New Kid On The Block

i havnt read your post yet i just seen that you are from middletown and i live in winchester but i was born and raised in middletown and im having surgery with dr moazzez also on the 30th Keep in touch girl and let me know how things go ....... im going to read your post now :)

Finally...a fellow Middletowner!  How nice to know I'm not the only one! LOL  Know what I'm looking forward to?  Walking into the firestation in about 6 months & none of them recognizing me!!!  Yes, I was a volunteer for 3 years.  Sad to say I haven't run a call in 2 years & haven't seen any of my fellow firefighters/EMTs in about a year & a half.  Won't they be surprised to see me looking so much healthier.  Ok, so I'll be looking a whole bunch cuter too.  We gotta hook up, for sure.  I just have one question at the moment though... What is your name???  I think I'd have a hard time calling you hot ass...LOL!

'I think I will have a hard time calling you hot ass ... OMG to early in the am for this stuff ..  Ann you crack me up !!!  '

What can I say, Tink...in the words of Reader's Digest...laughter's the best medicine.  Besides, if I cry too much I'll just have to drink that much more water...LOL!

HA! THATS TO FUNNY MY NAME IS TIFFANY.........AND CONGRATS ON YOUR SURGERY I GO IN MONDAY AND IM SOOO NERVOUS IM HAVING RNY GASTRIC BYPASS WELL IM GETTING READY FOR MY LAST NUTRITION CLASS SO I BETTER GO BEFORE IM IN LATE SINCE I  HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY TO FAIRFAX WHERE BOUTS DO YOU LIVE IN MIDDLETOWN I LIVED ON GREENBRIAR NEXT TO THE HANDY MART OR EXXON.......... NICE TO HAVE SOMEONE THIS CLOSE I CAN KINDA COMPARE NOTES WITH LOL WELL MAKE SURE YOU MESSAGE ME . THANKS, TIFFANY

Oh Tiffany, I'm soooo excited for you!!!  I know you're nervous, but try to keep focused on how much you've gone through to get to where you are now & then look down that tunnel...see the light at the end?  That's where you'll find the new, healthy you.  She's waiting for you at the other end.  You're gonna bump into the walls a few times, might even stumble over some pot holes, but just keep moving forward.  There's a whole bunch of us in that tunnel with you, some have gotten farther than others.  But each time you come to one of us, we'll take your hand, walk along with you & then pass you on to the next.  Eventually we'll all step out into the light as a group & ohhhh, the party we're gonna have!!!!  It's gonna be an interesting trip, sweetie. As for where I live...I'm not in town...I'm on the other side of the interstate, down Reliance, just past the Exxon station.  It's a little off the beaten path but we like it that way.  In fact, one of my goals is to walk to the mail box & back...that's half a mile one way.  How cool would that be, considering I still have to use the electric carts at the grocery store. But this message is about you, not me.  WE will definately hook up when you're on your feet again.  Just keep us posted sweetie, & lean on us often.

Well you definitly give some awsome posts made me teer up a little ....(im a big cry baby) anywho i only have FIVE days left yes only five and i cant tell you howwww slooowww this week has gone these 5 days seem like years. but i will get thier and it will be amazing im going all the way to warrenton today or tomorrow for a treadmil. im going to start walking asap. my husband is going to buy me a membership to curves for my bday on the 7th. so im excited about that.........i cant wait to get my confindence back and health I CAN WAIT TO START WALKING WITH MY CHILDREN and not come back home right after i close my front door.. im excited............ thank you so much for your post do you have a messeneger?

