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Judy · #31 11-02-2005, 10:23 AM

Shelley, count in my prayers for a successful procedure today. I'll be thinking about you.

pegster · #32 11-02-2005, 12:26 PM

Oh Shelley: I can never remember whether you are an hour before me or an hour after! I do hope you are reading this before you go!

~Prayer Circle~

Please know that we are all (in spirit) sitting in the OR waiting room holding hands, praying for you. We are also praying for all the docs and nurses and attendant helpers around you. We are praying that the surgeons hands will be steady, his mind clear, and his intention focused. We are praying that you will come out of the surgery feeling good, with no traces of illness. We are praying that you will be able to come home while still sedated and sleep it off in your own bed. We are praying that you get the best relief possible from all pain meds, that they work and that they don't upset your tummy. Peace to you, sista. Peace to you.

Want to post this so Shelley can see it if possible. I'll come back in a few minutes.
Peace, Peg

bkloots · #33 11-02-2005, 12:50 PM

Alida, loved the magazine. I entered my subscription. I think Johnny Bowden is great--and might be onto something about the Chromium. I'm going to share my bottle of Chromium picolinate with DH.

Shelleyg · #34 11-02-2005, 01:11 PM

Gang,
I am here for the moment...we'll leave in about an hour. I'm trying to get some things done(laundry mostly...aacckk) in case I don't feel very good tomorrow.

Peg, thank you for the lovely prayer; that's totally what I hope for.
The support and comfort I get from each and every one of you is priceless.
I feel okay with this procedure this morning and I understand what will happen; I'm just ready to have it behind me. And not to mention, I'd love a cup of coffee right about now

I'll do my best to check in this afternoon; if not, if I can get to the vets forum(through the drug haze), I'll have DH drop a line to you guys.

much love and gratitude to you all!
(((hugs)))

me

laffingbead · #35 11-02-2005, 01:18 PM

Good morning!

I have had way too much candy recently, so when I woke up this morning, I was trying to decide if I should do cream cheese pancakes, which keep me from being hungry for many hours or if I should try juicing. I opted for the juice today.

This morning, I made a juice with a juicer that contained 3 really small apples, a red pear, 4 stalks of celery, 4 carrots, 1/2 beet & the greens, almost 1/2 cucumber, and some cabbage. I have some cole slaw mix here at school I could use to make a veggie salad for lunch. If I want more juice later, before I get home, I know I could get some at Jamba Juice. And, for dinner, I was thinking of a smoothie to get some of the fiber in.

I had been reading that drinking fresh juices really add to energy, vigor, and mental clarity (and weight loss). The vigor was ok, I felt strong when I was swimming (at least my arms did, the knees are what they are-weak!). I felt some of the mental clarity too. We'll see how the day goes. We have 1/2 day of school, so it seemed like a good day to try this.

The next class is starting, so I should get going!

Have a wonderful day!

bkloots · #36 11-02-2005, 01:56 PM

Today's KCSTAR advertises a bra event at The Jones Store. Buy two, get two free. Fitting specialists by appt. 11-3. Major brands included.

tiashanty · #37 11-02-2005, 03:11 PM

Thanks for all the prayers guys. My ds called last night and Lissa is being given massive doses of antibiotics to get rid of the staff infection. The graft will definitely have to be replaced cause the infection killed it on all corners and it's lifting. They can't use cadaver skin on her (I also asked her that question once), or donor skin, but I can't remember the reason she gave me. Poor kid has been going through this for 21 years now. Doesn't seem fair that after the initial burns and treatments that she will have to go through it the rest of her life. I'm just glad that this time she has my ds by her side and she's not alone. She tends to get very teary when on medication and this makes it very hard for him. But, we'll keep the good thoughts and prayers going and hope she will get this next surgery over with soon and be able to come home to her babies quickly.

I wish I could be lucky enough to find a proper fitting bra. I've tried everything. I'm pretty sure I wear a 38 long now. lol Use to wear a 40B but with all the weight loss I should have a 1/2 cup instead. Why in the world should I lose weight on my hands, feet and boobs? Like I care! I still have tummy to lose! Anyway, I just wear loose fitting shirts so no one can see that the boobs are gone. As for panties....I hate them. They dig in on the tops of my legs and ride up where they shouldn't. Another good reason to wear only panyhose every day. Doesn't seem right to pay $8-$10 for panties when no one gets to see them. I guess we could wear them on the outside of our pants for everyone to see.

Shelley: Good thoughts and prayers are going out to you today.

Rachel: Loved the cosutme. Your dh is right....I wouldn't have recognized you either. I love to dress up also. The last time dh and I did it, we were Fred and Wilma Flintstone. He gets right in character and has a great sense of humour so we had a great time.

