Thank you

Hi everyone. Thank you for all the warm welcomes. A little about me. I had my RNY on 11-6-2007. I did great for the first two weeks; and had the thought that i might breeze through this. LOL. Then in the third week i started throwing up each time i ate. After nearly 3 months of having an undiagnosed stricture, they did an endoscopy last Monday and fixed me! Now I am able to actually eat not one or two but sometimes 3 times a day!! And i've only gotten sick like twice since!! It is amazing how much energy I have and how much better I feel. And I am starting to lose weight again, whereas my body had stopped losing and was hording what little nutrician it was getting. I am down 85 pounds but still have 115 to my first goal. 15 more pounds and i will be half way! I know I have a lot more to lose then some, but I see all the fantastic stories on this site and they inspire me and keep my hopes up that I can be thin some day. I finally feel good about celebrating the weight loss I have had so far. I am a long ways from goal, and these past few months have been hell. However; I do feel things are turning for me. I am finally getting excited about this whole process and what is to come. I am excited to discover the new healthy me, and the new healthy way of living.

Your story sounds so much like what I have been through... I started having a hard time with food around 3 or 4 weeks out and just had my stricture dialated a week ago and am now on meds for ulcers as well (eewwwiee)... I thought it was the way things were going to be, but since the dialation food is no longer my enemy and I am not afraid to eat... I haven't started losing again yet though because I was gettign all my nutrition in through supplements before, whereas now I am trying to eat my nutrients.... It is amazing how different we feel after a stricture is taken care of isn't it?!?! I am glad you didn't suffer any longer and they were able to help you with the dialation.... Good Luck on the rest of your journey.... Shawn M.

Shawn. It is nice to hear someone else that went through the same thing. I asked them several times if it was a stricture and was told no! I felt so hopeless and was getting so depressed. I felt like every time i tried to talk about it to people they automatically assumed it was something I was doing, like eating to fast, to slow, or the wrong thing. I even went to the point of literally clocking each bite so they were one minute apart. It was as emotionally hard as it was physically. I should have pressed the issue. It was a good learning experience at least for me. Next time i will insist that I know what is wrong with me and make them fix it. And yes it is amazing how different we feel afterwards. Immediately! I drank a full glass of water in the hospital after the procedure. I couldn't believe it! Drinking half that amount would have normally caused me to be sick. I have gotten sick twice since. Once because I ate too fast. Ooops. And the other was on chicken. I think chicken is still not my friend. I was hoping it was the stricture, but it is just the chicken. LOL. I hope I don't get ulcers. That worries me. I'm sorry to hear that you have them Thank you for your well wishes. I wish you and everyone here the best of luck on their journey also. Everyone seems so sweet here. I wish I had found it earlier, we could have went through the stricture thing together. I like the AZ forum also, and it is good to see people who have progressed and to find out what is to come. But i need this also. The support of those that are going through the same thing right now.

Definitely stay with your AZ board as well... I LOVE this board and my Michigan board... I have even gotten to meet some people that are a year or more out and it is so helpful to talk to those that have been through it all already, but on the other hand it is great to have the ones that are going through the same thing at that moment with you.... You are among friends here... Shawn M.

you are soooo welcome - we are glad that you are here to celebrate all of our successes together! I am glad you are feeling better now that your stricture is taken care of! hugs, Britt

Thank you Britt for your warm welcome! You sound like a complete sweetheart! Hugs back

Those strictures sound awful. I'm glad you guys have them behind you now. I haven't had any problems like that. I've never even thrown up. Sometimes I even forget that I've had a major alteration of my digestive system!

I've heard others say they don't throw up, or even dump. Have you experimented to see if you have the dumping sydrome? I dump on "Fatty" things, but I haven't tried anything with sugar yet. I am afraid to find out. Not that I would be afraid i would dump, more afraid that I wouldn't dump on sugar! Before my surgery I was a complete mountain dew and coca cola addict! If I found out now that I could drink those without getting sick, i don't think i could handle the temptation. I'm glad you having a good experience with this. It gives hope that there will be much better days ahead pending the stricture doesn't return!

Melissa, I'm like you in that I don't want to test the limits to see what I can handle. Ignorance is bliss when it comes to that!