Sheri h

So… my surgery date is set for August 8th. Still there are some moving parts that have to come together for the surgery to happen. One of the requirements is for my family physician to write the letter of medical necessity. I was feeling uneasy so I telephoned my physician to make sure there were no issues. Holy Crap… he just hadn’t bothered to tell me I have to have a Pre-op Physical before he will write the letter and the earliest they can do that is August 5th. Realize I have seen him 8 times in the last 12 months! So I telephoned the surgeon’s scheduler and she said not to worry that she would submit to insurance this week anyway even though we are missing his endorsement. She doesn’t think it will be a problem. This is the first time she had run into this issue, after all I have had virtually every type exam known to medicine during the previous year! What disturbs me is the lack of information on what is required. The surgeon gave me a checklist but my family doctor left me flapping in the wind with his requirements. What a stressful process!

I have good news and bad news!
Good news - you are 100% normal, and this will pass. Your body is just throwing a temper tantrum to what you just did to it.
Good news - you drop more inches when you go through a stall - so smaller sizes here you come!
Bad news - this will happen many many times during this journey. My advise - don't get caught up in numbers - they are just that numbers. Do you feel better? Look better? Could you have done this well without surgery? Find another way to measure you success. i measured it by being able to see my toes in the shower. before surgery they had disappeared. Now i can see half of my foot!

I'm sure your not alone. I do sometimes feel that if gastric bypass been around longer that should had been the only surgery available cuz I see a lot of ppl reversing from sleeve or lap band to gastric bypass. They say you lose the most it helps with blood pressure and diabetic disappear. I think gastric bypass should be the only surgery available & no other simple cuz it's a permanent surgery & has more studies. If your gonna have WLS it's better the whole process then partial. When we decided to have WLS it's cuz we reach the end & we just can't do it anymore. You don't want to lose only 20 pounds. Sorry I just been thinking too much lately. This is only my opinion.

Already posted this in the pre op category, but I think it belongs here more! I'm Nicole, I'm 19, and I'm waiting on approval for my RNY! You are probably thinking, “Wow, she’s only 19, why they heck is she getting a Gastric Bypass surgery so young?" so I just wanted to make this post to kind of give you guys an idea of why I am getting the surgery, why I think it’s the best choice for me, and what has been happening lately! So, originally I opted for the Sleeve Gastrectomy, because I liked the fact that they didn’t mess around with your intestines and all that jazz like they do with the bypass, so I went to my surgeon, and I did all of my pre-op stuff, like my nutritionist visits and psychiatrist visits,and it turns out I was diagnosed with binge-eating disorder, so I had to do a month of group therapy before she would clear me for surgery. You have to make sure you are mentally prepared before you put your body through anything, which I get. I started this whole process the first of December. After all of my tests and appointments and stuff got finished, and I had lost enough pre-op weight, they sent away to the insurance company at the beginning of May. I waited and waited until just this week when my mom was finally like we should call and see what’s up. So she called the insurance company, and it turns out that my insurance doesn’t cover sleeves, but I was a clear candidate for bariatric surgery so I would have to re-submit for the bypass or the lap-band, So I made an appointment with my surgeon and we decided to go ahead and switch to the Roux en Y. So now I have to wait for this approval and to schedule a surgery date! As for my age, and having surgery, I have a lot of medical problems that no 19 year old should ever have to deal with. I take 7 pills in the morning and 4 at night. I have high blood pressure that I am on two different types of medication for, just to maintain it, I have asthma, I have poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, which causes me not to ovulate, and my OB-GYN said I may never be able to have children. I’ve been medicated for it in the past, but bariatric surgery has been proven to take this away in most cases. Also, when I was 18, i suffered from kidney failure and was in the hospital for almost a week. It just sucks to know that your body is so unhealthy that your organs are beginning to shut down. At this point, I know if I don’t make a change I will just end up getting worse and worse. I’m going to have to work my ass off every day, and my new stomach pouch is only going to be a tool to help me get to where I need to be, not an easy way out, and everyone who thinks that is horribly wrong. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be worth it. Peace & Love

So happy with my progress! It seems that a lot of people are losing weight faster than I am but I'm happy with it. I've lost 46 pounds since 4/15/13. I had to buy some new clothes because the old ones just look way too big. I even bought a cocktail dress for a party next week and I bought it in...wait for it...the REGULAR SIZE SECTION OF THE STORE!!! Who was a happy girl when that zipper went all the way up? ME ME ME!!!

