December Update

Good day to all:

It's been awhile again, I tend to go days, weeks and months in between post. Quick weight update I am now 177 pounds. If you have been following my blog you know that is amazing weight loss. My health has been doing great. My heart is rebounding like it should be. I see my heart doctor in January and look forward to a great update from him.

I went to Salt Lake City for three days to replace a server. The trip was quick but a great one. The swap went off without any issues and we had a few of the key people praise us for a good turn over.

Everything else is going okay for the most part. You know with 4 kids life is always fun. Especially with 2 teenagers, a 9 year old, and a baby. We need a bigger house to accommodate everyone.

For now I will leave it at that and try to send a new update tomorrow with more details. Take care and have a great week.

Later
JB

1 Year WLS Pics




















Almost forgot to add my 1 year, to the day since wls, photos. I was sitting in the house and it dawned on me that I need to get a couple of pictures of me for my 1 year anniversary. This is me 134 pounds lighter 1 year later.

If you have kept up with my blog you know what a year I have had. For now I need to go but will try to get better with posting to my blog. I some times don't add things because there is not much going on but then there are times I think what the heck add something anyways. We will see if I start doing that.

Later
JB

Labor Day Weekend

Good morning all:
 
Just had a nice relaxing three day Labor Day weekend.  It was nice, we did absolutely nothing.  The only bad part of the weekend is the fact that I grazed all weekend.  Due to this unusually bad habit I gained 5.5 pounds.  Yes that is correct 5.5 pounds.  This is so not me it makes me sick thinking about it.  I completely deserve it and brought it on myself.
 
I need to find better things to do with my time then eat or as I call it grazing.  The reason I call it grazing is because I don't actually eat much but a little bit a lot of times in the day.  I need to start focusing on 3 meals a day and maybe 2 smaller snacks in between.  Since I don't eat a lot at a meal a snack would be okay.  I don't eat sugar items and I try to watch my carbs.  The only bad thing is I eat nuts and cheeze its a lot.  The nuts are okay I suppose but the cheeze its are not so good.  This eating is all in my head and I know it and that is what frustrates me the most about it.  I am not hungry but just for some reason need to have something to eat all the time.  I am not sure why I feel that way but I need to get to the bottom of it soon.
 
Other than that the weekend was nice.  Brandon went camping all weekend and had a good time.  Brittany had to work all weekend and she did not much care for that.  Adriana hung out with Tammy and I all weekend.
 
Have a great week and see yea online.
 
Later
JB

Defibulator check up

Good afternoon all:

Had my defibrillator checked just a little bit ago. They said everything looked good and had no issues. They saw one spot where the unit went into monitor mode. It did not go off (luckly) so they were not to worried about it.

I don't have to get the device checked but every 6 months. So now I have my heart doctor and defib check up at the same time which makes it nice.

Have a great day everyone and watch out for the heat.

Later
JB

Weight Loss Pictures

Just had to share these pictures

First I am at my heaviest. This is some where around 382 pounds possibly heavier.

Next we have me still in the hospital before surgery. I am 325.5 at this point getting ready to have vertical gastrectomy.

Last but not lease here I am at 11 months after my vg surgery. I weighed in at 201 for my 1 year picture check up.

It is strange to see these pictures. I always knew I was big but to see me at my heaviest is just amazing. I never saw myself that large. In the first picture you can see my necklace is tight, I mean tight. In my 1 yr picture you don’t see my necklace because it is hanging below my shirt. I never take off my scuba diver necklace and can remember at one point at my heaviest I thought I was going to have to take it off due to circulation. This is what I have been going through during my life. Just a few days ago I did not see 200 on the scale. I am below that now and it is amazing. I never thought I was going to see under 300 again let alone under 200. This is why I believe highly in WLS (weight loss surgery) and would recommend it to anyone that is obese. Sure there are risk and you need to do your homework and research before selecting a surgeon but at this point my life has been extended due to my weight loss. Just had to share these with everyone.

Later
JB

1 year WLS Appt


Good Monday every:

I had my 1 year weight loss surgery appointment about a month early but that is okay. My biggest grip is the fact that I have to drive 4 hours one way to get to my appt. Then I wait in the office for an hour and thirty minutes for a 10 min appt. Dr. Robert Rabkin says your looking good and the blood work is good have a good weekend, well gee wiz thanks for that. Why couldn't they have told me the blood work was good on the phone. Oh well that is the way goes.

