Silly Phylly

Good luck sweetie! I don't know if you are a spiritual person or not, but I will say a prayer on your behalf!

Having been a nurse I must admit I am a little concerned. I hope the campground is not too far from home and I sure hope you are not here in the hot balmy south! Sweat and drain tubes not a good thing! I would be a little concerned about infection. Please be careful! Best of luck sweetie!

It is wonderful to see you "taking the bull by the horns" at a younger age. Most of us on here have struggled most of our adult lives with weight and all the issues that go along. I just became a grandmother for the first time and it really put things in prospective for me. I want to be able to run and play, go camping and work around the house and garden with my hubby etc... I am plan on being sleeved during Christmas this year, as I am a teacher. Best wishes sweetie!

Surgery and your health comes first! Thankfully due to your sleeve you are going to have many opportunities to go camping and hiking etc.. in the future! That is one of the things that I am looking forward to the most. I want to be able to go on 5 mile hikes with my hubby and be able to keep up. I have not been sleeved yet, but hope to schedule during Christmas holidays as I am a teacher. By the way, is this camping trip in an RV with a comfy bed? If it is go for it! You can lay around in the RV just as well as you can at home. Good luck!

From a nurses prospective, yes, everything is changing including hormone levels. Every system in our body is dependent on the other systems and their hormones. The sudden weight loss can be percieved by the body as a stress, eventhough we know it is a good thing for us. Stress plays a gigantic role in the proper functioning of our body's hormones, not just sexual hormones either. Find ways to reduce stress and in the meantime try to enjoy the wifely duty anyway. You may find it just takes a little initiative to press the old buttons! Otherwise, you can have your hormones tested. I would suggest finding someone that does saliva testing. It tests the hormones that the body has uptaken from the blood stream. Whereas, most MD's test blood levels, which does not tell you if you are using the hormone on the cellular level. I worked for a practicioner that specialized in the natural hormone replacement therepy and I am a full believer! Been there done that and hubby and I love it! Can't wait till I get my new sexy body to go with it! :wub:

I am a newbie and getting my ducks in a row to try for insurance approval! Any advice from a BCBS of Alabama insured? I am scheduled to see Dr. Schmitt at St. Vincents East in Birmingham. Anyone out there had Dr. Schmitt? Chime in with advice and recommendations!

I am a former nurse now teaching jr high and high school. Just based upon what I know as a nurse and an anatomy teacher, the sleeve just makes more sense in that it allows the alimentary canal to stay intact the way God intended. Therefore complications short term and long term should be much less likely. All the resectioning etc... with the other procedures is concerning. I can see that blockages would be an issue and possible scar tissue formation. As far as lap band goes, there are too many complications, foriegn body inside the body cavity, access port that could introduce infection etc... Besides, the lap band is not going to correct my bad habits of overeating longterm or help my hunger. I must render food powerless over me and get rid of this growling monster in my belly!

About to head down the old insurance road with BCBS of Alabama. I have a 37+ BMI, on metformin, diagnosed fatty liver, asthma, back issues etc... If I am not medically necessary I just don't know! Like one of the other posts stated, I can't imagine going through all the preliminaries only to be denied. I will be crushed! Unsure at this time if self-pay will even be an option.

My birthday is August 30th. As you know when you get to this age you know what you want and need. Pity the person that tries to get in our way! Good luck and best wishes to you! Hope you don't mind my saying a prayer for you! Goodnight!

We have age and birthday month in common! Hope to continue to follow you. I too am looking to plan B just in case!

It is times like these that we learn how to trust God and find peace in seeking His will. Just be there, even if it must be on the end of the line. Share as many moments as you can. Say the things you need to say. Share memories! If you happen to gain a few pounds, so be it! You have the tools you need to get off! Concentrate on Dad right now. Zumba sounds much better than a bottle of wine by the way. However, you deserved that one! By the way, I speak from experience. I was in nursing school while my dad was dying of cancer. Worst time of my life! It was so hard! But, I wouldn't take anything for those hours I spent with him just because he wanted me there beside his bed, we might go for an hour and not say anything, but it was the fact that I was doing all I could do. If you are a God loving woman, please remember that this is part of his journey. We too will make that journey. Unfortunately some journeys are smoother than others, but God can use even the worst of situations for His glory. He can even use this situation to make you a much stronger person and certainly increase your faith in His power. I will be praying for you!