My surgery was a success. I had my surgery in December 2012. I have as of this date lost 68 pounds. I know what my pouch likes and what it does not tolerate well. I no longer have diabetes and now only take a Multivitamin, Vitamin D supplement, Iron tablet and Calcium daily with one blood pressure pill versus two blood pressure pills. I've had my blood work checked on several occasions and all is well. My self esteem has improved and since I have lost the weight I regularly work out three to five times a week (which includes an hour or more of walking, housework, swimming or exercise at the gym). I try my best to ensure my body gets at least 60 grams of Protein also with a balance of green veggies and fruit. At my highest I was pushing 288 pounds. I am now 220 pounds. I now wear makeup, eyelashes and care about my appearance. Cleanliness is also a key priority for me now (not that it wasn't before), but now I take extra pride in ensuring my personal hygiene and dental needs are on point and work not only a 9-5 job but also appear on a reality show in my home town. I wanted to live longer and enjoy a better quality of life. My husband gets jealous because now I have a lot of men looking at this fine chick. LOL! If you are contemplating the surgery, do it for your overall well being. If you feel better, you will want to look better and you can not put a price tag on a healthy self esteem.

Hello everyone,
I've been reading the boards for quite some time but I never felt the courage to join until now. I have never been comfortable talking about my weight but I guess here would be the best place.
I have been battling my weight since my childhood. I was never the never a really big kid, just slightly thicker than the other girls. It has followed me into my adult hood. I have let my weight hold me back from many things. Ive tried different diets and pills and always gained the weight back. I had never really researched weight loss surgeries until recentily. I realized that I will never be fulliy happy until I am happy with myself, and the excess weight is why I am not happy. I also want to be healthy, I feel like I am not givinng my I children the best me, I am always too tired to play and dont want to do many physical activites.
So I had my first appt with the surgeon in may. He told me something that confirmed my decision. He said you are only 27yrs old and almost 300lbs. That has stuck with me. Although I know im overweight I never realized that im that big if that makes sense. A lot of people say I dont look as much as I weigh so maybe thats why. I dont know. I just know It is time for a change.
At first I wanted the sleeve but I was told that my insurance does not cover it. My surgeon also said that he thinks RNY would give me the best results since I want to loose about 150lbs. So ive gotten use to the idea of RNY then at my recent appt I was told that my insurance now covers the sleeve. Im so confused. I know there are risk with both and I just want to make the best decision that will yeild me the best results. I love sweets so I'm leaning more towards RNY. I am in the process of the required 6 monthly visits. I have three more to go.
What im interested in is learning how life is after RNY. What are social situations like? I have only told my mother, people can be really critical and I dont want anyone saying im taking the easy route. I Also want to meet some people in my age range. im 27 will be turning 28 in Oct. I want to see how life is post surgery. Most of all just looking foward to positive support.

Today I am 11weeks postop and I am down 49lbs!!! Actually bought a size 18 pants this past weekend. In dont remember the last time I wore that.

I'm one year post op this month and my summer vacation was pretty great. We went to Grand Canyon for a week.
I finished a 3 hour hike in canyon but as many know it takes twice as long coming up than going down, but I made it. When I finished I was glad to have my 3 year post Mother with me. I got kinda emotional telling her one year ago this would have been impossible! We were so proud. Although at times I wondered how long it would take to get a mule or helicopter to get me out! Lol I took tons of pics going down and like 1 coming up!
I'm so glad to have been blessed with the chance to live a healthier life style that would include hiking!

Two weeks exactly till my surgery! Do I have the right to be freaking out or what! Lol

There is such thing as sugar free Oreos? That's reason enough to move cross border!!
Good lord you all are lucky!
* going to pout now*

I just had my surgery July 2nd and I am still so excited. Learning to master drinking Protein and Water. I have minimal pain, guess that's a good thing.

Ok I do feel better about it. It kinda startled me when I realized I was getting more in. I know eventually its gonna be more room for food. I want it to stay as small as possible.

Okay here's my story my operation was June 27th 2013. Having had a previous operation for cancer some 25 years ago I knew there might be some complications with scaring. I later learned that when the doctor started the procedure he found 11 hernias besides along with Scaring. My Dr had to perform a temporary hernia fix in order for him to complete the surgery now that is why my title says one down and ten to go.

Thanks ladies! Best part is not having to worry about size related things like will I fit in that seat or booth or do I meet the weight requirement for the Water slide?! Now I can just live

What a horrible thing to do to someone! I was just out shopping two weeks ago for my daughter before she left for her dad's for the summer. I felt the same way since I was looking at size 9/10 and large shirts.
I can't stand it when people are so insensitive.

I would have had some words for that employee and the manager. That s rude. What if you were jist shopoing for someone else. It really isnt that idiots business. I would have words and then leave an never go back to that store.

You basically told my past and why I started gaining weight at the age of 10. And again you sound like you are taking charge of your life as well. God Bless You.

I was so nervous after my last appt that she still wouldn't be happy with my food choices, even though I have been extremely strick!! I had lost 3.8 lbs in 2 weeks. Not alot, but she was very impressed and happy! So, she said we could move forward to submit to insurance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!!!

You basically told my past and why I started gaining weight at the age of 10. And again you sound like you are taking charge of your life as well. God Bless You.

