abdominal discomfort - cross posted

August 24, 2003

Please excuse the cross post. I cant stress this enough. Pre-Op many of us who

are MO avoid our yearly gyn exams. (let's be honest those paper gowns don't do

the trick for MO's but it is very embarrassing). Post-Op well I just assumed

every abdominal discomfort was due to WLS.

If you have had Weight Loss Surgery you have taken a big step to prolong your

life or the quality of it. Take another one. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be sure to

keep up with your yearly Gyn Exam. I had a benign ovarian cyst 10 years ago

that was the size of a cantaloupe and I didn't recognize the bulging abdomen

because of the fat. It was something only detected through a gyn exam. Now they

have found another cyst and I am having surgery in Sept. Please don't ignore

your life-saving measure of gyn exam ladies. Abdominal discomfort is often one

of the first signs of ovarian cancer. Don't assume it's because you are post-op

and it's part of " dumping " if you are due for a regular exam.

And while we're at it... How many of us diligently remember to do our exercise

and yet forget our monthly breast exam? I have a suggestion. We all seem to

remember our anniversary of our WLS exams. Let's make that number date our dates

of BSE. Mine was June 25, 2001. I am making a commitment to my WLS groups that I

am going to do a BSE on the 25th of every month which means tomorrow.

Anyone else want to commit to a WLS anniversary date as your BSE date too?

Let's face it ... we went through a LOT to have this surgery. Let's not throw

away our lives from failure to observe some very simple other preventative

measures.

And men, that goes for you too. Please get your necessary yearly physicals from

your pcps. Including blood work

If I am riding a high horse here I am. I have a dear dear male friend who is now

battling a severe form of plasma cancer that is usually picked up in its early

stages through routine yearly blood test. My stubborn friend hates doctors and

needles and has bragged for years that he hasn't had a needle since the last

immunization he needed for grade school. He is 51.

Let's continue to take care of ourselves in other non-weight loss surgery ways

please.

B. From NJ

---

Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.

Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Version: 6.0.512 / Virus Database: 309 - Release Date: 8/19/2003

Recommended Posts