Weight Loss Surgery Directory

By Location By Map
Friends

Dawn B. has 18 Friends

mccalles
Tammy H.
breezyberi

L C.
Torrey
nybabe

Mrs. G
babytmakes6
auntlorlee
View all friends
Before & After

 
—  
* move mouse over the picture to see “after” photo

See these instructions if you wish to submit your own Before & After photos.
Goals

exercise at least 3-5 times a week

284 People
 in progress, 
76 People
 achieved this

Live my post-op life as a balanced person.

1 Person
 in progress, 
0 People
 achieved this
View The Goals Page
Surgeon Testimonial

Mark Nichols, M.D.
Dr. Nichols isn't overly friendly at the first meeting, but was willing to answer questions,gave a good overview of the surgery. We did get into it over my PCP saying to stay away from Tylenol (due to my liver) and him saying that was the only pain medicine I was allowed to take. After I said "So we just shoot the liver?" he became more approachable. He showed up at the hospital early each morning which I appreciated, especially since it allowed me to come home by 11 am on day 2 post-op. He is usually short and sweet on examinations.

Of the two choices, surgical competence and bedside manner I chose surgical competence with at least polite respect. I got the added bonus that after the surgery Dr. Nichols is actually very nice and always compliments me on how well I'm doing and looking at the check-ups and such. He even joined our bariatric group softball team.
Member Interests
  • Books & Literature - Love romance, fantasy, Sci-Fi, and misc.
  • Dogs - I have a Lab-Cross (Casper)
  • Quilting - Traditional - no patience with piecing and applique.
  • Bicycling - I have a recumbent that I love to ride the river trails again.
  • Walking - Nature and a camera - perfect walking trip.
  • Movies - Everything but horror.
  • Music - Christian (KLOVE) & Country mainly - but also musicals, Dixieland & Big Band
  • Christianity - I'm involved with the video department.
  • Teachers - I teach jr. high science/math/history &/or language arts.
  • Reptiles - I have a Ball Python & a Mid-Baja Rosy Boa

Product Reviews
Latest Surgery Support Comments

  • Comment by piperkc on 8/10/05 8:01 am
    “The Greatest healing therapy is friendship and Love.” ~ Hubert Humphrey "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, any one can start from now and make a brand new ending "There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow." ~ O. S. Marden "Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil." ~ James Allen "I asked God to give me happiness. God said, "No. I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you." ~ Author Unknown "Goals give you more than a reason to get up in the morning; they are an incentive to keep you going all day. Goals tend to tap the deeper resources and draw the best out of life. "Put yourself in a state of mind where you say to yourself, 'Here is an opportunity for me to celebrate like never before, my own power, my own ability to get myself to do whatever is necessary." ~ Anthony Robbins " ~ Harvey Mackay "Life is a challenge, but if you don't stand and risk you will never know if you were able to win or lose. Challenges are not a thing of winning or losing; they are a way of learning from them to become a better person every day! ~ Alexsander Rodriguez, P.R "Don't ask for it to be easy, ask for it to be worth it." Dan Kuschell "The most important question to ask is not 'What am I getting?' The most important question to ask on the job is 'What am I becoming?'"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however." - Richard Bach "In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins; not through strength, but through persistence." ~ Jackson Brown "I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning." ~ J.B. Priestly "Each of us has an inner dream that we can unfold if we will just have the courage to admit what it is. And the faith to trust our own admission. The admitting is often very difficult." ~ Julia Cameron "The block of granite which was an obstacle in the pathway of the weak becomes a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong. That block of granite is often nothing more than a decision." ~ Thomas Carlyle "Being yourself is not remaining what you were, or being satisfied with what you are. It is the point of departure." ~ Sydney Harris "Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinion of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth." ~ Katherine Mansfield "Too often we are scared. Scared of what we might not be able to do. Scared of what people might think if we tried. We let fears stand in the way of our hopes. We say no when we want to say yes. We sit quietly when we want to scream. And we shout with the others, when we should keep our mouths shut. Why? After all, we do only go around once. There's really no time to be afraid. JUST DO IT." ~ Nike advertising campaign "I am convinced that attitude is the key to success or failure in almost any of life's endeavors. Your attitude - your perspective, your outlook, how you feel about yourself, how you feel about other people - determines your priorities, your actions, your values. Your attitude determines how you interact with other people and how you interact with yourself." ~ Carolyn Warner "Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched, and those who tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives." ~ Author Unknown "It's never too late to be what you might have been." ~ George Eliot "For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it." ~ Author Unknown "Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to the end, requires some of the same courage which a soldier needs." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson A wish changes NOTHING; A decision, changes EVERYTHING "So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will,they soon become inevitable." Christopher Reeves "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43:2-3 Everyone has beauty but not everyone sees it. "If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much." ~ Jim Rohn May you always have an Angel by your side. Watching out for you in all the things you do. Reminding you to keep believing in brighter days. Have a speedy recovery Angela in Corpus Christi 291lbs BMI 45.60 -234lbs Dr Michael Grace Open RNY Life began May 16, 2002 I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. Surely..I will heal you." 2 Kings 20:5
Click here for the surgery support page


Create Your Own!


