I'm back!!

[Guest guest]

Welcome back , from the throws of a computer meltdown.You will love your mac. we have only had mac's since first computer back in 1997. I'm now using a macbook Pro laptop that is 3 years old and has never had a problem.What kind of surgery are you having done?FranFrom: Duncan <beth5646@...>Subject: I'm back!!Spinal Stenosis Treatment Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 6:30 PM

Hello allI'm back!! My computer had a meltdown the other day so I am back today with a new Mac. I have a date for my surgery: June 23. I am so ready. Hope you all are doing well.Beth in OK

[Guest guest]

WB, Beth! And good luck on your surgery! I'm

not ready for that step yet, and, frankly, it

scares me to death! I wish you well.

Barb

At 06:30 PM 5/19/2010, you wrote:

>

>

>

>Hello all

>

>I'm back!! My computer had a meltdown the other

>day so I am back today with a new Mac. I have a

>date for my surgery: June 23. I am so ready. Hope you all are doing well.

>

>Beth in OK

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi FranYes, I am already loving this Mac. I bought a laptop and Airport Express, so I can carry this computer all over the house. It is great. I am scheduled to have another lumbar laminectomy. The first one I had, 5 years ago covered L-2 through L5. It literally gave me my life back. Everything was great until the first of this year when I started having the same old problems from stenosis again. A new MRI revealed the stenosis is now affecting the three levels immediately above the original surgery so my neurosurgeon is going to go back in and open up the original area as well as the new area and get me all fixed up. I had been hoping I could wait until this coming fall to have surgery, but at the end of April I began having unbearable pain, so I decided to go ahead and have the surgery. When I went in to see my surgeon to schedule surgery I found out that he had a skiing accident and was recovering from a broken shoulder, hence the delay in my surgery. I am on adequate pain medication now, so even thought I am unable to go to work I can still knit and sew, so it is all working out ok. Anyway, glad to be back and hoping everyone is doing well.Beth in OKOn May 19, 2010, at 5:39 PM, Fran Barron wrote:

Welcome back , from the throws of a computer meltdown.You will love your mac. we have only had mac's since first computer back in 1997. I'm now using a macbook Pro laptop that is 3 years old and has never had a problem.What kind of surgery are you having done?FranFrom: Duncan <beth5646aol>Subject: I'm back!!Spinal Stenosis Treatment Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 6:30 PM

Hello allI'm back!! My computer had a meltdown the other day so I am back today with a new Mac. I have a date for my surgery: June 23. I am so ready. Hope you all are doing well.Beth in OK

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone!

I'm back and I survived my solo trip to Mexico. It was pretty much what everyone led me to expect and I did well. and Pam were my sleeve-buddies and we are still in touch. We took care of each other and did pretty well.

For all of you lurkers out there who are thinking about it, want to do it, not sure if they should do it, let me tell you some of my thoughts about the whole process.

First, I went by myself from NC to Mexico. I took one small suitcase with most of the things suggested by the group before I left. That was enough. You really don't need much more. I made it fine through the airports, coming and going, by myself. When I got to San Diego's airport on the journey home, I just walked slowly through security and slowly to the gate without problems. Making my connection in Atlanta, I did get one of those motorized golf carts to transport me to my gate. It was just too long a trot without some help. Also, I just got to the gate and asked the boarding agent if I could board early with the old folks, as I just had surgery. They said sure, never asking what surgery or any other intrusive questions.

Ernesto was nice, pointing out some interesting things along the journey. He'll show you his before/after photos since his VSG surgery. If you are prone to carsickness, take a Dramamine and ask to sit in the front of the van. It helped one in our group. After he picks everybody up, he'll stop at a 7-11 for a bathroom break/drink stop. Since you have to be fasting at this point, getting some water doesn't hurt, as the desert air can dry you out. Also, you can buy a snack to eat at the hospital after all your lab work is done. When he takes you to the hospital, Lucy meets you and hands you a cup for your urine sample. You need it after about 2 hours in the van. Lab work, x-rays, EKG are all done after this, then you can eat. Dr. , the anesthesiologist, and Yolanda, the administrative assistant meet with you after your testing. He interviews you about surgical risks and she gives you instructions and takes your check.

We were taken to the Crowne Plaza in Mexicali, a very posh hotel. Nice beds, free bottled water in the bathroom (remember not to drink the tap water). There's a nice hotel in the ground floor with a lot of traditional Mexican dishes. Otherwise, ask Ernesto and he'll tell you a good Chinese restaurant at which to eat. You can get settled in your room and ask the concierge at the front desk for a taxi. He'll tell the driver where to take you and how much it will cost. But, if you want to do some shopping before you settle in for the night, have them take you to the mall only a few minutes away from the hospital (Cashanella, I think is how it's spelled). Rows and rows of shops (mostly shoes), but some larger department stores. The choices were more expensive than you would have thought, but it's an experience just to see it. We were steered away from this mall, by the concierge, in order that we could go to a more "upscale" mall about 20 minutes away from the hospital. The upscale mall consisted of a Walmart and a few stores and a movie theatre. I didn't get to Cashanella until after my surgery.

Ernesto picked us up at 7 AM the next morning. We were assigned rooms, unpacked, met with Dr. Campos, the internist, and then Dr. Aceves. Dr. Aceves was a very intelligent, very kind man, who spent a little over 45 minutes with the 3 of us explaining about the surgery, what he was going to do, how it would make us feel and what to expect afterwards. He made sure we all knew what to expect. They don't decide who's first until after this meeting. I happened to be first (I think because I was travelling alone), so almost immediately after this meeting they came to take me to surgery. The others were given some anti-anxiety medications to help them with the wait. Me, I just fell asleep. The next thing I knew I was in the recovery area. Surgery took about 1-1/2 hours and I was back in my room by mid-afternoon. I was sore, but they were able to give my IV pain meds about every four hours, which helped. I remembered what you all said about walking, so I was up and to the bathroom as soon as I could. I later went down the hallway to visit my buddies. Not an awful experience. The level of pain I experienced was less than my C-section and more than my gallbladder operations.

It might help to tuck away a Spanish-English dictionary to help you during the night shift. I had a little bit of Spanish under my belt, but the others needed the translation phrases paper we were given. Some family members had questions that weren't covered by the paper and needed more help. The heating pad felt great. You might consider taking your own pillow as well, if you can fit it, as the pillows were pretty hard. Also, their hospital beds are some of the more uncomfortable things I slept on. After the first day, I asked the nurse for about 6 blankets, folded them in half and made a cushion of sorts for my back. After that, I slept more comfortably. Three of us had laptops, one's worked by using the hospital password, two of ours had something in our computers that didn't allow us to hook into their systems. So, I was out of touch via e-mail during this time.

