blondiebabs

@@LivingProof congrats! =D

Agreed with SusinMichigan's post. I lived in CA for about 10 years with my xhusband, all of my family is in TX, and then I moved to FL and have been here for 8 years. I haven't seen my family in person in 11 years. However I do feel like I'm home and I would miss it terribly if I moved back to TX where all of my family is. I totally get the social anxiety thing, I'm a bit of a homebody myself for the same reason. If it is hard for you to get out of the house and create a social group there just keep forging friendships online, some of the people I talk to the most and have the longest term friendships live nowhere near me, I have never even met in person and we are basically pen-pals online and text each other and stuff, I find their friendship just as valuable as being able to hang out with someone in person, a lot of times they are able to help me over those lonely humps in the road. Chin up, good things will happen for you!

I received the same kind of kick-back from one of the friends that I told, basically my opinion about it is its not their life so we shouldn't let their fears hold us back. Plus people who do not know the struggle really do not understand. This website and the people here who bravely post their stories have really helped me with a lot of my fears and anxieties about the process.

@@robitodd Awesome!! You are well on your way, it will be here so quick.

@@MT1000 pretty much everyone I know locally is coworkers as well, the only friend friends I have in this state are about an hour away. I totally agree about being discrete about what you share with coworkers, I have a no coworkers on Facebook policy as my personal life isn't their business haha (granted I will add people I liked after I leave a job). The only two that I have told at work are the ones going through it too, since their bravery inspired me. When it comes time, to my bosses I will probably just play it off as a surgery to help my back since they know I have scoliosis, and technically the weight being gone will help my back. One of the women in my office got a gastric bypass several years ago, when I started working there before I even met her I was told about how she had gotten the surgery and lost all this weight and now everyone constantly watches her and talks about it if she looks like she's gained any weight back and quietly criticizes her if she has a small piece of the monthly birthday cake or anything, and are just kind of waiting for her to fail, and I do not want that kind of pressure (work is already enough work HA). Since I live in a college town, depending on what time of year my surgery is, I'm guessing that I can easily get one of the vet school students to come walk my dog for me and help me out with him. There are usually several living in my complex every term. So as I've read everyone's advice and my wheels have been spinning the past couple of days, I think I may put a sign up in the laundry room first just to see if anyone would be willing to take him for a walk every day for the first few days I am home. I LOVE that there are so many other dog lovers here I'm also excited to read about everyone's journeys here, it is very wonderful and indeed inspiring!

@@mommyof3986 Good luck! I hope you have great success this round!

@ LOL NICE!! And I'm undecided about how private I want to be, right now I am being private, I told 2 friends, one was totally suportive and the other had we will just say a very unsuportive reaction. I'm leaning towards letting people assume I'm getting "woman problems surgery" HA!

One of my coworkers, and her adult sons use services like that, I'm not sure if it is that particular company but she's always raving about how much she loves the rotating wardrobes.

Since I'm just starting, your story is definately encouraging! Thanks for sharing. =D

Awesome! I love all the updates and I'm so glad you are doing so well!

@@Mayshula Thanks a bunch!! =D

@@Crosby yay for noobs! =D I have Aetna as well, I have the State of Florida employees version, two of my coworkers are going through this as well, one of them is getting her surgery in 2 weeks and she had to have a 6 month diet, and my other coworker is about 3 weeks ahead of me in the process and already has had her seminar and she only got a 3 month diet and it was because she had more medical necessity. Here's to hoping for the 3 month diet. haha =)

@@JeanZ_RN that is a good idea about the caregivers. I may look into that at least for a ride home if I'm unable to nail down a friend or something. I'm one of those people that hates to be a burdon to others, so that is more up my alley. haha =) @@Bufflehead that is great that you were able to recover alone so smoothly. I feel so much better after hearing everyone elses stories. I've had 2 heart surgeries and after those I needed a bit of help, so I think that is where my anxieties were stemming from. I wish I could let my dog walk off leash, my apartment complex has a strict leash rule. It is great yours can feel like a "normal" dog, as my coworker says when she walks her dog off leash. haha

I do not know the answers to your questions, however congrats on quitting smoking! I know from experience it is an intense battle. Kudos!

Yum! I love green smoothies, I like to take a handful of spinach, a date or two, various fruit and chia and throw them in the vitamix.

Just getting started, I go for a seminar next Friday 6/13 and will find out if I have a 3 or 6 month diet, and set my first surgeon visit then as well. =D

If you like tangy, you can make vinegar dipping sauces by experimenting with different herbs and spices, let the vinegar/herbs/spices sit in a covered bowl at least overnight and it's actually good, I do this for salads. Same thing with plain greek yogurt.

This thread cracked me up so much I had to show it to my coworker who is also on the same journey (sleeve journey, not swallow journey) =)

Amazing! Way to go! =D

I could fill a silo with all the straws: *Constant back pain from scoliosis *Constant unsolicited weight loss advice from strangers *Knees and ankles twisting and spraining easily *Living in a major university town with lots of young fit people making rude remarks about my weight like I do not have feelings *Too many prescriptions *Feeling like the bones in my feet are going to break when I first step on them in the morning *My car door squeezing me in my seat snuggly when I close it *Heart issues *Asthma meds having to be increased *People staring at me when I try to squeeze around something *Trying to squeeze past people and either my belly or butt invading their space *Getting paint all over my toes when I try to just pain the nails *Having to push the table towards my friends when they insist upon sitting in a booth *My x's daughter seeing my hips/butt hanging over the edges of a chair and saying "daaang I thought these chairs were big enough to fit everybody" *Work ordering me a special chair for plus sized people because it was "more durable", I did not break the first one, I asked for a chair with better back support and they ordered me a chair with a seat twice as wide as the normal chairs instead. Granted it is more comfortable, but it was a bit humiliating when one of my coworkers saw it and said "whoa wide load!" *Coworker asking me if I was dating anyone and I said no and she responded "you will find a man when you get healthy" I could write a list forever, but it comes down to my health, I am worried about my future health if I do not get help. Obesity runs in my family, they all fight it, I have fought it for years and as hard as I fight it it seems to fight back 10x harder. Looking forward to a happier and healthier life!

Thanks @@ges12877! =) I will definately be looking for a ride to the hospital and home. Hopefully by the time it actually happens I'll have met some more people in my local area who are going through it, that's great you found someone so close. Two of my coworkers are actually going through this as well as well so I do have a bit of a support system between the 3 of us. =)

Awesome =D

Best wishes!! I'll be sending you thoughts of a speedy and awesome recovery.

@@Kindle sounds like you had a full plate!! Thanks for the encouragement. =)

@@Forsythia thanks, I will have to look into that, I used to live in Sacramento, CA and you could have a lot delivered there too, but here you don't have quite as many luxuries. hehe I do have Amazon Prime though, so if all else fails I can have non fresh items pretty quick. =D