10 Years Ago...

I know I was supposed to report on my weigh in, but interestingly enough, I didn't weigh in on Saturday... couldn't get up on time.  I did weigh myself, and I'll tell you, it wasn't good.  BUT, this week I have been ON FIRE with my eating and workouts.  From Saturday morning to now, I've lost 4 pounds. Go figure.  When I'm on it, I'm on it.

But that's not really what I want to talk about in this post.  The title of the post is "10 Years Ago..."

Ten Years Ago at this very time, I was recovering from major surgery.  MAJOR surgery... on August 3, 2001, I had my colon removed.  I've mentioned before that I had ulcerative colitis (technically, I still do have it.. more on that later.) Let me give you a little bit of background...

When I was in my last semester of law school (Spring 1996), I started losing weight.  I thought it was stress, not eating, exercising a lot.  I got downright skinny.  Of course, I was thrilled.  I graduated and moved back home to start my first "real job" at Hughes on July 22.  I went to work on that Monday & Tuesday... and I actually took a sick day on Wednesday (yes, my 3rd day on my real job!) I worked on Thursday & Friday... that Friday, July 26, 1996, just so happened to be my 25th birthday... the day I was conveniently booted off my parents' medical insurance.  I hadn't gotten around to picking my own plan, because I figured I had some time to figure it out.  That weekend, I was a wreck.  I remember my dad asking me, "Do you want me to take you to the ER?"  I said, "Yeeeeesssssss!"  He took me to Daniel Freeman Hospital (which is now closed)... I was admitted.... and I stayed there for about 7 or 8 weeks.  They figured out that I had ulcerative colitis, but they couldn't figure out how to fix it.  My main symptom was bloody stool (aka, blood in my poop.)  The first course of action is to give the patient prednisone, a steroid.  Not only was I on steroids, I couldn't eat.  ANYTHING.  Have you ever gone 8 weeks with no food? I was sometimes permitted to suck on ice chips, but every time they tried to upgrade me to broth or a creamy soup, my diseased colon couldn't take it.  So I'm in the hospital... on steroids, lipids, and your basic banana bag of nutrients all through a central line in my chest... and I'm GAINING WEIGHT! If I'm gonna gain weight, at least give me some pizza, bread, rice... something! I was miserable...

The short version of the 1996 hospital stay is that after a series of setbacks, blood transfusions, tears, and frustration, my sister, Dr. Kimberly Manning (aka The Grady Doctor) got on the phone and told our dad to raise hell until they sent me to UCLA.  She said the only way I'd get better was to move to a teaching hospital.  Well, our dad happens to be a professional hell raiser... he did it, and I was moved to UCLA.  Interesting side story is that I had eye surgery at UCLA as a toddler... I was STILL in the system at 25 years old... same patient number and everything. That's what I call record keeping! LOL!

I was at UCLA for about 8 days.  My new UCLA gastroenterologist, Dr. Kevin Horgan, put me on an experimental drug, it started working, and they sent me home.  I was taking about 24 pills a day, but I was home.

Over the next 5 years, I would randomly have flare ups with my colitis. Surgery was discussed here and there, but I had NO INTEREST whatsoever in letting someone open my belly & remove my colon. No way.  I was good popping pills.  However, in 2001, it got much worse... I'd spend a week in the hospital, two weeks back at work... a week in the hospital, a week at work... it got to the point where it was miserable for me.  I hated missing work.  I hated being sick.  I talked to my parents & my sister, and I decided it was time to meet with a surgeon to discuss my options.

Enter: Dr. Jonathan Sack.  One of the best surgeons in the business.  Highly recommended.  Basically, The Man.  We scheduled a consultation with him on a Friday afternoon. I think the appointment was around 2 or 3pm... I remember it was May or June, because the Lakers had a playoff game that day.  My parents and I went to UCLA Medical Center for our consultation with Dr. Sack... he was late.  In fact, he never showed up.  He got stuck in the hospital with a surgery emergency.  I was not happy.  My dad was downright pissed.  I think the combination of Dr. Sack not showing up & the fact that we would be on the 405 South at 5pm on a Friday was more than he could handle.  On the way home he told me there was no way in hell he'd let that guy perform my surgery. NO WAY.