Also, a bunch of stuff has been written about telephones. We're only about two blocks to the border, you can see the fence from the front door of the hospital. I found that there were some spots in my hospital room that I would be connected to ATT and some spots where I was connected to the Mexican cell phone company. If I saw the Mexican company come up, I just moved and waited until ATT was seen. When you go farther away from the border (to the mall, ie) you can't access American companies, but that was just a short time.

All the participants here have talked about the first month being the hardest, having a hard time getting their fluid intake down, and making sure they're eating the appropriate amount of proteins. I didn't know what the meant until now. Imagine you have a large funnel (your mouth) and you try to pour a large amount of fluid into an empty bottle (your stomach). If it's a large bottle, the fluid will flow immediately through the funnel with ease. If it's a small bottle, water will go into the bottle, but the air that's been displaced has to be forced out and will bubble back up through the funnel before any more fluid goes in. That's what's happening now with me. I'm having to relearn how to drink. I can't take large glug,glug,glugs of fluid. I have to take a small sip, let it work its way down to my belly, then another sip. There's usually a lot of burping involved at this point. If I take too much, I start hiccoughing, an expected side effect of the surgery (better than vomiting).

I'm now 6 days post-op and am relatively pain free. A little sore, but nothing intolerable. I drove myself to the store yesterday and probably overdid it a little, but otherwise am doing fine. Now that the surgery is over, my family is relieved. They were all thinking I was crazy to have surgery. . . for weight lost!!!. . . in MEXICO!!!! I'm home, safe, happy and ten pounds lighter already, so they're adapting to my needs now. Food is not interesting yet, whereas before, I gorged myself, even if I wasn't hungry. I do dream about milkshakes and fruit smoothies, but they are for later, once my stomach is doing better.

I hope this wasn't too long for you all to digest. If it helps any of you lurkers who are sitting on the fence, I'm glad. I'm also glad I did this. I feel that at age 55, I still have a lot of living to do. And, I didn't want to do it fat and unhappy. I'm thinking I'll be wearing shorts by this summer!

Sally

[Guest guest]

Awesome sally I am so happy for you! Your explanation of everything was really spot on. One thing the beds are hard but at day 2 I asked the nurse for a new one and they brought me a new hospital bed .Lydia Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerryFrom: sally schaefer <singschae@...>Sender: Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:20:04 -0500Dr. Aceves Group< >Reply Subject: I'm back!! Hi everyone! I'm back and I survived my solo trip to Mexico. It was pretty much what everyone led me to expect and I did well. and Pam were my sleeve-buddies and we are still in touch. We took care of each other and did pretty well. For all of you lurkers out there who are thinking about it, want to do it, not sure if they should do it, let me tell you some of my thoughts about the whole process. First, I went by myself from NC to Mexico. I took one small suitcase with most of the things suggested by the group before I left. That was enough. You really don't need much more. I made it fine through the airports, coming and going, by myself. When I got to San Diego's airport on the journey home, I just walked slowly through security and slowly to the gate without problems. Making my connection in Atlanta, I did get one of those motorized golf carts to transport me to my gate. It was just too long a trot without some help. Also, I just got to the gate and asked the boarding agent if I could board early with the old folks, as I just had surgery. They said sure, never asking what surgery or any other intrusive questions. Ernesto was nice, pointing out some interesting things along the journey. He'll show you his before/after photos since his VSG surgery. If you are prone to carsickness, take a Dramamine and ask to sit in the front of the van. It helped one in our group. After he picks everybody up, he'll stop at a 7-11 for a bathroom break/drink stop. Since you have to be fasting at this point, getting some water doesn't hurt, as the desert air can dry you out. Also, you can buy a snack to eat at the hospital after all your lab work is done. When he takes you to the hospital, Lucy meets you and hands you a cup for your urine sample. You need it after about 2 hours in the van. Lab work, x-rays, EKG are all done after this, then you can eat. Dr. , the anesthesiologist, and Yolanda, the administrative assistant meet with you after your testing. He interviews you about surgical risks and she gives you instructions and takes your check. We were taken to the Crowne Plaza in Mexicali, a very posh hotel. Nice beds, free bottled water in the bathroom (remember not to drink the tap water). There's a nice hotel in the ground floor with a lot of traditional Mexican dishes. Otherwise, ask Ernesto and he'll tell you a good Chinese restaurant at which to eat. You can get settled in your room and ask the concierge at the front desk for a taxi. He'll tell the driver where to take you and how much it will cost. But, if you want to do some shopping before you settle in for the night, have them take you to the mall only a few minutes away from the hospital (Cashanella, I think is how it's spelled). Rows and rows of shops (mostly shoes), but some larger department stores. The choices were more expensive than you would have thought, but it's an experience just to see it. We were steered away from this mall, by the concierge, in order that we could go to a more "upscale" mall about 20 minutes away from the hospital. The upscale mall consisted of a Walmart and a few stores and a movie theatre. I didn't get to Cashanella until after my surgery. Ernesto picked us up at 7 AM the next morning. We were assigned rooms, unpacked, met with Dr. Campos, the internist, and then Dr. Aceves. Dr. Aceves was a very intelligent, very kind man, who spent a little over 45 minutes with the 3 of us explaining about the surgery, what he was going to do, how it would make us feel and what to expect afterwards. He made sure we all knew what to expect. They don't decide who's first until after this meeting. I happened to be first (I think because I was travelling alone), so almost immediately after this meeting they came to take me to surgery. The others were given some anti-anxiety medications to help them with the wait. Me, I just fell asleep. The next thing I knew I was in the recovery area. Surgery took about 1-1/2 hours and I was back in my room by mid-afternoon. I was sore, but they were able to give my IV pain meds about every four hours, which helped. I remembered what you all said about walking, so I was up and to the bathroom as soon as I could. I later went down the hallway to visit my buddies. Not an awful experience. The level of pain I experienced was less than my C-section and more than my gallbladder operations. It might help to tuck away a Spanish-English dictionary to help you during the night shift. I had a little bit of Spanish under my belt, but the others needed the translation phrases paper we were given. Some family members had questions that weren't covered by the paper and needed more help. The heating pad felt great. You might consider taking your own pillow as well, if you can fit it, as the pillows were pretty hard. Also, their hospital beds are some of the more uncomfortable things I slept on. After the first day, I asked the nurse for about 6 blankets, folded them in half and made a cushion of sorts for my back. After that, I slept more comfortably. Three of us had laptops, one's worked by using the hospital password, two of ours had something in our computers that didn't allow us to hook into their systems. So, I was out of touch via e-mail during this time. Also, a bunch of stuff has been written about telephones. We're only about two blocks to the border, you can see the fence from the front door of the hospital. I found that there were some spots in my hospital room that I would be connected to ATT and some spots where I was connected to the Mexican cell phone company. If I saw the Mexican company come up, I just moved and waited until ATT was seen. When you go farther away from the border (to the mall, ie) you can't access American companies, but that was just a short time. All the participants here have talked about the first month being the hardest, having a hard time getting their fluid intake down, and making sure they're eating the appropriate amount of proteins. I didn't know what the meant until now. Imagine you have a large funnel (your mouth) and you try to pour a large amount of fluid into an empty bottle (your stomach). If it's a large bottle, the fluid will flow immediately through the funnel with ease. If it's a small bottle, water will go into the bottle, but the air that's been displaced has to be forced out and will bubble back up through the funnel before any more fluid goes in. That's what's happening now with me. I'm having to relearn how to drink. I can't take large glug,glug,glugs of fluid. I have to take a small sip, let it work its way down to my belly, then another sip. There's usually a lot of burping involved at this point. If I take too much, I start hiccoughing, an expected side effect of the surgery (better than vomiting). I'm now 6 days post-op and am relatively pain free. A little sore, but nothing intolerable. I drove myself to the store yesterday and probably overdid it a little, but otherwise am doing fine. Now that the surgery is over, my family is relieved. They were all thinking I was crazy to have surgery. . . for weight lost!!!. . . in MEXICO!!!! I'm home, safe, happy and ten pounds lighter already, so they're adapting to my needs now. Food is not interesting yet, whereas before, I gorged myself, even if I wasn't hungry. I do dream about milkshakes and fruit smoothies, but they are for later, once my stomach is doing better. I hope this wasn't too long for you all to digest. If it helps any of you lurkers who are sitting on the fence, I'm glad. I'm also glad I did this. I feel that at age 55, I still have a lot of living to do. And, I didn't want to do it fat and unhappy. I'm thinking I'll be wearing shorts by this summer! Sally

