Re: Introduction

September 20, 2000

I WILL BE GLAD TO BE A CONTACT. WRITE ME WITH QUESTIONS.

RENEE T

MGB 4/20/00

September 20, 2000

Welcome Debbie L, good luck hugs marg

September 20, 2000

In a message dated 9/20/2000 8:24:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

dkjlawson@... writes:

<< Am I the only one feeling ashamed that my

life has come to this, that I could not control myself or have enough

self love to keep myself from obesity? >>

Hi Debbie L.,

Please don't feel that way. I spent most of my life feeling so

tormented and sad because I had it all mixed up in my head that to be loved I

had to be slim. I don't think self love has a whole lot to do with obesity,

some of it is genetics', some is using food as a source of comfort. That's

always been my problem, If I was sad I'd eat, bored I'd eat, mad I'd eat,

etc., etc., and that began a spiral for me of self loathing and guilt. I

finally realized that it all wasn't my fault and that I never set out to

intentionally wind up where I'm at, so try not to feel that way, try to love

yourself for who you are inside and remember that we are all in this

together!!!!!!!!

Cathy Morrow in Lenoir, NC

BMI 42

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

September 20, 2000

To Debbie L.-

I did feel ashamed at one point. But I have my own theory for obesity: for

some reason, the neuromuscular transmitters that send the pleasure messages

in our brain are somehow malfunctioning related to food. I notice the intense

pleasure some people achieve from eating a couple of bites of something, but

I only acieve a small amount of satisfaction, even if I eat the whole thing.

I did feel ashamed at one point, but not anymore. Because I HONESTLY feel we

did not have full control over our weight gain.

So Debbie, do not ever feel ashamed of " allowing this to happento yourself " ,

because the fault does not lie within you. You are a beautiful person, we all

are. I am just SOOOOO SO Glad, it can finally all be over when we reach 'the

other side'.

Regina in Charlotte

September 20, 2000

Hey Debbie,

Welcome.

A patient who wanted bypass surgery was told by her doctor that she only

had a BMI of 39.

She said " give me a day and I'll take care of that for you " .

You see, anything is possible!

Las Vegas

preop

selfpay

290

dkjlawson@... wrote:

> Hello Everyone,

> My name is Debbie L. I am from Colorado. I noticed that there are

> several debbie's so I added an initial. I am 44 yrs old and a single

> mom. I have been a single parent for 14 years. It has been the

> greatest blessing of my life. I have struggled with weight for many

> years. Going up and down, but never staying there for long. I have a

> bmi of 40 right now who knows tomorrow? I am waiting for my pcp to

> give me an ok for his support. I am not looking forward to the

> insurance co. I have begun my patient application. I now need some

> contacts. ???? how do I document my contacts for Dr. R????? Once I

> decided this was the best route for me, it seems to be going so

> slowly. :)I can hear some of you now,patience,patience,patience. I

> have another question????? Am I the only one feeling ashamed that my

> life has come to this, that I could not control myself or have enough

> self love to keep myself from obesity? I want to live for my

> children, they are everything to me. I want to see my

> grandchildren.My daughter wants to be an attorney and my son an

> astronaut. I really need to be around awhile. I feel very alone right

> now. My mom is very supportive about the surgery,although she lives

> far away she said she would travel with me to N.C. I have a loving

> family that thinks I'm pretty special, I guess I couldn't ask for

> more.

> All of the posting have been encouraging to me, thank you all.

> Lets get this show on the road!!!!!!!!! blessing, Debbie L.

> p.s. are there any coloradans or texans out there. I just returned

> from wichita falls,tx.

>

September 21, 2000

Welcome Debbie L!!!

Ruqayya

September 21, 2000

To Debbie L:

I am in the same situation you are, almost exactly. I am 41, 235 lbs , 5'4 "

tall

single mom for the last " 14! " years! I have a daughter who is in law school

in VA and a son who does not want to be an astronaut as far as I know. He is

in college for

computer science. I am working (obsessively) on my packet, scheduling doctor

appointments, getting my contacts (thanks to those who offered!). I don't

think I am weak because I can't get a grip. I believe it is 99% genetic, I

feel like I got dealt an

unlucky hand (only in regards to the weight) and that it's my turn to have

what many others take for granted. I feel hope for the 1st time in probably

my whole life and

I guess I think that I have " put in my time " so to speak. I am truly

grateful for my kids, my co-workers, my friends.... but the weight has always

been that " one thing "

I guess I feel like maybe my ship has come in!

I would like to stay in touch, sounds like we have alot in common. Hoping

I'll do ok once I come home and have to deal with whatever emotions etc I

have after the surgery. I think I'll be fine.

Good luck, and I'll be watching your postings!

, Indiana

September 21, 2000

That was a great letter, .

Looking forward to hearing from you about your progress.

