VSG Maintenance Group
At goal (hope it's okay that I post this here)!
SFChorus
on 6/27/12 5:02 am, edited 6/27/12 5:03 am - CA
on 6/27/12 5:02 am, edited 6/27/12 5:03 am - CA
Well, I did it! I’m just a tad below my doctor’s goal weight for me (Dr.’s goal was 110 and I’m at 109.6)! No, I don’t plan to enter maintenance right this very minute, because I feel like I’m still losing and want to take advantage of that while I still can – lol. I’ve given myself up till July 15th (my 7th month surgiversary) to finish up with my weight loss. Whatever I weigh on that day will be my sort of “buffer-zone" against what looks to be an inevitable regain (boo).
I wanted to post this here because over the past few weeks and months, I’ve been lurking on this board and have been trying to catch up with all your previous posts from page 168 backward (I’m on page 135 now). No, I don’t read every single post (so I don’t know what you weighed or ate in…say… March of 2011), but I’ve read enough to get a feel for the wonderfully strong and caring voices in this group. I hope you don’t mind if I continue to lurk as I have learned so much from all of you, particularly Elina, Brandilynn Wonderland, dianeS, Sublimate, MacMadame, MomforJazz, and everybody. Every post I read seems to speak to me too, even if it was written months, maybe years ago! I feel blessed that I have a really rich resource to draw from. Thank you for that.
Anyway, thanks for reading my post today. I will go back to lurking now, but you’ll probably hear from me every once in a while.
Fiona
I wanted to post this here because over the past few weeks and months, I’ve been lurking on this board and have been trying to catch up with all your previous posts from page 168 backward (I’m on page 135 now). No, I don’t read every single post (so I don’t know what you weighed or ate in…say… March of 2011), but I’ve read enough to get a feel for the wonderfully strong and caring voices in this group. I hope you don’t mind if I continue to lurk as I have learned so much from all of you, particularly Elina, Brandilynn Wonderland, dianeS, Sublimate, MacMadame, MomforJazz, and everybody. Every post I read seems to speak to me too, even if it was written months, maybe years ago! I feel blessed that I have a really rich resource to draw from. Thank you for that.
Anyway, thanks for reading my post today. I will go back to lurking now, but you’ll probably hear from me every once in a while.
Fiona
Sleeved 12/15/11, 5'1", HW 185, SW 164, CW102
Of course it is okay that you post here! Lots of us are above goal but also a lot are below and a lot are at goal. This has become a site for anyone who has gotten beyond reading for the thousandth time "I'm one week post-op; what do I do now?"
So welcome! And you don't have to stay in the shadows and lurk. Jump on in and join the fun :-)
And I'm intrigued by your screen name. Are you a choral musician??
--Dorothy
So welcome! And you don't have to stay in the shadows and lurk. Jump on in and join the fun :-)
And I'm intrigued by your screen name. Are you a choral musician??
--Dorothy
Highest weight: 292 Pre-op weight: 265 Goal met: 150 Six years out: 185 and trying to lose again!
SFChorus
on 6/27/12 7:52 am - CA
on 6/27/12 7:52 am - CA
Thank you so much Dororthy. I was reading on a previous thread that you are going into surgery soon. I wish you much success with that!
I WISH I was a choral musician, lol, but I was part of the Glee club when I was little - does that count? The word "chorus" was really just a random word thrown out by a randomizer. Obviously I didn't want to think too hard about a screen name when I signed up :-)
Many thanks again Dorothy, and good luck with surgery!
Fiona
I WISH I was a choral musician, lol, but I was part of the Glee club when I was little - does that count? The word "chorus" was really just a random word thrown out by a randomizer. Obviously I didn't want to think too hard about a screen name when I signed up :-)
Many thanks again Dorothy, and good luck with surgery!
Fiona
Sleeved 12/15/11, 5'1", HW 185, SW 164, CW102
Glee club absolutely counts! What a funny random word! Shoot, when I saw SFChorus, I thought you were maybe the world-famous director of the San Francisco Chorus ... if there even is such an organization, heh heh :-) Choruses have been a big part of my life for the past 40 years -- I'm a pianist, and I was the accompanist of our college choruses and then went on to accompany community groups for many years. Now I am choir director-organist at a church, and I'm still pretty obsessed with choral music.
Well dang! I thought we would be musical soul-mates. I guess we'll have to settle for being sleeve-mates!! That is almost as good ... if not better!
--Dorothy
Well dang! I thought we would be musical soul-mates. I guess we'll have to settle for being sleeve-mates!! That is almost as good ... if not better!
--Dorothy
Highest weight: 292 Pre-op weight: 265 Goal met: 150 Six years out: 185 and trying to lose again!
SFChorus
on 6/27/12 7:58 am - CA
on 6/27/12 7:58 am - CA
ThinLizzy! Thank you so much for responding! I always wanted to ask you if you're still his patient now?
