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Friend request sent.I would love to join!!!! MY surgery date is November 9th.

@queencity, where are you having surgery? Who is your surgeon?My surgery is 11/09 at CMC--Mercy with Dr Kuwada from Carolina Weight Management.

Okay so... I've been smoke free for almost 3 days and so far it's not been bad (Chantix has really helped!) but now it's getting REAL!!!! Are there any former smokers out there that have any suggestions for getting past the urge to light up!!! All encouragement is welcome but please, NO "you need to quit smoking" comments. Thanks!! sn: I've made up my mind that i'm quitting smoking, I just need suggestions for getting past the urges!!

Sounds like we are in a similar boat!!! Except...I know my PCP will not want to give me the okay! He believes that everyone can lose weight by just becoming a vegetarian!!! I'm pretty sure he will NOT want to give me clearance for WLS,luckily I don't believe my insurance requires PCP approval, only medical clearance. My PCP is in the same network as the surgeon I want to use for surgery so my surgeon can already see all my medical records because it's all one record. I have an appointment to meet my surgeon for the 1st time first of August and (routine followup) at the end of August with my PCP so please update this post on how things go with your PCP!! I may need some tips on how to get around a uncooperative PCP!!! Good Luck!

@ MrsSugarbabe, who did your surgery? Which hospital? and what is pleural effusion complications???? I'm hoping for a October/November surgery in Charlotte with Carolina Weight Management at CMC-Mercy.

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welp, I went and did it!!!!! Yep, that's right... after 25 years...I quit smoking July 1st!!! Whooohooo!!!! I started taking Chantix 06/15/15, picked my quit date of 7/01/15 and did it!!!! Whoohooo.... one step closer to getting WLS!!!!! Ugggggggggghhhhhhhh , Now to start drinking water!!!! This might be harder than quitting smoking!!!!

Welp, I went and did it!!!!! Yep, that's right... after 26 years...I quit smoking July 1st!!! Whooohooo!!!! I started taking Chantix 06/15/15, picked my quit date of 7/01/15 and did it!!!! Whoohooo.... one step closer to getting WLS!!!!!

congrats tstarkey704!!!!!!!!!!! I am on chantix and I am 11 days smoke free! so far i've had no negative side effects from stopping smoking. YAY!

@ AllisonK1986, today is day 7 of being smoke free for me!!! and after I eat is a really hard time. For over 26 years I have lit up after practically every meal!Heck I want to smoke right now from just talking about it but imma just soldier thru the urge! Also Chantix really helped!!! I'm starting week 4 tomorrow and yes i've missed a few doses here and there but never a whole day. I have not had any crazy withdrawal symptoms so far "YAY" so i've been lucky!

my first appt with surgeon is August 6th, I hope o do nut & psych appointment, endoscopy, and echo cardiogram (sp) completed by September 30th and surgery sometime after October 1st! I'm excited!!!

Thanks ya'll!!!! I'll try the vapor without nicotine!!! I think that's what i'm missing, the feeling of having something in my hand!!! This is really hard but I'm doing this because I want this surgery!!!

Thank you to everyone that responded!!!! This is really hard, that's why I'm trying to quit now. I hope to have surgery in October or November and the deal I made with myself was... if you really want this surgery, you have to give up the smoking before your first appointment with surgeon on August 6th! I thought about vaping, I've got an rechargeable vapor but I don't want the nicotine so that's not an option!!! I've been chewing regular gum the past two days and that has helped some.Oh I forgot to add, I've been smoking for 26 years!!!!

Hey Ya'll!!!!!!!!!!!! I live in Shelby, work in Gastonia , hope to have surgery in Charlotte. I went to a seminar earlier this month. I have 1st appointment with Dr. Kuwada (Carolina Weight Mangement in Charlotte)August 6th!! I'm going with Dr Kuwada vs Dr Gersin because Kuwada did my seminar and I was really impressed by him!!! I hope to have surgery in November 2015 after my insurance year has restarted in October. Besides, I need the extra time to change some bad habits (not exercising, not drinking Water, drinking a 2 liter of Pepsi a day and smoking) before I have surgery! It's really good to find people that are in NC!! Karen

Hey Ya'll!!!!!!!!!!!! I went to a seminar earlier this month. I have 1st appointment with Dr. Kuwada (Carolina Weight Mangement in Charlotte)August 6th!! I'm going with Dr Kuwada vs Dr Gersin because Kuwada did my seminar and I was really impressed by him!!! I hope to have surgery in November 2015. It's really good to find people that are in NC!! YAY!!!

I went to a seminar earlier this month. I have 1st appointment with Dr. Kawada August 6th!! I'm going with Dr Kawada vs Dr Gersin because Kawada did my seminar and I was really impressed by him!!! I hope to have surgery in November 2015. It's really good to find people that are going to the same doctors!! YAY!!! I went to a seminar earlier this month. I have 1st appointment with Dr. Kawada August 6th!! I'm going with Dr Kawada vs Dr Gersin because Kawada did my seminar and I was really impressed by him!!! I hope to have surgery in November 2015. It's really good to find people that are going to the same doctors!! YAY!!!

