VSG4aHealthierMe

Ditto! I plan to tell as few ppl as possible until AFTER the surgery, AFTER I am making strides and dealing with all the changes well. So what did you tell ppl? What did you tell yours and/or DHs empolyer? DH will need the time off and walmart is a rumor mill, if one knows every1 knows. I know we may have to tell management but they are bound by confidentiality. I could sue if it got out and they were they only ones who knew. Doubt I would, but point is that HAVE to keep there mouths shut, everyone else is another story...Also, what have you told ppl regarding your weight loss?

Because there aren't any any closer than 1 hour away and she won't leave town unless she has to. She HATES road trips, but I can't blame he, so do I.

She is technically over weight but is at the lowest weight now I have ever known her to be. She is roughly about 100 smaller than me. I pick on her all the time (we do that around her, no hard feelings attached) that she is so "mean" all the weight she is losing I am finding lol. She is happy with where she is. She is like me, don't need to be a skinny minny to be happy with what you see in the mirror. Where she is weight wise is my goal. Me: Her: No contest really, and as far as the rest I don't know. As far as her trying WW, her problem all along was a bad relationship and insulin shots. Once those 2 things disappeared so did her weight. So she doesn't get it. She says portion control is the key, but I have tried that, even practically starved myself in the past and had no long term results.

Thanks ladies for the replies. I don't know if she would refuse or not, depends on how against it she is. Can you ladies help me out? I just got off the phone with her and I told her I would send her some info if that would make her feel more comfortable. I have been researching the various procedures nearly non-stop for days. I am working on gathering up some of the sites I found but as many as I have seen it could take DAYS to find them all. Can you ladies help me out by linking me to some of the sites you know about that show the risks and benefits (statistics would be great), long term outlook, etc. of the surgery? It would be a huge help! Even if I can't get her to come around maybe if she understands it better she will be able to at least be less scared for me, even if she can't accept it.

I haven't changed my mind. Even my mother told the nurse, when she told her to try to change my mind, that she couldn't. I am quite bull headed. If I was not I may not be with DH right now because she freaked out when I decided to move with him as opposed to attempting a long-distance relationship, and it turned out to be one of the best decision I ever made. So, once I make up my mind for sure about something nothing will sway me. BUT I want her support and I NEED her help watching my boys for this to happen That's why it is so upsetting to me. I would love to be able to find a way to bring her around. It just upsets me that she trusts a stranger over her daughter

I am pre-op and considering the VSG. Unlike with the lap, which what I was considering originally, there is no ability to "open" the stomach up anymore to allow for an easier way to make sure you get enough nutrients for you and baby with VSG, as you all know. DH and I plan to have one more child once I finish school and we get settled. I have already lost one baby at 20 weeks 5 days due to a condition that should have been prevented by the folic acid supplements I was taking, so nutrition during pregnancy would be a #1 priority, with or without the sleeve. My concern is that with the limited dietary intake that even with the supplements I may not be able to consume enough of vital nutrients to keep baby and myself healthy. How much more of a concern is nutritional intake during pregnancy? Does it present a problem usually? I have heard/read that pregnancy after surgery can actually be safer for baby than pregnancy while obese, so overall I am comfortable with the WLS, although I am still trying to adjust to the idea of actually altering my anatomy irreversibly, but nutrition during preg after WLS is a concern for me. Had I not lost a child already to a deficiency I may not be a bugged out about it now but because I have it is a very present concern for me. One which I must know more about before I can truly feel comfortable with ANY WLS. My doctor has me on 4 mg of folic acid a day and I have since had a healthy, term pregnancy. I do not plan to get a malabsorbtion procedure, so I guess my question is will my dosage of pill be absorbed fully, same as b4 surgery given that part on my stomach would be removed. I am thinking it should, but I can't allow myself to just think it. I need to know 150% for sure. Furthermore, given my dietary intake will change should I talk to my doc about upping my dosage post-op(I have to take the folic acid for the rest of my reproductive life, just in case of an oops)? What other big changes will there be once I get preg post-op? Will I be considered high-risk because of this surgery or will I just be a mother 2 be who has to REALLY watch what she eats? My weight made my last preg VERY high risk. I had too much Water in the amniotic sac caused by BP issues (caused by fat), mid pregnancy, then for the rest of it I could barely walk and had to take a leave from work, had to see a high risk specialist... the whole 9. It would be nice to just have a nice, mostly normal and uncomplicated preg next time (plus, I will admit... it will be nice to watch my belly grow bit by bit instead of having to watch my fat rolls- yeah, I said it lol- move out further and further until baby is big enough to make me actually LOOK preg lol). Is there anything you wish you had known pre-op regarding preg post-op? Any other info would be great! Thanks in advance!

Thanks. That makes sense.

