lotsofkids

A big hello to all my special May 06'er friends! It has been a while since I have checked in and I do hope you are all doing well. I am in decent health....no major complications....and still a walking miracle! My wt loss .... well, that falls short of what I wanted and expected for this amount of time post surgery! As you may recall, my first fill was delayed until Jan 07.....then my secong fill a few months later, turned out to be too tight. It took me a couple of months to get the time to go and have the unfill and the doc did a floro to be sure everything was in place. It was and yet to my dismay he totally unfilled me for a few months just for observation. Fast forward to Jan 08 (a week ago) and I have just had my first fill since the unfill. He only gave me a whopping 0.50 to start with. I don't even feel any restriction, but he wants to go very slow with me as "I am special" Lol! In the meantime, I joined a motivational wt loss seminar given at a nearby hospital and it is getting me mentally back in the wt loss zone. We are targeting a 2lb loss per week and I have lost 4 lbs in 2 weeks....right on the mark. Small steps...but hopefully the start of my real long term success. I am so very ready...as I have waited way too long. I am sure you have all done super and lost tons of wt by now. I am so happy for all of you......it is certainly a long journey. I'd love to hear how near to your goals you have become.....and how absolutely stunning you are all now! My warmest wishes and Happy New Year.....smiles....Diane : )

also....we will never see eye to eye on all points here.....there are just too many of us and well.......we are all coming from different experiences and backgrounds etc. But, we can agree to the main points (I hope) which is the dignity and respect that should be equated to all races. If we cannot learn to accept each other's differences.....in the end we shall all suffer. Some siblings are known to bicker endlessly...but deep down are there for each other if things get rough. That's how we should view our neighbors.......to be there when it really counts....and if they know that....they will excuse and learn to live with your flaws as well! Maybe I'm a dreamer....or hmmm.....lofty goals maybe? But I feel manners and good deeds should set people apart....not any other labels. smiles....Diane

Lawanda...I too find it disturbing that many predjudices (sp?) stem from poor translations of scripture. It is a shame that as we (all men) were certainly created equally and were sent divine prophets to guide and teach us how to reach reward in the hereafter...we seemed to manage to majorly screw up those messages and propagate hate and separatism. Luckily, I find there are still many people who can see past that....and follow their hearts and wisdom. Those that want to follow shallow, ignorant thoughts......are missing out on a lot. Just feel sorry for them...you can't change the world....but you can keep your little corner neat and clean. smiles....Diane

congrats Ruthann! so glad to hear things are going well for you. Keep up the good work! My best wishes to you...Diane : )

Alicia! Fantastic....and a baby coming too! please come in more often and rub some of your positive energy over to us! I have been stuck in a rut for about 2 months now.....not moving up or down. I certainly have many more lbs to go still. I belive my last fill was too strong and that has played a negative effect on me. Seems things get stuck much more frequently.... and I have been known to self-correct in the privacy of my bathroom (to be polite). That leads to eating softer foods (including icecream) and well....poor results. I will make an appointment in the near future...just been too busy to fit one in. Now..Myra.....hope all is going well with you. How did you realize that your band had slipped? I think that is a fear many of us have in our subconcious. Ok....gotta go....please guys....give me some motivation and encouragement..........I need to get things moving OFF over here! big hugs....Diane

I am reluctant to enter this mudslinging.....but I have to say "Green" has a very good take on this.....and I felt expressed in a diplomatic, intelligent format. Diane : )

a wise person once said: Never engage in subjects of Politics, Religion or "Child Rearing" !!!! LOL hey... all in good spirit.....just remember to keep it light : ) Warmest wishes to all.....Diane

Ron, Certainly, no sane person agrees with the militant idiology....most Muslims will say they are harming their religion. As I also lived in an Islamic Country for a time.....I can tell you, most non-muslims are truly in the dark as to "what" are the muslim fundamentals. In the quran itself...which is sacred and considered God's word....it says: La iqraha fee deen....meaning there is no complusion in religion! Religion is a matter of the heart....it cannot be instilled by any sword. Muslims throughout its very begining have had non-muslims living within the community. They were protected and given all the rights like any other citizen. However, they were told not to engage in alcohol publicly (within the confines of their home was their sanctuary) They had to pay the taxes and would be subject to the laws like everyone else. Jewish scholars have all agreed that they lived "unpersecuted" under the Islamic caliphahs.....while their counterparts in Europe were suffering tremenous indignities. The religion does not preach aggression, only a defensive position if threatened. Now....certainly one can argue this point in today's current atmosphere. I am not an idiot....just trying to make sense of things like everyone else, but not wanting to buy into the daily propaganda being feed to us on "Fox" news! On that note....I listen and go online daily to BBC (British Broadcasting) and CNN International. I suggest others try doing that....it will expand your horizons. Militant or Radical groups from any genre are always dangerous and should not have a place in civil society. Religiously, there are radical Islamists, Christians, Jewish, Seiks and I'm sure others but they never represent their religion correctly....only a narrow, warped version that seems to give them the permission to forgo rationalism. (let alone all the nationalists, separatists and ethnic extremists) However, it is always wise to see what was the environment to seed such thoughts...and is there anything that could be done to relieve or calm down the pressure so that these people will not continue to find recruits into the madness! There is a lot of ugly injustice in the world.......that translates into some angry, misguided and very dangerous situations. Just my little 2 cents.....Diane

Thanks Green, I honestly feel if more Americans lived abroad (in any Country, Industrial or shoeless ones) for at least a 3 month stint......they would have a different perspective entirely. It should be a college requirement...lol Diane

I'm really reluctant to enter such a topic of discussion, however after reading the first dozen pages (I will read the rest over the coming days)......I was sucked in (maybe to be a big mistake on my part) but I do feel the whole premise is promoting racism. Ron, did you not start your opening point with the "5-6 million Muslims" in France and also sprinkled with tidbits of Sept 11??? What's with that? Are you not consciously and unconsciously showing Muslims as a negative? I am an American listed on the decedents of the Mayflower...as Colonial roots as they come, however I have also been fortunate to live overseas and travel abroad for two decades throughout many countries and continents. I agree there is much less tolerance for Jewish people in France....in fact I would say, Europe still has many layers of discrimination within it, but similarly the Muslims are disrespected too, have the lowest paying jobs...a lot of taxi drivers and hotel porters. There is a large majority of Algerian and Tunisian ie: North African Muslims living in France. Most are quite poor and struggling to survive to feed and support their families. In fact most non-pure "classic" French seem to hit the invisible glass ceiling. But I felt the biggest blatant racism in France is that against the Muslim population. It is also rampant in Germany. Part of it is in the numbers....they are taking all the menial jobs and there is some backlash on the unemployed "purists". Sort of like the stereotyping of the poor Mexican workers in our country. Man....I was always taught to respect a hard, honest worker....not to look down on him!!! This week....my 6th grade daughter came home with a paper from her technology class. The assignment was to commemorate the Sept 11 anniversary and to do research online. She also had a paper to fill out in which the very first question asked: A terrorist is a a) Muslim :waytogo: suicide bomber c) person who tries to scare people by killing and destroying My daughter said the student beside her answered "a". This assignment would not bother me "if" the teacher used this to open a discussion to debunk stereotyping....but alas....there was no single word mentioned and the residue of this assignment is now in the subconscious minds with a clear association of Muslims = terrorists. Could "a" have been replaced with Irish Catholic IRA, Spanish separatists ETA or perhaps even over zealous Orthodox Settlers in the West Bank.....I think not. But sure it is open season to hate the Muslims. America has to hate someone. In the 40's it was the German's & Japanese. In the 50's and 60's the Russians (I heard Russians don't smile) In the late 70's it became the Iranians...after the hostage crisis....hmmm I do believe we are still supposed to hate them. Then in the 80's our Beirut failure....we clearly needed to focus on the Mid-East. And well....now we have settled on hating the WHOLE darn Islamic world. Heck....it is only 1.61 billion people as of 2007 (about one fifth of the entire world!) Muslims are the majority in over 51 countries, speak 60 different languages and have very diverse ethnic backgrounds. But certainly...."you would be smart not to trust any of them". The point I am trying to make here is this....no one should be targeted for racism in any fashion. Does it exist? It sure does...but as individuals we have the choice NOT to fall into that ugly water. We as overweight people have seen discrimination based on size. It is wrong and unfair to be judged by stereotypes in any arena. I have taught my children not to judge anyone EXCEPT by their manners, integrity and character. I have NO TOLERANCE for any racism of religion, color, gender identification, economic background, ethnicity.....Nada....I will continue to judge all persons individually and with the respect and dignity that I would want to be treated with.....and that's all I have to say about that. I have stepped off my soapbox. Diane :faint:

