Introductions

Hi,  my name is Nanci, I am a happily married (29years on 4/ 19) to a wonderful man. We have two great kids Lacy 25 and Zachary 18. My husband and I are both Nurses. I started to have issues with my weight when I was in the 8th grade. i remember getting weighed in gym class and being humilated because I weighed 190lbs. I'm 5'9 and big boned but  most kids back then weighed a lot less. It's funny now 190 seems like a awesome weight. I have gained and lost tons of weight since I was 20. I could always lose it, but never keep it off. Two years ago I was going to have a RNY done but 5 weeks out from surgery my always intrusive motherinlaw and a few friends talked me out of it. They went so far as to tell my husband he would lose me, that I could die on the table. They convinced me that I had done it on my own before, I could do it again. Well two years later, I was 30 lbs heavier at a all time high of 297!!!! I have sleep apnea, HBP, Diabetes, gerd and I always feel like i'm running on empty. So I started the Albany Medical center Bariatric program on 1/8/09 and i've jumped through the hoops and managed to lose 44lbs (go me!!). I have only told my hubby and kids what i'm doing and they are supporting me 100%. My mother died at 51 and her mother at 36, both had severe health problems due to weight. I explained to my hubby that if i dont have the surgery, he could lose me. So my date is April 21st, I got my Ins. approval, my hubbys on board and i'm ready to be the person I know I can be. I've won lots of battles, time to win the war.

Hi Nanci,

I just wanted to touch base and see how your journey is coming. I know it's been a couple of months since your surgery and to be honest you have probably already been through the toughest part of the journey. It gets easier from here on out. Sometimes you may have one step forward and two steps back or to the side, but in the main it should get better and better. 

Wishing you all the best,

Hi There! My name is Jordan and I'm from a small NC town near the Virginia border called Roanoke Rapids. I am only 25 yrs young and married to my husband Sonny who is 38. Together we have a handsome little boy KJ who is 3, a border collie LuLu that is 2 and a tabby cat Kittles who will be 1 in July. We have a very lovely family.

I had embarked on this journey a few years back but had to stop because my husband ended up having emergency neck surgery.S

So now, here we are on the journey again. I have had everything done except for my psych to finish and send in his evaluation, then it's off to insurance approval.

I am excited as I can be.

I'm doing this for me and my family.
I've always been big since as long as I can remember, however, that was never an issue for me. I had plenty of friends, was in the "in" crowd and always had a date for prom. My personality helps me out in so many ways. My husband loves me just the way I am,  but I want to lose this weight to quit my constant hip pain, back pain, and to hopefully relieve my sciatica. Plus, I want to be able to keep up with my 3 yr old. I want to run and jump and play like a child.

I am seeing Dr. Enochs in Raleigh.
I am currently 321 (highest WEIGHT ever)

I am not setting a goal, i just want to be smaller and beautiful.

Pray for quick insurance approval and quick surgery date.

Hi My name is Kim Pablo Im 28 yrs old married to Max for 7 yrs and we have a beautiful 5 yr old daughter named Libia. I have always for as long as I can remember been bigger than normal. Im now ay my highest weigh of 309. Im haveing RNY with Dr. Chapman in Greenville NC sometime in the near future Im waiting on insurance approval. Its nice to have a place to talk to people.

Hi Kim,

I just wanted to touch base and see how you are doing. How is your journey coming. I realized that you are in NC. Have you ever gone to any of the functions that we hold in the area. I think that the next one will be later this fall. We have a warm, loving, supportive group that meets 'virtually' online on the NC forum and in person every other month or so. We'd love to have you join us sometime if you would like to do so.

Wishing you all the best,

HI! My name is Robyn and I am 3 months out from a Lap RNY. I started out weighing 495 pounds and as of my 3 month checkup, I am now 415! Now, if I were to work harder, I would lose a lot more and faster. I am not actually trying too hard to lose this weight right now. Well, I am but I just can't get myself to exercising properly.

I had my surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina Ashley River Tower hospital. This hospital was designed for cardiac and digestive disease patients. It has been designed for the overweight patient with wider chairs, wider beds, etc.

I chose to have this surgery to save my life. I felt as if I was living on borrowed time. Now, I see the weight dropping off and am getting glimpses of the real me under all of this weight. The me I remember so well! I am starting to feel like I just might have a few good years left in me! 

I joined this group in the hopes that I can find others to help me with questions. I also hope to be able to provide that same support to others. For example, I am trying to find an alternative sweetener. I am allergic to aspartame and nutrasweet. I use splenda but it seems to have a bad effect on me also. So I am open to suggestions!

