yankeefan75

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Hello everyone,
  I'm sorry I have been very neglectful of this group lately.  I am really hoping to get an online support group going or at least get a group to meet in person.  If you would be interested please let me know and I'll gather feedback and we can all come up with a good time to meet.  In the mean time if you have any questions regarding this support group, your weightloss journey or just need to chat please feel free to contact me at any time. 
  I'm one year out on June 11th, but had my one year check up today.  So far everything is going well.  I've lost a total of 102 lbs.  I feel like a new woman....

Take care

Sue Amell

Hi Everybody,
  Well tonight is our inaugural meeting for Adk Weight Loss Support Group and I hope you can attend.  I'm looking forward to hearing and sharing about every body's experiences, achievements and failures too, so we can lean on one another through the good and bad.  If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to contact me. 

See you tonight

Sue

Hi Everyone,
  I am so excited to begin having face to face meetings.  I hope all will be able to attend and bring someone too.  I hope everyone will also bring ideas and expectations about what they want from their meetings.  I think we will have a lot of fun while sharing experiences of pre and post op surgery.  I'm also hoping to have volunteers to help organize meetings and take charge of various aspects of what we want our meetings to be about.  If you have any ideas and would like to share them prior to the meeting please feel free to send me an email or blog on the group board.  I will send out directions to those who are group members on February 18th. 

Sincerely,
Sue Amell, LMT
OH Support Group Leader

On every 3rd Thursday of the Month @ 6:00pm, Adirondack WLS Support Group will be holding the event Weightloss Support Group Meeting. It will be at Sue Amell, OH Support Group Leader, 75 Lakeview Terrace, Saranac Lake, NY 12983. We would love for you to RSVP as to if you will be attending or not. 

This group is for anyone that has had surgery or anyone thinking about surgery and sharing experiences.  Please feel free to bring a friend.


Click here to view more information about the event or to RSVP.

Sincerely,
Adirondack WLS Support Group and yankeefan75

Sue Amell, LMT
OH Support Group Leader

Hi Everyone,
  Hope everyone had a great Holiday and Happy New Year!  Well let me first start by apologizing for not being right on top of this group we've got here.  I can see out there from some posts that we really need the group support. I would like to know from everyone when a good time would be for an online support group meeting?  This is where we would use the chat function and instant message everyone at the same time.  This hasn't really worked out in the past on Monday nights or perhaps all I need to do is send a reminder to everyone, would that work? 
  I am also very interested in having a face to face monthly meeting to start.  Is anyone interested in coming to Saranac Lake and meeting once a month?  There are many advantages to having an in person group meeting through OH, such as samples, the OH magazine, sitting down and sharing recipes, ideas etc, that are just not possible in the chat forum.  If you are interested please post the day and time you would most likely be able to do a meeting.
  I will be posting frequently.  I am going to shoot for three times a week.  Send me your ideas, topics of conversation or anything you would like to address. 

Talk to you soon
Sue Amell
Group Leader

     Well it's been six months now.  Everything seems to be going well.  I'm continuing to lose weight, slow but steady.  I started losing some hair, which was quite traumatic.  It really began about six weeks ago when I colored it.  I had colored it before, since my surgery, without any problems.  Although now it seems like the it has slowed down.  So I am hopeful this will pass very soon.  My roots look terrible, but I'd rather be gray than bald.  
      I finally joined the gym.  My exercise routine was very limited.  I've had very little self motivation to exercise, but now that we have joined the gym, I'm loving it.  I like being able to go somewhere outside of my house and inside from the cold to work out.  My husband is working out with me so it makes it more of a team effort.  
     I really need to post more pictures.  I can't believe how much weight I've lost.  It's truly amazing.  I went to my six month check up and everything seems to be ok, I just have to remember to go and get my labs done....soon.  Very bad I keep forgetting...  

