Let's introduce ourselves

Howdy My name is Melissa I just turned 37 yrs old yesterday. I am married to a wonderful supportive man for the last 7 yrs. We have no children YET!!! When I started my profile my BMI was 83.1 I am now down to a 73.8 while getting ready for surgery. I am scheduled to have a VSB on 4-24-06. Yes thats right just 3 short days and I will be taken up PERMINATE RESIDENCE on the losers bench!!!! I have meet some really great and supportive people here on the SMO's board. Melissa

Wahoooooooooooooo!!! Melissa!!! 3 days and counting!!! Yay!! Myra

Hello Ya'll, Well lets see, I am 45yrs old and have an identical twin,(shes the evil one, im 5 min older so I rule!!!) and have been married almost 28yrs. We have three daughters which are all grown. My middle daughter has blessed us with two grandchildren. David 5,anslee 2, and they are nana's life!! We live down here close to the fla line in ga where its like 150 in the shade in the summer lol. I have been on this website since last August and have met some of the most unreal people. It started out as a close nit amount and now has blossomed to friends from all over. The first person I ever talked to on here was Sandra Botts and she was so friendly and it went from there. I was 67bmi to start with and was 400lbs. Since surgery I have gotten down to like 53bmi and its amazing. Your head doesnt have time to catch up. I have been so overweight most of my life and surely all my married life. So I hope the next 28 yrs of marriage will be a just as gratifying but healthier and happier.. Hugs Marge

Good idea, Ginger! Hi, I'm Myra. I'm (argh) 56 years old and "retired" (involuntarily) after working in medical group administration for 32 years. I'm divorced since prehistoric times (1976), have twin daughters (35 years old) who've been the absolute lights of my life(!), one very very British son-in-law (totally dear to my heart), no grandchildren, three grand-dogs (two border collies, one white german shepherd), and one little canine ball of furry "who-knows-what" that's mine (see photos on my profile). I live in a small town in the southeast corner of Missouri (just at the top of that little "hangy-down" part of MO we locals call the "Boot-heel"). I'm a home-town girl who hasn't strayed far from her roots, which has surprised me. I'm a self-avowed reading freak, totally addicted to computers, a webdesigner, graphic artist, and watercolorist. Like Sandra, I crochet ... but only in the colder months because for some reason it's a comfortable thing to do then. I had Open RnY on March 30, 2005, after struggling with the pre-op process and insurance non-coverage for about 14 months. My course immediately after surgery was a bit bumpy, but switching my care to another, better BS made all the difference. Today, the cane I walked with last year is gathering cobby-webs in the closet, I recently met my goal of walking a mile, and while my back and hips are still bothersome, pain now is totally manageable and I can concentrate on life again. I come to this OH support board because it's filled with wonderful people who've truly become friends who never fail to support and encourage and celebrate with you. I've never seen bickering, carping, or any negatives here ... and I think it's because we all care about one another and we're here for each other. If you're new to this board, you've just found the best place on OH ... welcome (!) and please stay and post ... we're here for you. ing to everyone from Missouri Myra G 442/249.4/160 - 170?

Hi Ginger! Hi SMO's! My name is Ruth and I live in Philadelphia, PA. I just turned 45 a couple weeks ago (). I am single with no children, and no prospects of either. I am adopted as is my brother. Like many others here, I have been obese all my life, and I have the pictures to prove it. My earliest memories of being treated differently were in elementary school. Of course the other kids were cruel as kids can be, but the PE teacher (gym class), always put me down in class too. So much for adults setting a good example, eh?! Why do we always remember the negatives better than the positives? I have gained and lost 100's of pounds over the years on every program out there. When I was about 8 years old and can remember our family doctor telling my mom that I needed to go on skim milk vs. regular milk because I was too fat! There wasn't any 1% or 2% milk back then, and I hated it! I went on my first "official" diet in 8th grade at 199 pounds! I have belonged to every gym within a reasonable driving distance of my home. I researched WLS for about 2 years before I made the decision to do it. I even had a consultation one year prior, but was too scared to go through with it. A year later I was back and more determined than ever. I had my 2nd consultation in January 2005. My weight at the time was 416 with a bmi of 69. I had my surgery on December 19, 2005. As many of you know, it was a very very long year! Today, four months after surgery I am down a total of 74 pounds and now have a bmi of 56.9! I want to travel and meet all my SMO Family when I get to my goal weight! This is my favorite board on OH as I can come here and vent, and get the support that I need from other SMO's, about issues that the average WLS patient just doesn't understand. Never give up! Huggs, Ruth 416/342/Healthy

Hey Ruthie! Did we miss your birthday??? sorry..I hope it was the cat's meow!!! I didn't know ya'll were gonna devulge the dreaded age on this post..Oh well, I'm 47..O.K. I said it. I can actually say I had 2 birthdays in one week. because of my complications and 14 day hospital stay....I had my open RNY, and then had my real birthday 5 days later!! Let me tell ya..it's the pits to be in the hospital on your birthday..you might say...this surgery aged me! That's O.K. my hospital Medical records still read 46 as my age on my day of release from the hospital. Love your posts! Hugs, Ginger aka Twinnee (at least the folks here now know we aren't biological Twins!)

Hi Twinnie! Thank you for the birthday wishes! Birthday was very quiet. My family all had the flu so I didn't see them either. Who wants BD's when we can't have cake?! I know the dreaded "I'm in the hospital for my birthday" feeling. I spent my 21st Birthday in the hospital. If that didn't stink, I don't know what does?!?! Huggs, Ruth

HI, I am Shellie. I started my tests last month and am hoping to have RNY WLS in June. I am a teacher (6th grade science) and would like to have as much time as possible to recover. I weigh 447.5 as of last night. I am trying to loose weight before surgery to ensure I can have it done laproscopically. I am happily married with twin 9 year old girls. I love the online support groups. Thanks for everyones help along the way! Shellie

I'm Kix, age 48. Single, no kids. I'm unable to work right now, but I used to work in public health, and have lived in a bunch of places around the US, including Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Honolulu. I currently live in Colorado. My highest BMI, when I was at my absolute fattest, was probably around 100. When I started pursuing WLS, my BMI was 88 or 89. My current BMI is 76 and dropping, and I look forward to losing weight and getting some sort of normal life back! Kix

" ...I look forward to losing weight and getting some sort of normal life back!" Amen to that Kix! We will get there!! Huggs, Ruth