New to group

[Guest guest]

Welcome Kim!

My name is , I am 40 and my BMI is also 54. Although I do not have

a surgery date yet, I have seen the surgeon, and this entire month is full of

pre-op tests. I was told not long after these tests were done, I would get a

surgery date. I was told I needed to try and lose 10% of my body weight for

surgery, and to exercise, get that heart rate up! Well, I started riding my

stationary bike and hyper-extended a muscle in my back, AND diets stink, my

stomach holds a lot of food before I get that " full " feeling. I told my

doctor, that I wouldn't be fat and need the surgery if I dieted and exercised

regularly!! I am glad he saw the humor in that! I too am ready to shed my

not so welcomed friends, myself and I, I am ready for it to be only ME ME ME.

Good Luck!

[Guest guest]

Welcome Kim. Glad to have you with us. Congrats on getting the approval. Good

luck with your consult on the 15th. You are on your way to a new life. Hooray!

Jeanne in WI

Age 39

Open RNY 05/21/2002

314/ 268.5 /150-175

5' 8 "

djgraves@...

[Guest guest]

Welcome Doug, Congratulations on your surgery date. We hope you will post as

often as possible. Your surgery is 5 days before mine so I will be waiting

to hear how you are doing.

in Sacramento

pre-op/Sept. 16

Dr. in Burlingame

380-320-130?

5'2 "

" The easiest thing to be in the world is you.

The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be.

Don't let htem put you in that position. "

[Guest guest]

Dear Tracey,

103 pounds! That's wonderful. I don't think I knew that (I'm sure

you've posted before) so I just wanted to say, Way to go!!

Love,

Trace

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/14/02 9:55:05 AM Pacific Daylight Time, mywls@...

writes:

> The only part that worries me is the

> dumping. Can anyone tell me when they have dumping?

>

Hi Amy,

Dumping is from sugar or fat, for most people. I have a sweaty, nauseated,

bloated, hot, dizzy, shaky feeling if I consume more than 8-10 grams of

sugar. I cannot tolerate milk either. OMG, the PAIN!!!!

B

Distal (50 " ) gastric bypass 12/95

Revision for SLD 3/99

Tummy tuck 12/99

275/145/155 (bounceback)

[Guest guest]

Hi Amy. Welcome to our wonderful group. Glad to have you with us. I am almost

3 months post-op and have lost 48 pounds. I'm not sure if I've ever experienced

dumping or not. It's usually caused by too much sugar. And sugar is in things

like milk and fruit, too. If you eat right, and take care of yourself, you

won't have to worry about dumping. But when you stray to the sweets, then

you'll suffer for it. Any other questions we can help you with? Take care.

Jeanne in WI

Age 39

Open RNY 05/21/2002

314/ 266 /150-175

5' 8 "

djgraves@...

[Guest guest]

hi amy t,

welcome i live in Ohio and our teachers here carries that

insurance and they didn't have any trouble and they paid everything

good luck,

veronica

[Guest guest]

hiya amy, welcome to the group

it's a busy lot we have here so i'm sure you'll get plenty of replies!

i had open rny on 6-14-01, didn't have a choice as to type of surgery

but it was fine...i was 268lbs pre op, my goal weight was 135 - i

reached that a little past one year anniversary, now weigh 130lbs.

my body changes every few months so what i can tolerate today, i may

not be able to tolerate in a few weeks. i can eat refined sugar, well

actually, i can eat pretty much whatever i want! lol i just don't

eat much of it. i eat pizza, ice cream..if i want but i found that it

doesn't satisfy me so i don't eat it often. i center my meals on

protein - i am a huge fan of several web recipe sites (fave is:

www.allrecipes.com) i also add protein powder to almost all meals --

i use Jarrow's Iso Rich Soy Protein Powder which is the only one you

can cook with. it has no flavor, no fat, no sugar, no carbs and 110

calories for 2tbls. you cannot use it immediately post op because you

need the protein drinks to be meal replacements. anyhoo, i add it to

casseroles, soups, stews, stir fry, even mix in ricotta cheese

mixture in lasagna and my family can't tell.

i don't " do " milk tho i had a hard time before surgery with it.

our " pouches " are too small to allow ample digestion time for milk

and i don't like the way it makes me feel so i use Vitamite (in the

fridge section of grocery, near the milk) tho i know a lot of pple

use soy milk or almond milk.

if i'm going to dump i usually know within 5 minutes of eating

something, i'll get hot/sweaty, heart races and i'll be in the

bathroom soon since the " food " goes right through me. i don't dump

very often...

good luck to you and feel free to email me anytime. i facilitate a

wls support group here in california.

