Sheila, sorry to hear about the kidney stones, I've never had them but I've heard the pain is almost unbearable. Remember the importance of water to keep things flowing. I can't gulp like I could as a pre-op but I can definitely drink more than a sip at a time. My daily goal is to drink at least 80 oz of liquid a day, mostly water but sometimes tea or crystal light. I don't drink diet drinks, my surgeon said after 6 months it's ok but to not make it a daily habit, more of a "treat". I've tried it and I don't like the way it makes my pouch feel, even after letting it sit for 30 minutes or so to lose some of the carbination. Dana

for those that have been following the story of my friend's son...first of all let me give you the update on him. they got the results from the bone marrow test yesterday and his cancer is in the bone. they are having a bone scan done today to see how bad it is. that's all i know for right now. his dad said that aidan did really well with the chemo and he's still smiling...he's so precious! and my wow moment is this....my mom took me shopping yesterday before my leg surgery to keep my mind off it. which by the way i'm doing just fine! thank goodness for drugs and outpatient surgery. anyway i tried on some jeans and guess what...SIZE 6! i can't believe it!! my mom was so excited she bought them for me. she said "i can't even get into a size 6 yet" she's an 8, but she has bigger hips and a butt...i don't have either. anyway...i'm excited! thanks for reading this. Steph 350/147/143 (5'8")

Hey guys...I know you all know this, but this is just a reminder to what can happen if you don't drink enough fluids-which I still struggle with doing. KIDNEY STONES! Yes, I have had my second bout with them since having surgery (I never had them before). I had to have surgery this past weekend to have one removed that was causing a blockage in my ureter. As if the stone wasn't painful enough, I had to have a stent placed in me that goes from the kidney to the bladder and it caused a whole new set of pain! Thankfully it was removed yesterday, and I am starting to feel better now. My urologist told me that unfortunately because of the bypass surgery I could be prone to chronic stones. He said along with not being able to drink as much fluid as I can, that because of the re-routing I probably don't absorb the fluid as proficiently as before. SO...my new goal is to DRINK-DRINK-DRINK! Also, I was wondering, for those of you that do drink the right amounts...do you still sip or can you gulp? No matter how thirsty I am I still have to just sip. Any more than a few sips at a time and I feel like it might come back up. Also, is anyone drinking diet soda or anything like that now? Thanks! Sheila

~~~steph ~~~ I am so sorry. I will keep all of you in my thoughts. And I hope all goes well with the treatment. faith 389/227/180

steph You look great and I'm going to have to do the same thing. I am no where near my goal but, I look at you and you give the inspiration to keep up the work. Dawn 315/200/140-healthy