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Surgeon TestimonialJon L. Schram, M.D., F.A.C.S.I had my first group consultation at the Barix Clinic in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on Aug 6/08 and it was wonderful. Dr Jon Schram will be my doctor, but I have a pacemaker, so he wants a letter from a cardiologist to say I'm healthy enough for surgery (well, that my heart is healthy enough for surgery!)rnrnMy first impression of Dr. Schram was that he seemed like a very positive, confident, and caring doctor. My impression did not change when I met with him individually. He was awesome!rnrnThe staff at the Barix Clinic were wonderful (except for the people at reception.... they were a little cold), and they gave me a lot of information to read, and two people that I can contact if I have any questions at all. A lot of the staff are also former patients, and they are happy to show you their before pictures, and answer any questions.rnrnThe doctor drew diagrams on the board showing the difference between the Lapband surgery and the GB. Both have pluses and minuses. He wrote down the percentages of the various risks with both surgeries. They were very informative about what to expect, and are equally honest about how it works. They say it's just a tool that makes dieting easier. You don't have the hunger that you experience with a regular diet, so it's easier to do it, but you still have to do the work. If you don't exercise, you'll probably lose less than someone who does. If you eat fast food instead of healthy home cooked food, you'll probably lose less. It's not a magic pill that means everyone will get to their goal weight. You have to still eat right and exercise.rnrnThey have regular after surgery check ups (I think at 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and one year), and he said he would be happy if every patient came back to see him every year for the rest of their lives!rnrnI would rate Dr Schram, the hospital itself, and the staff at 110%. I was very happy I chose this clinic for my surgery.rnrnI think surgical competence is probably better, but a great bedside manner helps you feel more confident going into your surgery. It helps if you really trust the doctor, and I got that feeling from Dr Schram. I have heard nothing but GREAT things about him, and I am so excited about having my surgery, I can barely wait!rnrn Member Interests
- Writing - I love to write, and people have said I'm really good at it.
- Dancing - Can't wait to lose my weight because I love to dance!!
- Board Games & Puzzles - Love logic puzzles
- Movies - Love films of all kinds, but especially suspense, and comedy.
- Music - I love anything you can dance to (which leaves out Opera and Jazz fusion)
- Fashion - I'm a somewhat trendy person. My daughter is a designer.
- Photography - I love photography. Used to be a 35mm, but now it's all digital!
- Cosmetics - I'm currently taking a Makeup Artistry diploma course
- Nail Technician - Teaching myself how to do gel nails, and manicures
- Skin Care - My friend is an esthetician, and wants me to start working with her at her home.
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My name is Nancy, I'm 51, single, and live in Oshawa, Ontario. I have a daughter who is 27, and has her own place in Mississauga. I travel a lot, and I'm a natural born investigator.
I'm in the Century Club!!!! on October 26, 2009 3:32 am
I can hardly believe it, but I hit the 100 pound mark today!!! Just 4 days shy of my birthday, and I'm an official member of the Century Club! Woo Hooooo! Other than when I reached Onederland, this has got to be the biggest thrill for me.
My weight loss had slowed so much, I thought I was never going to get here. I'm just 8 1/2 months out, and I've only lost 6 pounds since August 24th, and was a little bit frustrated. I know that it's not all about the scale, but I wanted to reach that 100 pound loss. For some reason it was important to me to be able to say "100 pounds" when someone asks me how much I've lost. Now I just need someone with Photoshop to make me one of those cool cards 
Getting through the stall wasn't a huge deal for me, because I'm basically so happy at the weight I am now. I think I've got 33 pounds left to get to my goal, and I know the closer I am to my goal, the slower it's going to come off. At least I get to wear my clothes for a little longer now! LOL
I can hardly believe that I've lost 100 pounds! That number seems unreal to me. When I think of where I was in February, and where I am now, it's just hard to process. I couldn't have even imagined what life would be like after losing this amount of weight. I haven't been this weight for probably 18-20 years.
It's not even just the weight. I've made so many new friends through OH, and being an OH group support leader has been awesome. The things I've learned, the way my life has changed, and the way I've been able to help others who are starting on this journey, has made my life so much fuller.
I am disabled (I know, you can't tell it by looking at me), but we all have challenges that make our lives difficult. Not having all that extra weight to lug around all day, has made a big difference in how I feel day-to-day. When I think about attempting to lift 5 twenty pound bags of potatoes, there's no way I could ever do it, but that's what I was dragging around with me every day!
