jane13

I think that is what is going to motivate me and also eliminate my fear that I did something I may regret in 5 years. I have steadily gained in the past 10 years to get me to over 100lbs over my norm. I want to move and feel human again.
SJD2015 YOU are on your way~

sounds like SUCCESS all around! Hope I am as lucky

i put this story on my blog but itts worth the quick retell. i was in Walmart buying underwear because heck mine were floating on me, so just for giggles i grabbed a black suit jacket off the rack, and said to my wife " im just curious" and the damn thing fit beautifully. I was absolutely stunned. not only did it fit, but its the first time in my life i have been able to fit into something like that off the rack not in a big and tall section and not without needing alterations, or being labelled portly or wide cut etc. i actually kinda teared up for a second. weird such a moment in a walmart lol.

@@LipstickLady - you have nailed all of those feelings I have now. Maybe one day I feel like you do now. Thanks for saying exactly what you feel. I don't hold back either and I enjoy your posts too.

@@LipstickLady - you have nailed all of those feelings I have now. Maybe one day I feel like you do now. Thanks for saying exactly what you feel. I don't hold back either and I enjoy your posts too.

First and foremost, I have never had a single second of regret. Despite the stricture, the constant nauseated feeling I had for the first few weeks (meds fixed that), my inability to drink plain Water (still! almost 2 years out!), and the constant diarrhea (still! almost 2 years out!).

That's all the bad stuff, all completely tolerable as it replaced the constant guilt for cheating on whatever diet I was on at the moment. The gassy, bloated feeling I had from whatever "bad" foods I had gorged on that day. The dread I felt about stepping on the scale.
My size 8 wardrobe has replaced my size 20. Brightly colored clothes have replaced most of the black in my closet. Heels are comfortable now. I may have poop Soup, but I no longer have to wait for the handicapped stall because a regular stall is too small. I was able to do any exercise I wanted before, but now I can exercise without sweating profusely the moment I start, I can breath comfortably, I don't have to stop to "get a rock out of my shoe". I no longer wear capri pants when it's cold outside because they are the only pants I could find that fit. I don't care if my hair and makeup is perfect and I can go out in workout clothes because I no longer feel as if I look like the fat lady who just didn't give a ****.
I can eat in public without being self conscious. I don't feel the constant stares (all in my imagination, I'm sure) when I walk through a mall full of teens. I am no longer the fat mom. Hell, I am no longer the fattest person in the room, hoping someone fatter will show up. (Ha! It's been so long, I've forgotten about that until this very second.) I thought I would miss food. I don't. I don't miss the fat lady stores, I don't miss buying wide shoes, I don't miss the looks when I get on an airplane, bus, train or theater -- you know, that look that says, " PLEASE don't sit next to me!!".

No, no regrets. The little blips on the radar are were all worth it. I am most surprised about how much I was fooling myself when I thought I looked and felt great. Let me tell you, it's was nothing like I look and feel now.

Honestly? I was surprised how hard I still have to work to get the weight off. Yeah, at first it comes off pretty easily and steadily, but after a certain amount of time it really is all on you to use the tool you were given to its full advantage. The other thing that surprised me was realizing the complicated relationship I had with food, and the head games that can play on you sometimes.
Regrets? During some hard times,(stalls, slow losing, head hunger) yeah, I can say I had a few. But I am a realist with a little pessimist sprinkled in, so that's my nature. But I can also honestly tell you this has made me a better person all the way around. Yes I've lost weight and can see the goal line on the horizon, but I'm also more disciplined about exercise, and I can honestly say food isn't such a huge deal to me anymore, and that's very freeing. I'm pushing 48, and feel like I did in my 30's. I look and feel amazing. All of that is thanks to the Sleeve. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!
Good luck with your upcoming surgery and keep us posted!

my thoughts are with you and I haven't been cleared yet for surgery but I think from what I have read here that what you are feeling is pretty normal. You are not alone.

The closer you get to goal, the harder the fat will try to stick. This might be a good time to call your nutritionist. You'll get varying responses here. Some will tell you to increase, calories, some will tell you to decrease calories. Others will tell you to up your Water intake. I think it's subjective. call your nutritionist, review your food diary with her and get her suggestions.

Sounds like it's time to change it up a little. Change up your exercise routine, throw your body a curve ball. For example, if you've been walking two miles a day, maybe try and go for that third mile now. Or try to get that extra set in at that gym. I'm learning not to let myself get too comfortable. You can do it.

Here it is April 1st and the next thing on my to do list is April 20th with the Pulmonary Consultation and then April 24th with the Cardiologist appointment. It sounds like a bunch of days of sitting around and waiting so I emailed my doctor's office and asked if it were possible to go ahead and get the four hour nutrition class done. She emailed me and told me that I would have to wait till all my consults were done (I just have those two left) before they can schedule me to a class. I guess I am just sitting here being annoyed because I have a feeling that as soon as I can schedule it I am afraid they are going to say something along the lines of "Well you just missed the last class now you will have to wait a full month for the next one". Then once that is done watch it be another full month before I can get in my last and final consult with the surgeon (It took me a month to get into my first visit) and then just to kill me watch and see it be yet another month before there is a slot for surgery time. I just started that time of the month and my moody side is coming out. Sorry! Rant over!

