For those of you with November surgeries!

Greetings! Are you ready for the wild WLS ride? I wanted to stop by and wish all of you the best of luck with your weight loss journeys. There will be lots of WOWs and just as many moments of frustration. I will be eight months out on November 7th and can tell you that while it certainly hasn't been easy, my journey has been rewarding on so many levels. This November board can be a source of incredible support for each of you. You will experience many things at the same time as others who had surgery in November. I know that the March 2006 board has been my inspiration and also saved my sanity many a time. I encourage you to post here often. Celebrate with each other and commisserate with each other when necessary. Above all, support each other. Please remember that everything takes time. You will not leave the hospital able to consume all of your required water, protein and vitamins. That's okay! You will find a way to incorporate all of those things and you'll arrive at the point where it is a natural part of your day. My other piece of advice is to document your journey. Take pictures every month, measure monthly and record your weight every week. These things will help you understand your progress and you'll be able to SEE your progress which often doesn't occur when you look in the mirror. Remember, also, that post-ops with months, and even years, under their belt are only an email away. Take care of yourselves and each other! - Stephanie

Thanks so much for the encouraging words and the support. It really means a lot. Congrats on your surgery and success! Shawn M.

thanks for the comments and encouragement. I cna honestly say that the post ops on these boards helped me make this decision to get the sleeve. I am so excited!! cheers deb

Hi Stephanie, Thank you soo very much for the words of wisdom and encouragment OH and it's members have been an invaluable source of knowledge and friendship....on all the boards !! Gawd I hate having pics taken ( unless I have a child in front of me ), but I can also see where it could be a valuable tool. I've decided I'm NOT going to become a slave to the scale.... not even gonna buy one....BUT..I will go to my pcp and weigh once a week !! Once again thank you so much, and Congrats on your sucsess ( sp? ) so far....you look GREAT !!! Huggs & Blessings, Lori

Thank you Stephanie, that was such a kind letter. I am so grateful to have this web site. I believe it's a Godsend. It is a scary decision to make in so many real ways. I have been doing my research for the past , less than three months... and I have a surgery date for November. I just made all my appointmensts passed them all and went to the nutrionist's classed. Now, I'm only doing the EKG and blood labs. I am ready ....except for the fear. I 've read stories on here where some women researched for a couple of years before taking the plunge. I am quite nervous about the risks of RNY , but I so want to do it for the benefits. I haven't chatted with anyone and I just posted tonight for the first time. I want to get some encouragment if I can from former fraidie cats like myself and others. I admire everyones courage. It is a very big thing in my view. Thank you for your nice letter to us "Newbies" Cissy

Stephanie, How wonderful for you to stop by and offer such encouraging words of wisdom for all of us! I am definitely going to be relying on these women to keep me sane in this change of a lifetime. The rollercoaster will be up and down for all of us at times and hopefully we can band together and get the support we need to make it through. Even though we are all different, from type of surgery to where we live, our pre-op differences, at the end of the day we all know what it feels like to have weight problems and therefore have come together in hopefully what will all be our last time to finally live healthy and happy lives! Thanks again Michelle

Thank you Stephanie and all the others who have helped all of us NEWBIES answering questions and giving support, I cannot wait to be a part of that elite group. We thank you so much! 8 more days for me!

Thank you for the words from another point down the tunnel I am traveling. It is so encouraging to read and then re-read the accounts of struggles and success on these message boards. My WLS seems to be taking forever to happen (11/22) but I know in reality the days are flying by. In a way I am so frightened I can't sleep. I figure that this wonderful thing that I read about almost non-stop cannot really be happening to me. And if it really does, how will I screw it up? I guess I have gotten so used to failing at any diet attempt over the last 30 years that I expect to fail with this method. But everything I read is so positive, even during the tough times...everyone keeps their heads up and keep going. The inspiration is amazing. I so want to believe I will be successful. I want to see results as so many of the writers on this blog have reported. Please pray for me and I in turn will pray for you.:help: