I have a flat tummy!

OMG, I am soooooo impressed!

I look down and my tummy is flat.

Yet there is still swelling that needs to subside.

And my weight?

Well, it's down by 5.4 lbs!

That puts me within striking distance of 20% body fat loss.

You'll recall that I had set April 11th as my goal date to reach that milestone.

Methinks I will meet that goal, and then some.

Have I mentioned how pleased I am that I finally had this done?

It was and is soooo worth it! 

I'm going home!

The surgery was a resounding success.

And there's really very little pain.

Not at all what I was expecting. I mean, I have pain but not much.  Compared to the hip replacement, this is a walk in the park!

I was hooked up to a pain pump that would allow me to administer a 1 mg dose of morphine every ten minutes, for a maximum of 24 mg in four hours.  When they came to check it, I had used only four mg in five hours!  I was only needing a shot at three hour intervals.

I'm going home with Tylenol #3 for pain control, which I may or may not use.

The doctor is mightily impressed with my progress.

I'm mightily impressed with my flat tummy.  And it's still swollen!

Am I sorry I spent this money?

Not one bit.  Worth every penny!

This is it!

Finally the day has arrived.
Thirty-five + years I've been waiting for this.
Now, there's only a few hours more to wait.
Wish me luck!

Only one more sleep to go

Tomorrow is the day.

Finally!

I have to be at the hospital by 6:30 am for my scheduled 8:00 am surgery.

It should all be over by 11:00 am.

The surgical part, that is.

John will receive a call from the surgeon (or someone from the surgical team) immediately that the surgery is completed.  I, of course, will be sent to recovery.  (John will call my little chickadee and my Angel; my little chickadee will call her list of people who need to know.)

I can expect to be in the recovery room for at least one hour, possibly two. (My breathing issues require my being in recovery longer than most.)

Only once they have my breathing stabilized will they send me to my room.

And only once I'm in my room will they allow visitors.

I can expect to be in a  lot of pain.

Been there.  Done that.  Got a few t-shirts.

I remember it well.

As I've said, I'm really not looking forward to the recovery portion of this journey.

But I so can't wait to wake up in that recovery room tomorrow!

OMG, 17 years!

Today marks 17 years that John and I have been married.

Who'da believed it?

It's really true that time flies when you're having fun!

Dry Mouth Woes are OVER!

It would appear that my respirologist has solved my dry mouth woes.

I took my CPAP machine in for a "check up" the other day, just to ensure that all was as it should be pre-surgery.  He made a minor adjustment to it in light of the surgery but all was otherwise OK.

Then I raised the matter of my dry mouth issue again and suggested that perhaps the problem was coming from the mask.  I wondered if perhaps it didn't quite fit and was pinching my nostrils such that I couldn't breathe through my nose, forcing me to breathe through my mouth.  

He checked the mask against my face, determined that it was the right size for me, in that the next larger size would be too big.  But he opined that perhaps I was "between sizes."  

I explained that I had noticed that the only time I breathed through my mouth was when I was wearing the stupid mask.

He whipped out a nasal mask and fitted it to me, turned it on and said, "try this."  The force of air making its way through my nose was heavenly.  And I had no problem keeping my mouth closed and breathing through my nose!

So he gave me the nasal mask!

That night, I used the nasal mask rather than the full face mask.

No Biotene Oralbalance gel.

Went the entire night without waking with dry mouth!  (I did waken, but not for dry mouth issues.)

The second night, I wakened repeatedly because I couldn't get the damned thing to sit properly.  (Turned out I had put it on upside down.  My "dry runs" the next day quickly identified the problem and I figured out how to properly wear the damned thing!)

And last night?  Well again, I went the entire night without waking with dry mouth.  (I did waken once, but it wasn't because of dry mouth.)

I am sooooooo delighted to have that issue resolved, especially before going into hospital.  I wasn't relishing the experience of dealing with the post-surgical discomfort combined with the dry mouth intensity that would have come with the use of the CPAP machine while in there.

Dry mouth?

What's that?

Weight Loss Progress

I haven't talked about my weight loss progress (or lack thereof) for some time.

There's a reason for that.

Over the Christmas holiday period, I kind of gained a few pounds.

OK, I gained four pounds.

Had a bit of a challenge shedding those four pounds too.

