Yesterday was my 8th Birthday!

I've been thinking of all of you who have surgeries scheduled soon; Any, Shelley, Jillian, Cindy, and Annie.  You're stories all bring back memories of what I went through 8 years ago yesterday.  Here's what I put on my blog today. Yesterday marked the 8-year anniversary of my WLS.  I got an email from the founder of OH, asking me to update my profile, as many people want to hear from those of us who are more than 5-years out.  So I took the Weight Loss Survey that asks questions like what it was like before, during, and after surgery.  I had a pretty postive experience overall, but answering the questions reminded me of some things I've forgotten.  I'd invite anyone who is considering WLS or who is still in their first year or two post-op to read through my survey responses. (Look for the link on my profile page on the bottom left side).  It's always enlightening to realize someone else has experienced exactly what you might be.  And it's also good to anticipate things to come, and enjoy it when your experience turns out to be better than you expected.  Just remember, every one is different.  We all experience each part of this journey differently.  What is true for me might be totally different for you.  God made us all so uniquely different, as you know, and we'll each respond differently to WLS just like everything else in life.

I have a renewed interest in WLS, given my daughter is considering it.  And like any good mom, I'm into supporting her and helping her connect with resources and information . . . so I've come home to OH after being off-line for many years.

Reading others' posts has reminded me of the "rules of the pouch" that I only partially followed post-op.  I am reminded that I have a tool that I can still use, 8 years out, to help me lose weight.  And since over the last 6 years I have managed to re-gain 100 of the 200 pounds I lost, I am starting to follow the rules again.  And I am amazed at how much it works.  I haven't weighed myself, but I can tell by how full I am that it's working.  I never really did water-loading before a meal, and I've always drank water with meals and all day long.  So it's weird to realize I can have that same post-op feeling of always being full by just changing the way I handle my water.  Now if I can just give up all the chocolate candy.  It's hard with all the Valentine goodies everywhere right now, so I'll just cut back for now, and take it a day at a time.  I find that I'm so full now, that I'm eating less candy, and I fully expect it will soon be a long-lost habit of mine.  I'm looking forward to getting some of this re-gained weight off me again.

Even though I've gained half my weight back, I 'm constanty reminded how much healthier I am now than I was 8 years ago.  This has been the best 8 years of my life, and I am so grateful for the day I was reborn!

Hi there, thanks for thinking of us and posting this today.  Its good to know that even after bieing out a few years that youe surgery still works if you work it.  I look forward to seeing posts from you in the future.  I did have a couple of questions for you though, as I am worried about future complications for myself.  Do you still get labs done?   Have you supplemented calcium and had a bone scan?  I'm worried about bone health... Did you ever have problems with you labs? Do you ever have blood sugar problems?  I see several people recently with hypoglycemia.... Don't feel like you have to answer I am just curious  *grin* Thanks