NEW MEMBERS! Help Introduce Yourself!

Hi everyone!  Thanks for allowing me to join your group even though I live in Houston.  I am working on my 6 month insurance journey right now towards WLS.  I am a month down.  I hope to have surgery in May 2010.  I had decided I wanted the band and then did more research and switched to the RNY.  Now after reading about all the vitamins and supplements that are required with the RNY, it is scaring me a little bit or rather a lot.  I am reconsidering the band.  My insurance covers the Realize band.  I am hoping to meet some of you who have the band and have been successful.  My greatest fear is that I will do the band and have regrets on not getting the RNY.  I am sure many of you have gone through this struggle, so I am COMPLETELY open to any feedback from you!

I am a 37 y.o. single gal who works as a social worker and bereavement coordinator at  a large hospital in the Texas Medical Center.  I am hoping to move up to the DFW area in the next 2 years to get closer to my family who are in Oklahoma.  I, too, am a huge dog lover!  I recently lost my first dog to cancer last month.  Cinnamon was a golden mix.  She found me during my darkest days after losing a few family members.  I now have two 16 month old kiddos whio are named Honor and Gigi.  Their mom was a boxer/pit and their dad was a 4 lb. chihuahua.  They are the light and love of my life!  If any of you are considering adding a 4 legged child to your family, please consider adopting from a shelter or rescue group!

Looking forward to chatting with many of you!  I hope our discussions will aid in my decision making process of either the Realize band or the RNY. 

Diana

HEY DIANA!!

I SO missed your message!!! I feel awful!!!  Don't be scared.  That's what we are here for....even if I'm a lot late.  The vitamins are no biggie.  If you take medicine now you just take your vitamins at the same time.  I have to take hormones in the morning and something for restless leg syndrome at night and I just add my vitamins and don't forget.  Monica is on this forum and she had lap band.  It kind of comes down to your lifestyle and what you are willing to do.  The most important thing is going to a doc that offers both so that you can be offered enough education to make a good choice.

OK....I'm wondering now how a 4 lb chihuahua got with a boxer/pit??? Did he use a ladder?  You especially grabbed my heart because you talked about rescue.  I'd love for you to see my video about my dog Sundance that talks about that. It's here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PrSYnlE9qM

Welcome and please feel free to post.  We've been a little slow lately because everyone is busy!
Thanks so much for joining.
hugs, Y

Hi Everyone, 

     I was excited to find this group. I have been a fan of yours Yvonne and have seen you on your website and youtube. I also think positive people is very much needed on OH. I know my husband is turned off by the trend of negativity and personal attacks and rarely goes on OH anymore.

    I am 43 and hopefully will have surgery soon. I just have to get a pulmonary clearance and then my Surgeon is writing the letter to the insurance company.
I have been overweight my entire life. I found a note in records where my doctor mentioned a weight problem for me at age 8. I have very low self esteem (still a work in progress)so I never wanted to be too active where I would call attention to myself. I lost alot of weight at age 21 and then met my first husband. Due to self esteem issues I fell hook line and sinker for his charm.  11 years later I left. I gained so much weight in trying to deal with the abusive relationship.
     I am now married to my best friend and love of my life. We have been together 8 years and married 4. He had health issues and was on a insulin pump. We were worried he would not be around for his daughters and granddaughter. He had RNY Jan "09". Now it is my turn and I am looking forward to the healthier body. What I would like to do is run a 5k. With my knees I have to be careful walking ,but would like to say I did it once. Who knows maybe it will be addicting and I will continue.

     Looking forward to meeting new friends
     

Thank you for your very kind words.  I hope your husband would consider coming to our group because there is no negativity here.  It breaks my heart to see some of the bullying going on and it's not just because I think the negativity is just sad but it's because I see people going away that will lose access to good information.  I have tried so many things...offering suggestions to OH to at least make some kind of guideline to where you will at least be banned for a while if you cross a certain line.  I have to fall back on the serenity prayer and try my best to control the thngs I can and certainly hope for the wisdom to know the difference.  My weight problems started in the 4th grade and I began the first of my many diets.  I was on Weigh****chers at 9.  When I was asked before surgery to list all the diets I had tried, I did the equivalent of a Google search of all diets. (Google wasn't around then)  I literally only had to take one of them off of the list that came up. 

I hear your low self esteem pouring out.  The reason I recognize it is because I have it too.  I'd love to see you change your signature in the future.  You are a Barbie to me.  We are what we believe we are so since nobody is really shaped like a Barbie in real life, we must be Barbie in our mind.  You are a unique and lovable person that your husband saw.  I am so happy for you that you found him.  Staying in an abusive relationship does so much damage and I've done my share of that.

