Hello all and a Howdy Do!!!

I'm so glad to call North Carolina Home. I just wanted to share a little for this new message board. I had LAP RNY on 12/23/02 in Hickory, NC with Dr. Cook. All went well and I was out in three short days. The first month or so I wasn't the happiest camper, but it got alot better. Here I am at a 101 + lbs weight loss and am able to do so much more. I am now a participant in life instead of a watcher. I still have at least 100 more to go, but I will make it. Thanks to listening to my ramblings and I'm glad you call NC Home too. Mark

Hi Mark! I saw you in our last support group meeting, you look great and I'm sure feel real great too. Congrats on your loss and keep up the good work. Isn't Dr. Cook and staff just the best! Kudos to them! April

I am pre-op Lap RNY and have a son age 12 who has Oppositional Defiant Disorder...he is definately a challenge. Some days I can't stand the awful things he says and his total disrespect. He is a very smart child, who does extremely well in school...he only acts out at home. His psych Doc that he went to for several years says that he is as good as it is going to get, and we are doing everything right. NEGOTIATE, IGNORE and PUNISH FOR SAFETY. I must say I am exhausted from the years of dealing with this. I also have 16 year old twins. I just wanted to vent and share, I truly hope this message board on special needs works out, I am sure there are alot of people needing this resource. Anita

I have children with special needs. My son Trevor (21) has spina bidida & hydroceplus. We later went on to adopt special needs children. Our daughter Chelsea (11) also has spina bifida & hydrocephlus. Our daughter Brittany (15) has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome & ADHD. Her birth brother Eric (11) has FAE, ADHD, and seizure disorder. Tyler (13) has global delays.

I have a nine year old son who has spina bifida and hydrocephlus. You are truly my hero.

Hi Pankaj - Even though you posted this a couple of years ago, I hope you are having continued success... I had mine done in July 2005 and hangout on that board all the time - Nice to meet a fellow vegetarian desi! Nandini

Hi Nandini, Even i had my bypass done in Oct 2006.I face the same problem of being a veggie!!!!!!!!!!!. Keerty

Hello, I am a vegetarian, very close to a vegan. I want some veggie friends!!!! mistysong8 on obesityhelp.com and also on yahoo. Misty

Hi Tammy, Dr. Andrews is the doctor you would be looking for. I saw him earlier this year for a follow up. He came here from Toronto and is working out of the St. Boniface hospital and his office is across the street from the hospital. Last i heard (April 2006) he wasn't doing any surgeries yet (gastric bypass) but he was able to do the follow up. He was also taking a waiting list for when Mb Health approves him. I am not sure if he does "fills" but phone the hospital to get his office number or check with your family doctor to have you reffered to him. Best of Luck.

Hi Bro Doug and Melissa, another backyard birder here! I'm from Missouri. We live on 2 wooded acres near a system of creeks on the hills above the Mississippi river, so since moving here, I've seen a lot more variety of birds in my own backyard than ever before, and I really enjoy it. Melissa, I like photographing birds, too. I probably have 50X more pics of my birds (and my cats) than of my own 2 kids! ooops I'm just beginning my WLS journey... 1st appt with the doctor is 5/15. Good luck to both of you. Here's my backyard list: Cardinals Mourning doves Chickadees Tufted titmice White-breasted nuthatch Blue jays Indigo Bunting brown-headed cowbirds house finch goldfinch carolina wren brown thrasher dark-eyed juncos (winter) white-throated sparrow (w) White-crowned sparrow (w) eastern towhee robins catbirds mockingbirds grackles eastern wood peewee Baltimore oriole Orchard oriole Rose-breasted grosbeak downy woodpeckers hairy woodpeckers red-bellied woodpeckers red-headed woodpeckers Pileated woodpeckers Northern flicker Brown creeper red-tailed hawk coopers hawk sharp-shinned hawk great horned owl barred owl belted kingfisher wood ducks ruby-throated hummingbirds American Kestrel and my most exciting sighting was this past january, when we spotted an American Eagle circling around overhead! They winter near here on the Mississippi!