hwequestrian

Anyone out there in your 20s? I’m 25. I’m slightly embarrassed to be so young needing surgery, but I’m happy to have a chance to enjoy the rest of my 20s as a healthy person.

My name is Carly, and I’m new here. I’m from Oklahoma and pursuing WLS at Bailey Bariatrics in Owasso. I attended my center’s seminar on October 11th, and I had my first appointment on October 22nd. I just want to start somewhat of a journal to publicly keep track of my progress toward my WLS. My updates may be long, and I welcome anyone else who has information or questions to post here as well. My first appointment went well. We went over my medical history, talked about the process and what challenges we may run into (my family medical history of heart problems and my bipolar 2 disorder). I also had labs drawn. We get binders with loads of information and a pre-op checklist, which I think will help with my impatience. I spent about an hour looking through it today to soak in as much info as possible. Today I received a phone call to schedule my chest X-rays, liver ultrasound, and pulmonary function test. I’ll have all three tests on November 15th. My next NP appointment for my medically supervised weight loss program is on November 19. My center also provides support groups that I will start attending monthly from November up to and after surgery (might as well start now!). I’m looking forward to the whole process. I’m trying to wipe my brain clean for a fresh slate to take in the education given in the next several months leading up to surgery. Here’s to hoping for WLS in the next 6 months! Anyone else just starting their journey want to be pre-op buddies?

ONE-derlanddddd!! 199.7lbs this morning!

200 POUNDS! That’s right, I’m 200lbs on the dot this morning! I had a small gain for two days, I think due to weight training inflammation. But now I’m headed down again!

It’s official!! I’m down 20lbs and 10.5” as of this morning! Also sore as all get out from the ankle weights lol. I’m only 1.5lbs away from my “before school” weight goal, so I’m spending the next two weeks focusing solely on core control and muscle building. I have no doubt the weight will come off for me to achieve my goal of under 200 the day I leave. I do expect that if I continue the same weight loss trend I will be somewhere around 170lbs and “only” considered overweight when I come home from my 12 week course. Main goals for the coming 2-4 weeks: 1. I’ve not shown any change in my arm measurements which are my most insecure body part. So I’ll be working on my triceps to combat loose skin and hopefully bring the size down. 2. I really need core strength for a manual labor job so I don’t injure myself. I’m working on that with a plank and glute bridge challenge (will give details if anyone is interested). 3. Overall muscle building so I don’t feel weak working with difficult horses. The last thing I want is to seem like I’m struggling because I’m overweight or because I’m a woman. 4 days per week of weight lifting. Arms/shoulders, legs, back, and one full body day. My core workouts will be daily, so I won’t have a separate day for that. If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading! I hope that if anyone is unable to have surgery, they find this thread and feel inspired not to give up!

I’m officially down 18 lbs! I’ve only got 3lbs to ONE-derland, and two weeks until school. I got a couple of things to assist me in my journey. I bought a waist trainer band to encourage more sweat and heat build up during workouts. I used it for the first time today. It forced me to engage my core during my workout, and it encourages good posture, because it’s uncomfortable to slump over on it. Win/win! I also bought ankle weights to wear while I’m walking around the house for chores. They’re good for weighted leg lifts, flutter kicks, pedal crunches, and other exercises that require you to lift your feet from the ground. Disclaimer: I don’t recommend the weights for jogging or running due to the high possibility of injury with bad running form from fatigue.

Two NSVs in one day! 1. I can stand in the doorways of our mobile home (they’re narrower than normal doors) without touching the frame on either side! 2. I can cross my legs without picking one up and pulling it onto the other!

Small victory.. I edit ALL of my pictures before posting on social media. In my opinion, I’m decent at photoshopping myself to look 20-30lbs smaller. I took a picture with my son and husband on Thursday and didn’t edit it before giving him the O.K. to post on Facebook :0 Also including a picture from last night because I didn’t edit it either, and we both look better.. My son looks drunk in the picture. He was just chocolate wasted lol.

BTW we had nasty weather in my area on my appointment day for the dietician and exercise specialist, so I had to move those appointments to February (that’s the earliest they could do. I will have to move them out even further, at least May, because of my class being Monday-Saturday and 4 hours away from my weight loss center.