1. I want my energy back. I am so sick of being exhausted after cleaning ONE room in my house! 2: I want to feel and be healthier, withour the threat of weight related conditions hanging precariously above my head. 3. I want to be able to play with my kids while they are still young enough to WANT to play with mom n dad 4. I want to live and long happy life and see my grandkids and play with them too! 5: I want to be able to get out in the world and do all the things I used to love to do but can't anymore because of weight getting in the way (like hiking!) 6. I want to get rid of my pesky PCOS problem which both contributed to my weight gain and is worsened by it, the worse it gets the more I gain.Its a vicious cycle I want to END! 7. I want to eat to live! 8. I want to be able to look in the mirror and LIKE what I see! 9. I want to go to the store and have more options on clothing, and NOT have to buy things that look like they were made for a 96 year old woman who doesn't like things that don't have a stretchy waist. 10. I want to regain the confidence I had when I was younger and thinner. I started getting self- conscious around the 200 mark.. my personal goal is 180 my docs goal is 150, I am okay with being slightly chubby, as long as I am healthy and happy 11. I want my weight to stop running my life, *I* want to run my life and LIVE it to the fullest 12. This is silly, I know, but I want to be able to sit on hubby's lap and not worry I will break his legs or something. Its so simple and yet so depressing to fear that your weight will hurt your loved ones I could come up with more but you said 12 so I will stop there. Thanks for posting! I have been considering WLS but now that I made a list of all the things that I want that WLS can give me, I am more sure now than ever that I am on the right path. There is just something about saying/writing it all out that really puts it in perspective, you know?

Thanks so much! That picture was especially helpful! I know what you mean about the weight loss messing with your head because after my loss I was finally back down closer than I had been in a very long time to my pre-preg weight with my first(my loss was my second preg) then I got preg again and, like you siad I knew that gaining was part of pregnancy but it really upset me, and in my case, for good reason. Since my last preg I have weighed as much as I did at the END of my first pregnancy and I can't lose it to save my life. Long-story-short, I get it. The B12, I have heard/read ppl mention that as a post-op Vitamin. I am assuming I will be taking it sublingually starting right after surgery, right? Which would mean its not preg specific?

Thanks! I appreciate it!

Thanks, Verboonen was a potential surgeon I was considering, but couldn't find much at all him good or bad. Its good to finally have some feedback. He was pretty low ranking on my "ok scale" BECAUSE I couldn't find anything and was really only considering him because I would LOVE to go to cancun. Chances are I won't pick him. Even b4 this post I was focusing all my energies on checking out Ortiz and Aceves. I REALLY like what I have read about Aceves but he is a couple thousand more expensive than ortiz. I have been mindful to not choose only on price but price is a big factor for me in order to afford the surgery, so while I won't decide based on price it will play a role in my decision process.

who was your surgeon? I am trying to gather info on surgeons. I think I want to go with ortiz but a couple new ones have come to my attention since joining this board and another and least one of them sounds like he is really good, maybe even better then ortiz!

This is very informative! Thank you! Can someone link me to "Vol 1"? I did a search but nothing came up. Thanks!

The bypass and DS are far more invasive than I am willing to even consider. The whole rerouting of intestines and malabsorbtion thing and not things I believe I will ever except.I want a somewhat normal life after surgery. I don't want to be obsessed with food. Whats the point really? from one extreme to the other. I want to be healthy, not so much skinny. Skinny is over rated lol.

Wow! Congrats on your weight loss!!!! 10 pounds a month is AWESOME! Just curious, why did your insurance want you to get both?

DH isn't gonna be thrilled lol, but I just used his e-mail to register

I was just coming to post that I found it Unfortunately, I was looking at the b4/after thread and tried to view a pic and it said I had to be logged in. So, I try to register and it says my e-mail is already in use. Figuring maybe the 2 forums were one in the same I try to logg in using this forums info and it says username or password is incorrect. So I try "forgot password" and it says the is no account with that e-mail addy. Thought maybe it was a fluke so I go through every step again and all the same way. What the heck?

BTW, I am gonna look for myself but in case I can't find it- is there a forum for the sleeve? Either on this site or another? I would really like to read some posts and feedback regarding the sleeve. That's the one part of my research that is lacking. I find blips of " Its so great" or "I hate it" but nothing much more than that.

Thanks that is very helpful! I have some time still (if I do it surgery won't happen till next year), maybe I can come around to the idea of the sleeve. I considered it, like I said, B4 I learned about the plication but the cutting part is what gets me... Like I said, I still have time.

Thanks TP! Lena- That must have been incredibly scary for you, for Zanthina too. Lord knows they scared the crap outta me just reading your stories. I almost wonder whats worse a leak risk or the risk of what you went through... This is an incredibly difficult decision, my goal is to save my life, not risk it, but every surgery seems to have some pretty scary potential complications May I ask, if you had it to do over would you have gotten the sleeve instead?The band? Bypass? Would you have had it done here in the states instead of Mexico? I wonder if I could get a copy of my records b4 I leave... just in case.