My update! And my latest rant...
Hi to all my Jersey friends! Hope everyone is doing well!
I don't get a chance to post often, but since I added a new entry to my profile, I figured I'd post on here what I did on there! Additionally, our favorite NJ board poster, Timmy (hi Timmy!!!), encouraged me to post an update, so here goes!
It's a miracle!!! I was finally able to sleep on 1/2 my side and 1/2 my stomach last night! Hallelujah! I couldn't stand sleeping on my back anymore, so I used a pillow and braced it against my side to see if that would work. It hurt until I "schooched" around a little bit and was able to find a comfortable position. Yeah for me!
I don't know if I've lost any more weight yet (although hubby says I have)...I go back to Dr. Brolin on Friday, 9/23, to get weighed, get a new diet (solid foods I gather), and he's going to give me a prescription to take for the next six months to prevent gallstones since I didn't have my gallbladder removed. I haven't been weighing myself, figure I'll just get weighed at Brolin's office when I go for my follow-ups. I've been down that road before where I've weighed myself 3x a day, and obsessed over it, and I refuse to let myself do that again!
Now for my latest rant...anyone (outside of the WLS circle, of course) who thinks that WLS is an "easy way out", need to step into our shoes for just one day, and they'd see what we go through - between making sure we get in our daily protein intake, our water, our vitamins, getting exercise in, avoiding sugar in our foods, hoping our pouch accepts any new foods that we introduce to our bodies, hoping & praying against hair loss...shall I go on?! It's real work. You have to be dedicated to your health and wellbeing for the rest of your life. And when we lose the weight, it's not as if we can automatically stop all the above and forget what we've learned and done along the way. The surgery itself is not the end-all, it's the work you put in afterwards, and none of us can ever forget that...we didn't go through major surgery and have our organs cut and pasted and rearranged for nothing!!! Just had to get that out! 
Love & hugs to all! Happy losing!
Wendy 
Love & hugs to all! Happy losing!
Wendy 
Glad to hear from you Wendy! Hope you are feeling better each day, and especially now that you got your "rant" out!! I know what you mean about the tummy sleeping - Good for YOU!
Your words are so true! I feel the WLS has given us a tool that we have to work with, and use properly to insure we will have success, and be healthy(or healthier.) If we use that tool correctly - everyday, new healthy habits become a new way of life, and a blessing that we have been given. If we abuse it and the rules that come with it, we abuse and damage ourselves. It forces us to stay on track. It sure isn't always easy, and can be a very hard learning experience, but if we follow through, and accept this new way of life, I think the rules will become 2nd nature, but ones we MUST always follow.
Speaking of which - time for more water and my vitamins!
Take care, good night!
All the best to you!
Sherri
Wendy,
It sounds like you are doing OK, and Yeah! for you on your 1/2 tummy, 1/2 side sleeping position.
I want to address a couple of issues that you mentioned in your post. I certainly can identify with you in reference to becoming obsessed with weighing yourself. I have been weighing at Doctors appointments only since my surgery in May, 2005. I am now going to buy a scale but I am really, really going to make an effort to control this obsession. I'll keep you posted.
The second issue is WLS not being "THE EASY WAY OUT". I would like to share an article that I wrote before my surgery, after hearing that said many to many times. I posted this on the message boards...just my feelings about "WLS BEING THE EASY WAY OUT".
To my WL Family,
In reading over all of the posts every morning I can't help to be so
proud and blessed to have had the opportunity to be involved with
such a courageous, beautiful and compassionate group of people.
I become very upset 
when I hear people say that, "WLS IS THE EASY WAY OUT" or "USE A LITTLE WILL POWER AND YOU'LL LOSE WEIGHT". Do
they not think that we have tried to do this in other ways? It's
not as if we have the operation, and the "WL Fairy" waves a magic
wand 
and the pounds come off while we just sit around doing
nothing.
Do these people think that one morning we woke up and
said, "I think I want to become a food addict" and then we proceeded
to continue to eat and see how much we could gain because we all
love carrying 300 to 400 or more pounds around everyday???? We also
enjoy not being able to walk and take part in the activities with
our family...husbands, children, grandchildren, parents and
friends.
Do they also think that we love all of the ailments that
come along with obesity??? That we all sat down one day and
said, "I will eat more today, so I will develope more problems than
my other obese friends or family"? This is not a game it is our
lives and I know if there was another way of doing this I would have
done it 50 years ago. Oh, I could lose a little but when I gained
it back I weighed more than I did when I started the diet and thus began the vicious cycle.
I can't help to think about that beautiful and profound Indian saying,
before you judge me..."WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES".
I want to thank my Higher Power that he has blessed me with a family
that is very supportive of me having this surgery, but some others
have not been. They have offered their unsolicited advice. For
them, I say, "Don't insult my intelligence! My decision to have
surgery has not been made without a great deal of thought, research,
education and prayer". I also add that they are entitled to their
opinion but please respect my decision...you don't have to agree
with it but respect it. Let's agree to disagree.
The infamous question I get from some people is..."aren't you
scared"? Yes I am scared!!! I was also scared of spinal surgery to
remove 4 herniated dics, gallbladder surgery, arm and hand surgery
for nerve damage, surgery for endometreosis and 3 heart attacks were
no day at the beach either. So yes, some days I am scared but I am
trying to keep a positive attitude and hope and pray that when my
insurance approves coverage for surgery (oh yea, jumping through
these hoops is a barrell of fun also). I'd really want to do this if
I didn't need to.