Drewslou....you ARE looking good....and -75...CONGRATS! Boy that is just terrific! And Hey Kim2be....I have an elliptical and a stationary bike that I use. Unfortunately, about 2 weeks ago I stayed on double my usual time....and the next morning, the disk in my back flared up (ouch) so now I have to wait till it totally settles or risk flip flopping with an achy back for months. I should have known better. It was the bike...I was watching HGTV decorating and house buying shows.....I sort of lost track of time and just kept peddling! (I will probably be out 1-2 more weeks....this is a setback...but I am used to bumps in the road..lol!) Oh....and as for putting the past behind & moving forward....I edited my signature 75%. It was waaaayyyy too serious. I think it's time now for a little FUN!!!! Lotsa Hugs...Diane : )

Kim2be....simply wonderful!!!!!! Amazing...you have lost 130 lbs already! That is just super work. And I can see you ARE doing the work involved for success. I feel ashamed that I am so casual over here! Hey....let's move past my health drama....that is really old and boring news. It's now time to get back into life and with you guys and start my catching up!!!! NO LOOKING BACK ANYMORE big hugs....Diane : ) Oh and Happy Birthday to Ya !!!!!

It certainly was a wild summer of '06 !!!! Luckily, summer of 07 is a bit on the boring side...LOL Turns out..it was not vasculitis at all....but a rare (1 in 2 million) disease called Moyamoya...and my both Coratids were actually blocked 100% and having "reverse" blood flow (if you can actually get worse than 100% that is it!) Surgery confirmed those numbers, making me one of the worst cases the doc had seen (but probably with the best post surgical results!) Anyhow....I am a walking miracle....and so very grateful. LOTSA Hugs to all, Diane : )

My last check in was Feb 02, 07 .....and I guess I didn't stay long. I really should have checked in, but I don't remember why or what kept me from typing. Anyhow......I just re-read this post....it is amazing all the wonderful folks that were here supporting me through that roller-coaster ride! You guys are just terrific. I am so sorry to have dropped off the planet..so to speak. I have had my house on the market....and I am always a phone call away from another "house showing". Of course, I have been recouping and trying to focus on my husband and (5) children....then keeping the house show-room ready (yikes) and with any down time leftover....I find myself snoring on the sofa!!!! I am happy to say that my health is in a good place and getting better. I am putting in a full days load and pretty much doing every normal thing...ie: driving etc.... (I do tire out a bit faster)...but I am looking and feeling pretty well overall. My wt loss is not where I would want it....but I was only able to start my first fill in January of this year! (better late than never) I have only lost 25lbs so far....and certainly need to do better in that department. That's what prompted me to pop back in here.....I need some re-energizing my spirit to get motivated in being serious about losing my extra wt! And of course, to see my dear friends and how well you are all doing. I certainly hope to hear great results from all of you guys!!!! I still have headaches....but they are much milder now. My dizzyness is also greatly diminished.....most of my symptoms are only mild versions of what they were before surgery. I am really very fortunate...and certainly blessed that I was given a new lease and a 2nd chance. I hope I will be worthy and thankful for all my blessings. My kids have their mom....and words cannot express my thoughts on that. Most people with what I had....are diagnosed after a catastrophic stroke...then they go about having the surgeries.....but they never return to pre-stroke condition. I came in just under the wire....without a major stroke or life threatening hemmoraging. So my post surgery results are the best anyone could hope for. I am walking, talking and functioning without any impairments! And with the increased blood flow....my mental clarity (brain fog) has improved greatly! Who'da thunk it? Big hugs to all.....Diane : )