Awesome!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeYscnFpEyA

Surgery results...

I don't know exactly how many inches I've lost just yet. I still have quite a bit of uneven swelling plus now my skin is starting to hurt because the nerves that were beat into numbness are starting to wake up. If currently feels like a cross between sunburn and how your scalp feels when you take out a pony tail that has been worn a bit too long.
I do know this: the day before my surgery, I tried on jeans at Old Navy--size 14 in the styles of Diva and Sweetheart. Last weekend, I went back to the store and was able to easily zip up a pair of size 12s. Granted, I had my girdle on but it doesn't hold in that much. Really, it kind of pushes what is there to different locations. I will go back in a couple weeks and try them on again, sans girdle, and see how well they really fit.
One reason that I know I still have swelling is how my bra is fitting. Pre-surgery, it was hooked on the smallest set of hooks. The week that I went back to work (and had to actually wear a bra again), I could only hook on the largest set of hooks. I am, currently, on the middle set. That tells me that I have at least another inch of swelling that needs to go down where my band sits on my ribs/upper abdomen.

My Sept itinerary:

The cities that I will be in and when I'll be there:
Sometime between Aug 31st and Sept 4th, I will drive to Altoona, IA.
Sept 9th fly to San Jose, CA
Sept 9th drive from San Jose to Salinas to stay the night with my aunt
Sept 10th drive to Fresno
Sept 10th to Sept 13th bebopping around Fresno
Sept 13th drive to Blythe
Sept 14th to Sept 18th hanging out with my grandma and my mom
Sept 18th back to Fresno
Sept 18th to Sept 22nd bebopping around Fresno again
Sept 23rd fly back to Altoona, IA
Sometime between Sept 24th and Sept 28th, drive back to DE

Soon to be...

girdle free, during the days at least. I go see the doc for my four week post op appt. Four weeks, technically, isn't until next Monday but my appt is Friday so it's close enough. I'm completely bruise-free--I will spare you a pic of my bruise free butt 'cause then it's just a pic of a nekid tush rather than the horrendous bruise that I had three weeks ago.
I will tell you: it was totally worth it. I'm lovin' my shape right now. Once I'm able (allowed) to run again, I will be out on the road like a fiend. Don't get me wrong, I love to hate to run but I know how good it is for getting me in shape. My military medical profile doesn't expire until Aug 12th, so even though my surgery (civilian) doc will be clearing me to exercise come Friday, I still have to follow the limitations of my military profile. Totally bites!! cause that's still another two weeks away. However, it just says that I can't run. I can pedal and I can walk and I can use the elliptical.

From an email that I received...

This isn't first hand but definitely something to think about...

One light bulb at a time.. this is a good read...Check your labels

good idea... one light bulb at a time....

Check this out. I can verify this because I was in Lowe's the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments. They were all made in China. The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA. Start looking.
In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track. Let's get behind her!
My grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more. My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now. I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.
This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, "Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a company in Cleveland, Ohio.
So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.
So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets....yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada. The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!
My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!
If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!
(We should have awakened a decade ago......)
Let's get with the program.... help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A

My girdle...for the next couple weeks

It's very similar to this, except the zippers go all the way down...and it'sblack. Let me tell you...this is NOT comfortable to sleep in. I was also wearing an 8" x 10" piece of foam on each side that's 1" thick--in between me and the girdle along the sides of my body. I removed those today. Tired of wearing them.

The other difference is that it's "open" so that I don't have to doff and don it every time I need to use the bathroom. Very handy.

Imagine if they only showed "After" photos like this:

This was taken four days Post Op. Looks like I got my butt stomped.