The next morning, I'm at home.  It's Saturday... my phone rings.  It's Dr. Sack.  Not Dr. Sack's nurse.  Not someone from his office.  Him.  THEE Dr. Sack.  He apologized for missing our appointment.  He explained why he wasn't there.  He told me about the surgery & answered any questions I asked.  I knew right then and there that I wanted him to perform my surgery.  I called my dad & told him about the phone call.  Boy, was he impressed!  Dr. Sack was our guy!  We eventually had the face to face meeting (on June 25th -- I know, because I was writing in a journal at the time), and scheduled the surgery for August 3rd.

Me... on HEAVY steroids... preparing for my surgery... 30 and not a happy camper!

Between that time, I celebrated my 30th birthday... and my mom moved to Atlanta a couple of days later (with my blessing, of course! She did not want to leave before my surgery!)  Lord knows a girl needs her mommy in tough times, but she left me in good hands with Daddy & my T'Renee.

My journal entry for August 3rd at 12:30am:  "I'm nervous about the surgery, but I'm ready to get it over with and get to the next phase."

Right before my surgery, Dr. Sack told me: "I have to tell you... if I get in there & you don't have enough small intestine to make the pouch, when you wake up I'll tell you that your colostomy bag is permanent."  SAY WHAAAAAAAT??? Awww helllll naw! LOL! ..... Everything worked out fine. But I sure did hate that bag for the two months I had to wear it! I was allergic to the adhesive that kept the bag connected to my body over my stoma... it was not fun.  FYI, the stoma is the opening in my abdomen where my small intestine was dumping out my waste. I know... gross.  The weirdest part was that I didn't poop between the surgeries, because everything I ate came out in the bag.  Yes, it's as strange as you're imagining it right now.

I had the second surgery (the take-down) on October 5, 2001.  Other than a flare up here & there on the tiny bit of colon they left at my rectum or a bout of pouchitis, all has been well.  I am still susceptible to colon cancer, because I do have that little bit of colon left, but so far, so good! 

The surgery was the best decision I ever made.  It changed my life.  It changed the quality of my life.  Ten years later... I am happier & healthier than ever.

Me... 10 years later.... at 40!  Happy & Healthy!

Thanks for letting me reflect....

Summer's Over...

It's been a while since I last posted, so this will be a catch up blog post!  August was a busy, but WONDERFUL month!  I would have to say the highlight was watching my BMFF (best male friend forever), Sean Patikas-Hunter, marry his beautiful wife, Rita, aka Mrs. Patikas-Hunter :-)  

The night before the wedding, Sean calls & tells me to come over... they're celebrating his last night as a single man over at his house.  Rita was already at the hotel.  So, of course, I get there & I'm the only girl there (sometimes I think Sean forgets I'm not a guy... LOL!)  I'm used to it by now, and Sean's guy friends don't even blink when I show up.  We talked & ate & drank... around midnight the guys were going to some bar, but I recommended that Sean stay home & get some rest.  He listened (and I'm sure he appreciated it the next morning!)  The wedding was Friday, August 20th... the day was perfect.  The ceremony was beautiful... I didn't even burst into a complete cry bubble the way I normally do at weddings.  I think I had gotten out of my system earlier that day... the wedding was in the evening on a yacht in Newport Harbor.  I hadn't seen Sean all day, but a few hours before the ceremony I got a text from him which pretty much brought me to tears.  Happy tears.  By wedding time I was all cried out.  I did get a little misty when I first saw Rita, because she was so beautiful.  I remember her telling me about when she found her dress & how she knew it was perfect.  When I saw her standing with her dad... Wow... she was right.  She was a picture perfect bride.  Here are some shots from the wedding & reception:

My best friends at the wedding, aka, "Sean's Lady Crew" LOL!
Stacy, Sharon, Taufiki, LaVetta, JoLai

The happy & handsome groom, Sean

"I do..."

The wedding party

Great friends from all over the country
to celebrate Sean & Rita's big day!

With the bride... I told Sean I'm on Team Rita now! LOL!

My favorite picture: the mother/son & father/daughter dance...
What you don't see is that Rita is looking at Sean the whole time.
That is when I cried again... it was such a moment.

Okay, so remember the weight loss challenge?  I actually lost 10lbs in August!  It was a result of checking my diet & working out (like I always do.)  So I felt good going into my Labor Day weekend vacation to Florida.  I wasn't going to go crazy and eat everything in sight, but I was not going to be the snack police either.  Yes, I ate a lot of chips... they were in the beach house, and I ate them.  But I also went walking with my dad Saturday & Sunday morning... walked on the beach Saturday... and went walking twice on Tuesday in Atlanta.  Some pix from Florida:

During my beach walk...