But now, I'm happy to report that not only have the four pounds gone into fat heaven, so too have an extra 1.2 pounds.

So, now, I am officially down 30.8 pounds (don't lose sight of that .8 -- it's significant!).  I'm almost at the 16% loss mark.  Do you realize how close that is to having lost 20% of my body fat?

I am so close now, I'm feeling a bit like the little engine that could (well, perhaps like the big engine that could -- or maybe the medium engine that could ...).

Obviously, I won't hit the 20% threshold before my surgery, but I think what it means is that, combined with the surgery (which will only account for about two pounds), once I've healed and the swelling subsides, I should be at least at that 20% loss.

Everything one reads about weight loss talks about the benefits derived from just a 10% reduction.  Well, I've almost doubled that.  Does that mean I get twice the benefit?  Or just increased chance of gaining those benefits?

Whatever it means, I'm danged pleased with my progress and I plan to continue my "healthy living" approach, so natural has the lifestyle become to me.

My new goal is to reach a 20% loss.  I now think that's doable and it will put me at a not unreasonable weight for me.

Perhaps I'll now set a date by which I would like to have reached my new goal weight.

I'm choosing April 11th.  That will be one year from the date on which I started this journey.

Only eight more pounds to go ...

... and twelve weeks in which to drop them.

Surely I can pull that off!

It's getting closer!

Ten days 'til my tummy tuck surgery (OK, my abdominoplasty).

A mere ten days.

Yikes!

It'll be here before I know it.

Am I ready?

You bet you're sweet bippee I'm ready.

Been ready for nigh on 35 years.

(Can you tell I'm looking forward to having it done?)

Dry Mouth Woes

I believe I've talked here before about my issues with dry mouth (known as xerostomia).

My dry mouth issues are made soooooooo much worse by use of the CPAP machine.  That machine just sucks everything right out of me.  It was such an issue that, when I first started using it, I was waking with severe headaches and was prepared to abandon using the unit altogether.

My respirologist encouraged me to stick with it and advised me to try various products that help with dry mouth.  He recommended a few such products and I bought the first one that I found.  

Mouthkote.  It's a spray that I was told to use on my way to bed.  It would help keep me salivated.  It tastes great.  But I still woke every two to three hours, parched.  Had to struggle to "wet my whistle," as it were.

It became such an issue that, a year ago, I stopped using the CPAP altogether.  I was simply waking too frequently and it was more of a hassle to use the machine than not.

Fast forward to this past October when my family physician and I were discussing my desire to have this tummy tuck surgery and I expressed my concerns about the anaesthetic.  She encouraged me to start using my CPAP machine.  She was concerned that I wasn't using it and felt strongly that I should be.

I revisited the respirologist to have my CPAP machine checked out (it had been "stored" for some ten months by this point) and started over in my search for something that might help with the dry mouth. Clearly, the Mouthkote wasn't doing the trick so my respirologist offered the names of a few other products that might offer better relief.

This time, I did some serious research before making another purchase.  One of the recommended products was Biotene and it was during my research of that product that I discovered that the sprays are designed to only last two to three hours.  Duhhhhh!  Biotene offers a gel that is meant for overnight use.
Sounds promising, I thought.  So I went on a mission to find a tube of Biotene oralbalance Gel.  That proved to be a little more difficult than I would have thought.  Eventually I found a supply at Shoppers Drug Mart, where I also found a new product, OraMoist Dry Mouth Patch.  It too is supposed to offer overnight relief.
I decided to buy both the gel and the patch to give them each a try to see what worked better.
Having used the gel and patch a couple of times now, I can honestly say that the Biotene Gel wins.
No contest.
A small amount of gel is applied to the tongue and worked throughout the mouth.  The taste is not at all unpleasant.  And its effects truly last all night. While the CPAP machine still sucks everything out of me, when I waken at various intervals, I have no difficulty re-establishing salivation.  (One night, I actually slept seven hours straight through, presumably having managed salivation without waking.)
The patch, on the other hand, is a small disc that affixes to the roof of the mouth.  It dissolves over the course of the next two to three hours.  It tastes awful.  It feels dreadful.  And when I awaken at those three hour intervals, I have great difficulty garnering any salivation.  Apparently, it works for the first three hours. That's it.  Yet, when morning comes and I hit the bathroom to brush my teeth, there is still a residue of the disc left on the roof of my mouth -- I'm guessing whatever is used to affix it to the mouth.  It still felt horrid. And I had to fight to peel it off.  Not a fun experience at all.  I would not recommend the OraMoist Patch for overnight use.  In fact, I don't think I'd want to use it during the day, so uncomfortable is the disc on the roof of the mouth, not to mention the unpleasant taste.