Update: I have lost 14lbs total and 6 inches in the last two weeks! Ive had several NSVs! 1. I’ve gone down a jean size and can wear some shirts one size down as well. 2. I felt like running down the driveway to take some trash to the dumpster a few days ago, so I ran there and back (about 60 yards) without losing my breath! 3. I’m able to get on my horses easier. Less strain on them makes us both happier. 4. I’ve noticed my face is getting thinner. 5. I’ve had only 2-3 days of feeling bloated. 6. I’m feeling better mentally on a consistent basis. I have applied and been accepted to a Horseshoeing school for 12 weeks starting February 4th. I’ll be on my feet about 7 hours per day doing manual labor, so I expect the weight loss will be dramatic. I’m also hoping that I get to ONE-derland before I leave for school, which should be a reasonable goal if I continue the trend I’ve been on. I’ve started a goal list where I hit a goal every 2-4 pounds. I’m doing this because 5lbs may take 2-3 weeks, and I want to feel successful as often as possible. I’ve gone back through medical records to give myself encouragement (ex: I hit 208lbs yesterday. The last time I weighed 208 lbs was December 2016). This helps me because I imagine myself reversing the damage I’ve done to my body instead of feeling like it’s a long journey ahead. Anyway, long post so if you’re still here, thank you for reading! I will update as soon as I hit the 15lb total loss that I’m expecting in the next couple of days!

Hello! Those are amazing results! I didn’t end up qualifying for surgery, but I’m staying with BMC to continue non-surgical. I’ve lost 11lbs so far 😊 I actually live halfway between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, so Owasso is about an hour and a half away. I think it’s worth the drive for the staff there

Hello, and welcome! Have you attended a seminar with your surgery center? I received a notebook with tons of information at my seminar.

I’ve always been the kind of person to explain my motives before and after I cross the road, whether questioned or not 😂 I can’t help it!

Okay, I left. I deleted the app and walked away. I thought after getting the news that I wouldn’t have surgery I’d take sometime before trying to lose weight. BUT I’ve waited long enough. I didn’t feel that staying would help anyone since this is a bariatric surgery forum, but I’ve come to a few new realizations in the last month. 1. There will be others in this forum who don’t end up having their surgery, for many different reasons. You are not alone! You can still lose the weight! 2. It is still 100% necessary to continue to see your medical weight loss team for accountability and guidance. 3. Your mindset MUST change in order for you to change. This is not a diet. This is a lifestyle change. It sounds cliche until you wake up one morning and think “This change is not temporary. I can no longer be the way I have been in the past.” SO I don’t want to leave the forum, and I prefer to continue on the pre-op thread. Some, like me, will never make it to the post-op threads. I feel that my presence in this place will be a reassurance to those in the same boat. UPDATE: In 27 days, I have lost 10lbs! I’ve cut my calories down to 1000-1200 per day, and I’m walking for an hour a few times per week. I will see a dietician and exercise specialist on Thursday, and I imagine they’ll want me to bump up my calorie intake and exercise more. What I’ve been doing is a good jumpstart, and if it stays the same I’ll be satisfied as well. I will post then if any changes are made!

Well, the surgery won’t be an option for me, so I’ll be moving to non-surgical threads. I will be continuing to go to Bailey Medical Center in Owasso as a non-surgical patient. Good luck to everyone pursuing surgery!

Okay, so I got a call from my doctor yesterday. I missed her call because my baby was sleeping and I didn’t want to wake him. She left a message that my sleep study came back negative and she’ll see me next month. But at our appointment she wrote in her note that I had to have sleep apnea to qualify for surgery.. then she diagnosed me with hypertension and prescribed meds. So I called back and didn’t get an answer. Called my navigator and she said the doctor decides if hypertension can be used and she or the doctor will let me know something by Monday. Then I got an email from the navigator today that I needed a different form of medical records for my weight history. I’ll attach that email with this post. I took it as I needed a 2 year recorded history of weight loss specific visits. Also, I went over a 35 BMI in January or February of 2017, so I was thinking we’d be good if the surgery was in 2019, but she said 2016 and 2017 records.... Sorry, I swear there’s a point. I called insurance, and they confirmed that: 1. The two year history can be ANY physicians visit notes whether they’re weight loss visits or not. 2. The two year history is the two years prior to the actual surgery. 3. The doctor decides what comorbidity qualifies you for the surgery. In closing, I’m at the mercy of the clinic. In my opinion, I do qualify without question. I just need the doctor to agree with me that although my blood pressure isn’t “very high” that it is clinically high.