[Guest guest]

Thank you for taking the time to write this Sally Please keep us posted on how you are doing. I'm really excited to see how well you do

From: sally schaefer <singschae@...>Dr. Aceves Group < >Sent: Fri, January 14, 2011 3:20:04 PMSubject: I'm back!!

Hi everyone! I'm back and I survived my solo trip to Mexico. It was pretty much what everyone led me to expect and I did well. and Pam were my sleeve-buddies and we are still in touch. We took care of each other and did pretty well. For all of you lurkers out there who are thinking about it, want to do it, not sure if they should do it, let me tell you some of my thoughts about the whole process. First, I went by myself from NC to Mexico. I took one small suitcase with most of the things suggested by the group before I left. That was enough. You really don't need much more. I made it fine through the airports, coming and going, by myself. When I got to San Diego's airport on the journey home, I just walked slowly through security and slowly to the gate without problems. Making my connection in Atlanta, I did get one of those motorized golf carts to

transport me to my gate. It was just too long a trot without some help. Also, I just got to the gate and asked the boarding agent if I could board early with the old folks, as I just had surgery. They said sure, never asking what surgery or any other intrusive questions. Ernesto was nice, pointing out some interesting things along the journey. He'll show you his before/after photos since his VSG surgery. If you are prone to carsickness, take a Dramamine and ask to sit in the front of the van. It helped one in our group. After he picks everybody up, he'll stop at a 7-11 for a bathroom break/drink stop. Since you have to be fasting at this point, getting some water doesn't hurt, as the desert air can dry you out. Also, you can buy a snack to eat at the hospital after all your lab work is done. When he takes you to the hospital, Lucy meets you and hands you a cup for your urine

sample. You need it after about 2 hours in the van. Lab work, x-rays, EKG are all done after this, then you can eat. Dr. , the anesthesiologist, and Yolanda, the administrative assistant meet with you after your testing. He interviews you about surgical risks and she gives you instructions and takes your check. We were taken to the Crowne Plaza in Mexicali, a very posh hotel. Nice beds, free bottled water in the bathroom (remember not to drink the tap water). There's a nice hotel in the ground floor with a lot of traditional Mexican dishes. Otherwise, ask Ernesto and he'll tell you a good Chinese restaurant at which to eat. You can get settled in your room and ask the concierge at the front desk for a taxi. He'll tell the driver where to take you and how much it will cost. But, if you want to do some shopping before you settle in for the night, have them take

you to the mall only a few minutes away from the hospital (Cashanella, I think is how it's spelled). Rows and rows of shops (mostly shoes), but some larger department stores. The choices were more expensive than you would have thought, but it's an experience just to see it. We were steered away from this mall, by the concierge, in order that we could go to a more "upscale" mall about 20 minutes away from the hospital. The upscale mall consisted of a Walmart and a few stores and a movie theatre. I didn't get to Cashanella until after my surgery. Ernesto picked us up at 7 AM the next morning. We were assigned rooms, unpacked, met with Dr. Campos, the internist, and then Dr. Aceves. Dr. Aceves was a very intelligent, very kind man, who spent a little over 45 minutes with the 3 of us explaining about the surgery, what he was going to do, how it would make us feel and what to expect

afterwards. He made sure we all knew what to expect. They don't decide who's first until after this meeting. I happened to be first (I think because I was travelling alone), so almost immediately after this meeting they came to take me to surgery. The others were given some anti-anxiety medications to help them with the wait. Me, I just fell asleep. The next thing I knew I was in the recovery area. Surgery took about 1-1/2 hours and I was back in my room by mid-afternoon. I was sore, but they were able to give my IV pain meds about every four hours, which helped. I remembered what you all said about walking, so I was up and to the bathroom as soon as I could. I later went down the hallway to visit my buddies. Not an awful experience. The level of pain I experienced was less than my C-section and more than my gallbladder operations. It might help to tuck

away a Spanish-English dictionary to help you during the night shift. I had a little bit of Spanish under my belt, but the others needed the translation phrases paper we were given. Some family members had questions that weren't covered by the paper and needed more help. The heating pad felt great. You might consider taking your own pillow as well, if you can fit it, as the pillows were pretty hard. Also, their hospital beds are some of the more uncomfortable things I slept on. After the first day, I asked the nurse for about 6 blankets, folded them in half and made a cushion of sorts for my back. After that, I slept more comfortably. Three of us had laptops, one's worked by using the hospital password, two of ours had something in our computers that didn't allow us to hook into their systems. So, I was out of touch via e-mail during this time. Also, a bunch of stuff has