I seem to recall reading somewhere that you had a hernia repair with Cirangle. I could be completely mis-remembering as my brain is currently addled by a lack of carbs. Anyway, Jossart says I may be up for a hernia repair too at the end of the year if my reflux doesn't clear up on its own. I was wondering what the impetus was for your going to a different surgeon (if indeed I'm remembering properly) for the repair?
Thank you again for responding!
Fiona
I seem to recall reading somewhere that you had a hernia repair with Cirangle. I could be completely mis-remembering as my brain is currently addled by a lack of carbs. Anyway, Jossart says I may be up for a hernia repair too at the end of the year if my reflux doesn't clear up on its own. I was wondering what the impetus was for your going to a different surgeon (if indeed I'm remembering properly) for the repair?
Thank you again for responding!
Fiona
Sleeved 12/15/11, 5'1", HW 185, SW 164, CW102
Hi, Fiona,
Here's what happened...we discovered my hiatal hernia about a year or so after my VSG. (Dr. Cirangle feels that Dr. J missed it at the time of my surgery, but I'm not going to get into the middle of THAT! I didn't have an upper GI before my VSG, so no way of knowing.) Dr. Jossart did a repair, but it didn't work at all. And then he actually suggested that Dr. Cirangle might be able to help using the esophyx. Basically, he felt there was nothing more he could do. This all was still during the time he was with LapSF. Well, the esophyx was not covered by insurance and I was sick of surgeries so I didn't do anything about it until the reflux got worse and worse AND my endocrinologist was really pushing me to get off the double dose of PPIs because they interfere with calcium absorption. So then, I contacted Dr. Cirangle--all my charts are still at LapSF--to ask if he could help. He said the esophyx wouldn't work at all but that he thought he could fix the problem, and he did. He had to undo the work that Dr. Jossart did and use mesh.
I REALLY like Dr. Jossart and respect his surgical skills a great deal. But the truth is, he wasn't aggressive enough on fixing my hiatal hernia when I gave him first dibs, lol! So, to answer your question, I am now a Dr. Cirangle patient!
I hope your reflux clears up--it really can be a nasty problem long term.
Lizanne
Here's what happened...we discovered my hiatal hernia about a year or so after my VSG. (Dr. Cirangle feels that Dr. J missed it at the time of my surgery, but I'm not going to get into the middle of THAT! I didn't have an upper GI before my VSG, so no way of knowing.) Dr. Jossart did a repair, but it didn't work at all. And then he actually suggested that Dr. Cirangle might be able to help using the esophyx. Basically, he felt there was nothing more he could do. This all was still during the time he was with LapSF. Well, the esophyx was not covered by insurance and I was sick of surgeries so I didn't do anything about it until the reflux got worse and worse AND my endocrinologist was really pushing me to get off the double dose of PPIs because they interfere with calcium absorption. So then, I contacted Dr. Cirangle--all my charts are still at LapSF--to ask if he could help. He said the esophyx wouldn't work at all but that he thought he could fix the problem, and he did. He had to undo the work that Dr. Jossart did and use mesh.
I REALLY like Dr. Jossart and respect his surgical skills a great deal. But the truth is, he wasn't aggressive enough on fixing my hiatal hernia when I gave him first dibs, lol! So, to answer your question, I am now a Dr. Cirangle patient!
I hope your reflux clears up--it really can be a nasty problem long term.
Lizanne
SFChorus
on 6/27/12 11:06 am - CA
on 6/27/12 11:06 am - CA
Wow. Thank you so much Lizanne, for sharing this with me. That sounds like quite the journey between the surgeons! I too am on a double dose of protonix. Let's hope it clears up by the end of the year. I'd rather not have any more surgery and even worse, I'd rather not have to think about switching surgeons! Cirangle sounds BRILLIANT but I really do like Jossart.
Again, thank you so much for sharing your story with me. Although its a bit disturbing, it's one of those things I'd rather know about than not, you know? And I'm assuming you're reflux-free now, after your surgery with Dr. Cirangle?
Fiona
Again, thank you so much for sharing your story with me. Although its a bit disturbing, it's one of those things I'd rather know about than not, you know? And I'm assuming you're reflux-free now, after your surgery with Dr. Cirangle?
Fiona
Sleeved 12/15/11, 5'1", HW 185, SW 164, CW102
Yes. No more protonix at all. It's a miracle since I've been taking them for at least 10 years. I take a tums now once in a while if I eat something too spicy, like a normal person. Have you had the upper GI? If you get to the point where you know you have to have surgery, we should chat some more...
L.
L.
SFChorus
on 6/27/12 1:12 pm - CA
on 6/27/12 1:12 pm - CA
Thanks. Yes, I had an upper GI about six weeks ago. That's when Dr. Jossart started talking about hernia repair. But he did also say that it might only be necessary IF my reflux doesn't clear up on its own. Hopefully it will.
Thank you again Lizanne.
Fiona
Thank you again Lizanne.
Fiona
Sleeved 12/15/11, 5'1", HW 185, SW 164, CW102