Am I the only one watching this show for motivation! Quite a few of the people profiled are anywhere from 10 to 270 lbs heavier than 600 lbs. Not comparing myself to them but just trying to learn some Do's and Don't's for my own personal journey. I am inspired by the success stories and honestly...I could see myself having some of the issues those profiled faced. Crazy thing is as I watch each episode I find myself rooting for them to succeed!!! Crying when they falter and cheering when they pick themselves up, push forward and win in the end!!!!

I am sooooo glad someone asked this question!!!

Is everyone as pumped about getting started like I am????????? I have to wait until October 1 before I can have surgery when my insurance year resets. I already checked and I know my insurance doesn't require a monitored diet or a bunch of test but I'm not giving them ANY reason to turn me down or for me to NOT have this surgery!!!! Okay so here's my plan... attend my last seminar on June 15th. I'm pretty sure i'm going with the dr that does the seminar tomorrow, I didn't really care for the pushiness of the other one!!! stop smoking date is July 1 so I start my Chantix June 15 (tomorrow). I've been smoking for 25 years so this is a biggie for me. I'm a Pepsi drinker, like that's ALL I drink!!!! so i'm also starting my transition from Pepsi to Water June 15th. The plan is to start with 4 8oz of water a day and work my way up to 10 8oz a day by September 30th start replacing Breakfast which I rarely eat with a Protein shake August 1. I hope to also add a high protein yogurt to a sensible lunch and dinner August1 UGHHHHHHHHHH.... l plan to start walking and getting in some exercise and or strength training beginning September 1. I'm fat so I hate to sweat!!!! This is really gonna be hard but my mind is made up and i'm doing this!!!!!!!! Yuck yuck yuck... beginning September 1, I will start taking a multi Vitamin. I hate taking pills/medicine almost as much as sweating!!!! But... A girl gotta do what a girl gotta do!!!! I know me!!! And I know that I can't just change everything at once so I plan to make my lifestyle changes in stages so when I go in for WLS in October or November, I'll be ahead of the game!!!! Wheww!!! I kinda like the way it feels to write it all down, I'm really pumped now!!!! Soooo......... all comments and any suggestion are welcome!!! So tell me what you think???

Hi, I am still new to all this (I am going to my second seminar next week, hope to get sleeved in October of November) but what I have found out so far is each insurance is different. If you have BCBSNC you can go online and look up your coverage or you can call and they can tell you exactly what is and is not covered. I have BCBSNC thru my employer (they are self insured) and several ladies at work have had both the bypass and sleeve done so I know my insurance covers both the bypass and sleeve with the only requirement being BMI over 40 or 35 and co-mobidity, no diet, no previous record of weight loss. I think they require at least one meeting with nut but that's all. Good Luck

I'm sooooooooo excited to find so many people around my age!!!!! I was beginning to wonder if I was the only "middle age" person on this forum. I'm 54 and I hope to be "sleeved" in October or November when insurance year begins! Good luck everybody!!! and please keep posting your progress!!!!

Hi ! I have appointments to attends a seminar in June at two different practices/doctors. Both are centers of excellence so either would be good. I'll decide which one will do my surgery after the second seminar. I can't have surgery until my new insurance year begins in October so I have time to start making lifestyle changes (like stop smoking, drinking Water not Pepsi, making better food choices and adding Protein shakes to my diet). I can't say enough how much i'm loving this forum!!!

I'm loving this group more and more each day!!!!! did anyone else look into the RNY bypass first before deciding on the sleeve? If so, how did you decide on the sleeve? For me I decided on the sleeve because I didn't want to have to deal with mal absorption down the road and I don't really like the idea of having my insides re-routed!! I spoke with several coworkers that had the bypass and each one attempted to convince me to go with the bypass by saying the RNY offers a larger weight loss faster. I need to lose weight but i'm okay with it taking a little longer because I didn't gain it all over night so I don't expect to loose it overnight.

1st time poster here:Wow! I'm NOT alone!!! I too have been stalking this forum, reading, studying and trying to learn everything I can. Mentally i've already started planning my pre op and post op diet, how to get all my Proteins, researching shakes, supplements, exercises I can do to tighten up and get fit. I have a few hurdles to cross before I have surgery like stop smoking (my self imposed quit date is by July 1) and drinking at least 8 glasses of Water a day instead of Pepsi is by August 1). I know these may sound minor to others but these are "Biggies" for me!!! I'm actually more afraid of these two hurdles than I am of surgery!!! Sadly, I will have to wait until October at the earliest to have my surgery. My insurance year starts Oct 1 and i'm pretty sure surgery and all the pre op stuff will more than meet my deductible so every medical service after that for 12 month will be covered 100% (yeah, i'mma penny pincher. I work hard for my money so I have to maximize every dime). I plan to attend seminars for two different practices in June before I decide which surgeon I will use. My insurance only requires a BMI over 40 and a psych eval, no diet or test. I work in an office sitting in front of a computer and talking on the phone so I hope to return to work about 10 days after surgery. I've shared my plan to have surgery with a few of my close friends, my husband and grown kids but that's all I plan to tell. Not that i'm ashamed, I just really don't care to entertain any negative comments, horror stories or be deterred from "doing this"!!!! Oh and when I told my family (none of them have ever had a weight problem), I made it very clear... that this was for their information only, they don't get a vote in this decision. I'm doing this for me, I'm doing this so I can start to live again. Whew! That's alot! sorry but i'm just so pumped up about doing this!!!