Hello All


We've all been watching and praying for the people along the Gulf coast, now ObesityHelp is swinging into action to see how we can help people who have been affected by the devastation. As all of you know very well, PostOps have special nutrition needs and require follow up by a knowledgeable surgeon. We are putting together a team of people to coordinate getting special supplies, the kind of thing you wouldn't expect from the Red Cross or Salvation Army, to bariatric patients who need the assistance. We've been on the phone with OH Volunteers in the area and we're working to identify who there can help us. We know you've all been coordinating through the message boards, even when you have to relay by phone to post something, so we would like to offer help.


We are already contacting surgeons and vendors we are affiliated with to get them to help. We need to know who needs help, where they are, and what help they need. To that end, please post to the board, or have someone post for you:


Who you are
Where you are presently located
How we can contact you
What sort of assistance you need

If you want to send us some personal information, please send it to [email protected] and we'll do our best to help.


Until we can figure out the answers to these questions as well as a whole bunch more (where can supplies be delivered, where will surgeons be who can help, where can you go for additional assistance, and more) we can do very little. We also need your help in locating people who may not be able to get online or on a phone, people who may be having trouble and can't communicate to call for assistance. Starting from those of you networking with us, we hope to help identify others who may need help as well.


In this time of great disaster, we all want to help. If you're not in the affected area, but can help in other ways, please drop a note to [email protected] to let us know who you are, how to contact you, and what help you can offer.


Our best wishes go out to all of you affected by this great tragedy.


Members Services Dept.
Obesityhelp.com

Dear Friends I wanted to let you know that I have reached my weight loss goal as of 8/29/05 when I went to my support meeting. I now weigh 165 lbs which is a total loss of 383 lbs. I would like to thank each of you for all of your prayers and words of encouragement. I could never have done this with out the help of friends and family and prayers. I thank God everyday for my surgery and my surgeon Dr. Eric Bour and his wonderful and caring staff. A very BIG thank you goes to my wonderful wife Alice who has been through as much as I have these last 16 months. I am hoping that I will be able to have some excess skin removed the first of next year. Please keep me in your prayers as I move to this next adventure and continue to work everyday to keep my weight off. Please check out my profile. I have added new pictures. Please feel free to pass this on to anyone you would like to. Terry G RNY/LAP 4/28/04 548/165 -383 AT GOAL WEIGHT

Hi all Welll here i am 11/2 weeks out of surgery and im in trouble . I need helpppppppp with my foods , Thanks for anyone responding. Barbara

I'm really thinking of having the Lap Band (Bariatric) surgery this November. I have been reading about it online and would like to have a few questions answered before I agree to this. First me: 36 years old Mother of 2 (daughter-3, son-1) Been married 12 years (still very happily) Current weight: 263lbs Height: 5'7" Family has a history of Diabetes and Heart Disease I've been this weight for about 12 years and have tried every diet out there and every prescription diet pills on the market. They work for a short time and then I gain all the weight back that I had lost and then some. I currently work out but can't loose anything and only seem to gain more weight. I'm at my wits end. I have heard several great things about this procedure and haven't heard anything really bad but what I have heard has worried my husband. I'm hoping that everyone here who has gone thru it with Dr. Todd can confirm or disprove them. 1) Dr. Todd removes your gallbladder when he is placing the Lap Band in? 2) You go on a feeding tube? 3) You have to go in for vitamin shots after the procedure, not sure for how long afterward? 4) You have to take vitamin supplements to off set the lack of food you are consuming? 5) My husband is a federal employee so we have Federal BC/BS insurance and am wondering if anyone has used them and if they paid everything or if they even paid a dime for it. Any help everyone here can give me is greatly appreciated. I'm about 90% sure this is what I want to do but my husband is a little worried that this is another "miracle" cure-all for my heavy weight and that I'll be in the same boat that I'm in now but only now I've had surgery. Again, thanks for everyone's help in trying to help me make this choice.