docbree

I actually feel my depression is better after losing some weight! And you know.....my doc never mentioned to me the size of the hernia sorry! I just know that it hurt to swallow after surgery and they told me that was from the repair.

No I'm not...the methotrexate works for me. I'm on the highest dose of that so if my RA gets any worse that would be the next step. I better go knock on some wood now

These were my results....just trying to give u hope

Enbrel, humira, remicade, etc. ..

My surgeon is letting my use topical NSAIDS. I've got valtaren gel and flector Patches. . They've helped me a lot! I have one on the bottom if my foot now!

I also have RA and I'm on methotrexate. Do u have to take ibuprofrin every day? I know what its like to have a flare up I also have been on prilosec for years and had an endoscopy done prior to surgery. The doctor said I have gastritis and a hiatal hernia (which he repaired during the sleeve surgery). My acid reflux is actually better after the surgery. As far as being on prozac for years....I too have been on depression meds for years and being sleeved did nothing as far as worsening my depression.

Thanks, Mastiff_mama I have RA - and I'm really concerned about not being able to take ibuprofen - the last time I tried that I ended up with a cane and steroid injections. The doctor is concerned about my reflux (she said the surgery is likely to make it worse and I already have moderate esophagitis from it - even with PPIs), and I have pretty bad Iron deficiency anemia that the doctors haven't been able to find a cause for. Several other more minor issues - but they involve a possible pre-existing malabsorption issue. I'm not really sure exactly what else she might be concerned about - most of my other issues are co-morbidities. I have also been on Prozac for years, and she said the surgery could trigger worsening depression and that I might not absorb enough of my medications.

I'm so sorry to hear that so many are in this boat - but I'm glad I'm not in the boat by myself. If by protection, you mean the etra weight - I definitely know what you mean. It's a love/hate relationship.

Oh yes, the diet coke! That's a big one! But you will feel better when you get off it....evil, evil stuff!
And girl you know I am crazy as loon and they cleared me!

I can't imagine how you feel or how your depression effects you....I can tell you there are people here who will listen, offer advice and comfort you. May if us have suffered from depression to some degree or another. It's not easy being fat! Some of us are fat for horrific reasons! Probably a lot more than you could imagine! As a high school teacher I'd find myself talking a lot to my chunkier students trying ti get them ti understand why they over eat to avoid a lifetime of being fat. You would be SHOCKED how many confessed abuse and mostly sexual! I wouldn't be surprised if half or more on this forum have experienced this! I was. ..for years! I've been to therapy but never lost my protection! It freaks me out! My abuser is still a big part if my family and has been ever since over 30 years ago! I am only telling this because its a issue with us fatties!

Everything prior to surgery is so overwhelming. There are so many appointments and it's very stressful I just wanted to rip my hair out. Eating is very different after surgery and I still miss hinge eating for that high feeling. I was sleeved on 1/21/13 and I'm still struggling with food. This surgery does not make u eat the right foods. You have to choose the right foods to eat. If you don't then the surgery is so not worth it. I wish you the best and if they say no on surgery....don't give up on yourself!! Maybe its just not the right time for you. If they say yes...make sure you are mentally prepared for the commitment for the rest of your life. . I wish you all the best honey:)

Wow docbree!
That sounds tough
I'm not sure of what your health issues are so I can't speak to those...
But depression! That I know about.. And I can tell you I've had years of meds and therapy and not once has that aspect of my life been an issue with this surgery. I had a psych Visit and having depression didn't hinder me as far as approval.
I would think that if she really didn't think it was a good idea she would not have you go to all these appointments?
So for now I say chin up! Jump through your hoops and work towards getting what you need.

No

Omg my partner is the same way! I have a stash of Protein Bars, Protein milk and a bunch of peanuts and Snacks and he eats them all. I went bezerke and said you can have anything you pig and you eat all my stuff?! He slept on the couch that night.... Ok only for like ten minutes till I got scared of the dark.

