Sophie2017

There are alot of studies that are finding correlations between ADHD and obesity. Reading those studies is exactly what prompted me to reach out and start my weight loss journey. It's too much to post here but below are a few links that you might find helpful. The cliff notes version goes people with ADD/ ADHD have problems with impulse control and how their brain process "rewards". Our brains just aren't wired the same was as other people's so it can be more challenging to make good healthy food choices when your brain wants nothing but cheese fries. Ghrelin the hunger hormone that is produced in the part of your stomach that will be removed in the sleeve surgery communicates with your brain to tell you that your hungry. In obese people there is already a flaw in the communication that is now further compounded by ADD/ADHD. My motivation for surgery was the removal of the part of stomach that is producing the majority of the Ghrelin and the hope that the reduction in that creates a better balance with my dopamine receptors. As I see it as long as that is there im fighting and unwinable fight against brain chemistry with one arm tied behind my back. My hope is once that is removed then I can use my medications and my ADD coping techniques to help me stay on track. I have a similar story to yours and was diagnosed at 25 years old. I was put on stimulant medication and initially I lost almost 50 lbs. My favorite part in the beginning was it switched off the part of my brain that dreamed and plotted over food if you gave me a salad for lunch that was my lunch and I ate it and didn't give it another thought. An ADD/ADHD brain on the other hand might decide even though you have brought this salad its now 12:15 and I want a burger and then down the rabbit hole you might go and the salad is long forgotten. Couple that with appetite suppressing side effect and your will lose weight. But as someone stated above eventually your body will adjust to the meds and you will lose some ( not all) of the effect. I started meds at 300 lbs and got down to 254lbs. When I had to take a different job that didn't offer health insurance so I could no longer afford my medications I gained it all back. My meds have not helped me lose any weight in the long run but i do credit them with stopping me from gaining any more. Before meds I was putting on about 15 lbs per year. My advice would be to not give up on WLS just yet. Your bio does not list your weight but I am going to assume that if your here and seriously considering surgery your BMI is 35 or higher. Any weight lost from medication / treatment of your ADHD is not going to reach the amount you would need to fall into the "normal" BMI range. You will definitely need to work with your Psychiatrist to determine the best course of action for treating your ADHD and that can take some time to find the right combination of therapy, coping techniques, and medication. I would also recommend reaching out to a counselor/ psychologist who specializes in adult ADD/ADHD coping techniques. Just like WLS is a tool for you to use in your weight loss but you have to make the dietary and behavior modifications to ultimately be successful long term. You should look at stimulant medication the same way- its just a tool to use to manage your ADHD but should be part of a larger plan. Here are those links. www.additudemag.com is a great website on its own to give you tips and tricks for managing and some explanations for why you do and say and act the way you do that will probably lead to some major aaha moments. https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-obesity-how-to-end-binge-eating/ https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-obesity-hard-wired-for-weight-gain/ https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/adhd-obesity-link/

I live alone in an apartment that requires two flights of stairs, and has no elevator access. My 70 year old mother is going to be helping me after surgery but I really don't want to put her in a situation of having to go up and down the stairs to run errands or worse helping me up those stairs after surgery. So my current plan is to go home from the hospital to my parents home that is about a 3 hour car ride away ( I feel like its worth mentioning this would be mostly on I-95 through the DC metro area). At their home I would have a bedroom and bathroom on the first level of the home and would not have to tackle stairs until I was ready, I would also be around my family for support, assistance and distraction. My questions is for anyone who had to travel multiple hours in a car after surgery. Is it too ambitious to think I can do it on the day I am released from the hospital and should we get a hotel room for the night ( or more)? Anyone who did attempt a same day journey is there anything you can recommend to make it more comfortable etc.

Hi everyone I have been lurking for the last couple of months and have finally decided to post. Sorry its a little long I started my journey in March and at that time my boyfriend and I were just approaching our 9 month anniversary and just starting to think about " future plans" . At the time I wasn't sure if I would actually go through with the decision to have WLS and even if I did, If i would even be approved so I choose not to tell him about what was happening. Fast forward and I just finished month #5 of nutrition counseling and I have my final doctors appt in August and then we submit everything for approval and schedule surgery. In the meantime my boyfriend has now become my fiancee and we have set a wedding date of August 2018. He actually wanted to get married earlier but I used our venues popularity and busy schedule to push out the wedding date because I knew what was on the horizon and I wanted to make sure I could give my WLS all of my attention before the wedding planning stress took over. My fiancee has always been thin and his career in the Army means staying physically fit is part of his job description. As someone who has spent my whole life in varying classifications of "chubby --->obese " , my weight has been a lifelong constant struggle. Its at the forefront of every decision I make, every place I go, and every fear I have. One of the things I have enjoyed most about this site is for the first time in my life I found a community of people who know the struggle and the fear the being overweight brings. A perfect example this past weekend I went to a BBQ at a friends house and the only chairs they had were those flimsy aluminum framed folding ones with a woven seat of fabric and prayers to keep you from falling through. I spent the whole BBQ standing and having to make up varying excuses about my back bothering me when I sat down and how it felt better when I could stand and move around whenever my fiancee insisted I take his seat. Worrying about whether you can fit in a chair, or worse if it can support your weight is not a thought that would ever cross his mind. That neural pathway only exists in a "fat brain". In every other area my fiancee and I are very compatible. We agree on all the big things- religion, politics, money, children, and most of the little things too like what to watch on TV tonight and where to vacation every year. For the most part we have a very open and honest relationship with each other and I don't want to jeopardize that. My struggles with my weight however have always been something I kept very private and I have not wanted to share them with anyone. If I am honest I still don't but the rational side of my brain knows that I need to tell my fiancee about what has been going on and my plans for WLS this fall. While I do believe it's ultimately my decision to make, I know it will effect his life too- first since its a major surgery with all the normal associate risks of that but even more with the changes to my ( and by default his lifestyle), I won't be able to go out restaurants the way we use to or sit on our patio on a Friday night an share a bottle of wine (at least in the near future) . I plan to tell the least number of people in my life ( parents, brother, and fiancee) so by default I am also going to be making him complicit in the cover up. It feels very unfair to put him in that position and I really wish that I did not have to but the alternative of not telling him feels far more destructive to our relationship and ultimately impossible to pull off without being caught. *** I know there are alot of people on here tell everyone they meet about there WLS and for them that works and I think it great. That is not something I am okay with, I have ADHD and there are only 7 people who know ( well and now all of you...shhhh don't tell). After my diagnosis at 23 I refrained from telling anyone other than my parents, while I got a handle on what it meant. It was the BEST decision I could have made. When people hear ADHD they make assumption about who you are, they range from a scatterbrained disorganized person all the way to someone who is just lazy and looking for an excuse to get out of things, to the worst ones that your just an addict with a made up problem, or the child of parents who would rather drug their kids than discipline them. It's amazing what people will say around you when they don't realize you have ADHD. That's always the kicker for me, it never occurs to them because I don't fit the image they have in their head of ADHD. Once they know however, you can't unring that bell. Everything you do from that point on is painted in that brush. While it would be nice to have mind reading capabilities and know someones viewpoint and prejudices on a topic that's not possible so I keep it close to the vest and have only told additional people over the years when I was comfortable. I plan on doing the exact same thing with WLS surgery and using the upcoming wedding as the default answer if people ask about my weight loss. Which brings me to my questions 1. how and when have people told there significant others about the decision to have WLS ? 2. how did you approach telling a "thin brain" person , in order to help them see the world through a "fat brain" ? 3. has anyone had issues in there relationships because of resentment over having to keep your secret?