CeCe, you and Wanda are so funny with free oil changes and business flyers! My son changes my oil for me and when he came last time to change it he said "Mom, would you look at you, you are the prettiest Mom in the world" now I would take that compliment any day! He is 39 years OLD and he has his own motorcycle repair business after being in the army, and he is trying to get me to buy a Harley so that he can ride it of course instead of me, but I think I prefer 4 wheels under me instead of two. This surgery is the best that I have done for myself ever my only regret is like everyone else, why we did not have it done years ago? Much safer now though than it was years ago. Chrisy

CeCe, Thank you for asking how I have been and where? I have been lurking and reading the post but not posting at all. I have had to have my gallbladder taken out, had a complete hysterectomy, oh joy, now just trying to get my self back in order and READY to go back to work on June 23. I think I am done with surgeries, except PC, there is nothing else to take out of me,(tonsil, apppendix gone) except vital organs, and we all know that we have to have them. I feel wonderful and I am still hanging at 137lbs. Our daughter is doing GREAT, she is 33years OLD and had her RYN on Aug 30 2007 and had a stricture, had that taken care of and now she is down 101lbs since her surgery. She is back playing baseball and said to me "Mom I had no idea how easy it was to run the bases with all that excess weight gone, so much better" that she feels great to be back playing again. She is down to 143lbs. She had worked at Dell Roseburg, but when they closed down she was one of the 250 people that lost their jobs, she was with them for four years and doing good. Now she has been back to college now for two years and doing better than the first time she went. You, Britt, Wanda and the rest of the girls look GREAT! Chrisy

Michelle, I'm a RNYer too but I went to an OH seminar in May and a surgeon who does both procedures spoke. I'd heard much of what he'd said before but it was interesting. I'm sure you've heard that while RNY patients may lose faster that after a certain amount of time both have usually lost about the same amount of weight. What did surprise me during his talk was the rate in his practice of lapband patients converting to RNY. Now, this was JUST the patients in his practice and I know there are many, many, many lapbanders who have had great success but I was surprised at the number who switched over. I don't know much about fills or the like but I suggest you talk with your surgeon and maybe figure out what is going on! Good luck! CeCe

Wanda, Sorry I'm so late on responding to this. I don't have any answers but I'll respond anyway! 1. While I do exercise, I've posted about my problem with grazing and eating too much. I rationalized that my body was healing because I didn't understand how I was losing or maintaining either. Like you, I'm scared about eating so much because I always fear that the hammer is going to slam down soon and I need to have my good habits back before it does! However, what Valorie said about your poor protein absorption probably makes sense! Find out more about that. Have you researched it on the Internet? 2. In the past I've been on Wellbutrin, Prozac and a couple of others. I think Wellbutrin is about the weakest. I know they did or still use it for people who were/are attempting to quit smoking. I never felt like it did much for me anyway. Like someone else said, don't stop cold turkey but if you feel it isn't solving any problems, talk to your doctor about going off of it. While I still have some "down" days (usually during Hormone H@ll Week!), I know from experience when I'm actually clinically depressed or just feeling blue. Thank God, it's been years now since I've had a really bad time. While that medication may not be for you at this time, I'm so thankful that antidepressants are available!!! 3. Ask the doctor about the protein and, like I said earlier, research online so you have plenty to discuss with him. 4. My veins are pretty big too. Even at my highest weight, I've never had any problem with blood work. Now the veins on my hands are HUGE, HUGE, HUGE!!! Was it Trudy who said it might be because at heavier weights our veins had to be bigger to pump the blood? That makes sense! I know that being heavy our bodies had to develop more "miles" of veins to get blood supply to the fat! I see that several of us reported we have big veins. Should we now call ourselves The Big Veined November 2006 Surgery Group?! CeCe

Christine, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???? Glad to hear from you! We expect an update on how everything is going! How is your daughter? CeCe