Here are my statistics from the appt.

Weight: 201 pounds
BMI: 26.5
Fat Mass: 35.5 pounds
FFM: 165.5 pounds
TBW: 121 pounds

For those following I started at a weight of 325.5 pounds the day before my surgery. I was 359 just a few months before that when I was in the hospital awaiting a potential heart transplant. I am happy to say I do not need a heart transplant and very pleased for that.

The image is page one of the Winter 2006 newsletter for PacLap. They did a feature story on my surgery.

For now have a good week and I will try to update later.

Later
JB

Old Friends

Good morning all:

I have been rather busy these days. I support California and Nevada these days and that is keeping me very busy. I have made a few trips south to San Diego, Santa Ana, and Los Angeles. It is nice to get out and visit the offices and people I support.

I have been in contact with an old friend recently, his name is d()()d. He owns California Technologies He has turned me on to his blog site dlhweblog and is a kick to comment on. I dug up an old photo of the two of us after a win in a sound off competition.

I believe this was 1988 a summer of hot weather, good friendship and a whole lot of beverages. D()()d was also later in the years my mentor for computer work. We spent may hours at my Dad's car lot playing scrabble and drinking frosty beers. We would load up in our 4x4 rides and venture out to Black Butte with music blarring, CB's chattering drinking Bull Frogs and loving the ladies. Ah, what great old times they were.

Great to reminisce about the old times and see pictures. Everyone should break out the old photo albums and remember the good ole' times. Well for now I must sign off and get to work.

Peace everyone.

Later
JB

Misawa

Received an interesting link from Marsh over the weekend. I was asking some old shipmates from Misawa, Japan where the ASWOC was on the old base. I was looking at Google Earth and noticed the base had more stuff on it. Marsh sent me a link to the old Patwing now called Patreconwing 1 Detachment Misawa, Japan. Incase the link ever breaks here is what it says.


PATRECONWING 1 Detachment, Misawa Tactical Support Center (TSC), Misawa Since 1975, PATWING One has provided operational and tactical support to deployed patrol squadrons flying the P-3 Orion long range maritime patrol aircraft. Operating from the completely autonomous Tactical Support Center and the now-deployable Maritime Operations Center, PATWING One's personnel provide command and control, mission planning aircrew briefings and debriefings, intelligence collection/fusion and automated data processing. Active duty and reserve VP squadrons patrol the waters of the northern Pacific Ocean, Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk monitoring for submarines, potential surface combatants and military and civilian vessels of all countries.

Navy Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing ONE (PATRECONWING 1) Detachment, Misawa, Japan, also known as the Tactical Support Center (TSC), arrived in Misawa in 1975 as a branch of Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing ONE, headquartered in Kami Seya, Japan. As part of the move to Misawa, 13 modular vans, brought in by two C-5A aircraft, were the detachment’s home until more permanent facilities could be built. These 13 semi-tractor trailer size box vans were interconnected and placed next to the flight line for accessibility by P-3 Orion flight crews.

TSC Misawa operated from these 13 interconnected modular units, originally designed to last between two to five years, for more than two decades. It wasn’t until 22 years later, in May 1997, that ground was broken for construction of a new TSC as part of the Misawa Japanese Facilities Improvement Program. In late 1999 Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Detachment Misawa, Japan, moved into a new facility. The new building also contains the Tactical Support Center (TSC) and NAVCOMDET, making networking and support easier and more efficient. The detachment in Misawa provides oceanographic forecasts and climatology, as well as other support products required by the TSC and deployed P-3 squadrons. The detachment also works closely with the Misawa Air Force and JASDF weather offices, as well as the Naval Oceanographic Office and others interested in the region's ocean and seas.

The nine officers and 44 enlisted TSC personnel vacated the aging vans and began operations at the new facility May 1, 1999. The three-story building is known as the Tactical Support Facility and is also home to VQ-1 Detachment Misawa, Naval Communications Detachment and Naval Meteorological and Oceanographic Detachment.

The TSC operates primarily in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility. The men and women assigned to this command provide around-the-clock operational support for forward deployed P-3 squadrons. Every six months a new squadron arrives in Misawa and assumes the title of Commander Task Group 72.4. These squadrons patrol the waters of the Western Pacific, Sea of Japan, and Sea of Okhotsk. Among their many missions are: search and rescue, patrol, reconnaissance, battle group support and bilateral/multinational exercises. TSC personnel provide the P-3 squadrons with mission planning and briefing, in-flight command and control and post-flight mission analysis.

