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Listed from then to now:

Wednesday May 29th,2002. Today was an exciting day for me,The Local Channel 7 News crew came today and did a Weight Loss Surgery Story on me.They were here 1 and 1/2 hours filming and when it appeared on the news I actually liked it.They did the Story well and the camera did me justice.Someone told me the camera puts 15 pounds on you but it looked like it took 30 pounds off me..lol. I will write more later when something exciting happens to me.Until then God Bless.

Saturday June 1st,2002. Today I got together with Tina Kemp and Stacy Cavicchia for a small meeting to see how we are going to hold our first Ohio Valley Weight Loss Surgery Support Group Meeting to be help on June 9th.Tina has had the surgery in Janurary and has lost 80 pounds already and Stacy is in the process of pre op preperation and hoping to have hers soon.Any ways the get together went well and they are great people and I really think our Support Group we are forming here in our Valley will be a sucess.Can't wait to see them again!!

Sunday June 9th.,2002. Today was our first Support Group meeting that Tina,Stacy and I started in the Ohio Valley.Was a great turn out for our first meeting and I have to say I wasn't as nervous as I thought I was going to be,I guess it's because these people made me feel comfortable and I seemed to be the only post op male there...lol, I like those odds.Anyways we started our meeting at 6:00 pm I spoke first then I handed it over to Tina then she handed it over to Stacy,we each told everyone a little about ourselves and then each person spoke and told their story and asked questions if they had any.Tina and Stacy did a great job on the refreshments,Im still eating the leftover cheese you two gave me lol.I think we bought like 30 pounds of it!! lol.The meeting lasted 2 hours and we covered alot of things, mostly we are there for support.Next meeting we are going to start a Clothing Exchange and also recipe swap.Everyone who attended the meeting was so nice I was so glad to meet each and every one of you,I thank you for comming.Can't wait till next meeting, July 7th. 6:00pm to 8:00 pm 2002.Martins Ferry ,Ohio at the Rec.Center behind the Martins Ferry swimming pool and park.

Wednesday June 12th.,2002 Today I had a news Paper reporter come to my home to do a story on my surgery and the support group that Tina,Stacy and I started in the Ohio Valley.He asked me all about my surgery took before and after pictures.I will do just about anything these days to get the word out about our support group meetings..lol. I really want them to be sucessfull and we want to help as many people as we can pre-ops and post-ops. Anyways it was an interesting day can't wait to read the story this weekend in the paper.Till next time.

Thursday June 13th.,2002 Today was the first day I went swimming in our pool.It's been like 3 or 4 years since I been in the water,what a difference losing 246 pounds makes and being in the water almost makes my body weightless which amazes me..lol. Please take my word on this if there is any possible way for you to get in a pool to do some water exercise do it!! I must of walked around my pool 50 to 100 times without getting out of breath or even leg and knee pain.Just Amazing!! Talk again soon.

Sunday June 30th.,2002 Today my friends Sandy and Tammy oops I mean Stacy and Tina (inside joke everyone..lol) I know that had to make you laugh Tina and Stacy :-) Well back to what I was taliing about. Today I met with the other two founders of the Ohio Valley Weightloss Surgery Support Group to have a little meeting the week before our big meeting just to figure out what we were going to be doing such as Clothing Exchange,Recipe Exchange...ect. It went well I am very comfortable around those two.I wanna give a shout out to you Tina and you Stacy and I am sorry I didn't see you Tina in the chatroom last night I had like 7 pc's going on at once..lol kinda distracting at times.I do have 5 posti notes on my computer tower saying look for Tina K. In the chatroom at all times..lol. Our second meeting of the OVWLSSG will be held on July 7th. Sunday from 6:00pm to 8:00pm everyone in the area are welcome to come,bring family or friends for your support and we all will be there for you also. Well thats all for now in my thought area,I probably wont post again till Tina and Stacy pick on me about not having daily thoughts in my journal..lol Take care all

Monday July 8th.,2002 Yesterday we had our second Support Group Meeting with a Clothing Exchange and it went very very well.I was a little bit nervous for some reason but being around Tina and Stacy and the others from last months meeting made it better.We discussed having 2 meetings a month instead of 1 meeting a month,everyone seemed to like the idea but having it at Boggs Run Fire Dept. in Benwood seemed to be sorta a long trip for some.I will try to call some of the other members and check to see what they think maybe next week. Stacy and Tina, you both do a great job getting things ready with the meeting and Tina please thank your family for setting up the tables and chairs. It was good seeing Larry again after many years. I recieved the pictures Tina they turned out great,I already posted one on our front page of the online support group and I think I'll add one here too. Big hugs and kisses to you Stacy and Tina for having me be a part of this Group.