My knees sucked pretty badly too but it's amazing how taking a lot of that weight off will help so often.  Unless you've done permanent damage you may just end up doing that 5k.  I would suggest starting off in a pool to build up your endurance until you get some of the weight off.  You would be amazed how much the body can start to heal and even though it took a couple of years after losing the weight, my knees are pretty much normal now. 

I am so glad your husband chose to save his life.  Now remember...he will have lost weight faster than you will.  Guys always do so don't compare yourself to his loss.  We've had several members start here as pre-ops and just this week we've had several posts about how happy they are now after losing their weight.  Please keep us posted on your progress and I'm so pleased you chose us to become a member.
Many blessings, Y

Hello, I am new here, too and joined because I read a wonderful article that Yvonne had written that has inspired me to make the right choices. I started my journey on December 22, 2008 and have lost 102 lbs. Without OH and my friends here I would never have had the courage to have this life-changing surgery and get my health in so much better shape! I have been a diabetic since age 35 and had been on insulin shots for 12. I was taking 4 shots a day. 2 of which were U500 insulin that is 5 times stronger than regular( I have never acturally met anyone else on that kind of insulin but I got put on it when I was on an insulin pump. My sugars still ran over 200 most of the time, even with all that insulin. Since surgery, I have not had an insulin shot. I do take Meformin 500 x 4 a day. I still have to watch my sugars very closly. So that means watching my carb intake.I was on 14 different meds before surgery-now I am on 4.  I do need to around 20 lbs to get to my surgeons goal but I would love to lose at least 35-40 more...I have days where I get bogged down with depression because of personal issues in my life and definitly need positive reenforcement! Thank you Yvonne for all that you do! I am looking forward to getting to know you guys and hope to give as much as I get! Love to all! Annette

Annette,

I am so glad to meet you.  I am new here, too.  I am at the begining of my journey.  I hope to have surgery in mid March.  I have just been placed on Metformin this past month. I will be asking you tons of diabeties questions.   I understand being bogged down. 

Dawn

Thank you sweetie! You ask me anything that you like and I will try my best to help anyway that I can! How are your BS doing on the Metformin? It will give you diarrhea at first but that goes away after awhile. It really is good medicine-my doc says that you don't get low spells on it like other meds. That has been my ex, too. Good luck on your surgery in March! I will be looking for your posts ok? Have a wonderful day! ((HUGS)) Annette

Hey Annette!!!
I'm late getting back to you because I went out of town this weekend for the rest of our family's Christmas.  I had perfectly good intentions on using my computer while out of town but I didn't!

WOW, I just LOVE it when someone reads something I wrote and it actually makes a difference. Thank you so much for the kind words.  Do you mind me asking which article it was?

I was one of the fortunate regarding diabetes.  I would have certainly ended up with it but I didn't have it yet.  I can understand it much easier when people just want to have surgery to get help with their diabetes.  4 shots a day? WOW OH WOW!  And how incredible is that...no shots since surgery??

Regarding your goal and your surgeon's goal...that's a very personal thing that you will just end up figuring out.  It's all about where you feel comfortable.  And I'd love for you to bounce things off of me when you have one of those bad days.  In fact I would just love it if members would use the board to do just that.  We are all about positive stuff here but that includes talking about things that bother us.  I just don't want any name calling and bullying but the rest is open for discussion.  I'm so proud of you for how far you've come and I'm particularly excited that you found your way here!!  So here's a big hug and welcome.
Big hugs, Y

WOW! Thank you Yvonne for the awesome welcome! I feel blessed that I have found my way here also! The article was actually a post/ reply that you wrote to Ebdjab's question on Dec 27Th. You said so many things there that absolutely "hit home" with me! ABOUT ADDICTS AND MAKING A BLACK AND WHITE DECISION. Me being a diabetic, I believe that your diabetes does not actually get cured and you have to struggle more than WLS patients who were not diabetic to keep those BS in control and those carb cravings! That is my experience anyway. Do you agree?
I am 12 months out and have started to gradually allow more and more carb into my diet-things like crackers and a few chips and a bite of sweet here and there and even SF ice cream. All that stuff does if give me gas and diarrhea! So, I ha vent been feeling nearly as well as I was before I allowed that stuff in! Course it was the beginning of the holidays when I started having a bit here and then a bite there and then the cravings especially at night-even getting up in the night to eat. SO, I think you are right on about a black and white decision-not to even have a bite.

Thank you again for the warm welcome, sweetie, and your commitment to us. Am so looking forward to being a part of this group!

I'm going to copy your reply to a new thread so it doesn't get buried OK?  I'll call it "reply to Annette".
hugs, Y