Did you need a CPAP machine afterwards? I got an email from the doctor who looked at my sleep study results and he said “you do not have a significant amount of obstructive sleep apnea and CPAP is not needed”. I assume that means I won’t qualify on that, but I’ll wait until I get a call from the center to cry about it LOL I’ve officially been diagnosed with hypertension and prescribed medication for it. They’re saying that won’t qualify me, but in the same breath they say hypertension is one of the top 3 comorbidities they use. I’m not sure what to think just yet.

Thank you, FlyAwayFree. I didn’t think of it that way at all. I’m a pessimist, surprise 😂 I do have sleep issues and take meds to help me fall asleep and stay asleep. I’m about to go into my appointment at Bailey. Pretty nervous and hoping for some answers today. I’m a high anxiety person with the unknown. I thought going into this that my 2 year recorded history of high bp automatically qualified me. According to my navigator that’s not the case. I’m really hoping we’ve just had a misunderstanding or she’s misinformed. Anyway, I’ll post after my appointment. I just wanted to pop in and update so I can have a log of all my feelings through the process.

I haven’t been on in a while. My navigator said that they can’t use hypertension for my comorbidity since it hasn’t been officially diagnosed, even though I have medical records with high blood pressure for 2 years. They said we’re basically relying on a sleep apnea diagnosis. So I had my sleep study on Friday night. I slept for 5-6 hours. It was supposed to be a split night study “if there was a need”. Well I wasn’t woken up partway through the night for the cpap titration, so I don’t have a lot of hope that’ll pan out. If not, I will pursue the hypertension diagnosis. Not sure why we can’t diagnose hypertension now and be set, but we can diagnose sleep apnea if it’s present and be set. 🧐 I have some tests scheduled for Thursday, but I don’t think they want me to go through with that testing until we have results for a comorbidity. Aside from those tests, I have my next monthly appointment on Monday the 19th, so I assume we’ll be discussing my options then. I’m praying for peace with any bit of news. If the surgery isn’t in the cards for me, I’m planning some big moves into endurance racing with my horse.

I rode one of my horses yesterday.. My riding skills have declined as I gained weight the last few years. Not to brag, but I used to be able to ride the hair off a horse. I could ride 10-20 miles and be ready for more. Yesterday, I realized that I’m no longer riding, just trying not to fall off. All I could think about while trying to enjoy spending time with Button was how unstable I feel in the saddle. I’m so ready to get this weight off. My struggle the past month has been knowing that I can’t lose more than 10lbs in my pre-op supervised diet stage. That’s 3 more months from now that I can’t really try to lose weight or I won’t qualify for surgery anymore. I’ve started taking some small steps to eating better like putting my protein first, drinking more water, and cutting out soda. Hopefully these changes will help me feel like I’m helping myself some without losing too much weight. These feelings are so conflicting! Then again, I’ve tried in the past to lose weight and it didn’t work. I don’t know why I’m scared I’ll lose too much now 😂 (BTW- I realize some surgeons only count your starting weight. Mine does not. My insurance needs weights from each of these appointments.)

Aren’t we all younger in our minds?! I have a child and still feel like a child myself 🤷🏼‍♀️😂

I have a nurse friend who had the band and nearly died because it eroded, broke, and punctured her intestines. Not trying to scare you out of it, but it’s worth thinking about. Ultimately, your surgeon has performed (hopefully) many of the surgeries. I’m hoping for a sleeve but will go with whatever my surgeon recommends. He is the expert. The time it takes to prepare for the surgery is so worth it to be healthy. I’d jump through hoops for a year if I had to. I’m not sure about the GERD. There’s a lot of people on this forum that have it, so I’m sure they can offer insight. My clinic did mention at their seminar that bypass is the best option for people with GERD. As for excess skin, I feel it would be worth it to pay for it when you’re able to. Some people don’t even have excess skin, but it is best to expect it and accept it. Then if you don’t have excess, it’s a bonus. Start saving now, then in about 2.5 years you’ll be ready to have that skin removed if you have it. Both physically and financially.

I’d take something to get things moving. Rather have a large BM before surgery than be backed up and pass it after 😬😰

BTW she struggled with being at home alone on the liquid diet. I guess going back to work took her mind off of it some. She worked an office job at the time as well.

I haven’t had my surgery, but my mom had her sleeve on a Thursday, had a visit with surgeon on Friday, then went back to work the following Monday. I’m sure it depends from person to person, but the surgeon at my clinic’s seminar said the average person takes a week off.