Wednesday August 7th. 2002 I have been busy lately so sorry for not posting my thoughts lately...I have tons of thoughts everyday but Most I can't write in here..lol if you get my drift..lol Sunday August 4th.was a great day,We had our Support Group Meeting at the Boggs Run Fire Dept. We had a new member come Stephani Hagood, I have wanted to see her and her sucess for several months now. She had her surgery 3 days before me and she looks amazing!! Great job Steph.When we have our Support Meetings it brings my spirit up to be around others who have had the surgery and people who are getting it,Support is the number one thing everyone needs after having the surgery. Congrats going out to Tina Kemp also for joining the Century club she has lost 103 pounds since january. Thank you Debbie and Rick for sending me out the info on the plastic surgeon and Good luck Debbie on your surgery,my thought and prayers are with you. Stacy your not that far away either hun I'll be praying for you also. Everyone in my support group has become so importaint to me, I thank you all for being in my life. Take care everyone God Bless.

Sunday September 15th. 2002 Felt really great today,I find myself doing things I haven't done in awhile. Like putting on socks without help,Taking a shower without having to sit on a shower bench. It's funny..I just do them then like 10 munites later I say to myself WOW did I just do that!! It sounds sinple for someone who was never obese and couldn't do the little things that normal size people take advantage of.Had my support group meeting today as always I really enjoyed myself.I benn sorta depressed lately since a Doctors Apointment I had for my hernia didn't go the way I thought it would. He told me to lose another 150 and call me in a year,then I will see what I can do... Not what I wanted to hear since my hernia is the size of a Basketball and hurts alot. Oh well Im looking into a few other options,few other Doctors to see what they say. The support group meeting went well,we had a protein party that Tina put together with a Herbalife Distributor. I think I will stick to my CROWMAGNUM Protein Shake ..lol. Then after my meeting I went to pick up my friend Lisa and her Daughter and I went to my friends Church for evening services.And no the roof never caved in from me going...lolol. All in all it was a great day lil rainey but very nice. Take care,will write again ummm who knows?? lol

Saturday January 4th,2003 WOW! its been a long long time since I wrote here. I keep forgetting about this journal,I need a memory pill.lol . Lets see,its been 14 months since my surgery. I have lost 325 pounds and I feel wonderful. I can't ever remember feeling the way I do now and im not all the way done yet, I still have a ways to go. My Goal is to weigh 240 pounds and for me to get to that I need to lose 505 pounds. I hope I can do it, I have all the time in the world now to try my hardest since im in the best health I have ever been in my life. I belong to Two Support Groups now OVWLSSG and Wheeling Hospital Support Group. Everyone is so great and they inspire me to keep at it. I have to thank Mary Kulpa for the Weight Loss Story she did on me in the Weighing-In News Letter, Boy Mary you should be writing books for a living.. lol I Have been trying to scan the story but it won't show up through my scanner.ugh!! Anyways everyone please take care, God Bless and to you all that are wanting to have Surgery or are having it. Good luck with your new life, it only gets better as time goes on!!

Thursday January 9th. 2003 Ok im back holy cow I have written in my journal 2 times in a single months, Do I get a Gold Star Stephani? lol inside joke there she is always tellin me to start writting in my journal and I never do.lol. Anyways yesterday had my Wheeling Hospital Support Group Meeting, we had a speaker from the Wellness Center Fitness Center come speak and talk about exercise what we should and should not be doing. I hate the word exercise myself..lol but I guess it's necessary. Did you all know that you have to walk 35 miles just to burn 1 pound of fat from your body? man that kinda freaked me out cause after hearing that I thought to myself my little bit of walking that I do isn't going to help me at all, unless I walk endlessly for eternity..lol. I also was featured on the Weighing-in News letter,Mary did an excellent job for doing a phone interview and then having to put it all together. They sent the news letter out to Doctors and Insurance Companies to try to send a message that Weight Loss Surgery Should be covered. Tonight I went over to my friends Lisa's House to watch movies, she bought a rotisserie chicken for dinner which one bit my stomach told me no no don't eat anymore you'll get sick..lol. So she also had gotten Cheese mmmm my favorite lol. Well thats all I have to write about for now. Take care all. God Bless.