From now on, any more weight I lose will be gravy. I'm not one who's obsessed about getting to a particular goal weight. I feel so good now, that I'm just going to focus on keeping on track with my eating to stay healthy, keep educating myself about my surgery, and keep working on our support group. It keeps me accountable, and there's nothing better than being able to sit and talk with others who have been through what I have, (or who will be). I don't want to fall off the wagon (and it can be done!) Now that I've reached that 100 pound goal, I'm just focusing on keeping it off.
Yay me!!!
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I'm so excited!!! on September 13, 2009 6:39 pm
I did the Salsa class on Thursday with my friend at the Y. Not only did I complete the 45 minute class, but I had fun too! I thought with my fibromyalgia that I would be on the floor the next day for sure. I thought I was going to be in for lots of pain.
Well not only was I still standing on Friday, but I went to get my hair cut, returned some clothing to a store, went to scope out a new location for our WLS support group to meet, AND went clothes shopping at Reitmans. For me, that would have been impossible a year ago. I was excited beyond belief!
Another really exciting thing for me was when I went to Reitman's clothes shopping. I had always shopped in the plus size section on the left hand side of the store. Well Friday was the first time in 20 years that I've been able to shop on the RIGHT hand side of the store, in the regular size section! Of course everything I picked up was either a size 15 or XL. I wasn't sure what size I would wear, so I took the largest sizes they had. I had to get the sales lady to take the stuff back and get me smaller sizes!!!! I couldn't believe it. I'm a size 13 or a regular large now. This is unbelievable to me. I'm in a bit of shock I think, because it still doesn't seem real. I can't believe that I've lost 94 pounds in 7 months, and how much that 94 pounds has changed my life.
I'm making an appointment with a personal trainer at the Y for next week sometime. She's the girl who led the Salsa class, and I think she would really motivate me. In the meantime, I'm going to walk with my friend at the dog park again tomorrow, and then we're having dinner together, and doing a yoga session at her place. I'm also going to go back and do the salsa class on Thursday.
I feel so hopefull for the future now. Knowing that I can exercize and not be in terrible pain is so motivating for me. It was just a dream before, but now I can actually do it. I mean, I'm not going to be competing in any Iron Man competitions anytime soon, but just being able to dance, and walk, and get stronger, is amazing. If for no other reason, I'm so glad I had my surgery. I couldn't have ever imagined being this far, in such a short time. I'm so excited about everything!
P.S. My daughter bought that adorable little bungalow on Friday too!!!!
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Things are a little better now! on September 10, 2009 12:21 pm
I'm doing pretty well now. The past couple of weeks had been a little rough, but I was out walking with my friend at the dog park yesterday, and it was a beautiful, hot, sunny day. This dog park is just miles of paths through the woods. It's so peaceful, you'd think you were out in the middle of nowhere, in the forest somewhere, but it's actually right in Oshawa (pop. 152,000). We walked through the trees for about an hour, so it was a great way for me to get some exercise, laugh at the dogs having so much fun, and get to spend some time with my friend. We're going for Salsa lessons tonight at the Y, and then hopefully I'll go walking at the dog park with her again on Friday.
I'm still waiting to see the surgeon next week about having my hernia repaired. I've been on a stall for several weeks now, but it's the first one I've had in 7 months, so I'm not all wound up about it. I'm loving that I'm now into a size 14!!! I'm actually in a "normal" size. Just an average size woman now. What an amazing feeling!
I'm very excited now that I'm into a size 14 jeans! I bought a bunch of things at Walmart, because I needed some tops and casual pants. It was so exciting for me, to be able to pick up a size large, and have it fit! (Not even an XL, but just a L!!)
No more plus sized clothing!! Yay me! Now I'm just an average sized woman. I love it! I don't stick out in a crowd anymore. I don't feel like the biggest person in the room anymore. I feel fabulous at this weight. Anything else I lose is just going to be a bonus as far as I'm concerned. I'm 39 pounds from my goal weight, but to be honest, I haven't been a size 14 in at least 18-20 years, so this is thrilling beyond belief for me. I can hardly believe it sometimes.
I've passed on all my larger clothes to a friend in our WLS support group, who's mother had RNY in June. She's a size or two larger than me, so she wears the smaller stuff now, and then her mom will be able to wear it when it doesn't fit my friend anymore. I really enjoy giving my things to someone I know. Her mom is just like a kid at Christmas when I bring over bags of stuff. It's so cute! I've taken 2 huge loads over so far, and they are both thrilled, and thank me over and over again. It's a nice feeling.
