Mrs. Reid

@@Kindle I wonder who you are that you believe you have the right to call someone else's decision BS?
I'm only telling a select few people about the surgery...so what? Who are you to pass judgement on that fact? I'm honest with myself. I know what I'm doing. I don't lie to people. If I say I'm following a medically supervised weight loss program, how is that a lie? I feel no shame in what I'm doing. I am proud of myself for making this decision and following through with it. Each person's situation is different. You don't know the repercussions each person on this forum will face if they tell everyone about their WLS. To make a blanket generalization that everyone who does not reveal their private health information is out of line. Who are you to judge?

@deedadumble. I think this subject comes up because people who choose to tell others about their decision to have WLS appear to be judging those who chose not to tell.

Well said.

@@Kindle I wonder who you are that you believe you have the right to call someone else's decision BS?
I'm only telling a select few people about the surgery...so what? Who are you to pass judgement on that fact? I'm honest with myself. I know what I'm doing. I don't lie to people. If I say I'm following a medically supervised weight loss program, how is that a lie? I feel no shame in what I'm doing. I am proud of myself for making this decision and following through with it. Each person's situation is different. You don't know the repercussions each person on this forum will face if they tell everyone about their WLS. To make a blanket generalization that everyone who does not reveal their private health information is out of line. Who are you to judge?

So in no way shape for form am I ashamed of my decision but I am a very private person. And if I am totally honest with myself I don't want people judging me for my decision. I have only told my dad (my mother passed away last year) and my husband about my decision to have weight loss surgery. I don't want anyone trying to talk me out of it and say "you can do it on your own" and "don't you think this is a bit extreme." I am making this decision for me and my immediate family. I will be taking a little time off from work but have not told co workers yet anything. I honestly don't know If I want to. I may have to have "emergency surgery" and come back after Thanksgiving break. I failed to mention I am a teacher. What would help my story seem a little more plausible for work?Gaulbladder issues? Kidney stones? Hernia issues? Thank you all in here for the advice and support!

@@Kindle I wonder who you are that you believe you have the right to call someone else's decision BS?
I'm only telling a select few people about the surgery...so what? Who are you to pass judgement on that fact? I'm honest with myself. I know what I'm doing. I don't lie to people. If I say I'm following a medically supervised weight loss program, how is that a lie? I feel no shame in what I'm doing. I am proud of myself for making this decision and following through with it. Each person's situation is different. You don't know the repercussions each person on this forum will face if they tell everyone about their WLS. To make a blanket generalization that everyone who does not reveal their private health information is out of line. Who are you to judge?

I have hypertension and am on meds to deal with it. It is the comorbidity that is getting me the surgery even though my BMI is under 40

This is one reason I'm not telling people about my surgery. At the initial information class at the bariatric clinic, another person told me "You're not that big" I told her I was much heavier than I looked. For me, I just want to avoid the negative vibes. People have their own reasons for saying the things they do. Maybe they think they are giving me a complement when they say I don't look big enough for surgery. I don't care what their reason is, I don't want to hear it. This is my life and I am responsible for my health. This is the way I am going to get healthy and stay healthy for the rest of my life.

By the way , I went alone to Tijuana and never felt scared or threatened in any way. My husband was totally against this at first but we have two daughters and he had to stay with them. I didn't tell any family members about my surgery so I ended up going alone . I did my research and made the right decision for me .

Thank You.... it does suck paying insurance premiums for years and the time I need it most they won't cover it because of where I live.... But it is what it is.... I'm no longer going to let this stop me....

I am actually having my surgery at Presbyterian, Dallas (where the three most recent American Ebola cases have been). Not going to lose any sleep over it.

Hey there! I am also 52 and waiting to finish jumping through hoops to get my date. My psych eval is on the 3rd of November and will hopefully have a date soon after that. I am hoping for December and am currently doing everything to make sure I am successful. It is definitely my turn

I think you will feel better in clothes that fit. Are there second hand stores around where you can get some cheap clothes to see you through a month or two?

