Wanting to have Bypass Surgery

Hello! I am new to all of this. Not sure if I am even doing this post right. Anyhooo, I am 31 years old and have been over weight all my life, not to mention, picked on all my life and oh yeah...did I leave out JUDGED too. I am wanting to get gastric bypass surgery. I know that I need to have this surgery to give me a life. I live in Goose Creek, South Carolina and could really use some good advice a some friends. I have called Br. Byrnes office and the packet is in route to my house. I have Bc/BS Federal and the nurse that works with Dr. Byrnes says that they will pay for it!!! YEAH!!! Can anyone please just chat with me and help me understand what lies ahead of me. I do n't have the internet at home, sorry, but I do have it at work. Thanks

Chell: There are a whole bunch of us in Goose Creek who have had surgery or are thinking about it. We have a group from around the lowcountry that meets on Thursday nights called the Lowcountry Bypass Buddies (or LCBB for short). Please join us one Thursday night. It is a group of wonderful people and I truly think you will enjoy it! Susann

Hello. Don't give up on your quest to get the gastric bypass surgery. I had WLS February 24, 2006 with Dr. Byrnes. The process is relatively simple and the steps are easy to follow. Complete your packet and get it back to Dr. Byrnes office. Good luck. I live in the College Park Area and would be willing to chat with you about the process. Email address is [email protected]. Drop a line and maybe we can get together sometime soon. I am currently out on sick leave recuperating from the surgery. Good luck.

WELL H-E-L-L-O LADSONITE ... I LIVE JUST INSIDE THE SUMMERVILLE LINE & MY FOLKS LIVE 9/10 OF A MILE UP THE ROAD IN LADSON. NICK & I LIVED IN LITTLE OL' LADSON FOR ABOUT 4 YEARS. EVERY DAY I DRIVE HIM TO WORK, I GO DOWN COLLEGE PARK 4 TIMES ... UP & BACK, UP & BACK. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WLSurgery ... I ADDED YOU TO OUR SC WEIGHT LOSS LIST ... HOW MUCH HAVE YOU LOST SO FAR? SINCE YOU'RE HOME RECOUPERATING, MS VANESSA, WHY DON'T YOU JOIN US LCBBuddies JUST ABOUT ANY THURSDAY EVENING AT JC's BAR & GRILL ON ASHLEY PHOSPHATE? COME ANY TIME BETWEEN 6:00 - 7:30pm. THIS COMING THURSDAY MAY BE A BIT SPARSE AS MUSC HAS ITS SUPPORT GROUP MEETING AS WELL (3rd THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH) & THEY ARE TALKING ON NUTRITION & MEAL PLANNING SO SOME MAY GO TO IT ... MS BRITTY HAS BEEN KIND ENOUGH TO GIVE ME A RIDE DOWN THERE. MAYBE WE WILL SEE YOU THERE? OTHERWISE, WE HOPE TO MEET YOU AT OUR LCBB MEETING!!!!!! GOD BLESS YOU DAWN & NICK

WELCOME TO OUR LITTLE FAMILY, MS CHELL; YOU HAVE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE FOR INFORMATION & SUPPORT. IF YOU HAVE TIME, READ MY PROFILE. I PURPOSELY JOURNALED MY ENTIRE JOURNEY, GOOD & BAD, SO OTHERS COULD GET QUICK INFORMATION. DR BYRNE IS MY SURGEON SO MY JOURNAL WILL TAKE YOU STEP-BY-STEP THROUGH HIS PROCESS. AS FOR SUPPORT, PLEASE JOIN US AT OUR LCBB (LOWCOUNTRY BYPASS BUDDIES) MEETINGS THURSDAY EVENINGS AT CJ's BAR & GRILL AT 3752 ASHELY PHOSPHATE IN N CHARLESTON/CHARLESTON HEIGHTS AREA. CHERYL OWNS CJ's & SHE'S A WLS PATIENT AS WELL. WE MEET AT 6:00 - 7:30pm ... COME ANY TIME YOU CAN ... BRING HUBBY, OR A FRIEND, OR COME YOURSELF ... WHATEVER YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH. THERE ARE SEVERAL PEOPLE FROM THE GOOSE CREEK AREA WHO ARE MEMBERS OF LCBB ... WE GET ANYWHERE FROM 4 TO 20 PEOPLE ON ANY THURSDAY NIGHT. MS SUSANN BUTLER IS OUR CHAIRWOMAN & WILL E-MAIL YOU A REMINDER NOTICE EACH WEEK IF YOU GIVE HER YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS. SHE ALSO POSTS A REMINDER ON THE SC BOARD EACH WEEK. KEEP COMING TO THIS BOARD & YOU WILL PICK UP A WEALTH OF INFORMATION. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST BOARDS AROUND ... VERY CARING PEOPLE ... PEOPLE WHO ARE FOCUSED ON HAVING BETTER LIVES & REGAINING THEIR HEALTH THROUGH THIS WLS PROCESS. I ADDED YOU TO OUR SC WEIGHT LOSS LIST ... YOU'RE IN THE PROCESS; YOU'RE ONE OF US ... WELCOME! GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK

Thank you very much for responding. I LOVE your journal your sooo inspiring. I went yesterday, for my first visit with Dr. Byrnes. The entire visit went well, but the meeting he holds at the end was SCAREY! I left worried more than when I came there. I don't want to die, ya know. I don't want to get a pulmonary embolism and die for an elective surgery. I mean he REALLy SCARED ME. I know he has to go over the risks and bennifits. The bennifits out way the risks, clearly. BUT, I can't help but wonder am I going to be that one person that doesn't do well. I am 31 years old and in "good" health minus the hypertension, reflux, high cholestrol. I am totally committd to this surgery and have researched it A LOT. I am was hear the good and the great and yesterday I got what could really happen. I have had a C-Section and my gall bladder taken out, so I have had surgeries and I guess I had risks then, but just wasn't explained to me, ya know. Dr. Byrnes is a very smart, nice and caring surgeon and I appreciate all his knowledge and his dedication. Where you worried about the "bad" side effects? Chell

THANKS SWEETIE ... I'M GLAD YOU ENJOYED MY JOURNAL & I REALLY HOPE IT GAVE YOU INFORMATION TO HELP YOU ALONG YOUR WLS JOURNEY. DR BYRNES IS VERY STRONG ON THE PROBLEMS THAT CAN ARISE & HE SEEMS TO SCARE A LOT OF PEOPLE ... I CAN'T GET YOU PAST YOUR FEARS BUT I CAN TELL YOU HOW I LOOKED AT IT. BEING A CHRISTIAN, I FEEL THAT IF IT'S MY TIME TO DIE, I'M GONNA DIE WHETHER I'M ON A SURGERY TABLE OR IN MY COZY BED AT HOME. AS LONG AS I'M NOT BEING AN IDIOT & DOING SOMETHING TO PURPOSELY JEOPARDIZE MY LIFE LIKE TAKING STREET DRUGS OR DRIVING DRUNK, I THINK GOD TAKES CARE OF THE THINGS I CANNOT. SO, SURGERY DID NOT SCARE ME AT ALL ... NOT ONE BIT ... NOT EVEN FOR ONE MOMENT. MUSC HAS JUST BEEN QUALIFIED AS A CENTER OF EXCELLENCE MEANING THAT THEY HAVE FEWER MAJOR PROBLEMS & FEWER DEATHS FROM THEIR PROCEDURES ... NOT MANY MEDICAL CENTERS/HOSPITALS HAVE THIS EXTRA-HIGH STATUS. SINCE I'VE ALREADY GONE THROUGH WLS, I KNOW HOW DETAILED THE ENTIRE STAFF IS ... THEY EXPLAIN EVERYTHING & I MEAN EVERYTHING SO IF YOU COME UP AGAINST SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH, THAT IS THE TIME TO GET MORE INFORMATION. I DIDN'T LOOK AT THIS SURGERY AS "ELECTIVE". I WAS IN SUCH HORRID MEDICAL CONDITION, THAT NICK & I SAW MY HEALTH WORSENING DAILY. I WAS SO SCARED OF THE CONDITION I WAS IN ... HAD EXHAUSTED MY LAST EFFORT AT CONVENTIONAL DIETS & EXERCISE ... &, HAD RESIGNED MYSELF TO AN EARLY DEATH ... SURGERY WAS A GODSEND ... IT WAS HOPE ... IT WAS MY LAST CHANCE TO HAVE ANY QUALITY OF LIFE AT ALL WITH MY NICK. I COULDN'T DO EVEN THE NORMAL THINGS OF LIFE SO MY LIFE WAS THE BED, THE COUCH, A FEW