i would be more then happy to talk to you you can email me at [email protected]   we have a lot in common in the mental health area.  so shoot me an email b/c i dont get on here that often.  my name is britt

Hi! I'm new here. My name is Melissa, I'm 20 years old and I had Gastric Bypass Surgery on December 8th 2008. My weight  was 270 when I had surgery, I am now down to 215 BUT I have lost 8 inches. I came to this site in hopes to find support. I have bipolar and depression and everyone keeps telling me I should have lost a lot more weight by now. My Surgeon (Dr. Michael Wood from Michigan) tells me I'm doing fine though. I am having some slight complications like a sharp upper abdominal pain they've done a cat scan it was fine. I also have blood in stool so I have to schedule a colonoscopy. If they still cannot find our what's wrong and my pain does not go away I have to have a surgery where they cut me open and look around to see what's wrong. I'm basically looking to make some supportive friends who can reassure me that I'm doing a good job. I'm not even 21 yet and I've had 5 different surgeries. I haven't had an easy life. As most obese people I was teased daily in high school I even had to eat my lunch in the restroom. I'd say I was mainly overweight because my thyroid wasn't working I had to have it removed because of a goiter. Anyways I'm gonna go please reply if your a kind sincere person whose intrested in being friends.

Good Morning OH'ers.. IT'S FRIDAY ! !

Today I am grateful..

That I can be honest with myself and realize I am an addict..

That I am working on hard at controlling my reactions to other people's actions..

For people that really care..

For Yvonne's emails..

For other emails that make me smile..

The song of the week may offend some of you so if you are easily offended don't read it..  It is by one of my favorite artist.. Tupac and does contain offensive words..

SONG OF THE WEEK
THUG MANSION BY TUPAC..

**** tired of gettin shot at
Tired of gettin chased by the police and arrested
N****** need a spot where WE can kick it
A spot where WE belong, that's just for us
N****** ain't gotta get all dressed up and be Hollywood
Y'knahmean? Where do n****** go when we die?
Ain't no heaven for a thug n******
That's why we go to thug mansion
That's the only place where thugs get in free and you gotta be a
G
... at thug mansion
[Verse One]
A place to spend my quiet nights, time to unwind
So much pressure in this life of mine, I cry at times
I once contemplated suicide, and woulda tried
But when I held that 9, all I could see was my momma's eyes
No one knows my struggle, they only see the trouble
Not knowin it's hard to carry on when no one loves you
Picture me inside the misery of poverty
No man alive has ever witnessed struggles I survived
Prayin hard for better days, promise to hold on
Me and my dawgs ain't have a choice but to roll on
We found a family spot to kick it
Where we can drink liquor and no one bickers over trick ****
A spot where we can smoke in peace, and even though we G's
We still visualize places, that we can roll in peace
And in my mind's eye I see this place, the players go in fast
I got a spot for us all, so we can ball, at thug's mansion
[Chorus: Anthony Hamilton]
Ain't no place I'd rather be
Chillin' with homies and family
Sky high, iced out paradise
In the skyyyyyyyyyy..
Ain't no place I'd rather be
Only place that's right for me
Chromed out mansion in paradise
In the skyyyyyyyyyy..
[Verse Two]
Will I survive all the fights and the darkness?
Trouble sparks, they tell me home is where the heart is, dear
departed
I shed tattooed tears and couldn't sleep good
for multiple years, witness peers catch gunshots
Nobody cares, seen the politicians ban us
They'd rather see us locked in chains, please explain
why they can't stand us, is there a way for me to change?
Or am I just a victim of things I did to maintain?
I need a place to rest my head
with the little bit of homeboys that remains, cause all the rest
dead
Is there a spot for us to roll, if you find it
I'll be right behind ya, show me and I'll go
How can I be peaceful? I'm comin from the bottom
Watch my daddy scream peace while the other man shot him
I need a house that's full of love when I need to escape
the deadly places slingin drugs, in thug's mansion
[Chorus w/ minor ad lib variations]
[Verse Three]
Dear momma don't cry, your baby boy's doin good
Tell the homies I'm in heaven and they ain't got hoods
Seen a show with Marvin Gaye last night, it had me shook
Drippin peppermint Schnapps, with Jackie Wilson, and Sam
Cooke
Then some lady named Billie Holiday
Sang sittin there kickin it with Malcolm, 'til the day came
Little LaTasha sho' grown
Tell the lady in the liquorstore that she's forgiven, so come
home
Maybe in time you'll understand only God can save us
When Miles Davis cuttin lose with the band
Just think of all the people that you knew in the past
that passed on, they in heaven, found peace at last
Picture a place that they exist, together
There has to be a place better than this, in heaven
So right before I sleep, dear God, what I'm askin
Remember this face, save me a place, in thug's mansion

MOVIE QUOTE OF THE WEEK..

Life is all about smiles and cries..  Officer Hoyt in Training day..

Happy Friday Eve..

Today I am grateful..

For people that check on me..

For seeing the light..

For understanding some changes that I have to make..

For the email I received yesterday reminding me of what being an addict is all about.. I shared some of it on Yvonne's group http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/yvonnegroup

For the true people in my life..

Hi Katie,
 Sorry about the delay in chiming in here, just found your post.
 Over the last 5 years, I have had to increase the dosages on ALL my medications, not just my antidepressant. I also switched to Wellbrutin from Lexapro and it's working awesome!! I would agree that you need to tell your doc about our malabsorbtion, it can definately be the "culprit" in the increase of your symptoms.
 Also, don't forget that you also experience an "overload" of emotions, after surgery. For almost 6 months, my moods were a little extreme, do to all the hormones, (which are stored in our fat cells) were being released into my system, cause of the weightloss.
 Hang in there, it gets better! Hope this helped.