Newbie on the Coast,...

[m-strings 6]

Hi Everyone:

I am new to this forum. I am 50 years old and have been contemplating bariatric surgery on and off for probably a few decades. After my final straw (knees have bone-on-bone arthritis, making walking very difficult), I attended my second weight loss surgery (WLS) seminar with the intention of signing up for the Lap Band procedure. The seminar & surgeon changed my mind and after doing more reading and talking with others who have had WLS, I decided the Gastric Sleeve was the right procedure for me.

Currently I am going through the lengthy pre-op phase. I decided on a surgeon and hospital. I met with the nutritionist and completed the psych eval. I will attend the nutrition class next week and meet with my primary doc the following week. I submitted my weight loss history to the surgeon's office. That was a bit of a feat to compile. Luckily I kept some journals over the years of my numerous attempts to lose weight. I consider myself somewhat of an expert in this area. I have lost nearly 100 lbs many times,... only to gain it all back and then some. (I suspect most of you know this story.)

My surgeon requires that I get an EKG, treadmill test, sleep study, ultrasound, labs, etc. I will be out of town for a training toward the end of October/early November and was hoping I could get these tests completed prior to leaving. It doesn't look like that will happen as I can't order most of the tests until I meet up with my PC. Ah well,... I am practicing patience. But it's not easy. After spending years debating the surgery option, now that I have decided what I want to do, I want it to happen NOW! lol. (I need to work on this.)

I am a little concerned about my current food behavior. I have read people refer to it as having "food funerals". I am certainly in the food grieving stage and not doing such a great job of looking like someone who is serious about losing weight. I understand this is somewhat "normal" though. ("I just want to have one last burger or one more pizza, ...") Not feeling great about my body right now. On the other hand, I am hopeful. I know it is going to be a difficult journey. This is going to be a lifelong change. It's exciting and scary at the same time.

Reading the stories on this website has been very helpful. I especially appreciate those who have come back to post 5+ years out. The long-term success stories are really inspiring! One worries that this surgery is just the latest trend and will be considered barbaric in 20 years to come. (On the other hand, I don't have 20 years to wait for the next latest, greatest weight loss procedure.) So far, I am pretty pleased at the studies I have read and the success stories shared here. Thank you to this community!

This was a long post. If you got to the end, thank you for reading!