docbree

Ok so I've been watching this thread and I just feel that if you're going to state your opinion, beliefs, whatever...do it in a respectable manner. Calling other's decisions "BS" is not respectable at all.
I agree, there are some people out there who are more open than others...I'm not that type of person.
I like to keep my business to myself, BUT if I see someone who can benefit from my story, I'll tell it, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I'll let them know. But I'm not just gonna be an open book to anyone who wants to read me.
I come from a pretty large family...literally. And I feel as though they wouldn't be as supportive as they should because they'll feel like I'm better than them in a sense. And it's not that at all, I just want to make myself healthier and happier.
So for that reason, I have only told a select few about my surgery.
And if I see someone in my family who would really benefit from my story, I would tell them.
So no I'm not ashamed that I'm having this surgery, I'm more excited than anything. I'm just cautious of who I tell because I don't want to hear the backlash.

What a wonderful discussion to follow!????
By nature, I am a private person. That being said, I work in the health care field & it is not something that I want everyone to be aware of, but at the same time being in a small community, I expect word to get around. I am just under 2 weeks out from surgery & most of my coworkers & boss are aware. As far as the patients go, I'm not sure- they're there for us to take care of them, but I've known some for>20 years. I lost a large amount of weight ~10 years ago & thought the more vocal I was, the less I likely I would be to gain it back....WRONG! So, I certainly don't have that mind set any longer- if anything I am humbled by the possibility of failure, but determined to be successful. Also, a colleague of mine had WLS & did end up gaining his weight back. Yet a friend of mine also had WLS & is on Facebook actively posting about this. So this is an issue that I struggle with- likely I will try to use me as an example to this who are ready, but time will tell. Thankfully those who know have been supportive & some are watching me to determine their choice. It will be an interesting time????

Wow!!! Congratulations!

It sounds like you've had a very rough year. Be kind to yourself and acknowledge how far you've come. In the scheme of things 15 pounds isn't that much damage. You're catching it early enough to make some changes and get back on track. I agree with beaglelover - try to make the time to go to a therapist just once a week. I know, sometimes finding the time to research and find one can be a bigger deal. Maybe post here to see if anyone in your area has a recommendation!
If things are just super crazy right now, maybe wait till you get through the current hurdle and then make a plan to spend some solid time mapping out a plan to get back on track. Think about what foods you were eating when you were doing well - or what activities you were doing, or what your mindset was. And take time to work through all the changes in your life and the loss of your mom. Might not be a bad idea to think through the implications of working from home - maybe that's not ideal for you. Or maybe you need to map out some ways to make it work while sticking with healthier habits.
You've been so successful - you can and will get back on track. Good for you for reaching out here. Take advantage of all the support you can right now.

I suggest going for therapy. That's a lot to handle. Losing your Mom is just awful!

I had the same response when I was in your position. I came very close to backing out after reading some of the posts. Thank God I didn't!! One year later, my life is completely different. I've lost 140 pounds, am officially a marathon runner, and have done the hard emotional work. The journey is what you put into it. Good luck to you!

Wow... You are an inspiration. I have lost only about 40 lbs and I don't like what I see. But I feel SO much better! Please be proud of yourself. Don't worry about saggy boobs - we all have them! I plan on wearing a bra and three-quarter sleeves all the time! (Think I can find a swimsuit with sleeves?) Plus doing neck exercises and moisturizing. As for the rest of it, who cares? Clothes will cover us. And we will be healthy! I am proud of you. God bless you!

This weekend, after 12 weeks of training, I completed the Hershey Half Marathon and came in 30 seconds under my goal time!!! That means I ran -without stopping- 13.1 miles!! That is just crazy to me, seeing as before my sleeve I never ran even a city block.
Around mile 12 I really wanted to walk, but I just kept thinking "the girl I was before couldn't have done this, I'll finish for her." I pushed through & did it and outside of the birth of my kids and my wedding, it was the best day of my life.
As a side note, we went to Hershey park the day before the marathon with my teen daughters & I rode every single roller coaster. The last time I was at that park, I tried to ride one with my daughter, but couldn't fit. It was the most humiliating moment of my life, so it was pretty fitting that a year later I returned there to ride all the rides AND run a 1/2 marathon!!!
This is just an example of how working with my sleeve to reach goals has helped me transform my life. ....and now I'm registered for my first full marathon in a few months!!

This was taken on 10/12/13
This was taken on 10/12/14
Down 105lbs - I am so glad i got sleeved! I LIVE my life now... I dont hurt, or dread the stairs. I fit in an airplane seat with so much extra seat belt (yes i took a picture of the space now between me & the belt)
(sorry for the mess on my bed - its not normally like that - i was pulling out clothes that no longer fit)
Anyway - it was all worth it... I have never been happier.

UPDATE: So, my health benefits will be changing in 2015 significantly enough that I moved my surgery date to December 8th, which is when hubby and I were supposed to be on our cruise. Early last week we had already started talking about possibly canceling our cruise plans due to health concerns and travel so when I learn of one particular change to our benefits, I decided I'd use that time off for the surgery instead. I am hoping there will be a cancellation on 12/1 or 11/24 so that I can be back to work prior to the Christmas holiday so as to not mess up any plans my co-workers/peers may have. I was planning to be off for 3 weeks. I would like to ask any prayer warriors out there to pray that I can get the surgery done sooner rather than later (11/24 or 12/1). My surgeon only does surgeries on Mondays and limits his cases to 3. I told his scheduling nurse that I would be checking with her periodically for any cancellations. Thanks y'all!!!

