Hi Gang!

I forgot to reset the clock next to my side of the bed. Because it has BIG numbers, DH uses it because he can read it without his glasses. So, he's been up forever. I demanded to begin knowing about the finances this month, and today is the day to pay some of the bills. We are going to sit down together. I dread it, but know that it is one of those BIG girl things to do. Anywhoo.....he's been up for hours and is in full working mode. I have to make this brief and will come back.

Thanks for all the good wishes for me. Today is not sucha good day. Got up with pain in my legs, back and neck. All are arthritic places that don't usually bother me. But, FM is terribly efficient in finding the very places that arthritis takes up residence. It is a rheumatolocial disease. I'm going to shower and then try to get our finances on an Excel spreadsheet along with our budget. DH hasn't a clue what that is and he may not be patient enough to do it. Arrrgh.

Back again,
Peg

__________________
"Live the questions and some day you will live along into the answers."
Rainer Marie Rilke

Atkins since 2003
5'8" 206.4/197/175
65 years young

Ouchie, Peg. Do changes in the weather (air pressure, etc.) affect your symptoms? Seasonal changes seem to bother my DH a lot, although his problems are related to GERD and an otherwise delicate digestion. BTW, he's coping well with the stress of changing his fuel supply. Hope you feel better through the day.

Alida, my dad goes to the VA a lot--sometimes to the ER at 3 or 4 in the morning, to miss the crowd. He has appts. with Dr. Sharma, his regular VA doctor, whom he likes a lot. Unfortunately, my dad tends to switch from the VA to a private doctor, and I'm not always sure the right hand knows what the left hand is prescribing. Communications in the medical field are hopelessly behind the times. Wouldn't you think my doctor's nurse would have an e-mail account, so she doesn't have to play phone tag with the patients?? I'm going to suggest that to my doc this week.

As for the bra thing--I can only find bras at Victoria's Secret online. I don't like buying bras without trying, since size and fit vary so greatly, but I've had good luck with VS--and good sales. I used to get a good fit from Bali, but now the only bra they carry in my size feels like an iron maiden. I hate it! My torso, around the rib cage, is genetically slender, so I have to have a 32 band--and a D-ish cup. You cannot find them in stores anymore, which surprises me, considering how many skinny young women are getting implants.

Peg, DH keeps our finances, all on paper. He's meticulous about bill-paying and record-keeping--not necessarily about checkbook balancing, but I trust him completely. I consider this a balance-of-power thing. I put in, he takes out, and I don't meddle with his methods as long as we're solvent. I'm looking forward to his enjoyment of the improved cashflow now that he isn't writing a check every week to Gomer's for the wine supply, not to mention his twice-weekly lunches at Tasso's.

I'm writing Valentines today, but I'm wearing my dangly bat earrings. Happy Halloween!

__________________
Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Peg, I am so sorry you hurt today. Damn that FM. Bad enough to have arthritis without another disease on top. Hope your pain ebbs a little during the day.

Not sure what will hurt the most, that or working on a budget. My Bob and I did that several weeks ago. He then proclaimed we were skipping Thanksgiving and Christmas. Honestly, he gets so dramatic at times. Our problem was too many commercial jobs bunched together where we do not get payment for 30 days or so. That can take a toll on available cash to pay things like . . . quarterly taxes.

Barb, Iron Maiden, LOL! But you are right about your torso being so slim. And I agree 32D is absolutely impossible to find! Whatever you are wearing, though, it looks good. Perhaps I'll mosey over to VS . . . .

As for DH & VA . . . they will accept his personal doctor's prescriptions. But to be eligible just for the meds, he does have to go in once or perhaps twice a year for a check up. The savings on his meds has been a Godsend. Used to pay over $300/month. Now it's something like $21. Interesting that your Dad uses their ER. Does he go to the VA that's off I-70 near downtown? Is there another facility in town? Hmm. Never thought about it and I am sure DH has not, either.