On my morning walk with Daddy...

This is pretty much what I did... :-)

Posing at sunset...

After my walk... the water was so clear!

My suntan... which almost became a sunburn...

We left Florida on Monday & headed up to Atlanta to celebrate Kimberly's  40th birthday.  She had a t-shirt & flip flops themed BBQ, and it was a blast!  I got to see a lot of friends from college, play with my nephews & eat some DELICIOUS fried fish.  Oh yes, I enjoyed that fried fish!!!

Yes, 40 year olds double dutch!  And do pop ups!

Our last day as 39 year olds together... Miz & Biz

Auntie's baby, Zachary... my little sunshine!

I'm proud of myself for not beating myself up for snacking and eating things that I normally wouldn't eat.  It's all about moderation.  As much as I would have loved to come home, jump on the scale & weigh what I weighed when I left.... that wasn't the case.  The good news is that I didn't gain even half my weight back, and I enjoyed some great food.  Of course, I'm back on my grind now.... I have given myself a 10lb goal for September.  I can do it!

Toodles!

The Right To Bare Arms...

Before I start... I want to say THANK YOU to my sister, Dr. Kimberly Manning, for writing about me in her fabulous blog... here's the link to the post: Reflection on Tuesday: No Excuses

Okay... here we go!

I've never been a super girly girl... I'm much more at home in jeans and a t-shirt with flip-flops... or sweats and sneakers... My job is very casual, and when I do wear a dress, it's like the talk of the whole floor.  LOL.  Because I don't wear dresses & skirts to work very often, I like to wear them when I go out.  I love to buy dresses, and I love to wear dresses.

Here I am again in my signature pose... haha!

One change that has happened in the last year is that I've become a bit more confident about showing my arms.  There is probably no part of my body that I struggle with more than my arms.  When I was on heavy doses of prednisone for my colitis back in 2001, my body swelled up like a balloon.  And my arms GREW (along with everything else), so I have some stretch marks on the back of my arms that I really don't like.  After a lot of soul searching, I have learned to accept all of my "battle scars" from my struggle with ulcerative colitis.  As I've worked out & lost weight, my arms have gotten smaller.  Now, I don't mind showing them.  I'm still not super happy with them, but I'm not gonna wear a shawl all night to cover them either.

In the coming months, I have a LOT of events to attend.... my BMFF's wedding, luncheons, holiday parties, etc.  And I have a LOT of dresses to wear.  I'm just about confident in a size 10 these days (especially if the dress has some stretch to it!), so a lot of my size 12 dresses are about to be too big.... which means I need to wear them before the end of the year!

I've taken some pictures of some of the dresses I'll be wearing in the coming months... and you'll see that many of them are sleeveless :-)

Love this one... it's definitely a summery dress... may save it to wear to my BFF's wedding in Hawaii next June... but, I will probably find something else before then :-)

This is such a great little black dress I got from Ross. It has side pockets & ties in the back.  The current problem with this dress is that is is SHORT... shows a bit more thigh than I'm comfortable showing (right now), but it might be great for a holiday party if I work extra hard!

You can't really tell from the picture, but this is kind of iridescent.  It fits great right now... will probably be too big in the top soon.  I love it enough to take it to my tailor & get it nipped in on the sides.  Looks short on the picture, but it's a good length for me.  I'm pretty sure it came from Ross or Marshall's.

A recent purchase from Banana Republic.  I'm pretty sure I'm wearing it to my BMFF's wedding in a couple of weeks.  It's silk, and I love it.  Kinda proud of myself for choosing color to wear to this wedding instead of playing it safe in black.

Also snatched this up at BR.  It's kinda thick, and would be great for a holiday work function.  

You guessed it... BR!  Shirt dress with a slip dress underneath.  Thinking of wearing this to a luncheon I'm going to in a couple weeks... It's super cute.  I see my Calvin Klein wedge sandals going with this perfectly...

This dress is pretty old... in fact, I know exactly when I got it, because I wore it to Jon & Leslie's wedding. LOL.  It's just about too big now, but I may be able to get one more wear out of it.  It's brown and white.  By the way, you can check out Leslie's fashion blog at FASHION du jour.  It's a great site with great fashion tips & ideas!

