Corey, someone polished the loser's bench for me and I am polishing it for you! We will be praying for you!

Glad you are home safe and sound! Remember, sip and walk; and take care of yourself!

Hi!! Best wishes to you all! I'm scheduled for 8/24/06!! I cannot wait!! I'm only on the liquid diet one day prior to surgery. I think all the surgeons are so different on that one! How long do you all have to do liquids? Mine is FOREVER! I have 2 weeks clear liquids and 2 weeks thicker liquids. Ugh!! I'm shopping today! My email is [email protected] if you'd like to compare notes!!! Lisa in TN

Amanda~ First of all let me introduce myself, I think I should be coming here more often, since we are starting new in August 2006. I am Michelle. I live at the shore in NJ. I am 41 years old and the proud mother of 3 children. Caitlin is 16, a junior in high school. Daniel is 15, a freshman in high school. Conor is 14, in 8'th grade. I have been married almost 18 years to a wonderful, hard working, handsome (he's on my profile if you want to see him!) and supportive man, his name is also Daniel. I have my own business and I do drug and alcohol testing. I have a very good life, besides my damned bathroom scale that keeps telling me I am 228 pounds! I am 5'4". I have thyroid disease, arthritis in one of my knees on and off, and arthritis in my back, which my pre-op tests just showed me. I have battled depression for about the last 10 years, but take Zoloft and I do well with that. Life is good! Life is about to get better though! OK--on with my thoughts about the surgery.... I think it is totally normal to be afraid right before major surgery. I am nervous, but I think more excited at this point. My surgery is 12 days from today, August 31. I am nervous, I am afraid, I have never been under general anesthesia before, except a appendectomy at 5 years old, I remember nothing of that. SO many people in my support group said that this is cake. I asked about their pain after surgery, a lot of people didn't ever take a pain pill... I have heard "uncomfortable" or "strange" feeling, but I haven't heard about a lot of pain. That was my biggest fear, the pain, and it doesn't seem to be a real common thing to have much pain. I had 2 c-sections, wide awake with an epidural, and the women in my group said the c-sections were worse than the gastric bypass. I don't know if you have given birth, but I think it was a good example for those of us who have. And IF you have ever given birth vaginally, this HAS to be easier than that was! I did that wide awake too with NO drugs! This will be a cake walk, I have decided that in my mind. I did read something interesting in someone's post on here yesterday, I don't know if it was the NJ forum or here, but she said "if you expect to have a lot of pain, you will"... so I am NOT expecting to have a lot of pain! I am actually looking forward to the leg massagers and the air bed and the not cooking and cleaning for 3 days! We have to look at the positives, forget about the negatives-we can't change them anyway. I do believe that we do get what we expect, so I am expecting a TEXT BOOK surgery and quick, low pain recovery! I wish the same for all of you! Here's to starting in a new life in August 2006! Love to all of us~ blessings and peace~ Michelle Brennan Brick, NJ

I am beginning to experience panic attacks. I am not afraid of the surgery, but the whole process. I mean, not just the surgery, but the liquid diet and the baby food phase, and the making sure I eat my protein and the water sipping and the making sure I walk a lot and the recovery process, and the making sure I don't abuse the narcotics (I am a recovering alcoholic) and the making sure I don't eat sugar and the chewable vitamins and the only Tylenol from now on, when I used to take 800 mg of Ibuprofen for a sinus headache, and the fear my bras won't fit, and the making sure I pack my lunch for work, and the no more fast food restaurants for convenience and the no more hot fudge sundaes, and the .....etc....etc.... I feel like I am losing my mind. Now, I am gladly enduring all of this craziness because my son is getting married on Labor Day weekend next year, and I want to be the most beautiful woman there, besides my new daughter-in-law, and my daughter. I also want to wear the Ladies Eagles jerseys that they sell. They are sexier than the men's jerseys. Thanks for letting me babble. I am sure there are a few people here that can relate to me. Hugs, Trish