Jumped thru all the hoops

Thanks Pam I sure will.

I Love My RNY!!!!!!!!!!!    Sorry - I'm prone to random outbursts of excitement lately.  Hee Mare

ROFL  hahahaha  I love your outbursts !

Liz, I think the other girls have said it well, so I will just refer to a couple things. #1 and most improtantly-- you mentioned you started smoking again-- STOP IMMEDIATELY! If they run your blood and find you have been smoking, they may cancel your surgery... I've heard horror stories of this happening.  I'm not trying to scare you, but please STOP so you can hurry up and have your surgery! I also went with Southern Surgical (MacDonald was my doctor) and once I finished all my appointments and was offiically "released", I called SS and requested a meeting with the doctor.  This is where you schedule your surgery.  If you are done and "released" i.e. no more follow-ups, then call SS and schedule your surgeon appointment. Good luck to you. It's not a walk in the park, but it's a decision I'm SO GLAD I made!!! (Btw, I had RNY) 

Mindy, I have stopped again - but thanks.  I am hoping to schedule the surgery in June so I should be fine.  Thanks, Lizzie

That's great! I'm happy for you!

You've gotten some good advice, so I don't think I have any "new info" to give you, accept to expalin my experiences.  I had RNY 6 months ago.  My hunger returned within a few weeks...like probably 2.  It hasn't been a problem though.  Usually when I get hungry it's time to eat anyway, so that's fine.  The second I eat something, the hunger goes away.  Yes, I do battle with head hunger from time to time.  But I look at learning how to deal with it as part of my re-learning process.  My Dr said you have a year to 18 months to build the habits that will keep your weight off and carry you through maintenance.  I think she's right.   The fact is, emotional eating and giving in to cravings are things that I've been doing for years.  They're my old bad habits, and I think I'm doing great at building new good habits.  I claim a victory each time I look at the cookies in the pantry and pass them by.  Some days I decide to have one though (yes, one...not half the box like I used to) and I'm OK with that.  This is my life now.  And as long as I make the decision knowingly and keep it to a minimum, I can still be proud of myself! Dumping...I don't dump in the traditional sense.  If I eat too much of something I'll get super tired.  I describe it as the weight of the world comes down on my shoulders, and the only thing I can do is lay down and sleep for 30-45 minutes.  That's rare though these days.  It happened more in the beginning (probably once a week or every other week) when I was just learning how much to eat at one time.   You said you've been overweight your entire life and you're scared.  It's good to be scared.  Whether you decide on RNY or lap-band, it's a major thing and you shouldn't go into it lightly.  The surgery is just a tool to help you re-learn the habits you'll need to keep the weight off for life.  It takes mind, body and soul to make it work long-term.  But you can do it!  You'll have yourself, the tool, your Dr, and support (like OH) which combined make for a winning team!   You're choosing to do this for you, for your health, and for your quality of life - keep your head high!

Thanks Deb, I appreciate your encouragement