WesLosesIt

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery! Good luck!

Hope everything went well yesterday, and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Hello all, I figured since I was making the transition from lurker to poster on here, I'd might as well formally introduce myself. My name is Wes, and I am fat. Obese. Morbidly obese even. And like so many of you, I've been that way most of my life. When I look at myself in a mirror I can't help but be slightly disgusted at myself for letting it get to this. Today is my 31st birthday, and I know if I continue as I have the past 31 years, there's no way in heck I'll see another 31. Or if I do, I'll likely be miserable, and a drag on my family. I've always known this on some conceptual level, but having a 2-year-old running you ragged has a way of pointing out how bad off things have gotten, and how much worse off they are likely to become without intervention. And so, a couple months ago, I decided to seek that intervention. I hit the books, and read up on the procedures, and jumped to action. I watched my hospital's seminar online instead of going to one in person, not because I was ashamed to be seen in public or anything, but because I knew I had to act immediately, and the week I would have to wait to see the in-person seminar was one more week that my process would be held back. As of today, I have already had my first of three "interdisciplinary sessions" required by my insurance (basically a group support session, a group nutrition session, and a weigh-in wrapped into one), my first surgeon consult, and my psych consult. Some days, though, I think that the constant forward motion brought on by schedules long since made is the only thing that keeps me distracted from the subtle fear that crept in when I first considered the possibility of complications, or worse, death, that could wait at the end of the process when all the papers are signed. I'm doing this so I can be healthy, not just for myself, but for my wife, and for my little boy, and some days I have to admit that the possibility that I don't wake up from the table scares me. I've done the math, and I know it's the right choice, but the hard reality of trading one huge risk 5-20 years out for a smaller risk with much sooner (and potentially immediately final) results is still pretty scary. I look forward to meeting many of you in the months to come as I work through the process, and eventually get a date, and hopefully end up on the other side of things lighter and happier and healthier. I want to be here for another 31 (or 41, or 51) years, and I know the first step in that is making the most of my life today, and making the decisions that get me to where I need to be.

Thanks again all for the warm welcomes! Sorry for the slow responses - I've got a lot of family here in town for the kid's birthday, and haven't had much time at a keyboard. In regards to a surgery date Mfs, no idea for sure. I figure we'll be able to submit paperwork in late November, so assuming some slowness on the insurance company for the holidays we'd probably be able to get something scheduled late this year or early next year. If you happened to have been at the noon support meeting on 9/17 (I think?), I was the one with the 2-year-old running around bugging everyone. Hope to talk with everyone more soon!

Thanks for the welcomes everyone! I really do look forward to being a part of the community around here, and getting to know you all. Mfs - Cool, and nice to meet someone local! I'm working with Dr. Dyer. He did my mom's surgery a few years back (an RNY), and based on what she had to say he seemed like a good fit. Maybe I'll run into you at a support group some day!

Hello all, So, in my couple weeks of lurking around here I've seen a bunch of people talking about straws. Uncertain about them. Feeling guilty about using them. Sometimes even chastizing others for using them. So I was a bit surprised and confused when I got my "Sleeve Gastrectomy Owner's Manual" from my surgeon and saw the following in the first few pages of the post-op nutrition section: "STAGE 1 - Clear liquids - FLUIDS SIP liquids SLOWLY. NO GULPING. It is okay to use a straw if desired." I'm a bit flummoxed. I see everyone talking here about straws with such fear and trepidation, only to see my surgeon give an explicit okay to them. And not just a "well, in 6 months it's probably okay to use one occasionally." Day 1 after surgery, he says it's okay to use straws for all of my fluids. And it's not like I'm going to a middle-of-nowhere small hospital where people don't know any better. This is a bariatric center of excellence and my doc is one of the most well-regarded bariatric surgeons in TN. So what's the deal? Why do most doctors so urgently insist that people not use straws after this surgery if it seems pretty obvious from my doc's track record that they don't seem to increase long-term complications? Is it just the concern of extra air swallowed? What has everyone else heard from your doc/NUT and if you've used straws post-op, what has your experience been with them? Thanks for any input!

Thanks all for your input, and I definitely know where you're coming from Arts. Don't worry on that accord - I'm a huge proponent of strict adherance to medical instruction. I was a child of two nurses, after all, and grew up listening to them grumble about non-complient patients. I especially don't mean to mislead others into not following thier own doctor's instructions, even where they differ from mine! Keep calm and listen to your doc! Thanks again!

So I guess the take-home lesson seems to be that there are as many opinions on this as there are surgeons, and as many different experiences with straws as there are sleevers who have tried them. Fair enough. I'll probably give them a shot, but I've never really cared one way or the other how I get fluids to me now, so if it ends up uncomfortable and I have to stop, it's no big loss.