And, as usual, it's raining in KC on Halloween. BOO!

__________________
Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135

Happy Halloween, indeed!

Whew! took a way long time to catch up on all the posts! Wonderful reading!

The weekend dance workshop at Asilomar went ~extremely~ well! I will try to post some photos from the Saturday night ball a little later. It was just glorious. (can you tell I'm still a little high from the experience? LOL!

I'm holding the good thoughts for Shelley's procedure today. I sure hope all goes well and that the recovery is swift and easy. Healing vibes, everyone.

Peg, hugs and wellness vibes for you, too. Have you tried taking mailic acid during FM flares? That was suggested by a fellow I know for muscle pain and fatigue. I think it helps with the muscle fatigue. Anyway, (((hugs)))... nap whenever you can and try to get a little exercise - like a short walk in the fresh air.

What great pictures from the KC potluck! You guys sure make one GOOD LOOKING crew! The menu sounds just divine. It would be fun if you all post or link the recipes in the cooking forum altogether into one thread.

I have many more comments; but they will have to wait a bit. It took me so long to catch up on the reading, and I've got to get some chores done this morning.

__________________
~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

Alida, Barb: Wow! You 2 are just knockouts. I agree with everyone else that neither of you need to lose any weight. Sometimes I wonder if it's just a number thing for some of us? I'm sure it's that way with me.

I have to make this short...so much to do at work.

My ds and dil came over with the grandkids yesterday so he could help my dh finish the gyprock and start the mudding process. She looked terrible. Now she has another infection. She was waiting for the hospital to call saying they had the proper medication in for her. I guess they had to try to find out what type of infection it was to get the proper medication. Plus she allergic to a lot of stuff. Well, they didn't call and she just kept feeling worse. Finally my ds took her up to the hospital and they took one look at her and put her in bed and hooked her up to an antibiotic IV. So, we had they kids and their 2 dogs for a couple of hours. (just about drove me nuts!!). I'm not sure what they are going to do next for her, but this has gone on far too long. She just can't get her strength back when she's fighting one infection after another. The graft site is healing really well, it's the burn scars that keep getting infected. I'm hoping she'll get some answers today.

Shelley: I did tell her about the proper woe for healing and she said to thank you. Her problem right now is that she feels so crappy she doesn't want to eat at all. I'll keep harping on her. (mothers in law are allowed to do that).

Rachel: Yes, we want pictures please. I love Halloween. Where we live we get very few kids which is so sad. I love to see the little ones in their costumes. My grandaughter is a witch tonight, one grandson is a ninja turtle and the baby is a big orange M & M. Can't wait to see pictures of them.

My weight is still sitting at 156 this morning and I have to admit that I didn't say very pretty words when I got off the scale this morning. I'm getting very frustrated!!!

I set all the clocks back Saturday night before bed and must have done something wrong cause I killed my watch. Poor thing is so dead and I can't stand not to wear a watch. I just might have to go shopping at the jewelery store at lunchtime to get a new one. (and you all know how much I hate to shop lol)

Happy Halloween to everyone....hope none of you get too scared tonight

__________________
Donna
238.5/173.4/150
I will see my goal weight again

Hi Gang!

Back after the budget and bill paying stuff. Not bad. Not bad at all. We agreed on everything and I was able to put his chicken scratches into an Excel spreadsheet without any trouble. Yay!

I've just taken some Percoset and will go to bed here in a few minutes. Thought I would catch up though. Rachel: I had to chuckle at your MIL liking morphine for her FM. Yeah, it's really hard to stay out of the addictive stuff when you hurt so much. I try to save it for times when I know that I need to rest and be still. I would LOVE it if my Doc would give me morphine, but I know myself well enough to know that I couldn't stay off of it when I'm not in pain. I have a hard enough time with Percoset! It takes a lot of will power!

