Machalo

Update: Got my insurance approval at the end of January. Have first visit with the surgeon on the 27th, along with Respiratory Fitness testing and Cardiac Clearance on the 28th. Still don't have a date, but I'm still hoping it will be April. I'm told my surgeon books out a good 3 months so it may turn into May, but it will be sometime in the near-er future. Hope y'all are doing well. :)

Congratulations on your approval! Isn't it exciting?! I felt like I won the lottery. I've had to cool my jets for a month while I wait for the surgeon to have a pre-op opening so I won't get a date until the 27th of February. I'm looking forward to that day as well. Best wishes on getting your surgery done this month!

I'm curious. As I was walking today and the wind hit me, pulling my shirt tight across my stomach, I wondered when I'll stop wearing my "BIG" clothes and be confident to be seen in smaller sizes. I mean, I've hidden my body the best I can for the last 20 years. When will my mind let the thinner me out? I'll be interested to hear your comments on when you were able to put on smaller clothes and actually felt like you could go out in public in them. Thanks for your input!

Thanks everyone for your input. I work in a business-casual office and subsist on 2 pairs of stretch pants (black & grey) and about 8 baggy tops that I rotate. Not much into fashion, but then I've been out of the "fashion"able clothing for so long, I don't even know what the fashions are anymore. My go to place will likely be the thrift shops as I shrink so that I can get a couple of staple items that I can rotate for a while. Maybe something from one of the "shops," but we'll see. Thank you again!

I get this all the time, unfortunately, because I'm on diuretics right now. I know my "pee" pills are working if I'm in the bathroom every 10-20 minutes for a couple of hours. I really hope to get rid of these post-surgery!

I feel like the less said the better. That way I don't have to remember what I told to whom. I'll be going through my own head games in going back to work, I won't need any help from the people surrounding me. So my "telling" so far is I need to have a corrective surgery and I'll be out for 6-8 weeks. Totally the truth; I'm having surgery to correct my body's unnatural relationship with food. They've seen the start of my weight loss the last six months as I've given up sugar and caffeine and soda so hopefully they won't question too much. I'll have 6-8 weeks to work on my mental state before having to face them again, so I'm hopeful that all will be good. I'm most worried about the FMLA paperwork that has to be filled out; but I'm going to try to my company's HR instead of my department's.

Congratulations!

That is so fantastic! Way to go! I need to print and show to hubby. It is doable. :)

Super Congratulations, Mikey! I've enjoyed watching your journey so far, you have done so well! Quite the inspiration. Glad you are feeling better, too!

Will be praying for you. You can do this! Do you take Melatonin? That works for me and hubby who has chronic sleep issues.

I was approved by insurance about 2 weeks ago and my surgeon is booked out so far that I don't get to meet with him until the end of February. It's a pest since I just want to know when my date is going to be, so I can look forward to and plan for it, but I'm trying to use it to up my endurance exercising and dropping a few more pounds. GREAT JOB in quitting smoking! That was a hard one for me 20+ years ago. My hardest thing so far was having to give up diet soda and caffeine. Even that hasn't been so bad, but I know those 'hit you sideways' cravings do sneak up on you when you're least expecting them. Best wishes for you!

Welcome to the forums! While I have a higher BMI and a couple of comorbidities that my insurance was like, WOAH! Get that girl in Surgery! I understand your feelings. Before settling in this time for WLS, I had started the process a couple of other times. The first time, even the surgeon said I wasn't heavy enough, and I didn't have any comorbidities at the time. So I dropped it for a few years. The next time I started the process, I made the mistake of, no wait, my husband made the mistake of telling people, who then got all in my business. So I dropped it. This time, I'm all in, just waiting for my date now. I would like to say the only person who knows is my husband, but no, he has "shared" with someone else, who he swears will not tell. Uh huh. Heard that before, but what can I do? He's already told. He just knows not to tell anyone else. I hope. I pray. I have no intention of telling anyone; it's none of their business. All they need to know is that I'm on a medically prescribed diet and exercise program. (All true) That may change over time, but for right now ... Anyway, long story short is that your worries are completely normal pre-surgery. Come check out other threads on the forums, we have lots of interesting conversations going on, and we are all here to support each other.

Hello Seimmaj, Everyone so far seems to be obsessed with your fluid intake, what it contains and etc and so forth, but no one has asked about your diet. You say you eat just meats, mostly. What kinds? If they're high in sodium you could be retaining water. If they're high in fat content, maybe that is messing you up. I too, eat a lot of meat, but I make sure that it isn't brined before I cook it and that it doesn't have a lot of marbling in it. Still, you are making progress and not everyone loses the same as everyone else. Maybe you are just a slow loser. If all your vitamin levels are good, and you're following the diet that your surgical team have put you on, you will see results. I've also read on here about stalls, and maybe that is what you are experiencing. Don't lose hope and don't lose your enthusiasm about this journey. No one ever told us that it would be easy, just that it would be worth it in the end. You'll get there. Trust the process and keep up the great work! Please don't judge the people on these forums by just those who have commented in this thread. We are a very diverse group who are all on our own journeys. What works for one doesn't always work for the other. And most have everyone's best interests at heart. Stick around for a bit and check out some of the other threads. Hope to see you around and hear more about your amazing journey.

Congratulations on your success! This is just the first of many successes you will have, but bask in the glory of it for now! You've worked hard and done very well.

