jjinWA

These links are super helpful! Thanks!

We had a plastic surgeon give a talk in my support group today. Excess skin is common for everyone and rarely covered by insurance so also an issue most of us will live with. I am ok with that, as long as my "insides" remain healthy and functioning normal. :-). I want to come out of this healthier then I am now. That is my goal and I pray every day that this is the right decision for me. I can stress about it, go sleepless at night, etc etc.... But in the end I just have to make the decision to do this surgery and go forward with good thoughts. There are so many success stories out there, and soon I am going to be one those success stories to!

I will take these suggestions and see what I can find. Thanks!

I know drinking protein shakes is the secret to ensuring you meet the daily protein requirements, but i have been told that my taste buds will change after surgery. I also am worried about boredom with the same flavored protein mix. But when I go on the Amazon site I am overwhelmed with choices, size of containers, and the cost for each individual container. What if I buy something and I don't like it. I am now stuck with a 2lb container costing $30 some bucks. Is there anywhere that you can buy a variety pack of different kinds of protein mixes and flavors?

I will discuss with my dr when I see him for my final visit before surgery. I am going to show him some of the posts and ask him how he would handle each of the specific complications.... Sounds like some of the examples are more due to poor followup care then the actual complication itself. A good dr with strong follow through is essential. I think I will know where he stands by how he reacts to my questions.

Have you ever wondered if too much information is not a good thing. Ha.... No, I understand that all the advice and info we get from books, articles, and most importantly from the first hand knowledge that we get from sites like this one is very helpful....but.....I just read a bunch of posts here under surgery complications. I gotta tell ya they scared the crap out of me. My surgery is scheduled mid June, and I too am going from excited to petrified...every two minutes, back and forth. Having full knowledge of things that can go wrong is good...I think, but it does make me wonder if being overweight is as bad as what some of the post op patients are going through. Are these rare or the norm? I had thought a few weeks of discomfort is to be expected, and nausea, gas pain, difficulty getting in all the required fluid are all parts of the recoup process. But man, the complications can be extremely serious and life changing. Makes me worry that I am headed down a yellow brick road that may not lead me to OZ! I too do not want to be a Debbie Downer, but really, I am now stuck on scared and not moving back to feeling excited nearly as quick!

I admit I am new to this site and look forward to all the advice I receive here. Being positive about upcoming surgeries, post surgery results, etc proves to be a great read and encourages me to move forward to my own surgery date. BUT I also appreciate the honestly and frankness given to topics such as this. I like to know that my "off days" and possible changes in my own personality are not inclusive only to me. Many of us have not shared our choices to have WLS with our family, friends, etc. so we do not have a large venue to discuss what we are going through during this journey. This site is our opportunity to discuss everything related to weight loss surgery, that being the good the bad and the ugly. I soooooo very much appreciate the shared experiences and advice you all provide through theses posts.

Exactly my point. Thank you! I have a lot of adjusting to do.... And so will those around me. I will continue to work hard to be kind, gentle caring, etc as I always have in the past, but I will include being kind to myself in that senario. And if I have an off day and feel like my coping stick ain't working I will take a moment for myself.... Something I never did in the past. Calgon take me away!

I think it is really important to share the reality of life after surgery. Most likely the problems will still be there and we have to learn that our methods of facing those same problems will no longer be through food. It is apparent that our personalities may change, or at least our most inner selves tend to rise to the surface a bit more. That part of this thread is helpful for me. I will understand it a bit more and learn to accept these changes and now they are normal. When the tears come I will know it is ok and will not be afraid to seek help if necessary....

I think educational and not at all negative. Most of us diagnosed as morbidly obese eat because it is our coping mechanism used to meet our daily problems we face in life. Yes, some of us have much bigger problems then others, but in the end we all faced them through food.

OMG... Such an honest and heartfelt thread. I am scheduled for sleeve surgery mid June and it helps so much to see how all of you have coped and faced you're food demons. I know I will face them too. The upcoming surgery is scary for sure, but the scariest thing of all is exactly what you all are talking about....living life without using food as a solace. Will I be able to keep my life together, including my relationships with my husband, daughters, and other family members. I have always been the "go to person" for all their gripes and complaints. I am the center of their lives and have never really lived mine! I am there to meet every need they have if I possibly can. Will all that change where I say "go pound dirt" and do it yourself? I hope not, but I am looking for a time when I finally put myself first. What will they think of me then! Will I stay married, will my daughters still want to spend time with me, will my mom not resent me..... All things that I will need to resolve as I go through this journey.

