New Member

Hi everyone..I am a new member on my way to having gastric bypass surgery with Dr. Wynn. I am working on my clearances but am hoping to have a surgery date by the end of Feb or beginning of March. I show horses and am looking forward to looking GOOD riding them in April. Hope to chat with everyone and hear some good things and not so good things about surgery Kathy

Kathy, Welcome to the DE message board. The support group meetings are a fantastic way to see for yourself the "after effects" of the surgery. I urge you to attend as many as you can get to. We have quite a few in our area. If you need the list, just let me know, it is usually posted by Elissa, but she just had surgery today so obviously she won't be posting for a few days anyway. But someone can go back and pull her last support group meeting post if you need it. Also, a great place to start for information is to read profiles. I learned so much this way and so many here keep excellent profiles of thier WLS journeys. If you are not sure how to find them, one way to start is to simply click on someones name when they post. Another way is to look on the left side of your screen and you should see a list of links ... choose recent profile updates to read the profiles of DE people who have added something to their profile lately. Wishing you the best! Tammy

Welcome Kathy! I too will be having my surgery with Dr. Wynn. I am scheduled for 1/24. This board is full of wonderful, helpful people who will be more than happy to offer support and guidance. Please keep posting, and I wish you all the best. Rosa

Kathy, Welcome to the boards and to your new life. The people on the boards are all wonderful and supportive so ask away for any questions you have. Many of us have been through it and many are still getting clearance so we're in all stages of the process. Gastic bypass is the best gift you can give yourself! See you at the support meetings. Love, Kathleen

Hi Kathy, Welcome!!! You'll find lots of valuable insights here from folks who have gone through the struggles of trying to get clearances, insurance approvals, etc. They've been my life savers!!! Also, the support groups are wonderful. There's one locally in Camden and Harrington. There was one in Smyrna, but I'm not sure it's still in existance. I know a colleague of mine tried to go to the one in Smyrna, and no one showed up to open the building or even attend for that matter. The group I attend is Brighter Beginnings, and we meet that the Camden Friends Meeting House every month! Kevin and Lisa Sirman head up the group and there are generally about 18 present at each meeting. We'd all love to see you there!!!!! Good luck on your journey into the world of WLS. You'll find it very rewarding even with some of the hassles. Cathy

Thank you all for your wonderful welcome. I was just at the Cardiologist and got some news I was trying to avoid. He apparently got some medical records from my medical doctor and saw that I have diabetes. Of course I have steered clear of the doctor so I don't get on any meds but it caught up to me. So now before I can get his clearance I have to have the ecocardiogram and stress test...uugghhh...I knew it...I was just hoping to avoid it. Will watch for all your posts. Thank you again. Kathy

Kathy, I know what you mean ... I am the queen osterich around here at times. I have to be real careful about keeping my head in the sand to avoid what I don't want to face! But know it is for your own good to make sure that the docs have every single morsel of information about your health, especially your surgeons. It is good to get on your meds now to have all your levels in check before your pre-op testing. I know of several who have had their surgery post-poned at the last testing because their sugar levels were out of whack! When I went to the cardio he sent me for further testing and my tests came back with some serious footnotes. He said I needed to go into the hospital for an angio, likely a stint and depending on the location of the blockages, perhaps even a bypass. WHAT??? Pretty serious stuff, and yet, here I was, trying to talk him out of it!!! CRAZY I was ... simply crazy. I went in for the angio, and they found that all was well, and I needed nothing afterall. While I was scared to go in, it did help me to get my head straight and understand where my life was heading IF I didn't do something about it NOW. It also helped me to gain determination that I was going to do everything my docs wanted me to do and learn all I could so I could have the best success possible with both my surgery and my new chance at health. I share that just to let you know ... honestly, I understand where you are coming from, but please do not hide out in the sand when it comes to issues that could make a huge difference. Information is power for us and for the docs. You don't want any surprises on the OR table or while in recovery. The better prepared everyone is, the better for you. Hugs, Tammy