Introduction

Hi, everyone<br><br>My name is Phil Wade. I live
in the northern part of Louisiana and am happily
married with two grown daughters, one in DC and one in
graduate school in Monroe, LA. We have a dog named Isabel
and a cat named Felix.<br><br>My problem is familiar
to all of you because all of you have been there. I
have finally decided I am going to die if I don’t do
something and it is quite obvious that something is not
dieting. Been there, done that too many times to count. I
have been in WW, TOPS, etc. I have tried Jenny Craig,
diet pills, Metrecal, etc. I have cut out fatty foods,
foods with sugar. I have tried cutting out carbs, meat,
even tried starvation. Of course, nothing has worked.
I lose weight for a period and then get on a
plateau, get disgusted and quit.<br><br>My medical is

terrible, T2 diabetes, thyroid, sleep apnea, severe
neuropathy affecting peripherals and the autonomic system,
particularly around the heart. I can’t walk more than 100 ft
without stopping for breath. In other words, I am dying,
not a particularly pleasant thought for a 53 year old
who actually has believed he was happy. The only good
thing is I just had a heart cath and the doctor said
for my shape, I was in remarkably good shape. No
clogged arteries. Bad news is emphysema.<br><br>Enough of
the gloomies. I have just about decided to have WLS.
I am now to the point of researching methods and
then finding a doctor who is good at that method. I
had a lot of questions, many of which have been
answered in this forum. Biggest question - How do you tell
your spouse or partner you have de3cided to take this
step? My wife also falls in the morbidly obese category
but she is able to do great things with
Weightwatchers. She has lost 35 lbs since January and is doing
great. She has done this before and just let me lead her
astray.<br><br>Second question - what do you do about the inevitable
skin bags? Do they just go away eventually or do you
have to have surgery to remove the excess
skin?<br><br>Is there anyone from Louisiana in this club? I would
particularly like your viewpoints. <br><br>Enough of this. Let
me hear from you all so I can learn more about this,
both rewards and pitfalls. I am going to need all of
the help and prayers I can get.<br><br>Phil

13 Responses to “Introduction”

  1. Neva Marjory Says:

    Hi Phil!<br>Welcome to the club. I love this
    place. I’ve gotten so much wonderful advice and
    encouragment here. There is also a lot of things to discover
    on obesityhelp.com. After I decided that I was going
    to do this, that site helped me find out about my
    surgon. There were so many things to read about him that
    I couldn’t finish them all. That helped a lot.
    <br>Telling my partner that I was going to have this or that
    I was even thinking about it was not hard at all. I
    really feel like I have full support now. In fact,
    before there was talk of wls I hadn’t thought about the
    fact that I could die from being obese, but she had.
    She had always been worried about my health, but
    never said anything. And she wants to see me happier
    than I am now. It was harder for me to tell my mother.

    I knew I would get a hard time from her. She is a
    very bad worrier. It’s horrible. She is so afraid that
    I’m going to die. That does scare me, but I’m hoping
    for the best. :) The only thing that is a problem
    with my girlfriend is the fact that she is only about
    40lbs overweight, and I realize that is a lot for her,
    but she makes comments sometimes like "well, I can’t
    have surgery to help me" I feel bad because 40lbs is
    probably just as hard to lose as my 150. That is the only
    problem that has come up between the two of us. <br>I
    guess a good way to tell your wife is to get all of the
    info that you can because there will be the what if’s
    and you want to be prepared. It seems to me that the
    ones that I thought would completely understand
    (because they are heavy too) are the ones that make the
    biggest fuss over it all. Saying that I should try this
    diet or these pills. I just keep trying to tell them
    that I don’t want a temporary fix, I want it to last
    forever. <br><br>I hope some of this helped. I like to
    wonder off the subject at times. Good luck with your
    decision.<br><br>Brandy

  2. Neva Marjory Says:

    Hi Phil, <br><br>I am also from Louisiana, near
    New Orleans. I am pre-op and will get my surgery date
    as soon as my psych eval results come in. You should
    go to www.obesityhelp.com. It is a wonderful website
    that has really helped me out alot. I have gotten so
    many answers to questions because of this support
    group and obesityhelp.com. Good luck!! I am sure your
    spouse will support your decision, mine did because he
    knows that I will have a healthier happier life because
    of it. God bless!<br>Stacy

  3. Frank Elna Says:

    Hello,

    My name is Jason and I had an open RNY three years ago. I have lost
    about 160 pounds and I feel great. I thought I would post on here and
    just introduce myself to you all.