{{hugs}}

kate

[Guest guest]

Angles sound splendid. I would love to have one. If there anybody

who lives on the West coast? I live in San Diego, Ca. An Angel would

be great, but could be expensive for someone.

I keep seeing messages to sis, and someone mentioned brother and

mother. Are these real families?

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/29/2003 4:34:45 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

themuse@... writes:

<< I cannot believe how awful these symptoms are making me. >>

,

I am so sorry for you. I don't have much to offer in the way of advice

because I don't know much about ventricular problems, but it seems to me that

the

E.P. study would be your best hope since medications don't seem to be working

and Amiodarone can present as many problems as it solves. Keep up your hope.

Hope can have a very positive effect on the heart.

Best wishes,

in Seattle

[Guest guest]

Hello All

My name is and I am 41 years young and from Australia and of course new

to the group and to A-Fib but not cardiac arrhythmia conditions.

Two years ago I presented at a local hospital with Monomorphic Ventricular

Tachycardia. The doctors held me in the usual Cardiac intensive care for 4 days

then transported me to a local cardiac hospital called The Prince . They

attempted an EP study ablation but with no success, then decided to start me on

some medication to help control the condition. I also had an angiogram to

establish if I had any structural heart problems and there were none. I was a

fit and healthy individual when this struck me and apparently that is quite a

common but rare thing in younger persons.

The first drug was sotolol which made me quite ill with severe athsma like

symptons, so the doctors decided to trial me on a myriad of other drugs. Beta

Blockers, calcium channel blocker that caused me problems to greater or lesser

extent but needless to say was quality of life destroying and not controlling

symptons but stirring up others.

I was still getting some non sustained episodes unfortunately, so the doctors

decided to " up the anty " and trialled me on flecainide acetate. This caused me

immeasurable problems and I had most of the side effects including the " biggie "

of asystole (sudden cardiac death) and needed to be resusitated . Thankfully

that happened whilst in hospital. I was at my wits end and decided to totally go

off ALL medication for a time. I started to restore some of my quality of life

and was gradually getting fitter and stronger over the ensuing months. I was

free of drugs for some 6 months then WHAM I had another non sustained attack

that was weird. (6 beats sinus rythm and 4 beats v-tach for half an hour, only

to be converted with amiodarone hydrochloride in the er.

The doctor said it was time I " embraced " medical science once again and said

that he would like to trail me on amiodarone. Within 2 weeks of therapy I was

hypothyroid and couldnt move much because of extreme conduction disturbance. I

was getting intense bigeminy coupled with other weird arrhythmia I never thought

possible. The doctors said that they want to withdrawal me from therapy *again*

and then in three months time they wanted to attempt another ablation EP study.

It has been one month since the cessation of therapy and I now have daily Non

sustained VT, bradycardia, constant bigeminy, premature ventricular contraction,

incessant atrial fibrillation, and premature atrial contractions. I have

presented to emergency 4 times this very week and the doctors give me a

magnesium drip to settle it as they donot want to give drugs because of the

ensuing EP study. I am finding that I am becoming more resistant to conversion

and it takes 6 hours in ER with two strong magnesium drips to settle it down

somewhat, then when I return home it usually has another short spurt of

symptoms. The ER doctors talked to the specialist and he says he wants to

continue with this therapy for another couple of months until the amiodarone is

out of my system! I know it has a very long life in the body because of the way

the body gets rid of it. Has anyone else had problems with the amiodarone

therapy withdrawal? (I wish I NEVER went of that drug or heard of that drug)

I am to have the EP study on Novemeber 17 if I make it! I cannot believe how

awful these symptoms are making me. My partner will call the EP doctor today to

get some answers to see if the ablation EP can be bought forward. Wouldnt they

need to do a blood test to establish whether or not the drug is out of the

system?

Thank you all for listening.

