that I had this surgery. I started this journey at 374 and now I am 195 a year later. With so many wow moments. I can breathe easier. My asthma is still here, but I don't have to use the inhaler every day as I was before. I don't complain of knee pain like I did before. I made the right decision to have this surgery.

I have gained back 13 pounds. I have to constantly remind myself to eat healthy so that my weight will go back down. Then, I get comfortable- and I put the weight back on. today is my one year anniversary. I have been fluctuating between these 13 pounds gain and lost a little and gained it back and forth since July. It is important that we constantly stay on top of our eating behaviors to make sure it doesn't turn into a lot of weight gained.

Leann, Are you still having pain? If you are PLEASE make an appointment with the surgeon that did your surgery. Way back in August I went to see my p.C.P. because I was'nt feeling well. I was getting lightheaded, dizzy and even passed out while shopping, and I had a tender spot to the left of my navel. Well she was'nt concerened about the tenderness and said there was nothing on my left side everything is on the right side. She did some tests on my heart, and found nothing wrong with me. I talked to my surgeon and he asked if I was taking any thing for high blood pressure if so that would most likely be what was causing the lightheadedness. I stopped taking my blood pressure meds and all of my symptons left. The tenderness in my stomach went away for a while then on oct 17th I ate a cheese stick and it made me sick, I just thought well that didn't settle very well. I continued to have pain on and off until it got so bad that I could'nt tolerate it anymore~ eating or drinking anything made the pain worse. On Oct. 21 I went to the E.R. they admitted me saying I had pancreaitis. They took many many x-rays, many blood tests, did an E.G.D (scope), took an ultrasound, and a ct scan. I was told my pancrecas was shot, and my gallbledder itself looked good but the tissue surrounding it did'nt look good that something was going on in there. I was also told that I had polyups in my pouch and they took a biopsy on some of them to see if they are cancerous. I was in the hospital for 5 days and was not allowed to eat or drink anything. On the 5th day the Dr. came in and told me everything was fine and I could go home. I was happy to go home. My Surgeon called me but wasn't able to get a hold of me so I sent him an E-mail. He sent me one back asking me about my hospital stay (a different hospital than his) I told him everything they said. He said he was very concerened and told me to come see him. I am so glad I went to see him. He looked at all of their films and said he could help me but it would require surgery. He said it looked like the problem was my gallbladder, but had the symptoms of a prancreas. He thought maybe there was a small stone blocking the opening to the duct leading to the pancreas causing it to be inflamed. His plan was to go in take a look around to see if something wasn't showing up on the flims, then remove the gallblader and leave the pancreas. He admitted me that day so I could get some hydration (cause I hadn't eaten or drank anything in almost 3 days). He told me he could come in in Sunday and do my surgery, I told him no just do what he had planned over the weekend and come in fresh and do it on his regular surgery day (Tuesday). He told me he really could come do it~I insisted no. On Tuesday Dr. Carlin did my surgery. Once he got in there what he found was a real surprise. He found a rare internal penderson herinia. There was a hole inside of my small intestine. My intestine went through the hole and turned itself inside out, it then twisted around closed itself off and wrapped itself around my colon, my pouch and another organ (I forgot which one he said). Entire sections of my small intestine was closed off. My surgeon had to make some cuts in my intestine untwist it pull it back through its hole turn it right sight out and reattach it to new places. He made a roux limb from it and anchored it to my old remanant stomach to help hold everything in place. My surgeon told me Had this gone 1 or 2 more days it could have been fatal. I was in the hospital for a week, and have been home recovering for 6 days now. I still feel very tired. I am very blessed to have a surgeon that had enough sense to call me and ask questions and insist that I come see him. I thank God for that~because if I hadn't gone and seen him, instead of being tired today I could easily have been dead. So please if you are still having pain get yourself checked out not everything showes up in the tests. I'm not trying to scare you. I just want you to make sure you are alright. If I can help it I don't want anyone to have to go through what I had to go through. It wasn't very fun and the pain was excruating On a scale of 1 -10 I would have to give it a 12. My pain started just to the left and to the top of my navel. It radiated throughout my abdominal area. Often times it would shoot straight through to my back. Like I said before eating or drinking anything would make it worse. I hope this helps you (or someone out there tonight) God bless you, Annette

That is really tough I know.. you feel like you are trying to do everything right and it's still not "working". I have been fluxuating the same 4 lbs for about 4 mos. now, SO frustrating, and I'm close to goal but not quite at my goal. But the previous posters are all right.. Take a look at everything you are doing, make the small adjustments-- up protein, water, exercise, play with calories. And keep at it. You have done great. The sugar bags analogy is a good one, picture that! And keep going. I'm a year out on Saturday and getting depressed I won't hit my goals by then but I keep thinking what I was like a year ago and that helps. -Erica

Hi Kim, this is happening to me too and I have been chewing my food well. My pcp says it is normal but I really hate it. Didi 272/168