SHORT OUTINGS & PAIN, PAIN, PAIN, PAIN ... SO WE DIDN'T SEE ANY OTHER OPTION. I HAVE A MAJOR HEART CONDITION SO DYING ON THE TABLE WAS A REAL POSSIBILITY. WE BOTH KNEW THAT GOING IN & WHEN I CAME OUT OF RECOVERY & SAW NICK FOR THE FIRST TIME, I KNOW HE WAS THINKING JUST THAT BECAUSE HE WAS AS WHITE AS A SHEET UNTIL I SPOKE TO HIM. NICK WOULD HAVE BEEN DEVASTATED IF I HAD DIED; WE ARE SO VERY CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER ... BUT, HE WAS DEVASTATED DAILY WATCHING ME GET WORSE RIGHT BEFORE HIS EYES & I WAS DEVASTATED LIVING IN AN EVER-TIGHTENING MEDICAL PRISION. I WILL TELL YOU THAT ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING IN THIS WLS GAME BECAUSE NO ONE IS GETTING THROUGH THIS JOURNEY EASILY. SO, IF YOU HAVE A "NOTHING IS GOING TO STOP ME" ATTITUDE ... &, KEEP ADJUSTING YOUR ATTITUDE ALONG THE WAY TO KEEP IT POSITIVE & STRONG, YOU WILL GET THROUGH ANYTHING. I'M STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW WITH UNENDING STALLS & SLOW WEIGHT LOSS ... &, AFTER MY MOMMA'S LAST ILLNESS, I JUST LOST IT (POOR NICK & MS CHERYL HELD ME TOGETHER ... THANK GOD FOR LOVING HUSBAND'S & WONDERFUL FRIENDS) ... I'M DOING BETTER NOW ... ABOUT 50% BACK TO MY NORMAL, POSITIVE SELF ... BY TOMORROW OR THE NEXT DAY, I WILL BE SLAYING DRAGONS AGAIN. SO, IF YOU GO INTO THIS SCARED, YOU'LL LIVE IN ABSOLUTE HELL THROUGHOUT YOUR WLS JOURNEY ... THERE IS SO MUCH THAT CAN SCASRE YOU ALONG THE WAY THAT YOU BETTER BE READY FOR THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE. YOU CAN'T REVERSE THIS. YOU CAN'T STOP THE PROCESS ... THIS IS PERMANENT; THIS IS FOREVER & IT GETS TO BE A ROYAL PAIN AT TIMES. BUT, IN MY CASE ... IT IS THE BEST HOPE I HAD/HAVE FOR A HEALTHY, ACTIVE LIFE. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE THIS IS FOR YOU, BE WISE & STEP BACK ... WAIT ... LEARN MORE ... TRY SOMETHING ELSE ... LISTEN TO THOSE OF US ON THE JOURNEY ... TALK TO PEOPLE WHO ARE TRUSTWORTHY ... BUT, DON'T DO THIS UNTIL YOU ARE READY. IF THAT IS NEVER, THEN THAT IS THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR YOU! I HAVE GONE THROUGH SO MANY LIFE-THREATENING SITUATIONS MYSELF & WITH FAMILY MEMBERS THAT I REFUSE TO LIVE IN FEAR. FEAR LIMITS YOU. FEAR RULES YOUR LIFE. FEAR TAKES AWAY POSSIBILITIES. MAKE THIS DECISION FROM A POSITION OF INFORMATION & WISDOM, NOT FEAR. IF YOU FIND THE RISKS ARE TOO HIGH, THEN DON'T TAKE THIS ROAD. IF YOU FIND THE RISKS ARE ACCEPTABLE & YOU ARE READY TO ACCEPT THE OUTCOME NO MATTER WHAT IT IS, THEN CONTINUE ON THE WAY. ONLY YOU CAN MAKE THE DECISION, MS CHELL, & THERE IS NO WRONG ANSWER UNLESS YOU DON'T DO WHAT YOU FEEL IS RIGHT FOR YOU. YES OR NO - THEY ARE BOTH THE RIGHT ANSWER. GOD BLESS YOU DAWN & NICK