July 2nd. 2003 OMG!! Its been forever and a day since I wrote on my page.My life is busy busy for the first time I think in this lifetime...Im 20 months post-op and im down 370 pounds,I can't get over how fast this time flew and to be honest its been pretty easy with eating very little now. I took the time early on post-op to learn to eat all over again,breaking the old habbits starting new.I really want to thank you all for supporting me every step of the way,I Love my AMOS Family. Thank you with all of my heart.This July 9th. I am doing the Support Group meeting at wheeling hospital on internet resources and all the links to help people searching for info about weightloss surgery and related links such as recipe links and alot of others. If anyone reading this needs a copy of the 3 pages of links that I have compiled e-mail me at thecrow2800@cs.com I will be more than happy to e-mail them out to you. I promise I will try harder to update more often. I go to OSU in August on the 8th for my Plastic Surgery Consultation hoping to have Tummy Tuck and Hernia Repair this winter around Chrisdtmas time. I will keep everyone updated on that progress.

September 14th. 2003 I have reached my goal of losing 400 pounds 2 months ahead of schedule and I couldn't be happier. It's amazing how my life has changed these past 2 years. I now have a life I never knew I could possibly have. I think I have walked more in the past year than I did in the past 20 years before my surgery. Those who are morbidly obese and sit in the house and dream of doing things but not thinking it will ever be possible in your life time.. It is possible... now I know anything is possible, If you want it bad enough. I have so much to do, like living the dreams that I have always wanted. I want you to know that the Gastic Bypass Surgery does work and I am living proof of it. Who would of ever thought Kirk Thompson actually being normal in weight. 745 Pounds down to 345 Pounds in under 2 years. If you want it go for it!! YOU WON'T REGRET IT ONE BIT!!! HONEST...

September 23rd. 2003 I now have a date for my hernia repair and my tummy tuck at Ohio State University Medical Center. The Date is November 18th.,The plastic surgeon will be Dr. Brentley Buchele and The Doctor Doing my Hernia repair will be Dr. Charles Cook. I have faith in both Doctors they are both very Respected Surgeons. I am a bit nervous ok ok Im alot nervous. Please keep me in your thoughts and Prayers. Thank you.. I love you all.

September 30th. 2003 Got all my dates for all my pre-op visits up at Ohio State University Medical Center,all are listed below. Please keep me in your prayers,Thank you all.

October 23rd. 2003 1:00 pm. Doctor Charles Cook Pre-op visit. This is my Hernia Surgeon.

November 14th. 2003 1:15pm. Pre-admission testing with Doctor Brentley A. Buchele.

November 18th. 2003 Surgery at 9:45 am. by Doctor Charles Cook & Doctor Brentley Buchele.

November 5th. 2003 Ok Im getting nervous 14 more days I have my plastic surgery and my hernia repair, This is actually the first time in many many months that I have been depressed a little I think more scared then anything. I have found myself eating more to calm my nerves and thats a terrible habbit I never wanted to come back but it has... I have to get a handle on this before it started to take control. God knows I never want to gain my weight back so If possible please keep me in your prayers and I am going to try harder not to eat to comfort me. At least im not eating sugar and junk foods it just seems that I am eating larger amounts of food. If anyone out there reading this is 2 years post-op or over please check out my meal journal to see if I am over eating .E-mail me and let me know, It just may be my nerves messing with my mind and making me paranoid. I love you all.

January 22nd. 2004 HELLOOOOOOO EVERYONE I AM ALIVE AND KICKING STILL :-) !!! Sorry for not posting for awhile I had my plastic surgery and hernia repair on November 18th. 2003 and been recovering from that,had some complications with a large hematoma on my side and been in some extreem pain for 8 weeks. I am sorry for not updating just haven't been up to it,but wanted all my Wheeling Hospital people to know I Love them and thank you all for your concerns and prayers. I will be back in Feb. Meeting lets hope

Plastic Surgery Goals

1. Massive Hernia Repair Fixed and Complete 11/18/03 By Dr. Charles Cook OSU.

2. Tummy Tuck Removed 25 pounds of Excess Skin 11/18/03 By Dr.Brentley A. Buchele OSU.

3. Go back in Feb to plastic surgeons office and take pictures in preps for my Chest skin removal sometime in April.

March 28th. 2004 I have been so busy with my new job at Obesityhelp.com , I flew to California on March 18th. to visit the new offices in Irvine CA. It was one of the best times in my life, I got to meet all the Employees and Eric Klein,JC,Tammy,Nikki,Larry,Theresa... ok ok I can't name them all but I tell you they felt like family. I finally after 2 years got to meet Bo McCoy whom I consider my Brother now. It was a blast,it was overwhelming,it was joy,it was freedom... to finally get to do things in my life and it's only going to get better. Going more places,meeting more friends,helping others on their WLS Journeys. I want to make a difference not only in my life but others that I come in contact with. I have more plastic surgery on April 8th. pleasec keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I will write more after I have my surgery.