Regina in Charlotte

September 22, 2000

TO Debbie L

I'm 41 265 lbs and 5'4 " we could be twins! And I am

in the same situation!! I am very anxious to see this

process move along but feel as though it's taking

forever! I have not yet contacted my insurance

company. but from the emails I've read it sounds like

that is a challenge within its self. I will just

believe God that he will take me over each hurdle,

without stress. I know that the Lord will be my guide

thoughout this process. God is my strength and no

good thing will he withold from me.

--- ibcamille@... wrote:

> To Debbie L:

> I am in the same situation you are, almost exactly.

> I am 41, 235 lbs , 5'4 "

> tall

> single mom for the last " 14! " years! I have a

> daughter who is in law school

> in VA and a son who does not want to be an astronaut

> as far as I know. He is

> in college for

> computer science. I am working (obsessively) on my

> packet, scheduling doctor

> appointments, getting my contacts (thanks to those

> who offered!). I don't

> think I am weak because I can't get a grip. I

> believe it is 99% genetic, I

> feel like I got dealt an

> unlucky hand (only in regards to the weight) and

> that it's my turn to have

> what many others take for granted. I feel hope for

> the 1st time in probably

> my whole life and

> I guess I think that I have " put in my time " so to

> speak. I am truly

> grateful for my kids, my co-workers, my friends....

> but the weight has always

> been that " one thing "

> I guess I feel like maybe my ship has come in!

> I would like to stay in touch, sounds like we have

> alot in common. Hoping

> I'll do ok once I come home and have to deal with

> whatever emotions etc I

> have after the surgery. I think I'll be fine.

> Good luck, and I'll be watching your postings!

> , Indiana

>

August 29, 2003

Welcome Kathy............just wanted to welcome you and tell you that I

found your post very encouraging. Don't really know why except that every

so often I need a reminder that this surgery is soooooo much about health.

Your post did just that......THANKS, P.

Introduction

> I've just reached my one year anniversary of open RNY (8/27/02 - Dr.

> Armstrong, Milwaukee, WI) and thought I would introduce myself.

> I've been lurking for quite some time and have gotten lots of valuable and

> helpful information from all of you. I'm 51 yo, 5'7 " , my weight the date

of

> surgery was 409 and my current weight is 231, bringing my total weight

loss

> to 178. I'm thrilled with having made it this far, but am not satisfied

> with where I am. The weight is coming off much slower now, giving my body

a

> chance to catch up with the loss. But I sometimes find my self struggling

> with the same food choices that I've heard so many of you talk about. By

> choice I have never gone back to eating sweets (cake, cookies, candy), but

> find that I can obsess over Blue Bunny frozen treats and the like. I try

to

> limit my carb intake and find that on the days that I'm able to keep that

> number low, I do much better. However, I do occasionally slip. My

surgeon

> (he's just the best!) is more than pleased with how far I've come and told

> me that even if I never lost another pound my surgery would be considered

a

> success. My health has improved so much -- no more diabetes or high blood

> pressure and much better controlled asthma. I am so much more mobile now,

> and although I am still looking at both knee replacements, I love this new

> freedom. But I still don't feel totally comfortable at this weight. I've

> lost a lot of sizes but still have to shop in the Plus Size department.

I'm

> really looking forward to that first purchase of what I consider " normal "

> size clothing! I've been extremely fortunate in that even though my

family

> (mother and siblings) have not been very supportive (they never mention,

ask

> about or even acknowledge the surgery or weight loss), I have a great

> network of friends who've been just wonderful. I get so much

encouragement

> from the people I work with and hardly a day goes by that I don't get a

> compliment from at least one person.

>

> Well, I think I've chatted on long enough. I'm really looking forwarding

to

> exchanging information and experiences with all of you.

>

> Kathy Kosterman

> Racine, WI

> postop - 8/27/02

> 409/231/180???

> -178#

>

> Homepage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG

>

> Unsubscribe: mailto:Graduate-OSSG-unsubscribe

>

September 9, 2003

Welcome to the group Sheli.

Lori Owen - Denton, Texas

SRVG 7/16/01

Dr. Ritter/Dr. Bryce

On Mon, 8 Sep 2003 18:40:20 EDT SheliM226@... writes:

> hello everyone, my name is Sheli, I am 30 years old. I had my

> surgery on Aug

> 31, 1999. So I just celebrated my 4 year anniversary. I weighed

> 380 pounds

> at surgery and lost down to 227. I went from a size 36 to a size

> 18. October

> 9, 2000 I got pregnant. Something That they told me I would never

> be able to

> do. I adopted 3 children because they said I couldnt ever have any.

> I

> gained 40 pounds with pregnancy and it is still with me 2 years down

> the road. I

> had my surgery with Arkansas Rehab so they paid for all my surgery.

> I dont have

> insurance so I never got my lab work done and finally 3 weeks ago I

> went to

> the doctor. Had my blood work done. It was terrible. My iron was

> rock

> bottom, my b12 was terrible and I was suffering from some major

> depression. Plus I

> have high blood pressure.

>

> She gave me a shot of b12. iron pills wellbutrin for depression.

