SLL

Debi C., I'm getting sleeved on the 15th~ I had my pre-op visit & labs today. While there, I bought some cream of mushroom soup, tomato soup & cinnamon hot chocolate. I bought some pre-mixed protein drinks on the internet also. Hoping that with the variety, I won't feel deprived on Thanksgiving. Best of luck!

So much great advice has been given here. I suffer from depression...which I believe I inherited from my Dad's side of the family. I manage it with Prozac. But, having said that, I still have a day here or there when I feel at the end of my rope, angry, depressed, hopeless in some respects. However......time ALWAYS changes it for me...without a doubt. For me, I have to redirect myself from what is bothering me & from my current location. I have to get out of the house, do something different & get a fresh outlook. Take a drive in the car & sing as loud as you want to some great music. Or, volunteer to help someone else. I always feel "accomplished" after I have done something nice for someone else. Go to a movie. Go for a run. Call someone...anyone...to just see what's up with them. Get around some other people...go out with friends. Talking is therapeutic! This whole thing is mind over matter. I'm not so great at that. Anyway, you need something that will make you feel better...but that won't be harmful to you. Also, I keep reading on this site that if u drink Water when you are hungry, it will satisfy you. Anyway, you are beautiful!!! Hang in there...one day at a time...baby steps! BTW, maybe finding a WLS support group would be helpful? (((HUGS))) Be strong! YOU CAN DO THIS! Just use your resources.

50 pounds is a BIG DEAL! You have done AWESOME! Remember, you are doing this for you! Don't let the bad things drag you down! Get some positive things to surround yourself with...read some inspirational quotes, read the Bible, watch one of your favorite movies, go shopping (not for food), drink water, meet with a friend to hang out. Just don't let yourself give in to the emotions. I am a HUGE emotional eater. Haven't had my surgery yet, but the psych has already told me I need to prepare a gameplan for handling myself when emotions are running amuk. I am indeed worried about that aspect of this journey. And I know it is easier for me to sit here & tell you what to do than it is for you to conquer those emotional eating habits. But, you can and you will. Look at some before pics so you can realize your progress. You can do this!

I'm scheduled for Nov. 15th! I decided not to bring a nightgown to the hospital. Since I am only there for 1 night, the hospital gown will be fine for me. Our hospital is small, so it won't be like I'm walking long hallways in my hospital gown. I'm going to wear the non-slip socks they provide too, instead of bringing slippers. I just want to pack lightly:-) I am bringing my smartphone so I can get on this site, of course. Also, I plan to get a journal so I can record my experience. I really just plan to bring my necessary toiletries, my cpap machine in case they "make" me use it, & probably my Bible for inspiration in case I should freak out after surgery. My pre-op appt. is Monday. Yikes! I can't believe how close it is! I will ask about pain meds and getting a pre-op script. Also, I need to ask about my everyday meds that I take for thyroid, etc., so I know whether I have to crush or swallow whole. Not sure what else at this point.

Wow! MNBSLEEVE, your post almost brought me to tears. I pasted the Mandela passage for my journal I will take to surgery. Thank you for that! You know, really, if you think about it, we lose both ways with certain people...we are insignificant to some when we are overweight & we are offensive to others after we lose our weight. I've always been told that I can't please everyone all the time...and believe me, I try! I try way too hard, sometimes at the expense of my own self, whether it be sleep deprivation, overbooking myself, helping someone do something I greatly do not want to do, etc. This journey may be the perfect time to start doing more for me and less for others in some regards...I don't mean to be selfish. I think it is VERY important to help others every chance I get. But, to find the perfect balance between serving others & nurturing/respecting my own needs & wants. Does that make sense? Anyway, Shanny, your post was thought-provoking. I am sorry for your loss. I had a friendship loss 1 year ago (not weight-related) also where I just had to cut this person out of my life bc she was very manipulative, controlling & hated my husband...pushing me (forcing me really) to divorce. (She had divorced also bc her husband forgot to stop dating other women after they got married). She was an asset in some ways, but I realized that she was toxic to my marriage & I had to walk away so as to not live in chaos and turmoil anymore. It is sad & I hate that, but I had to take responsibility for me & my family. Such is life. We just can't please everyone. We have to be true to ourselves:-)

I'm scheduled Nov. 15th. Yikes!!! I'm nervous! My insurance is good until end of the year too, so I'm in the same predicament as you. I could reschedule for December, but I'm honestly trying to read everything I can to prepare myself mentally for the Nov. 15th surgery. I have had carpal tunnel surgeries on both hands, shoulder surgeries on both shoulders (one was Sept, 14th), foot surgery 3 weeks ago, and several others within the past 2 years, none of which I was nervous about. I am really a mess about this one, though. I can't figure out exactly why, except for the possibility of complications & the restrictions afterwards. There seems to be such an emotional preparation that goes into this procedure for so many. Anyway, I need to make up my mind about keeping the Nov. 15th date or rescheduling this week so my husband can turn in some vacation time to be home with me & the kids a couple of days after surgery. Sorry I can't help much with your situation...but sometimes it helps to just know someone else is in the same predicament as you. Good luck with your decision! You will do fine no matter what you choose!

Very uplifting! Thanks!

I'm really glad you asked this question! I am scheduled for my VSG on Nov. 15th. I cannot believe all the emotions I have been feeling & the strange dreams I have been having. I am so afraid that I will be one of the few with serious complications. I have been feeling nervous, scared, sometimes excited, but mostly just very cautious. It's happening so fast & my surgery is only 2 weeks away. So, I will be on liquids through Thanksgiving and on my wedding anniversary, which is not helpful. I am a 35 BMI, 5'6" & 214 lbs. So, I am a lower BMI & get the response from people that I don't need WLS & "you won't get approved". I have been approved already & insurance is covering 100%. I know I am soooo fortunate for that. But I just started this journey in September, so the progression has been very fast. My mind is trying to catch up with the process:-) What have your emotions been like & do you mind sharing when your surgery date is? Best Wishes, Stacey L.

