It is an anniversary for me also...

[Guest guest]

Well, here it is one year for me as well and nothing. I still weigh

the same as orientation in May of last year. I only have a stinking

24 pounds to lose to make 10%. I have had the EKG, the Psych II and

all the frustration one can take when it comes to this. I have

recently started with chronic pain management as the neuropathy in

my feet and legs has become so unbarable. One little light in my

corner was when I met with " the team " just like the marathon appts

for WLS the Pharmacist told me that one medication has a side effect

of weight gain. Since I use this for pain and the neuropathy it

makes sense that no matter what I do, no weight loss.

So, I called Bariatrics nd stated my case and I have a " get

reaquainted " appointment next week. I sure hope I can get some

positive feedback from this appt. I could have been all done with

my surgery and weight loss and had my diabetes under control, off my

blood pressure meds, and 100 pounds off my poor feet.

My thought on all this is...if the medication causes weight gain and

I haven't gained because I have been knocking myself out to get to

10% off the most I can hope for is an exception. Isn't everyone

different anyway?

Glad to see the same old folks aroung here and I will post an update

if I get one.

Jeanne

303/approval

281.5/orientation

282/today

[Guest guest]

Dear Jeanne,

The last lines of your post say it all. You lost 21.5 pounds BEFORE

you got started. If 303 had been your orientation weight. you'd

already be 72% of they way to your goal! BUT YOU DON'T GIVE YOURSELF

ANY CREDIT FOR IT!!!!! That weight loss demonstrated remarkable

commitment and motivation, and it is a real achievement. When you go

to your " reacquaint " appointments, I urge you in the strongest

possible terms to emphasize that before you went on meds that

compromised your ability to lose weight, you proved that you could,

and you need to have the program recognize that and take it into

account in reevaluating your status and your pre-surgery weight-loss

goal.

My experience was that I could comply perfectly with the 1200-

calorie diet (and for a long time, I was), but my metabolism was

such that if I did not exercise, I did not lose any significant

amount of weight. A number of health problems, from cardiac symptoms

familiar to many of us, to an oddball and difficult-to-diagnose

problem that caused me to cough up blood for 45 minutes whenever I

tried to exercise, prevented me from getting that exercise for a

long time. My weight-loss goal was adjusted to recognize these

problems, and I was originally slated to lose only 12 pounds from an

orientation weight of 313 in order to get a date. When a medication

change, among other things (sound familiar?), enabled me to resume

exercise, I began to lose more weight. I made my goal easily -

actually, I had made it long before - and then they kept changing my

goal and requiring me to lose more and more. Well, because I then

COULD do so, it made sense. But if you have to be on meds that say

you CAN'T, then everyone - including YOU - has to recognize not only

that fact, but the fact of your tremendous weight loss from the time

you were approved for the program and the time you got weighed at

orientation. Think of it: you lost almost twice as much as I did

before you even knew how much you needed to lose! Seems to me that

it is rarely more than three or four weeks between acceptance and

your orientation meeting. I don't think I ever heard of anyone

starting at 300-plus losing that much weight on their own that early

in the program. You PUT YOURSELF THROUGH THE PROGRAM BEFORE YOU WERE

OFFICIALLY IN THE PROGRAM!!! That's just AMAZING!!! You don't need

an " exception " because you ARE exceptional. You need to give

yourself credit, and Kaiser needs a slight modification to their

calendar on you. And I bet that will happen.

Randy

>

> Well, here it is one year for me as well and nothing. I still

weigh

> the same as orientation in May of last year. I only have a

stinking

> 24 pounds to lose to make 10%. I have had the EKG, the Psych II

and

> all the frustration one can take when it comes to this. I have

> recently started with chronic pain management as the neuropathy in

> my feet and legs has become so unbarable. One little light in my

> corner was when I met with " the team " just like the marathon appts

> for WLS the Pharmacist told me that one medication has a side

effect

> of weight gain. Since I use this for pain and the neuropathy it

> makes sense that no matter what I do, no weight loss.

> So, I called Bariatrics nd stated my case and I have a " get

> reaquainted " appointment next week. I sure hope I can get some

> positive feedback from this appt. I could have been all done with

> my surgery and weight loss and had my diabetes under control, off

my

> blood pressure meds, and 100 pounds off my poor feet.

> My thought on all this is...if the medication causes weight gain

and

> I haven't gained because I have been knocking myself out to get to

> 10% off the most I can hope for is an exception. Isn't everyone

> different anyway?

>

> Glad to see the same old folks aroung here and I will post an

update

> if I get one.

>

> Jeanne

> 303/approval

> 281.5/orientation

> 282/today

>