A Year of Transistions & Changes






 

Dawn B.'s Blog
Dawn B.'s Blog


7th Year anniversary
on August 2, 2012 4:24 pm
Wow - 7 years. It's gone by really fast. As I look back at the last 7 years I still say I'd do it again. Post-op life hasn't always been easy (gallbladder removed, exploratory surgery to find out what was causing severe abdominal pain, increased IBS systems, still occasionally bring back up food (usually pasta) when I eat too much), but the pluses have been worth it. High blood pressure gone (actually run too low sometimes) and no signs of diabetes (again, run too low sometimes), look better, feel better - generally healthier. My orginal goal was 135lbs - hit a low of about 132. My heart didn't like the 130's so went up to the low 140's. Stayed there for about 5 years with little to no effort. In the last year and a half I've had to struggle more - my high has been 158. I'm now sitting at 150 and would really like to get down to the mid 140s again, so as the school year starts up again I hope to get down there again.
Be the first to leave a comment.

Wow! Long time...
on August 4, 2010 5:21 pm
It's been a year since I've posted... guess it's going to become an annual event. As I have hit my 5 year anniverysary of opening a new door to my existing life I look back and thank God that I did so. I also wonder about those that started the journey about the same time I did and have regain most, if not all their weight, and why them and not me.

I'm far from the poster child of post-op behavior, but I think my success is largely to do that I've found balance in my life that I didn't have before and that's supported by the fact that my body doesn't me to eat to far off track without making me  pay for it. :o)

My upper abdomen pain returned, so the exploratory surgery didn't solve the issue, but at least the pain no longer goes off the richter scale and the the episodes often can be stopped very quickly. They really seem to be related to excess gas most of the time. Who knows, but I haven't gone back to the doctors as they all said there was nothing else they could do.

I hope all who read my blog find it helpful and jus know that you, and no one else, controls your post-op success.
Be the first to leave a comment.

Happy 4th Anniversary!
on August 21, 2009 9:43 pm
How time flies! It's been four years since I had surgery and I wouldn't change that decision. I've had my ups and downs medically, but not all of it can be contributed to the bypass so could have happened anyway. I just had my annual blood work, and yes, the liver enzymes are slightly high - I've just decided it's my new norm. On a postive front, my B12 and Folic Acid are actually higher than normal - great if I was going to get pregnant I guess. My calcium and D were at the bottom of the range so I have to be a better girl at getting that in, which for the last couple of weeks I have been.

On some really good fronts - I've lost 10lbs in the last 6 months - with no conscious effort on my part so am I down to 138 - only 3 lbs above my original goal. Now, 3 years ago when I reached it my heart hated being that low so I raised it to 140-145, but so far I'm doing good. I'm also dating for the first time in 14 plus years! The things that come up with that is kinda weird. How many 46 year old women have to ask their doctor of 14 years about birth control for the first time?

I'm still doing well as far as the upper abdomen attacks and I finally got a cortisone shot on Aug. 12th so my low back in feeling much, much better; just in time for school starting up again.

Goals for this next year - to continue where I'm at. I seem to be successful doing what I'm doing. We have such a great tool and I'm thankful that it's one that was available for me. Now I just need a similar one for money and my life would be perfect!
Be the first to leave a comment.

Update time...
on July 3, 2009 6:01 pm
How time flies. The week after Easter I had 5 attacks in two days, two of them w/i 5 minutes of each other. I went and saw Dr. Nichols and he decided it was now time to do exploratory surgery in the abdomen to see if he could find a physical cause to the pain. I had the surgery May 5th and he found one section of the "y" was telescoping and he closed a hernia that most people have. It is just above our colon in the stomach area but with the RNY, the small intestine is now under it so he decided to close the hernia just to be sure. The hope was that the telescoping was the issue. Then June 2nd I had was seemed like another attack, just not as extreme. I woke up at midnight with a low blood sugar attack and started eating my usual spoonful of peanut butter and wala - abdomen pain. Called Dr. Nichol's office the next morning and he and his assistant Cindi insisted it was dumping. I don't have any idea why that one time of eating peanut butter I would have dumped but, since I would rather it be that instead of the telescoping intestine being it, I'm ging to believe them. But, just in case I had a colonoscopy done and except for one pocket it was clear.

I'm still maintaining between 140 & 145 - usually right in the middle, so I'm quite happy. I can't believe I'm coming up on my 4 year anniversary.
Be the first to leave a comment.

Endoscopy
on February 18, 2009 8:37 pm

Well, after a joke of a scheduling mess I had my endoscopy today. The only issue was minor gastritis. Dr. Reddy took a biopsy to check for h. pylori and we'll decide what the next step is when that comes back. The only issue on the bloodwork was slightly elevated liver enzymes again. - In other words, still something is irrating that area of my body, but we don't seem to have a clue what.

Be the first to leave a comment.

Browse pages: next >



Archive

Tags
  • None
My Story

 
My story is similar to a lot of others I'm sure. I wasn't fat growing up, just always at the top of my weight range. Then as I entered my late teens the weight issues started. I went on my first serious diet to get ready to be in two weddings when I was about 20 or so and have been yo-yo dieting ever since. I had gotten to 224 and lost over 55 lbs on WW in 2001 and then of course regained it, plus 40 more! I thought about having the surgery about 2 yrs before actually doing it. It took being diagnosed with hypertension in Dec. 2004 at the age of 41 to really start the ball moving again. I tried WW one more time, lasted 3 weeks, and then after a 3 month thought process, started the ball rolling in April.