First Congratulations and stay hydrated! Yes I did tell, my mom was very concerned with in her mind great reason to be. But she did tell me before I was having it she was ok and happy for me. Those haters out there that Im sure we all have waiting to see if Im going to gain have had no comfort from me and wont! And that has given me much happiness! Do what's best for you.

Happy to hear you were approved! Is that just for the belly & thighs, or for the entire thing with breasts & arms, too?

I tried getting insurance to pay for a breast lift but they declined stating it was cosmetic, even though I had constant rashes.

Wow, I am so impressed. Good for you. You had to be at the forefront of weight loss surgery. What an inspiration to know that weight loss and, most importantly, maintenance is possible no matter what health issues you suffer from. You have been fighting the good fight my friend. I'm sure your health is much better than it would have been without the weight loss and maintenance. I hope a lot of people read your post. I think it would be just the encouragement someone needs to hear.

A a direct result of surgery, when the time came for me to step up and take care of my hubs and both my parents at the same time.. i was able to ..with minimal assistance.i could not have done that with a weight that would have been well north of 350 by then..( weight gains of 20 lb a year snowball in short order..).

Fae, sounds like you have more questions that need to be answered by a health professional . a Obesity surgeon would be a good place to get those answers. He/she would be able to look at your health, history and other conditions and match you to the best procedure for you..You must know here is a procedure that will give you the control and assistance you seek.. It begins with you.

Generally WLS gives the individual a measure of control, they have never experienced before.

PcoS is controlled by the same mechanism that controls blood sugar. just controls hormones released in ovaries as well as pancreas. surgery put my PCOS on hold for several years.. Some forms of WLS change not only your consumption, but all intake patterns and metabolism.. .Most people who are morbidly obese and are not binge eaters have a deep metabolism issue.(They can do an assessment of metabolism by having a complete diet and activity log recorded and .assessed by a nutritionist.).. was the case with my Mom, who also had the Memphis Gastric Bypass as done by Dr George Cowan in the mid 90's.It was essentially a RNY w/ bowel resections and removal of large portion of large intestine.. it was effective, is no longer done.he also removed gall bladder and appendix while doing the open abdominal surgery...

. We were both part of an Obesity study in conjunction with the Obesity Wellness center in Memphis and the university of Tn. In the research they showed the correlation of certain genetics predisposing obesity..the genetic link is in the control of metabolism and insulin/hormonal releases. I now use Bitter melon for control of sugars and hormonal releases. from the multiple cysts.It took me about 21 month to get to goal. i dropped heavily for first 6 months.. 20 lb in 2 wks....50 or so in 6 weeks. been a long time and i still am very close to original goal.. i 10 lbs variance..

take care of yourself.. hang in there... keep looking for those answers.