So, having tried all three of the above products, I can readily recommend Mouthkote for daytime use.  I know that Biotene also has a spray (as well as toothpaste and rinse) but I have not tried them so I can't attest to their efficacy.  To my knowledge, Biotene oralbalance is the only product meant for night time use that in fact works for that purpose.  Don't waste your money on OraMoist.

Wow, where have I been?

Happy New Year everyone!

I have no idea why I've not posted anything since last year.  All I can say is, "I've been busy?"

I've certainly been busy this week.  Had to make three round trips to the big city -- Monday for my pre-op at the hospital; Tuesday for my physio session; and Wednesday for my pre-op with the surgeon.

Couldn't be helped so I had to do it.  But that ate up three days away from home.

Of course, yesterday being Thursday it was my massage day.  The day I otherwise do "nothing."

The other days were spent doing household-related stuff.  They're rotten jobs but someone has to do them!

Now, I'll be busy readying myself for the "big" day -- tummy tuck time on 27 January.  

Having had the hospital pre-op really helped put my mind at ease with respect to the process and protocols that will be followed.  The anaesthesiologist assured me that I would be well cared for.  The only stumbling block might well be over post-op pain management.  We seem to have different philosophies about that but the surgeon assured me that my views will prevail.  (My view is that I prefer to have minimal pain meds because of the adverse effect they have on me.  I'd prefer to suffer the pain of the surgery -- who expects to come out of surgery without pain?  That surgical pain will subside with time.  The side effects of the pain meds often last much longer with me.  Don't subject me to that extra suffering, please!)

The pre-op with the surgeon was very helpful too.  He answered all my questions and explained again the surgery in detail, then he took the "before" photos.  ("Now let it all out," he said.  "I know you've been holding it in for 30+ years, but this is the time you must relax and let it out."  Too funny!)  He'll take "after" photos at about the three-month post-op mark.

I am sooooo looking forward to it.  Well, I'm not really looking forward to the recovery portion of the journey, but I am surely anxious to get to the other side of the exercise.

It's interesting you know.  I'm not actually "broadcasting" the fact that I'm having a tummy tuck. (Let's face it, my readership here is very low.)  But when the topic arises, those people I do tell all seem to respond the same way:  "Wow, I wish I had the nerve to have one."   What that tells me is that secretly, every woman really does want to have a tummy tuck.  I'm just perhaps the first to be so open about the fact that I'm having one?

I do know a few people who have undergone the surgery.  They are very happy with the results.  But none of them is "readily open" about the fact that they have had the procedure done. (They reveal it in a whispered tone, so as not to let others hear.)  I, on the other hand, expect to be quite proud of my new body, come spring.  Why wouldn't I?  I've carried this albatross around for 35 years and I'll be delighted to be rid of it. I'm thinking I'll be extremely grateful to anyone who notices my new silhouette.

It's almost 2014

Can you believe it?

Another year gone, already!

To bring in the new year, I'm going to try to stay awake late enough to watch Royal Canadian Air Farce - Best of 2013.  Let me guess, who might they be spoofing???  (Ummmm -- four specific Senators; Rob Ford; Miley Cyrus; the Kardashians -- are just a few that come to mind.)

The show airs at 8:00 pm.  Wonder if I'll make it????? 

Even if I do, I won't see midnight to be sure.  So the rest of the world will have to welcome the new year without me I'm afraid.

Christmas 2013

Christmas was wonderful.

The day was spent moving from house to house and eating.

We started by joining my little chickadee at her home for what has become our traditional Christmas morning breakfast.  It's such a delight to share that time with them and I continue to count my blessings that they still include us in their morning.

From there, we stop in briefly to visit my good friend, LC -- my other daughter's mother.  This year, she is recovering from surgery so she was a bit of a captive audience, of sorts.  Her daughter (MOD) was there from Toronto tending to her mother so I got to see both this year, which was a nice bonus.