Brenda: Have you ever given your furkids a treat called Chicken Tenders by WagginTrainBrand. We found them in WalMart when on holidays and my girls just went nuts. They are really picky so we were so excited when we found these. We bought 10 bags of them and now I'm trying to find them online with no luck. Just wondered if you knew anyone besides WalMart who sold them. Good going on the exercising!!

We only had 7 kids come for Halloween. Too bad. I love to see the cosutmes, especially the little ones. We had 2 tiny ones at around 5:00 and then 5 teenagers around 8. They didn't even have costumes on, but I gave them candy anyway. Didn't want them taking it out on my car if I didn't give them anything. Our town has a big party at the town hall with prizes for costumes so I think a lot of parents think it's safer for their kids to go there.

We're right in the middle of the mudding stage on the walls right now. Finished all the taping last night and put the first coat of mud on. Another coat tonight (forget about Thursday night...Survivor is on), then the last coat Friday night. I hope. At that rate I might be able to put the primer coat of paint on this weekend. I never thought this was going to be such a big job. Can't stand the mess, but nothing I can do about it. When I mentioned all this to dh, I really thought he would just hire someone to do it and it would be done in a few days. Surprise! Where is he getting the energy from? Actually, I think it's been good for him. He doesn't have much self confidence when it comes to home improvements and it's just showing him that he can do it. I would prefer to miss all this and just do the shopping end.

Guess I should actually get some work done. I'm still in a "oh, well" mode at work. If it gets done, okay, if not "oh, well". I'm not going to stress about it. Hope you all have a great day. Talk to you tomorrow.

KCTinter · #38 11-02-2005, 07:44 PM

No report from Shelley yet . . . or her husband. I'm anxious to hear all went well.

Peg your prayer was wonderful and all-inclusive. You just about covered ALL the bases! That's why you're our resident prayer-crafter!

Barb, that is a great magazine, isn't it? Glad you enjoyed it and signed up. I do take chromium every day. How much do you take? I should probably add it to Bob's daily intake, too. He's finally taking the Super Omegas twice a day. He might rebel against another pill, in addition to all the diabetic/thyroid stuff.

Thanks for the tip about the bra sale! I'll bet it's on tomorrow, too. I got a card in the mail for extra 20% off today and tomorrow. I'll try to make it tomorrow.

Donna, I am glad your son is with her. That should help a little!

LOL about your bra and panties! It took a while but I finally settled on a Bali medium control top brief . . . but I buy xtra large just so they won't DIG . . . or push the fat around too much! (I know, I know . . . TMI)

Ilse, you really are on a juice kick! Glad it's giving you some energy and mind clarity. I could use some of that!

Bob got a call from the VA with his test results. He didn't understand anything so he told them to send it in a letter and he would show it to his regular doctor. It was cholesterol plus some diabetic stuff. I asked him what the cholesterol numbers were and he said he didn't know . . . the numbers made no sense to him!!! Sheesh. He could have written them down like most normal people would do. He has to go back in December for more tests. He's ranting that the only reason he goes is to save $300/month on meds. Well, that's a good enough reason by my book. But he told me the story of how it took THREE people to take his picture for his ID card. One to put him in the chair, the other to adjust the camera, and then a third person was needed to push the button because the other two didn't know what button to push. (Swear to God . . . True Story).

Be back later to check if Shelley has posted . . . .

Shelleyg · #39 11-02-2005, 08:28 PM

Hi gang,
We are home. I'm a wee bit loopy from the meds, but feeling pretty good...just hope it doesn't feel to bad when the local wears off...oye!

The Dr. changed his mind and ended up doing another type of flap/closure of the defect. He was pleased with everything and told my DH so. I had IV sedation much like we give our colonoscopy patients, and also local injected into the nose. The whole procedure took about 45 min or so. Then I went to recovery for about 30 minutes and had the most fantastic tasting diet 7-up in the whole wide world..LOL...yep, I was that thirsty

I have to go in bright and early in the morning for a 0745 post op check with the surgeon.
I'm starting to feel some discomfort across the bridge of my nose and forehead; also got the courage to look in the mirror when we got home, and it looks like I may have 2 black eyes beginning to develop. Oh well...the price for a *nose job* eh?

Once again, many thanks to you all for your prayers and support. I will probably be *gorked* on some pain med here shortly, so I'll most likely report back in tomorrow after my checkup.

Much love and (((warm hugs))) to all you sweeties!!!

me

pegster · #40 11-02-2005, 09:12 PM

SOOOOOOOOO good to hear from you Shelley. So glad you are home. You just curl up in your bed with your medication induced fog and go to dreamland until tomorrow morning! You've had a HARD day.