I have heard of similar instances such as you expressed here Frank. Not being an expert on this topic or anything close to it I cannot express this in professional terms, but instead wonder myself if this is her way of trying to hold on to what seems secure to her. As you lose weight you become more confident, etc. and she fears you may become more attractive to other women. She loves you and does not want to lose you. You being 360 lbs makes her feel more secure then you bring 220 lbs. be sure to make her feel special no matter what you weigh and let her know she is the only one for you. Nth at may help.

I love your word "softer" much better then mine ( fat or overweight). I will always refer to myself now as a kinder "softer" person. Really that is a terrific way to reference ourselves when we weigh a bit more then Twiggy! Thank you for that!

Trying to find a soul mate when you are overweight is open to multiple pitfalls. Honestly I find online dating to be similar to a "kid in a candy store." Most guys check in to try a sweet treat and nothing more. They really only want the "perfect" piece with a great wrapper! Never mind the fact that he might be a stale piece of old jerky himself. Ha! Saddest thing of all is the fact that really great, kind, loving, caring, intelligent, gorgeous women are never looked at or considered to be asked out on a date simply because they are overweight. A girl can be a complete "B", be in debt up to her arse, have no education, have 10 kids, been divorced 5 times, and be unemployed and she will be seen as a better choice over a girl who has none of those concerns (let alone all of them).... And instead will be shunned simply because she is overweight. The guy will not even look her way and will never know what he missed! I am not saying any one of those traits I mentioned here are cause to look down on a person..... BUT, being overweight is always the first eliminator! I could simply say to the guy " I may be fat, but you are stupid.... And I can lose weight." But let's face it, the whole dating process for an overweight woman is hurtful, painful, and even lonely at times. Yes, there are a few princes out there, but the warts you get from every frog you meet does put an extreme overload on the self worth, and self confidence that we struggle so hard to maintain. This might be partially true for some overweight men, but I firmly believe that more women are willing to look past such imperfections then there are men who can make claim to that virtue. For me.... Well I am lucky... Been married for 40 years. Yup, he is a prince in every sense of the word. But I gotta ask myself.... I was very young and very petite when I met him. I was 19 and he was 24.... Wonder if he would have even looked my way had I weighed 225 lbs, as I do today. He may have never gotten the chance to get to know me and to share all these wonderful 40 years together simply because being fat did not warrant a second look. Just thinking that I might have missed out on meeting my true soulmate simply because my weight might have stopped him from walking across the room to meet me truly breaks my heat.....Because I know that happens all too often in real life. I see if first hand with my daughters, who are also too heavy to warrant a second look.

I have jumped all the hoops and finally received my insurance approval. Surgery scheduled for June 17th. Up to this point I have shared my decision to have WLS with only my daughters, husband, and my mother. I have no plans to share with anyone else, even my brother or sister. For me, this is a very personal choice and I am a private person. If someone asks me how I am losing weight I will simply state "watching my food choices, controlling portion sizes, and exercising." This will be my life style forevermore, so certainly not a lie!

I agree... I will have to prove it to her via results!!! I will meet that goal!

She thinks following a diet and exercising is the answer and that regardless of having surgery I will still have to follow a strict diet etc. so why put myself through what could be potentially dangerous surgery. For me, I have lost many many many pounds over the years but have consistently gained the weight back each time I fall off the "diet of the week." I am at the highest weight I have ever been despite this yoyo dieting over the past 60 years! I am hoping that this surgery will be the tool to help me establish better food choices and certainly control portion sizes, calorie intake etc. Diets are not easy when you are HUNGRY!!!!! WLS is the tool that can help me with the hunger. Yes, the rest is up to me. I am fully aware of that.

I have told no one about my pending surgery except my hubby and daughters. Hubby is fine with it. One daughter is on board and actually working to get ins. acceptance for herself. The other daughter is a nurse practitioner and NOT happy at all about my decision to do this. I am scared to death, but going forward none-the-less. I have to make up my own mind Cuz it is my body! I read the posts here and they give me strength to go forward. I am located in Gig Harbor WA. Any buddies/mentors in this area? I would love to have a friend in my area to share this experience with. I call on Monday to set the surgery date. Just got the insurance approval 2 days ago. Surgeon is located in Federal Way, WA....Franciscan Hospital.

I also just received my insurance approval! Now on to the final steps of pre-op. Kind of bittersweet because I planned to do this with my daughter but she had a glitch in meeting all the required steps for her insurance approval so she is delayed by a month or so before she can submit her final paperwork and request for WLS to the insurance company. I will proceed with my surgery and put positive vibes out there in the universe that she will be approved soon and following close behind me.