been written about telephones. We're only about two blocks to the border, you can see the fence from the front door of the hospital. I found that there were some spots in my hospital room that I would be connected to ATT and some spots where I was connected to the Mexican cell phone company. If I saw the Mexican company come up, I just moved and waited until ATT was seen. When you go farther away from the border (to the mall, ie) you can't access American companies, but that was just a short time. All the participants here have talked about the first month being the hardest, having a hard time getting their fluid intake down, and making sure they're eating the appropriate amount of proteins. I didn't know what the meant until now. Imagine you have a large funnel (your mouth) and you try to pour a large amount of fluid into an empty bottle (your stomach). If it's a large bottle, the fluid will flow

immediately through the funnel with ease. If it's a small bottle, water will go into the bottle, but the air that's been displaced has to be forced out and will bubble back up through the funnel before any more fluid goes in. That's what's happening now with me. I'm having to relearn how to drink. I can't take large glug,glug,glugs of fluid. I have to take a small sip, let it work its way down to my belly, then another sip. There's usually a lot of burping involved at this point. If I take too much, I start hiccoughing, an expected side effect of the surgery (better than vomiting). I'm now 6 days post-op and am relatively pain free. A little sore, but nothing intolerable. I drove myself to the store yesterday and probably overdid it a little, but otherwise am doing fine. Now that the surgery is over, my family is relieved. They were all thinking I was crazy to have

surgery. . . for weight lost!!!. . . in MEXICO!!!! I'm home, safe, happy and ten pounds lighter already, so they're adapting to my needs now. Food is not interesting yet, whereas before, I gorged myself, even if I wasn't hungry. I do dream about milkshakes and fruit smoothies, but they are for later, once my stomach is doing better. I hope this wasn't too long for you all to digest. If it helps any of you lurkers who are sitting on the fence, I'm glad. I'm also glad I did this. I feel that at age 55, I still have a lot of living to do. And, I didn't want to do it fat and unhappy. I'm thinking I'll be wearing shorts by this summer! Sally

[Guest guest]

Good for u !!!

Dawn

AZ

I'm back!!

Hi everyone!

I'm back and I survived my solo trip to Mexico. It was pretty much what everyone led me to expect and I did well. and Pam were my sleeve-buddies and we are still in touch. We took care of each other and did pretty well.

For all of you lurkers out there who are thinking about it, want to do it, not sure if they should do it, let me tell you some of my thoughts about the whole process.

First, I went by myself from NC to Mexico. I took one small suitcase with most of the things suggested by the group before I left. That was enough. You really don't need much more. I made it fine through the airports, coming and going, by myself. When I got to San Diego's airport on the journey home, I just walked slowly through security and slowly to the gate without problems. Making my connection in Atlanta, I did get one of those motorized golf carts to transport me to my gate. It was just too long a trot without some help. Also, I just got to the gate and asked the boarding agent if I could board early with the old folks, as I just had surgery. They said sure, never asking what surgery or any other intrusive questions.

Ernesto was nice, pointing out some interesting things along the journey. He'll show you his before/after photos since his VSG surgery. If you are prone to carsickness, take a Dramamine and ask to sit in the front of the van. It helped one in our group. After he picks everybody up, he'll stop at a 7-11 for a bathroom break/drink stop. Since you have to be fasting at this point, getting some water doesn't hurt, as the desert air can dry you out. Also, you can buy a snack to eat at the hospital after all your lab work is done. When he takes you to the hospital, Lucy meets you and hands you a cup for your urine sample. You need it after about 2 hours in the van. Lab work, x-rays, EKG are all done after this, then you can eat. Dr. , the anesthesiologist, and Yolanda, the administrative assistant meet with you after your testing. He interviews you about surgical risks and she gives you instruct

ions and takes your check.

We were taken to the Crowne Plaza in Mexicali, a very posh hotel. Nice beds, free bottled water in the bathroom (remember not to drink the tap water). There's a nice hotel in the ground floor with a lot of traditional Mexican dishes. Otherwise, ask Ernesto and he'll tell you a good Chinese restaurant at which to eat. You can get settled in your room and ask the concierge at the front desk for a taxi. He'll tell the driver where to take you and how much it will cost. But, if you want to do some shopping before you settle in for the night, have them take you to the mall only a few minutes away from the hospital (Cashanella, I think is how it's spelled). Rows and rows of shops (mostly shoes), but some larger department stores. The choices were more expensive than you would have thought, but it's an experience just to see it. We were steered away from this mall, by the concierge, in order that we could go to a more "upscale" m

all about 20 minutes away from the hospital. The upscale mall consisted of a Walmart and a few stores and a movie theatre. I didn't get to Cashanella until after my surgery.

Ernesto picked us up at 7 AM the next morning. We were assigned rooms, unpacked, met with Dr. Campos, the internist, and then Dr. Aceves. Dr. Aceves was a very intelligent, very kind man, who spent a little over 45 minutes with the 3 of us explaining about the surgery, what he was going to do, how it would make us feel and what to expect afterwards. He made sure we all knew what to expect. They don't decide who's first until after this meeting. I happened to be first (I think because I was travelling alone), so almost immediately after this meeting they came to take me to surgery. The others were given some anti-anxiety medications to help them with the wait. Me, I just fell asleep. The next thing I knew I was in the recovery area. Surgery took about 1-1/2 hours and I was back in my room by mid-afternoon. I was sore, but they were able to give my IV pain meds about every four hours, which helped. I rememb

ered what you all said about walking, so I was up and to the bathroom as soon as I could. I later went down the hallway to visit my buddies. Not an awful experience. The level of pain I experienced was less than my C-section and more than my gallbladder operations.

It might help to tuck away a Spanish-English dictionary to help you during the night shift. I had a little bit of Spanish under my belt, but the others needed the translation phrases paper we were given. Some family members had questions that weren't covered by the paper and needed more help. The heating pad felt great. You might consider taking your own pillow as well, if you can fit it, as the pillows were pretty hard. Also, their hospital beds are some of the more uncomfortable things I slept on. After the first day, I asked the nurse for about 6 blankets, folded them in half and made a cushion of sorts for my back. After that, I slept more comfortably. Three of us had laptops, one's worked by using the hospital password, two of ours had something in our computers that didn't allow us to hook into their systems. So, I was out of touch via e-mail during this time.

