ohtobeme

Lydia ... glad your moving along. I too was thinking about this psych evaluation ... we don't go through that in Canada that I know of. I'm sure there must be some advantage to it. Good Luck ... all the best to you. John

I'd be lying if I said I was nervous about the whole thing. That's why I'm hanging around here so much all these updates and words of encouragement are really good for me. John

Not trying to be rude but one fellow at a support meeting said the best thing about weight loss surgery for men is that you can see your penis again .. LOL I'm just new to the sleeve journey .. waiting for my first appointment. John

I was talking with my doctor and he says that not all who have diabetes are cured through the weight loss. He also said that if you are diabetic and insulin dependent that you are less likely to have your diabetes cured. He was also very careful to say that there is not an awful lot of studies done with Sleevers. I am type 2 diabetes and even if it isn't cured the weight loss far outweighs anything else. John

I think I was the opposite of most. I originally opted for the RNY but the more I heard about it the less I liked it. I do not handle pills well. I had never heard of the Gastric Sleeve but once I did, I was off to the races. It may be a slower weight loss but it will also allow me the time to totally learn a whole new way of eating without all the complications of the RNY. I am so looking forward to this ... can't wait for my first appointment with the doc. John

Hi, it's John again. Well, I finally got to see my GP after having to cancel due to a rotten cold! He was quite happy to give me a referral to a new bariatric surgeon. I sat down this evening and wrote the surgeon a long letter telling him about my journey to date. Here's hoping I hear back next week with an appointment. I have already had all the necessary tests done with the exception of the scope so I hope that might help to put me higher on the ladder to a new me. I continue to read all the postings and want to thank you all for sharing your journey. If it were not for some of the posts and the encouragement I'm seeing here, I may not have made the decision to have the Gastric Sleeve. Blessings John

Congratulations I've only been a member here for a couple of days but you all are making me feel so positive about the future and your all a wealth of information. Thank you for the update. John

That is definately a WOW moment. Congrats!

I'll be 62 in April and I'll be having the surgery. Never to late to take care of your health. All the best to you. John

Well how kewl is that. CONGRATULATIONS :thumbup1: John

I think we have to remember that headaches can come from a change in your sugar levels ... possibly why people crave pop. Headaches can be caused by stressing out about the upcoming surgery and of course the main reason is that food IS AN ADDICTION with us and like any other addiction you go through withdrawl! :tongue_smilie: I'm not saying this as an expert on weight loss surgery but as a nurse. This has been my experience. Blessings to you all. Hang in there, this too shall pass. John

This may seem like a silly question but one thing I do worry about post-surgery is the flab hanging around as the weight is lost. I'm over 60 and have been large most of my life. I have other physical limitations which interfere with exercise. I know as I lose the weight I will be more active but I'm not crazy enough to believe that the skin will tighten up. Others have said, go for plastic surgery ... well here in British Columbia, that is not paid for on insurance ... it's considered cosmetic. Living on a limited (disability) income it is cost prohibitive. I would certainly like to hear others comments or experiences living with the loose skin. John

Hmmm ... don't know quite how to say this but I think goals are like making New Years Resolutions ..... they tend to set you up for failure. I know my only goal is to be at a healthy weight (not some book suggestion weight) and to live a more active life (well as active as you can be with a fused leg, osteo and rhumatioid arthritis and coronary artery disease)! Who said life is better after 60 :tongue_smilie: You are doing just great ... can't wait for the day that I'll be on the losers bench and giving my report. I don't have to worry about buying new clothes as I'm a Benedictine Monk and wear a habit ... I'll just have to take them in. Keep up the good work. John

WOW ... this is so encouraging. Almost 60lbs down in such a short time! I can't even imagine what it would be like to be down 60lbs. The most I've been able to lose and then put back on is about 25lbs. Thank you so much for your report. John

I know I'm new here but if I could add anything to this conversation it would be, you are doing this for you and your health and well-being. It would be nice to have mom's support but when push comes to shove you need to do this for you. All the best. John

I notice many folks here saying they see their money spent as an investment. I should have mentioned here or you probably noticed, I am from Canada so I do not have to pay for the surgery. The only drawback is that there are long weight lists. I'm not telling you this to brag about our system just to let you know that my surgery will not be forthcoming any time soon unless the doc decides to push it for health reasons. Lord knows, our system needs alot of work! I'm sure getting an education reading all these threads, thank you all so much for sharing your experiences. John

Thank you so much for the welcome's. I've been reading away like mad John

Hi there ... my name is John and I will be 62 years young next month. I'm about 300 lbs. Was on the RNY wait list for a long time and was constantly being told the surgery was "just around the corner". Anyway, I removed myself from the list and am in the process of looking into the Gastric Sleeve. I don't regret my decision to take my name of the RNY list as I think the Sleeve may be a much safer option for me. I have quite a number of co-morbitities that I hope the Sleeve will address as I lose the weight. I do understand that it is just a tool but I think now I'm in a better frame of mind about losing the weight. I'm going to be doing a lot of lurking and learning and in the process, hope to make some friends. This looks like a pretty good forum. John