Dear Mari, Hello there my name is Kathy Sparrow and I live in Kalispell Montana. I am an old timer here. I had gastric bypass surgery Jan 2nd 2002. I have lost 149 pounds and I am presently getting ready for plastic surgery I am scheduled for my tummy tuck and breast lift May 18th. I am so excited about getting this excess skin off from me. Well I need to go for now but you can e-mail anytime you want. Take care, Kathy

This is life changing. There will be a time when you say "What have I done to myself?" Hopefully this phase will pass quickly. You have to keep telling yourself that this is a choice you made and make the best of it. Good luck. Sounds like you're in good hands. Keep us posted. Melody

Mari I am the futhis you could be from Montanna. But good luck on your new journey for the two of you. Just chew chew chew sip sip sip I do have a Girl friend in Mont. I have a daughter named after her Karla. She joined the church and become inactive. I dont remimber what town but I could let you know latter. Love you Saralan

You'll learn quickly Lynn to take smaller bites and to eat slower. I, too, ate quickly and took large bites. When I was able to eat real food again post op I returned, subconsciously, to my old eating habits of taking a large bite. BIG mistake. I learned that only one bite filled me up. I enjoy food too much to have my entire pouch full in just one bite. I learned to take smaller bites so I could enjoy the taste of the food with more bites. It's a tough lesson to learn but we all have to learn it. You're also going to be shocked (at least I was) that it won't be obvious that you've had enough to eat. You won't feel full. You'll feel a very uncomfortable pressure in the upper left part of your abdomen where your new pouch is. You're still going to be hungry (head hunger). You're going to want to eat until you reach that comforting feeling of being full and satisfied. It's not going to happen (at least not for the first 6 months post op). The nerves to the stomach are severed when our new pouches are created so we don't get that familiar feeling of being full and satisfied. We just feel miserable and hurt a little bit. That will be the feeling of being full that you're going to have to get used to for the first 6 months or so until your pouch heals more and your brain catches up to the surgery and the way your body is now reacting. Good luck. No one said this was an easy surgery. Would I do it again? YES, in a heart beat. Don't let me discourage you. Like someone else has said "nothing tastes as good as thin feels". Melody

Okay, I'm a slow learner, I admit it. I have been taught from the beginning when I was pre-op that we need to chew, chew, chew our food. If we don't than we may . I always thought it was because if we don't chew thoroughly the food might get stuck in our newly formed outlet and cause us pain and misery. Although this is too true there is another reason we need to chew, chew, chew. This is where I say that I'm a slow learner or should I say slow to understand the importance of this rule. Our new pouches no longer create the amounts of stomach acids we need to start the digesting process of our food. The only digesting process we get before the intestines occur when our saliva is added to our food when we chew, chew, chew. If you don't believe me, if you have the unfortunate experience of vomiting, notice that you have no bile or stomach acids in the vomitus. It will consist primarily of foamy saliva and any food you may have in the pouch. Thought I would share my insights with those of you who are new to this process or those of you who are post op and like me- are oblivious to the reasons behind the rules. Melody (1 year post op) -120#