Also, a bunch of stuff has been written about telephones. We're only about two blocks to the border, you can see the fence from the front door of the hospital. I found that there were some spots in my hospital room that I would be connected to ATT and some spots where I was connected to the Mexican cell phone company. If I saw the Mexican company come up, I just moved and waited until ATT was seen. When you go farther away from the border (to the mall, ie) you can't access American companies, but that was just a short time.

All the participants here have talked about the first month being the hardest, having a hard time getting their fluid intake down, and making sure they're eating the appropriate amount of proteins. I didn't know what the meant until now. Imagine you have a large funnel (your mouth) and you try to pour a large amount of fluid into an empty bottle (your stomach). If it's a large bottle, the fluid will flow immediately through the funnel with ease. If it's a small bottle, water will go into the bottle, but the air that's been displaced has to be forced out and will bubble back up through the funnel before any more fluid goes in. That's what's happening now with me. I'm having to relearn how to drink. I can't take large glug,glug,glugs of fluid. I have to take a small sip, let it work its way down to my belly, then another sip. There's usually a lot of burping involved at this point. If I take too much, I start hiccoughi

ng, an expected side effect of the surgery (better than vomiting).

I'm now 6 days post-op and am relatively pain free. A little sore, but nothing intolerable. I drove myself to the store yesterday and probably overdid it a little, but otherwise am doing fine. Now that the surgery is over, my family is relieved. They were all thinking I was crazy to have surgery. . . for weight lost!!!. . . in MEXICO!!!! I'm home, safe, happy and ten pounds lighter already, so they're adapting to my needs now. Food is not interesting yet, whereas before, I gorged myself, even if I wasn't hungry. I do dream about milkshakes and fruit smoothies, but they are for later, once my stomach is doing better.

I hope this wasn't too long for you all to digest. If it helps any of you lurkers who are sitting on the fence, I'm glad. I'm also glad I did this. I feel that at age 55, I still have a lot of living to do. And, I didn't want to do it fat and unhappy. I'm thinking I'll be wearing shorts by this summer!

Sally

[Guest guest]

Sally- So good to hear that your story was all I expected it to turn out to be for you. Congrats and God’s speed on your first month. I am now 30 days out and have been enjoying “real” food. Today I had 2 chicken wings and ¾ of a cheese stick for lunch. 4 small shrimp for dinner. Have lost 18 pounds and 14.75 inches, this is an incredible journey. Sharon

From: deedeemitchell@...Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:32:57 -0800Subject: Re: I'm back!!

Thank you for taking the time to write this Sally Please keep us posted on how you are doing. I'm really excited to see how well you do

From: sally schaefer <singschae@...>Dr. Aceves Group < >Sent: Fri, January 14, 2011 3:20:04 PMSubject: I'm back!!

Hi everyone! I'm back and I survived my solo trip to Mexico. It was pretty much what everyone led me to expect and I did well. and Pam were my sleeve-buddies and we are still in touch. We took care of each other and did pretty well. For all of you lurkers out there who are thinking about it, want to do it, not sure if they should do it, let me tell you some of my thoughts about the whole process. First, I went by myself from NC to Mexico. I took one small suitcase with most of the things suggested by the group before I left. That was enough. You really don't need much more. I made it fine through the airports, coming and going, by myself. When I got to San Diego's airport on the journey home, I just walked slowly through security and slowly to the gate without problems. Making my connection in Atlanta, I did get one of those motorized golf carts to transport me to my gate. It was just too long a trot without some help. Also, I just got to the gate and asked the boarding agent if I could board early with the old folks, as I just had surgery. They said sure, never asking what surgery or any other intrusive questions. Ernesto was nice, pointing out some interesting things along the journey. He'll show you his before/after photos since his VSG surgery. If you are prone to carsickness, take a Dramamine and ask to sit in the front of the van. It helped one in our group. After he picks everybody up, he'll stop at a 7-11 for a bathroom break/drink stop. Since you have to be fasting at this point, getting some water doesn't hurt, as the desert air can dry you out. Also, you can buy a snack to eat at the hospital after all your lab work is done. When he takes you to the hospital, Lucy meets you and hands you a cup for your urine sample. You need it after about 2 hours in the van. Lab work, x-rays, EKG are all done after this, then you can eat. Dr. , the anesthesiologist, and Yolanda, the administrative assistant meet with you after your testing. He interviews you about surgical risks and she gives you instructions and takes your check. We were taken to the Crowne Plaza in Mexicali, a very posh hotel. Nice beds, free bottled water in the bathroom (remember not to drink the tap water). There's a nice hotel in the ground floor with a lot of traditional Mexican dishes. Otherwise, ask Ernesto and he'll tell you a good Chinese restaurant at which to eat. You can get settled in your room and ask the concierge at the front desk for a taxi. He'll tell the driver where to take you and how much it will cost. But, if you want to do some shopping before you settle in for the night, have them take you to the mall only a few minutes away from the hospital (Cashanella, I think is how it's spelled). Rows and rows of shops (mostly shoes), but some larger department stores. The choices were more expensive than you would have thought, but it's an experience just to see it. We were steered away from this mall, by the concierge, in order that we could go to a more "upscale" mall about 20 minutes away from the hospital. The upscale mall consisted of a Walmart and a few stores and a movie theatre. I didn't get to Cashanella until after my surgery. Ernesto picked us up at 7 AM the next morning. We were assigned rooms, unpacked, met with Dr. Campos, the internist, and then Dr. Aceves. Dr. Aceves was a very intelligent, very kind man, who spent a little over 45 minutes with the 3 of us explaining about the surgery, what he was going to do, how it would make us feel and what to expect afterwards. He made sure we all knew what to expect. They don't decide who's first until after this meeting. I happened to be first (I think because I was travelling alone), so almost immediately after this meeting they came to take me to surgery. The others were given some anti-anxiety medications to help them with the wait. Me, I just fell asleep. The next thing I knew I was in the recovery area. Surgery took about 1-1/2 hours and I was back in my room by mid-afternoon. I was sore, but they were able to give my IV pain meds about every four hours, which helped. I remembered what you all said about walking, so I was up and to the bathroom as soon as I could. I later went down the hallway to visit my buddies. Not an awful experience. The level of pain I experienced was less than my C-section and more than my gallbladder operations. It might help to tuck away a Spanish-English dictionary to help you during the night shift. I had a little bit of Spanish under my belt, but the others needed the translation phrases paper we were given. Some family members had questions that weren't covered by the paper and needed more help. The heating pad felt great. You might consider taking your own pillow as well, if you can fit it, as the pillows were pretty hard. Also, their hospital beds are some of the more uncomfortable things I slept on. After the first day, I asked the nurse for about 6 blankets, folded them in half and made a cushion of sorts for my back. After that, I slept more comfortably. Three of us had laptops, one's worked by using the hospital password, two of ours had something in our computers that didn't allow us to hook into their systems. So, I was out of touch via e-mail during this time. Also, a bunch of stuff has been written about telephones. We're only about two blocks to the border, you can see the fence from the front door of the hospital. I found that there were some spots in my hospital room that I would be connected to ATT and some spots where I was connected to the Mexican cell phone company. If I saw the Mexican company come up, I just moved and waited until ATT was seen. When you go farther away from the border (to the mall, ie) you can't access American companies, but that was just a short time. All the participants here have talked about the first month being the hardest, having a hard time getting their fluid intake down, and making sure they're eating the appropriate amount of proteins. I didn't know what the meant until now. Imagine you have a large funnel (your mouth) and you try to pour a large amount of fluid into an empty bottle (your stomach). If it's a large bottle, the fluid will flow immediately through the funnel with ease. If it's a small bottle, water will go into the bottle, but the air that's been displaced has to be forced out and will bubble back up through the funnel before any more fluid goes in. That's what's happening now with me. I'm having to relearn how to drink. I can't take large glug,glug,glugs of fluid. I have to take a small sip, let it work its way down to my belly, then another sip. There's usually a lot of burping involved at this point. If I take too much, I start hiccoughing, an expected side effect of the surgery (better than vomiting). I'm now 6 days post-op and am relatively pain free. A little sore, but nothing intolerable. I drove myself to the store yesterday and probably overdid it a little, but otherwise am doing fine. Now that the surgery is over, my family is relieved. They were all thinking I was crazy to have surgery. . . for weight lost!!!. . . in MEXICO!!!! I'm home, safe, happy and ten pounds lighter already, so they're adapting to my needs now. Food is not interesting yet, whereas before, I gorged myself, even if I wasn't hungry. I do dream about milkshakes and fruit smoothies, but they are for later, once my stomach is doing better. I hope this wasn't too long for you all to digest. If it helps any of you lurkers who are sitting on the fence, I'm glad. I'm also glad I did this. I feel that at age 55, I still have a lot of living to do. And, I didn't want to do it fat and unhappy. I'm thinking I'll be wearing shorts by this summer! Sally

