What was the first post you ever made?

For some reason I decided to check out my posts. I didn't realize that all of our posts are archived. From the very first one. It was interesting to see my journey unfolding in those posts. So I was wondering, just curious really, what was your first post? If you have been here a while it might be enlightening.
Storm

Here was mine:

Post Date: 2/20/08 5:04 pm

Hi midwestgirl, I have been eating and sleeping wls for the last couple of months. I spend all my free time researching md's. I know I want to have a lap rny in either mexico or india, and finding a competent Md is priority #1. You seem to really have put it all together. I appriciate the info provided. I would like to know who the mystery evil md's are and how you determined this. Is there really anyway to know for sure about an md's stats. I dont think there is an agency keeping track. And in my case i cant call inamed or J&J.  Any way i look forward to any info you can give. thanks so much.

Here's my first DS board post dated 7/29/07.--Gina

Topic: Is it Okay if I Join Your Group? DS in 11 Days


Hi everyone.  I'm scheduled to have DS on August 9th and kind'a feel all alone out here.  Everything happened so fast! I made my decision about 2 months ago after attending Dr Elariny and Chan's discussion group.  Then started getting all the pre-op tests done as quickly as possible.  BAM!  I'am approved in 2 days and Dr Chan can put me under on the 9th.  My husband doesn't know what to think either. He's lurking about looking a bit stunned by all of this. Regardless, I know WLS is the right thing to do and DS is the right way to do it.  I beat my body and metabolism to a pulp for 30 years trying to stay within military weight standards. When I retired and went off diet pills, my weight shot up like crazy plus 5 comorbids for good measure.  Anyway, you all seem like a great group of folks and very active with the messages.  Just what I need.  Oh, is there an "angel" in the Northern Virginia area who might adopt me?  

Short timers!  haha!  From page 527 of my posts:

Post Date 5/4/04 12:24 pm
Topic: RE: Please Check In!

I'm here almost daily. Hoping to be a big loser soon, but I won't settle for anything other than the DS!!

LeaAnn 

I was a chronic 'lurker' -- didn't post until 20 days post op.  Here's my first...

Post Date: 2/16/09 6:22 am
I understand your frustration!  I'm at day 20 post-surgery -- still on pureed food, and find my weight loss is happening more slowly than others I know.  My surgeon says to stay calm -- that we are all different and lose in our own way.  Did you gain in the hospital?  I put on 6 pounds in just under 3 days -- so when I weighed in at home it was demoralizing! 

A wise friend told me to stop weighing in every day -- pick a day of the week and do it just once. 

Hang in there!

Hmm...mine don't go back all 8.5 years. I wish I could go back and read, that would be entertaining. I've come such a long way since then, physically and emotionally.

Jillian

I believe mine was actually something about wanting info on the RNY and/or MGB (ha, yes, MGB!) for type 2 diabetes.

Yours is funny to me, Storm, because midwesterngirl has me blocked now

ETA: Yup, here it is:
Post Date: 7/8/08 8:44 am
I was diagnosed Type 2 in May this year. With a low carb diet and Metformin, I've been able to keep my sugars pretty much controlled (fasting between 110-130, pre-meal 90-120, and post-meal below 140). 

The thing is, I'm only 25 years old. The time I have left in my life for diabetes complications is enormous. With diet and exercise, I can only hope to control my levels for a while before my body gets tired, and the disease progresses. Taking medication every day will take its toll on my liver and kidneys for having to process the drugs. I haven't had children yet, and diabetes during pregnancy can have a drastically negative effect on the kidneys.

And so, I'm considering WLS. From my reasearch, my best bet would be a gastric bypass (either RYGB or mini gb) because banding does not disconnect the duodenum.

I'd love to hear any firsthand experiences from those who have had WLS and its affect on your Type 2 Diabetes.



heh, didn't take me long to learn! The very next day, I posted this (in response to someone *****commended the band in response to my first post):
Post Date: 7/9/08 4:35 pm
The problem with the band (aside from having the lowest rate of weight loss maintenance long-term) is that it doesn't alter the duodenum. Studies have shown that it is not just the weight loss that kicks the type 2 diabetes, but rather the disconnection of the duodenum. There was a study done on rats where they could basically turn diabetes on and off like a switch by disconnecting and reconnecting the duodenum.

I'm actually now more convinced that Duodenal Switch is the right surgery for me. It has a much higher rate of success for remission of type 2 diabetes

HA, I came in the door obsessive compulsive and a worry wart!  That's me -- consistent!

Topic: Question for old school DSers (5+ years out)

Im now considering DS over RNY and will be making an appointment with Dr. Swietzer (sp?) at Johns Hopkins on Monday.  I know it may take a while for me to get in, so will have to continue doing my own research until then.

