byebyebmi

@@lmm300missouri I haven't had surgery yet but when I do i'll have to do it for about two weeks afterwards. I had a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in lung) in 2013 so they need to take extra precaution with me.

@jhclikesshopping@gmail.com @TXTinana Also, for full disclosure I have definitely disliked a few things i've gotten from them. Or I put it on and looked in the mirror and said NOPE. It took a few months to get a feel for the designers I liked the best. Some of them use specific fabrics for most of their dresses that are just too clingy on my frame. So its not perfect every single time but overall i'm really happy with it.

@@jhclikesshopping@gmail.com @@TXTinana I do use it and really like them. I belong to a networking group that meets twice a month, plus have occasional meetings in between that and especially for the networking groups 90% of the women wear dresses and I prefer to as well. If I had to buy $80 dresses from Lane Bryant to monthly stock my closet I would be broke. Plus, since i'm losing weight it makes no sense to buy an $80 dress that i'll get to use for a month. I like this because I can wear a dress a few times then send it back and get another one. Its always new and a lot of them are probably nicer than I would pick out for myself (my Lane Bryant has a really small dress selection). As far as sizes go, it comes down to common sense about your shape. Most of them have user comments that will say if its preferable to size up or down, or if they are a certain body shape and it did/didnt work for them. I don't always listen to the comments if I love the dress, lol. But overall i've gotten a lot of compliments when I wear the stuff I get from them. And its fun to try a bunch of different dresses and not feel like I'm wasting money. Oh, also if you LOVE something there is always the option to buy and the prices range from like $20-$60. If you buy then they just send you another and you continue the subscription.

I had my appointment at the cardiologist today to get clearance for the surgery, and ended up getting a lot more than just cardiac clearance. The nurse who was doing my EKG asked me why I was there and I told her that I needed clearance for bariatric surgery and which procedure I was planning to do (sleeve). After she finished the EKG she sat down next to me and said that she had gotten the same surgery five years ago. She told me that she lost 100 pounds in a year, kept it off for about a year and then gained every ounce of it back. She said that over time you go from eating three bites to being able to eat five bites then a normal small meal and as time goes on if you keep eating and keep letting yourself get comfortable eating more, you will eventually eat exactly like you used to. She said she knew she was addicted to food but that she was fully under the assumption that the sleeve was going to prevent her from eating more for pretty much the rest of her life. She said that when she got down to a size 6 she was loving life and celebrating being thin and it made her want to go out more so instead of celebrating with hobbies and adventures and healthier things she kept celebrating with food. And that it was easy to feel like she was "done" what she set out to accomplish and didn't have to work at it anymore. So all her old habits came back. I wanted to share that story because I felt like I was lucky to have been able to hear it before going through the procedure. She said that she did all the research, joined all the message boards, and everything she thought she needed to do to be prepared. But she never had a plan for how to eventually address emotional eating issues once it became time to enter the maintenance phase. She gave me some advice like to not wait to start exercising so that it becomes part of your day before you hit maintenance. Also to continue going to support group meetings even long after losing the weight. Also that if legit food addiction is a problem for you then you'll need to possibly seek therapy and learn new coping skills because the surgery doesn't fix those things. Some of those things I had heard before talking to her, but others were new lessons. And I'm so sorry for her that she wasn't prepared to handle her old emotional eating issues. But I was very glad to meet someone face to face who could tell me these things before I truly started the journey. I'm going to do whatever I can to not end up in that situation. It really seemed like she thought this was going to be the solution to all of her problems. So I'm hoping that since I have a grasp of the fact that I'll need to do a lot of work myself I am slightly ahead. But I know it's going to be hard.

I understand that everyone is different, but it annoys me personally when I see people on the forums who are complaining or whining about the time it takes to get approved for WLS. I know people want it done like, yesterday, but its not going to do anyone any good to rush and get it done for the wrong reasons or unprepared and then end up like the woman I met. I personally have been embracing the pre-op clearances, psych evaluation and NUT counseling. I want to be as mentally prepared as possible (although I know its not possible to understand until someone actually has it done). But for people like me who have lost a bunch of weight and gained it back in the past, if I don't get into the right frame of mind why would this be any different after a year or two? Answer: it won't be.

Good luck!!

