Recycled

If you're gonna use a score card to keep track of the pros and the cons in choosing, you're gonna drive yourself crazy. Try and look at it in another way. If they wheeled you into the ER after an auto accident an said we have to operate or your're gonna die.........You AND you family would be crossing your fingers and saying "sure, get to it". Of course you would be nervous and surely scared, but that would not be you main concern.....living would be. When you become morbidly obese, issues develop that will just as assuredly kill you. Even if your life is not in immediate jeopardy now, at some point it will be. The real irony is when accidents happen, we don't hesitate to take action, but when faced with choices when obese, we tend to ignore the dangers and hope the worst won't happen. Undoubtedly, the risks of staying obese are many many times higher than any potential risk from WLS. My guess is the above reason may not have even been one of your considerations for WLS. Yours might have been more like quality of life, self confidence, mobility, comfort, attractiveness, physical ease of doing things......etc. etc. All those things are things that affect YOUR life when obese. Decisions about things affecting your life are yours and yours alone. Most other's negative opinions are a reflection of their own insecurities and envy, not what is in your best interest. So, if you feel the desire for others to understand, then explain to them how you feel. But any decisions should be solely yours. Good luck, with whatever you decide.

Making comparisons on forums between procedures is for lack of a better word.."Silly". As stated by others, one can only offer valid representation of their own experience, which would only be one experience. And it is only from one online forum, which doesn't take into consideration the results from the multitudes of WLS patients not using any forums. Not exactly a true representation of the majority of patients getting any particular procedure. So while I do read forums, typically for any helpful information I might disseminate relating to my recovery and any particular issues I may be encountering........I did not actually consider any forums as my basis for choosing a particular procedure. That being said and since I have already had my weight loss surgery, I am compelled to live with my choice. Second guessing or mulling over pointless comparisons of other procedures is completely unproductive and moot. Barring rare special considerations, this is not an "I changed my mind", or "exchange it for a different procedure" choice. I intend to make the most of opting for a surgical procedure to help me in reaching my weight loss goals. So what is my point.......You shouldn't be using the unsubstantiated information you garner from forums as you basis or only source of information in making your choice of procedure and once you choose, your done. Make the best of what you have. Good luck everyone with your weight loss.......

So let me get this straight.......first you were a 24 and went to a 20, but then gained 70 and lost 46 to a size 24 again, but you've been a size 24 the whole time except when you went down to a 20. And there is no difference between a 20 and 24..........wait, what was the question again....????

Yep. before surgery, my feet got so swollen, I was pretty much limited to just my flip flops. I'm happy to say all my shoes fit now and if and when I do reach my goal weight, I'll probably need to get smaller ones.

My only fear wasn't actually a fear as much as nervous anticipation. I wanted it done before some unknown issue popped up and prevented me from getting the surgery.

You women have it made with all your choices. Us commando guys are screwed.

Why take a chance. Keep some spare clothes in your car.

We all had to get a bunch of tests done during the pre-op stage. Due to my surgery date delays, I ended up having to repeat some of the tests because they had to be done within a certain time before surgery. ( 2 weeks - blood test & chest X-ray) I would call back the Doc that wrote the order and clarify the timing on getting each specific test and how long the results are considered good for surgery and schedule them accordingly.

What he said.....

No, no, no, really..... it's muggy and sticky........It rains all the time. And those Hurricanes......just think about all those hurricanes. Besides, you would miss white Christmases and all those fashionable winter clothes. Forget about Florida......It's got too many mosquitoes anyway...........

By three months out you should of had a follow up blood test. If not.....get one. A blood panel will indicate where you stand with your levels and if anything needs adjustment.

Such irony........A weight loss forum discussing the preparations for losing weight by using methods to gain weight. What a world we live in..........

My consult was just a casual meeting and conversation with the surgeon. His nurse had me step on a scale beforehand, asked me my height and that's it. Why don't you just call your surgeon's office and ask what the consult entails in detail.

wear long pants and some ankle weights.

Here's hoping for smooth sailing tomorrow Cubby.

pre or post op.

I wouldn't be in a big hurry to grab a bunch of Vitamins or supplements. Wait for the blood test results from you post-op follow up with your Doc. Then you can address any deficiencies if you have any. If you want to set your mind as ease, just grab any ole Multivitamin gummy.

