traceyinflorida

I had the same feelings you did about "timing" not being good. My mother pointed out to me that there would NEVER be a perfect time. That was part of the problem that led me to being overweight to begin with, I always put myself and my own needs on hold for work, the kids, my family etc. SO, I am going to give you the same advice my mom gave me. Schedule the surgery! Take the time to do this for yourself! You deserve it. If you are at the point where you are doing this as your last resort, then do not wait any longer! Put your health on high priority and get it done. Everything else will fall into place. The best part is, that at least in my case, she was right! I am glad I did not put it off any longer. As for telling or not telling, that is up to you. But let me assure you that this is not the easy way out!! It is expensive, it is hard, it is major surgery. BUT it is effective!! You have already yo-yo dieted. You have proven that you can lose weight (and gain it back) By having the surgery, you are going to lose the weight again, but this time permenantly (if you stick with the long term plan, that is)! I don't think it's the easy way out, but it is a smart thing to do if you feel it is right for you. Good luck! Let us know when you schedule!

That would be great as long as I can still be a free member. I thought I had to have a paid membership in order to have a coach. Let me know. I didn't read through it very carefully.

The wait will be over before you know it!! Good luck! Prayers for a speedy and uneventful recovery!

Congratulations! Mine fit for the first time in years this week too!

One of my friends suggested dipping your cheese in Salsa. It's like eating a nacho without the nacho (and without the carbs)

Thanks everyone! It sounds like the gummies are the way to go!

If you are meeting with the doctor and not going through insurance, then things will go pretty quick. Once my insurance was approved, my surgery was set just two weeks from the day I met with the surgeon. The office manager said it was a fast turn around time, but it was doable. I had a mad fire drill of my pre-op appointments which apparently vary by surgeon. Mine included blood work, pulmonary and cardio clearance and a chest x ray. I followed a two week diet with week one being two protein shakes a day, once sensible meal, and one of each, oatmeal, no sugar- jello, 6 oz yogurt, 3 oz of fruit. Week two, three protein shakes a day and one of each mentioned before, no oatmeal. I guess this pre-op diet varies by surgeon as well, but mine was the standard for that group. I had a higher BMI and more weight to lose than you do, but I imagine the pre-op diet is a standard for your office. Hope that helps. Good luck!

I want to take my vitamins, but they are HORRIBLE! I am taking a Centrum chewable vitamin. It is huge and I hate the taste. Is it okay to take a regular multi-vitamin that I can just swallow (if I can tolerate it), or is there an issue with absorption post surgery? I am 6 weeks post op.

I too am amazed by the differences in doctor's orders and testing. I was not screened for gallstones, however, my surgeon did say he would be prescribing a med to prevent gallstones at my next follow up. He said the jury was out as to whether it was actually necessary (perhaps the reason for differences in what doctors do) but that it couldn't hurt and he felt it was better to be safe than sorry. I agreed!

I did it! I bit the bullet and ordered the videos! I won't be able to start until I get back from my son's baseball tournament at the end of next week, but I am going to start. Looks like I will need to dig the weights out of the garage! I added you as a buddy on the site. I am going to need all the motivation I can get! It looks like a great program and I like that it's something I can do from home.

I just checked it out on the website. It looks amazing. I think I might give it a try. I am so out of shape though from years of not exercising that it makes me a little nervous to start something like that. It has a 30 day guarantee though, so if it totally kicks my butt, I have an out. Maybe with 50 lbs down I can do some exercise without feeling like I am going to have a heart attack! lol!

What is it? It sounds good, but hard (anything with Extreme in the title scares me a little! lol)

That's cool! It's amazing how our tastes change. Congratulations!

I am so sorry to hear that. The squeaky wheel gets the oil, so it is now time for you to start sqeaking! You need to start haunting the PCP's office. Keep calling until you get action. Be nice, but firm. Ask to speak to his nurse or medical assistant. Often they can help you move things through the office. Keep following up until everything gets OUT OF HIS BASKET and over to the surgeon's office or insurance company. That is an unacceptable amount of time to have to wait! Is there a bariatric coordinator who can help you with all this? I had someone from the surgeon's office who coordinated all the forms and she helped me get the final piece of info we needed from my PCP. It will all work out, but I know it is so frustrating. You have done everthing on your end and to have to wait for someone holding up the works is really tough to take. I will keep you in my prayers that everything is resolved quickly and the insurance approves the FIRST TIME!

I did not have to do this, but I would start with a list or outline before you start writing. Start with 'medical issues' like not getting enough sleep because you have to wake up to pee six times (something that goes away when you start to lose), because of episodes of sleep apnea that leave you gasping for air and fearing for your life. That you cannot exercise because your knees, joints hurt, you get out of breath. You cannot climb a set of stairs without getting winded. You are concerned for your health. The emotional aspects, it is depressing to be overweight. You feel like you do not participate fully in life because your weight holds you back. You may not have all the things I described (these were me) but hopefully it gives you some ideas.

Almost six weeks post op and I can finally wear my wedding rings again! Woo hoo! I had to pry them off my finger (no easy task) almost two years ago and I have not been able to wear them since. Thank goodness I am a born procrastinator and never got around to having them resized, because they fit me again! Yay! I always felt like my finger was naked and also felt a little weird about not wearing them. Thankfully my husband never questioned it.

I hated the chocolate flavored protein shakes during the first week post op. Fortunately, I am back to liking them again, although I do not love them the way I did pre-op. Don't get too discouraged. The first week is really hard on so many levels. I can honestly tell you each week gets a little better. I could not get enought liquids in, I HATED drinking broth, I hated my shakes and couldn't drink enough to get even a portion of my protein in. Then I remembered that the doctor told me to just concentrate on fluids and not worry about the protein and I began to relax about it. Hang in there, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and a lighter, healthier you when you get there!

My prayers are with you! Good luck!

That sounds terrible! I hope you feel better soon!

Hmmm, maybe my scale is broken too! Unfortunately I don't think so though. I am definitely in a stall and trying to be patient! Congratulations on your weight loss, that's awesome!!

My husband responded the same way a couple of times when I told him I was scared. I think part of it was he was trying to be helpful and part of it was that he was a little scared too. It actually was a good thing though, because as soon as he said I didn't have to do this if I didn't want to, it strengthened my resolve. I had worked too hard and waited too long to get this thing done. It sounds like your mom and husband have helped to strengthen your resolve too! I just informed him that my admission of being scared was only that, me expressing my fears out loud. It did not mean I didn't want to go through with it. After that, he would just be empathetic when I told him how scared I was. Good luck to you. The fear of the unknown is normal. All will be well on the other side though!

Woo hoo! That's awesome! You are inspiring me to get busy working out now! I have only been walking, but it's probably time to step it up! Congratulations on your awesome weight loss!

Ditto to seeing doctor about throwing up and getting off the scale. One other thought is that I imagine with all the exercise you are doing, you are also gaining muscle, which is a good thing. More muscle increases your metabolism. My NUT told me when you hit a stall, pay attention to the way your clothes are fitting and not the scale. I am willing to bet that major, good changes are happening to your body that the scale hasn't caught up with yet!

Congratulations on your success! You look amazing! It is so nice to see what is possible with this surgery! Thanks for sharing!

Woo hoo! That is awesome!! What a great post, congratulations!!