" desparate from Australia

~~Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings a tune

without words and never stops at all~~

[Guest guest]

:

I for one am stunned at your courage and fortitude. It appears you've

experienced a veritable plague of cardiac-medication problems. I too have

had similar reactions to sotolol-- comparable to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

and it took the damnest time for the amidarone to vacate my system ( (six

months or so if I remember correctly but I can't be sure because that's

when all the meds put me in a haze. Next came sotolol and I was ready to

psychologically cash in my chips -- that's my reaction to the drug.) Others

here -- it works for them just fine.) There are far, far more knowledgeable

people on this list -- but the question I would ask (not knowing where you

are on Australia --are the physicians you are seeing the absolutely best

there are in the country? My hang up is that far too often people (not on

this list) act as passive rather than as aggressive consumers. Docs make

mistakes. Stay on this list long enough and you'd gather the names. Send an

email, kind of a summary of what you wrote here, and see if they have a

name or two. You've got your basic letter. Pick the names from archives and

send out ten letters. It won't cost you a dime, and hell, it will take your

attention away from what you're feeling for a few hours.

Meanwhile send as many letters here to the list. You'll find some real

" joys " here to communicate with.

Lew Koch

At 09:29 AM 9/30/2003 +1000, you wrote:

>Hello All

>

>My name is and I am 41 years young and from Australia and of

>course new to the group and to A-Fib but not cardiac arrhythmia conditions.

>

>Two years ago I presented at a local hospital with Monomorphic Ventricular

>Tachycardia. The doctors held me in the usual Cardiac intensive care for 4

>days then transported me to a local cardiac hospital called The Prince

>. They attempted an EP study ablation but with no success, then

>decided to start me on some medication to help control the condition. I

>also had an angiogram to establish if I had any structural heart problems

>and there were none. I was a fit and healthy individual when this struck

>me and apparently that is quite a common but rare thing in younger persons.

>

>The first drug was sotolol which made me quite ill with severe athsma like

>symptons, so the doctors decided to trial me on a myriad of other drugs.

>Beta Blockers, calcium channel blocker that caused me problems to greater

>or lesser extent but needless to say was quality of life destroying and

>not controlling symptons but stirring up others.

>

>I was still getting some non sustained episodes unfortunately, so the

>doctors decided to " up the anty " and trialled me on flecainide acetate.

>This caused me immeasurable problems and I had most of the side effects

>including the " biggie " of asystole (sudden cardiac death) and needed to be

>resusitated . Thankfully that happened whilst in hospital. I was at my

>wits end and decided to totally go off ALL medication for a time. I

>started to restore some of my quality of life and was gradually getting

>fitter and stronger over the ensuing months. I was free of drugs for some

>6 months then WHAM I had another non sustained attack that was weird. (6

>beats sinus rythm and 4 beats v-tach for half an hour, only to be

>converted with amiodarone hydrochloride in the er.

>

>The doctor said it was time I " embraced " medical science once again and

>said that he would like to trail me on amiodarone. Within 2 weeks of

>therapy I was hypothyroid and couldnt move much because of extreme

>conduction disturbance. I was getting intense bigeminy coupled with other

>weird arrhythmia I never thought possible. The doctors said that they want

>to withdrawal me from therapy *again* and then in three months time they

>wanted to attempt another ablation EP study.

>

>It has been one month since the cessation of therapy and I now have daily

>Non sustained VT, bradycardia, constant bigeminy, premature ventricular

>contraction, incessant atrial fibrillation, and premature atrial

>contractions. I have presented to emergency 4 times this very week and the

>doctors give me a magnesium drip to settle it as they donot want to give

>drugs because of the ensuing EP study. I am finding that I am becoming

>more resistant to conversion and it takes 6 hours in ER with two strong

>magnesium drips to settle it down somewhat, then when I return home it

>usually has another short spurt of symptoms. The ER doctors talked to the

>specialist and he says he wants to continue with this therapy for another

>couple of months until the amiodarone is out of my system! I know it has a

>very long life in the body because of the way the body gets rid of it. Has

>anyone else had problems with the amiodarone therapy withdrawal? (I wish I

>NEVER went of that drug or heard of that drug)

>

>I am to have the EP study on Novemeber 17 if I make it! I cannot believe

>how awful these symptoms are making me. My partner will call the EP doctor

>today to get some answers to see if the ablation EP can be bought forward.

>Wouldnt they need to do a blood test to establish whether or not the drug

>is out of the system?

>

>Thank you all for listening.

>

> " desparate from Australia

>

>

>

>

>~~Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings a tune

>without words and never stops at all~~

>

>