Smye

See you there, look like you just went under. I'll be going under myself at 12:45 - good luck!

It's 7:14am. Surgery at 12:45. Leaving for my son's OT appt in 20 minutes, then a few errands with my wife, and then check in. So long for now, here I go!

I'm slated for 12:45 tomorrow and my biggest anxiety right now is worry that I'm too calm about this whole thing. It feels like if I'm taking this big of a step and not really feeling anything at all, there must be something very very wrong. It doesn't even really feel real at this point - as though this time next week I'll still be eating/drinking as usual and just waiting for surgery. I can't help but wonder if this is some sort of maladaptive coping mechanism as I'm preparing to have 60-70% of my stomach removed. And if so, what legitimate concerns might be masked by this numbness? Anyone else experience this? And when did it 'sink in?'

You're not alone in this. Feels WAY too much like some magazine add for 'skinny celebrity pills' at the supermarket.

@@Mikadivalia, I hear you. I'm slated for 12:45 tomorrow and my biggest anxiety right now is worry that I'm too calm about this whole thing. It feels like if I'm taking this big of a step and not really feeling anything at all, there must be something very very wrong. It doesn't even really feel real at this point - as though this time next week I'll still be eating/drinking as usual and just waiting for surgery. Anyone else experience this? And when did it 'sink in?'

HA! @@Bobby46, now THAT was an excellent story. I'll admit, it's also the stuff of my nightmares. I'm having surgery on the 12th and starting the job hunt to become a high school principal at the same time. I can just imagine getting up to leave the interview or introduce myself to students only to inadvertently demonstrate the improper use of a belt right then and there. Here's hoping I manage to avoid that one.

Last night the single most embarrassing thing to happen to me so far on this WLS roller coaster occurred, but I can't stop laughing about it. I hope you enjoy, commiserate, and can share your own stories of mixed embarrassment/hilarity for catharsis' sake. I asked my wife to take weekly photos of me in only boxers on the day I started my pre-op diet, Jan 22 so I could have a consistent photo, with even time intervals, in the same spot with the same pose/clothes for the duration of weight loss. I'd like to be able to accurately point to where I was on each step of the journey 5 years from now, not to mention compile a stop-motion-style video clip that accurately shows how my body changed, at what rate, etc. You know, is it smooth, are there fits & starts and the like. Last night was photo number 3. I'm still pre-op (Sx Feb 12, WAHOO), and it hasn't been that long, but I've lost 30 pounds so far (WOW! If only it was linear until my ideal weight, I could be there by July). Having lost so much weight (the equivalent of 1.5 of my son), I was eager to compare photos and see if I could tell a difference. In order to have photos side-by-side on her phone, she had to text them to herself. No big deal. So I'm holding her phone last night, trying to look at the differences (if any) that I can spot when all of a sudden her phone buzzes and up pops the message: "Please stop sending me photos. I don't know who you are or what you want, but I'm not interested in sexting with you." I was mortified. Somehow we had entered our own number wrong and sent 3 potentially scandalous photos of a very large, near-naked man to a stranger, or at least we hope it's a stranger. Certainly someone local with our area code. Thankfully the person was incredibly gracious when we explained what had happened and apologized. So much so that they finished off with "Again, don't worry about it. These things happen. Not that I want you to have to have WLS, but I'm glad it wasn't anything worse for me. Congratulations by the way, you're making a fantastic decision and good luck! If you're willing, keep me posted. I don't know who you are, but I'd love to hear how you're doing in a few months." I couldn't stop periodically bursting into laughter for several hours thereafter. What about you? What hilarious stories do you have? Or do you hope/pray will grow funnier as time goes on. Please don't share anything you're not 100% comfortable posting online - I don't want anyone to regret a post, but wow, writing this all down has helped it be funnier for me and eliminated nearly all of the shame-piece. Take care, Smye07

Also think about the amount of fluids you're pumping into your body (as you should be). All that water has a LOT of weight. When we don't eat solids, our bodies hold on to more of that water. So while you may not be losing weight, you sure as hell are losing fat.

A quick caveat - my experience was un-realistically fast for most folks. I got lucky on a cancellation, changed my work schedule to fit in everything ASAP for screening, and I'm self-pay, which can make the process go considerably faster. That said, I've known I wanted to do this for a while, but only got up the gumption to go see the Dr. on Jan 8th of this year. From there, I managed to squeak in a sleep study, blood work, NUT, psych, and fitness tests all in the next week and a half by using up a fair portion of PTO from work. I take a while to arrive at a firm decision, bu once I do, I want to MOVE! All that done, I was technically cleared for surgery, so I scheduled my tentative April date and asked if they wouldn't mind if I called periodically to see about cancellations. On getting the okay, I took them at their word and defined 'periodically' as twice/week. About 2 weeks into that process, I had a date of Feb 12, having called only an hour after the cancellation. All told, 1 month 4 days from going to the Dr. to my Sx date. Not bad at all. I don't recommend that speed to most folks. This is an ENORMOUS decision and, as I said, I took a long time coming to it before ever seeing the Dr.

Congratulations! I'm so excited for you and can't wait to join you on 'the other side' next Thursday. Keep us posted!

You could always be as neurotic as I was - though I don't recommend it - and call the office to ask the same question once/week until you get there. Now I've got an Sx date 3 months earlier than anticipated with all clearances met.

@@jenbaby75, You can do it! I gave up caffeine (1 qt/day) on the first of November. The first week was hell, but I feel amazing by comparison now. Good luck! The actual experience is different for everyone, but you can do it. @@The_Maite, Same to you. Keep it up. I suggest getting a mix of savory and sweet liquids to keep some variety in the mix.

@@time4change15, congratulations! Although not exactly the same day, I'm having my surgery on the 12th.

@@BLERDgirl, and @@B-52, Thank you both so much! I'm 10 days pre-op and having a game plan here is very comforting as I'm going through this emotionally roller coaster.

Absolutely, me too! I'll PM you.

Thanks to you all, this is very helpful!

Hi All, Several months ago my gastroenterologist of 5 years whom I trust suggested bariatric surgery. I've spent the time since abusing my access to scholarly journals through work and had initially settled on the sleeve. I've got an initial consult with the local sleeve expert surgeon 1 week from today. It's all he does and all he's ever done, I'm so excited! I want the sleeve! However, while continuing my obsessive research last night, I decided to look specifically at "super-obese" patients with a BMI between 50 and 60 (my BMI is 54.1) and what I found was devastating - according to the NIH, among the super-obese, the average EWL for VSG is 40-50% whereas the DS has averages of 70-90% in the first year and early studies suggest a much higher success rate at 10-years post-op. Anyone here have the sleeve with a BMI similar to, or higher than, mine? What success have you had? Has anyone started with VSG and then switched to the DS? What that process like? I am a teacher and can't currently qualify for a loan large enough to cover DS, but don't want to waste time and money on VSG if I'm only going to have to save for several years and take out a second loan later for revision to DS with only 40% EWL in the meantime. I know DS is often done in two stages with VSG as stage 1, has anyone here done this? How does the cost and experience of doing it in two parts compare with doing the full DS in one fell swoop. Thanks for putting up with this rambling post. I'll be posting in the DS forum as well, please forgive the cross-post.

@@beautiful12no, congratulations! You interested in partnering through this? And if so, how has your experience been so far?

CONGRATULATIONS!

I'll be sleeved on Feb 12 and couldn't be more excited!