Hi Ann,  Welcome to the VA Board and congratulations on your surgery! A lot of people experience similar pains to you just after surgery - especially gas pains which manifest itself in shoulders, stomach and all over the body where you do not expect it....walking does help greatly to reduce the pain and get your insides moving again........ One thing everyone is trying to be nice about and caution you about (when really we are wondering what the heck are you are thinking of so soon after surgery!) was your eating of solids when you were told to drink liquids only......you were told to drink liquids and eat pureed food for a reason - to let your body heal and give your surgery a chance to be successful and not stretch or get a stricture. Not to see if you can eat normal food!! Now I am not trying to be nasty but I am concerned that you do not seem to be ready to change your eating habits - which is what you need to be prepared to do if you wan to make the most use of your tool. Having said that , I know you already know all of this. But you really do need to follow your Surgeon's guidelines  to be on the safe side - and keep eating liquids and pureed foods until he feels it is safe to resume solids. Honestly you can damage yourself and we don't want to see that happen.  You are probably suffering from a bit of post op depression where you find it hard to come to terms with your loss of food as your friend  - and this is very common - many people suffer from it. You just don't know what to do with all thi time on your hands when you would normally be cooking and eating! I beg you Ann, do not test your limits yet - as long as you don't know your limits you won't eat too much of the wrong foods. I am afraid to test my limits and I am almost 17 months out.... Another thing, try to relax now - your surgery is over and every day you will start to feel better and your mood will lighten and you will feel less like whining - I promise... we all had those days - and we all survived them and can even look back on them fondly - well kind of lol! Good luck and I hope you feel like "normal" soon Jackie

oooooh Jackie!  A woman truly after my own heart...& apparently my butt!  Talk about a spanking.  And I THANK YOU for it.  You, my friend, remind me of ME.  No sugar coating, just straight up truth.  I LOVE IT!  Just so's ya'll know, I can di**** out but I can also take it, so if ya feel I need it, have at it.  I know it comes from the heart & from genuine concern.  That's why I told the truth about what I have been doing.  I re-read your post several times and took in all that you said & why.  So here's my update from earlier today just so ya'll know how things have changed. First off, I LOVE my doctor.  Twice I've called with problems & TWICE he's called me back himself.  So rarely anymore do doctors actually call their patients...usually I get their nurse with a message.  So yes, I have great confidence in him as my doctor and as a caring individual.  No, I have not told him of my "antics" of late...sshhh...one butt chewing per day, thank you.  Jackie already did that for me. Jackie, you will be happy to know that I sat down & re-read the wealth of information the doc provided me (& that was before I got your post) & I enjoyed my 4 tablespoons of pureed dinner very much.  I can see how you would get the impression that I'm not committed to making this tool work for me, but in actuallity I really am.  And yes, there has been a certain amount of post-op depression.  I'm so very anxious to start feeling better.  See, what ya'll don't know about me is that I've been fairly bed-ridden for quite some time now.  I'm just plain sick & tired of being sick & tired!  I want to be up & active NOW.  I want to clean my own house instead of relying on my son to do it for me.  I spent all day Saturday crying for absolutely no reason.  And my poor hubby....no matter what he said or how he said it, it just rubbed me the wrong way.  We fought over NOTHING all week!  Not normal for us.  Finally, on Saturday night we had a heart-to-heart (without all the screaming & theatrics) & both wondered the same thing...is this odd behavior of mine a product of the surgery & all the stress & anticipation & not knowing what to expect or not knowing how I'm supposed to feel, etc.?  So in the wee hours of the morning I found myself in this website, in the chatroom, asking those very questions.  I was told it was all normal.  What a relief!  It's been such a long time since I felt like anything was normal.  I don't think I remember what that feels like.  I just know I want it & I want it NOW.  That's why Tink's advice of "one day at a time" made so much sense.  Yes, I am a humorous person, but I also know when it's time to get serious & even before Jackie's butt-chewin' I knew what I was doing was wrong.  Just a few months ago I was making out my will & funeral arrangements.  So this is definately a major step in the right direction for I do not want the alternative.  Chalk up my "antics" to temporary insanity & perhaps side effects of the liquid percocet I've been taking.  Suffice to say, I'm back on track.  Well....ummm....errr....almost.  Those darned protein shakes just aren't working for me.  But Jackie, I promise I'm into my pureed food for the next 3 weeks, ok? I see the doc on Thursday for my 1st post-op check.  In the meantime he said I could take some Advil for the drain site & shoulder pain.  He said the same thing some of you did...anesthesia backlash, plus my body adjusting to having a foreign object in it...or rather another foreign object.  I already have a defibrillator implant...my 3rd one.  So again, all fairly normal aches & pains. Now, to end this on a happy note, I've actually been somewhat productive in a fun way.  On August 25th I am yet again marrying the man of my dreams.  It will be our 20th wedding anniversary & it's really gonna be an event to remember.  Mike & his bestman, Dennis, will arrive at the ceremony site, which is beside Dennis's 50-acre lake in Culpeper, on horseback.  Me & my bestfriend, Mickie (original bridesmaid from 20 years ago), will be arriving by horse-drawn carriage.  I will be escorted down the hay-strewn aisle by our dear friend Lynn (he's a guy...a true southern gentleman).  Another dear friend, Cliff, will be our officiant & he & I have written a gorgeous ceremony which will include a sand ceremony, joining our two families together sybolically.  After that, lots of country music, tons of homemade food (good old southern bbq, which I've already made most of).  Theme is western, colors are red, white & blue (patriotic, don'tcha know).  So today I have been ironing bandanas that will be used as napkins.  I iron one, roll the plastic wear inside then tie up with red, white & blue curling ribbon.  So far I've done 22.  Need 70!  Party favors will be real horseshoes that Mike spent all weekend cleaning, sanding & drilling holes in the ends so that I can decorate them.  I had hoped to get ALL the silverware done today but I ran outta gas.  It's ok though...I still have lots of time.  So, as you can see, I have lots of stuff to keep me busy, in between folding laundry...lol. I'm gonna be ok, gang...really.  I just had a couple of "off" days, is all.  Jackie, I love you for your concern & your honesty.  You're one heck of an ass-kicker, girl! Ok, now that I've written a small novel, I'm going to bed.  Thanks for all your support from all of you!!!!

