Greetings!

I'm Gem & I came by to say HELLO to all.   I've never been to Iowa, so I have no friends there.  Came by to meet some friends & give a brief introduction.

Anyways, I'm 61 months post op - over 100% of my excess body weight was lost by 18 months out and it stays off (I've even tried to regain a few pounds LOL).   I started at 267 pounds and have weighed 116 for the past year or so.   I think that is where I'll stay.  I'm now considering plastics...my surgeon suggested implants but I'm not looking for implants, just a lift...after years of having big floppies that jiggled & bursted out of clothing when they weren't suppposed to, I really like my itty bitties that only move when they are supposed to.  As for my PREop comorbidities, I had arthritis and highblood pressure.  Both of which I still have although my weight is has definitely been eliminated as a factor in aggravating either.   After WLS, I was put through MANY, MANY, MANY tests to deterimine why at around 130 pounds at that time, my blodd pressure would not stay in check.  Results indicated because they weren't treating the CAUSE of it...only the symptom.  The cause - well, my chronic high blood pressure was found to be a congenital defect stemming from a steroid imbalance.   Once they started to treat "steriod imbalance", my blood pressure readily cooperated.  Point in saying all of that?  Before WLS, only the physician who said I needed WLS to eliminated my weight as a factor so specialist wouldn't have it as a diagnosis crutch had suggested my blood pressure was something far deeper than typical diagnosis.   Before her, every single physician I'd ever gone to said my blood pressures hovered around the 190/160 range because I was over weight.  NO ONE looked for any other cause.  NO ONE.  So in summary, whatever they're telling you "if you loose weight your ____ will go away", sometimes they are trying to get you out of their office without doing real work. 

Anyways, that's me in a nutshell!!  My contact info is on my profile, please feel free to use it.  I decided that I would spend a few days floating around OH (FOR A CHANGE) greeting family on OH - & WLS family will always be my family.   Although, I know once I close this browser, it will be months before I log back in so with that I ask that you please feel free to come by and say hi :)

Salt & Light
gem