I had Dr. Sunny Shaw at Tufts. She is really a great doctor. I also go to a Weight Loss Support Group for people that either have had the surgery or are considering it in Bridgewater. I went there before my surgery and it was very helpful. You hear the good and bad, people that have had everything go smooth and people that have had complications. All of my family were against me having it, but now I am 15 months out and don't regret a thing. I haven't been a size 6 since I was in 7th grade. I feel 35 now not 53. Good luck with your decision.

Hey everyone, I am Chris and I am from and currently living in Chelmsford, MA.  I had my surgery in October of 2009.  I went from 325 to 175 in about a year.  Never thought I would say this but I was tooooo skinny.  Thankfully I have gained a little bit back and I am maintaining a weight of 200lbs. now.  I didnt really have any complications, except for the tears at first, thinkikng I would never be able to eat again, and " WHY DID I DO THIS!!!"  But that quickly went away and I have never been happier.  I will admit I havent been exercising enough and that needs to change.  Once this foot heals I hope to start back at the gym and start packing on some muscle.  Good luck everyone.

So my husband and I recently made the decision that I would go ahead with WLS after going to a clinic for over a year and a half and trying various treatment methods with no success.  We made the decision on 10/12/11, and my surgery is scheduled for 12/7/11.  I will be having the vertical sleeve gastrectomy at Mass General.  My story seems to be the opposite of most in that once we decided on surgery, things are moving very quickly, so I haven't had very long to process everything.  However, it took me a very long time to come to this decision, mainly because of all the negative associations people have with it and my own doubts about whether or not I would be able to stand not being able to eat my favorite foods like I was used to.  Now those doubts have shifted more to nerves and the associations fell by the wayside when no other treatments worked and I realized that this may be my only option if I wanted to reach my health and pregnancy goals sometime in this life.

Anyway, that is the short version of my story.  Just thought I would pop in and say Hi to all the locals here on OH.

 ‎"When was the last time you woke up and realized that today could be the best day of your life? Participate in your dreams today. There are unlimited opportunities available with this new day. Take action on those wonderful dreams you've had in your mind for so long. Remember, success is something you experience when you act accordingly. Success is not something you HAVE, it’s something you DO." - Steve Maraboli

Hi,

I am having my surgery in a few weeks and I am starting to get real nervous and have second thoughts.  I am not so nervous for the surgery, I feel or at least I hope I will make it through okay.  It's after the surgery that I am nervous about.  I have been reading so many stories about hernia, bowel obstructions etc.  What will life be like 10 or 20  years out.  I have two small children and I am starting to have second thoughts about doing this.  I want it so badly, but now I am getting scared. Any advice from people who have been there and are newly out of surgery, a few months out and even years out would be great. Thanks!  I am having it done at Tufts so if anyone has had it there too, any words of wisdom would be great.