disappearingme

I'm two and a half weeks away from surgery, and it still doesn't feel real! I started this journey over four years ago, researching my options and trying to get funding. The sleeve wasn't available to me then, so I was going to do RNY because that's what my aunt and a friend had. But, my aunt had some complications and she just looked sick, and it worried me. Plus, I'm in Southern Illinois and I would have had to drive to Chicago (five hours away) for the surgery and that also put me off. So, fast forward to 2009. I attended an info session at the new bariatric center in a town close by. I decided to go for the RNY. I was told I had to do a six month diet, so I started that and in the meantime, the surgeon was let go. So, this summer, I found out there was a new surgeon and had heard good things about him. So, I attended yet another info session and learned about the sleeve. I was convinced right way. I made my consultation and saw him for the first time on October 29th. I've gone through all the tests, got clearance from everything and I'm now scheduled for surgery on January 17th! I'm having a hard time this is actually going to happen, though. When I went for my consultation, I was put on the Fast Track (six weeks til surgery.) that was in October. But, I couldn't get my psych consult until the end of December, so they scheduled my surgery for January 10th. I went on 12/28 for psych and they didn't have me on the schedule! But, they got me in for the following and I got cleared by psych yesterday. In the meantime, my surgery was rescheduled for January 17th because my surgeon will be out of town. Then, I started freaking out because I'm in college and my classes (and my husband's classes) start January 18th. So I have to juggle classes starting and trying to get my kids to school while I'm in the hospital. It seems like Murphy's law is in effect, and I'm encountering all sorts of obstacles. So, again, I keep feeling like this is too good to be true! Am I really going to get my sleeve? I don't think I'll believe it until I wake up from surgery with my sleeve!

When I went to my surgeon's seminar, I remember him saying something like 99% of people above a certain BMI would regain their weight if they lost it without surgery. Has anyone seen a statistic like this before? The reason I ask is that I am doing a persuasive speech for a class tomorrow night about why WLS is not the easy way out and would love to use this statistic if I can find a proper source for it.