Support for 10yr Post-Op

susan1713
on 3/18/14 4:38 am - Simi Valley, CA

Hi there...its been a long time since I've been here.  My surgery was in September 2004. The night of my surgery I weighed in at 398lbs. My total loss after several years was approximately 230lbs, my lowest weight being about 165lbs.  

I'm here because 10yrs after having the surgery, I still struggle every day.  In the past few years, I've re-gained between 30-40lbs and seem to maintain right around 210lb. While that's nowhere near where I started 10yrs ago, its still too heavy for me. Unfortunately in my situation, I lost my mother about 10 months after my surgery and it took me several years to recover. The support group I was going to at the time dissolved and my surgeon left the area about 2 years after my surgery.  My regular physician (who actually referred me for the surgery to begin with) did the best he could but he eventually retired about 5yrs after my surgery. So besides the support of my family & a few friends, my WLS support back then was almost non-existent.  (Truth-be-told, because of the state I was in after losing my mother, I didn't look real hard for a long time. I was my mom's primary care-giver and when she passed, I isolated myself for several, several years.)...so re-introducing food back into my life after WLS the "appropriate" way never really occurred - in my opinion.

My point now is - I'm just looking to see if there are any others out there who are several years out and still looking for support/camaraderie in the journey of "post-post" WLS? I believe I missed out on the positive help & connections that support groups have to offer.  Most places I'm finding are for people who have recently had their surgeries and what I'm eating & how I"m dealing with food is significantly different than where they are at in their journey.

I live in Ventura County, California...I don't mid on-line support either.

I do not regret at all the choice I made 10 years ago.  I believe it was the right choice for me at the time and I knew it would be hard and that it would be a lifetime commitment.  I'm not ready to give up! 

I appreciate anyone who has anything to share with me...Take care!

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