Though, I think that I will be a lot better on the trip. I will have my mind engaged in what we see, as well as meeting people and visiting for the first week or so. I'm trying to psych myself up now and throughout these days to be in a "beginners mind" state as we travel. For me that means making up my mind to enjoy each day as much as I can; have a sense of humor about things that happen; hold my judgments lightly and gently; and think positively.

And, on that note; today is a spectacular Fall day! It's in the high 60's. We have the sliders upstairs and down open for fresh air. Wonderful. We have not had a "colorful" Fall. Because we had so much rain earlier in the month, it somehow blunted the colors. We have had a lot of wind too, so the dead leaves have blown off before they can be "peeked at." One of the benefits from living in a condo is that the gardeners are here today blowing the leaves into big piles and then hauling them away. They will continue to do this through the Fall, and then the snow fences will come up. They guide the plows so they don't ruin the grassy areas and the curbs. But ~ ta da! I WON'T BE HERE!! HEE HEE!

I'm praying for and wondering about Shelley. I think that Ooooklahoma is in the Central time zone which means an hour earlier than us. I wonder if her surgery is over by now. I do hope that she feels well enough to stop in and let us know what happened.

Donna: Good to see you. I laughed about your watch. DH gave me a watch for Christmas last year that has a calendar in it. I loved it, but the day of the month got screwed up and I could never set it again. It's stuck on the 3rd of the month. So, in three days, I am going to try to set it again.

Re: Bras. I wear a 36D. When I look at myself nekkid it is really hard for me to believe. They just don't look that big. But, I had myself measured with a Walco rep at Filenes last year and that was what fit. I must admit that when I get it on, it does look good. In my younger days I wore a 32C. This 36D is what I wore when I was fat too. So, even though I've lost everywhere else, it seems that my boobs are going to stay the same size. Now, if you want to talk about where they are located ~ well, let's say that they are still on the front of me, but that's about all!

Barb: So glad to hear that DH is doing well. How's his spirit? Giving up anything that you are addicted to is a difficult process (see above). I'm always amazed that people don't understand that it isn't the substance that is the biggest problem, it's what goes on between our ears. It's what we tell ourselves about our wants and needs.

Well, I'm off to spend some time resting. My back and legs have gotten much better since I got up. My neck feels like it is in a vise. DH and I just got back from the Social security office to show them my birth certificate. They wanted me to send in the ORIGINAL! I said, "no way!" So, I waited in line for an hour (sitting) just to give them a copy of it. That's okay, I wasn't going to let it out of my hands. So, that's the last thing on my list of things to do except for getting a flu shot.

I'll be lurking later, but may not write.
Peace, Peg

__________________
"Live the questions and some day you will live along into the answers."
Rainer Marie Rilke

Atkins since 2003
5'8" 206.4/197/175
65 years young

Hey everyone, so good to see so many of you here today. I started to say ?this morning? LOL! It?s a gray day, but I?m feeling perky in spite of it, and have accomplished the routine ?Monday? things. Maybe because I convinced myself before I was awake enough to argue to do some yoga this morning.

Speaking of Social Security, after I chat with you all I will get online with Social Security to see if I can find the any ?other? plan information for Florida. DH?s Mom needs help, and it looks like I?ve been elected. Boy, I hate this stuff, and generally run screaming from it if I can.

I?m thinking about Shelley today, as we all are, I?m sure

Rachel, looking forward to pictures! Sounds like you?ll have an enjoyable day. We used to have very few trick or treaters, like you, Donna. However, the last couple of years it seems some of the older couples have moved on and have been replaced by young families. We?ll see. Where we are located is out of the way of the main traffic, though, and not well lit by the streetlamps. To avoid the candy issue, I got a big container full of small Halloween decorated snack bags of pretzels at Sam?s Club. Not so tempting
Interesting about the computers that go overseas?good thing for the most part DH has been able to find deserving recipients for his excesses. Well, the excess over and above the excess he keeps He won?t give away anything not useful; technology changes too fast

Judy, I think Rachel is right on the money with her comments about messiness vs effectiveness. Perhaps a chat with another JP as a ?second opinion?? Hmmm. Lights under the counter? I may have to add that one to my list!

