New Here

 

 Hi Sheila...
    You won't find a kinder more supportive bunch of people than here!!!
    I'm 58 on Friday...had my RNY in July of 2008.  Wow can't believe its been 3 years....I've had my ups and downs..but what a ride its been.  I feel good and am enjoying my summer off with family and friends, especially my new grandson!!! 
    Visit here often, ask any questions you want or need.  We are an eager bunch when it comes to helping.
    Nice to meet you...hope to hear from you more !!!!

     Marcy

 Welcme Sheila,
Im Carla and I am 56 years old and I had my surgery 9 years ago and have been on oh since 2001. I have a revision surgery in 2002. I have lost 150 pounds.
I live in florida with my husband of 31 years. We have one daughter and she is getting married in three weeeks!!!!!! in Chicago.
I migrated down to florida 4 years ago from colorado. I couldnt stand the snow and cold anymore so I told my husband I had enough so we put our house on the market and left!!!!!
I dont regret moving at all.
You will love this forum...... so post on girl we would love to her about your adventure!!!!!!
By the way where are you from?
Carla

Hi Sheila....I am wondering about emotionally and mentally...if you are not ready yet to get that personal...I understand.  But I am just a few weeks away from surgery, that is part of why I am asking...but I am also asking for your sake.  I am sad that you are having these issues, do you have an analyst or someone close you can share your concerns with? 

Well...you have me and all of us to call on anytime, somebody is always here.  Welcome to this forum, it is the best and I have looked around, make yourself to home, pull up a chair and get comfortable....you are home..... ....hugs....Sam

Hi Sheila

I haven't had the surgery yet  - I'm scheduled in August.  I can relate to the ups and downs - I'm nervous about my surgery - I have great confidence in my surgeon, but it is a big decision and change for me.   

Everyone here is very supportive, and has been a great source of information and inspiration.

Take care,

 Hello Sheila and WELCOME to OFF!!!!

Everyone has pretty well said it but, this really is the BEST BOARD on OH!!!   What a great group. We help each other in any situation. We are here for each other through the good, the bad, and the ugly!! We do not judge and we don't have all the drama the other boards tend to have.

I hope you stick around and get to know us better....you won't be sorry!

Just ask away...generally someone has the answer. Nothing is to small or too dumb to ask....relax, put your feet up, grab your favorite drink, and join right in!!

HUGS....connie d

Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for the warm welcome. I am so very grateful. I visited several other forums searching for a place to "be" and they seemed to be rather negative and concentrating more on complications instead of success. So I am so happy to have found all of you. I can't thank you enough.

I live in North Carolina, about equal distance between Charlotte and Asheville.

Physically, I think I had a good surgery. I also had a hiatial hernia repaired. Knock on wood I haven't been sick at all, have been able to eat and drink with no problems. I do have a "gurgle" that seems to be coming from my esophagus but the doctor tells me that generally goes away. I hope so...it was so bad the other day that someone from the next office asked me if it was my stomach growling!

Emotionally, it has been harder for several reasons. For years I have taken an anti-depressant that has worked well for me. After surgery no one (me included) realized that it was time-released and of course with the new pouch, I wasn't getting the full dose. So...a few days after surgery, I burst into tears, saying I had ruined our life. Since then I've been working with my primary care physician trying to adjust the dosage, timing, etc. for best results but it's been hard. To add to my concern, my husband, who is the best thing to come along in my life (I was 41 when I got married for the first time), desperately needs the surgery. In fact, we approached this thinking that we would both do it, I would go first because we have differing insurance carriers and mine approved it quickly. So the fact that I have had such a hard time emotionally has made me feel terrible...I had SO hoped to be a good role model. I will feel so guilty if my reaction keeps him from moving ahead with the surgery. So that is what has fueled my worry and anxiety. I have also heard so many stories of hair loss, teeth issues, etc., that it has me almost hysterical...again, why I felt the need for some positive folks to interact with.

I love hearing about your families and pets (who I also consider family)! I do a little volunteer work for an animal rescue organization, so animals are near and dear to my heart. 

Thank you again. I look forward to sharing with each and every one of you!

Sheila

Dear Shelia,
Welcome and yep, you will find support here and hopefully you will connect with us.

Here's what I'm going through 4 years plus out, and also I'm a "revision" had a Gastroplasty in 1980 (stomach stapled) and now am RNY, and I'd do it all over again if I had to.

I'm fighting to get my regain off. Exercise daily even if it's only 30 minutes. I regained after having surgery last July due to adhesion's and scar tissue. I use to exercise 3 hours a day (not all at once) and now I have to fight to get one hour in. Big change for me but I'm going to get this weight off again, and it's not a race, this is for lifetime. Hugs Debbie

Hi Sheila,

Welcome to our little corner of the OH universe, this group, as I can see you already found out, is a wonderfully supportive bunch of, mostly women, the men lurk and once in a great while will post something, many of which, as you can see, are long term post-WLS folks, who are doing well, living their dreams as a result of having this life altering surgery. . .

