Intake appt. - apparently I'm the perfect candidate for many reasons....

[TracyBar 132]

Monday this week I saw the intake nurse at the Adult Bariatric Clinic. Weight, height, meeting. Weight more than I thought - gulp. Even at this stage, I'm still baffled as to how I got to this weight - so surreal to me.

I did all the online lessons and homework and in addition did 13 online nutrition classes which weren't mandatory. Also brought in the required 3 days of food journalling. What really surprised me was her surprise that I had been so thorough. I was made to understand that it was mandatory to do the online lessons and homework and journalling. She said, well yes, but many people don't bother. Hmmm. They told me that my appointment could be cancelled if I didn't bring it in. This baffled me. But anyway, I spent quite a long time on everything and she said that she felt very confident that I was an excellent candidate for the surgery.

She said that she's sees many people come in that just want the surgery 'tomorrow' and haven't done any preparation work. Outcomes for these people tend to be poor as they don't usually spend the time to become familiar with the surgery and life after. I've also researched it for many months prior to even seeing my GP and getting the ball rolling. My bloodwork is perfect - nothing out of line. I take only one pill currently - 5 mg Lipitor which is 1/2 the lowest dose and my cholesterol is exactly where it should be. I don't have any health issues - other than obesity of course!

So, why am I still SO nervous about moving ahead with this? I asked her "so I appear to be a healthy candidate for this surgery - but does it mean I should have it? Do you try to get people to lose weight with a traditional method one more time so that they can change their mind about surgery?" She said having the surgery is up to me - I'm healthy now, but my weight will most definitely result in serious health issues down the road. Right now I'm healthy so this makes the surgery safer and the outcome better for me. She also said that they do not encourage dieting at all. They'd like people to practice healthy eating habits and journal because those are things I'll need to do for life after the surgery. 2-3 weeks before surgery I'll go on a liquid diet, or some kind of diet to shrink the liver.

Also - I asked if they are able to connect me with a past patient that has had the surgery and would be willing to meet with me. I feel strongly that I need a face-to-face with somebody. She said they do have people in their system that have expressed a willingness to meet people that are going through the process and need to speak with somebody. Hopefully she won't forget to ask somebody - I need to talk to somebody as my anxiety about this surgery has only increased after my meeting.

I see the Dietician next, Psychologist after that and Nurse again - all by mid November. Then about 3 months after that I see a surgeon. Surgery won't be for another 6-8 months after that! Sigh...but as she pointed out it's quicker than most other surgeries - like knee, shoulder, etc.

So - guess I'm really going to do this..... ? (still gotta have a question mark there!)

[blizair09 3,250]

You brought up a lot of really great points in your post. I had to do six months of pre-op diet/nutrition as an insurance requirement. Since I had to do it, I took it very seriously. I followed a low carb/high protein/high healthy fat diet, wrote down EVERYTHING that went into my body for those six months, and lost 99 pounds pre-op (from 397 pounds to 298 pounds on the day of surgery). I completely re-established my relationship with food and THAT EXPERIENCE is what prepared me the most for the sleeve, the second half of my weight loss journey, and the lifetime maintenance that will come after.

You are right. It won't take you long to read posts in these forums where people (both self-funded and insurance-funded) just have this surgery and only make minimal changes. They eat around the sleeve; they never really stop eating things they are not supposed to eat; they focus on how to have foods/drinks they shouldn't have instead of changing habits that were problematic in the past. (And they don't do anything to prepare for the experience, going from eating whatever/whenever to a tough liquid diet to the surgery to the post-op life. Find any number of the posts about "cheating.")

I got sleeved a week ago. I have lost another 11 pounds since then, and I know I am on the right path. I'm going to follow the doctor's plan and I am going to take off the other half of my excess weight and then spend the rest of my life trying to stay at a healthy weight.

I, too, had okay labs before I started all of this. But another two years would have likely brought diabetes, and medication for cholesterol, among other things. I looked at this as God giving me one last chance to fix things. And I took that chance.

I hope you do, too. You definitely sound like you are in the right frame of mind.

All my best to you!

Edited October 6, 2016 by blizair09

[TracyBar 132]

You brought up a lot of really great points in your post. I had to do six months of pre-op diet/nutrition as an insurance requirement. Since I had to do it, I took it very seriously. I followed a low carb/high protein/high healthy fat diet, wrote down EVERYTHING that went into my body for those six months, and lost 99 pounds pre-op (from 397 pounds to 298 pounds on the day of surgery). I completely re-established my relationship with food and THAT EXPERIENCE is what prepared me the most for the sleeve, the second half of my weight loss journey, and the lifetime maintenance that will come after.

You are right. It won't take you long to read posts in these forums where people (both self-funded and insurance-funded) just have this surgery and only make minimal changes. They eat around the sleeve; they never really stop eating things they are not supposed to eat; they focus on how to have foods/drinks they shouldn't have instead of changing habits that were problematic in the past. (And they don't do anything to prepare for the experience, going from eating whatever/whenever to a tough liquid diet to the surgery to the post-op life. Find any number of the posts about "cheating.")

I got sleeved a week ago. I have lost another 11 pounds since then, and I know I am on the right path. I'm going to follow the doctor's plan and I am going to take off the other half of my excess weight and then spend the rest of my life trying to stay at a healthy weight.

I, too, had okay labs before I started all of this. But another two years would have likely brought diabetes, and medication for cholesterol, among other things. I looked at this as God giving me one last chance to fix things. And I took that chance.

I hope you do, too. You definitely sound like you are in the right frame of mind.

All my best to you!

Thank you Blizair09 - such a nice reply :-) Firstly, I think that although they encourage healthy eating and journalling rather than dieting - I will plan to eat regularly (so bad at that), journal and attempt to lose weight. She said if losing weight is the result of the changes I make then it's a bonus. But as you said, the discipline that you lived for 6 months prior to the surgery was invaluable for your success post-op. Your body and mind were well-trained and well prepared for the surgery and the big change afterward. I see a dietician next so I'm sure I'll be learning more.

One thing I didn't mention was with regard to the long wait for the surgery. I said that I worried that my bloodwork may not look quite so good in a year while waiting for the surgery. But there's nothing I can do about it. In Canada, the surgery is free and there is great care before and after for as long as needed. If I were to go self-pay, then it's very hard to get the proper care from the proper specialists. So wait I must!

Congrats on your very healthy approach to your weight loss - you've done so well!