I'm just wondering if anyone here works for any of the St. David's hospitals in the Austin area. I am currently trying to get approval for RNY through my insurance with Seton, but in the case I am unable to want to be thinking about other employers that do cover surgery. I enjoy my job, but would enjoy it oh so much more if I was also losing weight nafter my WLS. I'm frustrated tonight because my asthma is acting up again. I rarely have audible wheezing without forced exhale but do today. My last exacerbation I missed almost 2 weeks of work. I started prednisone with some I have left from last time and am doing my nebs. Even broke out the hydrocodone cough syrup last night. I'll call my doctor today. thanks for "listening". Caryl

Hi again, I am 5 YEARS post surgery. I really do understand. First of all put your nursig cap back on-you know that funny little thing none of us have worn since graduation? Put that back on and review nutrition and how fast weight should be lost in the real world- 2-3 lbs a week.....When you think of it this way 25 lbs in one month sounds pretty good. Also think about all the diets you tried in past. up....down......yo....yo... Then remember these 25 lbs are never ever coming back! Yippppeeee! Water was very hard in the beginning. Now it is the drink of choice, and goes every where I go. I had quart sized bottles and goals-like one quart down before noon, sort of thing. Eating too much and too fast is a real normal thing to do and it sounds like you are learning. Funny how, when we are in pain, we learn more quickly. I found that 'soft foods' were good to keep around-even now my tiny-tummy (I don't like the word pouch....hangup I guess) has days were it will not tolerate real food. So I revert back to the begining. And give myself a break, by sticking to things I know will not hurt me. Not being hungry is great- I rarely get hungry. In fact I make sure I don't because it can cause cramping, even if I eat slowly. So I graze all day. I have gotten used to always having grazing food available. I like deli meat because it is tender enough to not have to worry. But I think it is good that you are taking your time adding in foods. Protein can be a problem-The protein powders you can put in milkshakes may be good for us but I couldn't handle them. Milkshakes worried me because I worried about getting heavy again. I have known people who sabatoged themselves from the begining by using lots of fats and milkshakes. I am lucky because I can not tolerate very much in the way of fat. I keep it at 3 grams an eating. Have you tried Yoplaits yougurt that you drink? 10 grams protein I think. Also Solae has a chocolate soy milk product that tastes like a chocolate milkshake, has no soy flaver at all, is super high in protein and super low in fat. I get the one with practically no fat. This product has been a life saver for supplementing the protein, and when my tiny-tummy is finiky. So you sound like you are really doing great. 25 lbs will soon be 50 and you won't be able to wear your bras or pants anymore....and your underwear will bunch all over the place Gosh new clothes.....you could get used to that, right? And my final parting thought, your feet will loose weight too! That was a hoot. I worked in a Psych hospital and had to go to takedowns and problems like that to supervise....my shoes kept flying off when I was running to the latest crises. Hang in there. It is too easy to get down....just remember this will never happen again; you wont be facing type II diabetes, you wont wear out your joints and need hip replacements before your fifty, You will fit the bathtub, the movie seat, etc. You will be able to look down and see if your socks match.....and shaving your legs? Piece of angel food cake, unfrosted of course. You're doing great! Di

You haven't posted since March 29th. How are you now? How are you eating, vomiting?, recognizing signals your body sends you? Please post an update. Di

I am probably too late to help you. I needed something that was absolutely permanent-so I did the RNY. However I have been working on a research project through Medline and Medscape. And from the reading I've been doing distall is not quite as good, more nutrients lost than proximal, and a little more complicated surgery-wise. Also you are considering doing it Lap, right? Guess what, your hair will grow back and you can always get a wig from Paula Youngs for 20-30 dollars. You can even play around with wild colors you wouldn't have done to your own hair. Gallbladder.....hmmmmm.....I would absolutely insist it come out during the surgery if I had it to do over. I had to have it removed 3 months later because I was so sick. Have you seen an Actigall capsule? It is like trying to take a horse pill.....and I couldn't. Is there a down side to loosing the gallbladder ? Not for me. Your bile will kick in a meter later than you are used to at the present. I find that to be very painful, that one little extra meter waiting for the bile to come on board, so that keeps me counting fat grams and keeping everything under 3 grams. That's the most I can handle in one eating. There is a fantastic upside to this. Fat is more concentrated calorie-wise. So I lost weight faster, not being able to tolerate fat. And I can splurge in other areas. Like JellyBellys. no fat, and the extra sugar is offset by the fat most people would have had in a regular meal. Hope this helps Di

Congratulations, girl. It took me 8 months to get final approval, I had to appeal 3 times. It is WELL worth the wait. Good luck to you. Karen, RN - 74 lbs