Hi Ann, I am sorry but I am straight talking and I truly only meant it for your own good - you have a really good opportuntiy to use your tool before your "honeymoon" period is over and once it is, it is much harder to lose weight. Mine was over at 6 months - some last a year - the important point is that you won't know it is over until it is - so I want you to enjoy every day that you lose weight without struggle. And Ann, I am not unsympathetic, believe me - a liquid diet and pureed diet is really hard and very boring! I know that but you need to let your surgery heal. And yes, many many people get depressed after surgery - your hormones are all up in the air - hormones are stored in fat cells too so as you lose weight your moods can fluctuate - all normal even if it doesn't feel normal....... you will start to feel better soon - we are all miserable when we don't feel good.... Protein shakes are hard for me too - yuk they make me gag big time - even after all this time - I use the Whey protein by IDS test tubes which I take just as I eat as they are only 3.5oz and I can quickly drink them down. Then I use the amino acids in my food to break the protein down. So far my labs have been excellent for protein so they work for me.  As you are a lapbander you do not have the malabsorbtion issues that we have, so protein intake is critical to us. I nearly died when I saw your doctor had told you to take Advil but I had to remind myself that you are a lapbander and that may be allowed. As an RNY bypass patient  we are absolutely forbidden to take medication like that and have to rely on tylenol. NSAIDS can give us ulcers in our pouches. So most of us have a mild heart attack when we even see Advil in a sentence on this board lol! What a fun activity you are planning!! That should keep you busy and very excited! It all sounds very lovely!  Make sure you take lots of pictures and post them on your profile! We all love happy endings and weddings on this page. I have vowed to myself that when I lose my excess weight,, get my plastic surgeries all over etc I am going to remarry my husband in some kick ass dress and be the kind of bride I really have wanted to be all my life!! Of course by the time I have paid for all my surgeries and actually had them done I may not have any money left to do that lol!! Ann, I am glad you can see humor in all of this - lord knows you will need it and it really will help you through your bad days. Know that we are aways here for you to whine, to share joys or just for encouragement (the occasional ass kicking lol!), the WOW moments, the questions etc etc . We are all here to help and you are not alone! Take care! Jackie