SpaceDust

@It's all new: I have a lot of family in Wenatchee/Cashmere vicinity. None of them are sleevers, but I do know the area pretty well. How did you do through the worst of the fires? I have to admit that I'm fairly nervous about this whole thing, and I have been waffling about whether it's the right thing to do, or if I am taking an unnecessary risk. I know the numbers are in my favor if I do the surgery vs. staying heavy. It's tough to commit to this fully!

I've just started at NWWLS with Dr. Michaelson - I've had my first consultation, plus I'm about to have my second nutritionist visit. I'd love to hear about your experiences in more detail now that you're a month post-op.

I still have a number of months before I'll be able to have my sleeve (somewhere in the mid-March/early April timeframe). I haven't told a lot of people yet, mostly because I don't want them worrying unnecessarily. My husband, my ex-boss (who is also a good friend) and our closest 3 friends know, as well as my brother and sister-in-law. My other sisters and my parents and in-laws will hear about it in due time, once dates are settled and I've made final commitment to have the surgery. It's not that I consider it a big secret - I tend to be pretty open about these things. However, I also don't want a lot of people fussing about it, nor am I willing to be the cause of a lot of extra stress for family members who have plenty of other more important things to worry about right this second. Of those I have told, nobody seems to find it odd that I want to have it done "at my age", but then, most people don't seem to remember I'm 51, not 41. And if they did find it odd, well, I want it for the same reasons most of you have already cited, and I would probably laugh at them and run down the list - that's just the kind of person I am! First, it's about my health. I'm a type-II diabetic, have high cholesterol, and I'm borderline for blood pressure. I have pain in my hips, knees and ankles on occasion, especially if I walk too much or ride a bike. I'd love to lose enough weight to see resolution or at least reduction in some of these health issues. Less importantly, but still significant to me: I want to look thinner. I want to be active easily - the 10-mile walks that we do consistently when we're on vacation should be FUN, not painful! I want to fit in airplane seats without thinking about it. I want to be able to shop in normal shops for clothes, not fat women or men's sections to find something that fits comfortably. I don't want to wonder if I didn't get the job because I'm obese, since I was clearly qualified. I want to turn a cartwheel again, just because!

Hi, Lauren - I'm also just starting on the journey. I've had my initial consult and my first NUT visit (second one is this week).

I've still managed to ride on MOST rides, but I there are a few at Islands of Adventure @ Universal Studios in Orlando that I couldn't even come close to fitting in. It's so frustrating! I love coasters.

I hope I didn't offend - it was intended to be a little of a lighthearted joke about the stereotypical way a mom reacts to the "But everyone ELSE is doing it!" and not intended to be taken seriously at all.

I'm so with you about the bypass - my choice is between the lap band and the sleeve, the bypass isn't even on the table for me. While I like the fact that the band can be adjusted and even removed, I don't like that you have to keep going in to get adjusted. I'm leaning toward the sleeve, though - it seems overall more effective, and the complications seem to primarily be in the first few months, unlike the band with the potential for slippage or erosion that happens later on.

Have you settled on getting a sleeve for sure, or are you still considering options? If you're still considering options, then I would certainly ask him about his experience with the various options and what his recommendations would be based on your personal needs. If you've decided already, then here's what I spoke with my doctor about: How long have you been doing the procedure? How many have you done? What is your success rate? Rate of complications, and what sorts of complications? What can I expect from you throughout this process (availability to answer questions, meetings, etc)? What will be expected from me? Are there current or former patients I can speak with? What can I expect it to be like post surgery (time in facility, recovery time at home, diet, etc) assuming nothing unusual about my surgery? There were other topics that came up in the course of my initial appointment with him, as well, but they were basically derived from the seven topics above. I will also say that my surgeon brought up a number of the topics before I asked, which I felt was a good sign. He also did not rush me in any way and seemed happy to talk to me as long as I had more questions, and didn't push me to make a final decision on which sort of procedure I was going with right away - as he said, I have 6 months until I can have the surgery at best (because of insurance requirements) and the initial few months are the same regardless of which procedure I have, so I should take my time and make sure I'm comfortable with my choice. Keep in mind that I did a fair amount of research first, and so I already knew a good deal about the reputation and qualifications my surgeon has, as well as the clinic itself.

My NUT said the 6 month diet that the insurance companies sometimes require is really less about losing weight at that point than it is about proving that you've made and understand the lifestyle changes necessary to support weight loss with your sleeve, such as understanding the right balance of protein, fats and carbs, which carbs are good choices, and so on. Of course it's hoped and encouraged for you to drop some pounds - every little bit helps!

Hey, didn't your mom ever say "Everyone else is doing it, hmm? And if "everyone else" was jumping off a cliff, would you do that too?"

Best of luck to you! Not that you'll need it - you will do just fine!

For what it's worth, I had similar second thoughts the few days before another "elective" (but highly, highly encouraged by my PCP and my gynecologist as the best option) surgery. I knew that the surgery would take care of the never-ending pain and other issues that were severely impacting my quality of life, but I kept wondering if I had exhausted the less extreme options, and if I should go back and rethink this. Luckily, my surgeon and his staff had all told me to expect a bout of second-guessing, and walked me through the medical pros and cons of all my options pretty thoroughly. I was also told it might be a good idea to put why I wanted the surgery done in writing so I could remind myself when I got worried that I *had* considered the options thoroughly, and I had excellent reasons for moving forward. It helped more than you might think to be able to pull out the bullet lists on the options as well as the list of my personal reasons for proceeding when I started second-guessing.

Hang in there, Angela. You'll be fine. It either will all be nothing, or there will be erosion and there's still nothing that can be done except for move forward. It's not bad to consider options if all is not as you hope, but don't let it make you too crazy worrying about it, as you won't change what IS by worrying Good luck!

Hi, all - I'm 51, happily married with no kids, just two Cardigan Welsh Corgis. My husband and I, who have been together for almost 14 years now, are geeks by trade and by preference (we both work in segments of the software industry), and love to travel together, both in the US and abroad. I'm also a musician, a theater nerd, do a variety of crafts when the mood and time permits, and love reading. At this point, I haven't made a final decision between doing a LAP-BAND or doing the VSG, so in part I'm here to try and understand the VSG from the patient's perspective. I'm likely to have no problem being approved for either, as I have a BMI of 45.5 and I'm a fairly recently diagnosed type-II diabetic. I've just started the 6 months of medically supervised diet that my insurance requires for either surgery, so my likely surgery dates will be in March/April 2013 timeframe.