About myself, I am currently 56, had my surgery at the age of 52 and reading your post, sounds like you had some similar issues, my hiatal hernia got repaired as well (what a blessing to be able to enjoy the spices of garlic and onion once more) and I even had the gurgling you spoke about, I think it disappeared for me between 3 and 6 months.  I am a native New Yorker *****located at the age of 48 to SWNJ (considered a suburb of Philadelphia) and I live with my wonderful 4 yo rottie, Foxy Roxie, who I got from a rescue organization last year after putting down my 13 yo rottie, Dillinger, and I refer to her as the mender of broken hearts, as my heart was broken after losing Dillinger and I also have two roommates, as it helps to pay the bills and makes sure that Roxie always has someone around to give her love, have a wonderful b/f of 3.5 years, 3 adult children, 2 of which are daughters (Marlene 35, Angela 33), they live in Florida and the older of those 2 has 2 children, age 13 and 9 and my son (Jeff 37), who is my oldest child lives nearby and he has 2 children, age 5 and 4. 

What I can say is that the life I am living today is one that has me very active and feeling joyful for the benefits of healthier living.  At 52, I was living life on the sidelines, unable to move freely because while I was considered a lightweight for this type of surgery, those extra lbs. caused me pain and my mobility was becoming more and more affected and I felt I was way too young to be living that way, plus my family history was about to become a major factor, in that obesity in my family is synonymous with diabetes and heart disease. 

While this is not a magical cure for us, it gets us to a healthier place and then the habits we change help us to build a long term healthier life.  My life today includes physical activity and healthier eating, as well as my vitamin regime and drinking at least 64 ounces of decaf fluids each day.  I had my surgery in October 2007, lost close to 100 lbs. and have been struggling with a bit of regain over the past 9 months, but I know why and how it happened and am working at doing what I need to in order to get back to where I am most comfortable.  It also includes support, via OH, as well as a support group that I have been participating in since before I had my surgery.  This combination is a winning one for what lies ahead and is sure to be a battle that you can win, one day at a time. 

As for the emotional roller coaster you described, it can be that way and from the sounds of it, you had stuff going on before, so medications prescribed before need adjusting, but another part of this that you may experience is the release of estrogen from the fat, as our fat stores it and so you may experience mood swings, hot flashes, increased sexual desires, all these are a normal part of the process as you lose weight.  

Again, welcome and it will be nice getting to know you and cheering you on as you experience the wonderful benefits of having had WLS.

Laureen

Thank you Debbie Jean and Laureen. Laureen, I am grateful to hear that the gurgling went away for you, that gives me hope. I've heard several folks say they still have it years out, and all I could think of was, "Please, No!" I had an upper GI this morning and the radiologist said that she saw nothing out of the ordinary. 

I am working hard at getting all of the fluids in. The challenging thing has been getting in all of the vitamins and supplements. I keep telling myself that as hard as they are in get in, at least they won't have the side effects of the RX drugs I am hopefully coming off of - blood pressure RX, cholesteral RX, etc. It was 4 weeks today for my surgery and I haven't lost a lot of weight - in the neighborhood of 20 lbs., but maybe I will see more progress as I move along.

My sister-in-law is having RNY tomorrow. I have tried to clue her in to some of the changes, feelings, etc. she will go through, but I honestly think that when you are on the "other side" you just don't hear things. I guess it is truly something everyone has to experience for themselves.

Laureen - thank you for being a rescuer! We rescued a golden retriever about a year ago. She had a great family but the mom was extremely allergic. "Maggie" joined right in and was the first dog that our other golden would bond with. Rusty will soon be 10 and Maggie is about 5...she follows him around like a love-struck teenager!

Thanks again everyone!

Sheila

Hey Shelia,

Not sure what regime of vitamins you are on, but I take my multi in the am, along with my b's (b-1 and b-12 sublingual), lunchtime I take my calcium and then mid afternoon another round of multi's, then either dinner or evening snack I take the last of my calcium, just to give you some ideas.  I used to send myself reminders via email, don't need to anymore.  It does get easier to get in what you need to, but takes some juggling for sure and then if you need iron, well that becomes another story. . .lol

Also, when is the last time you lost 20 lbs. in 4 weeks?  Easy does it girl, this is not a race, the weight will come off so long as you do what needs doing, DON'T eat less than what you are supposed to, because then your body will go into starvation mode and not allow you to lose weight, it is already been put into shock by what you've done.  If possible, take walks with your Golden, nice long ones or find something physical you can do on a regular basis as that helps. 

Also, don't be concerned with the scale, take photos monthly, side profile and front, preferrably in front of an object you can do the same each month in front of, some use a door or the refrigerator, it will help you see the results even when the scale fails.  Another useful tool once a month is the tape measure, as often and silly as it may seem, the scale may not move for weeks at a time, yet your measurements will be changing.  These are the tools suggested to me, that I used, if you look at my profile photos, you can see that at about 5 months post-op was the point of noticeable change. . .

As for rescue, I would never buy an animal with so many who need a good home.  My Dillinger was rescued as a 2 week old pup by my exhusband, along with 2 liter mates, who were sickly and I eyedropper fed him, found him (and the litter mates) a good home, though because the adopter had severe allergies, though she tried to stave them off, he came back 11 months later and well I had him most of his life. . .  I worked as a volunteer for NE Rottie Rescue as a placement assessor for a time, so rescue is my way and I have to tell you that at the dog park I take her too, 80% if not more have rescue animals and a rescued animal always seems to be grateful to the person *****scued them. . .as Ceasar says, most dogs are a product of their environment. . .  I am grateful to have found such a sweet dog, as my Roxie is a 98 lb. lap dog (lol). . .

Have a great day and just enjoy these early days, as the time goes quick enough.

Laureen