Surgeries have risks and this one is no different. If you think they would be upset with your going to the hospital and not telling them, my guess is you're absolutely right. They are worried and concerned because they care for you and subsequently should be informed. You probably feel they might try to talk you out of it suggesting that because it's elective, it's not worth the risk. That being said.....advise them your mind is made up and explain that your did not come to this decision easily and the risks of obesity far outweigh the risks of the surgery. And because there is risk involved, you really need their comfort and support. Be firm. They're gonna be there for you no matter what.

You lost me. How do you get overweight....."not from food"

I would say about "one" puke session should do it. No really, like everyone is saying, measure, don't guess. I haven't been to a restaurant yet, (still too chicken) but I wouldn't hesitate to ask them to measure my food either by weight or volume.

What's scary is when you see how encroaching the fat is, it's a wonder our other organs even have room to function.

Your family is not happy. Are you happy? Driving your car is more dangerous than getting the surgery. Even staying obese is more dangerous. Are they unhappy about any of those things. Stop worrying about what makes other people (even family) happy and concentrate on you and what will make you happy. Mark my words......they WILL be happy when they see the new you and see how the new you makes you feel. Good Luck.

Instant gratification. So typical of today's society. I want it now. Before I knew anything about WLS, it sounded like the magic solution as well. Get the surgery and I'll be thin again. What could be easier. However, I did learn through the pre-op stage it would be a longer trek and mostly require my effort to get the weight off. OK, not magic, but still, I'll be thin quickly. Jump ahead a few months and I'm post-op and lost a bunch in the first couple of weeks. Fantastic, right?! Ehhhhh......what up with this "stall" BS. I have gone over two weeks and not lost a ounce. No problem.....I can beat this....I work harder, eat less and voila, I lost a pound. OK, not a lot but I beat it, right.....Ehhhhhhh.!! Another stall. Are you kidding me? This ain't what I signed on for. Now what. Here's where that little red guy with the horns sittin' on your shoulder starts in with the......"Give up" - "see, it doesn't work" - "have some cookies" - You made a great effort, but that's all your gonna get"... (and there's no little guy on the other shoulder sweetly telling me to try harder.....what gives). So it's up to me. I'm thinking about eating the good stuff. But then I think about all the effort I've put into these loooong stalls. Extra exercise, staring at the TV commercials of food and drooling, looking around to see if anyone would see me slip a piece of candy.......But I didn't. I thought about every pound I earned. The long hard effort it took to get it off and how this few seconds of gratification would wipe out all that struggle and victory. NO WAY. I made it this far. It show I can do it. So I trudge on. I have already beat you stall. I didn't give in. I will get there. I've learned now it won't be instant gratification. It will be hard earned and prove to me I can be a loser.....(a loser, wait that can't be right)...... I mean a winner. You know what I mean. So, do I curse these stalls?? Maybe at first I did, but now I know they challenged me, made me keep my hard earned losses in perspective and showed me I can beat them. You will too.

It's tough to teach an ole dog new tricks.......my expectations from WLS is keeping the head in check. My mind has always won out with eating. Head hunger was the reason I ate so much so often. I want the sleeve's restriction to keep my head hunger in check. I know I will develop new habits and eat better food, but I also know the head will still want that cake and those Cookies. (and not just one). So I need that restriction to be there to remind me of the discomfort if I try to eat to excess.

This thread really only applies to anyone with ticker issues......Everyone else can relax. Turns out one of issues I had after going on a bucket load of meds following a MI and a subsequent cardiac stent, was gaining weight. And it is seems part of the cause is still dogging me post weight loss surgery, in the manner of "slow" losing. Possible culprit - Beta Blockers. They provide BP and heart rate lowering and stabilize irregular heartbeats. But it seems that along with those cardiac benefits, they also slow metabolism and with the lower heart rate control, make it difficult to attain the weight losing "target heart rates" during exercise. Whoopi. So, what does all this mean? Bottom line. If you're on Beta Blockers, you're gonna have to work harder to achieve "target heart rates" in order to increase fat burn. Which will of course, make it harder to lose. So without the WLS, I gained and with the sleeve, I lose very slowly. Thank you life saving Beta Blockers. (Story of my life.) And when I asked my Surgeon about it.....he said.."oh yeah, they do have a tendency to cause slower metabolism. (thanks for the heads up Doc.) Just thought I'd throw that out there for all of us lucky ones that happen to be stuck taking BBs. I wouldn't be surprised if when I checked, I'd find that most of my other meds have the same type of side effects.