SeattleSue

LucyCat, Yes, I think many will testify to having a lot of those same thoughts popping-up! First of all, I hope you are pleasantly surprised to find your boss very supportive! I suggest you make a list...take a deep breath and do one thing at a time. :-) Consider 28 day's a great time to get some things in order. Breathe, breathe, breathe! Good luck

Welcome Daniel. Congrats...this is a great resource for information, candidness, and support! hahaha some of the stuff the brochures don't tell you!

Best wishes NewlifC! See you on the victory side!

Awww Silverlining...you have started on a step toward life!!! I think just making this decision will help lift you and help you focus. You can do this and we will do it together!

Thank you!!!

I have made it through the PRE-pre-op diet (shakes and 1 lite meal/day) and now...I'm sipping broth and diet green tea. YUM Happy 4th Everyone!! I have a spread for everyone else, and it doesn't even make me remotely jealous that they are about to have ribs, grilled corn on the cob, loaded baked potato salad AND apple pie. I am having my sleeve in 3...2....1....days!! I'm SO grateful that this is happening, and so quickly for me (weight loss seminar approx 6 weeks ago) where I heard about the sleeve... Everything else just fell into place with, I'm sure, divine intervention. SOOOOOO excited. I feel like a teen ("Dude, I AM STOKED!) hahahahahahaha

Sounds delish. mmmmm spicy italian sausage....chives, ricotta...oh my (down girl!)

I am seriously Laughing SO HARD my tummy hurts. I like your style lady!

I am able to have 3-4 Protein shakes per day, a salad with protein (egg, fish, chicken, etc.) This afternoon, I was crazy (I'm seriously pms'ing or something and I can't even imagine starting my flo the day before surgery. Lord, please...) Anyway, I had picked up a tip to make homemade broth and freeze in ice cube trays for post-op...which I did, an excellent homemade low-so broth. So I took a cup worth, drizzled a scrambled egg into it, added green onions and made a faux egg-drop soup. It totally helped me. I'm not going to sweat the small stuff (like the voice in the back of my head screaming, WAS THAT ON THE LIST???). I start Clear liquids Monday. Wow...what was I thinking inviting folks to my house for the 4th?? WE CAN DO THIS and it WILL be worth it all!

thanks for the post! I have settled on Dr. Kelly also and my date is right around the corner. Love to hear anothers perspective and I love the surprise question you asked him and I appreciate your tactful and gracious posting of his response. Thanks again, Susan

Incredible. Go Malcolm, go Malcolm!!! wooohoooo

Wow...what an encouragement you are! You are doing fantastic. Congratulations.

HAHAHA SO exciting!!!!! It's like Christmas everyday in the forum!!! I'm happy for you!

Oh my word...why am I crying? How thrilling!!! Congrats...jumping and jiggling here for you!!

kayjunqueen, your are singing my song sista! I just started counseling after some soul rocking revelations in an already disfunctional life! I will be rooting for you, please keep posting! I have just made me decision (during the last month or so) and things are moving rapidly because I have a supportive parent standing by to bless me with the finances. I may be sleeving in the next 1-2 weeks, barring any major setbacks in my labwork. Wishing you the best and looking forward to taking the journey with y'all

That's SO Awesome. You are doing great and you are beautiful! You gave me a giggle because I just got my passport photos yesterday at costco, spur of the moment...saw the sign and thought I might need that. They are UGLEEE Can't wait to do my own comparison!! Thanks for posting. LOVE IT!

I am so sorry for the ignorant and likely, jealous people in your life making those hurtful comments. I pray everything goes EXTRAordinary for you!!

OK, this may be elementary but I cannot find hide nor hair of an answer on the USGOV website (keeping commentary to self here...) To get an expedited passport, I need to prove travel within 14 days. I'm not flying to Mexico and last I checked, you don't need a passport to enter California. Will I have to show a surgery schedule date? Anyone know? And IF I have to show travel to San Diego for good faith, does anyone know if an e-ticket will work or do I have to go get a hard copy? lol details details I figure if I carry my birth certificate and drivers license with me, legally I'm good...but...I really do want to come home! hahahahaha Thanks in advance!

