I am new here.....

Hi everyone. I am really new to all of this and a bit excited and scared. I have my first surgical consult Tuesday afternoon. My wonderful husband is going to go with me. He says he will be with me no matter what, even if he doesn't understand everything that is going on and how I am feeling. I am looking to find some support for someone who is just getting started on this new exciting chapter in my life. I found posting the blogs have become therapeutic for me, but I need mroe interaction with actual people. Any advise you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Hey there, My name is Shannon and I am new to this too. I have my first appointment on March 24th, I think. I am very excited about getting this process started too. It has been a long time coming and just the thought of getting this started is very scary for me too. My husband supports me in this but he is a truck driver and is not home but only once per month. So it is hard for me to do this. Thank goodness I have my son and sister for support. A couple of my friends are with me also. I don't think I could ever take this on by myself. I would like to stay in touch with you also on this WLS journey we will be taking together. I also believe that this website is very therapeutic for me too. Let's stay in touch and I hope to hear from you soon.

I look foward to working together with my friends I meet on here to make this a sucess. Surgery Consult is tomorrow and I know it is going to go great.

Hi shannon I am pretty new to this WLS adventure also. I live in denver and have a fair amount of people that are supporting my decisoin but they are all under a size 12-and will be all their lives. I have met a couple of people on Dr. Snyder's web page. He is going to be my surgeon--at least I hope so. I am waiting to hear from insurance. I hope that u would be willing to stay in touch also. I am going to go to the support group for lap band WLS this sat that is supported/originated by dr snyder. I feel so lucky about finding him and finally making this decision. How did u get to this point in weight loss/instead of weight gaining. I would love to support and be supported please feel free to respond shannon and anybody else out there!

I am in charge of all the support groups in Colorado Springs, You should attend out meeting tomorrow, Tuesday at Penrose. If you need directions, please call me 661-6404. We have found that the support group meetings are extremely important to those who are having surgery and after surgery. You will lose weight no matter what, but keeping it off is howwe can help people. Our meetings start at 6:30pm room CC A,B,C. Our meetings are free and you can bring anyone you wish and ask any questions you need to. if you have kids and they can understand what you are going through you can also bring them and they can answer questions. Steve

Hello there! I'm pretty new to posting on the boards here, but am a long time out from surgery. 19-20 months ago I had my Roux en Y Gastroc Bypass Surgery. I lost all the weight my doctor thought I would and more! I'm exactly where I want to be, 145-150 lbs. I actually weigh the same I weighed in high school. And the most important thing is that I'm healthy! I would encourage you to follow Steve's advice and go to support group meetings. I have attended support group meetings since my surgery and I attribute a good measure of my success to attending my group. You may think that after a few months you have it all figured out, but this journey is going to be life long. I still have to remember to watch what I eat and ensure that I get enough protein and going to group helps me to refocus and keep on track. Good luck to you! Laura Smith

Hi! I am in Colorado Springs too...well I'm in Fort Carson but it's pretty much the Springs. I should be having surgery on March 15th so I'll be out of commission for awhile. But if you ever need someone to talk to send me a message ([email protected]). I'm interested in finding friends that are going through this too. Other people just don't get all of it no matter how supportive. I post like mad my little two cents here and there all the time on here. It makes me feel better, but real people are better. I have been going to the Springs Support Groups and they really are wonderful. You get to talk to people in all stages of the process (pre-ops, just hand surgery, post plastic surgery, and even people 3+ years down the road). They have alot of information and are very encouraging. A big plus is they meet several times a month and you can come to any of the meetings you'd like. Hope to see you around at the support groups. Good luck with everything! ~Christal/dionysus_star

WoW, I would really appreciate that. I am currently in some classes for church that will end at the end of April. I hope to be able to get to go to some support meetings at that time. At least I can interact with more than just 2 people I have know who have had the surgery. I really look forward to meetings lots of new people that I can share my journey with. Nothing real exciting is happening right now. I have my Gallbladder ultrasound on Monday, and on the 23rd I am doing my nutritional consult and physche exam. Other than that right now, I have no idea what is going on. Oh and I just got a message on my machine tonight that my sleep study results are ready to talk to my Dr. about. Looking Forward to an improved life Robyn

Robyn, Congratulations on your decision to pursue a healthier you! I'm not new to all this. I guess I would be called a 'veteran'. I am a little over 6 months post-op. My surgeon was Dr. Fedorak in the same office as Fischer. I know people that have had your suregeon and think he's wonderful. Feel free to PM through OH anytime. I'll get back to you ASAP and don't mind answering questions. Good luck on your journey!! Crystal (aka CeeDee)

Thanks for the reply. My friend also had Dr. Fisher, and the other girl I know, saw another Dr. in the same office. I am glad that Dr. Fisher was not all pushy for the surgery, but he did help me change my mind about which surgery was better for me. I originally wanted the Lap Band proceedure, but after finding out that the RNY would be better for my metabolic syndrome, I decided to change it. My husband was really supportive, and worries about me. He wanted to make sure that there were other reasons I changed my mind from LapBand to RNY besides the fact that you would lose it quicker. That I guess could be good or bad, I just will have to do whatever I can to not get the excess skin happening. Any suggestions for post-op patients on that topic would be greatly appreciated! Awaiting a Healtier Life Robyn