Relocating to WA

Hi Alan, thank you for your warm greeting! Yes, I have thought of a revision although a 20 lb. weight gain from lowest point is to be expected according to industry standards. It is frightening, however, to see the weight begin to come back on. What's more alarming to me is the debilitating hunger I feel almost all of the time. I'm quite certain my stoma is overly dialated, which would explain the hunger - if this is the case everything that I am eating is going right through the 'new' system - hence, I am absorbing all the calories but not absorbing the nutrients - my blood work tells me I am deficient in protein, calcium, vitamin D and iron, even though I continue to take my vitamins religiously. I suppose the first order of business is to get an endoscopy done to see what's going on in there. Again, thank you for your welcome and I look forward to getting to know everyone here! Maureen

Hi Maureen and Welcome to the beautiful state of Washington!!  I grew up here (since I was 12) and lived most of my years in Bellevue (about 10 miles east of Seattle).  My husband and I moved around the country (military) for about 20 years and are finally back.  We now live just west of Seattle on the Olympic Peninsula.  It is very, very beautiful here, but even having grown up here, when we moved back, I must say that I had to re-adjust to the rain.  I remind myself that it is so pretty here because of the rain.  You will see the bluest skies, greenest foilage and trees, and blues****er.  It is spectacular!  One nice thing you probably won't miss is the humidity.  When it's warm here, there is usually no humidity!  I remember the humidity from living in New York!  Other than the rain, I think you will find this area to be wonderful.  Do give it a few years, though.  There are about 6 families in our neighborhood that moved here from southern California and/or Hawaii and they really like it here.  So that's a little about the area.  We're about an hour's drive from Olympia so maybe we will meet one day!  (we're north of Olympia)  I am scheduled to have the "sleeve" in two weeks, and am very excited/nervous!!  Again, welcome to Washington!!  Lisa

Hi Lisa - is your "sleeve" a revision? If so, when did you have your original surgery? I'm really interested in learning who the Washington-based surgeons are that are working with long-term post-op patients that are struggling with weight regain. I just don't understand what's happening to me - I have been a by-the-book person - vitamins, changed eating behavior, exercise, living joyfully and with great energy and passion - but here I am going on 6 years beyond my original surgery and struggling so horribly with hunger that has me feeling crazy sometimes! At any rate, your post is very helpful and I am encouraged by the level of support out your way - so how cold does it get there in the winter??? Maureen

We're in Puyallup, sorta half way between Olympia and Seattle. We have support groups here monthly. 2nd Tuesday, so this week will be tomorrow and Wed.

What? Our original group was 2nd Tuesday, but I don't like the groups to be too big, so we split it into 2, but they are back to back.

Do you have any target areas in mind? Thurston county (Oly) has some wide open spaces still, out toward Yelm, Rainier.

I'm in Puyallup. We're sort of on the corner of I-5 and WA hwy 512. Tacoma and Seattle have "arts and culture" and Puyallup still has some open space, Graham has more, but then it's getting toward Yelm, Rainier.

King (Seattle) county has the highest tax, AFAIK, Pierce (Tacoma) has 2nd highest. If I'm going to make a substantial purchase, it's worth it to go to Olympia!

Not sure what your criteria is or your priorities, more precisely.

Hi Michelle, this is extremely helpful! We're just in the beginning stages of planning for the move, which will happen within the year. Our priorities are to be in commuting distance to our work (my husband is a public school teacher and I work in higher education); be in very close proximity to the ocean with the mountains in reasonable driving distance - and ideally be able to see them in view from our home; and near the arts scene - music and theatre. I'm a professional singer (when time permits!) and my husband plays jazz piano. You guys have been great, thank you! Maureen

You asked about oldies. I'm 15 yrs + 1 wk. LOL Our spt grps are most likely to attract the oldies, well, because we are.

Hmm. Pick one. Mountain view up and down I-5, can't see the ocean. But at points can see both Cascades (divides the state in half N-S) and Olypmics (run N-S along the coast, sorta). If you want ocean out your door, probably can't see Cascades very often, but Olympics sometimes.

If you want to be close to the most culture, you'll have to stay along I-5, I'd think. From Olympia, the ocean is 100 miles, for example.

Shelton or Belfair give you near ocean, Olympics and Hood Canal, schools, but small town cultural stuff.

