I had Open RNY proximal, may 17th last year (2002) and have gone down from a very tight 26/28 top very very tight 26/28 bottom to a loose 12 top, tightish 12 on bottom. I have not regretted having this surgery one bit! I did have a problem with recurring strictures after 21 days out which required 3 hospitalizations and 4 endoscopies to fix. It's left me with a bit over large stoma opening so I never have problems with things getting stuck, which in some ways is a good thing, you know? I can do very minimal actual sugar things..very minimal on that..however corn syrup is still a huge enemy for me and makes me vomit. I was recently living in Australia on a remote island where everything food wise was shipped in, yes on a BOAT. So food was prohibitively expensive. Eggs $6.50, bread $3.50 for a sm loaf. I had to get creative with food..but subsisted on tuna, many varieties, peanuts, tofu, tempeh (a firm drier type of tofu), crackers, milk (boxed) in my tea/coffee. However, the dry season made me have a problem with dehydration in spite of tons of water drinking. Plus I have come back to the USA for about 6 mos before moving back to live with hubby. Do NOT want to raise my children on that island! I look malnourished right now. But actually I'm sure that I would have still lost down or not if we'd not moved there. I had to walk a LOT..up and down hills on that volcanic island that would rival San Francisco's steepest! So basically a very low fat, higher protein diet and tons of daily exercise in the form of aggressive walking as we had no car. Canned quail eggs (boiled) was something I would use to supplement as we couldn't afford to buy eggs to eat. Sounds weird but they wouldn't terribly bad..add to the tuna/mayo mix..hey it was okay.but the food became boring. The fish & chips we'd have a couple times a week was different than our fish here, the fish was very white and very firm almost like a tuna steak. Very yummy..but for some island where there is fish everywhere..again expensive! go figure!

I had my laproscopic RNY May 30 last year & I would do it over in a heartbeat. I was very fortunate & did not have any difficulty eating after surgery. As of my 1 year checkup I had lost 147 pounds. I went from a size 28 to a size 12 (or a size 10 if I suck everything in). I love my new life - I have tons of energy & am enjoying summer for the first time in years. I don't have to worry about the clothes I want to wear revealing too much fat or if I am going to sweat all over everyone. I love being outside & able to be active & participate in life. I live in Milwaukee, WI & it is a SUMMER town - not a thing to do here in the winter, but summer is jam packed with Great things to do every day & I am able to take advantage of all of them this year! I bought a bike in May & it was a major milestone event for me - I have been too fat to ride a bike for over 10 years. I love riding & go as often as I can - it is a blast!! I was doing really well with exercise, but have fallen off the wagon a bit over the past 2 months. I still manage at least 3 days a week & my weight loss has stalled as a direct result of less exercise. I believe that exercise was the single best thing I did to help keep everything going so well all year. I would encourage anyone to seriously consider this surgery - it really can be an amazing tool to help you change your health & your life!!

Our Own Magazine Has Arrived. We've been busy since January putting together our first copy of our quarterly magazine and it's now available for ordering. Click here to order your subscription today. Proceeds from all subscriptions go to the Association for Morbid Obesity Support. Make the investment in both our community as well as your ongoing education in WLS. Recipes, hospital reviews, surgeon scoring, humor, inspiring photos, quality articles, and much more. All these are waiting to reach your door. Rather than produce just a newsletter, we went all out and produced a 64 page magazine for you. Spread the word, ObesityHelp Magazine is available for the community.

I had open RNY on May 29, 2002. I can't believe how much better I feel. Plus how much better I look. I am thrilled to be able to go to the mall and be able to walk and shop without feeling like I'm dying. How have you done as far as weight-loss? I have lost about 120# and 95 1/2". Have gone from a 26/28 to a 14/16. Where are you from? Looking forward to hearing from you.