?", it feels so good! My goal for the next year post op is to be able to look in the mirror fullly and say that! Here's to life!


10/16/05: Time flies when you are living life! LOL! Things have been great. No complaints! Anyhow, on to more important things, the kids are well, hubby is well and work is going fantastic! My friend actually works in the same office as me and we have a blast! In fact, we are planning a weekend trip to a nice tropical place for this winter! Yes, we know we live in Florida, but we want someplace even more tropical! I am sure we will have a great time! Well, that is my update for now! Will keep you posted!



12/12/05: My goodness, I really had no idea that this much time has passed since I updated. Things have been super busy as they usually are. I have been making a concious effort to get more done around the house but it is so hard working the hours I do! I love my job though and in fact had my review today which went wonderfully well! Mike is in China right now and will be back this weekend. The kids are doing well. they are excited about the holidays as you would expect. We have had a lot of work done to the house the past month so there won't be many Christmas decorations like usual. It's sort of disappointing but we have our new roof, new AC and our house is being painted. Things have really come together the past few months. We went to Virginia to visit my family for Thanksgiving. I forgot how long it has been since they have seen me in person, so it was a shock for most of them. My father actually said I looked like I was all skin and bones! That cracked me up. That's the first time in almost 40 years I can ever remember him saying anything positive about my weight! My Mom just cried. My youngest sister even gave me shoes and they fit! LOL! Now, that was a feeling! All in all it was a pleasant holiday. The weight loss has been a new lease on life which I am sure you hear from the majority of post ops, but I swear to you I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have done so well, my mother in law is going through the process of being scheduled right now. And to think she was totally against me getting it done! Anyway, will update more during the holidays and will try to post some new pics. Merry Christmas!


5/13/06: It is true! You can really obtain a life when you are feeling better and able to do more. That is the reason I have been so bad about updating I guess! All is going well. I am getting ready to have surgery next week for my hysterectomy and a hernia repair. Had to put off my tummy tuck for a bit, but that is okay, because I will no doubt have more skin to remove after this surgery. I was a little apprehensive about the hysterectomy at first, but now I just want to get it done and over so I can get back to living. Hopefully this will get rid of all the cancer once and for all and eliminate some of the pain I have been enduring for months on end. Nothing really exciting has been going on, but I just wanted to let everyone know I was still here and still doing well in regards to my gastric bypass. My mother in law had it done as well and is doing much better! I should start a profile for her! I will update again after my surgery! Take care and have a great summer!


6/4/06: Well, I did not have my surgery after all! It seems I got a surprise instead. The morning of my surgery I woke up to the hospital calling to ask me to come in earlier than planned so they could redo one of my preop tests. I asked which one and was told my pregnancy test came back positive! I told the nurse that it had to be an error so I would be right in. Well, it was not an error! They cancelled my surgery and sent me for a sonogram and told me I was almost 7 weeks pregnant! It seems the trip to Los Angeles that Mike begged me to go on with him as romantic getaway weekend worked too well! LOL! It's funny because the only reason I finally agreed to go was so I could see Kenny Rogers star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Of course I did! So, can I blame this on Kenny? I should! YES< I was very much shocked and I admit, spent the first 24-36 hours crying in disbelief. I went through 7 years of taking fertility drugs to have my boys who are 10 & 14 now! I lost my first baby (a girl at 5.5 months gestation). I was told I would never be able to get pregnant without the aid of fertility medicine. I guess no one thought about what would happen if I lost 155 lbs! The docs seem to think the weight loss and the fact that they took me off my birth control and put me on progesterone 2 months prior did the trick. It's all so funny now that I think about it! I mean what are the odds? Anyhow, I am sort of excited now but also being cautious. Taking it one day at a time. Mike is more excited than I thought he would be and my sons are just loving it all! They will be excellent big brothers! How does this affect everything I have achieved through the WLS? Well, I have given a lot of thought to that. My health and the baby's health matter most right now. I have to eat small meals more frequently, keep tabs on my sugars which have been great for the past 2 years. I know I will put on some weight with the pregnancy but I also know I can take it right back off and am prepared to do so. I plan to work hand in hand with the doctors and be monitored completely. I guess someone up there has HIGHER plans for me huh? :) I will keep you updated when I can! I am still working full time as I cannot even imagine giving up my job. I would go crazy having to stay at home again! We will see! I feel good about this one!


