FireWife678

My husband knows and my two sons (ages 13 & 10), my mom, my ex-husband (kids dad), best friend and two co-workers. I will not be telling anyone in my husband's family except maybe one of his brothers. I just don't feel like dealing with any static. They'll know something is up because I work out several times a week, which they know, and I am losing at an extremely slow rate. They won't believe it's "just happening" lol. I think his dad & step-mom will be supportive but I'm not 100% sure about everyone else. Suppose time will tell!

Hey!! So, how did your initial visit go?! Information overload I'm sure. That's how I felt and will probably feel at my first "module" next Tuesday. I swear QT has the best junk food snacks!! I have to avoid going in when I get gas lol so I can imagine what it's like having a spouse that has access to that deliciousness. I have to do a six month supervised diet so the earliest for me will probably be late September-early October. I think getting through the process and approval is the longest part so once you have approval you can schedule whenever will work for you and your family. But it's exciting thinking about the possibilities of the future, so it's making me more anxious to get stuff done!! Glad to hear your trip to the movies went well. Kid movies are even better then "grown-up" movies most of the time fun times!!

You're not the only one with that problem!! And now I'm not the only one either!!

These lists are exactly right!! I have a couple I'd like to add: --I won't miss the awkwardness that is me climbing on the back of my husband's motorcycle- or the looks I'm sure we get when we are out for a ride. Thankfully my husband doesn't care at all <3 --Being the slowest walker in my break-time walking group; --Being asked by small children about the "baby in my belly" even though I'm big, not at all pregnant looking :-/ --Feeling like I want to shower every 8-10 hours all summer --The embarrassment of getting anything to eat but a salad in the cafeteria at work (I hate salad!!) --People's "concern" over my health even though I am crazy healthy. I'm just fat. (I NEVER use the F-word!!) I'm sure there's more things that I won't miss or that we all will not miss. But I think these things will be great motivation for all of us before and after surgery. Can't wait for my date, probably in the fall. )

My program has a $300 program fee. Half due at the first module (May 13th for me!) and the other half due when surgery is scheduled. I'm very lucky that, even though my insurance doesn't cover this, I only have a $250 co-pay for the surgery and no deductible. It'll all be worth it and I'd pay even more if it came down to it.

I totally understand, I'd feel how he does if I couldn't explain what I needed/thought. Bless his little heart. Fourth grade was the turning point for both my sons, oldest wasn't as wild as the youngest though lol. My husband does that too without realizing it. He will randomly bring me a (king size!!) snickers or those peanut butter cookies from Quik Trip! They're sinfully delicious. I was always bigger, from like 6th grade on and really bumped it up my senior year of high school when I started dating their bio-dad (I didn't meet my husband until I was 24). We ate out constantly and that carried over to when we moved in together and after the boys were born. I get frustrated because my husband will eat like crap and stay exactly the same. I do and gain 3 pounds over night!! I hate that this is a slow process but I know if I had surgery tomorrow without learning anything it would all be for nothing. I'm too impatient haha

I also have two sons. They're older (I started shortly after I graduated high school), one will 13 in a month and the other will be 10 in July, right after I turn 32. My youngest is also my wild child lol. He's calmed down this past year so I think 4th grade must be the turning point haha. I think my out of pocket max is $500 with no deductible, according to the insurance lady...I hope she is right! Before it was $1,500 deductible and our OOP was like $3,000 per person. It wasn't doable for us. I am so glad my husband is on-board. He's always my biggest cheerleader. But he met & married me as a big girl so I was a little nervous about his reaction. I think he realizes that it's not really about being skinny so much as my knees not hurting or not being able to walk up more than a flight of stairs! It's awesome that you and your husband will have each other to lean on. You'll know what each other is going through and whatnot. It'll be a great built-in support system!

Man, it's like we are the same person lol. I'm also 31, I'm 5'3" and around 280 (depends on the day lol). I saw Dr. LaMasters last year but I had different insurance and it would have been astronomical back then so we decided to wait (and I'm not a fan of Methodist, personal reasons). She was very nice and a great listener. Glad I did wait though, this new plan won't break me. I've only told my husband, my mom, my sons, their bio dad and two friends. I'm just pretty personal and I know who will have my back and who won't. Don't want to give negative Nancies any ammo, ya know lol. Let them eat their hearts out the smaller & hotter I get haha I had my gallbladder out at 19 and sometimes I feel like it was the biggest mistake, although I couldn't have lived/functioned with the "attacks." They were awful. I only had issues with the internal dissolving stitches coming to the surface but I just pulled them out and all was okay. Hopefully they are able to use something for you that won't irritate your incisions. Last thing you want to worry about after a surgery like this!!

Hi MS! My husband doesn't work for DSM (he's a Vol. FF but has a diff day job), I have my insurance through my work (EMC), But im sure they're pretty similar. My surgeon is Dr. Smolnik (spelling?) through Mercy Weight Loss center. A friend of mine went through him and had her surgery two weeks ago today and she seems to be doing great so I'm hopeful. I did the info meeting last month and have my first visit with the surgeon May 13th. Can't wait, it'll make it a little more real I think.

