Well, here at least I still mostly hang out at my Georgia boards where I post from time to time. Looks like most of you have reached your goals (I have but kinda wish I would lose just 10 more pounds). I am wearing size 12s for the most part which fit ok on my 5'9" frame. Life is a lot more interesting thinner than it was heavier, I sure can do more fun stuff! Anyway, I will go back to mostly lurker status on this board Kia

hi dana. thanks for the response. last monday, one of my concerns was that it was a blockage. i know they can be painful and problematic. but i actually did start having bowel movements by tuesday, so i ruled that out. the pain came back on wednesday, strongly enough to go back to urgent care, which makes me think it was my gall bladder flaring up. they've got me set up for an echo for my heart and a nuclear ultrasound for the gall bladder on wednesday. is that the same as a hydascan? do you know? hope to heck they find an answer. i woke up at 3 a.m. with a backache and a pain in my side again. not as brutal, but bad enough to take a vicodin. the ps consult is today. i hope she doesn't tell me she can't do ps yet. i've got another 80 lbs to go to get where i had hoped to end up. but other complications are kinda putting another surgery in my near future, so i'm hoping they can do this then. does that make sense or is my lack of sleep showing? anyway, thanks for the message. i'll post with what i find out, maybe after wednesday's appointment. dorthe

Hi Deb, yes the Feb board is very inactive lately. I too have been hanging out on the grad, lightweight and Texas board, check in here periodically to see if anyone's posted. Everyone is now living and enjoying life so the activity had pretty much be nill. Dana

I lost 50lbs started having side pains and stopped losing. I haven't lost weight in a year. I had my appendix out 3/06 and have had bowel problems since then. Tomorrow I am having a colonoscopy so I am on a liquid diet today and nothing until after the procedure around 2pm tomorrow. I am using this as an opportunity to "get back to basics" I just recently read how if we are even slightly dehydrated it slows our metabolism down by as much as 5%. Also, I went to the gym yesterday and today. I was never fortunate enough to have a tiny appetite after surgery and have always been able to eat whatever I want (not a good thing). I think part of the reason I lost the 50lb in the first place was because I went to the gym 6 days a week! Loretta, I feel your frustration but just know you aren't alone.

hello all: i just survived a really gruesome week and would appreciate any info you could offer, please. last monday evening i was in urgent care and then emergency room. suffering severe pain originating in my right side, under my rib cage, and shooting up into my shoulder and down into my groin. they did an awful lot of tests and ended up telling me i am showing fluid on my heart, irritation in my bowels, lots of gas, and i'm full of **** i've been suffering from constipation forever - no news there. but this pain was truly breathtaking. so they sent me home with instructions to take milk of mag, along with the miralax and colace and flax seed which i'm already taking. being a wls person, i questioned whether this could be gall bladder. they said no. on tuesday i saw my colorectal surgeon, having had some really embarassing tests about two weeks ago. he tells me my rectocele is large and there's a secondary hernia higher up. that he will need to do the surgery but before he does it i need to do some biofeedback so i can learn to 'evacuate' correctly. how humiliating!. at this point, i am controlling the pain in my side with vicodin - which is constipating but controls the pain. a catch 22. on wednesday, i went back to urgent care. the flare up in my side had me doubled over again, i was actually panicking, because i was alone at work and didn't want to pass out. again - they told me i was FOS. again, i questioned the gall bladder. again, i was told to take the laxatives. at this point i'm taking three forms of laxative, twice a day, along with a minimum of 100 oz of water, oatmeal with walnuts for breakfast, and whole wheat sf banana nut muffin for lunch. thursday was relatively calm. the vicodin controls the pain but makes me very tired. on friday @ 5 p.m. i saw my gp. she is recommending i have an echocardigram for my heart - it's apparently not good to have pericardial effusion, whatever the heck that is. she's also ordering up a nuclear ultrasound to see if the gall bladder is diseased without having stones in it. emotionally, my father passed away a year ago this past week, which makes me sad, of course, and on which i'm dwelling entirely too much - i guess. spiritually, my faith waivered this past week. i had a major meltdown on wednesday. the 'why me, lord?' syndrome kicked in big time and i forgot, for a while, that i'm lucky to be alive and life is good, in spite of what we are challenged to endure. financially, the time off work is hurting, because i know i'll need to take off in the near future for surgery and if i don't have the hours available, it could become an issue. plus, our finances suck. because of what i thought was a really wise choice on my part, we are so tight financially, we've had to borrow from the kids. talk about humbling. so that was my week from he!!. my question is this - have you had gall bladder troubles? what were your symptoms? is there any way i can alleviate the pain beside the vicodin? i feel like i'm becoming a real bummer to be around. i know that this too shall pass, NO PUN INTENDED, but in the meantime i'm trying to figure out how to stay positive. it ain't easy, though. oh yeah. i see a plastic surgeon on tuesday. wish me luck. i'm gonna try to see if she can tackle a panni at the same time as my rectocele repair. i feel like both are tied to the backaches i have every day and i honestly need to get some relief here. if you're still reading, bless your heart. if you can help me out with gall bladder info, it would be greatly appreciated. thanks, everyone. i don't post often, but it's nice to know i can when i need to. dorthe