MeganES

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't be happier for you!!!!! XOXOXO

I'm still in the beginning of the WLS process. Currently wear a size 20/22. However, I have a pair of size 18 red skinny jeans and size 18 regular denim skinny jeans from old navy that really do look fabulous on me. It's definitely a fluke - I usually don't wear skinny jeans EVER. How does that saying go...just cause they make it in your size, doesn't mean you should wear it? LOL. But these two pairs really look awesome. Other than finding an exception, I'd think probably around size 10 or 8 they'll look good on pretty much anyone.

First I wanna apologize for all the questions I've been asking. You all are WONDERFUL people and have been so helpful. So please bear with me! I have an appointment with my PCP tomorrow to get my letter of medical necessity for surgery. I'm surprisingly nervous about this. What do I say to him? He's also been a family friend for over 20 years (my mom used to work for him), and while our personal lives have never gotten in the middle of my care, I'm still a little nervous in that regard to have the conversation. I have this fear that he's going to think the surgery isn't a good idea??? Not sure why I think that when my family history is absolutely terrible (which he knows all too well) and he knows I've been obese my whole life, but it's a concern I have. Are there any questions he might ask that I should be prepared to answer? What should I be saying to him? I think I've mentioned before that I have a huge fear of doctors so this whole process is going to turn me into a jumble of nerves (heck, it already has LOL). Just a hurdle I'll have to jump to do what I need to do!

Thank you guys so much for your replies! I felt so much more confident going in. He asked me a couple questions, like about past efforts at weight loss and what made me decide on this, and took my vitals and then said it was good to go and wished me luck. Great experience all around

that's tricky. I'm in a similar boat all around. If you explain to your boss why you'll be missing the meeting, but make it very clear that you would prefer that it stays between the two of you for now, do you think she would respect that wish? I think I'm going to tell as few people as possible until after the surgery. It's a hard decision to make anyway, who needs negativity from people who don't know what they're talking about about what a bad idea it is? At least once it's done it's done so there's not much they can say.

that is a very tough call, especially because you're so far in (6 months). I think it's peculiar that he's pushing the lapband, most surgeons tend to say the lapband is phasing out due to the severe complications. Personally, and this is just me, this surgery is too important to settle on a surgeon I'm not 1000000000% comfortable with. I know it would suck big time to have to start over with someone new, but long-term it may be better for you. It's totally your call. To me, that's a huge red flag. Thinking of you!

Wow!!!! Well done!!! You're just glowing Keep up the good work!

So glad you got to have your surgery and it went well. Good luck in your recovery and on your journey to your new life!

My final straw was a series of things. My mom passed from necrotizing fasciitis (non-weight related. She didn't have a weight problem) in October 2012 when she was 53. Losing my mom at the young age of 19, knowing I want children, and experiencing the pain of that loss made me certain that I would do everything in my power to make sure my future kids don't have to go through what I did at such a young age. A few years ago I tried to ride a roller coaster at 6 flags with one of my many super skinny best friends and couldn't get the belt to buckle. I had to leave the ride. I was HUMILIATED. that was the only roller coaster I haven't fit on, but once was enough to get the point across. I'm an actor. I haven't done a show in 3 years because I'm so ashamed of my weight that I won't go on auditions for ANYTHING. Not that it matters, because there aren't many parts for an obese 20 year old. My voice teacher has been after me to lose weight, too. She told me a few months ago that I'm, "too talented to throw it away." That was a huge motivator for me. I knew that it wasn't an easy thing for her to say, and she assured me that she wrestled with saying something she knew could hurt me but she didn't want to see me lose a shot at a career. Since then I've been very serious about it. I'M SO EXCITED TO GET ALL OF THIS NONSENSE BEHIND ME AND START MY REAL LIFE!!!!!!!!

Hey all! Thought I'd resurrect this thread I'm 20 and just starting the process, but I've already been approved by insurance so I'm just plowing through now! I'm from Middlesex County. Meeting with Dr. Sadek in Somerset next week. Surgery will be at RWJ in New Brunswick. Nice to meet you guys

I've spent the last hour reading this thread! What a joy to get to "know" some of you outside of our weight issues! I'm Megan, I'm 20 years old. Born and raised in Middlesex County, New Jersey. I have a 23 year old brother who is a specialist in the Army (currently deployed to Afghanistan, can't wait to have him home next month!!!). Had a totally normal and perfect childhood til my mom was diagnosed with an unknown auto-immune disease when I was 12. She passed away on October 15, 2012 from Necrotizing Fasciitis. I'm a very different person since she passed, mostly in a good way. She didn't leave without instilling in me the value of a happy and healthy life, and she also blessed me with a wicked sense of humor. We had the most amazing relationship a mom and daughter could ever ask for, and I'm very grateful for that! My parents were married for 24 years and my dad is the most amazing guy in the world. I'm very blessed with the family I have! My passion is theatre. I've been performing since I was 8. When I graduated high school in 2011 I decided to leave home and up and moved to Chicago for college to get my theatre degree. Didn't know a soul and had no idea what I was doing. Unfortunately I had to come home after 8 weeks because I needed emergency back surgery. Shortly after that my mom was hospitalized, so it turned out to be a blessing in disguise that I had to come home. Never went back, didn't want to leave after losing my mom, but those 8 weeks taught me a lot and I'm very grateful for that experience! I've spent the past year really focusing on ME. I'm enrolled full time at our local community college and I'm hoping to transfer to Rutgers in the next year or so to double major in Theatre and Social Work. I work almost full time at a local regional theatre. I'm the assistant front of house manager, a box office sales associate, and my favorite thing is in the Summers I'm a teaching artist for ages 5-8 and 9-12 for the theatre's education department. I volunteer as the head of the 18-25 age support group at the NJ Pride center and am a political advocate for the LGBT community. I'm also a BIG TIME animal lover and I spend my free time lovin on my 2 kitties and 2 doggies. That got a little long! Felt good to ramble for a little bit though! Lol

