As many of you may know my best friend who also had WLS is dying from cancer. I want to share her story here and hopefully help others not make the same mistake. I love her dearly and where she is now is breaking my heart but I want others to know how vital it is to follow the rules about vitamins, doctors appointments and listening to your body. She has always been one to not follow through with things she starts, not take meds till gone, not go for follow-up appointments etc. I talked till I was blue in the face with her about this before she had her surgery. Trying to make her know that she'd HAVE to do these things forever. After her surgery she did really well for 6 weeks and then went for her appointment. I talked to her daily and harped her to take her vitamins drink her water eat good foods. She promised me she was doing these things. She noticed a bump on her stomach at 2 months out and we both thought it was a hernia. I told her at her 3 mo. check up make sure and tell her doc. She said she would...well she never went back to her doc and started telling me how she didn't feel like eating, or walkng and was feeling bad...again I told her go to the doctor..she just kept putting it off...the about 6 weeks ago she goes to the e.r. and that starts a stream of dr appointments and tests, being given 3 pints of blood and rehydrated, told to take her vitamins, go to physical therapy and follow up--- she didn't do these things till her husband stepped in and started making her go~but no answers just lots of pain killers. Finally a docotr sent her to a different hospital. They do some tests and her abdomen is filled with tumors, her blood count is 2 (low normal is 7). They have spent the last 2 weeks trying to get her strong enough to have surgery to remove the worst of the tumors and make her more comfortable...They have had to put the surgery off indefinately because nothing they try gets the blood level up and she has stopped eating. So please EVERYONE that reads this...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take your vitamins, drink your water, go to your doctors appointments and most of all listen to your body. This surgery didn't cause her cancer but her not doing the things we are supposed to do enabled it to ravage her body at an incredibly fast pace. Please learn from the mistakes made and when you think. " UGH, I don't want to take my vitamins or don't feel like eating or I am feeling ok I can skip this appointment" REMEMBER this post and do what we need to do. All my best to everyone. Broken hearted Jeannie 315-165

Treadmills??? I purchased a gazelle back in October and just love it. I have recently been thinking (even though I am a member of a gym my hubbys work pays for) of purchasing a treadmill and a ab lounger. I am more comfortable working out at home. I still go to the gym to tan (need to start that again, lol) and use their pool in the summer but I am happier working out here. I love to exercise now. I love using my gazelle and honestly can't wait to get my new treadmill and ab lounger. My hubby and I decided that we would take our tax refund and split it. He gets to use half on what he wants and I do. Walmart has one that is 15.0 R whatever that means. It looks nice and its under $400. What should I look for when going to purchase one? Do any of u have treadmill? Any info would be great.... Thanks Angela

i haven't taken the muscle relaxers in a while, i stopped when they figured out that it wasn't a muscle pain. my blood levels are OK (at least they were, i just had some more drawn wednesday so we'll see) and i haven't been running a high fever ****asionally low grade but nothing above 101) so they haven't really said anything about pancreatitis. the gastroenterologist said that i may have a stone in my bile duct or sphincter of oddi dysfunction, it happens sometimes after gallbladder removal and causes pain that is similar to gallbladder attacks. i had an MRCP (MRI of bile ducts) on thursday and hopefully i'll have the results soon. the treatment (ERCP) is difficult with RNY patients and runs a risk of causing pancreatitis, but at this point i just want the pain to stop, even if it runs the risk of having to stay in the hospital for a few days. thanks for your thoughts and concern!

Thank you guys for responding. any and all advice is appreciated

OMG..... I have been craving diet coke sooooo bad. I haven't had any yet because I was scared of what would happen. My new challenge is I changed jobs a few months ago.... I was a store mgr and always on my feet and had things pretty much under control, but now I'm in a training class at State Farm and I am surrounded by co-workers who eat chips and candy all day long. I allow myself to have 1 SF peppermint patty after lunch, but it has been torture and I have been having to fight the urge to graze..... sometimes I don't win the fight. I get my own cubicle in a few weeks and I hope the isolation helps. I was really unaware that I would feel like I was on a diet all the time..... what a rude awakening. Scarlette