  4. walton_12 Says:

    Hello Jason! I’m Yolanda I would like to say Congrats on your weightloss and
    keep up the good work…

  5. Jenny Griffin Says:

    Jason, welcome I’m sure we all could benefit from your experiences of wls
    and what we have to look forward to. I am 9 mo. out and have lost 140 lbs. I
    also feel great. Like I never thought I ever could. Keep posting we need
    you! Susan

  6. berger_1800 Says:

    Hi Jason, It is a pleasure to meet you. I am having the RN-Y on July 1st. I
    am over my fears and am very excited. As I get even closer to my surgery I
    am praying that all goes well. I am sure you feel great! Take care
    Juanita

  7. Abdul Dottie Says:

    Hello Group,
    I want to introduce myself. My name is Bryan and I am considering having
    Roux-en-Y. I am 39 years old, and I am 120+ lbs over weight, I have high
    cholesterol, I’m borderline diabetic and borderline high blood pressure. I have
    always been big and I have tried everything to lose weight. I can lose 20-30
    lbs but then I gain 30-40 back. I don’t over eat and I am active. I just can’t
    lose weight and keep it off.

    I have already receive a referral from my G.P. and I have attended the
    information seminar. I will be having my consultation with the doctor this
    coming Tuesday (01/06/04).

    I am getting my hopes up that RGB happens. I hope the insurance approves. Any
    words of wisdom and assurance would be welcome.
    Respectfully,

    Bryan

  8. Violet Lynch Says:

    Welcome,
    Your story is like many of ours, a hopeless circle of disappointment. I am
    waiting to have bypass with fobi pouch. I am awaiting confirmation from doctors
    and insurance. You will find a wealth of information here, everyone here is
    friendly and has so much to give. Everyone is in a different place in their
    weight loss struggle so you will find out many things. I welcome you and wish
    you the best of luck…keep us posted.

    Karen
    pre-op
    235/235/120 (healthy!)

    I have already receive a referral from my G.P. and I have attended the
    information seminar. I will be having my consultation with the doctor this
    coming Tuesday (01/06/04).

    I am getting my hopes up that RGB happens. I hope the insurance approves. Any
    words of wisdom and assurance would be welcome.
    Respectfully,
    Bryan

  9. Geneva Elia Says:

    Welcome Bryan-

    It sounds like you have made the right decision. Hopefully your insurance will
    not deny you. But if they do, DON’T give up! I was denied twice and then
    approved after appeals. I had WLS in July of 2003 and have lost 82 pounds. I
    feel great! This was the best decision for me. Good Luck to you and do not get
    discouraged. Jan

  10. Chung Tanika Says:

    Hello,

    I just joined the group and would like to inrtroduce myself.

    My name is Alke, I am 35, mother of a wonderful daughter of 5 years and
    wife of a wonderful husband. I live in southern Germany and received a
    gastric banding in January. When I decided to habe the GB done I had a
    BMI of 50 (with 134kg). So far all is well, I could have lost a bit more
    weihgt but I guess 5kg in 3 weeks is ok since I lost 10kg preOP.

    I am part of a lokal group whick meets once a month and am seeking to
    found a new group with more focus on more professional information in
    medical and nutrician topics.

    Ok, that are the basic facts,

    I’m looking forward to lots of information and more.

    Alke

  11. Candy Justina Says:

    Hi, Alke, welcome to the group. We’ve got some gastric banding
    patients among us, and I’m sure they’ll be happy to chip in. GB
    patients have different needs than the usual RNY patients.

    Pam in Niceville

    _____

    Hello,

    I just joined the group and would like to inrtroduce myself.

    My name is Alke, I am 35, mother of a wonderful daughter of 5 years
    and
    wife of a wonderful husband. I live in southern Germany and received

    a
    gastric banding in January. When I decided to habe the GB done I had
    a
    BMI of 50 (with 134kg). So far all is well, I could have lost a bit
    more
    weihgt but I guess 5kg in 3 weeks is ok since I lost 10kg preOP.

    I am part of a lokal group whick meets once a month and am seeking
    to
    found a new group with more focus on more professional information
    in
    medical and nutrician topics.

    Ok, that are the basic facts,

    I’m looking forward to lots of information and more.

    Alke

    _____

  12. Neva Marjory Says:

    Hi Pam, hi to all!
    Is this then mainly a RNY - Group?
    *curiuos*
    Alke

  13. Candy Justina Says:

    Pam

    _____

    Hi Pam, hi to all!
    Is this then mainly a RNY - Group?
    *curiuos*
    Alke

    _____

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