Here is my sugestion for what its worth:) --->Get back to basics. Track your food. Change up the type of exercise you do daily. Up the resistance on exercise machines. Just keep doing and don't give up! the scale will move.

Oh girl, I was in your boat not too long ago. It's tough, hang in there, I promise it will get better. I was miserable, I finally got my energy back (most days). I can exercise again, get all my Protein in and all my fluids in. It takes time to adjust. I know it's a big adjustment. But you are about to the turning point. Energy is the last thing that came back for me.

You all are impressive! Thank you for the support and kindness. As to the Water, yes I'm drinking and don't have a problem with that. Thank you all again.

If you're going through hell, keep going! I felt like crap for the first couple of weeks, but now--9 weeks later--I feel great. You'll get there.

YES it DOES get beter -- and that will happen within the next few days, you'll see.... and after like 3 weeks, you're like NOTHING and the weight is by then sliding off and you'll feel better and better and better each passing day! Good luck, say positive and walk walk walk -- it makes you feel better!

@@Febes1800
welcome, wecome, welcome and welcome to sleeveland
we're all good eggs here
some of us are more cracked than other
ask us alllll your questions
we will answer to the best of our knowledge
but most of us are laymen (some nurses on the board)
we're all smart (especially me) but we don't have medical degress
please remember at the end of the day your doc and NUT (nutrionalist)msp are the ones to listen to
many NUTS/doc have different instructions
ONLY listen to your medical team!!
sorry things aren't going that well right now
many of us had/have similar problems that you are going through
telling you that doesn't make you feel any better - but its good to know that you are not alone!!
right now - Water is much more important than getting Protein in
eventually the amount of Water and Protein will go hand in hand
you didn't mention if you are successfully drinking water??
many people drink chrystal light or water at room temp
popsicles are also good (don't think they count much as water)
you must drink as much as possible
small, slow sips
you can't risk getting dehyrated
hopefully things will get better sooner than later
you are on your way to a healthier, happier, longer life
good luck newbie
kathy

I'm IN!!
Heard from the Lindstroms today and Aetna approved me!!
Kelly and Walter Lindstrom were absolutely incredible. My second level appeal was nothing that I would have ever come up with!
So waiting for the surgeon to call me back, to get a date!!
Thank you to all who have helped and encouraged me the past few months after my denials. I think I would have lost hope if it wasn't for many of you.
I had a really tough year, and this is my light at the end of the tunnel.
I cannot wait!!!
Katie

Well, the good news is, it is a temporary problem. I have been at goal for awhile and people don't seem to remember I was obese. When old pics are pulled out, even my own adult kids don't recognie me!
Whatever you tell others, i do think self honesty is important. When I had the lapband I kept it a secret (well so i thought) and i rationalized it as "not being REAL bariatric surgery. Like I wasn't REALLY obese, just overweight - ha.
I told my partner and my sister. About a year post op I over heard my sister at a big campout telling a whole group of her friends about my surgery in a very disapproving tone. Clearly my "private" approach didn't work and I trusted her completely with that info, I just didn't realize she was bitter and jealous about it and had a good laugh at my expense when i failed miserably.
However, 10 years later, with the sleeve I told everyone in my life. Heck, it was life or death... I was becoming disabled. People cheered for me!

Ginger, If I could like this post more than once then I certainly would. You have hit the nail on the head exactly. I will talk to anyone about my WLS experiences and more importantly those who are genuinely interested and those who need to know they're not alone and they don't have to live life with limits because of weight issues. When I was at my lowest point I had moments of not caring much about life but rather going through the paces of making it through another day. Scary times indeed....

@@Kindle -- Great topic!
I chose not to tell a lot of people before because I didn't want to hear stories about their neighbor's brother's best friend's sister who died during surgery or gained it all back. I did my own research and made the decision best for me and didn't want my decision to be by popular vote.
Since surgery, I tell most people that ask. I actually had 3 different people in the office yesterday come up and say "You look great... how much weight have you lost? What are you doing?" If they act sincerely interested, I tell them I had surgery, I'm eating low carb/high Protein and I'm exercising like crazy. I especially tell people if they are overweight because like some of the other posters here, I want them to know I didn't just do it by willpower -- I needed help.
I agree with all the comments about stigma. I also suffer from depression and a mood disorder and I am pretty forthright about that, too. I feel like people suffering with "shameful" diseases like obesity or mental illness feel like they are all alone and I want to offer them encouragement and hope that there are solutions and they are NOT alone.

250?!? Just smile, nod and do what you want, no discussion needed.

You can bet she is jealous. You are right--a BMI at 250 for your height is still over 40! No way would that be a healthy weight. Your goal is much more realistic, and HEALTHY! Ignore it, and keep going!

No, my nose didn't get smaller, but my smile sure got wider !!!

My face cheeks.

For me I decided that in order for me to be successful it is necessary for me to be honest. That includes everything. I am now vocalizing my concerns, struggles, anxiety, happiness, everything. I want to be more accountable to myself and support myself. I need to be proud of my decisions and that means not hiding any more. Telling someone what's going on with me is not about them it's about me. I am speaking out in support of myself instead of hiding myself as I have in the past.