Hi gang! Just a reminder that we'll have the first meeting of the Central WV Weight Loss Surgery support group on Weds 3/21 at 6:30 pm. The meeting will be held in the multi purpose room at Braxton Memorial Hospital in Gassaway. To reach the hospital, take I-79 to the Gassaway exit (exit 62). At the bottom of the ramp, turn right. Within a mile, you will come to a Long John Silvers on the left side in front of a Kroger's grocery store. Immediately begin watching on the right hand sign for the hospital sign. It is practically across the road! If you come to Michael Motors (a Ford and Dodge car dealership) on the left, you have gone too far... For more information, you can call Lea at 364-4002 or email me directly at [email protected] The meeting is free and everyone is invited! We're excited to get this group going and want everyone's input as to what they'd like the group to do and how they'd like the group to work... Any suggestions are welcome! Thanks! Lea 410/279/175?

If I'm not being too nosey, why UPMC and not WVU?

You could sip on this all day. My Dr. makes his pt. get in 70 gm protein daily and 64 oz of fld. (whi*****luded the protein fluids). I have a hard time drinking that much fluid. I've never been good on taking in fluids. My surgery is scheduled for 3/19 and I plan is to sip proteins all day with a goal of 70 gm. Protein and hopefully a total of 64 oz. of fluid. Good luck to you. PrayUSA

pittsburg pa.

Hi Beth, I had LB surgery 5/03. Lost 45#. Between 5/04-1/05, I was so sick, nauseated, mid abd. pain. Many tests, X-Rays, 3 CT scans, colonoscopy didn't show what was wrong. I continued to be sick. 1/05 entered KDMC, Ashland, KY with severe abd. pain. My surgeon ran many more tests and then took me to surgery. Long story short......The band had eaten its way through the abd. wall and was laying inside my stomach. I had two abd. holes, one fairly large. I had peritonitis. The band was removed, I was hospitalized for two weeks. The peritonitis nearly killed me. My labs are just now coming back to normal. I have gained my wt. back plus some. Beth, you will not lose very much weight with the LB. On Monday, 3/19, I will have the RNY. I am looking forward to getting in control of my eating again. I believe in WLS. I just do not feel the band is safe. My BMI prior to the band was 39, today it is 41. I am a lifetime non smoker, registered nurse, do not drink and followed the LB post diet well. It just doesn't work on the long haul. It helped with 45# then that was it. Good Luck, Pray USA