Hi Robyn,

Welcome to the group and I look forward to getting to know you as you make this incredible, life-changing journey. I hope that you'll find the support and information you are looking for as we make our respective journeys.

You have made incredible progress in the short time since your surgery. To be honest, you might be able to impact your weight loss with exercise, etc..., but the surgery will basically help you strip off the excess weight even if you don't. I think that as you lose more and more weight you will find that you will be more and more physically comfortable and able to be more physically active. I know that there are a lot of folks who eventually find that they love exercise. To be honest, that will probably never be me ;-), but I have found that I am SOOOOOO  much more able to be physically active. We have a fairly large lot and we probably have about half an acre or more to mow ... of course, it's not a flat lot either... at any rate, while I will probably never 'like' mowing that big yard with the walk behind mower, I can and do it at least once a week. I also love a beautiful garden, but don't really like 'gardening' ... the great thing now, is that I can do it. 

If you haven't found the Diet and Nutrition Forum, be sure to look it up. Go there and post your issues with aspartame and nutrasweet and ask for some suggestions. It's moderated by Dieticians and is a great resource. 

I really look forward to getting to know you.

Warmly,

Hi Barb & Everybody!

my name is Judy, i have been through NC so many times on my way to Florida. Charlotte is my airport of choice for connections.
I have both family and friends in NC and very much like the area.
wish i had more time to spend vacationing there!

I am 52 yrs old. was a skinny kid- put on the weight around 11 and kept adding. Next month my surgery.  am looking forward to it. it's been a long haul so far- and will continue on this journey toward health.
Thanks for having me along.

Judy

I think I just realized that I hadn't posted an introduction yet!  I mostly use the forum & groups while at work, on down time, and don't use the computer much at home, because I'm on it all day at work. 

Anyway, I'm Kari.  I'm 36 years old, 6'2 and weigh 278 (as of Sunday).  My BMI is in the 36-37 range, so I'm a "light weight" as well.  I will be starting my Bariatric Program on June 30, when I go to the first education class.  I set up all of my four appointments with the doctors, nutritionist and dieticians, and am playing the waiting game.  I've spoken with friends who have had the surgery, and know about the process.  I re-joined WW and will go through that process again, but I do not hold high hopes for a loss.

I've been in the "obese" category since I was 26-27, about the last 10 years.  I was an athlete in high school, and active in college.  When I graduated at age 22, I was 235 (I remember stepping on the scale on May 16, 1996 right before the ceremony).  I went to grad school, and gained another 25lbs.  From there I began to lose weight.  I do not know how I did it, but between 1996 and 1999 I lost about 60lbs.  In 1999 I started taking anti-anxiety drugs, and the weight started to come back.  In 2003 I was diagnosed bipolar, and was placed on a multi-drug ****tail.  I was on so many different drugs from 2003-2005 my body didn't know what to do.  By the time I was on a stable ****tail I was 295.  I was mortified!

Since then I've been on so many diets, been to groups, had personal trainers, gym memberships, etc. but have been unsuccessful.  I lost the first 20lbs after a year of serious work.  The lowest I've gotten is 259.  That was last year while I was working with personal trainers at a gym, and had gone down to 265 on my own prior to joining.  After 20 weeks of working with trainers, watching my food, meeting dieticians, working out on a regular basis, etc. I did not lose any weight.  I was so disappointed.

Not much later I found out that the back problems I was having were more severe than I thought.  The problems caused me to miss work due to pain, I couldn't walk or use a bicycle because of the pressure on my sacral & lumbar region.  I found out I have arthritis in my lumbar region, bulging disks in my L3, L4 & L5, and I have degenerative disk disease.  I've been to physical therapy, and have exercises to do, but it doesn't help much when it hurts so much to do anything.  Finally my doctor had me in for a bilateral epidural with cortisone.  That has been great.  However since the procedure I've gone up to 278.  I'm not in as much pain, but my weight is going up.

I could say so much more, but I've said enough right now.  I'm looking forward to getting through all this information, learning, and research. 

Hello,

My name is Mike and I am 37 years old married and have a beautiful 14 month old daughter and another baby on the way in December/January. I joined OH back in January as I was planning my Lap Band Surgery. I had the band procedure on 2/24/09 and feel it was the best decision I have made. Since I started my preop diet on 2/10/09 I have lost 101 pounds. I never thought this would be possible. I try to be a supportive and active member on the OH site and mainly focus on the Lap Band Forum. I have found that people here are very genuine and helpful. Not to mention knowledgeable.  I enjoy taking the time to read success stories as well as share my experiences with my fellow bandsters.