Weight Loss Surgery Directory

Before & After

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Goals

Get below 200 lbs

68 People
 in progress, 
55 People
 achieved this

Go swimming with my family

14 People
 in progress, 
9 People
 achieved this

Go to an amusment park and fit on the rides, comfortably.

307 People
 in progress, 
135 People
 achieved this
Member Interests
  • Cats - I have a 7 year old kitty named Squeekums
  • Dogs - I have a 9 year old Golden Retriever named Toby
  • Adoption - We have a now 6 y.o.son & now 7 y.o daughter we were fortunate enough to adopt.
  • Antiques
  • Cooking & Baking - I love to cook-Especially things using unusual ingredients.
  • Tattoo - I have several tattoos.
  • Gardening

Latest Surgery Support Comments

  • Comment by NewMe2Be72 on 10/10/09 7:51 pm
    I hope you are doing well on the loser bench! Your still in my thoughts and prayers.. :)
  • Comment by Kimmeroo on 10/10/09 5:58 am
    Hi Dawn! I hope the surgery went well! Will be thinking of you! Kim
Click here for the surgery support page

Hi There!  My name is Dawn, and I am going to being having the Duodenal Switch on October 8th, 2009!

huggle002's Blog
huggle002's Blog


I am home and switched
on October 13, 2009 2:50 pm
Surgery was done on 10/8 open.  Just got home yesterday.  Still have drain in, and I am really tired.  But I am doing GREAT!!!!
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Surgery in 2 Days
on October 5, 2009 6:31 am
OK-I will freely admit I am nervous as hell.  I had figured I wouldn't have the time to be nervous, I have so much to do!  But I am actually putting off packing and preparing-I don't know why...I get so stressed when I am not prepared for things. Usually, I am the most organized person.  It would be so much easier if the hospital was close by-and if I didn't have to stay at a hotel the night before.  The fact that I have to do the bowel prep in a strange place is making me really uncomfortable.  There are so many things I am worried about. 

Why can't I just be happy it is finally happening???  I have wanted this for so long.  
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I got a Date!!
on September 15, 2009 6:57 pm
October 8th will be the big day!!
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I am approved!
on September 2, 2009 6:39 pm
The surgeons office called me yesterday to give me the good news!  I just have to wait a week and a half for a date because the hospital scheduler is out until then.  WOOHOO!
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Waiting patiently for a date.
on August 23, 2009 5:35 am
August, 2009

Since my first doctors visit in January, I have lost more than 50 lbs on weight watchers, quit smoking, and have had every single test imaginable.  Thank goodness they have such strict requirements, because due to all the testing, I found out I have an inactive thyroid for which they put me on synthroid, sleep apnea- I use my C-PAP machine with oxygen religiously-and after an extremely stressful 2 weeks due to a questionable chest x-ray- I found out after a biopsy that I have Sarcoid-which is an unexplained inflammation of lymph nodes in the chest and lungs-and thankfully, not lung cancer, which is what I was convinced the lymph nodes were for the 2 weeks I was waiting to find out. 

 I was also severely  Vitamin D and B12 deficient-so I am now on a strict vitamin regimen, and am extremely happy to say, my level are now normal! YAY!!

At this point, I have completed all my requirements.  I am awaiting the ok from the insurance company, and then I will finally get the date I have been waiting a very long time for.
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My Story

I was overweight from the time I was about 3 years old.  I remember looking in the mirror in ballet class at 5-and seeing someone who didn't "fit in" with the rest of the girls.  I do remember specifically, at the age of 8, weighing 120 lbs-and dieting down at that age to 100 lbs, only to gain that back, plus more.  I remember at 12 years of age, being taken to a diet doctor, who gave me diet pills that caused me to pass out on a street corner when I was talking to some friends.  I remember at the age of 18, weighing 230 lbs. In my 20's, my weight fluctuated between 190 lbs, all the way up to 320.  My highest weight was this past January, when the scale at weight watchers hit me with 390 lbs.  I am only 5 foot 4.
Of course, it didn't help that my moms' best friend had a daughter my age who was extremely thin.  We did everything together-and she was a constant reminder into my teenage years that I was missing so many of the wonderful things that were supposed to be "normal" as people go through adolescence into their adult years.
I missed the prom, I missed graduation.  I accepted dates from guys that were less than my ideal-because I thought it was "the best I could do".  It didn't matter how I was treated.  I married a man at 20 who was extremely selfish, and very childish.  He was always looking at other women, and he finally left after 4 years of marriage to be with his "best friend's" fiance-who he ultimately married.   As it turns out, approximately 2 months after my ex left, I started having severe pain every month with my menstrual cycle-to the point of having to b e hospitalized every month for 3-4 days over the course of over 2 years,  while doctors did extensive testing trying to figure out what was going on.  They finally figured it to be endometriosis, although they couldn't pinpoint it despite numerous tests.-and started treating me with lupron shots every month, which thankfully worked.
I ended up remarrying a few years later to a man who is 13 years my senior-who is a great guy, and we have been married  for 14 years.
I was unable to conceive for 15 years, although I went for assistance with a fertility specialist, and had a couple of rounds of IVF.   We were very fortunate in that we were able to adopt a beautiful little girl and her baby brother.  At the time they came to us, my daughter was a year old, and my son was a newborn.  It ended up being the best decision we ever made, our kids are my world!  They are now 6 and 7- and a big reason why I decided to finally take control of my life, and have WLS.  I will be having the Duodenal Switch.