RE: That was a nice meeting

[Guest guest]

Don,

Maybe you should open up a topic at the LMH meeting to change things a

bit???

Dawn

Re: That was a nice meeting

Hi everyone,

I also wanted to say that I enjoyed the meeting last night and I

will admit that I enjoy them more than Dr. Randall's. It's nice to hear how

other people both pre-op and post, deal with this and how they show thier

true feelings. I was there with my friend Suzzanne who is getting wls on the

22nd of this month by Dr. Thayer. We got a chance (finally) to see Pam's wls

scrapbook. We both thought that it was amazing how much she has changed. I

even thought she looked so much younger now. Looking good Pam and you did a

great job on the book as well. It's also nice to put some faces with all

these names.

Don't forget to keep me posted on any changes for you so I can

update my list. You guys must have lost some weight since I started this

LOL, let me know and do some bragging. A new one will be out there soon.

Just my two cents.

Don

[Guest guest]

Dawn,

You know, I would but frankly, the thought of speaking in front of a

crowd like that scares the living bejeesus out of me. Getting attention

whether it be good or bad still bothers me a bit. I hope that will change

someday.

Don

[Guest guest]

OK Don,

Now I know, I am in love with you. My Arty will just have to get use

to the idea. LOL

Pam

On Fri, 02 Feb 2001 14:53:53 EST Dondj@... writes:

> You're GORGEOUS SWEETHEART GORGEOUS!!!

>

> Keep up the good work and honestly, everyone around me was saying

> the same thing.

>

> Don

>

>

[Guest guest]

Ok, it's safe with me.

Pam

On Fri, 2 Feb 2001 16:29:52 EST Dondj@... writes:

> yeah but don't tell anybody Shhhhh

>

> Don

>

>

[Guest guest]

: My 1st meeting post-op was a nightmare and scared the crap

outta me....A lot of my post op questions weren't answered, I depend

on this group for more answers like that. I can tell you why the

operation was good for me( I am 5 months out)1) My back doesn't kill

me anymore 2) my blood pressure is down 3) no more snoring 4) the

ankle I injured 2 years ago doesn't swell anymore 5) I look better,

more like the person I used to know. I am not angry but I have not

been heavy all my life, just in the past few years have I gained a

tremendous amount of weight. However, if I was heavy all my life, it

must have been very hard in childhood and being a teenager and

overweight. I have more energy, I can do more things with my athletic

healthy family. I can't speak for the people who are angry, maybe

food was their soltice. Food was mine whether happy or sad. Having

the operation didn't make me angry but it also didn't make all my

problems disappear. I had the surgery in hopes of have a long life

with my kids,so far so good. I have lost 70lbs. I am under the

treatment of a shrink for depression but I have been for years, it

had nothing to do with my weight. I hope I answered some of your

questions, I have found this group to be the most helpful for me.

Email me if you wish. Take Care Barb

I haven't heard any positive remarks in the

> 2 meetings that I attended except that this was the best thing some

have

> done...But why is it the best thing, if people are so angry all the

time?

> Never would I put anyone down for their feelings so don't take this

post the

> wrong way, but I would like to know some of the positive aspects of

the

> surgery .

>

> pre-op March 12, 2001 Dr Thayer

[Guest guest]

Lyssa:

I too found Thursday's meeting a little confusing. I can't explain it very well, but for the first time I didn't come away feeling very energized or positive. I guess all the expressions of anger, resentment, etc. affected my mood. Hope it didn't adversely affect any of the pre-ops. I am also not clear on why thought it was such an important topic. Anger issues are frequently related to long ago events or issues which often can only be uncovered during therapy and sometimes have nothing to do with what you think is making you angry. The surgery, weight loss, etc. may only act as a trigger to release pent up anger that has been around for awhile. And some people may never even experience it.

I don't know if any of this makes sense or not; it's just the feelings I came away from the meeting with. Let's make the next meeting more upbeat on behalf of all the pre-ops (and there seem to be lots of them right now).

Lois

[Guest guest]

:

I too found the meeting a little disheartening and I have been going for almost a year. Fortunately, there are plenty of things that are positive about the surgery, such as:

- Your overall health improves greatly.

- You will no longer be at risk of dying young due to your weight and the co-morbidities associated with it.

- Your energy level skyrockets.

- If you begin an exercise program, you may never come to love doing it, but you will be able to do it without collapsing.

- The constant need to eat seems to subside a lot (at least for me, so far anyway).

- You can now do things you may not have done in a long while or ever such as: sit in a theater seat, use the standard seat belt in an airplane, be able to squat down, be able to bend to tie your shoes, get down on the floor and get up again (without renting a crane to help you), shop until you drop from something besides

breathlessness, be able to physically keep up with your kids or grandkids, ride any ride you want in the amusement park, knowing the safety device will go around you, not worry about having to squeeze into a booth in a restaurant, and so on and so on.

This is just off the top of my head with very little deep thinking. I'm sure there are many more positive aspects I have not mentioned. But, most of all, is the self-confidence it gives you in knowing that, maybe for the first time in your life, you look pretty much like everyone else. No one can tell any longer that you ever had a weight problem and you will at least not be judged ever again just based on your size.

Hope this helps give you a little positive feedback; I know I tend to go on and on sometimes. Be sure and keep us posted and keep coming to the meetings; all in all, they are a great bunch of people who can provide a lot of info.

Lois