Alida said
: Totally off topic . . . when you see a couple where the man is really tall and the woman is really short . . . do you ever wonder how they "get together? LOL.
Girl, you win the prize for giving me the biggest laugh of the morning! I do wonder more about really tall women and really short men??..
Hope you get enough jobs to have a pleasant week, but not enough to be hectic. Enjoy!

Barb, Victoria?s Secret! What fun. Bet a 32D would be easier to find in Las Vegas or "Silicon" Valley. No wonder that sweater looked so perfect. I would have to get a box of ?Boob Helper? to fill it out so nicely. LOL Peg, your boobs, my butt?all heading south.

Barb, on another subject, there is a body of knowledge now on the specific nutritional support that can help someone withdraw and stay off the sauce. Of course, low/moderate carbing is helpful in itself.

Aw Peg, what the heck. You give yourself a good rest this afternoon, then, ok? I think your trip attitude is just the thing. Sense of humor definitely called for. Let?s see, in our house I pay all the bills and keep up the checkbook. DH balances the statement on Quicken. That way we both keep in touch with what?s going on. Of course, having a tad of dyscalculia means I transpose numbers just enough to keep DH?s mind sharp. He won?t need saduko?.which yes, is big here, too! I?m tempted.

TB! Yes I want pictures!!!! Hooray that the weekend went so well (again) thanks no doubt to all your work. I hope you had a marvelous time.

Donna, oh, your DIL?s condition sounds so painful. Poor girl. Yikes. On a happier note, sounds like a shopping trip definitely in order. I?m the same way about a watch?it?s the second thing I put on in the morning?after my glasses so I can FIND my watch :o

Oh, I?ve not told you all. Remember the friend with the undiagnosed but probably autoimmune disease? She called me in tears of joy last Thursday?she?d just had a call from the Mayo Clinic finally giving her an appointment date in January. What makes it extra special is that Thursday was her birthday. I?ll be driving her to Minnesota, so let?s all hope the weather is decent, at least for a January.

Check on you all later?gotta get to the Social Security site?..ugh??.

__________________
BC
LC Since 1998
Highest Weight 172
Current 104-108

Hello today!

It has been a chilly sort of day. School is almost over, so I'm not complaining. I'll have to pop home and then head to meet my DH at the movie theater. I don't want to be home during trick or treating time. Saturday, my parents and DD and her family came over. We ordered pizzas. I didn't enjoy mine as much as I expected to, maybe because of fighting a cold. Sunday, we did a bit of exploring. We ended up at a large Wal-Mart (very similar to the one on Randall Rd in Algonquin, Brenda). We bought all kinds of "necessities". We also stopped at Costco. Lunch was at Heaven on Seven (a Cajun place) in Naperville. I bought a couple of books at Barnes and Noble, but will most likely return them.

I did swim today.

Not much else new. No news from the other school district yet!

Take care!

__________________
Ilse

380 (Highest)/318(9-11-08)/230.2(current)/154
5'6"
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"
Walt Disney

Hi Guys,
This will be a quickie...I feel the need for a drug induced nap ASAP.
The procedure went well, except for the injection of local anesthesia in my nose...youzers! Anyway, one stage or tissue removal was all that had to be done. While I was there, he also biopsied another little area on the right side of my nose. He will send it for formal path review, but said he thought it was a *pre-cancerous* lesion, so we will await the path on that.
Then I saw the plastic surgeon immediately after leaving the dermatologial surgeon's office. He recommends repair of the defect with a procedure called a naso-labial flap and reconstruction. Long story short...I will have this surgery on Wednesday, 11-2, (which happens to be my DD's birthday :( ) at 1215. Anyway, this will be a little more involved than todays procedure. I have already gone to the lab and had my bloodwork, and a pre-op EKG, so I'm all set.
I came home and had a bite of lunch and DH went to the pharmacy to get my Rx for some pain med. The local is fast wearing off, the nose is *zinging*, and I have taken a pain pill. Aren't we a motely crew here...Peg and I on meds
DH also brought me in the most gorgeous bouquet of white roses...bless his heart.
Soooooo.....I think I'm getting goofier by the minute with this med...so I'm off for a nap.
Thanks to all for the good thoughts, vibes, and prayers. I'll be needing them again for Wednesday if ya don't mind.