@@Timeforme15 ironically I did the same thing at the same time (last night). I have a really supportive friend and I called her to tell her that I had severely freaked myself out. She told me that it was smart for me to do research and realize that it's not all rainbows and butterflies, but that I also needed to remember how rare it is. Only a tiny amount of overall people who get the sleeve sign up for these forums, and then an even tinier amount have complications. The other thing is that any/all procedures come with complications. You can get your wisdom teeth out or tonsils removed and get an infection or worse. I had to get an endoscopy for my surgeon and I had some stomach pain afterwards. After googling a little bit I was surprised at the horror stories of complications and its a simple 20 minute procedure. Even the other day Jimmy Fallon tripped on a rug and fell on his hand and almost had to have his finger amputated. Don't get me wrong, it's normal to be scared and I am nervous/scared as well. But the vast majority of people are fine or have minor discomfort. And like some others said, the complications of being obese are all but guaranteed.

@@JustWatchMe I agree. My surgeon asked me first what I was considering based on the research I had done and the webinar I saw and then confirmed that he agreed and would have suggested the same thing. I would not have been okay with someone who argued with me or tried to pressure me into something I was uncomfortable with.

When I went to my initial consultation it was mostly because my PCP gave me a referral and I figured why not check it out. But I really wasn't considering it an option for me. But I started going through the steps with the doctors office, and they asked for a list of the things I had tried in the past. I started putting everything together for them and that's when it hit me. I had Nutrisystem receipts from 2006, 2007 and 2008, gym membership receipts from 2005 to 2015, Another healthy meal delivery service from 2013 and a weight watchers receipt from 2014. And I was like wow... that's basically 10 years of trying so many different things and not only did I not keep the weight off every time, but I almost always gained it back plus more. So I finally had to take a serious look at myself and realize that if I was going to do it by myself I would have done it all these times over the past decade where I had put in my time and money and still not made it happen. Don't get me wrong, i'm still scared as hell of surgery too, and I'm still working on being completely comfortable with getting it done. But I think at this point I do know that it's what I have to do, and that this time next year I'll probably wish that I had done it sooner just like everyone else here. I personally know a few people who have gotten it done within the past three months to a year and they have been very helpful to me and all have a similar story to mine. All of them are completely happy with their decision. I hope that helps!

I went to two consultations to compare/contrast. Both were recommended by people who actually had the sleeve done by them. The one had an online or in person seminar you needed to watch before scheduling a consult which included each procedure he performed, how it was done, potential complications and a chart of his personal complication rates, as well as how many of each surgeries he had performed. I had already watched the webinar when I had my consult with the other doctor, so I asked him if he could produce a chart or report of his complication rates, which I felt was an important disclosure made by the other guy. He replied that he was so busy performing successful surgeries that he didn't have anything like that put together. I'm sure he's a well qualified surgeon, and I personally know people who have had great results with him, but that was a red flag for me. I think that we should be entitled to those facts and figures to help us make the right decision. The doctor I chose ended up having a very overall organized operation. They had the webinar with a quiz at the end to make sure it was understood, mailed me my registration papers before the consult so I could take my time, and scheduled my dietitian and psych eval appointments for me (those people are directly affiliated with them). I'm glad I went to multiple appointments and listened to my gut when I felt like a red flag was raised. Now I can go through the process with confidence and excitement!

South Jersey! Atlantic/Cumberland County

I have my own business, but I also work 35 hours a week as a marketing/front desk manager for a health club. There is a very small administrative staff: two people at the front desk in the gym, two people at the front desk on the physical therapy side, a director over all of us and then owners. I have been very open with my parents, family, boyfriend and best friends but I have decided that I don't want to tell the staff at the gym. It's possible they could be supportive, but since they are all personal trainers and nutritionists I feel like they could be judgmental so I've decided to keep it private until at least a few months afterward. However, there is no HR department there. The front desk staff on the doctor side, director and owner do all the payroll, time off requests and administrative stuff. I had planned on telling them that I was getting a hiatal hernia repaired (they know that I've been in a lot of pain) but if I have to give someone medical proof and it comes from my WLS doctor it's not going to say Hiatal Hernia. Is there anything I can do to keep it private? I guess at the end of the day if there's NOTHING I can do I'll just have to hope the owner can keep it private. We're kinda all friends there and hang out a lot. It's a weird situation.

@@fatsolovescandy @@Bufflehead I totally agree that when I come back noticeably lighter and then continue to lose quickly for multiple months it will probably be obvious. And I don't want to lie, some of them have been friends of mine for a few years since we've worked together for awhile. I won't mind telling them the truth once it's over because they have all been trying to get me healthy for awhile and they want what's best for me. Once they see I've found something that's doing such good things for me I expect them to be happy and supportive. It's just that I have been working with the nutritionist there and using the equipment and I feel like if they know beforehand they might have that whole "cop out" attitude since I have a whole gym I can work out at for free. But I've struggled for wayyyy longer than I've known them. I really like the idea of having something from my primary doctor. That's a great suggestion, thanks!!

