I'm New Here

Hi! My name is Elizabeth (or Liz).  I'm 36 yrs old and I have my consultation on Thursday!

I have always been the chubby kid; my weight grew as I did.  For many years I was able to keep my weight down with diets & lots of exercise.  About seven years ago I had a debilitating back injury-I needed emergency surgery and ended up with a spinal fusion & lots of new titanium in my back.  lol.  I exercised up until & the morning of my injury.  After my surgery, I had to learn to walk & care for myself again.  But my weight just ballooned despite any amount of dieting.  Add to that, I started to develop other issues such as hypertension, PCOS, and my kidneys began to show signs of stress.

I finally accepted that I can't lose weight on my own, and I have strong family history of many obesity-related diseases that I don't want to develop.  After many years of researching and stalling, I have made some serious inquiries, talked with others who have had wls, attended a few seminars, and am ready to move forward.

Wls has always scared me; I've always heard horror stories.  But I love the honesty of the people sharing on this site & the info that is here.  Thanks for letting me share my story!

tHANKS FOR SHARING YOUR STORY AND FOR BECOMING A MEMBER OF OUR LITTLE FAMILY HERE, It was great to meet you on the chat tonight.

Horror stories fly around like hotcakes, but the success stories, which are the majrity don't. People love to spread bad news, but ignore the good. Don't let it scare you too much. 99% experience a great outcome. Research and learn and ask lots of questions. Make sure you feel very comfortable with your surgeon and keep a positive outlook.

It took me 3 years of tossing it around before I took the plunge, and now wish I had done it back then. I wasted those 3 years of my life and am glad I had my RNY!

Take care and stay in touch! Ask ask ask anything you need or want to. we are here to support you in this journey.

Hey Liz, I enjoyed meeting you at chat last evening.  I am so glad that I had my wls.  I may never be model thin, but I AM much healthier and happier at this weight than before surgery.  I too have PCOS, along with sleep apnea, diabetes, arthritis, and a short shopping list of family history of diseases. 

I am proud to say that I have been off insulin since the day before surgery.  I no longer need a cane, part time when I did use one.  My CPAP machine pressure is less than half of what it was and I needed an entire new wardrobe, (bummer ).  I walk the dogs a few miles each day, climb stairs much easier and am enjoying life in general.

Ask any and all questions, no topic is off limits.  We had a good chuckle at our local wls support group last week when we spent quite a while discussing smelly gas and things to improve the odor situation.  Devron helps for those that are having an issue with the odor after surgery.  I scared my dogs with the gas smell for a while until I got my bottle in the mail.  Looking forward to sharing more with you as you post.  Hugs

Welcome to the group, Liz.

You're right; there are a lot of horror stories out there about WLS but there are so many more success stories.  As human beings I think we tend to hang on to the bad stuff more than the good.

I will be a year out on Thursday and my only regret is that I have mostly given up Pepsi. Unfortunately, I don't experience dumping syndrome and sweets aren't a problem for me.  I really have to watch it. I'm down 113 pounds and have another 23.4 to go.  At first it's a big adjustment but many of the things that were "a pain" in the beginning have become 2nd nature.  I have no reqrets about having this done

You'll do great!  Just keep posting and asking questions.  There are so many of us here who are at different stages you will have your questions answered.  Also please understand that every surgeon is different and has his or her own set of rules and guidelines to follow.

I'm glad you're here!

Hey Liz, It was great meeting you at chat yesterday. I have also heard alot of horror stories but I am looking at it like this, What about the horror stories of remaining obese. I think we have more of a chance of complications remaining obese then we would if be had surgery. That is just my opinion. I have not had surgery yet but I have a date. I am having the RNY. It is so great to be in a support group like this because the people have been there and they care alot. I am so glad I got to meet you and I am adding you to my frinds list. Talk to you soon girl.

Thanks everyone!
Yes, I'm learning to ask more and more questions.  I love that you can learn from everyone's experiences and at the same time be inspired!  And Sabrina, you made a good point that gave me an "aha" moment. 
I can't wait until next Monday's chat!