So now I have a very weeded out closet, and I love seeing the empty space in there. No more closets crammed full of 5 different sizes of clothing! My friend asked me why I hung onto the larger sized things for so long. I told her I had to be ready to "just let it go". We all have attachments to certain things that were our favorites, or maybe spent a fortune on. It takes a while for us to adjust to our body size, and realise we're never going to be needing those things again. I love the empty space! I'm going to be getting rid of a lot of other stuff around the house that I never use too. I need the room to get organized. Clutter frustrates me, so I know it helps me mentally, when I have clear space and an organized closet.
On a totally different topic, my poor daughter Danielle has a large cyst on her left ovary, which had been causing her a lot of pain. I didn't know about it at all. I guess she didn't want to worry me. I was talking to her one night, and she sounded really down, which is very different than her usual way. I asked her if everything was OK. So she told me she had been to the doctor, and the doctor thought Danielle was suffering from depression.
I guess Danielle had been getting very emotional, and crying a lot, and was really tired, and not interested in doing things that she used to. Danielle just thought it was because she was really stressed at work, and she was worried about me being in and out of the hospital, and her live-in boyfriends mom is going through chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery. So she DID have a lot of stress in her life, but this was different and she knew it. So I think she's going to have to start taking anti-depressants, which is good, because depression runs in my family, and there's no need for her to suffer. She knows all the signs and symptoms because I've had it since I was pretty young, and she's not adverse to taking medication for it if it will help her feel like her old self again. I don't know if she'll be having surgery for the cyst anytime soon, but eventually she may have to. So I guess that's why I wasn't able to get her on the phone for days and days, because she was depressed, and probably didn't want to talk to anyone once she got home from work (which I totally understand). I've been there, and know what it's like. I'm just glad I finally know what was going on with her though!
Her and her boyfriend are looking to buy their first home, and I think they've found the place. Danielle's dad is a general contractor, so he's going to have a look at the house today. I really hope they get it, because it's beautifully finished inside, and it's in a cute little 40's neighbourhood right in Toronto. It has been totally renovated, and it's just so HER. If you want to look at the pictures, go to www.35gray.com
Hope everyone is happy, healthy, and enjoying these beautiful Indian Summer days.
Nancy
Size 14!!! on August 25, 2009 7:40 pm
OK, this is really exciting for me. I had to go to Walmart today and get my nails done, and pick up a couple of things. While I was shopping, I noticed that my jeans seemed baggy in the butt and legs. SO, I went and tried on a smaller size in jeans, and they fit! I'm now into a size 14 regular jeans, and size large regular tops!!!
It's probably been 18-20 years since I've been a size 14. I feel so awesome! I noticed a couple of guys checking me out today, and one guy tried picking me up in the shampoo aisle! LOL This is really a new feeling for me, as I've been on my own for over 4 years now, and had no relationships at all during that time. OMG, I might actually get a date! LOL
I've also noticed that the hair loss seems to be less, which is a relief. I've also been able to go off some of the medications I was taking, or at least reducing the doseages. That's a great feeling. It was one of my goals when I started this journey, and now it's here. Once I get this hernia fixed, I'll be all good.
I'm also going to an information session about joining the Durham Regional Police on Tuesday. They're hiring, so I went on their website, and asked if I could attend their next info session. I don't know if they would even consider hiring someone who's 50, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? I already have a good job with the government, but I've wanted to be a police officer for over 20 years. The timing was just never right, and of course my weight and my health were issues for the past 15-20 years. I just want to find out about the physical requirements, so I can use that as a goal for my fitness. If I thought there was even a chance that I could be hired, I'd be so motivated to reach the fitness goal. Wish me luck!
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A huge WOW for me! on August 24, 2009 7:32 pm
The weight has been falling off me for the past week or two. The last 3 times I've gotten on the scale I've been down 3 pounds. So now I'm down 94 pounds, and today when I was getting dressed, I noticed that my top seemed to be a little too big on me. Nothing seemed to fit right, so I went to Walmart tonight to try and find something cheap and cheerful.
WELL, I shopped in the regular department!! Size large in the regular sizes. Woooo Hooooo!!!! No more plus size stuff! Yay me! And I can buy bra's off the rack, instead of in the "specialty" department too. So cool, and so much cheaper!
I can't even remember the last time I could shop in the regular sizes. It must be almost 20 years. I can hardly believe it!
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