[Guest guest]

Sally and I had surgery the same day, and my husband was with me. He tells

everyone now what a great experience it was, and how impressed he was with the

surgeon, hospital, etc.

> >

> >

> > Hi everyone!

> >

> > I'm back and I survived my solo trip to Mexico. It was pretty much what

everyone led me to expect and I did well. and Pam were my sleeve-buddies

and we are still in touch. We took care of each other and did pretty well.

> >

> > For all of you lurkers out there who are thinking about it, want to do it,

not sure if they should do it, let me tell you some of my thoughts about the

whole process.

> >

> > First, I went by myself from NC to Mexico. I took one small suitcase with

most of the things suggested by the group before I left. That was enough. You

really don't need much more. I made it fine through the airports, coming and

going, by myself. When I got to San Diego's airport on the journey home, I just

walked slowly through security and slowly to the gate without problems. Making

my connection in Atlanta, I did get one of those motorized golf carts to

transport me to my gate. It was just too long a trot without some help. Also,

I just got to the gate and asked the boarding agent if I could board early with

the old folks, as I just had surgery. They said sure, never asking what surgery

or any other intrusive questions.

> >

> > Ernesto was nice, pointing out some interesting things along the journey.

He'll show you his before/after photos since his VSG surgery. If you are prone

to carsickness, take a Dramamine and ask to sit in the front of the van. It

helped one in our group. After he picks everybody up, he'll stop at a 7-11 for

a bathroom break/drink stop. Since you have to be fasting at this point,

getting some water doesn't hurt, as the desert air can dry you out. Also, you

can buy a snack to eat at the hospital after all your lab work is done. When he

takes you to the hospital, Lucy meets you and hands you a cup for your urine

sample. You need it after about 2 hours in the van. Lab work, x-rays, EKG are

all done after this, then you can eat. Dr. , the anesthesiologist, and

Yolanda, the administrative assistant meet with you after your testing. He

interviews you about surgical risks and she gives you instructions and takes

your check.

> >

> > We were taken to the Crowne Plaza in Mexicali, a very posh hotel. Nice

beds, free bottled water in the bathroom (remember not to drink the tap water).

There's a nice hotel in the ground floor with a lot of traditional Mexican

dishes. Otherwise, ask Ernesto and he'll tell you a good Chinese restaurant at

which to eat. You can get settled in your room and ask the concierge at the

front desk for a taxi. He'll tell the driver where to take you and how much it

will cost. But, if you want to do some shopping before you settle in for the

night, have them take you to the mall only a few minutes away from the hospital

(Cashanella, I think is how it's spelled). Rows and rows of shops (mostly

shoes), but some larger department stores. The choices were more expensive than

you would have thought, but it's an experience just to see it. We were steered

away from this mall, by the concierge, in order that we could go to a more

" upscale " mall about 20 minutes away from the hospital. The upscale mall

consisted of a Walmart and a few stores and a movie theatre. I didn't get to

Cashanella until after my surgery.

> >

> > Ernesto picked us up at 7 AM the next morning. We were assigned rooms,

unpacked, met with Dr. Campos, the internist, and then Dr. Aceves. Dr. Aceves

was a very intelligent, very kind man, who spent a little over 45 minutes with

the 3 of us explaining about the surgery, what he was going to do, how it would

make us feel and what to expect afterwards. He made sure we all knew what to

expect. They don't decide who's first until after this meeting. I happened to

be first (I think because I was travelling alone), so almost immediately after

this meeting they came to take me to surgery. The others were given some

anti-anxiety medications to help them with the wait. Me, I just fell asleep.

The next thing I knew I was in the recovery area. Surgery took about 1-1/2

hours and I was back in my room by mid-afternoon. I was sore, but they were

able to give my IV pain meds about every four hours, which helped. I remembered

what you all said about walking, so I was up and to the bathroom as soon as I

could. I later went down the hallway to visit my buddies. Not an awful

experience. The level of pain I experienced was less than my C-section and more

than my gallbladder operations.

