I Don't Know How You Did It?

[FatGirlSlim 115]

I just dont know how you guys did this waiting thing. I have a month and 1 week to go...to be exact I have 36 days, 19 hours, 48 minutes, and 36....35.....34 seconds before I have my surgery.... yes I have a ticker on my phone... that may be part of my problem right there.....having the dang ticker... but I promise I only check it every other day :DDD

I wish that I could just go tomorrow... but this wait is killing me...so can someone tell me how you coped or how are you coping with the wait??? I am so ready for this life changing event to get started that I think of it constantly...

help me

[Vance_ 217]

I know it seems like a long time, but in 6 months, this time will have seemed like a blip on the radar. Hang in there and congrats!

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

I just dont know how you guys did this waiting thing. I have a month and 1 week to go...to be exact I have 36 days, 19 hours, 48 minutes, and 36....35.....34 seconds before I have my surgery....

FatGirlSlim

hi there, welcome to the board. It seems like forever that we have to wait before WLS i know. I have heard some people are really lucky and get surgery quickly after approval, but i think thats few and far between. Oh well.

I had been waiting over a month or so for surgery. DOS was all set for 12/6/11. I was called a couple of days before surgery and i was told surgery needed to be re-scheduled. Oh nooooo. i was so upset. DOS was now 12/15/11 - not too bad but.......

Back to you!!!! I didn't have any secret in waiting - i just had to do it!!! Actually, its hard to believe but the last few days before surgery, i thought of so many things to keep me busy. Don't have kids, accept DH i was anticipating being sore and weak after coming home from WLS so i wanted to get some stuff done.

I colored my hair and got a haircut too! before surgery.....bunch of other little stuff too., just can't remember

Time will pass, i know thats easier said then done. Must be patient in your wait, will be worth it. in the end.

Best wishes

kathy

[ChaChaBurch 60]

After I decided to go forward with surgery, time seemed to sloooooow down to almost nothing. The closer to the surgery date, the slower it went! I tried just about everything to keep me occupied so I wouldn't constantly obsess about it. But the date finally arrived, and now I'm 3 weeks post-op. Looking back it seems like time really flew (of course). I spent a HUGE amount of time going through this website trying to absorb just about as much information as I could so that I would be mentally prepared. I know it seems the same for you right now, but it will go by a lot faster than you can believe - just stay busy doing any and everything that you can. Good Luck - and let us know how you're doing!

[FatGirlSlim 115]

trying to stay busy and all that stuff...of course with 7 kids that shouldnt be hard right..plus a full time job....

I am going to make it through though. I figure once I hit that 2 weeks before surgery when I have to start that pre-op diet, things are going to become real for me... and I will be even more miserable

thanks for the advice though

[ChaChaBurch 60]

I just dont know how you guys did this waiting thing. I have a month and 1 week to go...to be exact I have 36 days, 19 hours, 48 minutes, and 36....35.....34 seconds before I have my surgery.... yes I have a ticker on my phone... that may be part of my problem right there.....having the dang ticker... but I promise I only check it every other day :DDD

I wish that I could just go tomorrow... but this wait is killing me...so can someone tell me how you coped or how are you coping with the wait??? I am so ready for this life changing event to get started that I think of it constantly...

help me

Another thing, have you found the "May 2012 Sleevers" forum group yet? You can get a LOT of support from there and follow along with other "Sleevers" that have surgery the same time you do. Just go to Monthly Gastric Sleeve Support, look for "2012" and then scroll down to find your month. That's where I've found the greatest cheerleaders and support for me.

[SKCUNNINGHAM 298]

Here are some things you might want to do to put time before your surgery to good use:

• Go through all the clothes you have stashed in your house. Organize them by size. After surgery, you are going to be dropping weight fast, and will need to move out of your current clothes that fit into the smaller sized ones. You don't want to buy stuff needlessly if you have clothes that fit stashed somewhere.
  
• Figure out a plan on what you are going to do with your fat clothes as you shrink out of them. GET RID OF THEM in some way. I donated mine to a thrift store that supports a women shelter, gave them to a group that puts women back into the workforce (my business suits) and gave them to friends/family that were the size I shrunk out of.
  
• Look to see what you are going to need once you shrink into a certain size. For example, I have to had to have black dress pants and jeans in every size I went through. I had some gaps in my stash of skinnier clothes, because I had given stuff away.
  
• Write yourself a long detailed letter as to why you want the surgery, how you feel being the way you are now (before surgery) and what you are willing to give up to be the person you want to be. Put the letter away, and as you hit bumps in the road during your sleeve journey, you can pull it out and read it.
  
• Take before pictures - and don't be shy. Take some in your underwear or a swimsuit so you can compare your results as you start to shrink. No one else will have to see these (unless you are comfortable sharing).
  
• Take before measurements. You will want to have accurate before statistics, so you can track your inches lost.
  
