Support group in SW VA?

Morning all! I had my WLS when I was living in AL, so I was on the AL board for awhile. I moved to VA a year + ago, and haven't really gotten back to posting on OH much. Thought I'd peak my head in here on the VA board and you all look like such a nice bunch - I thought I'd post. Do any of you belong to a WLS support group in my area? I'm in the Martinsville, Collinsville area. Thanks & have a great day! Donna P RNY 11/17/04 At goal! Down 116 pounds.

Welcome Donna ~ ! I do not have any info on that area , I do know there are some really great groups forming in the Northwestern area . There is one that meets in Charlottesville and one that is in the Winchester area . I know that we have some that travel from Danville to the ones in C-vile . I am sure someone will see this post and if they know they will tell ya .. Welcome to the Va Boards .. you will find that we are a great group .. and lot's going on and lot's coming up in the future months for meet and greets .. Take care , Natalie

Thanks Natalie! Is it OK to join up with a group even if it's not in my immediate area? I'm an hour from Roanoke, but I love to run up there to shop. So, I suppose I could go to a group there. I could scoot up to Charlottesville if that is the closest group. Thanks for your help hon. Donna P RNY 11/17/04 At goal! Down 116 pounds.

I believe we met a lady at the last M n G who heads a Lynchburg group. Never have gotten good feedback about a group in Roanoke either, altho I keep hearing tell that there is one. Over here close to the mtns we are basically our own support group--getting together for M n Gs, individually or in small groups whenever the notion takes us. Welcome, and good luck finding a group. The more formal support groups are usually near surgeons who perform the surgery, and there are not that many--Roanoke, C'ville and Marion are the only ones in this huge central/SW area who do, I think. Someone will chime in and correct me if I am wrong, I hope. Lois

Although I still haven't been to the one in Roanoke, I spoke to Kay last month, the dietician for Dr. Lucktong's patients who heads up the group, and she told me how they have made some changes to the group which sound good (i.e. getting in guest speakers to talk about pertinant subjects to us). It is the first Monday of the month at 7pm. You can call Kay Clatterback, at (540)981-7494 for more information & directions. I believe the meeting is from 7-8pm. I would like to start going, but I have had agility class with my dog Kelsey on Monday evenings, but maybe I'll get there once the class wraps up. I've been very disheartened with the support group in Radford and stopped going, but I like the group concept and would be happy to give another group a try. Good luck! Julie

Donna, I went to the one that Julie is talking about it is the first Monday of every month. The one on Monday was about sleep and the effects of not getting enough. The speaker was from the Carilion Sleep Center. I really liked and and learned a lot as well. Please come join next month I plan on going. Anna

Morning! Thank you all so much! I sure look forward to getting to know you all. I enjoyed reading through some of your journals. I'm almost 2 yrs. post-op and it's amazing reading some of your journeys and seeing that you've gone through (or are going through) some of the things I have. Anna, Such a long story for here, so I won't get into everything - but, I read in your journal that you have Fibromyalgia (and arthritis & migraines - bless your heart, ME TOO). I have an appointment with a doctor (Rheumatologist) at Duke in January to diagnose or rule out FMS. I also see that you are pre-op. I sure hope you get some relief after your surgery hon. It has made a world of difference for me in terms of the constant arthritis pain I was in. I still have some bad days, but so much less than before my surgery. I'm definitely going to see if I can make the next support meeting. Hugs all, Donna P RNY 11/17/04 At goal! Down 116 pounds.

Julie, What type of dog do you have? I had to smile when I read that you were in a class with your dog. I have 2 little Shih-Tzus, Chelsea & Mollie. Chelsea is almost 7 and when she was much younger, I took her to obedience classes. We flunked out - LOL! She has a problem with her trachea and can't take any pulling or pressure on her throat. Couple that with the fact that I'm a softie, and we were better spectators than participants. LOL! Donna P RNY 11/17/04 At goal! Down 116 pounds.

I actually have 3 dogs: Shelley, Nikki, & Kelsey. Shelley (18lbs) & Nikki (60lbs) are my sweet older girls, 13 & 11, of Heinz 57 variety. Kelsey is my bundle of energy!!! She is just about 2 years old AND a Dalmatian. A handful, but I love her to death!!! We took 2 beginner obedience courses (she was flunking the 1st one, so we got to take it again) last year. Thankfully, she matured A LOT over the next year because she did great in intermediate. The main reason we are taking intermediate over again is to continue to give her exposure to other dogs (she wants to play with them all) and try to pass the Canine Good Citizenship test (she failed the being pet by a stranger portion last time). We are also going to agility and LOVE IT!!! I've begun setting up an agility field in our backyard Even though Shelley is 13, she is still an active girl, so I may try to teach her some agility as well. I showed Nikki the jump (only 8" high), and she looked up at me to say "I don't think so!" This weekend, I am volunteering at an AKC obedience & rally trial in Dublin, VA. It is really exciting; I've never been to one before, and my obedience instructor said it would be a great introduction for me to decide if I want to continue on that track. Let me know if you still have problems with the pressure on your Shih-Tzus' throats. Shelley has the same problem. I use an anti-pull harness on her, and she does great. She's far from obedient & pulls constantly, but she doesn't choke herself when we are out in public anymore The Gentle Leader is another option that works great for most dogs, but with their little snouts, it really isn't a good choice for your little ones. Guess you found what gets me talking. Normally, I'm the quiet one, but bring up animals & I can't stop talking (or typing). My co-workers tease me because I also have cats, ferrets, and a ****atiel. Thankfully, my husband is a fairly patient person Let me know if you decide to give Roanoke a chance. I may give it a go myself! Julie

LOL! Well, you sound like me Julie - a true animal lover! I have 4 cats in addition to my Shih-Tzus. NOT that I planned to have 4 cats, but I'm a pushover! It seems that everytime I went to the Vet's office with Chelsea (she has horrible allergies so I practically lived there for a year) one of the Vet Tech's would say, "Mrs. Pratt.....look what I have!" That's how I ended up with 4 cats. I love them to pieces, but I finally told the Vet Tech not to show me any more kittens or I'd have to go to another Vet. LOL! I have something called the Yap Wrap for the dogs that is supposed to completely eliminate the trachea irritation. It works better than anything I've used, but it doesn't completely stop the irritation. Best of luck with the classes! Sounds like a lot of fun. I'll let you know if I go to Roanoke - I'd really like to. I'm leaving for a week in the mountains on Saturday and then the following weekend, my daughter is getting married. Right now I'm a crazy lady which, is why I haven't been on here for a few days. Anyhoo, when I get back to a normal life (whatever THAT is) I'm going to plan to go to a meeting. Hugs, Donna