My weight prevented me from living, seriously.
I had physical ailments that were obesity related and mentally I was a mess... I had social anxiety due to my weight and being self conscious.
My only regret is not doing this sooner. I'm happy, my kids are happy, my husband is REALLY happy lol and I'm living a life I thought I'd never see
Do what you need to get the results you want... When you decide what you want, go GET it
No one will fight for the life you deserve except you
You're worth it

I will try and give you the 'Reader's Digest' version of MY story. I was 50 when I decided to have WLS. When I went to the seminar a few months later, I was the smallest or certainly close to the smallest prospective patient in the room. My BMI was 36 or just under that. I suffered from NO health issues. I may have suffered from shallowness......I wanted to enjoy shopping and look good in clothes. Don't laugh, it's a real condition, I'm sure of it!! On a more serious note. I had been on and off a diet since I was 18. I'd done WW three times, I'd seen a nutritionist, who was all the rage in our little town, I'd done Fen/Phen, (which ended my diet pill popping forever!!!) I tried Atkins and all those in between. I could lose weight, I'd lost 50 lbs two or three times and 20 or 30 lbs more times than I can count. By the time I seriously considered surgery, I had 'accepted' 228 and STRUGGLED to maintain that. That should have been a red flag. I hated shopping, and only did so when I NEEDED something. It was never fun and I always felt disgusted or bad after a shopping trip for a new dress for church or for a pair of jeans. Nobody thought I was 'big enough' to do something so drastic. I knew the truth, it would get worse as I got older. I had seen my paternal grandmother and all but one of my six aunts get bigger and bigger as they aged. I knew that could be me and then I WOULD have health issues at some point.
I lost 23 lbs prior to surgery, it took me a little over two months......I can lose weight, it's keeping it off that I can't do!! I saw my PCP to make sure I was healthy enough to under go this procedure. She told me that I was healthy, she'd never considered me a likely candidate, but that to lose 50 or 60 lbs at age 50 was almost impossible....and to keep it off, I'd need to eat grass and weeds for the rest of my life. What a relief, this naturally LITTLE woman acknowledged that it's hard, if not impossible to do what I needed/wanted to accomplish! Game on!!!
I never looked back. I've never regretted what I did June 11, 2010. I've loved every minute of it. I condsidered it an adventure, ups and downs, but I kept my eye on the prize. I weighed 205 the day before surgery and post op, I got down to 170 in no time. (I was very 'rigid' and did exactly what I was instructed to do!!!) At that weight I was in a size 12. I'd have been thrilled with those results, but I KNEW that I'd underestimated what this new little tummy could do.
Ok.....to wind this up, I am wearing 4's and 6's.....never in my wildest dreams would I have dared to imagine this!!! I will still hold up a pair of jeans just out of the dryer and think NO WAY!!!!! I love shopping, I'll go spend an afternoon at the mall just to window shop. I feel good and feel 'normal'. I still obsess about food and still 'make choices', but when you have little or no hunger, making choices is easier. I weigh and measure my food, I weigh myself every morning. This is my life and I've got a dog in this fight.....I want to stay on top of it. I don't weigh once a month and risk seeing a gain of eight or ten lbs. We ALL KNOW how quickly that can happen!!! This is like a game to me, and I feel like I won and don't want to go back. I feel like I eat like a naturally thin person. I feel good, now days IF I tell someone about surgery, I call it preventive maintenence. 'Nuff said.
Good luck.......listen to your heart, and to what your gut tells you. (Reader's Digest version??!!! Not really I guess!!! I'm sorry!!!!)

As you do your due diligence in researching whether a WLS procedure is right for you, please be sure to research the complications and talk to your surgeon about them, too. I am not going to quote an absolute percentage, but I do know that for the sleeve, it is under 3%. Iggy fell into that 3% and I read through a lot of her posts during her recovery. It was truly heartbreaking and I am so thankful she is recovering and remaining a member of VST, if for no other reason than to remind folks researching the sleeve to do their homework and know the complications. My surgeon had less than a 1% complication rate, so be sure to ask them, too. And not just leaks right after the surgery, you need to ask them about complications with their patients 2,4,6 ... months out as that is when some of the issues present themselves.
I am not a risk taker by any means, but i was willing to take on the <3% complication rate and believe I would be able to get through whatever it would be. I had <3% chance of a complication, but I had a 100% chance of complications from being morbidly obese. I needed a change with my relationship with food and the sleeve has helped me do this.
I love my sleeve and wouldn't change a thing.

I'm in the married, therefore celibate group

The older I get, the more I realize I don't know much I like to tell my daughter "I sure wish I could be 15 again - then I could know everything, too." Like I said - I live to irritate her

Thanks again for the laughs, you folks are good for my spirit!!

Lady, competitive eating is not a hobby!
It's a way of life!!!!