Hi Angeleigh,

I'm sorry to be so late in responding. I haven't been on the boards in quite a while. I run a large support group in Raleigh and we have several members that have had plastics and a few have had very good results with Dr. W. Glenn Lyle with Raleigh Plastic Surgery Center at 1112 Dresser Ct, Raleigh, NC 27609. Their phone number is 919.872.2616 and their website is
http://www.raleighplasticsurgery.co...

If you ever want to come to one of the support group meetings that I host, you can find the information for upcoming meetings at http://www.meetup.com/NC-WLS/ Wishing you all the best,

I'm glad to gear that you had such a good experience and wish you all the best as you move forward in your journey.

Jennifer,

A belated congratulations on your continued success.

Wishing you all the best,

I'm not sure where you live. I'm in Raleigh and there are some consignment stores that welcome plus size clothing. If you are going to place your items with a consignment store, I'd check to see what percentage of their stock is plus size and what type of response they receive from their plus size consigned items so that you can gauge what you may reap from them. You may also want to see if there is a place such as a 'Career Closet' that might put the clothing to good use.

Deb

Here is a link to the NC DHHS information for Bariatric Surgery http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/mp/1a15.pdf

I would contact a couple of Bariatric surgery practices in your area and talk with their insurance coordinators. They will have experience with how the two year weight loss attempt has to be documented.

Wishing you all the best,

(((((Iris)))),

Im absolutely delighted for you, David and your whole family. 

 

If you ever want to attend any of the local support group meetings that I host you are most welcome to do so. We have a monthly general meeting on the first Saturday of the month. I also host meetings each Thursday evening. You can get information about upcoming support group meetings at www.meetup.com/nc-wls.

Lucy,

It's so nice to meet you! First of all, I want to congratulate you on your recent surgery and the phenomenal success you have experienced.

I see myself reflected in soooo many of your answers. I have three children; 31 year old identical twins and and 18 year old daughter and they all look very much alike. One of our sons and his wife have just blessed us with our first grandchild. Our grandson looks just like my children. It was AMAZING as I held Wyatt and thought that I couldn't believe it had been 31 years since I'd had his daddy; it truly felt like the time had passed, as you said, in the blink of an eye. I also was thinking that while I have done the best I could at the time, that hindsight or experience is worth more than a million dollars and if I could, there are definitely some things that I would change. I actually did make a number of changes in raising our daughter who came along 12 years after her brothers.

I too wish that I had paid more attention in music class and learned to play an instrument. I was in the school choir, but I wish that I could have learned to play the piano.

Like you, I lost my mother in 2010 and I still miss her a great deal.

While I was the oldest of 5 children, I also was the proverbial 'good kid' and rarely got into to trouble, but one of things I did was slam the door when I was upset as a teen. I'll never forget doing so as an adult and causing a piece of the glass to crack. My father told me I did it and asked me to please be careful. I was SOOOOoooo embarrassed and haven't slammed a door since.

I also would love to have a huge, functional laundry room. I think it's a real luxury I'd love to have.

I love your explanation of love... I think that you may be right, people may have to witness the experience of love to understand it.

I look forward to continuing to get to know you.

Wishing you continued success,

 

Hi Renee,

I don't have any experience with the Transoral Rose revision from RNY, but I think you might be able to find some who might have had experience with it on the Revision Forum.

Wishing you all the best,

Annyka,

It took me about 16 months to lose all of my weight, so just hang in there. While the majority of WLS patients lose during the first 12 months, there are some of us that just take a little longer. Also, as I'm sure you know, we now always have our 'tool.' Once you hit your goal and/or maintenance, I'm sure that you'll start adding in additional calories and find your sweet spot where you are able to maintain your new, healthy weight.

Wishing you all the best and continued success,

Hi Annyka,

Yep, what a small world! I'm actually from the Almaden Valley in San Jose, CA so we went there often. They are still right off of Blossom Hill Road in the Santa Teresa area right across from Oakridge Mall. They also have another store on De Anza Boulevard near Stevens Creek Boulevard in Cupertino, sandwiched between a number of the Apple Computer buildings.

I just returned from a trip to CA to visit our sons and their wives and meet the newest member of our family, our new grandson. Whenever we go home we have go to places to eat that just aren't available in NC and Mandarin Gourmet is one of the go to places. During our nearly one month stay I think that we picked up dinner there at least 4 times. It's not cheap, but it sure was good! We love their Chinese chicken salad, pot stickers, hot and sour soup, and minced chicken in lettuce cups, but I have to agree that their MuShu pork is also just wonderful! I really have never had anything there that wasn't delightful.

Mandarin Gourmet had been our family's go to place for many celebrations for decades... birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, wedding/baby showers, etc. It's interesting how food triggers memories. I know that I used to eat until I thought I would be sick. Since my RNY 5 years ago, I've learned that I can enjoy just about anything I want, but I just have to do it in moderation.

What is the story behind one of your scars?

