taralynneRN59

Im 53; Diabetic; High Cholestrol and BP; GERD; Arthritis (with an especially bad R knee/don't want replaced!) and on medications for all of the above! I have survived breast cancer with a bilat mastectomy and chemo (5 years out). I know that on the one hand, people think that looks are not important when you get our age, but wait until they get there! I have a full time profession where I am with the public and co-workers, and while I will be relieved to be healthier and off of the meds (my brain knows this) I will be also be happy that I will not longer have to buy scrubs in such large sizes and will look nice (my heart knows this!). Balance is important in life and as we get older, we need to have other reasons to be happy after our children are gone and living thier own lives! My husband, bless him would never imply by a look or comment that I am not acceptable at this weight, but I want to look nice for him also! I realize that most having this done are younger, but I think that it is brave for us to do this at our age since really we could just "coast" and accept "what do you expect, she is going to be 60 - it does not matter what she looks like" which is what I have heard. I am looking forward to interacting with others during this journey. Am looking at a November surgery date at this point!!

I am sorry you had a bad experience with your surgery. I just wanted to tell you that as a nurse for years, your nurse was very unprofessional and maybe inexperienced. An incident of tachycardia ( yes, heart racing ) is not a reason for a nurse panicking, especially in front of a patient. Many people wake up from surgery and it takes awhile for their vital signs to adjust! As for the horror stories - you should hear the ones I hear following emergency department visits out and about town. I will hear stories about visits that I was personally present for, and their versions are dramatically different from what I witnessed. That is not to say that in "their" perception they are describing it is not true but often when the outcome is not as they expected for example; waiting longer than they wany; not getting the medication they want; expecting chronic conditions to be "fixed" in an ER visit; or having the physician tell them that they cannot do anything form them. Someones visit may go as follows: they come in with their child with a cough and fever and have to wait 20 minutes for the current triage; after triaged they have to wait 20 minutes to come back; after coming back they have to wait 20 minutes for the doctor to see them because we have 2 motor vehicle crash victims; a chest pain; a baby being transferred and a pshych patient taking up a bed; we draw blood; it takes 2 attempts; the chest x-ray takes 30 minutes because the MVC victims are being done; Respiratory Therapy does a breathing treatment; we give medication for the fever (generally we have to wait an hour for it to kick in). During all of this time, the child is fussy and crying but VS are stable except the fever. Baby is fussy, and it takes 2 nurses to give the antibiotics; Finally, the fever comes down; the labs are good and the doctor prescribes some more antibiotics and they have to wait for 20 minutes for the discharge paperwork. Baby is still fussy because they are sick, but we cannot make that go away! After all of this, here is the point of the story, in our perception - this was a totally stable patient and a 3-4 hour ER visit is the norm with everything going on. The patients story which I heard the next day in the store was: Baby was really sick and it took hours in the ER to even be seen - they did not care that she was crying and hot. When we got in the back the nurses did not even know what they were doing and stuck her twice to get her blood. Even though she was screaming they made us wait forever and then they did not even admit her - they just sent her home with p prescription and told us to give her tylenol, We are never going back to that place! I know this is a long story, but while I do not want to minimize the risks, on all of the horror stories, how many of them were done by physicians that were not researched; in facilities that were not the greatest; did not comply with pre op and/or post op instructions; had pre existing conditions that they do not disclose on thier stories such as smoking; alcohol or drug usage?? I agree with the others that have posted, the risk of obesity and its health related problems are looming out there and shaking thier fist at us on a daily basis!! We are going into this with great expectations and not without thought and prayer, you can do it. And, if you ever have a nurse do this again, ask her calmly to take her own pulse before panicking!!!!

I just ordered the vanilla; chocolate; unflavored and chicken broth for starting my pre-op. I was surprised that neither the Vitamin store nor GNC carried the unjury since after reviewing hundreds of blogs; reviews; it seems to be the most recommended. I hope I can at least tolerate them, I have never been able to drink an entire instant breakfast; diet drink or other protien drink in the past! I have accumulated an entire notebook of recipes and am determined to find what I like before having to start my pre-op which is in a couple of weeks (fingers crossed). Even if I have to drink the same thing all day!!

