HAVE NOT BEEN ON IN A WHILE

Hi everyone and welcome to all NEWBIES!

I was reading back over my blog entries yesterday.  I have a dear friend having lap band on Friday and I wanted to give her some insights.  Even though I had full RNY gastric bypass, I can sympathize about liquid diet and hoped to give her some tips.

I was amazed as I read the entries from 4-1/2 years ago.  What I went through, how my emotions were all over the place before and after surgery, what I must have put my poor husband through! 
But all in all, I am so GRATEFUL that I made the choice I did.  Today I am 120 lbs and wear size 4-6.  In March 2007, I weighed almost 260 lbs and wore size 26-28.  Today I am off of all prescription drugs except for arthritis medicine (after all I am 60) and anti-nausea meds for when I eat the wrong thing.  In 2007 I was on ten different prescription drugs and I was told I would not live another five years.  I have come a long way.  The lowest I got was 110 lbs but I looked awful so I worked to gain back 10 lbs.  Who would ever have thought that would be hard to do?

I could not have done it without this group.  I went to Dehli, India for my surgery due to cost.  Therefore I had no support group except the members here.  And all of you were there for me, no matter what my complaint, whining, crying, attitude was.  Thank you so much for being there for me!

I have had two plastic surgeries: lower body lift and brachiplasty on my arms.  This board was there for me then as well.  Upper thighs were planned but now maybe not....after all I am past the Daisy Dukes and seldom wear a bathing suit...and my husband lost his job 3 years ago.  So now priorities are paying down the mortgage so I can someday hope to retire.  But that is all okay.  I am happy with where I am.

Just wanted to tell newborns (because you start your life over) that you can do this.  You can be successful.  You can be happy.  Don't give up!

Thanks for your post, please come back to being a regular.  vets like yourself really help us "newborns"

I have heard good things about the health care in India (in general not wLS specific)  So glad that went so well for you.

Which arthritis meds do you take?  My mum gets some arthritis pain but she can't take NSaids.  Not because she had WLS - she's a dainty wee thing- but she just can't tolerate them (funnily enough neither can my son.)  I took them and never had symptoms but I did have stomach polyps and wonder if they were the cause.

My doctor gives me Loritab for my pain.  There is really no drug for inflammation of joints that is NOT an NSAID.  So we just treat thee pain.   Before gastric bypass I took six Percocet a day.  With the weight loss, I can get by with two tsp of liquid Loritab at night.  For some reason my spine hurts worse when I finally lie down to sleep.  I don't take it every night but it is nice to have it when I need it.  I have tried Extra-Strength and Arthritis formula Tylenol....don't touch the pain.

You know I read a doctor's article (I think it was in Time) that turmeric pills were good for arthritis because of their inflammatory properties. People have been using turmeric for thousands of years apparently.

As long as they weren't contraindicated by bypass, maybe you could give them a try? I'd be curious to see if they would work as well as some people say.

I'm going to give them a go if I have headaches and if I end up with arthritis, I'll try them with that as well.

Thanks for your inspiration! Long term without regain can be done!

Please do stick around!