Then it was off to my step-son's place for lunch.  He would have been otherwise alone for Christmas so we took lunch to him.  We had a lovely visit while lunch cooked (chicken gumbo and rice) and we followed it up with tea and dessert.

I ate lightly at both breakfast and lunch because, unlike previous years on Christmas Day when we usually came home and had "beans and weiners" for dinner, this year we went to join my best friend sister and her husband at their table.  My brother-in-law has spent the past several Christmases in hospital and since he would be home this year, my sister was delighted to be able to make a proper dinner.  She was extra delighted to have us join them.  We had a fabulous visit.

Some twelve hours after we had left home that morning, we finally arrived back at our door.

It had been a very long, but fun day.

On Saturday, the 28th, we had our blended family Christmas.

That's the day we all get together (although this year we were missing step-daughter and her family since they were down in Arizona for the holidays) for Christmas brunch.  I no longer do the full-out dinner deal -- too stressful.  So I just do brunch-style eating.  No fuss, no muss. (Well almost, no fuss, no muss.)  I find it much easier than trying to put on a sit-down meal for a large group.

We open gifts, which are handed out by Santa. This year, #2 step-son had the honours (that's him wearing the requisite red hat).

There are always so many interesting gifts passed around.  

And of course, we have to take the group photo.  Nutbar #1 step-son insisted that we take one with everyone in the following pose.

We're thinking we might make it a Fowler tradition.  Perhaps next year, everyone will participate properly.

It's Christmas Eve!

(Photo © John T. Fowler)

This is a photo of my two-tiered Christmas village -- last year's version.

This year it is much lovelier. My little chickadee visited and helped me put the snow in properly.  There was a blizzard went through town!

We haven't taken a photo of it yet and we really should have done so immediately because now the main building (the focal point of the train circle) has lost its lights.  They are fibre optic and not replaceable or fixable.

So, while the photo that will be taken will depict the snow storm (how fitting, with all the snow we've had already!) it will not present quite the dramatic effect that we see as we admire it each evening.

And of course, the arrangement of presents under the tree will be different too.  There seems to be more this year (and Santa hasn't even arrived yet!).

In any event,

Merry Christmas!

Memories of a past Christmas

For some reason, the closer we get to the big day, the crisper my memories of Christmases past (go figure!).

And this year, I can't seem to get images of one particular Christmas out of my mind.
I've told the story here before, but I'll tell it again for recent readers' enlightenment.
It was Christmas, 1963.  I was thirteen years old and I desperately wanted a pair of patterned stockings -- they were all the rage that year.

About a week before Christmas, I was home from school. (I don't recall why; obviously I must have been sick.)

I had the house to myself and decided I should go snooping for gifts.  I just HAD to know if I was getting a pair of those stockings!

Well, I found the cache of presents and eventually identified one that had my name on it that felt like it might be just what I was hoping for.

I oh so carefully opened the package -- and there they were.  They were blue and black with a diamond pattern.  Truly the most beautiful pair of patterned stockings in the whole wide world!

Then I did the unthinkable.  I just HAD to try one on.

I remember shaking as I put the stocking on and pulled it up my leg.  And then I pranced around my parents' bedroom, admiring the sight.

I was still shaking as I took the stocking off and carefully folded it to put it back in the package.

But look!  Now the one I tried on was all stretched out, noticeably bigger than the other one.

So I quickly put the second stocking on and stretched it up my leg so the pair would match again.

Then I very carefully rewrapped the package and returned it to the hidden stash of gifts.

And I remember on Christmas morning being very nervous when it came time to open that gift.

My mother, who knew how badly I wanted those stockings, was watching closely as the package was handed to me.

What was I going to do?  I knew I had to act surprised and excited.  And I figured I could do that easily, since there was so much other commotion going on with our large family.  But would someone notice that the stockings were already stretched?

So I opened the package, let out a squeal of delight, and immediately proceeded to put the stockings on.

There, of course they're stretched, I'm wearing them!

That was the year I learned a very important lesson:  the surprise is so much sweeter if it is shared.

Here we are 50 Christmases later, and I have never again gone snooping for gifts.

Let's try again

I've decided to try yet again to find Philip Nowlan.

Remember him?

