There's some good news today!!!! Congrats Laurie

I really honestly do. Yesterday, I decided to have Chinese for lunch. Not something I have had much at all since surgery. I have ordered with Rich a few times and have done fine. We try to avoid sugary sauces and I do not do rice or noodles. So, I decided on the chicken with green beans. It is a bit spicy. Not sweet. Sauce is watery and not gelatinous. A hour or two later the dumping started. Dumping for me is severe bloating of my abdomen such that my stretch jeans that had many inches of slack early in the morning are cutting off circulation but worse of all... my whole abdomen hurt like heck. It was hideous. It hurt for 5-6 hours. It hurt when I took a deep breath. Everything hurt. Yes, this is dumping. I've had milder versions and my surgeon told me it was dumping for me so I wasn't concerned it was something serious but man - it sucked, big time. I came home from work and laid on the bed with the heating pad on my belly. It eventually went away and I was able to eat a reasonable dinner (not leftover Chinese of course - that went in the trash). Kathy

The holiday gift that everyone will be clamouring for.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320002256722 I've ALWAYS wanted WINGed tips slippers... (bad pun) Kathy

Whine away, baby! Plastics will definitely lighten your load. Had to say how much but it will get you down at least one size if not two so I think you might just get you 8. If I read that right, you are a 12 now? How tall are ya? I hover in the neighborhood of my personal goal, 160. I was 155 for about 4-5 days I think and then been bouncing around 160 or so since. I'm about 159 now. Had gotten even back up to 163. My weight always takes multiple pound moves so I do not freak out about the 155 to 163 thing. Very typical and normal for me and honestly I know I haven't really regained. I know that my weight stablized for several months earlier this year. I made a few small changes, I think. I know that I added a 20 minute walk at lunch to the mix and all of a sudden the scale budged. Then I ended up losing like 4 lbs one month and 5 another. I was shocked. I'd have to look at my profile to figure it out. Nice to see ya! Forge on. Keep working it and it'll pay off. I really believe that. Hugs, Kathy

Thanks, Guys, you are all so sweet. I am off to the surgeon's office this afternoon to see if some of this fluid needs to be aspirated. I produced an excess of fluid after the gastric bypass, and needed to have my incision opened at two weeks post-op, so I'm not surprised that my body is reacting this way after the tt. Lori and Tracy, I was still 20 pounds from my goal when I had the tt, and now I am only 2 pounds from my goal of 150. I can't believe it. So remember, the surgery will drop your weight, and if you are at goal when you go into it, you will be well below your goal post-plastics. Part of it is just the weight that is surgically removed, 8 pounds in my case, and then you just don't feel like eating normally for awhile. In fact, at five weeks, my appetite is still not what it was pre-tt, and I can't consume very much food at a time, almost like just after the gastric bypass. I'm viewing this as a second honeymoon weight loss period. I am focusing on protien first, as always, for healing. I am making sure to get my vitamins in. I am hoping my weight drops a little below my goal, so that when I stabilize, I expect it to bounce back up a little. Once again, thanks again for the pep talk. Laurie, I have been following your journey since the beginning. Debra M. 351/152/150 2 pounds to go