M2G

Vicki, glad you are here for support, I'm sorry you aren't getting it from those closest to you. I hope you will find some here. And I do agree that this is major surgery, not sure what constitues 'radical', but I know for me WLS is not something that I just woke up one day and wanted to do. It has been years that I have thought of it, but was always too scared to act on. Having been banded twice, I'm sure you don't want to keep having band surgery. I think you will find a lot of people here who have revised from band to sleeve and much prefer the sleeve over the things they experienced with the band. If you are truly experiencing agony over the decision to have or cancel surgery, is there a therapist that you can reach out to and go for a visit just to talk and clear things out of your head? I'm sure you probably had to have a physch eval just to have the band, or maybe you know of someone who would be willing to listen and give you an objective opinion. Or as Eureka said, to sit and write things down. Good luck with whatever you end up doing, just remember that you are doing this for YOU and no one else.

If I read that correctly, then you are having surgery today! GOOD LUCK! I think everyone goes through that scared and nervous emotion, and don't forget that there is a LOT emotion just surrounding WLS itself. I can totally relate to how you are feeling! I hope everything went well today. Update us when you can.

Welcome! I did the whole "lurking before joining" stuff too! And I also started down this WLS path thinking band. My husband is also doing this surgery (hopefully in Dec.) and it was at his insistance that I do more sleeve research, and part of my research found this forum. A big weight was lifted off my shoulders when we decided sleeve over band. Now I'm just waiting for my date...hoping soon! I started this process in April of this year, so it feels like it has been quite a long wait time. Good luck with everything and keep in touch here often.

I agree that you are probably never in the "clear". I lost 80 lbs over the course of a year on Medifast, about 12 years ago and about 6 months after being "done" losing, then the gall bladder stone attacks started. I don't know anything about the new medicines though, as they wouldn't apply to me, since my gall bladder is already gone.

Woo hoo! That is exciting news!

Congrats on your success, and thank you so much for your post! I'm going to have my husband read this (he is due to be sleeved in Dec. hopefully!) and while I have found the time to exercise, he has not. He is currently working about 80-90 hours a week (not always, but just in the last 6 weeks due to a project getting ready to go-live) and getting in exercise is something that he cannot find the time for. (I work out at Curves, ladies only, and at 5:30am when the rest of the world is usually still asleep). So thanks again, your post is very inspiring!

I love all kinds of nuts, and they are definitely easy to "over-do". The 100 cal bags are great for control. My NUT said the things she sees as problem food for people during maintainence is cheese and nuts. She said they have their time and place but should not chosen as the best source of protien. Both of those items are food that I can easily over-do if I'm not careful.

Oh wow, SO lucky!!! Did you also have a bariatric case manager? I've had the same case manager from the first time I called to ask about WLS. She has been nothing but awesome. My nurse I have only talked to once on the phone, and my nurse is the one who decides. I sooooooo wish my case manager could just approve it. lol. You must have got lucky and a nurse who didn't have a lot on her desk. According to my case manager, my nurse is swamped! (Lucky me )

Good luck with everything. Hope everything goes perfectly! Update us when you can.

My surgeon only does a sleep study if necessary (i.e. sleep apnea, or other sleep issues). So I didn't need one. I would ask your surgeon about it, but it definitely is NOT required by ALL surgeons.

DITTO!!!

I haven't been sleeved (yet!) but I have had gallbladder surgery about 11 years ago and had horrible neck and shoulder pain from the gas. I think my shoulders hurt worse than my incision stitches! I also have been rear-ended and had quite a bit of pain resulting from that, however my 2 things (gallbladder and car accident) were no where near each other timeframe-wise, and so I'm thinking that your pain is probably double than what each would have been had they not happened in the same week. How are you feeling (other than the back pain?) and how did your surgery go? Update us when you can!

I think I will be mourning the loss too! I only have to do 24 hour pre-op diet, but just the general overall loss of food as my friend. I think that is pretty normal feeling. Not sure how I will deal without food as my friend, but I'm ready to learn!!!

I have thought about this a lot. When I graduated from HS I was 175lbs, and thought that I was huge. Well, add 100lbs to that and then I guess 175 doesn't sound so bad. So when my surgeon talked to me he said "I want you to be 150" I was thinking he was crazy! I was probably 15 years old the last time I weighed that (I'm 38 now), BUT, really the goal for me, for this surgery, is to be healthy. 150lbs would put me at a healthy BMI. So yes, I made it my goal, but wow, it sure sounds small to me! So if I'm having a hard time wrapping MY head around it, I'm sure those around me will have the same reactions.

Oh wow, sorry about your accident, what terrible timing (not that is ever a GOOD time for that to happen!) I'm thankful that you were all okay, and it didn't derail your surgery plans. I hope you are doing well in recovery, and post an update when you can!

My NUT has emphasized the fiber aspect, and her choice is benefiber powder. She said don't do the pills, just do the powder. So I guess I can't say I haven't been warned.

I know this was not an easy decision for you, and I'm sure I would be incredibly frustrated with the mis-information from your insurance. I have been trying to place myself in your shoes and 'what would I do' type thinking. Originally I wanted the band, because my initial research on the sleeve called it mostly part of a two-step surgery and I did not want 2 surgeries, so I focused on the band instead. It wasn't until my husband begged me to do more research that I found this site, OH, etc. After switching surgeries, I don't think that I could go back to the idea of the band. At my very first NUT appointment back in May, the first thing I said to her was "I cannot imagine myself at 90 years old with this device inside of me" and she sort of shrugged and said "hopefully you will have mastered some better habits by then", but the truth is that I just don't view the band as long term. With the sleeve, I like the idea that I need to learn to live within the limits that the sleeve provides. I know this isn't easy for you, and I wish you the best luck in whatever you have to do for you. If you do get the band, don't forget to stay in touch over here!