Yay!!! Hoping for August but maybe September. It's going to be here before you know it!

Elvis Duran from the Elvis Duran Morning Radio Show got sleeved this past fall, I think he's 8ish months out and he talks about having cocktails on the weekends all the time. He seems like a guy who loves his cocktails and he's lost 96 pounds as of the last time I heard him mention it on the radio. I'm sure everyone is different.

Right off the bat I want to say that i'm seriously not trying to rush things, I'm just curious about how fast the process can be done based on my situation. I had the initial consultation on June 6th. My packet says that I have to do two nutrition visits and one support group, plus a ton of medical clearances. I had one nutrition visit in June, and I have one July 24th. I think that for most people the medical clearances take a long time because it takes awhile to get in with a cardiologist or pulmonologist if you've never had one before. However, I had a pulmonary embolism in 2013 and already have all these doctors so I was able to get appointments with them right away. My sleep study, pulmonary function test, chest X-ray, bloodwork, endoscopy, EKG, primary doctor clearance and psych evaluation will ALL be done by the last day of July. Plus, by July 24th i'll have completed both nutrition visits and a support group meeting. It seems like everyone is saying that if my first consult was June 6th, I won't have the surgery until early-mid September. But i'm wondering if thats true for everyone if the requirements are met. Do I just have to sit around in August and wait? The only thing my Amerihealth policy says is "The individual must participate in preoperative surgical care through a multidisciplinary preparatory regimen including: a thorough medical clearance, consultation by a professional on low calorie diets and mental health evaluation" So it doesn't explicitly say 3, 6 or 12 months. Is there any way my doctor could submit the packet in August and see what happens?

The search function on my phone isn't working very well and when I type stuff in it gives me irrelevant topics. I'm sorry if this has been asked 100 times but: How soon can I shower and/or bathe after the surgery? I'm sure it's a shorter time to shower than take a bath since in the bath you're submerged. Are there any restrictions on walking up stairs after surgery?

Thanks guys! I was really curious to know if it was even possible to have a 2.5 month turnaround time if one was able to schedule appointments quickly...and now I know it's possible and others have done it!

@@LittleMissCopular it happened today to me again. But I noticed that it was the same outfit I wore the last time I got it. So apparently bright teal gym pants and a solid black shirt do wonders for me. LOL

One initial visit, one for pulmonary function test and one to discuss the results. They may or may not send you for a sleep study. And YES the copays ad up $$$$

So this morning I had an appointment with my pulmonary doctor to get the clearance I need before insurance approval and it was a very special experience for me. I've been wrestling with whether or not I wanted the sleeve but recently went full steam ahead after a lot of realizations and support from my family. When I saw the nurse in the beginning I told her what I was there for and when I told her who my surgeon was she had great things to say about him. Then, when the doctor came in and I said what I was there for he said "Congratulations!" And I was so happy and thankful for his reaction because no one had "congratulated" me about it before. It made me think about how it really is a celebratory time of making a decision and commitment to putting myself first. Not only did I start my road to pulmonary clearance but I also got some great validation and inspiration as well. This journey gets more exciting every day!

@@Running2theSleeve I'm sorry it's going to take you so long to get those appointments! I guess the only "good" thing that came out of having a pulmonary embolism in 2013 is that I already have all of these specialists so when I called them for clearance they got me in within a week or so. I know I'm lucky in terms of that. Maybe you could get on a cancellation list or something? People cancel appointments all the time!

@@OutsideMatchInside that's how I'm hoping it will go for me, because not only do I have a flexible work schedule but I also already have all of the doctors and specialists I would need (PCP, cardiologist, pulmonologist) so I'll have all of the clearances from them by the end of this month. And I would hate to have to sit around and wait because of some insurance technicality.

@@mommyfrog3 The first was the initial visit, where they asked me a bunch of questions about my sleep habits, if I smoked, listened to my lungs and had me take deep breaths. Because of my BMI and family history they scheduled me for a sleep study, pulmonary function test and asked me to get a chest x-ray. The pulmonary function test is next week and i've had them before. They test the strength of your lungs by having you take a deep breath into a machine and blow it out as strongly as you can. A lot of people only need the pulmonary function test, but others like me need the sleep study to check for sleep apnea. I think they only need the chest X-ray because I had a pulmonary embolism a few years ago.

Atlantic & Cumberland County here! But getting the surgery done at Atlanticare! Kik: emerce10 if anyone wants to chat/support each other!