Neri

I really like that analogy! I hope you don't mind if I borrow it for the next time someone tells me that surgery is "the easy way out".

I'm only about halfway through my surgeon's program to get my surgery, but your story is similar to mine in some ways. Still, one of the things that I'm doing to fight my food addiction is actually right here on this forum. See my profile picture? That's one of my engagement photos. I was absolutely horrified when I got the photos back and finally saw how big I am compared to him. His arms can't even wrap around me. I decided on surgery because I felt like I've tried everything else, but I still want to spend a long life with him. So, to keep myself going, I put one of my engagement photos someplace at work and at home where I will see it every day as a reminder to myself of part of the reason why I'm doing this.

How exciting! Congratulations!

Maybe this is just me, but some of the questions I asked my surgeon when I first met him are: -"How long have you been doing this?" -"Around how many surgeries have you done?" -"About how many patients are successful with this program?" These questions will help you get a feel for the surgeon and the program that they follow. At least in my experience, I've noticed that different groups seem to do their programs slightly differently. For example, the first surgeon that I was going to only did the bare minimum for insurance. However, the surgeon I'm going I'm going to now requires three extra nutritionist appointments as well as three support group meetings both before and after surgery. Also, if the surgeon you're thinking about going to has an introductory group meeting, even if it's optional, I recommend going to it. Even if you've done a lot of research, you may still walk away having learned something new!

I've recently gotten back into belly dancing, something that I've missed dearly for years. It's become my form of exercise, but now I'm curious. For those of you who've already had surgery, how long was it before you felt you could get dancing again?

Go for it! I have a teacher, but I know you can find great instructional videos even on youtube. It's so much fun!

I'm so sorry you had such a terrible experience, but I am glad that healing is going well for you! I do agree with madscientistmommy and Frustr8 though. You should try to find a surgeon near you. They'll be able to better help you with your nutrition needs and, as Frustr8 said, help you find peace with what's been done.

I live in Shippenville, PA, though I'm getting my sleeve done in Erie.

Hello everyone! I could use some tips on managing my insulin resistance. So, I received a call the other day from my surgeon's office saying that my bloodwork showed that I have insulin resistance (something that I've known for years that I have and told him that I have...but whatever) and that he wants to put me on Metformin. Normally I'd be fine with this; however, Metformin makes me ill. I was on it for years, all sorts of dosages and even the extended release, but nothing changed the fact that I would get nauseous and occasionally vomit. I'm going to be seeing him in a few days, but I was wondering, for those of you with insulin resistance how do you manage it? I would like to go to my appointment with some ideas so my surgeon and I can come up with a game plan together.

I don't have an endocrinologist, nor do I actually have full-blown diabetes. My insulin resistance is being caused by PCOS.

I've heard of people drinking diluted apple cider vinegar. I've never tried it myself though. I've also never heard of taking chromium supplements. I may have to bring that up to my surgeon. Thank you!

I would think that it's normal to be nervous, but I'm sure you'll do fine. Congrats!

Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum, so I wanted to introduce myself. You can call me Neri. I'm a 26-year-old female from Pennsylvania. I've had issues with my weight since I was young, mainly due to PCOS and a few other issues. Really, I've been trying to lose weight since middle school. I feel like I tried everything! Atkins, Weight Watchers, counting calories, Nutrisystem, etc. I actually made my decision to have a bypass and started on the journey two years ago. However, between losing trust in my surgeon, changes in my insurance, and general life putting everything on hold, I ended up stopping. Now that everything is settled, I found a new surgeon and am looking forward to starting the journey once more.