HAPPY NEW YEAR; 13-month Report

[Guest guest]

Hello from Washington DC. December 29 was the 13-month anniversary of my

GRDS surgery with Dr. K, and I have much to celebrate.

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED:

- That eventually you DO get all your strength back, and then some

- That increased flexibility is a lot of fun

- That buying clothes " off the rack " means you have more selection

and that you can walk between the racks without snagging clothes and

knocking them to the floor

- That you probably will never again have to worry about possibly

developing diabetes, even though it has been responsible for the deaths of

EVERYONE of your mother's generation

- That you can hold two grandchildren (toddlers) on your new lap

and one alongside, in a chair where your hips used to touch on both sides

- That you no longer need to whisper to the flight attendant that

you need a seat belt extender, but in fact can cinch yourself in with 4 " to

spare

- That six small meals a day can be much more satisfying than

three-a-day uncomfortable blowouts

- That, yes, you can actually mourn the QUANTITY of food you used

to eat. NOW thinking about food means putting protein first, and being

careful about portion size. (It took me at least TWENTY vomiting episodes

to learn I had to listen to my stomach telling me it was full. Some of us

are slow learners.)

- That people don't swing around to watch you lumber about is

refreshing, but tinged with a little resentment that now you are treated as

" normal-sized " and with a completely different acceptance from the public -

who have no idea what you have gone through to get to this new stage in your

life.

- That doing tasks or kids' puzzles on the floor just by bending

over is SO EASY now

- And, even though it has taken a year, and it was the last post-DS

food aversion to go, I can now enjoy a steak again.

- Best of all, I don't think I need any plastic surgery, except

maybe to get rid of my newly gobbledy-gobble neck.

I have lost 110 lbs, and remain stable at that weight. I went from a size

24 to a size 14. Since I now weigh the same, and am the same size as I was

IN HIGH SCHOOL, I am very happy. I didn't have a weight or size goal - it

just worked out this way. Dr. K hit it on the mark, as far as I am

concerned.

Next I am going to my photo file to add some new snapshots.

I've enjoyed this discussion group, and I want to wish all of you a Happy

and Healthy New Year!

Sonja S.

Washington DC

GRDS 11/29/06

-110 and holding

Size 24>Size 14