OK Here Goes!!

I have never created a blog in my life so this is a first for me!

My name is Diane and I live with my adorable husband John in Charlotte NC. John & I emigrated to the USA from the UK in 1996 with our then 16 year old son, Gareth and 10 year old daughter Aimee.

We settled in Wisconsin originally - in fact Gareth still lives there. We spent 2 years in WI then moved to Spokane WA for two years, following by a 4 year stay in Shelburne, VT before finally making our way to Charlotte, NC which is going to be our final destination God willing!

John & I became American citizens in 2006 and we are very proud of that fact. We love the lifestyle in the US, although our families are both still back in the UK we don't intend living there again.

I have struggled with my weight pretty much ever since my late teens (I am now 55).  I was a weight watchers leader from 1994 thru 1996 in Cambridge England.

I have various health issues, I have had surgery twice on a Pituitary tumor, the first in 1987 (in England) and then again in 1998 in Portland OR. The second surgery was followed by radiation and this pretty much wiped out all function of the Pituitary Gland.

I have hypothroidism which is secondary the the hypopituaritism. I am constantly visiting my Endocronogist who really my primary care physician.

I had cervical cancer a couple of years ago and had a complete hysterectomy including ovary removal.

Recently they discovered a lesion on my liver which they are monitoring this isn't giving me any trouble right now but I am unable to take any kind of female hormone treatment.

I have very high cholesterol levels and unfortunately I cannot tolerate statins.  I have also been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. I have been referred to a Cardiac Prevention Center in Charlotte and they feel I am a very good candidate for a new drug therapy to reduce my cholesterol levels.  I am hopeful that I will qualify and that I get good results.

My weight today is 182 pounds. My endocrinologist this week prescribed me with a month of Phentermine and I am day on 2 of this.

A gym opened just two doors away from my office and I was given a month's free membership.

I am definitely an all or nothing personality. Either I am a couch potato or I am at the gym every day (right now I am at the gym every day). I am feeling very energized, in fact I was positively euthoric within a hour of taking the first phentermine. I hope that this is going to give me the leg up I need to lose weight for all of the above health issues.

My father suffered a stroke in February (he is recovering very well), my mother had a heart attack at the age of 60, she is doing great also. These incidences should have given me a wake up call and I am hopeful that I can turn my overall health around to live for many more years to come.

Sorry that this blog seems like a shopping list of ailments - I just wanted to get all my health baggage out of the way in one fell swoop.

I am looking forward to "meeting" others who are on the same journey as me.