Wow what a list that Miss Mac posted.....I knew about half....that is crazy. Hurry up BCBS fed emp approval. I have hypertension, headed towards diabetes, Migraines and anemic. I probably have sleep apnea but I have never been diagnosed. Urinary stress incontinence and arthritis are coming, too.

my thoughts are with you and I haven't been cleared yet for surgery but I think from what I have read here that what you are feeling is pretty normal. You are not alone.

I am in the same boat except I don't have a date yet - I started my journey on Nov 4th...

So I have been following this board since about October when I decided to have WLS. I view this board every day. For months I have felt prepared (from my own research and here), but now I'm starting to feel nervous. Maybe becuase I can no longer say my surgery is next month, I am scheduled for surgery on April 28th. I am going to try not to go full blown PYSCHO before my surgery! LOL

Wow what a list that Miss Mac posted.....I knew about half....that is crazy. Hurry up BCBS fed emp approval. I have hypertension, headed towards diabetes, Migraines and anemic. I probably have sleep apnea but I have never been diagnosed. Urinary stress incontinence and arthritis are coming, too.

Famil history of obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart disease ARE considered co-morbidities. My mother died just a little older than I am now. She was 5'2" and weighed 32o pounds when we buried her. MY olderst brother died of a heart attack at the age of 47, weighing over 420 pounds. His funeral was delayed a week while a special oversized coffin could be built. Here is a list of co-morbities from The National Institute of Health, a government agency (nih,gov): Hugs from Chicago
Obesity Comorbidities
To follow is a list of comorbidities (additional conditions or diseases) related to obesity which may help you in qualifying for weight loss surgery.
Family history of heart disease Family history of stroke Family history of diabetes Family history of heart attacks Hyperinsulinemia Diabetes High blood pressure Coronary-artery disease Hypertension Migraines or headaches directly related to obesity or cranial hypertension Congestive heart failure Neoplasia Dyslipidemia Anemia Gallbladder disease Osteoarthritis Degenerative arthritis Degenerative disc Degenerative joint disease Recommended joint replacement from specialist Accelerated degenerative joint disease Asthma Repeated pneumonia Repeated pleurisy Repeated bronchitis Lung restriction Gastroesophageal reflex (GERD) Excess facial & body hair (Hirsutism) Rashes Chronic skin infections Excess sweating Frequent yeast infections Urinary stress incontinence Menstrual irregularity Hormonal abnormalities Polycystic ovaries Infertility Carcinoma (breast, colon, uterine cancer) sleep apnea Pseudotumor cerebri Depression Psychological/sexual dysfunction Social discrimination Premature death in the immediate family

@@ilikecake2much - Welcome!! Your doctor must have had a reason to recommend you for bariatric surgery.......besides just being overweight. My PCP made the same suggestion because I was diagnosed in 2013 with non-alcoholic FATTY LIVER, which a lot, if not most, obese people probably have. I also had diabetes, albeit controlled with food, exercise, and Metformin, and high BP which had been diagnose a couple years before the liver issue. He felt WLS was the best opportunity for me to lose the 100 lbs. he said it would take in order to halt the progression of the fatty liver disease and all the bad stuff that can come with that, i.e. cirrhosis. I took about a year to read, research, and talk to everyone I'd known who had been through WLS. I, too, felt like it was such a drastic route to take to lose weight, but as my PCP said, "I know what you're already doing, and what you've already done, to try and lose weight and it's not been working well for you." Once I started thinking of WLS as a tool to lose the weight for MY HEALTH, and not as a shortcut to lose weight just for the sake of losing weight and looking better, then I was ready to make the commitment to scheduling the surgery.
I wish you well on YOUR journey!
Know that the new lifestyle you create for yourself by having WLS is for LIFE! Literally and figuratively. For every pound we lose, we're that much healthier!!
March 31, 2015 - Tuesday Reality Check
It's important to not undermine your commitment to weight loss by telling yourself, “Maybe I don’t really need/want to lose weight,” or “Maybe I don’t actually have to do these things.” If you do, you will have a much, much harder time getting yourself to just do what you need to do.
From Beck Daily Diet Solutions - http://www.beckdietsolution.com/daily-diet-solutions/

Hey ilikecake2much and welcome.
Your story sounds like many ppl here. I was not excited for surgery probably until 2 days before I had it and I had thought about for a year, had a 6 months supervised diet etc etc etc. I has been a hard transition with family and kids and it can (but it doesn't have to) put a strain on relationships. Maybe you can inspire changes that will benefit your husband's weight loss and it will certainly impact your kids. Your decision to have WLS is as public as you decide to make it. You don't owe anyone anything but you do owe it to yourself and perhaps your kids to get healthy and you are making the necessary steps to get there. We all need to get REAL selfish and self-interested for a while, but as a mom you will always be the backbone and support for your family. Keep coming to these forums for support. Nearly every topic has been mentioned at least once and you can use the search tool to find them.

I didn't know that - never had any surgery like this (wisdom teeth only) so thanks for sharing!

my immediate family knows and a couple of co-workers. I am just not quite ready to announce my plans until I am in the post op stage and feeling ok.

I didn't know that - never had any surgery like this (wisdom teeth only) so thanks for sharing!

Hello all I've read a lot of you all saying that you can check your claim status to see if your surgery is approved or not how would I do that? I have finished all my requirements for surgery but haven't heard anything from my bariatic coordinator

I agree with everyone else about the mild narrowing. I think the doctor didn't completely sleeve you. The follow-up doctor will be able to tell you more. Why did you not have a follow-up appointment?

s-w-e-e-t!
you are on the "home stretch"