introducing myself here:)

Hello everyone!! My name is Heather and had my surgery 8/8/07 in LaCrosse Wisconsin. I started at 237 on surgery day and am now down to 176. I look at myself in the mirror and can't believe what I look like. I am so happy I went through this surgery. This surgery has been the beginning of a new life for me. I feel so good and have more energy than I sometimes know what to do with. I started my journey in september of 2006. I went to a free seminar on the gastric by-pass surgery and procedure. I started the monthly regular dietician appointments and really thought I was wasting my time. I just knew that I was going to go through the whole six month doc. appointments and physc eval and then still not be approved through my insurance company. I was proven SOOO wrong. After my 6 months of manditory appointments were done, they submitted to my insurance. Three days later, in my mailbox, was my approval letter. I about fell over dead right there in front of my mailbox. I couldn't believe it!!! The day of surgery, I have to say I was just somewhat in a daze. I was still waiting for the ball to drop and someone call and tell me "sorry........but,". I went through surgery like a tropper. I had a minor complication the day after surgery but was still able to come home on schedule. I had surgery on a wednesday, home on friday evening and back to work the following Tuesday for light duty (just phone calls). I was really unable to eat hardly anything after surgery. I ate alot of sugar free pudding, popsickles and things like that. I also ate alot of cottage cheese and am now at the point that I can barely look at it without getting sick. I get the dumping thing not as often as I use to, but still ever once in a while I still find myself bent over the good ole porcelain bowl in misery. I find that that only happens to me if I eat to fast, not chew enough or to much sugar. I have only eated to much sugar only on accident and thought I was litteraly gonna die!! I am just a little over 4 months out and am able to eat a bit more than I use to. I can finally eat a little bit of chicken now without getting sick. Up until just shortly ago, I wasn't able to eat any meats without dumping bad. Now I feel like I am living on beef sticks. My hair, like alot of you others on here, is falling out by the handfulls. I hate to wash my hair anymore than I absolutely have to in fear of "that" being the shower that makes me bald. I believe if I have to lose this amount of hair for another 2 months, I might as well go out and get me some extensions or a beautiful wig;)LOL. I had thick hair to begin with, now.....its very thin!!!! It really worries me. I have lost 61pounds so far and like I said above, I feel absolutely wonderful. I also go through my stalls about every couple weeks. But I know that once the stalls break, I will be losing again for another week straight. I am over halfway to my goal and can't believe it. I hope you all have a very good Christmas/Hanakuh season. Stay healthy!! Heather Start weight: 237 Surgery weight: 237 Today (Dec 14th, 2007): 176 Mini Goal for Jan. 1, 2008: 170 Goal weight: 140

welcome. I'm with you on the hair loss....I just want to cry and wonder if i'm not getting enough vitamins in.....IDK... Congrats on your weight loss.

Welcome aboard you two and waaaaaayyyyy tooooo gooooooo on your weight loss!! I'm on my way out the door to school (my new addiction lol) so I'll write more in response to your posts a little later today..... God bless you! Brenda

I also welcome you...