melmommy04

I feel like you were in my head when you posted the first part of your post! My bf will go with me when he can but being it is a 3 hr drive each way for us, it's not always going to be possible. He is educating himself daily though and asks me lots of questions. If I don't know the answer, we start googling together.
When you said your fiancé brought you something bc he had something. So true here too! I love that he thinks about me but gosh it's gotta stop. I try not to sound like the nagging woman but lately I have told him he needs to ask if I want something first. He will learn! (:

@@ranchbrat
I'd just like to encourage you to talk to your doctors and be brutally honest about how you feel Depression is very serious and it may not be related at all to your weight loss. When you're depressed, the last thing you want to do is reach out to get help -- it's like deciding on this surgery -- you get all kinds of advice to "just exercise and eat less" but that really doesn't work for some of us or you just can't make it happen. Some people will tell you with depression that you should just "get over it" or "focus on the good things in life" but sometimes you just can't make that happen and you need help like meds.
I hope you get the help you need and start to feel better soon. You've changed your life so much recently and just need some help to get through this down period.
Best wishes!

You look great, no wonder you couldn't be happier! Congratulations on a wonderful success! Don't know if it was intentional or not, but those pictures tell a story a thousand words couldn't. The one on the left involved food, and the one on the right involved some sort of fitness! Great job - enjoy your new life.

The more I resist food anesthesia, the less tolerance I have for @$$#0\€$ in my life.
It's become clear to me that taking the WLS step was not just about me losing weight and getting healthy. It was about self respect and making life changes. It took a lot for me to get to the jumping off point. But now that I have started, I've set in motion something bigger than dropping some sizes.
Maybe that's why it took so long for me to take the WLS plunge. Because it's not all about the weight, is it?

I am a newbie - so please forgive me if this has been ranted about before...
I just need to get this off my (now smaller than it used to be) chest LOL
I AM SO ANGRY WHEN PEOPLE THINK SURGERY IS THE EASY OPTION!!!!
They treat it like surgery is being lazy:
Just don't eat so much...
Exercise more....
Etc...etc...etc
Sigh! It is a tool, i need to work at it. It is not a magic wand.
It hurts even more when it is family.... feels like i am the wee fat one and they dont
want that to change, well piss off that is YOUR problem!
I made the choice for me if you can't support my decision.... well.... tough!
Thank you for saving me from burying my anger in chocolate X

@@Scylla most times old threads don't apply to each individual exactly. It's perfectly okay to post your own thread whenever you want. Also, just me if I see an old thread I'm less likely to even look at it.
Ask away, that's what this entire website was created for.

Madam ...
While your post was very entertaining, you did make mention of one significant reason why people may not use the SEARCH feature -- it's terrible.
Most times I use it, and I'm very technical, I end up abandoning my effort and just not bothering.
The juice ain't worth the squeeze...

There are thousands of people on this forum and majority do not feel this way. I am one of those people...But I also have known Rev's for as long as I have been on this forum and she is a totally different chick then the rest of us....Her writing skills are the bomb. And she too like the rest of us can have a bad day and write about it...
Actually I am surprised that she has not responded to her own post because that is not like her either....I think I will cut her a break because I know she is a wonderful supporter and loves to help others as much as I do and others...I can't help but like her. She sees the world in a whole different light..And at times I don't agree with her but it does not change how I feel about her...
If you have a bad day or write something that others don't agree with I will give you a break as well. We have no idea what is going on in others minds or lives that make them speak out....I myself have done it and regretted it and hoped people would understand that I am human like themselves....It was yesterday. Today we look at the new thoughts and ideas that will help each other.......
I am glad you are here and I like others and even Rev's will be there for you.......She is a great lady and sometimes makes me laugh. Just at how she sees life.....

I finally see the nastiness in people right here...I do not find this thread to be funny but instead find it degrading, rude and obnoxious. Now I know people are nasty no matter what shape and form they are in and here I thought wow this is a great place to get support and meet people that are like minded. I guess I am wrong...and I am glad I don't know anyone here in person and nor would I care to. I rather surround myself with people that are nice and kind. Just my 2 cents!

I have used the search often and come up with "no results found". I don't know....maybe I'm putting in the wrong words. None the less, I approach this forum kind of like any other social media forums (ie. facebook). If I don't want to read it I just move on or remove myself. Really isn't that big of a deal.

If no one ever started a new topic this website would get slow and no one would discuss anything. People would mass exodus to a new website that people enjoyed discussing all topics no matter if they've been asked a million times or for the first time ever (which is unlikely at this point).
I've been around a very long time and I've seen it all. I still come here happy to help, so I'm not one of the folks you speak about that are tired of it. If I get a little burned out I just excuse myself for awhile until I'm ready to come back. Not a big deal really...

What is required preop varies based on your medical history, your surgeon and your insurance requirements. My surgeon requires psych, cardio and pulmonary clearance. I'm not sure if my insurance requires all of those but they don't require anything beyond those.
I already have sleep apnea and use a machine, so the pulmonologist that sees me for that just wrote up a clearance letter saying my apnea was well controlled. The cardiologist said everything on the EKG was fine but she wants to do a stress test just because I've never had one before and this will give us a baseline. UGH -- one more test. My psychiatrist interviewed me for about 20 minutes and wrote up his clearance letter.
My doc doesn't require any GI testing but I had some done 2 years ago, so he's getting copies of those reports just to make sure we're doing the right procedure (have pretty bad reflux and a hiatal hernia that he will repair).
I've had other surgeries too and been put to sleep for those but I think the big difference is that this WLS is still considered elective, no matter how bad you really need it. And, the surgeon just wants to cover all his bases and make sure you are as safe as you can be during and after the surgery.