I have to trust that my "Higher Power" will guide the hands of my
surgical team and all those caring for me to have a successful, non-
eventful surgery and recovery.
I ask that for all of you that disagree with your loved ones having
surgery, to try and remember how hard it is on those of us living
the way we are now. That the bottom line is, "THAT DEATH IS NOT A STRANGER TO THOSE THAT REMAIN OBESE."
WLS needs to be our decision, and for me it was the last resort. I can't go on existing rather than living...I have left my house about 10 times in the last 14 months. Why? Because I physically and emotionally can't without great pain.
I hope I don't sound like I am complaining, I guess I just needed to
vent a bit...please just bear with me and pray for me that I am
aprroved for surgery soon. Thank you all for being there for me.
To all that are having surgery you are in my thoughts and prayers.
For those that have already had surgery keep up the good work and
believe me I know it must be work. THIS IS NOT--"THE EASY WAY OUT"... but for some IT IS, "OUR LAST HOPE AND THE ONLY WAY OUT".
*****************************************************
I HAD MY SURGERY~~~~
DATE: MAY 17, 2005
SURGEON: DR. ALEXANDER ABKIN, FLORHAM PARK, NEW JERSEY
WEIGHT LOSS AS OF 8/25/05: 82 LBS. (HAVE NOT WEIGHED MYSELF SINCE THEN/CLOTHES ARE MUCH LOOSER SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT I'VE LOST MORE)
Big Hugs to all,
Fran P.
__________________________________________________
when I hear people say that, "WLS IS THE EASY WAY OUT" or "USE A LITTLE WILL POWER AND YOU'LL LOSE WEIGHT". Do
they not think that we have tried to do this in other ways? It's
not as if we have the operation, and the "WL Fairy" waves a magic
wand and the pounds come off while we just sit around doing
nothing.
Do these people think that one morning we woke up and
said, "I think I want to become a food addict" and then we proceeded
to continue to eat and see how much we could gain because we all
love carrying 300 to 400 or more pounds around everyday???? We also
enjoy not being able to walk and take part in the activities with
our family...husbands, children, grandchildren, parents and
friends.
Do they also think that we love all of the ailments that
come along with obesity??? That we all sat down one day and
said, "I will eat more today, so I will develope more problems than
my other obese friends or family"? This is not a game it is our
lives and I know if there was another way of doing this I would have
done it 50 years ago. Oh, I could lose a little but when I gained
it back I weighed more than I did when I started the diet and thus began the vicious cycle.
I can't help to think about that beautiful and profound Indian saying,
before you judge me..."WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES".
I want to thank my Higher Power that he has blessed me with a family
that is very supportive of me having this surgery, but some others
have not been. They have offered their unsolicited advice. For
them, I say, "Don't insult my intelligence! My decision to have
surgery has not been made without a great deal of thought, research,
education and prayer". I also add that they are entitled to their
opinion but please respect my decision...you don't have to agree
with it but respect it. Let's agree to disagree.
The infamous question I get from some people is..."aren't you
scared"? Yes I am scared!!! I was also scared of spinal surgery to
remove 4 herniated dics, gallbladder surgery, arm and hand surgery
for nerve damage, surgery for endometreosis and 3 heart attacks were
no day at the beach either. So yes, some days I am scared but I am
trying to keep a positive attitude and hope and pray that when my
insurance approves coverage for surgery (oh yea, jumping through
these hoops is a barrell of fun also). I'd really want to do this if
I didn't need to.
I have to trust that my "Higher Power" will guide the hands of my
surgical team and all those caring for me to have a successful, non-
eventful surgery and recovery.
I ask that for all of you that disagree with your loved ones having
surgery, to try and remember how hard it is on those of us living
the way we are now. That the bottom line is, "THAT DEATH IS NOT A STRANGER TO THOSE THAT REMAIN OBESE."
WLS needs to be our decision, and for me it was the last resort. I can't go on existing rather than living...I have left my house about 10 times in the last 14 months. Why? Because I physically and emotionally can't without great pain.
I hope I don't sound like I am complaining, I guess I just needed to
vent a bit...please just bear with me and pray for me that I am
aprroved for surgery soon. Thank you all for being there for me.
To all that are having surgery you are in my thoughts and prayers.
For those that have already had surgery keep up the good work and
believe me I know it must be work. THIS IS NOT--"THE EASY WAY OUT"... but for some IT IS, "OUR LAST HOPE AND THE ONLY WAY OUT".
*****************************************************
I HAD MY SURGERY~~~~
DATE: MAY 17, 2005
SURGEON: DR. ALEXANDER ABKIN, FLORHAM PARK, NEW JERSEY
WEIGHT LOSS AS OF 8/25/05: 82 LBS. (HAVE NOT WEIGHED MYSELF SINCE THEN/CLOTHES ARE MUCH LOOSER SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT I'VE LOST MORE)
Big Hugs to all,
Fran P.
__________________________________________________ WOW Fran !! All I can say is "well said" and thanks for that great addition to this post. Sometimes when people congratulate me on my weightloss so far, and ask "how did you do it" I feel like I am going to be judged negatively having taken what most people feel is the "easy way out," little do they know the life changes that MUST be made in order for this tool we have been blessed with to work. Not only to work successfully in weight loss, but to keep ourselves healthy for the future, by following the rules and taking our vitamins religously.
Wishing you only the best on your journey! Keep up the good work!
Take care,
Sherri
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