katanne

I struggle with night eating. I'm on Seroquel (need it for bipolar - nothing else works) and when I've switched to other meds the night eating almost stops, but my bipolar symptoms come back. I've managed to reign in it a lot by changing the types of foods I eat when I eat at night. Now it's usually veggies or string cheese, or a leftover piece of chicken breast from dinner. I had to get all the carbs and sweets out of the house to stop gaining weight. Back when there were donuts and ice cream allowed in the house that was what I ate and I put on weight like crazy. I hate that I still feel that compulsion to get up and eat even though I'm not doing much nutritional damage anymore. I went to one Overeaters Anonymous meeting and personally found it incredibly unhelpful.

No - I had an ovarian tumor the size of a big orange taken out; the weight of it twisted around the ovary and fallopian tube (called ovarian torsion; as a point of reference, the analogous structure on the male body is the testis) and smothered it. I had to get the ovary and tube taken out along with it. So no, I'm not too scared about pain, etc. with regards to the sleeve. It can't be any worse than what I've been through. And that prior surgery really wasn't too bad - it was way easier than I'd expected and knowing I was going to get the result I wanted (in that case no more pain) made all the difference when I was scared and looking ahead.

I'm in Philly and will be having my surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital.

I second, third, fourth what others are saying about not having any pictures of myself. When I tried to fit into one of those cheesy photo booths with my ex-boyfriend, there wasn't enough room on the seat for both of us to sit down. And I was too big to sit on his lap without completely blocking him from the camera's view. I had to sort of crouch down instead of sitting. So mortifying, even though he never said anything about it. I've posted before about an ER trip with a BP of 190/110. That scared the crap out of me. I'm also a student and I realized how much I hate having to get to the classroom extra early so I can get one of the two bigger desks. Otherwise I have to shove myself into a standard-size one and spend a three-hour lecture unable to concentrate because I'm expending all my effort trying to keep my stomach sucked in.

I'm pretty sure the 3 or 6 month thing is a minimum, not a maximum.

My dietitian gave me a goal of taking 20-30 minutes to finish a meal by taking small bites and chewing really thoroughly. I'm really struggling with this and I know it's an essential skill for WLS. I frankly just want to wolf my food down and I know I can't keep doing that. What are some things you did or found helpful to master this skill?

Welcome! You are thinking so many of the things I've thought - I think most of us here can relate. When I think about my fears, I try to think about how many of the other people on this site have handled their surgeries just fine. So many here are doing so well with weight loss and improved quality of life that I have a lot of excitement about the process to balance out my apprehensions.

This is exactly how my first meeting went, too, although I have a 3-month supervised diet. I was so nervous beforehand that my BP was 174/80! But I left the office feeling optimistic about the journey ahead.

A trip to the ER with a blood pressure of 190/110 was the thing that had me Googling WLS. It took a few more months before I got up the courage to start talking about my weight with my psychologist. Not surgery per se, just my weight and all the limitations and risks it places on me. One day he finally said, "What about weight loss surgery?" and I finally felt it was OK to start getting the ball rolling. I admitted that I'd been reading the bariatric surgery blog of the hospital and wanted to sign up for an info session. I'd previously been feeling like WLS meant I was giving up on myself, but in talking to him, I realized it was actually giving myself permission to take my life back.

I can't wait to put something other than a headshot as my Facebook profile photo. I can't wait to take up just one seat on the bus. I can't wait to go off my blood pressure medication. I can't wait to be excited about my upcoming clinicals instead of nervous about whether or not I have the physical stamina to keep up with my classmates. I can't wait to do yoga and fit in the poses again and actually have a body that can twist and bend without discomfort and do sun salutations without getting exhausted. Maybe I'll even become one of those people with a full-body yoga pose Facebook photo!

You are FAR from the only one of us who has an unsupportive family. When I told my father I was going to have WLS, he snapped, "Why don't you get some Botox while you're at it?" He views WLS as vanity-oriented and unnecessary, when it's anything but in my case. I'm doing this because I don't want to die young from a hypertension-induced cerebral hemorrhage like my grandfather, or develop type 2 diabetes like my dad, or become completely bedbound from osteoarthritis like my mom, or develop congestive heart failure like my cousin, etc., etc., etc. You know YOUR reasons for your WLS, and those are the only reasons you need. As others have said, you have us, and this site is available 24/7 anytime you need it. And you're not the only one with a history of bad depression....I went through a horrible time where I barely left my house, too, and lost most of my friends. It gets better. I swear it does. You'll gain so much confidence when you lose weight and be able to do so many more things, and hence make new friends along the way.