I really enjoyed your post! It sounds very much like my story too! I developed Hypothyroid & Hashimoto's Thyroiditis after my first child was born in 2000. I was a size 8 before getting pregnant with him. I gained 70 pounds with the pregnancy & now weigh 213 at 5'6" and 40 years old. I have 3 kids altogether, 5, 7 & 11. My husband completely wants me to have the surgery. I think (but he doesn't say) beacause he wants me to be thin like I was when I met him at age 19...I was probably 120 lbs. Anyway, I don't think he is attracted to me anymore. We have a very lacking sex life. Part of it is because I am tired all the time too. I want to have energy again like I did in my twenties. But, carrying around an extra 88 lbs will make a girl tired! I'm scheduled to have my VSG Nov. 15th, but I am soooooooo nervous & not sure it's a good decision. I have been diagnosed with pre-Diabetes, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Osteoarthritis, Degenerative Disk Disease, Depression & my feet, knees, hips & back hurt all the time. So, I think it would be good to cure all these things. I'm mostly worried what my folks will say about it. They are gonna throw a fit when I tell them. I just don't want to hear it. I'm also afraid I won't be able to do the post-op diets forever. Having tried so many diets, I just have given up on them altogether & have accepted that I am how I am:-) I don't really see an extra 88 lbs when I look in the mirror. But other people do. I would LOVE to be thin again & wear nice clothes & look great & feel great! I want to set a positive example for my kids too...especially my daughter bc she is a little chunky & at 5 years old, already talks about feeling fat & wanting to diet. (I don't talk about my weight around her...but her brothers have teased her about being chunky...which I just won't stand for & I jump all over them for it when I hear it happening! Anyway, I'm going to my first support group tonight. I hope to get bunches of warm fuzzies & positive energy from the group! I look forward to hearing more about your journey! It was nice to hear what you've been through so far! Thanks for sharing!

Sussysue, I am in the decision stage also. I scheduled my VSG for November 15th, but am very nervous. My husband says I should not worry so much & that if I worry about everything so much, I will basically be "living in a bubble" and won't enjoy life. I guess I am worried that I will become a statistic, a bad one. I am worried that if anything bad happens to me, I will feel horrible that I put my family through the mess I created and that guilt will eat me up. I'm a low BMI of 35, but I am pre-diabetic, newly diagnosed with sleep apnea, have osteoarthritis, very low energy, hypothyroid, depression, aches & pains in my feet, knees & hips all the time, etc. I want to lose 88 pounds. When I think that I am carrying around an extra 88 pounds, it's no wonder I am tired all the time! In that respect, I want to do the surgery...more energy, less meds, fewer co-morbidities & less likely to accumulate more health issues. But, on the other hand, I am soooooo worried that something will go wrong & I will be worse off than I am now. I am attending my first support group tomorrow evening, so I hope that I will get some good feedback from the group. I think I will. Haven't told my parents yet, and I'm afraid they will throw a fit about the surgery. I don't want to hear it, but they need to know about it. Yes, I am a grown 40-year-old woman with a husband and kids, but I am still worried what my parents will say! Crazy, isn't it!? SLL

I don't even have a surgery scheduled yet & I've been having weird dreams! Mine are more like end-of-the-world dreams...and in one last night, I had something wrong with my stomach. So, I figure they are happening because I have really been thinking a lot about the surgery the past few days. I got my insurance acceptance letter last week, so that kicked me into high gear thinking about whether I am 100% sure about doing this. I still haven't made my mind up. Tomorrow I go in to do a bunch of testing and evaluations, so maybe I will feel closer to a decision afterwards. It's good to know others are having unusual dream too:-) Hope mine turn around to the positive like yours!

Hi! I wouldn't call myself an "experienced sleever", but I have reached a few milestones I thought I would share. I attended my first-ever WLS seminar on September 24, 2011. Then, my appointment to have my initial labwork done & meet with the Surgeon & my Patient Advocate was on October 6th. I scheduled my own sleep study through my PCP, which I completed October 13th (My results came back positive for central & obstructive sleep apnea & Grade II Obesity). I received my insurance approval letter from UHC already around October 21st! I was surprised, because I didn't know the surgery center had already submitted for approval. In the meantime, I had requested and received my 6 months of medical records from one of the many stretches of weight loss attempts I had tried. Tomorrow, October 25th, I am scheduled to complete my computer psych testing, psych eval, diet review & exercise review. So, from there, I have to begin attending support groups monthly beginning this Thursday. I anticipate scheduling surgery when I go in tomorrow. However.....I am still apprehensive! I haven't told anyone but my husband because I know they will try to talk me out of it. I am worried about having complications and I guess my mind has not really wrapped itself around this whole concept yet. I started the process in September by speaking with my PCP about the surgery bc she had it a year ago from the same surgeon I am seeing. She looks and feels AMAZING! She completely recommends it! Still, I am cautious. So, I thought I would go to a seminar and see what it was all about. Then, after the seminar, I decided I would go ahead and set up an initial consult and "just see what the surgeon had to say". He recommended it, especially since I had labwork that just came in showing a very high blood sugar at 4X the normal high limit! So, I have been blessed by no speedbumps along the way, but I am just doing my research on the internet & taking this one step at a time. It's a HUGE decision & I want to make sure I make the right one! I would love to hear your story if you don't mind sharing your decision-making process! Thanks & good luck!