Wow! Nice feedback!
I guess I was expecting to get hammered after being brave enough to complain about our local board being so slow! You guys are great and it was good to hear that I wasn't the only one who noticed.
Folks here in Delaware seem somewhat reserved about their "personal" issues, the ones we all experience as WLS patients. Maybe you're shy, or think you'll gross someone out. NOT! Some of the discussions I have read in other state boards have brought so much laughter into my life because I can SO RELATE to the subject matter.
Like farting. OMG. What a riot. It's a part of our lives like never before but we never talk about it(unless the lady behind you at Walmart passed out). Have you chased your family out of the house more than once? Since you can't help it, don't you just love squeezing one in the car so everyone has to roll the window down? How does your dog feel about you now, since he always takes the blame?
Or the butt pain. My butt never hurt so much in my life. I have to keep shifting my weight in the chair so I don't get a bruise! Do skinny people have butt pain?
How about "the foamies"? You know the feeling...you just ate too much, too fast, and you can feel it in the back of your mouth. Should you fight it back, or give it up and bow down to the porcelain gods?
My personal favorite...might be a little too personal for some but the reactions to the question can be hilariously funny. Here goes:
You know your "goods" have been down there all these years, but you haven't seen them in so long, you can't remember what they look like. Do your goods look like you thought they would or like you remember them from years ago? When my husband's surgeon asked him why he wanted WLS, Ed replied jokingly, "Well, I haven't seen my d--k in over 20 years." I was so embarassed but at the same time, we were all cracking up.
Posting every WOW moment is always nice too. It might be something that seems insignificant to you but chances are, that same WOW moment has happened to someone else and can be very emotional. I rolled over in bed one night and realized it only took ONE smooth motion, not four or five steps to get that big body into the position I wanted. To me, that was fantastic. It hit me then that I wasn't so big anymore. I almost cried because for so many years, it was a chore to just roll over in bed. Last week, I noticed that I could feel the 2 tendons at the back of both of my knees. OMG. I was going to everyone in the house and all my friends so they could feel them tendons too! I was ecstatic! Stuff like that, seemingly dumb stuff that really isn't dumb at all. These little triumphs can only encourage and inspire us post-ops to carry on, and when we talk to our OH friends about them, will do the same for pre-ops that come in here for support.
I visit the Delaware OH message board every single day. I love OH. This surgery has saved my life and we should never forget where we came from, or minimize our experience by not participating, because personally, I feel we owe it to pre-ops to share every experience. They come here looking for it. I did. You did. And every bit of information, good or bad, helped us along the way. It's the least we can do for them.
Thanks for listening and let's have fun here!
KathyG
Ok, I know I am replying to my own post but this is so cool....I got up at 1:30 am. It took me over an hour to read all the responses to my "sluggish" post and then respond to those with this one. Now, it is 3:49 am and I have only just now finished reading all the new posts and replies! Awesome! Now that's an active forum! Way to go everyone!
KathyG
Loved getting up this morning and reading all your posts. You are right on the button with them. I thought that I was reading about myself. I guess only the name was changed to protect the innocent (or not so innocent). I have cleared many a room of family members. Others just stay around and pretend not to notice. If I NOTICE I am sure they do too It is nice to have bones pop up in body parts that I forgot were there. And I know what you mean about the butt pain. It can be really sore sometimes.
Keep the good responses and WOW moments coming.
Thanks,
Ellen
Kathy, you are cracking me up. I was just at my mom's house tonight visiting family that was down from PA, they saw me over the summer, then again in Nov, and they were all shocked at how much more I have lost. It is a wonderful feeling, and today at work my ex-boyfriend stopped in to see me for the 1st time since before my surgery and boy was he shocked. He didn't even recognize me. Then when we where talking he told me that he always thought I was a beautiful person both inside and outside and he never had a problem with my weight, but boy was I "HOT" now..... Never in all of my life have I ever been "HOT". It was just to funny. Needless to say, I felt like a queen for the day. Passing gas is something I have always done and in my family we take pride if we can clear out a room, but now I find myself keeping matches in my desk at work to kill the smell quickly at work. That is embarrassing, but it is part of life.
Thanks for getting this board awake again. You are right though, we need to keep it going because there are people that need to know what to expect and to be educated on this surgery. This isn't something you do just because or for a short time, we all did this to save our lives for the rest of our lives. I have made the decision to have this surgery and I am going to keep everything in check so I know what I am doing.
Have a great day.
Deanna
Kathy,
Thanks for being Mom here....Its funny....I would get on a lot and post things....I stopped because life has gotten so busy for me. I pop in from time to time....And sometimes when I popped in I found topics that I could no longer relate to. I started to realize I am an old head....that foamies don't affect me anymore....I did forget about one aspect that affects us all....the food addiction and how to handle it with everything else. We all have it and that is our common bound whether we want to admit it or not. I wish some of the oldies from the past would pop in from time to time as well but I understand why they are not here more often because I am guilty of what they do as well. Life does change alot. The addiction does not. And how we handle it has to change. Okay I am off my soap box this AM. Enjoy the day....I have to do my weekly food shopping! Tootles!
Debbie