This has been a great thread to read and as I pondered on it yesterday, I started to make my own list - to not have those OMG looks please don't sit next to me every time I board an aircraft - to be able to cut my own toenails again - to be able to do chores in and around my home without having to take breaks every five minutes - to not have to look for armless chairs everywhere I go - to be content enough to actually have my picture taken - to fit into an airline's bathroom! Seriously, have you seen the closet-size of the things these days? - to not have to go down stairs like a baby, always worried I'm going to fall if I don't - there's the entire clothes thing which could take up another dozen things I'm looking forward to - to be able to fit into a pew at church - to have a lap again so that I can hold my grandchildren - to not obsess over the next meal; I'm already learning this, but I look forward to when I don't think about it at all - to be able to walk down a hallway without it sounding like an elephant is walking - to have my family not look at me with pity and disgust; I want them to see me not my weight - to not be the heaviest person everywhere I go - to just be happy within my own skin I know there will be more and more to add to this list as I continue this journey. I cannot wait to see what I will accomplish and see everyone realize that I CAN do it.

Thank you so much for this positive post thread! You are definitely an inspiration and I will do my best to follow your advice. I think the best thing of all will be to be in regular sized clothing again, and not have to go to the Plus Sized section, if the store even has one. I don't look at this as an easy fix, because I still have to put in the work to get there, but it will be the lightest I have been in 20 years and THAT is no joke! You look super great, by the way! Way to inspire others!

Well done, MIkey! You should be so proud of yourself for your determination and stick-to-it-iveness . Try working out a little each day to see if you can shift some of that stubborn fat around. I've started walking and have dropped an extra several pounds. Thanks for keeping us inspired!

Let me start by saying that insurance approved my surgery Tuesday morning. I did a particularly vigorous happy dance around my office, which drew a few stares. My NP said it would take at least 4 weeks because Aetna was behind and my decision came back in 2 business days. Does that mean I was an open and shut case and so obvious that they didn't need to think about it? While I'm thrilled, I'm also a little disconcerted. My team's insurance clearance girl must really know exactly what to say and how to say it. Now, I'm waiting on my surgeon's office to call to schedule my pre-op visit which is apparently when we'll set "the date". All in all, I'm excited that the next part of my journey is getting ready to start. Thanks to everyone here on BP who have helped prepare me for it so I'm not too nervous. Love you all! <3

That is kind of what I'm thinking too, @GradyCat. I don't know how far out he's booking, so I'll just have to cool my jets. You're so right @JB1 that this is all a process. What is one more delay except the opportunity to lose more weight, become more fit, etc?

You're so sweet @BayougirlMrsS! Hope you're having a wonderful day!

My evaluation was by a team who specializes in Disordered Eating and all they really wanted to know was did I recognize that I have a problem, some things that I've identified as contributing to the problem, and how I intend to manage it after surgery. I told them about my disordered eating and all my psych issues which are pretty much stable. Then I told them about this site and how much information and help it was giving me to prepare me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the change I am about to make. It took about an hour, and that was the end of it. Beforehand, I agonized over what was going to be asked and whether or not they were going to derail my train to WLS. It was so much easier than I could have ever imagined.

My heart hurts for your broken heart and unimaginable loss. There are no words that can assuage, so I just add my heartfelt prayers, hugs, and support to all the others on BP.

I've chosen to keep it only between my husband, my surgical team, God, and myself. That being said, who has the biggest mouth and told someone else? My husband! He swears that said other person will never tell, but really?! I asked him to keep it just between us and sx hasn't even happened yet. The running joke of the family is telephone, telegraph, and tell a member of my husband's family. Didn't realize it included him too! Silly me!! I still choose to keep it to myself. As others have said, it is my health, and no one else's business. Of course, telling everyone everything gives my husband a lot more friends than me. I don't tell, and people think I'm standoffish or snobby or something. I have many acquaintances but very very few friends. I tell you, sometimes you just can't win. LOL! My plan is to tell people I'm having a medical procedure done when I go out, and when I come back in 8 weeks I'll tell them I've been recovering and am now following a medically prescribed diet with exercise and that I've never felt better! Not so sure what I'm going to do about going home after surgery. I live like an hour away from my hospital, so an Uber or Lyft is pretty much out of my price range and my husband can't drive. So, we'll see. I may have to scrimp together some pennies for the next month or two for that Uber ride. So this has been my long-winded way of saying do what you feel is natural for yourself and your health.

Thank you for posting this issue, @Slimming Down Steve. It is something that I've heard a couple of times here previously but not so concentrated as this thread has been. It will definitely be something I watch out for when I have my bypass done. I'm also on BP meds and have been doing really well on them. My BP has been running low to right on track for the last several months thankfully. I'm glad your back hardware survived your fall! That is always scary. My husband has seizures and he has: almost fallen into the fireplace and the stove, he has had more stitches than I can even count from punctures and hitting corners of things, and more. I feel for you and your wife, because he doesn't always get "aura" or warning before he goes down and has the concussion record of most football players. I'm glad yours was a one-time thing and that going off the BP meds has done you well.

I'm so sorry you are having this issue, but pleased that you are taking care of it. As someone else on this thread has already said, this is just a speedbump on your way to your glorious new you. If you're like me, you just want to go go go. Get it done. Let's get on to the next thing. But sometimes life slows us down and tells us to take a pause to catch our breath. Perhaps contemplate on all of the reasons you are going through WLS. It can solidify your resolve and give you more confidence that your decision is the right one for you. I've tried to use the four months of waiting to get my head in the right place. Hasn't always worked, but i'm much closer to having my head in the game than I was before the four months. Hang in there. ((HUGS))