Thanks so much to all who replied! I was not going to take my measurements but now I will. I thought about buying up Protein shakes when I could find them on sale, but that idea is also out the window. I don't have a surgery date yet but am planing for December. I am trying to do some of the emotional work now and getting myself psyched up.
Even though I am still jumping through hoops, I consider myself pre-op. I am trying to do the things that will get me in shape to have an easy recovery. (i.e., workout, cutting out sugary food) I am so happy to be on this journey that I want to do everything in my power to make sure I am successful. Thanks again for all the info!

Thanks so much to all who replied! I was not going to take my measurements but now I will. I thought about buying up Protein shakes when I could find them on sale, but that idea is also out the window. I don't have a surgery date yet but am planing for December. I am trying to do some of the emotional work now and getting myself psyched up.
Even though I am still jumping through hoops, I consider myself pre-op. I am trying to do the things that will get me in shape to have an easy recovery. (i.e., workout, cutting out sugary food) I am so happy to be on this journey that I want to do everything in my power to make sure I am successful. Thanks again for all the info!

I am new to this forum and I have to say this is an awesome resource. I have had every question answered and when I thought that there was no way I could have this surgery...I read these posts and reevaluated my choices. I am happy to say that I WILL be having the Gastric sleeve procedure. I have been following the pre-op diet and I am awaiting my psychologist appt. so no date yet. I can't wait for the new year, the new me. Knee pain GONE. Back pain GONE. Shoulder pain GONE. And a thinner me....GORGEOUS I am 52 yrs old, happily married with 5 grown kids and 7 grandkids. It's MY TIME!

It occurred to me that not many people who have no problems really tell their story and that people doing their research may need to hear some success stories. I am a lurker, I read some of the posts on some of the threads some of the time!
In May 2013 I weighed my heaviest ever at 234lbs. I have spent my life and a small fortune going to various diet groups, mainly weight watchers, but also others that provide food etc. I have also done every diet imaginable. I cannot remember ever feeling thin, I remember my first "diet" at about 7 years of age. My parents were fat and are both now dead from Type 2 diabetes related illnesses, I could see the writing on the wall.
In June 2013 I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I had terrible pain in my knees from arthritis and decided I had to do something drastic. I had never heard of Grehlin, or leptin or gut biomes. So I started some serious research into weight loss surgery and so did my GP (PCP). He found me a surgeon and on August 7th 2013 I had my Sleeve surgery.
In the first 12 months after surgery I travelled to Houston for 2 weeks, to New Zealand for a week to the UK for Christmas, to Sydney (Australia) for a long weekend, to India, Israel and Jordan, and then back to the UK for 5 weeks to visit my grandchildren. While in India I turned 60 and on that day I weighed 60.6 Kg (133.8lbs) I don't usually travel this much it just happened to be the year.
Despite all of the travelling and having to find the right food to eat I managed to just continually lose the weight, no stalls, no complications just round about a kilogram each week.
Of course I lost some hair, I expected to. However because I had done a lot of research I was not overly concerned and It is all growing back quite well.
Some of the things I did along the way are:- I tracked every meal every day on MFP. I walked every day, not a lot, just enough to make me feel good and exercise my dog. I only weighed myself once each week. I tried my best to get the right amount of Protein and Fluid in but it was really about 9 months before I could actually manage to do this. I was, and still am religious about not eating and drinking at the same time, or drinking my nutrients, the only nutrients I drink is my once a day skinny Cappuccino which is my morning snack and gives me 7gm of Protein. I stopped the Protein shakes at about 6 weeks post op mainly because they are carb loaded and they don't meet my no drinking nutrients guide lines. I took, and still take, Vitamin 'gummies' on most days. My blood levels have been great and I am sure this helps.
Now I am 14months post op I have weighed between 54 and 55kg (120-123lbs) for the last couple of months. I now no longer track on MFP because I pretty much eat the same or similar things each day. I still walk and have even been known to make a mad dash across a park to catch the dog! I have added some low GI things to stop myself from continuing to lose, mainly nuts and also things like 'low fat' instead of 'no fat' yoghurt and the occasional piece of 'fat' cheese, and I mean occasional, not daily or even weekly. I get about 60 - 70gms of protein each day and the rest of my diet is low GI, I eat fruit and small amounts of veggies and some bread and sweet potato, really a normal diet. I don't add or have any sugar apart form those that occur naturally in fruit and veggies. I can eat about 3/4 cup of food in one meal if it has dense protein and about a cup if not.
My butt must have been HUUUUUGE because I now have so much skin that when I sit, I sit on layers and folds of skin and it is very uncomfortable. So on November 17th I am having a butt lift and blephoroplasty (eyelid lift).
This is the best thing I have ever done in my life. I have a wonderful and supportive husband and family. I tell people if they ask sometimes and sometimes I don't. I don't really care what they think, part of the freedom of being 60!
There have been a lot of people on this forum along the way who have come and gone who helped without even knowing and I sincerely thank them. I have never been this skinny in my life and I love it!