I have two scars on my left leg. I was in an automobile accident about a decade ago and my left ankle was crushed between the brake and emergency brake. My left ankle was sheared off, so I have 3, 3 inch screws attaching the ankle to my tibia. I also have a 2 titanium plates and 12 screws holding the fibula together. I can tell when the weather is going to change before the weather forecast. Now, that it's been more than a decade, you can't even see the scars unless I specifically point them out and I am able to walk with a normal gate. I can even sport high heels which I thought I'd never wear again after the accident.

What do you "know now" that you wish you "knew then"?

There are soooo many things, but I think I really wish that I knew what my life would be like after having weight loss surgery. I think I would have done it much, much earlier and in doing so I would have realized the health and quality of life benefits so much earlier. I also have seen the enormous impact the changes in my behavior associated with my weight loss surgery have made on my daughter and I wish I had done it sooner so that it might have had a similar impact on my sons who are a decade older.

Have you ever won a prize, if so what was it?

Hmmm... I don't really ever recall winning a prize.

What subject do you wish you had paid more attention to in school?

Probably math. I've always been math challenged. I found one teacher that really helped me understand, but generally I have always had a hard time with it. Because I have such a hard time with math, it impacted my understanding of the sciences.

If you could have coffee with someone famous, who would it be?

That's a difficult question because there are a number of people I'd like to have coffee with... President Obama, President Clinton, President Lincoln, Oprah, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Diane Sawyer, Richard Gere,  ...

What is your favorite thing about your mom?

I lost my mom in March of 2010, so there are soooo many things I miss about her, but I think that my favorite thing was that we were good friends. Not many people have the privilege of being friends with their parents and it's something that I both appreciated and miss. She was a kind, compassionate woman. She let me know it's important to be kind and compassionate even if someone is not being kind, because we never know what burdens someone is carrying. She lived her life being kind and compassionate and taught me to strive to do the same in her memory.

What song do you love to dance to?

Just about anything! I love to dance!! That doesn't mean I do it well, but I really love to dance. I remember dancing on my daddy's shoes as a little girl. I love, love, love to dance. I remember when I was a teenager and they introduced what was similar to Jazzercise or Zumba. It was hands down my favorite class and it's still my favorite way to get exercise because my focus is on having fun so it's not a chore.

What was the worst punishment your parents ever enacted?

My father packed up my clothes and donated them because I didn't clean up my room when I was about 10 years old.

Who was the best boss you ever worked for?

I've had several really good bosses, but the best boss I ever had was probably my dad. My father had a Technical Publications business that he started when I was a teenager as 'slave labor'...lol, but in time I went from doing menial tasks to actually editing and then writing as we found that I had a real talent for writing. I also found that I had a strong mechanical ability as well as an understanding of software and business process. He mentored me and I found my wings. I set off on my own, but went back to working for and with him after I proved to myself that I really was competent and wasn't 'just' Daddy's girl. It was interesting to go from working for him to working with him.

What restaurant do you love even though you know you shouldn't?

Hmmm... Again, too many possibilites here. I love Mandarin Gourmet, which is a Chinese Restaurant in San Jose CA that has wonderful pot stickers, hot and sour soup, Chinese chicken salad, and honeyed walnut prawns... OMGoodness!! P.F. Chang's lettuce cups are pretty wonderful too! I love milkshakes from Cookout, but I can't have much, so it's not worth getting one. I love the Chicken Mini's from Chick-Fil-A because they remind me of my dear Mother-in-Law's sweet yeast rolls and I must admit to enjoying them on a rare occasion. Now, I have learned that moderation is the key to success. I can have anything from any of these or the myriad of other goodies.

If you did not need the money what would you do for work?

Again, so many possibilities. I would love to work as a Bariatric Patient Navigator. I also would probably want to be psychologist with a focus on bariatric issues. I'd love to work at a museum too. Finally, I really think I'd love to work as a teacher.

If you had an extra room in your house what would you use it for?

We actually do and we have a guest room, an office and a craft room. I also love having a formal living room and dinning room. I know some people think that they are a waste of space, but I really enjoy the peace and tranquility of the living room. It's filled with things that remind me of family members that have passed. I also love the formal dinning room because again, it is filled with things that I've collected and inherited over the years.

How would you explain love to somebody who had never heard of it before?

Love is a multifaceted thing. There is the love you feel for your spouse, the love you feel for your child or grandchild, the love you feel for your family... parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, the love you feel for your friend... I just met my first grandchild a few weeks ago and the deep, immediate affection and connection I felt for him could only be matched by what I have felt for my own children. To me, love is a deep affection and personal connection to someone for which I care deeply.  For me, love is an intense feeling of deep caring, compassion, kindness, and affection that goes far beyond the bounds of friendship.

What is your warmest birthday memory?

On my 5th birthday while we were stationed in Yalova, Turkey we had a birthday party with a number of the kids from the local base. My mother made me a Barbie doll cake that sat on a music box that turned and played happy birthday. We also had 8mm movies of Woody Wood Pecker.

What is a good place to travel, but you would not want to live there?

I would love to go to Israel and back to Istanbul, but I doubt that I would want to live there because they don't seem safe to me.