Re: For Francisco and a question to the group

[Guest guest]

ColleenSorry to hear you've been so sick. I don't know anyone post op who has the virus, but some of my daycare children and parents have had it. One child had to go to ER due to dehydration. It was bad for them, the children got over it faster than the parents. Hope your well soon. Take care. Donna J.Colleen Garner wrote: Francisco wow good story to read, and i needed one, yours are always so refreshing and mindful, gives on thoughts to ponder and think about. I am glad you were the bright spot in Dons day and made the effort to welcome him. Its gods hands working through yours i think. I havent been writing lately just busy with work a promotion and new job duties and family life.............as of late i

have had a bad virus a stomach one , its been ongoing since Sunday and i have already had one trip to the er for medication for extreme nasuea and dehydration. saw the dr on friday the fever is down he thinks it is all a resolving virus, the severe abdominal pain is lessening, but i worry about m gallbladder and things like that..................any one else go through anything like this post op ? I cant get the protein in, I have had watered down gaterade and chicken noodle soup and saltines...................couldnt do yougurt or protein shakes, but tomorrow is another day, hell of a way to loose 6 pounds.......................lol anyways just wanted to say hi and wonder if anyone else had a flu type attack like this and how they got through it ? Colleenmanisodream wrote: Another

reason why I'm sooo glad I had gastric bypass surgery.Today I did my 9-mile recovery run, and it was fantastic fun as usual.We had an addition to our group, a guy I'd seen before. Before my transformation, I would have been so shy that I wouldn't have welcomed him to our group. But now, I want newbies to be acknowledged so that they don't feel the discomfort that I always felt in a new situation. I'm now like the welcome wagon, and it didn't hurt that the new guy is adorable, and do I mean adorable: about 5'6", early to mid forties, light brown hair, blue eyes, cute smile, angular face, broad shoulders, big biceps, narrow waist, and he's got those runners legs and nice rear end. YUM!Anyway, right before our run, I asked if he was joining our pace group, and at that point he motioned to me that he was deaf. I asked, pointing to my lips, if he read lips, and he indicated that

he's bad at it. We smiled at each other and laughed. Everyone else was busy chatting away, and the fact that the new guy was deaf kind of made him, for lack of a better term, an outsider.I know all too well what it is like to be an invisible outsider. Because of my morbid obesity, I was the invisible outsider for most of my life. I was the fat kid that no one wanted on their team. I really hate to see others in that position, and I now take action, when I can, to bridge those gaps.No one acknowledged his presence, and no one said hello. And in no time, we had started our run. Part of the reason to be in pace groups is to listen to the pace group leader who calls out the pace and indicates when we should be taking walk breaks (to minimize injury). We also call out warnings and directions like, "Car on the left!" Or "Time to refuel." Well, the new guy

obviously couldn't hear any of that so I made sure that I got his attention and made sure that he understood what was going on. He began to run at my side.After the first mile, I thought to myself, "Well, there is a language barrier, but I might as well get his name and tell him mine." This is the huge change in my life post-op. I didn't think for a moment, "I'm such a fat pig. Why even try to talk to him? He won't want to talk to me." That was my old tape, and I'm just realizing it as I write this that it didn't even play. I didn't even have to counteract it at all. Wow! I just dove right in, and introduced myself.I mouthed, "What's your name?" He mouthed back, "Dan." "Dan?" I repeated. And he shook his head and spelled out "D – O – N" in the sign language alphabet. I can't believe that I remembered the sign language letters

that I haven't seen since learning the sign language alphabet in high school. I repeated, "Don," and he smiled and nodded. I told him my name, and he looked confused. Then I spelled it on my palm, and he made a circular motion like he was outlining the city that I understood to mean, "...like San Francisco," and then he mouthed, "Francisco." I said, "Yes." And then we shook hands, and I said, "Nice to meet you, Don." He mouthed back, "Nice to meet you too."We ran shoulder to shoulder for the rest of the course, and at the end of the run, I introduced Don to the rest of the group. We headed on over to the post-run food table, and Don stayed at my side, and I asked him if he was going into the Bay for the post-run soak. He shook his head and faked a shiver. Then, I think, he asked if I was going to be there next week, and I said no. I wasn't sure if that's

what he was asking, and so after the run I emailed him to explain that I'd be at a men's retreat.He motioned that he was leaving so I stuck out my hand to shake his. Then he took my hand and pulled me close and hugged me. And then as he was walking back to his car, he turned back, smiled and waved. Cute. Really, really cute.Mike said, "So, another guy, eh? I noticed you were keeping him to yourself." I fake punched him on the arm and said, "It's not like that. I have a boyfriend." The Betta said, "I think he's really interested in you." I looked are her with an expression of disbelief. She continued, "I can tell. He was looking at you the entire run, and bravo! He's really cute."So, while I'm not planning on acting on any of this, I have to say that I still find it amazing that things like that could happen to me. It

certainly makes me feel alive that someone who looks that athletic and manly could find me attractive. And introducing myself to him and connecting despite the language barrier was fun and life-affirming. It's nice not to be so self-conscious anymore. I didn't care if I stumbled over my attempts at communication.But the greater theme that this represents is that I'm no longer isolated from life. I'm out there running, talking, laughing, dancing, flirting, living. How wonderful is that?Life is grand. And I'm so glad I had gastric bypass surgery.Francisco Colleen Donna JordonDSJordon@...

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