Thank you for the responses! I am seeing my regular provider here stateside on Friday. While i don't 'need' his approval, I certainly hope he is supportive and willing to continue to be concerned with my health even if he wasn't part of the process. I suspect that there may be some antagonism because i left the country for healthcare. I hope I'm wrong. :-)

Awesome! Congrats to you John. I feel like this surgery has saved my life and I haven't been sleeved yet! I look forward to seeing your progress. Thanks for sharing and welcome!

lol Just in the last month, my decision time, I have told only my family, and one very supportive co-worker. :-) But it has been on the tip of my tongue a few times. A lady I work with had the Lap band done over a year ago. I had asked her once, "what are you doing?" and she had replied something ruefull like, "I'm starving myself!" I just sort of laughed with her. I asked her again some months later, "seriously...what are you doing?" She told me then that she had had the lapband. I guess it was rude of me to pry, but the fact that she had used humor to shine me on last time...well, I guess I'm sort of slow. lol I'm still considering how I will answer. Part of me agrees with everyone of you who hasn't told anyone anything...for all the same reasons!!! The other side of me, the one that is in counseling and desperately want to be free of the shame...I just don't want to carry any secrets. I know that it certainly doesn't make it sameful to not tell anyone; but I guess I need to decide if it is more cethardic to be "a man" hahahaha forgive the sexist remark, and to heck with what anyone thinks--stand on my own two feet and decision! oooooh just saying that felt good!! hahahahaha

Thanks ladies. YES. Onward and upward. Just the conception of a plan has made a difference! Thanks again for the words of encouragement. I'll see you on the boards!! Muah!

Aww GA Girl, I feel for you. I'm sorry she hurt you with these ugly words, and I'm sure she will be sorry too. You are her co-dependency buddy. Sorry, calling it like I see it. A soft word turns away wrath... You just go with your decision, moving forward, but everytime she 'goes there' you need to repeat, this is what I choose for me--I don't need or expect you to agree with me, but if we are going to be friends, you need to accept and respect my choice. Girl, she desperately wants to be free too. Maybe her fear is she doesnt have the resources and she'll be alone... either way, sounds like you've been friends for a long time and she probably didn't get the crazy mouth over night. lol If she drags you down sister, you may have to exit...but I suspect you can survive the walk. Best of wishes to you. Sounds like hubby is a wonderful man! Susan

We all arrived with our own baggage! For me, obesity is a symptom of something else I couldnt pin-point and couldn't face. I've started counseling and one of the first "ah-ha" moments for me was the comment, "Be kind to yourself...food has saved your life AND your sanity." Stand back and think about that for a while. Wow, 43 years and THAT is like falling down the rabbit hole! hahaha food has saved my life and my sanity. OK. Now I get the whole 'self medicating' thing. NOW, I'll wrap my mind around being kind to myself and allowing others to help me in the weight area while I work on the root cause! I feel a burden lifting already. There are friends I will not discuss WLS with right now. I KNOW I will look like a sharpe' puppy with rolls of skin. But I will be alive and living and not polarized any more. I will have to learn that I'm as valuable thin as I AM FAT. The change will be in the ride!!

My mom is concerned... The U.S. hospitals include "after care". Mom is concerned that my insurance won't cover anything at home in the event something went wrong. I'm thinking, What?? They cannot refuse service to uninsured people. Seriously? Of course, I don't know if calling them and asking them is wise. No doubt I'd have some sort of red flag in my file hahahaha (am I just sure the insurance companeis are out to mess with people?) Anyway, I will easily get a referral to a nutritionist BEFORE I go have surgery...then it's not "pre-existing" lol as if I got this fat overnight. But does anyone have thoughts on post-op follow-up care>? Don't they just look at your incisions? Am I naieve? Thanks for your input!