Bless your heart and thank you. Your a true person. I am ready for this journey. I have been FAT ALL MY LIFE. Weight has controled me and EVERY decision I have ever made. There have been soooo many things that I have wanted to do in my 31 years of life, BUT did not do them, because of my weight. I am soooo ready to start a NEW life or better yet have a life. THANK YOU for your kind words and advice I do APPRECAITE it so much! I too really don't think this is an elective procedure, maybe I could have used a better word than "elective". This well be a LIFE saving surgery, for me. I am hoping it will give me a life and a chance to experience so many things that I missed out on. I am ready, I can't say that enough, just somewhat scared. I am know waiting to hear from insurance, for approval. I am in the same boat, as far as declining health. I weight 210 lbs. when I met my husband in July 2000. I know weigh 300 lbs, with reflux, hypertension and just flat out UN healthy. I am a nurse, at the VA, and working on my feet all day is getting more and more difficult. Just walking has turned into torture. I have a beautiful almost 10 year old daughter that I love to do more things with. It is hard to say no to sooo many things that she wants to do. I can't even get on her trampoline, because I am over ther recommeded weight. How awful is that. But on a more serious note....I just want to be healthy and to be normal. THANK YOU again for all your kind words and advice. Please keep in contact with me.....you inspire me. Please just call me Chell Thanks, Chell

Thank you again for all the encouraging words. I did not mean to offend if I did about the "Ms" thing. You can call me what ever makes you comfortable. I believe in the southern tradition thing, I was raised in the south, all my life. Your right about Ms. Mr., please and thank you...it does make a world of difference. I am not sure if I shared this with you or not, I have a tentive surgery date for April 28th....yaaaaahoooo. Just waiting to hear from Joyce about the insurance thing. Dr. Byrnes told me that I would not have a problem, so we shall see. What kind of pre-op stuff do I need to look forward to and does it take all day? Thanks Chell

WELL, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SURGERY DATE ... I CHANGED YOUR INFO ON THE SC WEIGHT LOSS LIST!!!!!!!! YYYIIIPPPEEE!!!!!!!!! IF YOU'VE ALREADY HAD YOUR PSYCH EVAL & ALL THOSE INITIAL APPOINTMENT MEETINGS ... &&&, YOU'VE GONE TO THE MUSC NUTRITION CLASS (THAT'S REQUIRED) WITH THE NUTRITIONISTS & NURSES, THEN YOUR PRE-OP CONSISTS OF MEDICAL TESTS THEY DEEM NECESSARY FOR YOU IN PARTICULAR. I HAD TO HAVE MY HEART LOOKED AT SINCE I HAVE A HEART CONDITION. GO TO MY PROFILE TO THE ENTRY FOR 10-22, MS CHELL, & I WROTE WHAT I WENT THROUGH ... MINE TOOK A COUPLE HOURS ... IF YOU DON'T NEED ANY MEDICAL TESTS, IT'S A SNAP ... CHECK OUT SOME PAPERWORK & INSURANCE ISSUES ... SIGN SOME DOCUMENTS & WHA-LAH ... YOU'RE DONE. I ALSO WROTE ABOUT MY INITIAL APPOINTMENTS ON 9-1-2005 IF YOU WANT TO SEE IF YOU'VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR THAT PROCESS. IT'S A GOOOOOOOOO, GIRL ... GOOD FOR YOU!!!!! GOD BLESS YOU DAWN & NICK