He's the cute baby in this 1957 photo:

He's the grandson of my maternal grandmother's sister, Mary Jane Gizzard Docker Danaher, making him my 2nd cousin.

All I can surmise from the paper trail I've found is that he was born in June 1957, possibly in Canada but could have been in the USA, to parents Joan A. (nee Danaher) and, I believe, James Nowlan.  He has two younger sisters, who of course would also be my 2nd cousins.  Their mother died in October 2004 in Silver Springs, New York.

It blows my mind to learn that this family lived so close to us and I only found out about them last year.

You see, my research from years ago had indicated that Joan Danaher had moved to Canada from England to become a nun.  I stopped looking for her.

It was only when the above photo surfaced last year that I started tracking who the child could be.  It is inscribed on the reverse, "Philip Nowlan To Aunt Sarah & Uncle Sam with love from Philip aged 3 months Sept 15 1957."  (Sarah and Sam were my maternal grandparents.)

There was also a photo of my grandmother's sister, Mary Jane:

Inscribed on its reverse was, "Taken in 1940 died 1946 aged 56. To Aunt Sarah from sister Jane from your niece Joan Nowlan."  This helped me further identify the baby's mother and his relationship to me.  Read about Mary Jane's story.

I would love to connect with my 2nd cousin Nowlans and share with them information they might not have about their mother's lineage.  Surely they would be interested!

That EASY button must be broken

I shop on-line all the time.

Hate shopping in malls.

Too many people and too much walking.

I am a somewhat frequent buyer from Staples for our many office supply needs.

Generally, I love the convenience of ordering today and receiving tomorrow.  Works like a charm.

Anyway, MHYC's school recently held a fundraiser wherein one could buy gift cards for various retail outlets and the school would receive a percentage of the value of the purchase.

Generous Grandma bought a significant number of cards, several of which made their way into Christmas packages.

But a few were to be used specifically by us in our day-to-day operations.  Like the two $50.00 Staples cards I bought.

Last week, Staples sent me some discount cards. (OK, I'm sure they sent them to lots of people, but I only received the ones they sent to me.)  These cards offer savings of $15.00 off an order of $100.00 or $20.00 off an order of $200.00 -- but only for on-line or phone orders.  They cannot be used in stores.  OK by me, since I rarely shop in store.

I save up my orders to wait for these discount cards.  (Sometimes, the discounts are even higher.)  They are routine promotions.

Yesterday, I sat down to place my order of just over $100.00.  I wanted to use my $15.00 discount card and then pay for the order with my gift cards.

No can do.

I couldn't find anywhere in the process to enter the information about the gift cards.

This morning, I called their toll-free number to ask how I use gift cards to pay for an on-line order.

Can't be done, I'm told.  Gift cards can only be redeemed in stores!

Says so right on the site, I'm told.  (Yes, if you look up information about gift cards.  The cards are not explicitly referred to anywhere in the on-line purchasing experience.)

Quite perturbed, I decided to take advantage of the $15.00 savings so I placed the order, paying for it with my credit card.  (I'll use the gift cards quickly enough throughout the year, I'll just have to go into the store to do it!)

Imagine my surprise when I received the order confirmation and saw the following advice at the bottom of the statement:

Hold on to your Staples Rebate Visa Cards and Prepaid Gift Cards

until your order has been received."

Now how, I ask, can there possibly be a need to hold on to a gift card for an order that could not be paid with a gift card?

I've sent an e-mail of complaint/inquiry to Staples, suggesting that their EASY button is not so easy to use after all!

Strange Week

It's been a strange week, indeed.

I ended up in a fibro flare-up this past Sunday, for reasons I can only surmise, but the difficulty persisted through to Tuesday evening.

Truth be known, it had actually started on Saturday when my little chickadee was visiting but I didn't recognize the signs.  Sometimes these things have to hit me -- hard -- before I know what's happening.

Anyway, by Monday I sure as hell knew what was going on let me tell you.  I could barely put one foot in front of the other.

Needless to say, I hadn't done the treadmill on Sunday, and I didn't do it again on Monday, or Tuesday.

As the flare-up worsened, my hands became terribly inflamed.  I couldn't even pick up a pen to write.

Tuesday morning, very early, I called and cancelled by physio session.  There was no way I was up to making the round trip to the big city.  I ended up sleeping the morning away and that was obviously what my body needed.  By that evening, it was evident that the flare-up was fizzling out.