Thanks for clearing this up! That stomach and the ghrelin is coming out!!!!!!!!!!!

Just starting my journey! Unsure about insurance coverage yet. In the scheme of things I guess I am considered low BMI, but I have plenty of things going on weight related. I really think I will be covered for surgery with my local Dr. However, I have already decided that If I do have to self pay, Dr. Alvarez will be the man of choice! Matter of fact I saw where he conducts training seminars at one of the Institutions in Texas where one of our local surgeons was trained for the procedure. Who knows he could have trained him! I have not seen a post regarding a bad experience involving him. Let me know if anyone happens to know of any, as I am just curious. I am sure there are some out there. Just would like to know what.

Jr high and Sr high science dept. I am also a former nurse! Try teaching 6 classes of teenagers and you have a food addiction. Disaster!!!!! I have my mind made up and I will go through this. I have not told anyone at school yet, as I am unsure as to when this will take place. Hopefully it will happen before the end of 2012. May do it during Christmas! Merry Christmas to me! Something for me! I really don't care who knows, besides that bunch are all constantly on some kind of diet anyway. Hopefully I will be able to sit down to a healthy meal and stop when I am full My days of kid food must be over! So hope to be able to eat a salad and be satisfied or a Healthy Choice etc...! I am to the point in my life that what others think is a non-issue. The way I see it God made my body perfect, but the devil has used my favorite thing in the world, aside from my family, against me to try to destroy it. This way I am trying to help get my body to where it can be healthy and be a shining testimony for God's glory. God did not make me this way, the devil and I did. So I am going to render food powerless and the old devil can't use it against me anymore! I may not tell everyone at first, but I am certainly not going to lie! I am sure some will be shocked or horrorfied over my choice, but it is my choice! At least I have fortitude to do something that will last a lifetime!

You're a good man "funkeechiggen"! I have a husband very much like "gym dude",except he is a fulltime firefighter. He has not been much support concerning my weight until now. He thinks you just eat small portions and hop on that treadmill and go work in the yard and problem solved. Easy for him! This is me! The one who dreams about food! My hunger pangs are so bad. I love to cook and am darn good at it. It is my art and pleasure! The only way things are going to change for me is to take away foods power over me! Gastric sleeve is my answer! This way I can still enjoy my art, but hopefully I will know what full is and will know when to stop. I sort of expected hubby to think I had lost my marbles and was just going to give me the put the fork down and hop the treadmill spill again, but he didn't. I think he is really excited that he really may get his "little" sexy wife back regardless of how she achieves it. Once I do this, I know I am going to have to step on that treadmill and listen to his fitness tips. At least maybe I will be able to! Yep, Charmichelle, tell him girl! Remind him that womens bodies and mens bodies are two different things. Some of us ladies have a lot of estrogen on board and it is stored in fat. Besides, diabetes! This is your cure! If he loves you he will support you and cheer you on! But both of us better be ready to keep up with these dudes after, or I am sure we will hear about it!

I have not been sleeved yet, but am determined. Folks are gonna talk cause that is what they do! This is for us! Lets do it girl! They will change their tune when they see you happy and healthy. Otherwise, they may just be concerned about complications, which seem to be very few when you follow protocol. Or, they may really love you for who you are! Thats great! But, we got to love us too! I am ready to be healthy and energetic so I can enjoy living for once!

I am a nurse/anatomy/biology teacher. Have struggled with weight all of my adult life, as many other family members on my mom's side. Thanks mama! Nevertheless I have made up my mind and I am going to break this cycle of food addiction and weight gain once and for all. I am getting the ball rolling to have gastric sleeve surgery. As a nurse, it is the only surgery that makes sense to me. Complications seem to be much less and there is really no altering of the alimentary canal. Keeping things flowing the way God intended just makes good sense! Portion and hunger control is what I am after and this seems to be what is going to be right for me. Have conference in a week and pray that my insurance will cooperate. I am already on metformin and have other health issues directly related to the weight. So, all of you praying people out there please add me to your list! I want and need this so bad, not only for myself,but my family as well! Have a new grandbaby and want to be able to take her camping and hiking in the future without MeMe having a stroke along the trail! By the way, hubby is excited that I may actually get his cute little wife back! He didn't say it, but I can sure tell!