Finally!!

 Well, I started my journey on November 17, 2009 and here it is Feb. 17, 2010. I got the call I have been waiting for this morning. I am scheduled to have my surgery March 3rd. I am having RNY and it will be open surgery. I am nervous but anxious. If anyone has any tips or suggestions please let me know. My mother had the same procedure but different surgeon and her surgery was not open so I can use all the suggestions I can get. Things to do, things not to do, things to help heal...I will take anything lol....Thank you all for your support!!

You will do great Amanda.  Congrats on the date, added you to my list of surgeries for the first week in March.  Take a tube of lipbalm and a pillow with you.  I packed things I thought I would need, yup indeed, they never made it out of my bag.

How is your mom doing?  Is she losing well?  Your procedure will have pretty much the same recovery as the lap procedure (small incisions), your MD will just have a full view of where he is working.  Hugs, Kathy

 Thank you for the suggestions and support Kathy! I am surprised they set a date so soon but I am very anxious. My mother had her surgery on April 13, 2004. She was over 300lbs and she is down around 130 and has been around 130 for about a year now. When she first started loosing she was aiming for a size 12. She became obsessed with her weight and soon she was a size 0. She looked very sickly and dehydrated. We had to have an intervention for her because she was still trying to loose weight because she still saw herself as over weight. She has now gotten through most of her psychological issues and is now studying different self help techniques. It has been a very hard road for her but she never joined a support group or got help from a therapist after her surgery. Before her surgery she had extremely high blood pressure and is now off BP medications and doing very well now. She has not had to have any other procedures done but she would like to get excess skin removed. She has had some Dumping Syndrome episodes and she still has them. The only problem she has had is since the surgery that she complains about is she cannot vomit. I am assuming this is a side effect of the surgery. 

Amanda, you will see the wonderful difference having more support will provide.  We are each individual and work together as a group to support each other.  It is great to have a date right around the corner and not have as much time to be nervous and anxious.  Is there anything I can do to ease your mind, answer an important question?

Congratulations on getting your surgery date.  Being anxious is normal but you'll be fine.  I also had open RNY.  Best advice I can give is to start drinking your protein now; it will help you to heal down the road.

Good luck and feel free to ask any questions.

Colleen

amanda, it is wonderbar that your surgery is coming up so soon.  i had open and i can't stress enough the importance of watching your how much u lift. i thought i was out of any kind of danger for a hernia at 2 - 3 months and i lifted a cinderblock onto the porch. you got it, i got a hernia. so just take care for the first 6y months or so. no sit ups and no heavy lifting.  you'll do great. vick