Wanna See Something Shocking?!?

I can't believe how times flies between my posts, but such is my crazy life. And sometimes I hate to bore the rest of the world with what sometimes seems like minor changes. So I'd rather save it for the major stuff. And boy is it major these days!

To begin with, let me tell you a little story. Back in the Spring of 2007 I think it was, Gerald and I decided to go hiking one sunny afternoon. We decided to start at Highway 50 at Falls Lake and hike through the trails - it's part of the Mountains to the Sea Trail - over to Highway 98. So we left a car, had enough food and water, etc., etc. Mind you, this hike according to Gerald was to be about 2-3 miles. I thought, "No sweat. I got this." As it turns out, the hike was more like 8 MILES! But the thing that struck me the most was that I was about to die about 2 miles into this thing. Granted, at some point I realized that the 2 miles was buffoonery and we were going much farther than that, but at most I thought maybe 5. That aside though, I was pretty darn surprised at how hard that hike was on me. The trail was not rough really - no more so than others locally. There weren't steep inclines or declines. Just regular trail. You know. Once we got to the car, I could hardly keep going. But later, boy did I pay for that hike. I was in so much pain and I could hardly move the next day! I know I was morbidly obese, but I was in shape for a fat girl.

Fast forward to this past weekend. On Sunday, Gerald and I decided to hike Penny's Bend Nature Preserve out by our house. Can I say how COOL it is that we have trails so close to our house? If you've never hiked Penny's Bend, you should - this time of year it is so beautiful walking beside the Eno River among beautiful fall leaves. At times, truly breathtaking. Penny's Bend is owned and maintained by UNC. If you're interested, go here: Penny's Bend. It was a 2.25 mile hike round trip, and we threw in a little geocaching for good measure. And I hate to admit to the World Wide Web - probably because I'm the last to realize this - but I am a geek. I actually like geocaching though I have been adamant to Gerald that I wouldn't. Ok, so I'm a geek. A geek who according to some (I don't know the source) said, "I use a multi-billion dollar global satellite system to hunt for Tupperware in the woods." Most appropriate, but WAY more fun! We found 3 caches at Penny's Bend. Here I am with the swag from the cache that I actually found. (Gerald always beats me to them!)

And the other thing about this trip was that the hike was nothing! Let me say it again. No-thing. Didn't phase me at all. I didn't get winded, my feet didn't hurt, etc., etc., etc. I was amazed at how easy it was in the grand scheme of things. I did have a little soreness late that night when I went to bed, but by the morning I felt fine and was ready to go.

And then I saw the picture Gerald took of me and thought, "Wow, that doesn't suck." So now I'm afraid I may turn into a camera whore. I'm actually ok with that. So when we got home, I decided to try on some smaller jeans since one picture Gerald took of me hiking shows that the legs of my size 12 jeans looked baggy. Hard to fathom, but there it was in digital image technicolor. Who knew? Even though my hair looked atrocious and I had it pinned back from the hike, I still tried on those jeans. Can you say - Size 10, Babee!!!!! Holy crap! I couldn't believe it either! So here we have it - living proof. And just for comparison, I am including a composite picture of me from pre-op/25 days post-op. The comparison blows my mind. Seriously, I had shied away from having pictures of me taken during the last few months, and now I don't hate them anymore!

This is me pre-op and 25 days post-op. Already a world of difference. But no way did I dream of what was to come....

It is SO hard for me to believe that is the same woman in those before and after pictures. And look, I grew collarbones! I knew I had arrived when I could see those!

This new life STILL blows my mind. WLS saved my life. Specifically, Dr. Dennis Smith (I love that man!) and the Duodenal Switch saved my life - And it gave me a better one!

Oh yeah, and I'm only 4 pounds from my doctor's goal weight for me. Tomorrow will be my 9 month post-op anniversary. I can't think of a better way to have spent the last 9 months of my life. And I'm not done losing. I know Size 8s are in my future, but if I never lost another pound, I'd be so thankful I had the duodenal switch. My journey has been relatively easy compared to some, and it sure as hell beats the prison of obesity I lived in for more years that I care to count.

Sure puts a whole new meaning on Thanksgiving for me this year. Tell me, what are YOU thankful for?