And, we've had a hard day too. Waiting for you!!!

Blessings,
Peg

BC · #41 11-02-2005, 10:06 PM

Shelley, I've been waiting for you to post! I echo Peg, we are so glad you are home!! You get some rest and we'll all chat later....

Judy · #42 11-03-2005, 01:31 AM

Shelley, I'm so glad to hear that all went well. Take your pain killers and get some rest. I hope you feel OK tomorrow.

....... I talked to DDad earlier this evening. He has decided that he can no longer handle independent living and has asked my brother to take him to see about an assited living facility. The good thing is that he recognizes his limitations. The bad thing is that he is losing strength and is taking Nitro pills more frequently. We have pretty mixed feelings about moving him. At least he is making the decision on his own and does not feel forced. I so wish that he had chosen an OFH that had levels of care when he first moved to Plano. That would have prevented a total upheavel .......again. The home he is interested in does not have skilled nursing care. If he gets to the "nursing home" level, we will have to do it all again. I know why he has chosen this place -- several friends have already moved there. Getting old SUCKS.

RQP · #43 11-03-2005, 03:48 AM

Morning gals, a fly by for me - busy day today...

SHELLEY!!! Glad to hear from you - it all sounds very smooth - and glad the doctor did what he thought best. Rest-rest-rest... we're not goin' anywhere!

Judy, you are right - growing old sucks and it's rough on those who have to watch/deal with it. My mother really suffered when her mother (my Nana) was in her decline and there was just no way to make it any better. I'm so sorry that this is approaching ... <<hugs>>

We had a smashing Chorale rehearsal last night - I wish I could sing for you guys - I love choral singing (I sang the Messiah at Carnegie Hall in 2002 with the Masterwork Chorus - highlight of my singing life!) and it has been hard to find enough voices here. DH is a great Director - and everyone loves him. We have 21 pieces including many of the popular carols... this music just 'makes' the holidays for me!

Ok, enough musing....

I am down to 140 pounds... have been VERY good since I got home. I can't do induction these two weeks - but I can stick to the LC eating and make sure that I limit the calories - that may have to be enough until I get on the plane. I have discovered that if I order 'gluten-free' meals on airline flights - it's as close as they get to low carb. I'm still waiting for the first airline to offer LC meals... ah well!

RQP · #44 11-03-2005, 04:55 AM

oh... I promised to tell you what DH and I do... as I said to Peg, it's funny, we have the same lives as you all (or as we would in the States) except that we are living them in a different country (one with fewer foods, resources, electricity, etc.) We go to work, have friends for dinner, exercise, work in the garden, clean the house, etc... same as everyone - it just takes a lot longer to get to our home then to yours! Ok here goes?

We work in the field of International Development. Donors like USAID http://www.usaid.gov/ (your tax dollars at work), the World Bank http://www.worldbank.org/ , The EBRD http://www.ebrd.com/ , the ADB http://www.adb.org/ and many others (including individual countries like Germany (GTZ), Canada (CIDA), Sweden, etc. etc... fund programs to help reduce poverty and economic conditions around the world in 'developing countries'. (We used to say "third world countries" but that has long been politically INcorrect" ) These organizations are called donors.

The donors have the funds, and they contract with non-profits (like Mercy Corps, Save The Children, the Eurasia Foundation, Catholic Relief Services, etc.) or for-profits (Abt Associates, Chemonics, Development Alternatives (DAI), SAIC, Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, etc...) or Universities (almost all US state universities work overseas) to actually bid on the various donor programs and DO the work.

These 'contracting companies' hire people like DH and me. So we have worked for non-profits (I ran the Mercy Corps country program in Bosnia), for-profits (DH and I both worked for DAI, I've worked for Chemonics and Deloitte), and universities (DH worked for U of MD in Bangladesh) to implement or carry out their projects.

All of these companies have websites with desciptions of development programs they undertake around the world in health, education, business development, agriculture, environmental issues, democracy and governance, etc?

So the money for the projects comes from the donors, our paychecks come from whomever hires us, and WE do the work

What kind of work? DH is easier to explain: he is a banking and finance specialist with many years of experience in the US as a banker and working for the FDIC (US government) closing failed Savings and Loans (oh yes, remember that?). Overseas he has: developed the policies and procedures manuals for the Nigerian Central Bank; privatized (arranged and sold) the largest state owned bank in Mongolia, helped to develop the cooperative sector in Jordan, managed a HUGE loan fund in post-war Bosnia, developed small business sector laws/policy in Bangladesh, and is currently developing the leasing sector here in Georgia (focused on agricultural leasing). He is teaching the Georgians what trade finance is and how to go about it - and how they can lease equipment (VERY important here).