> >

> > It might help to tuck away a Spanish-English dictionary to help you during

the night shift. I had a little bit of Spanish under my belt, but the others

needed the translation phrases paper we were given. Some family members had

questions that weren't covered by the paper and needed more help. The heating

pad felt great. You might consider taking your own pillow as well, if you can

fit it, as the pillows were pretty hard. Also, their hospital beds are some of

the more uncomfortable things I slept on. After the first day, I asked the

nurse for about 6 blankets, folded them in half and made a cushion of sorts for

my back. After that, I slept more comfortably. Three of us had laptops, one's

worked by using the hospital password, two of ours had something in our

computers that didn't allow us to hook into their systems. So, I was out of

touch via e-mail during this time.

> >

> > Also, a bunch of stuff has been written about telephones. We're only about

two blocks to the border, you can see the fence from the front door of the

hospital. I found that there were some spots in my hospital room that I would

be connected to ATT and some spots where I was connected to the Mexican cell

phone company. If I saw the Mexican company come up, I just moved and waited

until ATT was seen. When you go farther away from the border (to the mall, ie)

you can't access American companies, but that was just a short time.

> >

> > All the participants here have talked about the first month being the

hardest, having a hard time getting their fluid intake down, and making sure

they're eating the appropriate amount of proteins. I didn't know what the meant

until now. Imagine you have a large funnel (your mouth) and you try to pour a

large amount of fluid into an empty bottle (your stomach). If it's a large

bottle, the fluid will flow immediately through the funnel with ease. If it's a

small bottle, water will go into the bottle, but the air that's been displaced

has to be forced out and will bubble back up through the funnel before any more

fluid goes in. That's what's happening now with me. I'm having to relearn how

to drink. I can't take large glug,glug,glugs of fluid. I have to take a small

sip, let it work its way down to my belly, then another sip. There's usually a

lot of burping involved at this point. If I take too much, I start hiccoughing,

an expected side effect of the surgery (better than vomiting).

> >

> > I'm now 6 days post-op and am relatively pain free. A little sore, but

nothing intolerable. I drove myself to the store yesterday and probably overdid

it a little, but otherwise am doing fine. Now that the surgery is over, my

family is relieved. They were all thinking I was crazy to have surgery. . . for

weight lost!!!. . . in MEXICO!!!! I'm home, safe, happy and ten pounds lighter

already, so they're adapting to my needs now. Food is not interesting yet,

whereas before, I gorged myself, even if I wasn't hungry. I do dream about

milkshakes and fruit smoothies, but they are for later, once my stomach is doing

better.

> >

> > I hope this wasn't too long for you all to digest. If it helps any of you

lurkers who are sitting on the fence, I'm glad. I'm also glad I did this. I

feel that at age 55, I still have a lot of living to do. And, I didn't want to

do it fat and unhappy. I'm thinking I'll be wearing shorts by this summer!

> >

> > Sally

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hey Sally,

NO, it wasn't too long, and for anyone considering this surgery this is just what they needed to hear. I am so happy for you. And now your journey begins. The hardest part for me was the 1st 10 days, after that it got a lot easier.

You family will probably never understand why you had this surgery, because they haven't had to live in the body that you have been living in. This is ALL about you and has nothing to do with them. My Dad said to me after I lost 105 pounds--"At first I thought what you did by having weight loss surgery was a little extreme, but now I see why you did it, because you are so much happier and healthy." So my Dad did "get it" and that was such a nice thing for him to say to me.

Keep coming back and asking question if you have any.

You will morn the loss of some foods, and that is pretty normal. I remember being out for dinner and watching what everyone was eating and I thought to myself "what in the world did I do to myself?????" I think it was at that point that I realized that I would NEVER be able to consume the amount of food I had been able to eat before this surgery--and thank goodness I couldn't that is how I got so fat. So if you have those thoughts they are pretty normal.

Remember you are still thinking with you old brain and how it has thought for that last 55 years. You will develop a new way of thinking, but it does take time. Remember we do experience "head hunger". That is your old brain telling you that you are starving it and it wants to eat. In fact you are NOT hungry, that is your old brain playing tricks on you-BEWARE it is going to happen.

Take care,

Suzanne

In a message dated 1/14/2011 2:12:36 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, singschae@... writes:

Hi everyone! I'm back and I survived my solo trip to Mexico. It was pretty much what everyone led me to expect and I did well. and Pam were my sleeve-buddies and we are still in touch. We took care of each other and did pretty well. For all of you lurkers out there who are thinking about it, want to do it, not sure if they should do it, let me tell you some of my thoughts about the whole process. First, I went by myself from NC to Mexico. I took one small suitcase with most of the things suggested by the group before I left. That was enough. You really don't need much more. I made it fine through the airports, coming and going, by myself. When I got to San Diego's airport on the journey home, I just walked slowly through security and slowly to the gate without problems. Making my connection in Atlanta, I did get one of those motorized golf carts to transport me to my gate. It was just too long a trot without some help. Also, I just got to the gate and asked the boarding agent if I could board early with the old folks, as I just had surgery. They said sure, never asking what surgery or any other intrusive questions. Ernesto was nice, pointing out some interesting things along the journey. He'll show you his before/after photos since his VSG surgery. If you are prone to carsickness, take a Dramamine and ask to sit in the front of the van. It helped one in our group. After he picks everybody up, he'll stop at a 7-11 for a bathroom break/drink stop. Since you have to be fasting at this point, getting some water doesn't hurt, as the desert air can dry you out. Also, you can buy a snack to eat at the hospital after all your lab work is done. When he takes you to the hospital, Lucy meets you and hands you a cup for your urine sample. You need it after about 2 hours in the van. Lab work, x-rays, EKG are all done after this, then you can eat. Dr. , the anesthesiologist, and Yolanda, the administrative assistant meet with you after your testing. He interviews you about surgical risks and she gives you instruct ions and takes your check. We were taken to the Crowne Plaza in Mexicali, a very posh hotel. Nice beds, free bottled water in the bathroom (remember not to drink the tap water). There's a nice hotel in the ground floor with a lot of traditional Mexican dishes. Otherwise, ask Ernesto and he'll tell you a good Chinese restaurant at which to eat. You can get settled in your room and ask the concierge at the front desk for a taxi. He'll tell the driver where to take you and how much it will cost. But, if you want to do some shopping before you settle in for the night, have them take you to the mall only a few minutes away from the hospital (Cashanella, I think is how it's spelled). Rows and rows of shops (mostly shoes), but some larger department stores. The choices were more expensive than you would have thought, but it's an experience just to see it. We were steered away from this mall, by the concierge, in order that we could go to a more "upscale" m all about 20 minutes away from the hospital. The upscale mall consisted of a Walmart and a few stores and a movie theatre. I didn't get to Cashanella until after my surgery. Ernesto picked us up at 7 AM the next morning. We were assigned rooms, unpacked, met with Dr. Campos, the internist, and then Dr. Aceves. Dr. Aceves was a very intelligent, very kind man, who spent a little over 45 minutes with the 3 of us explaining about the surgery, what he was going to do, how it would make us feel and what to expect afterwards. He made sure we all knew what to expect. They don't decide who's first until after this meeting. I happened to be first (I think because I was travelling alone), so almost immediately after this meeting they came to take me to surgery. The others were given some anti-anxiety medications to help them with the wait. Me, I just fell asleep. The next thing I knew I was in the recovery area. Surgery took about 1-1/2 hours and I was back in my room by mid-afternoon. I was sore, but they were able to give my IV pain meds about every four hours, which helped. I rememb ered what you all said about walking, so I was up and to the bathroom as soon as I could. I later went down the hallway to visit my buddies. Not an awful experience. The level of pain I experienced was less than my C-section and more than my gallbladder operations. It might help to tuck away a Spanish-English dictionary to help you during the night shift. I had a little bit of Spanish under my belt, but the others needed the translation phrases paper we were given. Some family members had questions that weren't covered by the paper and needed more help. The heating pad felt great. You might consider taking your own pillow as well, if you can fit it, as the pillows were pretty hard. Also, their hospital beds are some of the more uncomfortable things I slept on. After the first day, I asked the nurse for about 6 blankets, folded them in half and made a cushion of sorts for my back. After that, I slept more comfortably. Three of us had laptops, one's worked by using the hospital password, two of ours had something in our computers that didn't allow us to hook into their systems. So, I was out of touch via e-mail during this time. Also, a bunch of stuff has been written about telephones. We're only about two blocks to the border, you can see the fence from the front door of the hospital. I found that there were some spots in my hospital room that I would be connected to ATT and some spots where I was connected to the Mexican cell phone company. If I saw the Mexican company come up, I just moved and waited until ATT was seen. When you go farther away from the border (to the mall, ie) you can't access American companies, but that was just a short time. All the participants here have talked about the first month being the hardest, having a hard time getting their fluid intake down, and making sure they're eating the appropriate amount of proteins. I didn't know what the meant until now. Imagine you have a large funnel (your mouth) and you try to pour a large amount of fluid into an empty bottle (your stomach). If it's a large bottle, the fluid will flow immediately through the funnel with ease. If it's a small bottle, water will go into the bottle, but the air that's been displaced has to be forced out and will bubble back up through the funnel before any more fluid goes in. That's what's happening now with me. I'm having to relearn how to drink. I can't take large glug,glug,glugs of fluid. I have to take a small sip, let it work its way down to my belly, then another sip. There's usually a lot of burping involved at this point. If I take too much, I start hiccoughi ng, an expected side effect of the surgery (better than vomiting). I'm now 6 days post-op and am relatively pain free. A little sore, but nothing intolerable. I drove myself to the store yesterday and probably overdid it a little, but otherwise am doing fine. Now that the surgery is over, my family is relieved. They were all thinking I was crazy to have surgery. . . for weight lost!!!. . . in MEXICO!!!! I'm home, safe, happy and ten pounds lighter already, so they're adapting to my needs now. Food is not interesting yet, whereas before, I gorged myself, even if I wasn't hungry. I do dream about milkshakes and fruit smoothies, but they are for later, once my stomach is doing better. I hope this wasn't too long for you all to digest. If it helps any of you lurkers who are sitting on the fence, I'm glad. I'm also glad I did this. I feel that at age 55, I still have a lot of living to do. And, I didn't want to do it fat and unhappy. I'm thinking I'll be wearing shorts by this summer! Sally

[Guest guest]

Glad to have you back.

Rettig Sent from my iPad

On Mar 20, 2012, at 9:06 PM, Rashelle Haines <rashelle98109@...> wrote:

> Hi Melinda,

>

> It is sooo wonderful to see a post from you.

>

> Welcome back.

>

> I have complete faith in you. I feel certain you can get back in shape and

feel great very soon.

>

> I will be here pulling for you.

>

> Be blessed and take good care,

> Rashelle

>

>

> ________________________________

> From: mamashodan <mamashodan@...>

> LifeLift

> Sent: Monday, March 19, 2012 6:22 PM

> Subject: I'm back!!

>

>

>

>

> Hi, Girls! I've been absent for awhile - life got very busy. I've been

training the last few years for black belt in karate with my kids. We tested for

1st degree July 2009, and for 2nd degree this last summer. Our 23 year old

daughter, Caeti got married just a bit over a month ago, and our 17 year old

son, Rex is getting ready to go to prom.

>

> Lots has happened since I was last in touch. I went back into private practice

and work 8:00 am to 12:30 pm every weekday. We've been in an apartment for

awhile during some home renovations, but will be moving back home the end of

this month.

>

> In the last 2 years, I've had 3 surgeries, and entered menopause. That caused

me to regain 30 lbs I had lost. I'm back to the basics, and the best exercise

program for me - Lifelift. I'm hoping to return to our karate classes and

workouts starting in April.

>

> I'm very happy to be back. I've missed visiting with you all and look forward

to the encouragement of being back on board.

>

> Melinda

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Melinda,

I forgot to ask you to give Caeti and Rex my love and best wishes for

their future, and I do hope and pray that Caeti has a great and long

lasting marriage and that she will make you a Grandma really soon, as I

know that you would love that!!! By the way, how does Caeti pronounce

her name? It is pronounced as if it were spelled " Katey "

Love always,

Pat

On 3/19/2012 9:22 PM, mamashodan wrote:

>

> Hi, Girls! I've been absent for awhile - life got very busy. I've been

> training the last few years for black belt in karate with my kids. We

> tested for 1st degree July 2009, and for 2nd degree this last summer.

> Our 23 year old daughter, Caeti got married just a bit over a month

> ago, and our 17 year old son, Rex is getting ready to go to prom.

>

> Lots has happened since I was last in touch. I went back into private

> practice and work 8:00 am to 12:30 pm every weekday. We've been in an

> apartment for awhile during some home renovations, but will be moving

> back home the end of this month.

>

> In the last 2 years, I've had 3 surgeries, and entered menopause. That

> caused me to regain 30 lbs I had lost. I'm back to the basics, and the

> best exercise program for me - Lifelift. I'm hoping to return to our

> karate classes and workouts starting in April.

>

> I'm very happy to be back. I've missed visiting with you all and look

> forward to the encouragement of being back on board.

>

> Melinda

>

>