Well, I called on Fri. and apparently my surgeon's office phones were messed up. So I left a message with their answering service and never got a reply. I think I will just go ahead and do it anyway. My surgery is likely to happen for at least another 2 weeks.

Thank you feedyoureye and Mary Gordon! This has put me in such a funk, as all along, I have picked a "week" in Oct. that would have been best for ME, and of course now looks as if I probably won't know anything until some time during that week (Oct. 18) and I just don't know if it is going to happen the way I would choose. I really don't want to do the week of Oct. 23, as that is the week before Halloween, the kids have school parties, and we have parent-teacher conferences that week (really don't want to miss that...or just send DH, I really want to be there.) So if push comes to shove then I would probably look at the first part of Nov. which I hate to keep putting it off. I'm just READY NOW!!! Anyway, I'm trying to be patient and trying to reframe my thinking into more positive thoughts. Hard to do but necessary! Thanks for your words of encouragement!

If I wanted to run my eval through insurance, then it would have been 2 visits. I choose the self-pay option and therefore only 1 visit, that lasted about an hour and a half. She never had me fill out any questionairres, but rather took notes as she asked me questions and I talked. We talked quite freely, and I think she was looking also for a history of mental illnesses, and/or things like anorexia, bulima, binging, (no to all) etc. She also asked if I thought that I wouldn't have to do any work and if I thought that the surgery would do all of the work for me (um, nope...don't we all wish...in fact the nurse at my group nutrition class joked, if anyone knew of a surgery where we would wake up skinny to let her know...lol!) But overall it was a fine experience. I'm sure if we ran it through insurance and did 2 visits, she would have just broken the whole thing up into 2 45 min. segments, but it would have been the same questions, etc.

Welcome! I have not yet been sleeved yet either, but wanted to say that I can completely understand how you are feeling with how quickly things have progressed! My insurance required 6 months worth of weight monitoring, and during that time I also completed all of my surgeon's requirements for me. At first I was really bummed about having to wait so long, but it was during this time that I actually decided to switch surgeries!!! I was orginally going for the band, and am SO thankful that I didn't continue down that path. The more I read, and learned about life WITH a band, the more I decided that it simply was not the surgery for me. Now I am so grateful that I had the time to research and be completely happy with my decision. I think had things progress quickly I might have felt exactly like you do now. However, I am slightly jealous... he he he. Everything was submitted to my insur. on Oct. 5th and I STILL don't have a decision and likely won't until sometime after the 18th ...the nurse who decides my fate is on vacation until then. Oh well, not much I can do about it at this point, except wait. It is just bugging the crap out of me that I cannot place a DATE on my calendar and plan my life around that date. Ugh! I hope your surgery goes great, and yes, I would express your concern about being 'awake' to your dr. but it sounds like it hopefully won't be a big deal. Good luck with everything!

My insurance (UnitedHC) gives themselves 15 days to answer once all paperwork is submitted. Unfortunately, my particular nurse (the one who decides) got my paperwork Tues. Oct. 5th, and now she will be out all next week. So I won't have a decision until the week of the 18th....it is really putting all my plans out of whack, but there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.

The difference is amazing! Congrats on doing so well, and thank you for sharing your pics with us, it is very inspiring!!

My NUT says you can have it flat (but then why bother...lol) but I gave it up for 10 months last year (I was on a crazy chiropractor-endorsed diet that was extremely strict...the diet didn't last 10 months but my not drinking soda did). After 10 months and I didn't lose any weight, didn't feel any different, I kind of went, 'meh, why exactly am I NOT drinking my beloved diet soda???" So I started up again...always been a 1 can a day gal. So when I started the WLS process this Apr. knowing that I would need to go off it, I thought about all kinds of way to do it, like, set a "date" or go have one big last giant diet coke at a local restaurant, etc. And you know what? I don't actually remember what date was my final soda. It has been about 3 weeks ago and it just sort of happened. I definitely wanted to be "off" it a couple of weeks before surgery. I will admit about 2 months ago I quit buying it (so I wouldn't see it in the fridge.) But I would still order it at a restaurant, or do with a quick-serve type lunch. So I guess it was sort of a gradual approach. I think this is one of those things that every surgeon has slightly different rules, everyone who drinks it has to give it up in their own way, and then there are different degrees of "addiction" to the stuff. As much as I like diet soda, I find that life without it seems just fine too, so it is not necessary for me to live a full, happy life.

So, I have completed my insurance required 6 months of weight monitoring and nutritional counseling, done all of my pre-op testing, both that the insurance requires and my surgeon requires. All of my paperwork was submitted on Oct. 5th.....and today I find out that my bariatric nurse (THE one person who decides if it is approved or not) is going on vacation all next week. So please God, grant me patience, because heaven knows I need it. My surgeon's office won't give me a "date" until I'm approved (can't say I blame them) but it is literally driving me nuts that I CANNOT place a surgery date on my calendar and PLAN MY LIFE AROUND IT. AAAARGH! Oh, and I guess the insurance gives the nurses 15 days to approve/deny...so it's not like it's out of the "norm" as far as how long they can take to decide. At least my bariatric coordinator from my insurance company was SO nice today when she told me that the nurse would be on vaca all next week. I know this is small price to pay for going through insurance vs. self-pay, but someday I wish I was a self-pay patient just so I didn't have to jump through so many freakin hoops! (Oh and just for the record, I will be paying $$$$ some big money for this surgery, I pay $5K out of pocket and then 10% of whatever is left over after the $5K is paid.) I just wish that I could have a date....SO FRUSTRATING!!!