Any upstate NY'ers here

Hi there Im from upstate I live in the Albany area I just had WLS with Dr Singh at Albany Med July 18TH. I wouldnt change my mind yet but Ive been through some stuff let me tell ya ! Look me up anytime though if you want to chat Im also on AOL [email protected] Kris

Hi Cindy, I live in watertown and just beginning to learn about WLS. My sister is in Indiana and had WLS, so far she has lost 260 lbs. I had to go to Indiana for a funeral and while I was there I went to a support meeting with her. It inspired me to look into it. debby

I'm from Pa. not upstate N.Y. but from the replys, it sounds like a real friendly bunch of people up there.

Hi Cindy Wow we're neighbors then! I live in Watertown... I had my surgery in December 2004 and have lost 120lbs so far (plus 20 prior to surgery)... I'm feeling great and lovin' my new HEALTHIER life!! Have you had the surgery yet? You can feel free to email me if ya wanna... Chelle

dear sweet chelle;I read your profile and what a great job you have done.I am also starting the process at the university hosp. Keep up the good work.Patsy

Awwww thank you Patsy! I plan to keep plugging away at this... Only 113 lbs to my goal now so that's exciting... I loved the folks at the University Hospital program although sometimes it can be a long process with them... That's awesome to hear you are going there as well - you will be in the BEST of hands! They were great with me and I just adore Dr. Kim for what he did for me... I have a whole new life thanks to Dr. Kim and the staff there and I thank the good lord everyday for that... Life is good! And it will be for you too so hang in there thru the process... If ya need someone to talk to or ask questions, just e-me anytime... Take care and I wish you much luck! (((HUGS))) Chelle

hi Chelle, I'm in watertown too. Just gathering info about having the surgery. I weigh about 345lbs. I have an appt with my regular doctor on aug. 25th , but I'm nervous about talking to her about it. I guess I'm afraid she will say that I should buck up and discipline myself on a diet instead of having the surgery. Did you have any complications from the surgery? My sister had the surgery in Indiana in April of 2004. She had a few complications but so far she has lost 260lbs. debby

Hi Debby It's nice to hear from ya... This is the BEST place to find out all the information about WLS for sure... OH has been a blessing for me and so have a lot of the folks here! I was nervous asking my doctor about it as well... Actually my doctor is the one who brought it up to me... At first I was skeptical and drug my feet (I could smack myself for that now!!) so we didn't talk about it again until about a year later... At that point, I was pre-diabetic (A1C was high!), hypertensive, had sleep apnea amongst other things and was 423 lbs... I about died - literally! So I agreed that I would go meet with the bariatric group in Syracuse and began doing lots and lots of research... That's when I found my OH family here... Don't be nervous about asking her about the surgery... I am sure you've tried diets and all that good stuff right? If you're like me, probably many of them (especially all the FAD diets) so explain that to her... Weight loss is hard on your own, lord knows that is true... And the likelyhood to lose a lot of weight on your own is slim as I tried MANY years to lose weight on my own only to gain it back and then some... WLS is the tool that has helped me but I have to help the tool too by eating better and exercising... But it works!! No complications here so far... I hope not to have any... Biggest problem I have now is constipation occasionally which I bring on myself by not drinking enough some days... I've gotten better about that now though... I've been lucky otherwise! I've read about others who have all kinds of problems so I know I am fortunate... It's hard adjusting to but once you do it becomes a normal routine... I still laugh sometimes at how little I eat now WOW! That is great about your sister! I bet she feels much better too... I just love to hear about people's successes and sounds like your sister is definitely a WLS as you will be too... If you need anything or have any questions, e-me anytime... I'm always open to questions and love to help! I wish you much luck in your WLS journey... (((HUGS))) Chelle

Hey there, sorry it took me so long to get back, this conversation went down on the list fast. Yea I have tried a few different diets only to be disappointed that I gained back what I had lost plus more. So I eventually gave up trying them. I called a doctor in Utica and they sent me papers to fill out, so I did that and sent them back today. I hope they will accept me as a patient. They are the only ones in this area that accept medicaid, at least that I know of. The lady told me that if they decide that I'm a good candidate then they will call me with an appointment time. I'm pretty excited but at the same time I'm scared. This is a pretty big step, but I want to lose the weight so bad. I realized today that after the surgery I won't ever be able to eat chocolate again. But I think the surgery is gonna be worth it. I'm a little worried about all the pre-op tests I will have to have. I don't like hospitals very well, so it is a major step to even think about surgery. Well, take care, thanx for listening... debby

I'm scheduled for WLS 8/18 @Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. I'm from the Binghamton area.