I'll try and pop back in later...
(((hugs to all)))
me

__________________
Shelley


Visit Kassie's Korner


"A goal without a plan is just a wish."
--Antoine de Saint Exupery

I’m SOONER born,
And SOONER bred,
And when I die,
I’ll be SOONER dead!
GO SOONERS!
I be ready for some football!

One little walker-runner Dude for every 10 miles!

Aw, Shelley, good you are home. You go take that nap ok? Sounds like you really deserve it. ((((hugs))))

__________________
BC
LC Since 1998
Highest Weight 172
Current 104-108

Oh, any idea how I should prepare a pound of beautiful shaved beef (raw) from Trader Joe's? It was too pretty to pass up, but haven't a clue how to make it not taste like shaved shoe leather....

__________________
BC
LC Since 1998
Highest Weight 172
Current 104-108

Shelley, thanks for the report. By the time you read this, hope you're feeling okay, and ready for the next step. Of course, you'll be surrounded by loving and encouraging prayers. The white roses are a nice touch, too! What a guy!

BTW, is this a case where knowing too much (ie. operating room procedures) is a good thing or not??

It's tea time, and I'm sipping on the green. Aaahh. I usually get to the office around 7:15, and knock off around 4:00. Now is the time of day when I review the day's accomplishments (if any!) and get something started for the morning--a jumpstart, as it were.

Peg, we're having beautiful fall color. There's a line of maples along a walking path near my home that's simply spectacular. One of my neighbors has been so irate with leaves from other people's trees blowing into her yard that she put up one of those nasty orange plastic construction fences all along one side. It looks terrible! But I guess she's happy.

Please take care, Peg. Hope you're feeling better.

Thanks for all kind thoughts about DH. He included improved nutrition as part of his plan, and I'm letting him make his own decisions about that. Lots of fresh fruits and veggies, cottage cheese, and simple deli meats for sandwiches (on whole grain bread). He's pretty smart. He went to a "customer appreciation" party for Jaguar owners while I was at the low-carb dinner Saturday night, and only drank pop. He said the "party" was pretty cheesy for a luxury car dealership.

I have a nice little wardrobe of watches, thanks to my DH. But it seems like I'm always putting batteries in the dang things, and I long for a wind-up!

The rain has blown by, so the little trick-or-treaters will stay dry. We expect a few--usually with their parents supervising, although we occasionally get carloads of "drop-offs" from other neighborhoods. Greedy little beggars.

On the subject of weight management, I hasten to say that I do not feel that I need to lose any more weight. I pack quite a lot of muscle for a gal my height and age. The only "ugly fat" I carry is in my thighs and butt--and that's pretty much a genetic feature that's not going to change. I am so loving the experience of feeling the lightest and fittest ever that I want to stay here and not get complacent. I wish this feeling for all of you--but there's no magic formula, as we all know.

A few things to finish up, and I'm outta here. Later, Ladies!

__________________
Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Good morning all...
It's been so long since I moved a post to a new thread, I'm fearful I might mess Rachel's last post up.
So....I'll lock this thread, and we can continue in the November thread.

Rachel......ghoul pictures....

(((hugs)))

S.

__________________
Shelley


Visit Kassie's Korner


"A goal without a plan is just a wish."
--Antoine de Saint Exupery

I’m SOONER born,
And SOONER bred,
And when I die,
I’ll be SOONER dead!
GO SOONERS!
I be ready for some football!

One little walker-runner Dude for every 10 miles!