When I woke Wednesday, I was feeling alive again, with only the normal level of pain and discomfort.

Good thing, too, because I was lunching with my Angel that day and I don't get to see her nearly often enough so I would have been really upset had I been forced to cancel that date.

Of course, yesterday being Thursday, that's my do nothing day because my massage therapist comes to my home.  (I did do the treadmill on Wednesday and again Thursday though.)

My massage therapist asked me what I had done to bring on the flare-up and as I answered her, I realized that although I pace myself when putting up my Christmas Village, it really does take a toll on me.  I had hauled stuff out of storage on the Wednesday, did minimal assembly on the Thursday morning, considerably more assembly on the Friday, and had help with the rest on Saturday.  But the damage had been done by then and I suffered for the next three days.  As much as I love having it, it is evident that I pay a huge physical price.  

Today, I've been up since well before dawn (as I have been every day this week) and caught up on the housework that hasn't been getting done all week.

So there you have it.  Not sure how I'll handle Christmas next year.

But my village is now in place, and every evening I turn on the lights and enjoy the beauty of it.

It's worth every bit of pain!

This is last year's village.  It looks infinitely better this year, with the snow that my little chickadee helped arrange.  ("There was a blizzard came through.")                                             (Photo © John T. Fowler)

My generous, thoughtful RMT

Yesterday was my aaaaaaaahhhhhh day -- best day of the week.

And my massage therapist made it an even better day by showing up with a present in tow.  She brought me a hand-made hat and scarf set, in honour of my having allowed Suzanne to shave my head again.

It's a lovely, comfy, very warm hat that will do a wonderful job of keeping my noggin protected through the winter months while my hair grows back.

Such a thoughtful gesture.

I guess, to paraphrase Sally Field, "she likes me, she really likes me."

Busy day tomorrow

Today, I'm headed into the big city.

Originally, I had a hair appointment for this afternoon but obviously I don't need that now.  The appointment had been made to coincide with my early morning dental visit scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Now, I'm essentially going in so that I can overnight at my little chickadee's place because of that early morning dental appointment.  Saves trying to make the commute in the early morning, which is often a challenge because of the high traffic volume.

I have a few stops to make on my way into the city so I'll leave here early enough to allow me to get them done and still arrive before dark (which descends upon us soooooooo early now).

Tomorrow, MHYC and I will do our usual breakfast routine, after which I will go to my dental appointment.

After the dentist, I have physio which I moved from its usual 1:00 pm spot to 10:30 am so that I could get out of the city as early as possible.

Following my physio session, I'll head back home and stop at the grocery store which should put me right on time to make my 1:00 pm doctor's appointment.  I called last week to book time with her to discuss blood work prior to my tummy tuck surgery.  Just want to make sure everything is as it should be before going into that.

Better safe than sorry has always been my motto.

So I should arrive home tomorrow some 24 hours after having left home today.

But I will have covered a lot of ground in that 24 hours!

Hairless again

Last evening, we had a dinner party.

Step-son, his beautiful wife, other step-son, sister-in-law and her husband.

Was a wonderful evening.  We don't see them nearly often enough.

Beautiful step daughter-in-law is again undergoing chemotherapy which is costing her her hair, again.

I told her I was in this with her and I meant it.

We said our hello(s) and headed straight for the bathroom where she again did the honours.

Now, since winter is upon us this go-round (it was August last time we did this), I will need to invest in a hat to keep my dome warm.

I very much dislike hats.

Never wear them.

I use ear muffs in the cold weather.

This winter will be an exception, for obvious reasons.

But regrets?  I have none.

My hair will grow back.  Unfortunately, that is not likely going to be the case for my darling Suzanne this time.

In the meantime, I will enjoy the benefits of my shorn look:

• I will save money on hair cuts for several months.
• I won't have bad hair days for a while.
• Shampoo and conditioner costs will be way down.
• Shower time will be reduced significantly.
• My shoulders will appreciate the reprieve from shampooing, blow drying and curling my tresses.

You get the idea.

John and I have also decided that this time, as it grows back, I'm going to stop at the point where we liked it last time.  Not going to grow it out fully again.  Keep it quite short, and save my shoulders the ache of having to blow dry and curl.  That will be huge for me.