Saying Hello
You are all so wonderful! 
Thank you for such a warm welcome!
It's good to know that there are a lot of Dr. Shina's patients on this board. It makes me feel like I'm joining a family...not just having WLS. That is really a relief. I'm not sure why but as this seems more and more real to me, I feel both excited and scared to death.
My husband is very supportive but I'm afraid he'll soon grow weary of my constant chatter about the whole thing. He gets why I'm excited but he doesn't get why I'm also scared. I'm not scared of the surgery or the pain of recovery. I'm afraid of what life will be like afterwards. Does that make any sense?
Please let me know when the next support group meeting is and I will definately be there. I want to be as prepared as possible so that I start off on the right foot. Maybe going to the meetings will help me understand my post-surgery fears.
Again, thank you so much for the welcome and offering to share your experiences. It means more than I can possibly put into words.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday!
Vicki
I'm 4 months post op with an RNY and I'm very happy with my decision. It took me a few months but I am so full of energy and am having fun going through clothes that I never was able to wear and am at the point where they are too big now.
I teach in Bullitt Co. but live in J-Town in Louisville. Go and check out the tent sale at Donna Sharp's quilts off at exit 116 this weekend.
You live close enough to come to the support groups and that's where you meet people and get good info. Check out one before you decide.
Welcome and hope to meet you soon.
Dana
I met with Dr. Shina a few years ago. I went to his seminar and then had my individual consult with him. I liked him fine and think he is a very competent surgeon. I would have had him do my surgery after I saw him, but my insurance company required me to do a doctor-supervised diet for at least 6 months first. I did that and was losing well, so I thought I didn't need the surgery. By the time the weight came back, my insurance no longer covered weight loss surgery at all.
I am scheduled to have my surgery on July 1. I am going with a different surgeon, but it has nothing to do with Dr. Shina, his surgical skills, or his personality.
I wish you all the best and look forward to reading about your success!
Leanne
Dana S.
Starting weight 228
Current weight 195
Start Weight: 228 lbs. (Surgery Day 3/13/09)
Current Weight: 186 lbs.
Dana, Leanne, and Dana S., thank you for your replies. I'm sorry I haven't posted back sooner but my family was passing around a upper respiratory virus for the past several days. It's funny that my daughter and I handled it pretty well but my husband and teen son carried on as if they had swine flu, LOL! The big babies! 
Leanne, you and I definitely do have a lot in common. I went through something very similar when it came to insurance coverage the first time I considered WLS about nine years ago. It's also neat to find someone who has kids around the same age and spread so many years apart like mine are.
Dana, it's nice to meet you. I'm originally from South Eastern KY but my family moved to Bullitt County my Senior year of H.S. and I graduated from North Bullitt. We lived in tiny, tiny house in Bullitt Hills during that time. Wish I would've made it to Donna Sharps' Quilt sale this weekend but I was babying my DH and DS while they got over their colds.
Dana S., thanks for saying hi! My husband is a big eater to...so is my son for that matter, but he's a teen and that's part of it I guess. I'm hoping that seeing them always eating won't cause me to have problems after I have WLS. I'd like to be one of the lucky ones, like yourself, who're able to adjust really well.
Again, thanks everyone for the warm welcome. I look forward to getting to know everyone and meeting as many of you as I can. This board is a real blessing for a newbie like myself. I come here to read the posts and leave feeling like I've gotten a big hug 