This is a chocolate brown dress... simple... and cap sleeved.  I am not a cap sleeve girl at all.  Nothing is more unflattering to my arms than a cap sleeve... I have a feeling this one will be given away.  By the time I'm okay to wear it... I'll be too small for it.

This is a black dress... it is a semi-heavy satin-like fabric, but it has print as well.  It's really cute from one of my favorite stores, White House/Black Market.  I definitely need to wear this one to a holiday party this year, because it will FOR SURE be too big in a few months.

Finally... I just added this one because it's in my closet.  I am sure I got it at Ross/Marshalls/TJMaxx, and I'm sure it was probably about ten bucks.  It's actually very cute, but right now it is too tight.  I'll step out in this one next year... for someone's 40th birthday party... in some hot gold sandals... :-)

There you have it.... looking at all these sleeveless dresses makes me want to do some more pushups & triceps kickbacks before I hit the hay.... Toodles!!!

Fitness Inspirations...

Okay... so this post was inspired by my sister, Dr. Kimberly Manning.  I got a call from her this morning, and she had a question about my last post.  In the last post I mentioned that Serena Williams was one of my fitness inspirations.  And I stand by that 100%!  The girl is bad!  Kimberly asked me if I meant to say Venus Williams... because I couldn't possibly be talking about Serena!  LOL!  Yes, I was talking about Serena, and yes, I think her body is great.  Serena is gonna be Serena... she can't help that she may have a mannish body.  As she recently said, she thinks her arms are too big, but they pay her bills. Ha ha!  I love Serena's body because she's curvy and has muscles.  That is what I strive to have one day.  I'm not going to be long and lean like Venus or Jennifer Aniston, because I don't have that type of body.

So this post is dedicated to my celebrity fitness inspirations!  Some folks are inspired to work hard by seeing pictures of overweight/obese people.  I am inspired by healthy people who are physically fit!

Let me make a few points right up front:

1.  I know these people have access to trainers, plastic surgeons, whatever... I get that.
2.  I picked people that actually work out (okay, so I've seen tabloid pix of them working out or leaving the gym)... even if it's with the help of a trainer, they still have to get up and do the work.
3.  Never mind the fake boobs or if you think they've had liposuction... it doesn't change the fact that their bodies inspire me!

Alright, here we go... in no particular order:

I'll start with Serena, since she prompted this whole thing!

I have always loved Demi Moore... she's 47 & just as fabulous as ever!

Kim Kardashian...

This is one hot body.

Gabrielle Union... 37 years old...

Jennifer Lopez... 41 in a couple of weeks... mother of young twins...

And this picture was taken in January.  Killin' it.

Jessica Biel... loving that beach body!

Mel B... can you say "Six Pack"?

Nia Long... always looking fantastic...

and she'll be 40 in October.

And now for my Fab Five Faves...

Regina King.  I really could go on about her...  look at her!

If that's what 39 looks like, sign me up!

Of course, Beyonce... I don't care if she's 10 years my junior...

B's body is just insane. Period.

Speaking of B... here's the Queen Bee...

The One. The Only.

Halle Berry.  Enough said.

She's gonna kill me for this, but my sister, Kimberly, is absolutely one of my fitness inspirations.

That's a 39 year old mother of two right there!

Kimberly & her boys: July 4, 2010

And finally, I can't forget the completely fabulous,

First Lady of the United States of America:

Michelle Obama!

What I love about our FLOTUS is that she is fit, strong, and not afraid to show it to the world.  I love her!  I love that she's championed the childhood obesity epidemic with her Let's Move! campaign.  I love those arms and shoulders... and I love every time she wears something that makes the Good Ol' Boys & Girls cringe!  That just makes me love her more.  Did I mention I love her??? (smile)

She caused quite a stir in this strapless number at the Obama's first state dinner:

Flexing her famous muscles!

And, most of all... I love the example she sets for her daughters & all women... and I love seeing a First Lady that looks like me!  (Her hubby ain't so bad either!)

President & First Lady Obama

So there you have it... some of my celebrity fitness inspirations!  

Do you have any?

Lucky Girl....

Alright... so this isn't really going to be about working out... I'm just in a mood right now... a great mood.  I have a core of wonderful friends, which is truly a blessing.  But even more so, I was blessed with a built in crew.  I was born into an exclusive club... the 4th and final member of the Draper Kids.  I know that there are three people on this planet Earth who share a bond with me.  No one else in the world knows what it's like to be the child of Tony & Cheryl Draper except Kimberly, William & Deanna (with me, above).  No one else knows how wonderful it is to be the child of Tony & Cheryl... except the four of us.  I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be approaching 39 years of age, and I genuinely LIKE my three grown siblings.  I think if a parent can raise 4 distinctly different children who grow up and still like each other, that's a success.  LOL.