> I went

> back 2 weeks later and i had lost 5 pounds.

>

> I have gave up all cokes, chocolate and eveything that I needed to

> do and I

> am on the right track again. I am going to get down to 200 pounds

> and I am

> only 57 pounds from it. I am going to do it.

>

> well, Thanks for listening.

>

> sheli

>

December 16, 2003

In a message dated 12/16/2003 9:14:35 PM Central Standard Time,

hasoloff@... writes:

Hal

WOW 73!!! That is GREAT!!!! I have two daughters with CF they are 11 and 6.

You give me GREAT hope for them!!! I hope they will see the age of 73!!!!!!!!

Deb A

December 16, 2003

Welcome.............I tried to get in touch with you a few years back

regarding fungal balls in the sinus cavities. Someone gave me your name!

Rosemary in NY with 3 children (13, 11 and 7)

with CF. I have a dog named TOBI and have

coined the phrase " BREATHE DAMMIT "

December 16, 2003

Welcome Hal!

I am very glad you have joined our group. I am the very proud mom of

three beautiful kids. All three are little angels, whose wings and

haloes fall as soon as they step into my house, :-) My oldest, a

is 10 and has CF, my boys are 7 and 3. Of course, I have a thousand

questions but I will wait for others to ask.

Again a very warm welcome.

> Hi: I'm Hal Soloff, I'll be 73 years old in April and I have Cystic

> Fibrosis. I was diagnosed at age 28 by the late Harry Shwachman,

M.D. at

> Boston Children's Hospital and have had two DNA studies and

volunteered

> for exploratory surgery which should not be discussed in front of

> children. My wife and I have been married for 47 ½ years and live in

> Connecticut. We have two adopted children who do not have CF but do

> have the innate ability to slowly divest us of our financial

resources.

> Some of you already know me from other CF support lists. I am a

retired

> attorney and teacher. You have my assurance that I am much better at

> retiring. It is not my intention to post frequently but to read and

be a

> resource if anyone dares to avail themselves. I wish you all a

healthy

> and happy holiday season. Hal

>

December 16, 2003

Hal,

When my daughter was dx 6 years ago and we fell apart the social worker

in the hospital told us about a man called Hal who was 'really old' with

cf. It made us feel like there was hope.

(Australia)

Introduction

Hi: I’m Hal Soloff, I’ll be 73 years old in April and I have Cystic

Fibrosis. I was diagnosed at age 28 by the late Harry Shwachman, M.D. at

Boston Children’s Hospital and have had two DNA studies and volunteered

for exploratory surgery which should not be discussed in front of

children. My wife and I have been married for 47 ½ years and live in

Connecticut. We have two adopted children who do not have CF but do

have the innate ability to slowly divest us of our financial resources.

Some of you already know me from other CF support lists. I am a retired

attorney and teacher. You have my assurance that I am much better at

retiring. It is not my intention to post frequently but to read and be a

resource if anyone dares to avail themselves. I wish you all a healthy

and happy holiday season. Hal

December 16, 2003

Hi Hal,

You are a living legend and true inspiration! OUr doctor also told

us about a man with CF who is in his 70's. Oh the questions that are

going through my mind. I would just love to sit down with you for a

few hours and hear about your journey! If you would be so kind as to

offer any advice that we as parents could do to help our children it

would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for introducig yourself! Happy Holidays

e, mom to , 10 wcf and Ian 13 nocf

p.s. conratulations on being married for so long!

December 17, 2003

Hal,

Thanks for joining this list. It is great to hear from you. I'll

bet that you have a lot of knowledge that we could all benefit from.

I hope that you have a great holiday season, with just the right

amount of snow.

Gale

Grandma to Abby (Who will turn Two on 12/23!)

> Hi: I'm Hal Soloff, I'll be 73 years old in April and I have Cystic

> Fibrosis. I was diagnosed at age 28 by the late Harry Shwachman,

M.D. at

> Boston Children's Hospital and have had two DNA studies and

volunteered

> for exploratory surgery which should not be discussed in front of

> children. My wife and I have been married for 47 ½ years and live in

> Connecticut. We have two adopted children who do not have CF but do

> have the innate ability to slowly divest us of our financial

resources.

> Some of you already know me from other CF support lists. I am a

retired

> attorney and teacher. You have my assurance that I am much better at

> retiring. It is not my intention to post frequently but to read and

be a

> resource if anyone dares to avail themselves. I wish you all a

healthy

> and happy holiday season. Hal

>

December 17, 2003

Welcome Hal!

I am and My daughter is 5 with CF. I have heard of you from

others on this list who are on other lists with you, but I have never " met " you

before. I am so glad to get to " meet " you now (even if it is only in

cyberspace)

Introduction

Hi: I'm Hal Soloff, I'll be 73 years old in April and I have Cystic

Fibrosis. I was diagnosed at age 28 by the late Harry Shwachman, M.D. at

Boston Children's Hospital and have had two DNA studies and volunteered