VST addict; I love your "looking forward to" list!!!

Good Luck; you have done the hard part - making the decision and sticking to it!! I can't wait until I am at the "24 hours" mark!!

I am the opposite, I blab at work; probably because I work in a hospital and will be having my surgery at our "sister" hospital which HIPPA aside, everyone knows what is going on and I will have to take the time off anyways. But my Mom; Sister and children who live out of town? I am going to wait until my recovery time is over and I am off any liquid diet, and feeling better. I also do not want to have to justify myself to others that think I am taking the "easy" way out! Let them try to live on protein drinks for 2 weeks and call it easy!!!!! If this is selfish, I will apologize later!! I agree though, this will be hard enough without the "Naysayers"!!

Not "Copping Out; but Stepping UP" My husband is very supportive, but after discussing the upcoming event "pre-op" diet and the following "life style changes" he said to me "it seems like a really hard way to do this!". I do admit however that I am not telling my family about it including the kids. I do not want to even deal with the worry, possible disapproval or constant questions on how I am doing, especially if I have a hard time of it! I do not want to have to "justify" my decision which has come after many years of disappointing attempts to lose weight. When I am recovered, thinner and off of diabetes; high cholestrol; high blood pressure; GERD and arthritis medications, then I will tell them what I have done. After re-reading this it sounds like I have a terrible family and I don't. It is just that after having breast cancer with bilateral mastectomy and chemo (5 year out WOO! HOO!) my family is all about - "Your alive and your cancer free, your weight does not matter". I know they worry about me, but I have to take this "ME" time and worry about myself right now, not worry about how they feel. If it is selfish, I will apologize later!!! So I do not feel we are "Copping Out" - I feel we are "Stepping UP"!!!!! My surgery will be next month, I hope we can keep in touch!

I'm sorry, I went through something like this a year and a half ago. I had the pre-op urine drug screen (just the dip test) at a the small hospital lab that I work with. Despite the book from the test states false positives occur for amphetamines when you are on Zantac, the surgeon would not do the surgery! Even when I explained I pass drug screens all of the time for exposures; challenges with narcotics in the pharmacy, returning to work following procedures etc. This year when I reapplied, I insisted on the 10 panel urine drug screen and passed (after $800 cost) but I know how hard it is to get close and not have it go through. I am praying you do not have to have a long wait. While several people are over a year out, I am just getting done next month, Maybe you will be able to have it then also!!!!

I am 53 years old, a nurse and I work the night shift. I am a non-insulin dependant diabetic; GERD; high cholestrol; high blood pressure and arthritis in knees and hips! I am also a breast cancer survivor (woo hoo!! 5 years!!). After meeting the 5 year mark, I decided to take charge of the rest of my life. Am in the process of making appointments for my psych eval and EKG. (I had messages on my phone to call and schedule appointments for these, and a letter by the insurance company approving the psych appointment, so I am assuming that the insurance company has basically approved the surgery, I will find out today when I get up). Hoping for surgery by mid November if I go by the time it has taken for others in the area to get going. My Doctor is Senthil Sankaralingham and I really like him. I am hoping to go off of the majority of my medications following this surgery, I can't lie, looks are important, but my health is the main reason I am doing this. I have ordered some UNJURY and have to admit, the pain does not worry me as much as the protien shakes - I have never been able to get even an instant breakfast down let alone any type of protein shake. If I do not like the smell, texture or taste, I have a tendency to throw up after the first swallow! I am however trying some different ones before the surgery, and am determined if I have to settle for even one I can get down, I will drink it several times a day!! I also dread giving up my Dr. Pepper!!!!! Well, I will post as I hear the news! I am glad I will be able to post my updates here.

Am looking forward to the surgery, I lost my "ta-ta's" to breast cancer 5 years ago, but I am still here!! Luckily, my hubby is a "behind" man!!! I've had a behind since I was 11, and can't imagine it will go away totally, and at 53 - it is bound by gravity anyways!! Let's hear it for padded panties, tight jeans that make you shaplier and really supportive hubbies!!!!!