It's been almost four months since my surgery and I'm really feeling great and seeing monumental changes.  I bought a pair of pants last week that were a size 12.  I was so excited to be able to fit into them that I didn't realize that they were a little big.  I went back to the store today and tried on size 10 pants and traded them in.  WOW a size 10.. I haven't seen that size in about 10 years.  I can't believe how far I've come in one year.  I first came to this website a year ago and started with monthly visits to the bariatric center, 

For anyone that is interested in attending a support group either online, I will be having a meeting on Monday nights from six to seven.  All are welcome.  I will add you to the group if you request.  Adirondack Weightloss Surgery Support Group.  If you have any questions please send me an email.

Well I haven't really updated my post from July 25, 2008.  My intention was to give a detailed account of my experience from the time I came home, I will attempt to do that now.

It's been close to three months since I had my surgery.  I'm feeling great at this time and actually have felt great from the time I was in the hospital.  I didn't have any complications while in the hospital or during surgery itself.  The three days I spent there were uneventful as far as my recovery from surgery goes. 

When I got home I had a great deal of support from my husband, daughter, mother and father.  The first few days all I really wanted to do is sleep.  I faithfully used my spirometer, and if you have any reservations about using it, thinking it doesn't really do anything, please think again.  Use the spirometer.  I did have a day that I didn't feel great at all.  I did have a slight fever for a whole day.  I used my spirometer and did deep breathing, it helped. 

I drank the shakes as requested, and drank as much water as I was allowed.  I have only thrown up once.  It was close to the end of the first week of being on liquids.  I was proud of myself at first when I got in all the protein for the day that I was supposed to.  Well this was not without consequence.  I ended up in a great deal of pain. Pain in my back, pain in my stomach.  I didn't know at first what was wrong, but went into the bathroom.  I knew what was going to happen, and it finally did.  I haven't thrown up since.  I don't ever want to feel that way again. 

My family was great.  My husband and daughter were here of course at home with me every day.  My mother came over and attended to anything that I needed and my father called me on a daily basis to check and make sure that I was ok.  Despite all the wonderful support that I had I couldn't help but think that there was something missing.  I wished I had had  a visit from someone who had been through the surgery, especially those first few days home.  I know that there is always the support of everyone on the OH website, but I really didn't feel like sitting down and typing out everything.  Honestly I didn't have the energy.  I believe I did communicate with one person who had surgery the same day I did, but that was all.

I was back to work after two weeks post-op.  I really wished I would have taken three weeks.  I was mainly tired that third week, I only worked three days thankfully.  My job is not stressful and I don't have a lot of walking or lifting to do, so that is why I was able to go back to work so soon.

I feel great today.  I've uploaded new pictures of myself, hopefully I look a little different.  I've lost a total of 55 pounds all together.  I've gotten some great comments and funny responses.  Someone asked me over the weekend, after telling me how great I looked, how I've lost all my weight.  I proudly told them that I had gastric bypass surgery.  She looked at me as if I had been dying of some horrible disease and tried to comfort me.  I went on to tell her how great it was and how wonderful I felt, she couldn't wait to walk away.  I had to laugh.

Will post soon

     I've been doing great.  My hospital stay was uneventful.  I have to say that the nurses I had, especially my night nurse, were great.  I didn't end up with a drain and seemed to handle the pain well, even though I hate taking Tylenol #3.  
     I'll finish this blog,,,,,,sorry the ballgame is on......... 

Well tomorrow is my official start to the 9 days of pre-op diet.  I have been doing very well lately with the modified version.  Although I did have a hot fudge brownie sundae tonight for a treat.  I've been tracking my protein intake and making sure that my calorie intake is in line too.  I haven't had icecream in over six months and thought this would be a nice send off.  I tell you this though, I don't miss it one bit.  I rather enjoyed my turkey meatloaf dinner with asparagus.  I'm getting a little nervous, but that's to be expected.  My eating habits have changed soooo much and so has my husband's its great.  I've starting picking up more on my massage therapy business and began steps to start a support group in SL for anyone who is thinking about or has had surgery.  I've also started to prepare for my hospital stay as well as my return home.  I've made lists for items to pack and purchase.  My preop meeting with Dr. Hill is on Wednesday as well as the preop meeting.  Getting down to the wire.  I will check back in before I have my surgery in 10 days.  i need to update my picture for the real before.  See ya!