Well I am finally getting around to filling out this profile!  I have been browsing the boards since August and posting occassionally.  There is great information and great support here.  I wish I had found this board years ago! So, a little bit about me!

I am a 48 year old lady living in Southwestern Ontario. I have lived in this area all of my life.  My weight problem as well has been with me all my life.  The last time I was of "normal" weight was at birth!  From there it just climbed rapidly.  My mother would drag me to every different doctor she could find in Toronto to try and figure out why her daughter was so big.  Of course in the 50's, a chubby baby was a healthy baby.  Up until age 18 they kept telling me it was baby fat.....NOT!

Of course I have done the whole gammit of diet regiemes over my life.  Including a stomach stapling (VGB) in 1995 which basically accomplished about a 30lbs. loss for me in total.  Of couse since then I have gained back that 30 plus much more!  When I had the VGB there was absolutley no support (that I new of) and the surgeon who did my procedure had the bedside manor of a troll!  At my one month check up she basically said I was being "piggish" as I had only lost 10lbs.  I needed to stop eating so much.  During that one month I was living on liquids and jello.  Go figure!

I came upon this site accidentally and started reading information and posts about procedures I new nothing about.  One article I read brought me to tears.  Apparently the VBG procedure historically had about a 60% failure rate!  Amazed me.  I thought I was the only one who had WLS and failed.  What an eye opener.  I approached my GP (who is a wonderful doctor) about the possibility of having a revision and she said lets go for it!  And thus the journey began!

I sent my OCC forms into OHIP for approval and had it back approved for consultation with Dr. O'Malley within 10 days!   I was amazed.  I was worried that because I had had the VGB I would not be considered but I guess the revisions are not that unusual.  It has been a waiting game to get into Dr. O'Malleys' seminar.  I am currently scheduled for November 30.  I have since contacted the Bariatric Center in Hamilton to see if I can work with a nutrionist there to try and drop some weight prior to surgery.  Am still waiting on word back from that.

In October I went out to my first OH Support Meeting in Milton.  What a great group of people.  Tammy is awesome to open her home to strangers and made everyone feel so welcomed. 

 So for now, I am in the "trying to be patient" phase.  I have read lots on the boards, read a few books on WLS and am anxious to join the losers bench. I am still not sure of the surgery I want but am leaning toward the DS.  I will talk this over with Dr. O'Malley and get his input.  I will try to come in and update "My Story" as things progress!  Good luck to everyone on this journey.  I think I need to "hang on to my hat", it's gonna be a heck of a ride!