janie2024

My response was always "we'll thank you for your opinion, but I'm really excited to have this tool to help me but bless your heart for thinking of me" that tends to shut people down but I do live in the south and anytime u say bless your heart that signals end of discussion

Im 5ft 1inch Im still pre op but cant wait to get my date I have a NUT class the 17th everything else has been completed so after that everything will be submitted to insurance hoping for late Aug or Sept...

I couldnt help but notice the date on your ultra sound, May 20th not only is that my birthday but its the day I found out I was having twin sons.....22 years ago...Best of luck to you and congrats!

It's time to get yourself to see a psychiatrist for some antidepressants to help with your depression. This is a long term depression and you need something to help balance your chemical inbalance. No shame, no guilt, just a different path to success and a happy life style. you are so young a beautiful and now it's time to start to enjoy life. Let me know how your doing when you follow through. food is not your friend, you need it to survive....

I suggest you seek a Mental Health counselor and start looking for the reason for your depression. You may need some thing to get you motivated.....

Well if Laura isn't a spring chicken then that must mean I'm, we'll never mind. I got my lovely period before leaving hospital and I didn't have a problem changing the tampon. BUT.. Everyone is different. Trimming? Hell.. They're lucky I shaved my legs let alone any place else

So there I was ...330 pounds of exhausted, heavy breathing, high blood pressured, diabetic, sleep apnea laden, shell of his former self humanity. I had taken the "normal" way many times, the slippery slope of hundreds of diets, miracle cures, and sure fire programs only to tumble back down in a heap, more unhealthy than before.
My wife began talking to me about weight loss surgery. She had been up that slope as many times as me and fell down with the same result. I was appalled that she would choose such a drastic step, I volunteered to hold a gun at her head at dinner time... in my mind the same as what she proposed. The batting of her big, beautiful eyes melted me down as it always does and I ended up at an "information" meeting held by the surgeon at our local Center of Excellence bariatric hospital.
My steely resistence melted away when I detected the sound of sound science and saw the many results obtained by the patients there. I came away from the meeting sleeve-minded to the shock and delight of my bride.
Now, a year and a half later, I am free of excess fat, diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and all that accompanies them. The only heavy breathing I do is when I run up a steep hill with 2 1/2 pound weights on each foot, carrying a 20 pound kettle bell, full speed, 12 times. Even then I am back to normal breathing before I hit the shower back home. This from a guy that used to compare the steps to the upstairs bedroom with Mt. Everest.
So now I feel guity. It was a lot easier to get the operation than suffer with the effects of obesity. It was easier to make an effective intervention than run down a thousand more dead end streets. It was easier to take a chance on life than taking a dirt nap that odds are would have happened by now.
But, you know, guilt can be earned or slapped on you by ignorant people. The same folks that charge you with the high crime of "taking the easy way out" would take the same route in a heartbeat if they weren't such lilly-livered cowards.
So I will file the guilt of "easiness" away in the same folder with the shock belt I bought some years ago that was supposed to melt away fat but succeeded in just making burn marks on my belly; the folder of dumb ideas.

Ok my doctor just called me and said im still getting surgery JUNE 17TH she said I have very mild sleep apnea and I reallu dont need the cpap machine. ..... she also tokd me to not have a cow and she would aee me Thursday for my pre screening I start my liquid diet on june 7th I was just frustrated but now im scared to death WAAAAAY TO MANY EMOTIONS THIS WEEK...OMGOODNESS T J ANKS GUYS FOR RESPONDING I GUESS I STill need to get this sleeo apnea togwther hopwfully losing weight hel o s

I absolutely believe it is possible. The sleeve is an amazing tool when utilized correctly. Before my sleeve I would lose & regain the same 30 pounds over & over. After I got sleeved I dropped that 30 pounds fairly quickly & then hit a stall for 3 weeks. I was terrified that I was doomed to never lose any more. Well, I am now 6 months post op and down 101 pounds!
I still have well over 130 more to lose, but I know that I can do it if I just keep on my plan. If I get in my Protein,drink my Water & get in regular exercise I keep taking off weight. None of us who have been sleeved are perfect, but if you can get into some healthy habits it will definitely come off.
Everyone is different, but I have learned a couple things that have helped me. The first is don't compare yourself to others. There are people who are on the boards who have lost 100 pounds in 3 or 4 months. It took me 6 & others have taken longer than 6 months. This is YOUR journey & will be different from anyone elses. I weigh myself once, maybe twice per week. I was weighing every day & making myself crazy with the daily fluctuations. Realize that you will have stalls. Everyone does. It is just part of the process so, don't lose hope. Ask questions & connect to other people. This can be a very difficult process at times & the more support that you have the better.
The most important thing for me has been learning to accept my journey & learning to be kind to myself. I don't know about you, but it has been very hard for me to learn to put myself first. There are many people like you and me who have a longer journey ahead of us than others. We absolutely CAN do this though!

I didn't name my sleeve but I named the part of the stomach that they cut out.
I called him "fat bastard" and kicked him to the curb....

Glad to hear you are doing so well! I am 6 days post op and feeling almost normal. I definitely do not think it is a good idea to go against what your doctor has said to do. I know how you feel, I have 3 weeks of liquids. But no matter how well I feel, this is a time for our new stomach to heal. Not to mention our stomachs are still swollen from surgery!! Do not go on and put whatever you want in your mouth, the doctor really knows best! Wouldn't want you to be one of those people who ate whatever they thought they could and end up back in the hospital with a leak! Go slow, give yourself time to heal! Good luck!