I am an organizational development specialist. I am focused on all the ways to make development projects successful. Launching teams, developing the administrative and financial systems for the projects, managing the strategic planning, work planning, developing reporting methods (because every project must report to its donor what it is doing, when, and how much it is costing). I do a lot of team building, team planning, and the development of strategic work plans.

I have managed NGOs and USAID project teams, I know all about the procurement and reporting regulations. I have designed strategic human resources systems, performance and measurement systems; and as a trainer I?ve delivered bilingual (Spanish/English) business skills training, training of trainers courses, done curriculum development/ modification, and designed management info systems (related to HR and project management).

I owned my own small business in Spain, managed bank and business training in Bosnia (also managed an NGO in Bosnia ? 70+ staff, $25 million in program funds), ran all of the administration and finance for a large health care reform project in Jordan ($40 mil), facilitated annual work planning in Morocco, trained business people in Albania, wrote and delivered proposals in places like Ecuador and El Salvador, and have worked on projects in Ghana, Uganda, Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala, Bangladesh, Georgia, and Armenia.

Sounds like I?m looking for a job, doesn?t it!? Selling myself like that.

DH, being anatomically correct, makes twice what I do and, to be fair, has a more narrow focus ? so it makes a lot of sense for him to get the long term job (with benefits, housing, etc.) and for me to follow ? because I can do what I do from anywhere!

So that?s it in a nutshell? are you completely buggy from reading all of that? LoL!

We love what we do and we love all the wonderful people we meet and cultures we get to appreciate and the new foods. We dislike being so far from loved ones in the US and that?s why a post like Georgia is so much better than a post like Bangladesh (soooo far away!).

Thank you all for asking!! [ and so much for the fly by!!!!! YIKES!

]

KCTinter · #45 11-03-2005, 09:33 AM

Good "Survivor" Thursday Morning to you all!

Shelley, I am so glad everything went well! Two black eyes, eh? Well, you won't have to wear any eye makeup for a few days. See . . . there's a positive in everything! I hope you wake up today rested. Spend the day in bed reading a good book and let that wonderful husband of yours pamper you! Looking forward to a full report . . . . if you are up to it.

Rachel, so that's what you do! Even though DH makes more (anatomically correct:

) it does sound like you have a perfect set-up. Hmm. I do hope your next job will take you somewhere safe. So you will be back in the States and interviewing with all those agencies/companies you mentioned? Are there LOTS of these type of jobs out there? I mean, can you pick and choose, or is it a fairly narrow field and you may have to take what you can get? I would also imagine you can do a lot of searching on-line for available posts and have some idea of what's available. You both have the wonderful combination of knowing your field and being able to teach others at the same time. I will also add the ability to adapt to different living situations! WOW!

And you SING, too! That is one gift I wish I had. How exciting to have sung the Messiah at Carnegie! Soprano? Mezzo? Alto? (I do have a girlfriend who actually sings tenor!)

WhooHoo! on getting back to 140! That is so great, Rachel! Congratulations! And I would not hold my breath waiting for airlines to serve low carb. Low Carb is "dead," remember? HA! What kind of meal do you get for "gluten-free?"

Judy: I am so sorry to hear your Dad feels he must take the next step. As you say, though, at least he realizes the necessity of the move and has made the decision himself. That does take a lot of stress out of the situation. I know you are worried about the skilled nursing, and the possibility of moving again if need be. But I will tell you . . . once he is moved from his home . . . and all the stuff accumulated over a life time is gone through with his assistance, the next move will be easier. I hope I am making myself clear. I am thinking about my cousin in Chicago whose Mother died still living at home. She is now faced with going through all the stuff of a lifetime, getting the home ready for sale, etc., etc. all by herself. I am too far away to really help. Her brother lives in Idaho and is no help. All she has is her partner, Jim. It overwhelms her. She also has to worry about leaving the house "alone." The neighborhood is not a great one . . . it changed over in the 80's . . . but Aunt Sonia's immediate neighbors are wonderful and hopefully will keep an eye on the place. Yeah, my sister lives a block away. She's NO help whatsoever.

I guess all that was just my way of saying if he needs to move from the assisted living place to a nursing home later, the move will be simpler. It's usually just a room or two in assisted living facilties . . . .

Donna, I had to laugh at your comment about no mudding tonight because Survivor is on! I mentioned it to DH and he laughed, too!

Peg, hope you awake today full of pep and vigor! Another day closer. When do you actually leave? And did you ever call Deut's new owner? What did she say?

Barb, Terry, Ilse,

I actually have to cut some film today for a job tomorrow. And I think I'll run by The Jones Store for a bra-a-thon. (Thanks for the tip, Barb!)

Have a wonderful day!

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