8/11/06: Wow! It has been two years already! What a life altering 2 years at that! Things have been great. I am now in my 5th month of having a lil one. It is a boy (my third)! I am still working because I can!! It's so weird. I was on bed rest with my other pregnancies and had so many issues. I guess it truly pays to be at a healthier weight cause this one has been a blessing. Mike and the boys are so excited. Mike is remodeling to add a baby room. My sister is going to come down in December to help out after I have the baby. I am truly blessed. I have learned a lot in the past two years. First I learned to like myself and I have learned what real friendship is...(I love you Kim!) I have learned what desparate people will do when their life sucks so much they feel the need to try to move in on yours. I have learned that my husband really is a good man and loves me. It's all so remarkable. I feel like God gave us another baby for a reason and that reason is to let us know we are on the right track. I will keep you all updated as time permits. Take care!


8/27/06: Just hanging out and thought I would update. All is good. I am in my 6th month now and things are great. Still working (thank goodness!). In fact, just hired an assistant who I will be training to take over more and more of my position so that I am freed up to move up the chain. I am looking forward to the change and the added responsibility. I truly work for a great place and am so thankful I found them or I guess I should say that they found me! LOL! I haven't gained but 6 pounds since getting pregnany and the baby is fine so I am doing good. I am sure I will have no problem taking off the weight afterwards. I have started collecting baby things and forgot how cute these little things are! Well, in other news, Jonny is bowling the Fall league and is doing great and Jeff has made 1st string starter for the JV Football Team at his school and had his first game last week. I am one proud MAMA! Will update again soon!


10/26/06: Time has really flown by! My goodness! I am currently 30 weeks pregnant with Christopher Logan and doing great! It is so weird to have a "normal" pregnancy, especially at my age! I am still working full time and although I am more tired than usual, everything has been fine. No gestational diabetes either! That alone is enough to celebrate. I am scheduled for December 14 for my c-section, which is my Mom's birthday. That's the way I wanted it. She has always been my number one supporter and this is my inside way of honoring her. Work has been great. Alot of changes but all for the best! Jeff is done football for the season and did wonderfully. I truly am so proud of what he has achieved in his life. He is a good kid. I can honestly look at my boys and know deep down, I did good! Jonathan is struggling with his weight and it kills me, but we are working on that. He has accomplished soooo much in his young life. He just turned 11! He is truly a poster child for achievement and proof that never giving up is the sure way to go. He just got his report card and outshone his big brother who is in gifted classes! Mike has been traveling alot again, but as I get closer to my date, he has promised to take a hiatus. We will see. I think he is nervous about this baby but I think it is just because of our age and the fact that there is so much time between Jonathan and this one. We will see! I am so ready!!!!!!!!!! On the weight home front, I have done well and only gained 14 pounds thus far. Doc say it is all baby related too! Whats really weird is feeling like I am not eating enough. I get full easily and then turn around an hour later and am ravished. So, it looks as if I am always eating! Yikes! I am sure I will have no problem getting it all off and maybe a few pounds more! Well, enough for now. Will update again when I remember!

12/02/2011:  I cannot believe it has been 5 years since I last updated. I am happy to say that my preganancy was a huge success and Christopher will be 5 in 2 weeks. He is a vivacious delightful child and I love him to pieces.  Jonathan is 16 and is driving. He is such a sweetheart and he will never understand how much I love him. Jeffrey is 19 just shy of 20 already! He is going to college and working at Walmart. I am so proud of all my kids. The major thing that happened in my life was that in June of 2009 I  left my 25 year marriage and moved on. I am currently seeing a wonderful man and we will see hwere that goes. I lost a total of 230 pounds and pretty much have maintained that for over 7 years now. I actually fluctuate from about 170 to 130 every few months so I just have to watch and make sure I eat enough. I will be the first to say, I am NOT sorry I had this done. It changed my life forever in so many ways. I can do so much more. I would have never had my 5 year old let alone be able to keep up with him. I would never be able to enjoy taking walks or visiting the amusement parks with my kids, etc.  I even rode a rollercoaster for the first time ever! Now that I may not do again! LOL! But just to be able to breathe and feel good. Now I won'tt say I am completely healthy, but I do not have issues because of the surgery. I simply have issues with growing older. If you ever want to reach out and talk. If you are thinking about having this surgery and want a sponsor or a friend  to be there with you, contact me. I have been there! Good Luck!