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WELCOME TO THE BEST FORUM EVER!! THESE PEOPLE ON HERE HAVE BEEN A GODSEND. HTEY HAVE HELPED ME OUT SO MUCH BEFORE AND AFTER SURGERY. IF YOU EVER NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE HERE THAT WILL ANSWER YOU! CONGRATS ON YOUR DECISION TO HAVE THE SURGERY. YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

Good morning to you all!  Thank you for your warm welcome.  I am so happy to have found this website and all of you who are actually patients of Dr. Walton and Dr. Brousard.  My friend who I swim with informed me about Weight Wise.  She had the Gastric Sleeve in April, and is doing amazingly well.  Dr. Brousard was her doctor, so I was hoping he would be mine...however once I met Dr. Walton I knew he was the doctor for me.  He has been so amazing to me and his staff is wonderful.

I wish I could come to the support meeting tonight, however I won't be able to.  My friend, Patty, will be there though.   I will be in Edmond next Thursday and Friday for the rest of my testing. 

I am a special education teacher.  I have taught elementary resource for eight years in Gunter, Texas.  That's 52 miles one way from home, so I decided to try to move closer to home for next year.  I am going to be teaching Intermediate Resource in Pottsboro, Texas.  It's still 25 miles, but that seems like a hop, skip, and a jump compared to what I have been driving.  :)

Thanks again for all of your warm welcomes. I look forward to getting to know each of you as you travel on your journey, and look forward to starting mine.  :)

Hugs,
Marsha

Welcome, Marsha! I was in your fair city last summer for National Board "camp." I am a teacher as well. I had my lap RNY with Dr. Walton on Oct, 18, the Friday of our Fall Break. I easily could have gone back to work on Monday, but I developed a side effect that I should've had seen earlier than I did.

Anyway, a helpful hint for that sleep study. I didn't know they let us shower...you can to get the gunk out of your hair. That is the most comfy bed I've ever slept in. I wanted to take it home with me!

Good luck, and congrats on your decision to improve your health. You'll love Dr. Walton and the staff at WeightWise. They're the best!

Hi Charolette!  I haven't attempted the National Boards yet....I am about to start working on my Master's Degree.  The school I was teaching in or the new school either one requires it, but the new one does pay more, so I think it's time.  What do you teach?

I will remember that I can shower after the sleep study, since I am going to be there all day and will have a three hour drive home.  One good thing about the sleep study is that my neurologist was wanting me to have one done because of migraines, so this will count for it too.  Do they give you medication to make you sleep?  Sometimes it's difficult for me to go to sleep in a strange place.

I am hoping I can get approval from my insurance by the Christmas break, however it may even be Spring Break before it happens.  Believe it or not, my Texas teacher insurance will approve it if the BMI is high enough...mine is! 

Hugs,
Marsha

Marsha, Welcome to Oklahoma OH and Weight Wise. I had my surgery this past December. I too had to wait while I jumped through the insurance hoops. It's hard waiting, but it turned out to be a good thing, because it gives you plenty of time to mentally prepare. Just relax and use this time to educate yourself about your WLS journey. If I can be of help, let me know. Next Friday morning come to the nurses station and ask for me, and I will be more than happy to show you around. see you soon, Rita

Thanks Rita, I look forward to meeting you.  My niece's appointment is an hour before mine, so I will have time to kill.  I think you're right that the wait time is going to give me time to get metally prepared.  Dr. Walton wants me to lose 15 lbs., just to get committed.  He said that due to my huge weightloss earlier that I didn't really need to lose any for the safety of the surgery, but he wants 15 lbs. off.  I know I'm up more than I was the last time I went, I was on vacation in Vegas with my sisters last week and one of them believes in eating all the time...funny she's the skinny one!  LOL 
Am I expected to lose every time I go back to the doctor?  I have almost gotten all of what I'd gained off, but not quite.  I am hoping to be the same as in June.  I bought the quick start program, is that a plan that I should be following until I have my surgery or will the nutritionist give me one to follow now?  I'm not sure I can follow that quick start plan for six months.  LOL
I will see you next Friday!

Hugs,
Marsha

The nutritionist will give you a diet plan to follow.  You do need to keep your weight at the point that Dr. Walton wants it- if not below.  Do not have too many last suppers!  If you show up on surgery day above the prescribed weight they will send you home.

Denise

Thanks Denise, I am anxious to meet the nutritionist next week.  I will make sure I'm under the weight Dr. Walton wants me at when I get ready for surgery.  I really want to be far below that weight, so hopefully that will work.

Marsha

Denise,

I know it will work, what I meant to say is hopefully I will stay on it faithfully!  I know when the time gets closer I will be more determined.  Now I'm just hanging in limbo with my insurance company so I'm sort of deflated.  I'm so excited for my niece though, bless her heart, she needs it so badly.

Marsha

My Bachelor's Degree is in English and my Master's Degree is in School Library Media. I got the masters as  a condition of my employment in Kansas and haven't regretted it. I started teaching in 1989 and taught 7-12 English in rural schools. I went full time library in 1996 and taught 7th grade English and reading with that for 2 years. We moved to Edmond because I was tired of that position and was offered the job here with only hs kids and no extra duties. So, I am full time library in grades 9-12 and research all day. I love every minute of it, except during testing time.

I'll find out my National Board scores at Thanksgiving time. I go back and forth thinking that I passed or blew it..I try  not to think about it too much...it was just part of the roller coaster ride this past year has been with having surgery and losing my mom at the same time. Crazy year.