Hi Michelle, thanks for this great information and might I add that you are my hero! Wow, to see that you have maintained your weight loss all these years... remarkable! I visited your profile and see that you had some weight regain here and there and that you attribute them all to periods of eating sugar - and that to get the weight off again you had to go completely sugar-free, do I have this right? I am really battling what seems to be a candy addiction right now and I would say this is the root cause of my regain of 20 lbs. this past year-and-a-half. Otherwise, I'm doing it by the book in terms of healthy eating and exercise, water, vitamins - but where I work there is candy everywhere, on every desk, in every kind imaginable - it's like a 24/7 Halloween grab basket. I have always been an emotional eater and when I feel stressed or sad, I grab the crap candy. I try to feel good about my accomplishments - going from 360 lbs. to 140 lbs. and now maintaining at 160 lbs. But I don't feel good. And I am experiencing severe low blood sugar episodes. Today, I am committing to NO CANDY no matter what. This is the only goal I have for myself today and I've got to start adding up the sugar-free days, one at a time, again to get this weight regain off and to feel better. Your story has really inspired me, thank you! You look fabulous. I hope to meet you and so many others in the great state of Washington when we make our move! Best, Maureen P.S. Would love to hear from anyone else who is struggling and the strategies you are employing...

you said:

Hi Michelle, thanks for this great information and might I add that you are my hero!
******** just do all the smart stuff I did and don't do any of the stupid stuff, ok?


Wow, to see that you have maintained your weight loss all these years... remarkable! I visited your profile and see that you had some weight regain here and there and that you attribute them all to periods of eating sugar - and that to get the weight off again you had to go completely sugar-free, do I have this right?
************* yep. Each gain a lil bigger, each loss took longer

I am really battling what seems to be
************** no "seems to be". That whole carb thing is one of the very portions of our physical disease. I think it has much to do with a slightly confused pancreas. Witness our hypoglycemic episodes starting around 2 yrs post op. What's THAT about? But it happens, documented to death. But WHY?

So, I finally learned that 1 is too many, 1000 is not enough, as they say. And it's not that I can NEVER have fudge again, it's just the first bite I can't have. It's a gateway drug for me. Textures. Repel or attract me. Sadly, the textures I like are fudge, buttercream frosting....... see?

a candy addiction right now and I would say this is the root cause of my regain of 20 lbs. this past year-and-a-half.
************* yes. AND it lights off such a chain reaction! want a carb, get a carb, body gives you a high, then a crash. repeat. want 2 carbs, eat 2 carbs, see above, and now want 3 carbs, repeat. Now who wants meat 'n veggie when 3 cookies will work fine? It's insidious. I'm scared to death of it!


Otherwise, I'm doing it by the book in terms of healthy eating
**** define this

and exercise, water, vitamins
********** define water and vitamins. what about protein supps?

- but where I work there is candy everywhere, on every desk, in every kind imaginable - it's like a 24/7 Halloween grab basket. I have always been an emotional eater and when I feel stressed or sad, I grab the crap candy.
************ you'll have to implant safe things. Do you like beef jerky? beef stix? cheese? nuts? seeds? Can you issue yourself ziploc baggies of the correct portion for you?

I try to feel good about my accomplishments - going from 360 lbs. to 140 lbs.
************ Grab it, hold it.

and now maintaining at 160 lbs. But I don't feel good. And I am experiencing severe low blood sugar episodes.
********* and there it is. I missed this on first read-thru

Today, I am committing to NO CANDY no matter what. This is the only goal I have for myself today and I've got to start adding up the sugar-free days, one at a time, again to get this weight regain off and to feel better. Your story has really inspired me, thank you!

************ once you go cold turkey, you begin to feel "lighter", like you have a bit of spring in your step. The sluggishness of the carb load begins to lift after about 3 days. You begin to think you can go another day, another day, it gets easier.
You look fabulous. I hope to meet you and so many others in the great state of Washington when we make our move! Best, Maureen P.S. Would love to hear from anyone else who is struggling and the strategies you are employing...

By the way, Michelle, what's a distal?

I have an RNY pouch, but my intestinal arrangement is closer to a DS. Much more malsborption. Same actual elements, but it takes a bigger dose for me to hold the levels I consider ideal.