I have my testing on Friday, so i am hoping to get a date right after that. Hopefully we all have our surgeries close together. Maybe we will be in Pre-op classes together.

Am expecting to have surgery at the end of June. I am using MFP to track all my good, and my NUT suggested a low carb high Protein diet, but I am having trouble sticking to it. I am tracking everything, but I am unsure of what my pre-op nutritional goals should be and I put in for a 2 lb loss per week but seem to be going over in calories and sodium. My NUT said 15g of carbs at a time, spaced 3-4 hours apart, but MFP gets mad at me!
I'm just so ready to go, and have strict guidelines to follow and actually see results. I think I have lost one pound in 3 weeks

If you want the surgery bad enough you will sleep during your sleep study. It's not hard to sleep thru them. I have been on both sides of a sleep study. First of all, I have had 4 sleep studies. Plus I am a respiratory therapist so did clinicals in a sleep lab. They actually don't watch you sleep. The point of checking to see if you have sleep apnea is that your chances of having a heart attack or stroke is greatly increased because you stop breathing in your sleep. Most surgeons will postpone surgery 30 days if you have sleep apnea so you can get some therapy from the cpap machine. Oh yeah, you can request a sleep aid during your test.
As for the endoscopy or egd, it's done to check your esophagus, to make sure you don't have a condition such as barrets esophagus, or to check for a hiatal hernia. They check your stomach and the beginning of your small intestine as well. They will probably take a biopsy to check for h. Pylori if you haven't done the breath test.
Everyone that wants to get WLS has an EKG. They do it to check for any heart disease, if they detect something on it they will send you to see a cardiologist.
They will check your respiratory system too. Some have to go see a lung doctor.
Some of us have to visit all the specialists, that the surgeon refers us to. They want to make sure you are in best physical shape possible to have surgery. WLS is a major ordeal and you need to be as safe as possible.

I received my approval letter today (dated May 8 exactly 4 months after my initial consult!!!!!!!) and my preop testing is at Carmel May 21! I couldn't be more excited! Today was one of the best Mondays yet! (:

I am doing the Rouxeny, and they said I will get a surgery date after my pre-op testing.

I just calls angels number And leave a message for Shalanda! She is excellent!!

Lowell

I am on medicaid too and I had to go through the 6 month of supervised dieting in order for them to approve my surgery. However it didn't take the full 6 months to complete because my doctor had previous documentation in my file. So she used that and I only had to actually go through 2 or 3 months worth of the actual supervised dieting vs. 6 months. It all averaged out in the end because all they requested was 6 months of documentation and she had that in my file. So with all the precious documentation you have hopefully your doctor will be able to use some of that like mine did. Best of luck !!! Hang in there ... the start up process always seems to be the longest part because it's a lot of waiting but it's well worth the wait.

VPAPNYC- I was thinking the SAME thing....HOW IS SHE EATING ALL OF THAT FOOD! I could BARELY take a couple of spoon fulls of anything and she's eating WONTONS>>>WTF?? This surgery is not for the faint of heart! And like Birthsjourney said YOU have to be willing to put the work in for success. Her husband enabled her by cooking tht mess for her!! My husand ask me CAN YOU HAVE THAT?? (thanks babe for caring enough to ask)!!

I was SO BEYOND done with this one!! I watch it every week but I was FURIOUS watching her cry wolf for make excuses as to why she couldn't do anything. It's RIDICULOUS!!

I saw that one also and was equally frustrated!! It was so sad to just watch her with excuse after excuse!! I'd like to know what her outcome is now, since the show aired and everything.

Does anyone watch this show on the TLC channel? It's on Tuesdays and it shows people who are close or even over 600lbs who undergo wls to save their lives. This last one on the 21st was the story of a 45 year old named Penny who weighed 530lbs. I was so frustrated watching the episode! She was in the hospital for a month and lost 40lbs so the dr agreed to do wls on her and chose the sleeve. He wanted to do the switch eventually. She never lost any weight!! They followed her for a year and she GAINED weight! She had an excuse for everything they asked her to do. She was bed ridden and refused to try to get up and walk!! She never walked the whole year, it ended her weighing 495lbs and still not walking. I just don't understand why you would uproot your life, undergo surgery and then not follow drs orders. I honestly didn't know it was even possible that you could even have that surgery and NOT lose weight! The dr suspected her husband was sneaking her food! She was griping at the nurse that no one told her she was going to be on a diet and expected to lose weight while she was in the hospital! Are you kidding me?? She was in the hospital 4 months after and never lost a pound so the dr gave up. I just don't get it. I guess some people really think wls is a quick fix and you don't have to do anything but wait for the weight to fall off. It was just very frustrating to watch. Anyway, that's the first one I've seen that had a bad outcome. Most of them have been really neat to see how they get the weight off and go on to living life again.

Dont be terrified, there are way more success stories than horror stories, as long as you follow the plan you will be fine. I don't think this forum is to scare you, it's to make sure you know the good and the bad, remember, everyone is different.