• Get a copy of the book "The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients". Read it and start working through the material. It really helped me.
  
• Do some soul-searching. Try to figure out what your relationship with food is, and has been the reason for your problems. Start planning how you will deal with the emotional triggers when numbing yourself with food is no longer an option for you. Read some books on emotional eating (if that's an issue with you). The surgeon operates on your stomach, not your brain - you have to work on that part. Everyone is different here. The earlier you get a handle on your issues and start working on them, the better.
  
• Start working on your behaviors that you will have to practice after your sleeve. Stop drinking sodas and other carbonated beverages. Stop drinking when you eat. Start waiting 30 minutes after you eat to drink anything. Start drinking 64 ounces of calorie free liquid each day. Start reducing the junk food and carbs that you eat. Start reducing (or stop eating) sugar. The earlier you embrace these habits, the better for you.
  

The time will pass quickly. Good Luck!

Sharon

[NancyJerry 139]

My wait was very similar to ChaCha's. And I'm almost 3 weeks post, too. Yeah, looking back that seems to have flown a lot faster than waiting to get out of my soft-food phase

But now it seems like everything is a "I can't wait until....". I can't wait until I am in the 180's. I can't wait to have the strength and endurance to try jogging. I can't wait..., I can't wait...., I can't wait.....

I guess the bottom line is journal a lot so you can look back and appreciate the WHOLE journey!

Good luck to you and keep us posted!

[FatGirlSlim 115]

Here are some things you might want to do to put time before your surgery to good use:

• Go through all the clothes you have stashed in your house. Organize them by size. After surgery, you are going to be dropping weight fast, and will need to move out of your current clothes that fit into the smaller sized ones. You don't want to buy stuff needlessly if you have clothes that fit stashed somewhere.
  
• Figure out a plan on what you are going to do with your fat clothes as you shrink out of them. GET RID OF THEM in some way. I donated mine to a thrift store that supports a women shelter, gave them to a group that puts women back into the workforce (my business suits) and gave them to friends/family that were the size I shrunk out of.
  
• Look to see what you are going to need once you shrink into a certain size. For example, I have to had to have black dress pants and jeans in every size I went through. I had some gaps in my stash of skinnier clothes, because I had given stuff away.
  
• Write yourself a long detailed letter as to why you want the surgery, how you feel being the way you are now (before surgery) and what you are willing to give up to be the person you want to be. Put the letter away, and as you hit bumps in the road during your sleeve journey, you can pull it out and read it.
  
• Take before pictures - and don't be shy. Take some in your underwear or a swimsuit so you can compare your results as you start to shrink. No one else will have to see these (unless you are comfortable sharing).
  
• Take before measurements. You will want to have accurate before statistics, so you can track your inches lost.
  
• Get a copy of the book "The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients". Read it and start working through the material. It really helped me.
  
• Do some soul-searching. Try to figure out what your relationship with food is, and has been the reason for your problems. Start planning how you will deal with the emotional triggers when numbing yourself with food is no longer an option for you. Read some books on emotional eating (if that's an issue with you). The surgeon operates on your stomach, not your brain - you have to work on that part. Everyone is different here. The earlier you get a handle on your issues and start working on them, the better.
  
• Start working on your behaviors that you will have to practice after your sleeve. Stop drinking sodas and other carbonated beverages. Stop drinking when you eat. Start waiting 30 minutes after you eat to drink anything. Start drinking 64 ounces of calorie free liquid each day. Start reducing the junk food and carbs that you eat. Start reducing (or stop eating) sugar. The earlier you embrace these habits, the better for you.
  

The time will pass quickly. Good Luck!

Sharon

great list!!!!! thanks

[BeatrizS1974<3 sleeve 94]

The waiting game is horrible. I for one am going nuts especially since my insurance hasn't given me the final say on whether i will have to do a 3 month or 6 month supervised diet. I am currently on month 2 my third appointment with the NUT is May 8. So either i am having surgery sometime in June or September. Not knowing is going to put me in the looney bin because at this point i just want it DONE already. I read the boards every day both hear and on OH and when i read the posts about having a date for surgery It makes me want my date even more .... wa wa wa I know pull out the violin right?

[FatGirlSlim 115]

The waiting game is horrible. I for one am going nuts especially since my insurance hasn't given me the final say on whether i will have to do a 3 month or 6 month supervised diet. I am currently on month 2 my third appointment with the NUT is May 8. So either i am having surgery sometime in June or September. Not knowing is going to put me in the looney bin because at this point i just want it DONE already. I read the boards every day both hear and on OH and when i read the posts about having a date for surgery It makes me want my date even more .... wa wa wa I know pull out the violin right?

Call me clueless but what is OH?

[Lissa 2,631]

obesity help message board

[BeatrizS1974<3 sleeve 94]

Its another message board. obesityhelp.com I found that one first when i was on the hunt for info. and about a week or 2 ago i came across this messageboard.