Scorch

Add me to the November list! :grouphug: We need a really cool name.... like the banana Babes or something, lol. (since our stomachs will end up looking like a banana, heh)

I am definitely doing this before Thanksgiving - aiming between the 7th and 10th of Nov. That way I can take that week, the following week, and probably Monday and Tuesday of the third week... come back to work on Wednesday.... and then have the Thanksgiving break to come back the following Tuesday. That way I get my Thanksgiving pay by working that one day.

I definitely like the wheelchair request idea - that would help a lot actually. *notes!* I am 99.9% sure I need two seats + seatbelt extender. The last time I flew I was 100 lbs lighter than I am right now. The seatbelt was fine but we were packed like sardines in coach. I can't even begin to imagine the trauma being the weight I am now. I might just splurge on first class flying back - I deserve some comfort in my life dammit. LOL.

I am set on Dr. Kelly as a surgeon.... just need to get over the pre-surgey jitters, finalizing financing, and pick a date, I was actually thinking somewhere between the 1st and 8th, so hey, if I get my butt in gear... we can all be sleeve sisters. LOL

OMG I can relate to just about all of this. Here are a few more things: 1. Increase difficulty wiping yourself - LOL 2. Acquiring cankles from excess weight 3. Not feeling comfortable getting a pedicure 4. Not being able to take a normal stroll to another part of the building I work in without my back hurting, shortness of breath, face on fire, sweating, etc 5. Difficulty tying my shoes with them on my feet 6. Even heavier and irregular periods 7. Not being able to date because you are fat 8. No one that has ever been obese/fat seems to understand what you are going through (Well stop eating fatty is not encouraging and hurts) 9. Being passed up for job promotions because you are fat (even though they won't admit it) 10. Fat/overweight (esp women) being typecasted or practically outlawed in Hollywood - why can't we have an honest mix of people of all different shapes, sizes, background, etc.? 11. Sympathy for an aneroxic person but hate for a fat one 12. Impossible to paint (and sometimes clip) my toenails 13. Stretch marks and flab galore wrecking havoc on my body. 14. Feeling that surgery is my only option at this point to get the help I need. :Cry:

I was thinking about you the other day, wondering and hoping your surgery was a success. Sounds like it was! So happy to hear that it's been smooth sailing for the most part! Did you upgrade hotels?

Oh wow.... in a lot of ways, this post feels like something that *I* would write. I have been antagonizing about doing this for awhile now, am currently looking at Dr. Kelly, know my parents would go ape-sh*t if they found out, and always fear the worse of what could happen. But you are SO close now - and Dr Kelly sounds like a good doctor to go to - so hang in there! It's normal to go through the feelings and thoughts that you are, however I believe once you do it and reflect on it later down the line, the reaction will cause nothing but a big silly grin on your now much slimmer face and a worthwhile chuckle. :welldoneclap:

I have been doing some research and came across this Mexico doctor. However I have not found a lot of information/personal experiences here with him. If anyone can share any with me, I would be much obliged. :thumbup: (Yes I know about the whole thread for researching a Mexican doctor... read it and the like!)

I am still strongly considering him. It's more a matter of making sure I can afford it first before proceeding!

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with using it? Thanks!

Hi there. I seriously been considering VSG - but I am totally scared! Especially since it is kind of not reversible. I also have ZERO support from my family. (I have no friends because I'm fat and shy) I once lost around 80 lbs and was looking GOOD, but then I fell back into my old habits and over the course of 2 years, I gained all the weight back and then some. I am soooo miserable. I really am desperate at this point. Work is terrible as well because no one wants to have lunch or make friends with the "fat" chick. ***sigh*** I have a meeting tomorrow with someone from HR because I am going to see if it would be at all possible to get unpaid time in the next couple of months to maybe get this procedure done. I know about FLMA, but I have only been there since February. Hopefully they will allow it - I was looking at early Summer. Wish me luck there! Some questions..... 1. How is the recovery time? I work a desk job and am on the phone a lot, so I sit. Do you think it is feasible to go back to work after one week from the surgery? (Of course I would love longer, but this would be unpaid time, and a week might be PUSHING it to ask off for someone that hasn't been with my employer for a year) 2. Since I don't have several thousand dollars lying around, does anyone know of someone that will do a medical or personal loan at an acceptable interest rate for LONGER than 60 months? That is the longest amount of time I have seen so far... and I was hoping for 72 or 80 months. I have good credit (high 600's to low 700's range) but don't see much in terms of flexibility. 3. I suffer from a condition known as Trichotillomania. To be more specific, I pull the hair from my head. I am not so bad at it to the point where I have bald spots like some people, however my hair is kind of ... damaged, and I am ashamed of it. I have heard numerous times that hair loss is an inevitible side effect, and I am wondering how bad the hair loss is? (If anyone else happens to suffer from Trich and has VSG, please respond especially here!) Of course I am thinking of Mexico for this. I really like what I see from Dr. Alvarez, and I have considered Dr. Almanza because of the price, but... I don't know. :lol0: Thanks everyone!

Thank you to everyone that's responded - and to those that sent PM's, I will respond tomorrow to them. (too tired tonight!) The insurance with my employer is Aetna. I don't know if there is a WLS exclusion or not. If I could do it without the six month supervised diet they want, I would go through insurance. However I feel like I can't wait six months plus whatever additional time they need for the paperwork.