They should tell us to stay away from the scale for the first couple of weeks.

Thanks all for the kind compliments. They make my day! Do not hesitate to send more.

It was amazing ...I got there he asked everyday life questions, anxiety or depression , and also educated me a little more on the surgery and what to expect. He finished our session saying I'm glad I could make a beautiful woman smile!!! That made my day.

Wonderful story, it gives all of us pre ops great motivation!

Oh and if your getting one here's a pretty good tip. Your going to want to shower like really bad heh and you got to keep it dry. I suggest using glad press and seal ( it's like Saran Wrap but way better. It actually clings to things) and wrap the drain around your stomach. Worked great for me.

At my largest
updated pic ohhhhh ahhhh
side by side current 213.5 and day after surgery 380
I have always been heavy. When I was a kid playing little league football I had to play with kids 3 to 4 years older than myself to "make weight" This was the start of my struggle with my weight. When I got to Jr High I started power lifting and did that for a few years. I quit while in high school to get a job. It was at that point I started to pack on weight. I was used to consuming a large amount of calories for my physical activity and never scaled it back down after i quit. I quickly balloon up to 300lbs after graduating and getting a desk job.

Fast forward to November of 2011. I was diagnosed with diabetes. I weight 442lbs at the appointment. I still remember that day vividly. Its funny how you can remember the details of major events like that. I was in denial. I left the Doctors office and went to a philly cheese steak place and consumed a meal that consisted of 3500 calories. the entire time thinking to myself, "thats bullshit, I don't have diabetes, my liver function can't be at 60 some odd percent.". It took me a day to process everything and come to terms with it. It was then that I decided to pursue the option of WLS. I made and appointment with a local surgeon.

I started the pre-surgery diet before I even meet with the nut. I did that with the help of the diabetic education system that the local hospital has. Leading up the the surgery the process was took 6 months because of insurance requirements. My surgery was August 17th. During my stay at the hospital all I can remember were the apologies for not having a bed long enough for my 6'3" frame. It was only about 2 days until I really wanted to get up and start doing stuff. I did not become very active due to the doctors warnings to take it easy. The only issues with the post surgery diet that I had were issues with food intolerances. No eggs or turkey, kind of saddening but lift goes on.

At my first check up on talked with the doctor about when I could start exercising. He gave me a date that I would be cleared to go. I called some of my buddies and we setup a time to go for a hike on the Appalachian trail. My first real exercise was an 8 mike hike on the trail. I was beat and went home and slept for like 12 hours. I didn't slow down there. We started hiking every Saturday. We have covered about 1/3 of the Trail in the state of PA, multiple times over. I set a goal to get down to 100lbs below what I started and I would buy a bike. When I hit that goal November of 2012 I went out and bought a nice mountain bike. When I started riding the bike I would park at a friends house about 4 miles, direct route to work, and ride in. I would get between 8 to 10 miles a day. This went on for about a week. As my friends put it I went a little crazy one saturday on my way home. My house is 14.6 miles from work I rode the entire way home after riding for a week. That was the start of my commuting via bike to and from work. I started out getting 30 miles a day. I kept going riding 4 to 5 times a week. When the weather started to get snowy and really cold that slowed down and I joined a gym.

I set another goal, Complete a 100 mile ride for charity with in a year of my surgery date. I registered for the JDRF Ride for a cure, sold my Mountain bike and picked up a road bike. Starting out I was only able to get up to a speed of about 8 to 12 mph through my rides. I started taking the long way to work getting an average of 28 to 32 miles one way. After weeks of working on my speed I have gotten up to a constant 15 to 17 mph peaking with sprints into the high 20's.

At 9 months post op I am at 214 lbs a loss of 228 lbs total 174 in the 9months post surgery. I am no longer on diabetes meds and riding 60+ miles on the days I ride. I still hike and trail run. I have taken up yoga strength training and will be giving cross fit a try. The surgery has given me the tools to be as active as I wanted to be. I am not healthier than I have ever been. I have started running group rides for friends that want to get out and cycle to loose weight. I, for the first time ever, was called a role model.

the morning before surgery and few weeks ago(will take a new pick I have dropped 15 or 20 lbs since that was taken)[/font]

GREAT NEWS!

awifeinmichigan.....your post made me smile, I also have BCBS my Dr stated they are the best insurance company he has worked with. I will have everything completed but my stress test (due to Im over 50) which Im doing next week and Im scheduled for my Nut class 06/17 so he said once he gets the results from my stress test he will go ahead and submit.....I hope mine gets approved as quicky as yours

I just got the call - APPROVED!!!! I am beyond relieved and excited They said they'll call me tomorrow morning to schedule surgery since I'm done all of the Pre-op tests and evaluations except part 2 of the sleep study (which I have scheduled for this Wednesday) and Pre-admission testing... Did I mention how relieved I am, lol?!??

I think because most people here know that the long term complication rate for the lap band is MUCH higher?
I thought I wanted the Lap band then I started researching and found out that this foreign body they call the lap band is not a permanent solution and will more than likely have to be taken out via a second surgery because of its high failure rate.

Headed out for blood work, ekg and a chest x ray...this is getting real now!!!!

Headed out for blood work, ekg and a chest x ray...this is getting real now!!!!