When you finally meet somebody that's been in your shoes...

AMEN!

Holy cow, I ran into her today at the surgeon's office.    When she came out I said hi to her and she got a huge smile on her face, to match mine. LOL  We gave each other a biiiiig hug, and it felt so good.  I made sure to thank her for what she said, and we ended up sharing phone numbers.  Turns out she's a nurse on the floor that bariatric patients go to after surgery!  She told me to ask for her when it's my time, and she'll make sure she's my nurse. 

Even though I'm new here, I do have to say, I already heart you folks.  It's so nice to be "gotten". ;)

I was at work one night and we got a 23 year old pt in with tummy pain we got to talking as I was doing her admission vitals and getting her ht and wt. After I took her wt she asked me what it was I told her and she got all excited. I was thinking to my self (yes I am very over wt)  why is she so happy about being 280 lbs. I asked her if she wanted a soda or tea, coffee water or if I could get her anything. She explained that she couldn' have pop and she needed something to drink out of so she could measure her water intake I thaught ok this is really getting strange. Later I asked the nurse what type of diet she was on and the nurse explained that she had wls and was on a special diet. (this pt was the first wls pt I had ever meet or had ever takeing care of)
The pt explained to me later that she had been 400 lbs and had wls. I was so amazed by her and over the next two years that I worked at freeman I took care of her many times. She gave me the name of her surg and I am useing the one she did. I changed jobs a little over a year ago and work at another hopital now so I don't get to take care of her anymore. My family and I where in the video store a few weeks ago reanting movies and my daughter was talking about a movie and a girl in front of her turns around and it was my pt. she looked so good she had lost another 80 lbs and told my kids and husband what wonderfull care I always gave her while she was in the hopital. I told her I was having my wls by Dr g on March 26th and she just smiled and said heres my number lets go work out.

We have nothing to be ashamed of -  we had the courage to take care of business and do what we needed to do to live a better life.  More healthy and present for our families. 

Fleemore is my angel too b/c she keeps me honest...knowing she is keeping tabs on me keeps me motivated to do what needs to be done!!  (I'm the one she found in meeting and made me cry like a baby)

I went forward with my surgery to the media b/c I wanted people to know that there was a way out...that we don't have to be the ignored and whispered ones any longer.  We have a tool available to change our lives.  

I still scream from the rooftops to anyone that will listen b/c this tool is life changing and knowing it's power to change lives keeps me motivated to spread the word!!!  Let people know what is going on - once they see what you can do, how much living you will do they will change their minds about weight loss surgery being the easy way out or something that should be talked about behind closed doors and something to be ashamed of!!

I do scream the fact I had RNY from every point I can. I am not ashamed of the fact that I had surgery to help me lose weight nor am I going to hide the fact I was 478 before I did something about my weight.
For all those who think I did it the lazy way...Come see me right now recoverying from my tenth surgery.
I lost a dear friend because I chose to have WLS....now 16 months later...The friendship was worth losing...

I hear you.  I lost 2 friends, friends that I have been friends with for over 20 years.  They now have absolutely nothing to do wtih me.  I was so upset.  But I now know that they really weren't my friends to begin with.  I guess misery loved company. 

I think the hard for me was I was the fat friend and with my losing weight they realized i was competition..more so then ever

I am there with you Pattye and actualy had a conversation about this with a lady at the gym. We were talking and I mentioned I was there so I could tone as I lose from the surgery and she made the old EASY WAY comment and I took  a deep breathe and talked to her about how we have to change our diet, and watch so many different things such as the protien and carbs ect. When we were done she actually told me she had thought of the surgery but was told it was the easy way out and they basically shamed her for thinking of it, but I could tell she was thinking differently about the surgery afterwards. We are supposed to meet a exercise together tomorrow. She wants to ask me a few more questions, so who knows if not at least she will come to find out like my mom did that this is not the easy way you have to watch everything.

there you go paying it forward