My journey has been life-long. I was overweight as a young child, medically obese by around age 7. Should you choose to read on, you will get a glimpse of the factors that contributed to my struggle in comforting myself with food and attempting to render myself unattractive.
I had been through the tumultuous divorce of my parents and felt abandoned by my father at age 6. Within a year of my parents' divorce, I was molested by an adult male friend of the family. A few years later, I was molested by an older boy, another family friend.
As a teen, searching for love and male attention to fill the hole in my heart, I began a sexual relationship with my boyfriend at 15. I became pregnant within a year and decided to abort my child. I believed the lies of the abortion industry, that it was a painless procedure, that my baby was just a "clump of cells," and went through with the abortion. Immediately afterwards, I knew I could never go through with, or put myself in that position EVER AGAIN!
This is when I really saw my weight balloon, in what I now see was an effort to make myself undesirable by men. If no one was attracted to me, I wouldn't have sex, so I couldn't get pregnant, and would never again face abortion. This is when I graduated to morbid obesity. I had gained around 80 pounds within a year.
My family excused the weight gain by comparing me to other family members who were large. It seemed natural to them, that because I was becoming a woman and there was a family history of obesity, the weight gain was unavoidable. No one relized that I was filling an emotional hole with food.< /span> No one saw the isolating behaviors I was exhibiting.
Thirteen years later, at age 29, after having had four children, married and divorced, I had come to know God and started a process of recovery from all of my past hurts. Since then, layer upon layer of pain has been peeled away, and I am truly a new person!
I won't say that the weight is the last thing I need to peel away, but I can say that I am ready to work on this part of me now! I had thought about gastric bypass many times over the years, since 1999, but never with the healing behind me and the mindset I have now. For me, shedding this weight is symbolic of breaking free from the shackles of all the pain that was holding me back.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story!

Hello all~Its been refreshing to read your stories. Seems we're all tested in different areas of our lives outside of our weight issues.
I wanted to check in with my results 3 months post op. I'm down 56 pounds and my BMI is 39 down from 52 when I started this journey last January. I get a bit bugged when I read people have lost 100 pounds in 3 months, but still grateful I weigh less today than I did last week. AND I'm no longer morbidly obese!!
As far as the "stall" we all experience, remember the way your clothes are getting loser around you is a better barometer than the actual number on a scale. The scale weighs the whole package, bones, flesh, muscle, fat etc. It doesn't reflect on where you're losing or how great we're looking in our smaller clothes.
You all give me incentive to keep on track to beat this obesity nightmare, I thank you for that! The surgery and this website are the best decisions ( in a lifetime of bad decisions) I've ever made!
We are strangers but close knit buddies in this forum. I look forward to reading more of your successes.
Stay strong!
Leighanne in Olympia
HW 380 SW 320 CW 264 GW 180

Hi everyone,
I'm Joyce and I am feeling like the old person in this group! You guys are so brave in taking on your lives before you get to the point of no return. That's the way I felt. I am 48 years old and had been comtemplating surgery for the past 4 years before I decided. When I finally decided, my doctor was like, I told you that you will never regret this decision. He said that, and I am taking his word for it! I haven't had any problems, except for an incident where I ate too much and threw up. I have a 25 year old daughter who just moved back home after graduating from college, she 's working and just bought her first car, so she's doing well. I am still trying to adjust to her being back home! She's my support system, though. I have always been heavier than most of my friends and all of my family. I am like some of you as I don't have a lot of photos before surgery, I hid myself very well. The final straw for me was looking at a family photo last Christmas. My entire family, siblings and parents, are all in the photo. I take up a considerable amount of the photo. Every time I look at that photo, I feel so many things. The one thing I felt the most was sadness. I finally diecided to bite the bullet and do it! I have been divorced for over 12 years and not dating because I am a workaholic, I stay away from people as much as possible. I teach students with mild-moderate disabilities, work with a young man who has Autism, and work part-time at Bath and Body works! Needless to say, I have mastered the art of being invisisble. Anyway, I am glad to have all of you and your support, I am so proud of all of you and how well you're doing. Keep up the good work!

Hi everyone!! I am new here this is my first post, but have been reading the last couple of weeks! I had surgery June 21st so I'm 6 days Post-op! Biggest challenge for me is wanting to eat my wife's cooking and taking all these meds in crushed form, as well as the vitamins! I had surgery because of a huge Rt. Flank Hernia that has torn three times in the last 10 years... This time every surgeon I talked to told me they would not touch me until I lost weight! I was 320 lbs, then went down to 265 on my own... Since starting program and pre-op diets I went into surgery at 239 lbs, my goal is 180lbs so I can repair hernia and get my life back! I am diabetic, have high blood pressure, high cholestrol, and suffer from chronic back pain... I am praying this surgery will help me with all of that! Glad to join all of you in this amazing journey!

Forgot to mention that this is my favorite group on here!
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