I'm not sure if it's too good to be true or if it's really happening!! I have my consultation with my surgeon next week. The woman I scheduled it with took my insurance info and said she'd call me if there were any problems. I hadn't heard from her but my mind wouldn't get off the topic, so I decided to call the insurance company (Horizon BCBS-NJ pos) myself just to know what direction I'd be heading in. I was told they will pay for everything in full - 100%!!!!!!! I'm in tears!!! I'm not telling too many people about my surgery yet (only told my dad, aunt, and 2 best friends), and I wanted to share the news with people who will really understand how much this means. Now I really see why these forums are so great!! I CAN'T WAIT for this journey to lead me to a new life!!! ~Megan

Thanks for the tips! I'm going to try to get through everything as fast as possible. I've got my PCP appointment scheduled for tomorrow. From what I understand after that (and after the consultation) I'll just have the nutritionist, psychologist, and the EGD, so that should cover the 3 months. awesome! Yup, POS means point of service. I think the only difference is that i have to get a referral from my PCP for every specialist I go to, sometimes a little inconvenient, but I wouldn't dare complain about that because I'm (we're) truly blessed with amazing insurance.

GOOD FOR YOU!!!! The first step is sometimes the most nerve wracking and is definitely the most important. I'm looking forward to seeing you accomplish your goals along your journey!

HECK YES!!! I'll be turning 21 somewhere in the middle of my weight loss journey. I don't hate my picture on my DL (it was taken a few years ago before I hit my highest weight) but when I'm flashing it at the clubs I'll want to look like my new self.

I'm wishing you the best of luck!! I've felt all those things and I'm VERY early in the process, so I can only imagine how it is with the surgery right around the corner. Do what's best for you, it's your life! Sending you hugs!!

Jerzygurl - thank you so much for letting me know! When my cousin did it she had to wait the 6 months. I'm glad to hear it's been changed to 3 months! I was hoping to have the surgery done in the mid/end of December (during winter break from classes) so that works out very perfectly. Thanks!!

I'm curious to know as well! my understanding is that unfortunately the PCOS *can* slow down the rate of your weight loss (just like it does w/out the surgery) but you will still lose the weight, and it varies from person to person, there's a chance that the weight can be lost at a regular rate as well. I'm also pretty sure that it can aid in lessening the symptoms, but they won't necessarily go away. Hoping someone with personal experience will chime in as well!

Pookeyism - LOL!! I love the way you think! I just might do that

That's EXACTLY how I feel about myself now [pre-sleeve]. All of my issues with my weight are completely mine. I've been very lucky to never have had to deal with any bullies and I've managed to make friends in all situations because of my personality, I've even dated people. I definitely don't hate myself, I don't even hate my body - how can I hate the thing that allows me to live this life? I'm just not happy with how I've treated it and not happy with the health risks of staying obese, and that's why I want the surgery. Sorry, that was such a threadjack. I just haven't seen another person who shared my feelings so I wanted to comment on that! Like I said, I'm pre-sleeve right now. But at one point I lost about 35 pounds and I immediately noticed a difference in who talked to me and what was being said. I also noticed the difference when I gained it back. It didn't bother me that much that I knew they wouldn't have been interested if I was at my highest weight. If I don't like the way my body looks at this weight, why would I expect someone else to? and if they don't know me yet, what else is there to assess? It's human nature to be more open to meeting more attractive people. It doesn't make us fat people any less lovable, we're just perceived differently!! I have a theory that a big part of who talks to you or is interested in you before/after your surgery is in how you feel about YOURSELF. If you are full of self-judgement and you're tearing yourself down, that's reflected in how you carry yourself. If ALL of your body language is saying "don't come near me, I don't like myself, I'm not comfortable in my own skin" then how could anyone really break that barrier? Sure, some do, but if we're talking just running into people on the street, chances are they'll pick up on your body language and not talk to you.

I haven't even had my consultation yet, but I'm trying to plan for every possible situation (I'm an over-planner LOL). I haven't had full blood work in a couple years (had some pre-surgery blood work 2 years ago for a back surgery and everything was fine, but I'm not sure what results they were looking for). I'm pretty sure I'm in perfect health (weight issues aside), but there's always the chance that I could be diagnosed with something that's been hidden. Has anyone been diagnosed with any new illnesses (diabetes, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, high blood pressure, high cholesterol etc), during the pre-surgery workup? What happens? Do they halt everything to treat the new problem? Will they go ahead with the surgery if they're confident that the surgery can help? Thanks in advance!!

PRAYERS!! PRAYERS!! PRAYERS!!

I'm 20 and I've never... - seen my "True body" - Been comfortable in sleeveless shirts - Worn "short shorts" - Done anything beyond kissing - Let someone pick me up (past the age of, like, 8) - Borrowed my friend's clothes - Felt TOTALLY comfortable around people - I'm an actor. I've never auditioned for a role that was based on anything other than weight. I can't wait to audition for parts that allow me to fully use my skills

Congratulations!!!! You are stunningly beautiful now. I can't imagine how gorgeous you'll be after the surgery! Best of luck to you!!!

I don't think you're returning to old habits, you're just more acutely aware of them now. That's a major stepping point in making sure you DON'T return to them - being able to recognize them, and you made it to the hospital so you overcame the temptation to return to those habits. This was a victory for you and a huge step in the right direction! Best of luck!!