Ok .. tell me how are you doing .. what is new .. any changes .. goals . WOW moments you want to share .. The board looks jumpin again .. Let's keep it going.. I love and miss you all ! So lemme here it ok ... Love.. Nat

Ok - I guess I have another thought I need to throw out at you guys. Does anyone out there have problems comparing yourself to other WLS patients? I was looking at some before and after pictures and I was getting more and more depressed by the photo. Some of these women look like they should be in my Glamour magazine and not on a WLS site. I don't see any hanging skin, cottage cheese looking thighs, kimono size drapes hanging from under their arms, etc... This ticks me off for some reason. I feel like I'm doing something wrong or that I'm not going to get to where I want to be because they're already there. I've lost 128 pounds to date and I still want to lose another 37lbs to reach my goal weight. However I'm in sz 14 jeans, my thighs and breasts look like they should be on my 81 yr old grandmother and I don't feel beautiful at all. Please don't get me wrong, I'm very happy to be 128lbs lighter and I know I'm a lot healthier now but I question that too sometimes. In regards to my last post about the iron suppliments, I'm really trying to get back on track with the rules as I've strayed quite a bit. I haven't gained anything back but I feel like I need to pull back the reigns before I do. Back to the jealousness though... I don't want to be jealous of fellow WLS patients, I know how hard we all have had to work to get where we are right now. I'm happy for each and every one of us for doing what we did but I just can't help but feel inferior or something to those patients who've lost more in less time or who look like they were never obeise to begin with. Am I alone in this or do you have issues with this too? Forgive me if this is a common topic on here, I haven't been on in quite some time. Your advice and support is greatly appreciated. Thanks! Jessica

Hi everyone, I haven't posted on here for many many months now but I had a question and of course being Saturday, no one is at the office to answer it for me. I was told WLS patients that are women of child bearing age need to take iron suppliments; 325mg a day to be exact. The instructions I got from the surgeons office says 1 tablet but I can only find 28mg pills. What do you guys take? I haven't been taking them up until now so I'm trying to get back on track with the rules and doing what I'm supposed to for my long term health. I really don't want to take 11 iron pills a day. Please help!! Thanks, Jessica 5/17/04 Dr. Chute 300/172/135

Nat- I'm so sorry you're not feeling good! I have a one-word suggestion for your weightloss problem: CARBS. I know it is a scary area. Still, they are easy to eat and often make you feel lessn icky. Crackers are a good start. You no longer have any fat for your body to consume for energy, so it now needs carbohydrates to supply it with the energy it needs. Mashed potatoes or some dry cereal like Chex or Cheerios can be soothing. Think about things a small toddler could tolerate without food allergies or choking. If you are still losing weight, you want to stop following THE RULES because they are for weight loss, which you are trying to avoid. So drink with your meals. Eat carbs. Nibble throughout the day. In order to get in enough calories but not get sick, you need to have some really small, really easy to consume carby meals. Definitely be sure to get your fluids in and do not hesitate to go to the ER if you believe you are getting dehydrated. One of the serious risks you face at this point is having a heart rhythm problem, which is nothing to fool around with. My doctor often refers people who are having long-term vomiting and feeling sick a lot to the local eating disorders clinic because the ongoing puking makes them kinda scared to try to eat. If the thought of consuming carbs scares you, or the very mention of breaking "the rules" makes you break into a cold sweat, you might want to ask for a referral to an eating disorders specialist. Keep us posted on what happens. I want you to feel healthy and energetic and Pixie-like. And to enjoy your new frolicking (nudge nudge wink wink). Huggers, Susan

Hi Beautiful... So sorry to hear you are going through all that!! Thank God I haven't had the vomiting... although at times I have been VERY nauseous (SP?) ~~ Anyway... I went in for my Cat Scan last Thursday... and it turns out that I have gallstones (about the size of a nickel) and they want to take that out (no problem with this... and they don't think this is what is causing the pain either... this was just a "find" in the cat scan)... they think that I have a hernia and an intestinal kink which is getting aggravated in the hernia... so they are going to do an "exploratory" while they are in there to take the gallbladder out... and if necessary, fix the hernia and the kink in the intestines... AND, in the process of looking at the Cat scan, they also found water around my reproductive organs, which they think might signal that I had/have ovarian cysts that have either ruptured or are infected or "whatever"... so, they are going to do a trans-vaginal ultra sound (doesn't that sound like fun??) tomorrow... my gyno has ordered that "stat"... they think that this might also have been causing the "alien" to attack my abdomen... (just for the record, the "alien" has been asleep for a day or two now... and I've not had an attack... but I'm also not really eating anything, for fear of waking "him" up!! LOL) I do, have gas BIG TIME... which they told me is a good sign, cuz it then means that the intestine isn't kinked (at the time of the gas) and that gas can get through... I haven't had a bowel movement in about a week though... so, I don't know what's going on with that!!! Probably the fact that I'm not eating too much... and really...nothing sounds good, looks good or tastes good at the moment.!! I'm not losing any weight... I'm bloated... AND also in the process of them doing the Cat Scan... they found something else... a spot on my lung!! WHICH HAS ME FREAKED OUT BIG TIME... I mean, I don't even care about the alien anymore... I don't care about the gallbladder... all I can think about is the stupid spot on my lung... The doctor has ordered another FULL CHEST CAT SCAN... and again... it's a "stat" order... and I'll be going in tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM for that... prayers are certainly welcome my friend(s)... I'm a nervous wreck... I smoked for 15 years... and when I quit (10 years ago) I was smoking 4 packs a day!!! So, that is why I'm a little freaked out... (did I say a little... I meant OH MY GOD I'M FREAKING OUT!!!!) So, although I don't think this helps you with figuring out what is going on with you... I will say this... get your skinny little ass to the doctor my beautiful friend!!! I don't want to see anything bad happen to you and I know now, that we HAVE to listen to our bodies and when something like this happens... it means something is not working right in there... and since we don't have a see through window into our bod's... we have to go in... as unpleasant as it is... (and will be tomorrow!!) I hope that your problem is just gas or something like that... One thing that has helped me is I take a gax-x every morning and every night... along with a stool softener (when I take all my vitamins) and that really seems to be helping!! I don't know if you've tried that yet!! It seems that carbs are all I want to eat now... I'm physically craving them... and it seems that that is all that wants to go down too...but then I find myself getting all cramped up too... so, what's the answer??? I don't know... BUT, you are more than welcome to pack yourself up and get your skinny little ass out here... and we can go be in misery together on the beach... and hopefully some cute cabana beach boy will bring us tropical drinks and rub our bodies down with oil!! (Told ya... I've got to think about something besides the spot on the lungs!!) Keep me posted darlin'... I really want to know that you are OK... OK?? Love ya and BIG HUGS!!!!! Lor