Not sure if each state is different but I have had a couple of surgeries in the last few years and a couple months afterwards I usually would get a bill from the facility, from the surgeon, from the anesthesiologist as well as any from labs that they had to do. The lab ones are usually like $20 and the anesthesia ones are like $100-200. But I switched jobs this past August so thankfully my max out of pocket for this surgery is now only $500. Used to be $3,000. I too hate surprises, but I think what we all end up spending, for us it will be worth it Good luck with everything!!

Love Zumba!! I am lucky, my company offers it in our wellness center so a couple times a week I do it during my lunch hour. This week, the instructor added steps which kinda helped get the heart pumping!! I also bought the Zumba game for Wii. Of course the fabulous little belt that comes with it is not really a one size fits all.... I just put it in my waistband of my pants lol. One day, that damn belt will fit around my hips and not just my chest--under the girls! hahaha

Where I work, weekends and holidays are emergency procedures only. Thanks! I'm sure that is the way it is here as well. Never hurts to ask. But it will be worth using the PTO for!!

Silly question, does anyone know if hospitals ever do these on Saturdays? I'm only asking because with summer coming up we want to take a couple of long weekends if possible and I want to conserve my PTO wherever possible. I work M-F but I'm able to move my hours around if that's what I end up needing to do

Thanks all!! I talked to one of the women at the surgeon's office today and she told me the requirements, which weren't bad! She said they are really easy to work with so that put my mind at ease. I do have to do the six month with my doc but that it could be any time within the last two years. Well I did like four months last spring when I was going to have it done last year so just two more months! Plus a few other things so it will probably be more like late summer, early fall. I'll take it

I am just in the beginning stages of the process and have only told two people I work with. My Zumba partner and my ex sister in law. My ZP was super supportive and excited for me, ex SIL was a little surprised. I will not be telling the grouchy, gossiper. Especially because she has a snide comment for every person when they take even an hour off work. So I can imagine her reaction when I tell them I need two plus weeks off lol. I think my supervisor will be supportive but I am still on the fence about what to tell her. She does know that a hysterectomy is a possibility for me in the future so maybe she will just assume that is what it is. I still have months to think about this though as I haven't even met with my surgeon for the first time yet! Good luck in whatever you decide to tell or not tell!

I am in the very beginning stages of this journey. I have gone to the informational seminar, filled out the million page questionnaire the center requires, called my insurance to make sure my employer covers it (they cover all three that I could choose from!!) and now I have a 30 minute phone interview scheduled with the program's RN this next Wednesday. I have been reading anything and everything I can find about Gastric Sleeve. I am almost positive that I will be required to do the six month supervised diet with my PCP. I looked into this a year ago (different insurance plan but with same insurance company) and got four months in and my husband and I decided, financially, it just wasn't the right time for our family. I now have a much better job, am almost done with school, and our insurance plan is much better and covers more. This time there will be nothing in my way! At first I thought about doing this for the wrong reasons. My motivation was about other people. I thought maybe if I was thinner I would have gotten a job sooner, or I'd be invited to more things, etc. Then I realized that if people see me as only a number on a scale then I probably don't want to be around them anyway. I landed a great job and also realized that my weight had nothing to do with the fact that I really didn't have experience and wasn't done with school. My motivation now is obviously my sons and my husband. And my health. I am, for all intents and purposes, healthy. But at this weight, and rate, how long will I be able to say that and for it to be the truth?! My father died at 46 from complications of diabetes and hypertensive heart disease. I don't want to leave my sons anytime soon, I am 31, but I want to live well into my 80's or 90's or beyond!! I want to run another 5K, I want to ride rides at an amusement park without wondering if the belt will fit, I want to feel comfortable in a bathing suit, I want to be able to take the stairs at work instead of the elevator (I work on the 6th floor, it isn't going to happen right now!!) and I don't want to be tired all the time. My emotions are all over the place. Even though I am only in the first stages of everything the biggest emotion I am feeling is excitement. But I am worried about my self esteem. As a big girl my whole life, I haven't exactly been the epitome of self esteem. I don't want to fail at this and I think that my determination is going to be my biggest asset. I just can't wait to see what the future holds for me, I am sooooo inpatient but I know that good things come to those who wait. And the result will so be worth the wait!! Sorry for the long post but right now I have not confided in anyone but my husband and mother. Any advice or stories of experiences would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading )

I too am curious about this. I am only in the beginning stages of the process and haven't confided in my boss yet. Mainly because I have only been in my current job since August. I have a desk job so strenuous activity is not at all a concern. Plus I am not at all in a high profile/visible position so I think my absence will not create much issue. I think I just worry unnecessarily. I am hoping two weeks will be enough, I have had several stomach (gallbladder, gynecological, etc) surgeries and have healed quickly from those so I am hopeful. Also, I am new to this site and can't wait to read everyone's successes!!