The detachment also has a Mobile Operations Command and Control (MOCC) Unit, which provides TSC-like support for remote P-3 detachments. The unit, known as FMP MOCC WESTPAC conducts frequent deployments throughout the Pacific and Arabian Gulf, visiting countries like Korea, Thailand, Australia and Qatar.

Thought I would share this cool information.

Later
JB

1 Year

WOW, can you believe today is the one year anniversary of me going to CPMC and starting my ordeal and scare of potentially getting a heart transplant. Just can't believe it has been one year already. Don't get me wrong I am happy to put distance between me and that situation. I see my heart doctor today ironically one year from when I first met him.

I am over 140 pounds down and have an ejection fraction of 44%. That is amazing considering a year ago I was 359 pounds and ejection fraction of 10% looking at a heart transplant.

Needless to say today is a good day because I don't have a scar from my chin to my belly with a new heart.

Later

JB

April 2006

Wow, has it been that long since updating my blog. Shame on me, I need to get better at posting. Let's see what is new since the last post. I am working quite a bit more these days. I am traveling more right now. I spent a week in Sacramento and a week in Oakland. Heading down to Southern California the second week in May.

I had an echogram done recently and it appears my ejection fraction is up to 40ish percent. I had a fraction of 10% last May and 20% in last November. This is good news and I am hoping to get off some medication in May.

My weight is doing good I am over 14o pounds down since being sick in May. I am now 214 and hanging in there. I have had good success with my Vertical Gastrectomy. I am very pleased and blessed I was able to get the surgery.

Tammy and I was able to run away the other weekend. We went to Eureka and stayed the weekend and walked on the beach and just spent some good quality husband and wife time together. We will have to do that at least twice a year just for our sanity.

Kids are doing good starting to see the end of school for the summer. There excited and not so excited. We really need to find a camp or something for them to attend to get away.

Later for now.

JB

DDS

Sitting at the dentist office with my son.  I take him to be his rock for support.  He just got numbed up waiting for 2 cavities to be filled.

WLS update I weighed in at 299.6 today.  Over 130 lost since being sick May 2005.

Got to go.

Later
JB

-----------
Jeff Blankenship

Udate

Forgot to give my daily weight update. As of 1-23-06 I am 239.6 that is 85.9 pounds since surgery (8-30-2005) and that is 119.9 since being sick and in the hospital May/June 2005.

Overall doing good I am walking either 30 min a day or 1 mile. I sometimes change it out a little. I was able to run for 5 minutes the other day which is amazing for me. I try not to get my heart rate above 140 for any length of time. I lift some weights not a lot and not heavy. Just building up after all the fun I have been through (NOT).

Work is good, been real busy with new server builds and taking on a new roll. So the workout really helps unwinded and makes me forget about the job. I still need to get more motivated to be consistant with working out.

Going to go for now.

Later
JB

Blown Away

I was recently blown away by a website called Million Dollar Homepage. This site sold pixels for advertising. This kid in England was laying there wondering how he was going to pay for College. Some how he thought up selling 1 million pixels in advertising. So basically $1 per pixel in 10x10 chunks. This is 100 pixels for $100. You have to see the site to understand what is going on with this. He has a blog that discuss his 5 months it took to sale 1 million pixels. Just crazy to think about how simple yet creative this ideas was.

Later

JB

Old Picture




Wow, just received an old picture taken of me while in the hospital back May 25, 2005. Here I am at probably 345 pounds. This is when Barbara Metcalf from Pacific Laparoscopy came in for pre-op photos and paperwork. I did not have surgery then due to insurance run around. I did have surgery August 30, 2005 as you have seen in other blogs. I weighed 325.6 the day of vertical gastrectomy. As of January 10, 2006 I weigh 244.8 over 100 pounds since I got sick May 3, 2005. That is over 80 pounds since surgery just under 5 months. Weight wise I am doing pretty good still have a ways to go to be under obese status.

Can you believe that I am 6 foot tall and they want me to be 170-180 pounds, so call "ideal". Hell I would smaller than a bean pole. I will be very happy to get down to 200 even a little less. I have not seen below 200 since, oh heck, probably high school.

Now the heart is another issue for another entry. I will let you go.

Take care

Later
JB