hello - I am new here TOO :)

hello. i'm heather, mom to 8 month old mahaley. i'm 30, and hoping to have lap RNY within the month. I basically waiting on my ins. packet to come back from TRICARE APPROVED...and then we'll go from there. I live in Columbia, SC ( Ft. Jackson is here). My situation is that spring 04' my DH and I were PCS'd to Wiesbaden, Germany. But my DH just left this summer for Iraq. So, while he is deployed, my daughter and i have come back to where my family is from for support, etc..and while i'm here i'm gonna have Surgery. I was about to get it in Germany, but stopped the process once we knew DH was deploying. Hope to get to know you all better.

Hi heather, your situation sounds a lot like mine. I was about to have surgery 3 years ago (got all the way to pre-op at Ft. Gordon) When we PCS'd to Hanau, Germany...then my hubby deployed to Iraq, but instead of coming home and having surgery we just went ahead and got pregnant with baby boy #2. So when our unit came to Ft. Hood for training I went ahead and got the ball rolling. Had an appointment with my pcm for a referral b/f i even had the cable turned on...lol If you ever want to chat just e-mail me. Ashe 278/217/145

hey ashe- i just read your profile. you are doing great. And yes, our journeys sound similar. My Dr. makes all his patients go on Atkins pre-surgery for 2 wks so i have begun that. I've done this many a times in the past, but knowing this time its gonna be followed by surgery, whew---its a little different my outlook this time. Nice meeting you. Continue in your great progress. i hope soon to be a loser too.

Yeah my Dr. makes you go on an "atkins" type diet for 2 weeks...no more than 30gr carbs and a min. of 80gr of protein per day. It was to shrink my liver so that when they pick it up it is thin and doesn't bleed..yum..lol Good luck Ashe 278/216/145 P.s. I like the name mahaley...never heard it before always looking for something different.

Hello Heather, I just wanted to welcome you to this site!! I live in Seal Beach, CA and my husband is in the Army. We moved from Germany last year. We were there from Aug. 2001- June 2004. I have a friend that lives in Wiesbaden right now and her husband is going back to Iraq. I had visited her there in Wiesbaden several times and it was a nice area. Good thing is that it is very close to the Airport to be able to go pick visitors up when they visit. I had WLS Jan. 25, 2005. I am now about 7 1/2 months out and I am down 95 pounds. I can't tell you how much better I feel. I feel as if I have my life back. Just make sure that you have done lots of research and make sure this is for you. I always have to plan ahead and make sure that I have everything that I need with me when I go anywhere. I will tell you that although I feel great right now that this has been one of the hardest things I have done in my life. People who say that this is the easy way out are so wrong!!!! There are so many emotional things that go on after surgery. I don't know about you but I am an emotional eater and for the first three weeks after surgery ( I could only have liquids) I really went through withdrawl with food or lack of. I am one of the lucky ones though because I haven't gotten sick at all so far. I am very careful of what I eat now because I don't want to get sick. I stick to my doctor's plan to the tee because I know this is my last resort and he gave me the tool but it is up to me to make it work. The weight can come back on if you don't stick to the plan your doctor sets for you. Just somethings to think about. I didn't have to do a pre-surgery weightloss plan. I was grateful. It is good that you are with your family and have the support that you will need after surgery. Your husband will be so shocked at how you will look the next time he sees you!!!! Okay I just really wanted to say hello and welcome!!! Let me know if you have any questions that I can help you with!! Take care, Becky P.

hi becky and thanks for the long email. I am taking this surgery process very seriously and i do still think is for me b/c i believe i need the long-term help and structure and I like you, want my life back. I have been on Atkins 11 days now, and i have lost 7 lbs. This past summer, when i was thinking of what it would be like to have to say goodbye to many things I like to eat, i had visualized this week of just eating every and anything i wanted as in to celebrate ONE LAST TIME the foods that i felt i HAD to have. But instead, it creeped upon me, and my mom and I went ahread and started atkins (knowing full well, i could end up being on this easily a good 3 weeks before surgery). And for me it was the best thing i could have done..b/c it is separating the cravings i once would have had, he horrid headaches I get when i quit sugar, and right now i am feeling great. No headaches, not wanting the junk i used to long for. I think i'm mentally already a patient that has been operated on,, in a way b/c i am so mentally ready. i know there will be feeligs afterwards that i won't completely know how i will feel until i am there, but i am ready to take it on...100% Yes, Germany holds many memories for me, and we'll be going back there in May ( ish) b/c we'll want to be home to greet my husband after his tour in iraq. I'll have another year there. Thanks again for the intro! Heather Look forward to getting to know you better too.

Heather, Well it sounds like you are ready!!! You will have to keep us updated on when your surgery is. Have you been to all your pre-op stuff? Do you know what your food intake will be after surgery? Okay I am glad to see you on here. Good luck in your process!!! Keep us updated!!! Becky P.

hello my surgery date which i just found out ig october 3rd. i have done everything pre-op except for the actual final pre-op appt with the surgeon, which is sept 26th. I am excited, and slightly overwhelmed. i am in missouri/illinois right now visiting my husband's family. my hubby is in iraq as i have told you and i brought our 9 mth old daughter here so the inlaws could all love on her. so im a bit busy, but i think when i get back to SC on wednesday, it will sink in a little more that my surgery is just around the corner. heather