I have GERD and I'm getting the sleeve. My surgeon said that in most cases if GERD is caused by the extra weight on your abdomen (which mine is - I've been a yo-yo dieter and I've never had GERD when I've been thin), it will most likely resolve after weight loss. If it's caused by something structural with your stomach/esophagus, it might get worse, hence the pre-surgery GI clearance. Of course all of this is Your Mileage May Vary because we're all different, but he said that's what the general trend in his patients has been.

and she immediately said, "I'm so happy for you!" I'd been a little worried, but I wanted her to know in case my psych evaluator contacted her. She said she's had many patients who have had the sleeve and have done very well on it. Whew! Now to tell the first of my friends on Sunday.... (gulp)

Unfortunately, my surgeon's group requires that you go with one of their designated psychologists instead of your own, which is annoying because otherwise I'd definitely have just had mine write a letter. The nurse at my surgeon's office said their evaluation is just to see that you understand the changes you'll be going through and have some support from someone in your life. That someone can be a mental health professional, friend, or family member, so I'm happy because I'm pretty much set as far as that's concerned with my psychiatrist immediately supporting me. My parents were initially not happy when I told them, so I'm relieved that I have someone in my corner.

The friend in question is my best friend, whom I've known for twenty years. I'm pretty sure she'd be hurt if I didn't tell her and she only found out after I'd had the surgery (she'd certainly notice my weight loss and how much less I'm eating). I only plan to tell one other friend besides her. Everyone else, I have a Mind Your Own Business policy.

I think this differs from surgeon to surgeon. I was told I'm having a 1-2 day hospitalization. If you are really uncomfortable with day surgery (and I can see why you would be), try asking your surgeon if you can stay overnight for a day or two. S/he might be willing to accommodate you.

First of all congrats on the 18 pounds in one month - that is terrific! I second the suggestion to call your team. A lot of us have been told to eat and track to a certain Protein target and fill up with protein first, and the rest falls into place, more or less (at least until we hit the dreaded stall). See what your dietitian and/or surgeon suggest.

Welcome! So far I've only told my parents and I'm on the fence about whether or not to tell two friends I'm doing this, so I'm in the same boat. My parents feel highly ambivalent at best about my upcoming surgery, so I feel weird after talking to them about it because I know it makes them uncomfortable.

It depends on your surgeon and your insurance. Most likely you are looking at 3-6 months of a supervised diet, plus a slew of medical tests and a psych evaluation to make sure your body and mind can handle the surgery. I went to my info session on 2/22 and my surgeon thinks I'll be ready by June or July.

I would definitely consider this a good thing!

Awesome!

I've been reading this book and have found it VERY helpful. Thanks for putting it together.

I think most thinner people honestly don't know how backhanded their compliments are, e.g., "Wow, you've lost a TON of weight!" and "You have such a pretty FACE." They haven't walked in our shoes and just can't see it. It sounds like she's been supportive of you before, so I would look at those actions rather than her probably unintended insensitive words.

I'm also afraid my PCP won't write the required letter for my insurance. But if you're clear about the ways your weight is affecting your health, and that you know what the WLS process entails, it's very likely you'll get the referral. Of course I have to keep reminding myself of this as well!

It was so much less intimidating than I thought it would be! My surgeon and insurance don't require a specific amount of weight to lose aside from the two-week 1000 cal max diet right before the operation. I was terrified I would have to strictly justify everything I ate to an obsessive degree. Instead I was told to hit the 60-90g Protein target every day, sample different protein powders and shakes, to slow down eating so that a meal takes me 20-30 minutes to eat, to practice sipping Water slowly, and to start the protein first, veggies next, carbs only if you're still hungry pattern. And no meal skipping (I tend to skip breakfast). She said most people naturally start to lose weight even pre-surgery when they start these habits. I'll have a weigh-in next month but it doesn't sound like it'll be Draconian.