Thursday, October 1st, 2009: Erica's Back!

Well, she actually got back "stateside" on Sunday, but I haven't had a chance to write until now.

She had a wonderful time in Asia, and the good news is that she survived the entire trip without any stomach issues! And she ate just about everything she wanted, except in smaller portions, although she has unfortunately found out that she cannot drink coffee, it's what sets her stomach off.

It looks like she's lost more weight, but hasn't had a chance to weigh herself yet. I promise we'll do it this weekend and I'll post pictures.

We are so happy to have her back! She brought back all kinds of stuff: chopsticks, little Chinese wine jackets, t-shirts (40? 50?) for everybody and their mother, "Cutie Wife Cakes" from China that are the bomb, lots and lots of moon cakes, and other Chinese delicacies that look for all the world like Rice Krispie treats and taste about the same. She said one of her favorite parts of the trip was touring the Chinese Olympic site. She was particularly taken with the Water Cube, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

She's already thinking about her next Asia trip!

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009: Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong Done: On to Beijing!

Erica is having a blast in Asia. She has had no stomach issues and has eaten just about anything she wanted. The only little issue was coffee, and she now knows she can't drink it any more. Other than that, she's had crab, ginormous shrimp, and all kinds of particular Asian delicacies. Anthony Bourdain has nothing on her.

She's also had a chance to reconnect with the Asia office staff and attorneys and has enjoyed it immensely. If you know anything about Erica, it's that she's one of the most friendly people on the face of the earth, and when she couldn't travel it really brought her down.

She will be travelling on to Beijing tonight, which is her last stop before coming home. She is looking forward to, other than seeing everyone in the Beijing office, Peking duck. She's been talking about that for ages.

She will be home this Sunday, the 27th, at 1 or so in the afternoon. Knowing her, she will probably come home, open her suitcases, and crash for a few hours. I'll let you know.

Friday, September 11th, 2009: Six More Pounds and Going to Asia!

Erica's now down 142 pounds, and is doing great! Her stomach issues have been solved by Prevacid (thank you Dr. Powell), and she is really looking forward to going to Asia tomorrow. She's been packing since last week! She'll be gone two weeks,to Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Beijing. Although I confess I'm worried about her stamina for such a trip, she's assured me that she's ordered wheelchairs for the airports and I know the staff at the offices will ensure that she'll be fine.

Another piece of news: she went to Dr. Laster, the orthopod, and has tentatively scheduled her hip replacement surgery for February of next year. Although she probably won't be at goal weight by then, we believe she'll be sufficiently "skinny" to have the operation done.

Things are really moving along!

Thursday, August 27, 2009: Three More Pounds!

The weight loss continues, slow but steady. Erica had a wardrobe malfunction last Friday, when her jeans succumbed to the laws of gravity. We're going back into the clothes storage hamper to get some smaller ones.

Her stomach issues still continue, although on a less frequent scale, even though she's eating more slowly and following the "scope doctor's" advice. She has an appointment with the doc who did the surgery next week to see what's going on.

She's also busy getting ready for her Asia trip, which is two weeks from this coming Saturday. She is so excited to be going to visit the Asia offices again, and they are so excited that she's coming back!

I will post pictures next week - I promise!

Saturday, August 15th, 2009: Scope Results: No Ulcers!

Erica's been having problems again with keeping food down and we thought it was because her ulcers had returned. We went to see Dr. Patel again this morning for a second scope procedure.

After the procedure, Dr. Patel came in with pictures of what he'd found: nothing. Apparently all is well physically, but he believes that Erica's problem is caused by eating too fast. He cautioned her to eat more slowly and take her time and see if that helps. He also said that if she keeps eating too fast the opening to her new stomach will enlarge and she will begin gaining weight. Oops. That's not what we wanted to hear.

We got home and had some homemade tamales, which she ate slowly and really enjoyed, and kept down with no problem. She had another tamale around 7 or so and ate it slowly and enjoyed it as well. We finished off with some incredible homemade flan.

This procedure was rougher on her for some reason; she went to bed early and is sleeping soundly.

Thursday, July 30th, 2009: One More Pound!

The weight loss is continuing, slowly but surely; another pound down. And in spite of a week's vacation in Honolulu!

However, Erica is having issues with keeping food down again. She spoke with her doctor, who recommended that she call the doctor who did the scope procedure a few weeks ago. Apparently this stuff happens more than once, which, while comforting, doesn't do much for one's well-being. She's calling the "scope doctor" today for an appointment; I'll keep you posted.

No pix today, with only the pound lost, there's no dramatic difference.

Thursday, July 9th, 2009: 130 Pounds Lost!

It's been a while and I apologize. We went to New York a couple of weeks ago for Erica's niece Kim's wedding in Long Island, and Erica fit some Milbank business in as well. Aside from her hip really bothering her, she was much more comfortable on the flights over and back, and it won't be long until she'll get rid of the seat belt extension for good. We are also getting ready for the imminent arrival (tomorrow) of Kim's twin, Bonnie, who will be living with us and attending Pasadena City College. So you can understand why I haven't written. I hope.

Aside from the normal front-and-side pictures today, I wanted to show you the difference between now and November 6th, when Erica had her surgery. The pictures are phenomenal; they speak for themselves. Just amazing.