So, one of the things that concerns me is that I am only 28 years old and I am not sure how being that young and dealing with the affects of nutritional deficiencies may affect me long term.  Im sure it will be okay for now, but what about when Im 50-60 years old?  Im not sure how it will affect my ability to have healthy babies later on, and am concerned about things like night blindness, osteoporosis (my grandmother has it, so Im thinking that may put me at higher risk), etc.


So for those of you who have been living with your DS for at least 5-10 years, honestly, how are you feeling?   Are your labs okay?  Have you had issues and needed to up some of your vitamins the further out you get?  Oh, and are you able to stop yourself from loosing too much weight (I want to be able to maintain 175 and not get much smaller than that).

Thanks for your patience!

Nicci

Here's mine: 

Post Date: 8/2/04 11:06 am
Hi Everyone! Has anyone gone through Kaiser Fremont, Ca? I've been told there is a 2-3 month waiting period just for the initial orientation. I'm curious if I should just except this and wait patiently. Or should I be proactive & harass the bariatrics coordinator?


Any comments would be greatly appreciated.


P.S. I absolutely love this website.

(Edited to correct typo)

It is interesting to look back, isn't? Here is my first post, when I was still on the main board & was scheduled for RNY in November 2008 (I ended up with DS on 11-26-08, thank goodness). Note my comment about how many medications I was taking - who knew then how many vitamins I am taking now (but I AM off all my medications)!

[To someone who  had lost 100 pounds]

Post Date: 4/13/08 9:21 am
Congratulations! It sounds like you are doing GREAT! My surgery isn't until next November but your post gave me a lot of encouragement. I am scared silly, but it helps to hear about how others are doing. Especially encouraging is that you are off ALL your medications! Every Saturday I sit down and fill my little pill dispensers (1 for AM & 1 for PM) and it is AWFUL to see how many pills I take per day! I look forward to the day I don't have to take so many! Keep up the great work and thanks for posting!

From page 455 of my "latest posts" ....good grief I've done a little bit of posting around here in the past two and a half years!  This is so much fun, Stormy, GREAT idea! 

My first post on the DS board was this....

Post Date 1/15/07 8:28 pm
Topic: I've made my decision for the DS, NOT a hard choice!!!

I just want to drop by to say hello to all of you and take a second to introduce myself!  I have been researching for several months on which surgery to have, and I want to let you all know that because of all of you, my decision is an easy one!  I've read so many posts that they all melt together, but I know that I want to be a DSer.  After thorough research I personally wonder why anyone would have any other surgery.  (No hate mail please, I know it is a personal decision that everyone has to make on their own...this is just my opinion). I have already met with my surgeon and she agrees that this is a great option for me!  Dr. Inman is my surgeon and I will be having the procedure done at St. Vincent Bariatric Center in Carmel, Indiana.  I am still in the early stages, but feel very confident about being approved for the surgery.  UHC is my insurance company, and from the sounds of it, this is one of the easier companies to be approved by.  

I have been to two support groups at the hospital, where I sat amongst a group of RNYers listening to how they had to adjust to a drastic new way of life and how hard it was.  My first meeting, NO ONE except the nurse even knew what a DS was, and at the second meeting there was a 6 month post-op DSer who dared say it was the easiest way she had ever lost weight in her life.  Not a safe thing to do when you have 50 post op RNYers shooting darts at you with their eyes.  She is definitely a success story as she has had no problems, but I'm making a note to myself to not make comments like that in a sea of people who have gone with the RNY!! NOT a great choice!  

Anyway, I'm Lori and I live in Carmel, Indiana with my husband and three children.  I stay at home with my kids and have the best job in the world.  I have spent my life slowly losing the battle against weight loss.  I am your classic yo-yo-er.  50 pounds down, 60 pounds up.  Yada yada yada.  I really got behind in the battle after having our first son 9 years ago.  I gained a whopping 75 pounds with him and have never really recovered from that.  I have been in the 200-250 range since his birth, sometimes swinging a little lower, usually not higher.  I had gotten down to about 186 in 2004 before the birth of our 3rd child.  I gained another 75 pounds with him and have not been able to break 215 since he was born.  I was 215 for about 3 days before shooting back up to the 250 mark.  That is the weight where I currently reside, putting my BMI at 40.4.  I'm tired of the weight loss game on my own, and I'm prepared to make the necessary changes to join all of you DS losers out there!  I am inspired by all of your pages and stories.  I hope I will be an inspiration to others someday too.  You can't know how much your profiles help to give hope to those of us who are still pre-op.  Thank you for sharing yourselves on these pages and giving me what feels like REAL hope for my health for the first time in a long time!  

I'm really excited about getting to know all of you!  Congrats to all of you post-ops on all of your successes!

Lori Black