tigerbelle

yes, good news to hear of the surgery success....of course, keep posting!

***update*** Back again for another update. The blessed news is that my ulceration did heal at the end of January, and am off of antibiotics...during my healing time, I did more research on VSG and tried to keep up and read a lot of posts on this forum. A lot of friends and family--some who have had WLS--as well as my ob/gyn had encouraged me to consider choosing a surgeon whose sole practice is bariatrics and who has been doing WLS for many years. I decided to schedule a consultation with a local bariatric surgeon who is quite well respected and comes highly recommended, and I had my initial consult with him today...while I liked him and appreciated his honesty and no-sugar-coating approach, I did leave the appointment feeling a little down and discouraged Because of some previous abdominal surgery and an abdominal skin graft, he is not sure that he will be able to do the surgery laparascopically and I may have to go on a strenuous pre-op diet to get my liver size reduced as much as possible to facilitate the surgery...both of these things scare me--mostly the possibility of having to do open surgery...he will know more when I get a CT scan which his office will coordinate setting up for me soon...they will probably call me on Monday to set a time for the scan...while I wait to do the scan and get the results back, I am continuing to visit this forum and read some more on VSG Guidance from anyone who has had some similar concerns would be welcome and appreciated...thanks just for reading

I also wish you well

I hope all goes well for you...hang in there!

like others have said, it depends on the guy...just based on looks alone, I would definitely say I have found some bald men to be sexy

yay, Tink! I hope one day to have my own NSVs

glad things are going well for you...very encouraging...keep up the good work

I so much pray I have similar results...even if I can get off insulin and bring my a1c to less than 7, I will be overjoyed

I would approach it very conservatively if I had the BMI you have. I definitely think exercise and weight loss will help, but have you tried other methods? WLS was always a last resort for me...there are risks, of course, but the main reason I put it off for so long is that I know that for me it will be just a tool and won't "cure" the underlying issues that lead me to overeat and emotionally eat...no matter how low-risk the surgery may be and how easy others have had in recovery, this is still serious surgery...you will be taking out permanently 80% of your stomach...and there is no guarantee you or me or anyone else will not gain the weight back...I don't want to sound discouraging--only realistic--and because you asked...I just think I would try starting an exercise program and just eating healthier for longer before committing to WLS

I know y'all say that you look in the mirror and don't notice the weight loss the way that others see it on you...I think the more important thing to focus on--whether than dress size or the way you see yourself in the mirror--is how you feel physically...do you feel healthier? More energy? Able to do more? That is what I want--to be healthier, control my diabetes and hypertension...be able to exercise like healthy people...sure looking nicer in clothes and having others notice will be a nice "extra" but it surely isn't the reason I am subjecting myself to WLS

I think accountability is a big factor...perhaps just staying on this board and keeping us all updated with your progress and even the bumps in the road will help...in other words, we will be your monitors!

for those of you returning to work less than a week from surgery, is this normal or what your dr. recommended/approved? it seems like most of what I read has indicated you would be off from work at least a few weeks

add me to the list of pre-op members who are nervous and scared...welcome to our group

wow...thumbs up for sure

good luck, JMS

thumbs up, Jen

kimkai, I actually think all of the prep work you described is actually for the best, since it helps you make an informed and not rushed decision...I also am 100% for following whatever your dr. recommends, and I know all drs. have their own protocols and requirements based on their own practices and experience...I know about the liver shrinkage benefit, but most I've heard is the 30-day pre-op diet for that purpose...it just seems like a lot to expect a patient to lose 10% of their body weight before surgery...for me, that would be almost 30 lbs.

Glad I found this topic...I've exchanged posts with a few of you already...I am in Baton Rouge and have a consult scheduled with Dr. Bellanger on March 8th...I will have my surgery at Woman's Hospital regardless of who ends up being my surgeon...I am self-pay so no insurance paperwork or red tape at least...I know I will find this out at my March appointment, but I am curious as to how soon after my consult could my surgery possibly be scheduled...2 weeks? a month? also, do any of you recall what kind of pre-surgery diet was required by Dr. Bellanger? Any and all feedback is appreciated

Thanks again, Doreen and Shellid...I have made an appointment with Dr. Bellanger on March 8th...I have heard good things about both him and Dr. Hargroder, but several people have recommended Dr. Bellanger based on his many years of experience with WLS and the latest techniques in VSG...many people have described him as the "best"...I am still having a few doubts about being one of the masses, plus I don't have the comfort level at all that I have with Dr. Froelich...but the intellectual side of me tells me to go with the surgeon who has the most experience and whose entire practice is dedicated to bariatric surgery...I think once I meet face-to-face with Dr. Bellanger, I will have a better feeling about it

I am totally baffled by requirements like this....losing 10% of your body weight? One reason for having WLS is because of unsuccessful attempts at dieting...what are they trying to prove with such a requirement? I can see some doctors requiring a pre-surgery liquid diet for a short period but requiring a 10% weight loss before even consulting with the surgeon? what the?

glad it all worked out for you...I know that must have been scary

thanks to sassygirl and others for some inspiring posts

yes...if your goal weight loss is 125 lbs...keep up the good work!

I used to get these often in moist areas such as the inner thigh...I am fighting one right now...I would go sooner rather than later to see the dr...if it has been there more than a few days and is painful, I wouldn't wait around for it to drain on its own...you definitely don't want to get a serious infection, and the most frequent type of infections with boils is a staph infection...I just would not recommend self-treatment with a large and painful boil

sweetie, I am pre-op, too, and have some of your same concerns...I know what you are asking, and this is what I am expecting from my months of reading this forum about the experiences of others...I know the feeling of eating when you aren't even hungry to the point of a big discomfort of feeling stuffed--still even when I am miserably stuffed now, my stomach is obviously stretched to the point that I will eventually digest the food and it won't make me throw up...I think once I have the sleeve that I will very quickly be able to eat to the point of being miserably stuffed-feeling, but with the sleeve it will probably all come up instead of digesting...I am not sure yet if this is an effect that is long-lasting or maybe just a year or two out...some people say that eventually you can eat anything just in "smaller" quantities--I've heard of people gaining back weight even after having the sleeve, so it must be possible...some people who've had the sleeve for a few years say that they still can't eat much food at a time and not enough to gain back weight, so I guess it just varies with the person