I could go on and on and on about them... We're VERY close... we grew up VERY close... Will was born in Jan '67, Deanna in Aug '68, Kimberly in Sept '70 & I came along in July '71.  So my parents had 4 kids in less than 5 years... like I said, we were packed together, and I had a built in posse from day one.  We're not all sunshine & roses.... we have our differences every now & then.  Something interesting is that I can not ever remember having a fall out with any one of them (outside of a childhood tussle over toys or Kimberly being on my side of the room).  As a teenager, college student, adult... I've never had any issues with the three of them that I can remember.  Perhaps it's my personality... and it may have something to do with the fact that I live in California & they all live in Atlanta.  At the same time, I can say that I am equally close to all three of them.  I have a different & special relationship with each of them.  As the Draper Kid who is out of state, I always want to feel like I'm not missing out, so it's important for me to communicate with them as often as possible.  In a seven day week, I may talk to Kimberly 5 days (she likes to talk on the phone)... Deanna & I talk on the phone & through Facebook.... Will & I don't talk on the phone much, but we generally talk once a week either through Facebook, text or the phone.  

I guess what's prompting all this sibling talk right now is the sister a step above me.  Kimberly is a little over ten months older than I am, so we grew up side by side.  A grade apart (except when I skipped first grade & did second & third grade with her... that's a whole different blog post... LOL!) 

One thing I love about Kimberly is how outgoing she is.  Actually, all three of my siblings are more outgoing than I am.  Maybe that has something to do with why I've never clashed with any of them... Hmmm...  this is like a therapy session...  Okay, I digress...  Kimberly was always in drama club, loved to perform... I have never wanted that... outside of cheerleading, I pretty much have been content to stay in the background.  I'm the planner.  I like to make a spreadsheet, make sure everything is running smoothly, check off my To Do List.... so I've always been drawn to people who are opposite of me.  I love the person who is the life of the party, because I'm not like that... and I need that person to draw me out of my shell.  My best friends, Stacy & Sharon, are both very outgoing... Claudine, my friend and trainer?  She's always the first person to get the party started... she's good to get me out of the house to have some fun.  Kimberly? She's always enjoyed the spotlight... not in a vain way, but she has always been comfortable in that role.  She was Miss Morningside in high school, Miss Tuskegee in college, in school plays, etc.  And I've always been her biggest cheerleader & fan, along with the rest of our family.

Kimberly is a doctor in Atlanta (www.gradydoctor.blogspot.com) who does a weekly segment on the Fox 5 morning news called "Good Day Atlanta Housecall".  I am able to watch it on line every Wednesday, and she does a great job.  That gig led to two appearances on the Dr. Oz show... which was, in the words of her two boys, Isaiah & Zachary.... AWESOME!  To see my sister on national television, holding her own next to Dr. Oz was just.... really there are no words to explain how proud I was of her.  For her to marry the doctor in her with the performer in her is completely natural... Duh, of course Kimberly belongs on television.  It only makes sense!

On Sunday, we got a text from Kimberly saying that she was on her way to CNN to do a segment about Manute Bol's passing.... and they even sent a car for her!

Hold up... did you say CNN... as in CNN CNN???  Like, the news network that everyone all over EVERYWHERE watches???  My sister??? The one who I shared a room with growing up??? on CNN???  Stop the presses!!!  And she knocked it out of the PARK!  Yes, I'm biased... I won't lie... but seriously, she was incredible.  Let me find a thesaurus, because proud just doesn't cut it... like... what is way, way, waaaaay above proud?  That's what I was... hell, I still am.

Above is a video I made of her appearance... CNN.com did not post the video (yet?), so I had to do it old school to share with everyone.  My sister on CNN!  Shutchomouf!  LOL!  I'm still floating.  One thing about the Draper family is that we celebrate each other's successes... so this is a homerun for our entire family.  The sky is the limit for her, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for her next!

Biz & Miz

Stay tuned... Dr. Kimberly Manning is going to be a household name one day... you just wait and see.  Yep, my little-big sister... We've already claimed it!  

I love you, Miz!