MinneJen

It's ruined my life too. The only reason I had RNY was to address pain issues that were blamed on me being overweight. I had a crazy high metabolic rate before surgery and we knew I'd gain back the weight quickly. I had a stroke during the surgery with permanent damage. So many of the things I was really good at are gone. I have to learn differently now. I can't take anything I think I know for granted. My pain, after losing 130 pounds, was identified as fibromyalgia, deteriorating joint disease, and critical damage I did to my joints by being so physically active when I was heavy and trying to get healthy (lose weight, my health was perfectly fine otherwise.) My pouch didn't stretch much. I max out at 1 cup at a time. My malnutrition, anemia, and endocrine issues are a constant threat to my health. I eat so little, it's embarrassing to eat with other people. They get concerned about how little I eat. Eating in a restaurant is a waste - I have 3 bites of this, 2 of that, and my meal is over. Cooking for myself is miserable. I used to be an excellent cook. Shopping and cooking for maybe 20 cups of food per week without cooking once and eating leftovers for the rest of the week means SO much work and so much money wasted. I lost my livelihood, my retirement, filed bankruptcy, lost my social contacts because of my cognitive problems caused by the brain injury during surgery. I can't keep my weight stable. The less I eat, the more weight I gain (same problem as before surgery). My pain is only just being managed in a way that I'm not dumb and stupid for hours at a time. Eating is misery. I met with my therapist today. We talked about food for the first time. She suggested I think about how I want food to be in my life. I decided to come online and see if there was a support group for people who are also having a hard time after RNY. I feel a little less alone.

Hi all, I've scheduled another SWAPKINS March 3, 2012 10:30a - 2:30p. Mary, Mother of the Church (look for this sign) Room: The Mary Center (on the lower level) 3333 Cliff Road Burnsville, MN There is excellent parking, building access, and there will be carts available to bring in your swap-ables and take your goodies home. Tell everyone you know! Forward this email! The event just gets better with every person who comes. ------ Do you have clothes that haunt your closet - the clothes that don't fit quite right? Or maybe they do fit, but you don't feel great when you wear them because they aren't your style, or you just don't need them? Would you really like something new to wear? Maybe you've changed jobs or gained/lost some weight and you need some clothes, but you don't want to spend a lot to get something new? COME TO SWAPKINS! We will have tables and clothes racks loaded with clean clothes in good condition. Clean out your closets and bring clothes to share. Check out what we've got and take home what you like. NO MONEY IS EXCHANGED. We will have men's, women's and children's clothes - everything from casual clothes to dressy. Also outerwear and accessories. The mix is different everytime, but it's always good stuff! It's hard to explain how much fun it can be to bag up and get rid of clothes. No garage sale tagging! No bargaining with a consignment shop. Just bring them and *poof* they're gone and you KNOW they've gone to a good place. It's hard to explain how much fun it is to walk into a great big room full of clothes and pick up anything you like and take it home, AND IT'S FREE. We need bringers (who will bring things to share) and takers (to 'shop' the shared stuff). You can be one, the other, or both! It is not required that you bring anything to the event to take anything away. Everything at the event is free. Email with questions. See you there! Jen P.S. If this note was forwarded to you and you'd like to be added the the email list, send a note directly to swapkins@yahoo.com with your name and email address. === SWAPKINS is a community event that began in 2006. Participants bring clean, clothes in good condition. The clothes brought in are placed on tables marked with sizes. Then attendees “shop” the tables of clothes with sizes that they can use. All remaining clothes are donated to charity. No money is exchanged. This event is typically scheduled every 3 to 6 months. Most participants are from the Twin Cities area, but some do come from outstate Minnesota and Wisconsin .