Exactly! Why go threw all of this and still be overweight? My goal weight is 135 which puts me right in the middle of the normal range. I know people will say I am losing to much weight but they are not the ones who will be paying my medical bills. Also, I want to have some room to lose or gain a few pounds without becoming unhealthy.

I had gastric sleeve 8/11/2014 at 5'8" and 221 pounds. I am 51. I've lost 35 pounds in two months. I had diareah once and that was the day after surgery. I've thrown up once - the day I restarted solid food and accidentally ate too much. The only thing I wish about this surgery is that I'd had it way sooner. Please do yourself a favor and go see a WLS that knows what he's talking about. Your heart guy is way out of touch. All of my doctors were very supportive of my decision. ALL of them! And I didn't have any life threatening conditions like you do.

Exactly! Why go threw all of this and still be overweight? My goal weight is 135 which puts me right in the middle of the normal range. I know people will say I am losing to much weight but they are not the ones who will be paying my medical bills. Also, I want to have some room to lose or gain a few pounds without becoming unhealthy.

@@tkwyant Holy hanna, from which rock did your doctor just crawl out from. I would cut all ties with a medical professional with such one sided clueless information. Any and all medical advice from him I would file in my brain as nil and void.
Nope no diarrhea, I was sleeved a month ago, I take vitamines, I eat what everyone else does, this is not a death sentence, it's a health sentence, it gives you the tools to be healthy, that's all, that's it.. Yikes I wonder how many other people this doc has misguided with his closed minded opinions, he should be offering advice based on facts, not his opinion which is WRONG! I would place him in the "Bad Doctor" file!

I was wondering the same thing.
My surgery will be April 2015....my 30th bday is June 2015...hoping to be healed for travel abroad.

This is one reason I'm not telling people about my surgery. At the initial information class at the bariatric clinic, another person told me "You're not that big" I told her I was much heavier than I looked. For me, I just want to avoid the negative vibes. People have their own reasons for saying the things they do. Maybe they think they are giving me a complement when they say I don't look big enough for surgery. I don't care what their reason is, I don't want to hear it. This is my life and I am responsible for my health. This is the way I am going to get healthy and stay healthy for the rest of my life.

This is one reason I'm not telling people about my surgery. At the initial information class at the bariatric clinic, another person told me "You're not that big" I told her I was much heavier than I looked. For me, I just want to avoid the negative vibes. People have their own reasons for saying the things they do. Maybe they think they are giving me a complement when they say I don't look big enough for surgery. I don't care what their reason is, I don't want to hear it. This is my life and I am responsible for my health. This is the way I am going to get healthy and stay healthy for the rest of my life.

This is one reason I'm not telling people about my surgery. At the initial information class at the bariatric clinic, another person told me "You're not that big" I told her I was much heavier than I looked. For me, I just want to avoid the negative vibes. People have their own reasons for saying the things they do. Maybe they think they are giving me a complement when they say I don't look big enough for surgery. I don't care what their reason is, I don't want to hear it. This is my life and I am responsible for my health. This is the way I am going to get healthy and stay healthy for the rest of my life.