Waddlingduck

I got a birthday call from my wonderful MIL the other day. She was really excited and wanted me to look up Vertical Sleeve surgery. A co-worker of hers had just returned from Mexico and Dr Joya's clinic with a spring in her step and 20LBs down. I have been STRUGGLING with my weight for, well, EVER. I've put on 10lb a year for the last 10 years, and there's no sign of it stopping. Even THINKING about losing weight makes me gain more. I am SO done. So, ever hungry for knowledge (and cookies), I opened up the laptop and started reading. I read til my eyes bled. My goodness, there is SO MUCH INFORMATION! Then I searched for "real people information" and found you guys! I read THROUGH the bloody eyes, and WOW! You are all so inspiring! I'd like so much if some of you could take the time to answer a few questions about your experiences; there are just soooo many great posts I'll never get through them all. 1. Who was your surgeon and why would you (or wouldn't you) recommend him- please don't bash other people's choices, forum drama makes me SAD :sad0: 2. How do I get the ball rolling- how do I approach my doctor, what do I need to ask for? 3. I have never had "major" surgery before- like I've been put under for a leep-cone procedure before, and I've done natural child birth, but what do I expect physically? How bad does it hurt after and for how long? 4. I've read that recovery is quite exhausting, and that it's hard to cope with so few calories (energy wise). I'm already tired all the time- When does the energy come back? 5. What about all the EXTRA SKIN? Is there a way to help that without more surgery later? 6. What about hair LOSS!? I like to pretend I'm not vain, but that might be a bit hard to take, how do I cope with the inevitable hair loss? 7. Beer? Can I have beer? It's my FAVORITE summertime treat, but it's fizzy and I haven't been able to find much on alcohol consumption... This is certainly not a "deal breaker", but I'm curious :001_huh: 8. I've seen several posts and responses about how to cope with eating out and in public, does it ever "feel" normal again? I mean, will it stop feeling strange that I can barely eat half a slice of pizza? (that's assuming I can tolerate the cheese and the pepperoni and the sauce...) 9. The puking and dehydration.... Um, does EVERYBODY struggle with that? Is it FOREVER? 10. Finally, is there anything else I should know? I've read PAGES and PAGES of stats and medical info, so I understand the basics of the procedure and the risks and the possibility of complications etc... But is there anything else? Any Super Top Secret Inside info that I'm not going to learn anywhere else? Thanks in advance, this forum has already been a great help to me and I welcome any support you are willing to lend. :scared0:

Thank you all SOO much! I think the best way to make an informed decision about something this big is to talk to people who have had the experience. Stats are so impersonal. I'll definitely keep you all posted on my journey :lol0: