Vikingsfan8178

I would talk to my doctor ASAP. You need that protein (one way or another).

Well, it is done! Now time to recovery. I will be honest, yesterday sucked. Hoping for a better day today. Hiccups (I guess from gas) come and go. When they are here, it lasts for 60 to 90 minutes and makes me feel like crap. Otherwise, doing ok. Very tired.

May 7th -- Thursday -- is the day. The nerves are hitting me big time today and I assume it will just get worse. It didn't help that I had my first "you don't need that surgery...do you know what you are doing?" comment today from a family member. The last thing I need is anyone planting seeds of doubt into my mind at this point. So, now I need some positive stuff before I run away from this whole thing

Surgery done Thursday morning. Back home now. Worst part for me so far is hiccups. Any suggestions on getting rid of those?

scheduled for tomorrow -- about to hop in my car and run away lol

If all goes well, I should be headed towards Sleeve surgery on May 7th. I need to initiate conversations with my boss this week and get my time off on the calendar. Getting the time off will not be a problem. I have a good relationship with my boss and his supervisors as well. I am not going to be able to go into his office and say "I need to be out 2 weeks due to surgery" and then leave it at that. He is going to be concerned (which is good) and I feel like leaving it open ended will be the most uncomfortable path to take. So, I think I am going to say I am having a hernia repair. I met someone the other day that I had thought was a WLS surgery patient because they had obviously lost a lost of weight. I asked her for advice and she said that she actually did not have WLS surgery but did have hernia surgery (two hernia's actually) and she had to follow a similar diet that us WLS patients follow, thus the weight came off for her. That planted the seed in my mind. I can simply say hernia repair and when the questions come about losing weight, I can say that I have to follow a diet due to the surgery and I am continuing the diet for my health. I typically like to be straight up with people and be direct but we all know their is a judgemental stigma that comes with weight loss surgery and I don't want to deal with that (especially when I will be dealing with enough of my own emotions anyway). Ok -- feel free to comment.

best of luck

Two things -- 1. I have never had a surgery before or missed work due to something like this -- can you just use Sick Days? 2. I don't really care to tell people exactly what I am doing. I am just a private person and do not like attention. I am going to have to tell them I am out having surgery, but I don't care to get into specifics. How did you handle it?

I am a 36 year old male with numerous health issues: depression/anxiety (mainly anxiety), low self-esteem due to my weight & my lifelong fixation on being obese, high cholesterol (on meds), borderline high blood pressure, pre Type II diabetic, suspicion of fatty liver, family history of early onset heart disease, and low testosterone (which I am 90% sure is due to my obesity). If you haven't noticed yet, just about every health issue I have is caused or heavily impacted by being too overweight. Now, if you look at me, I don’t think you see the typical image of “morbidly obese.” What you would see is a former athlete that is carrying some extra weight. Picture an ex-football player that has a muscular frame but a high body fat percentage. Even the doctor’s nurse looked at me and said “you must being doing this for a health reason because you just look muscular to me.” I think the truth is that my frame somewhat hides / or just carries the excess weight better than a smaller framed person. With all that said, regardless of what others “see,” I know that I am too overweight and I am 100% sure that if I do not lose weight, all of my health conditions are going to get worse and I will pay for it in the near future. This is why I am strongly considering weight loss surgery. I feel like I am doing the right “homework” except there is one more book I want to read (deals with the psychological aspects of WLS). The one thing that that just screams at me is “you are going to have 85% of your stomach removed!” Excuse the language, but “DAMN,” that sounds crazy! It makes me want to just try and do this crap myself but I know the end result is me losing 20 pounds and then gaining about 20 and still being in the same freaking shape I am now. It just sounds crazy to think I would be losing 85% of my stomach (electively) at age 36. I feel like I just bounce back and forth on this decision. Help me out.

@@Dajones that sounds horrible! My experience was just the opposite. I turned over on my side, looked at the clock, next thing I know they are asking me what my name is and how I am feeling.

Wow -- had it done yesterday. I am glad I do not have access to those drugs. I would be a drug addict for sure! Best nap I have ever had!

just bought it last night and started reading it The Emotional First Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery, Second Edition

can you have coffee?

awesome job how do you feel?

that does sound better doesn't it? And makes a lot of sense! Thank you

@@Vikingsfan8178 Since you are youngish -- why not visit a bariatric weight management center and work their program and see how you do? I went on a plan and worked for a year only to realize that I was gaining and losing the same 15 pounds. At that point I went through the process and had the sleeve done. I am very surgery averse and don't go to the doctor unless I really need to, however, that year gave me the evidence I needed that surgery was the best option. I am down 65 pounds and glad I made this decision. Good Luck! I think the past 15 years have given me the evidence that I need to know that unless I go on a very strict and high volume exercise program, nothing is going to change. And even if I did, could it be a permanent lifestlye change? That is even the scarier part to me because I didn't get to this weight by having strong will power when it comes to food.

I love your post but I don't think a particular lifestyle program will work for me in the long run. For example, I used to do drug-free bodybuildy competitions. I once went from 260 down to 190 in about 8 months through extreme diet and exercise. Best I have ever looked. I actually had ABS. After the competition, even with maintaining my exercise, I put the weight back on and then some. It happens every time. It is a head game I think. I havea Masters degree in Exercise Physiology. I have a ton of knowlege about weight loss and fitness. But yet, I am sitting at a BMI of 40. I will feel guilty and hate myself over it but then I get hunry and go eat a big lunch full of fried food or I will go eat a large pizza for dinner. It is like someone who smokes. They know they will eventually get sick from smoking, but they keep lighting up. My hope is that WLS surgery would force me to "reset" due to the surgery and the post-surgery healing..and then provide me with a tool to maintain the benefits gained. I am honestly tired of feeling guilty all the time about my weight.

Exactly -- this is what I have had to explain to my wife (and myself). The numbers do not lie. The health conditions and family history are as real as it gets.

THIS is what I want to believe. I mean, I know I will eventually "forget" that I had most of my stomach removed...and if I can eat many of the same foods that I ate before (just much smaller portions) then that is a big WIN. Essentially -- I love the bad foods and I crave big portions. I eat until I am stuffed. Food choices and portion sizes are my biggest enemy and this has been the case ever since childhood. I feel like the sleeve could be the "reset" that I have always wanted.

6 foot, 295lbs

My end is scheduled for Tuesday and I just realized that I have only assumed that would be covered by insurance (with my typical co-pays and such). I am going to get with the office staff on Monday to make sure, but I figured I would ask you guys as well. I guess the docs must have some kind of diagnosis code or reason they use in order to make it medically necessary to have the test?

I was at a support group meeting tonight and one of the topics was the horrendous smell of gas and poop after WLS. This particular person had duodenal switch. Is this specific to the DS surgery folks or is this across all weight loss surgeries?

Can somone give me an idea of what to expect with the Endoscropy procedure? It is one of the pre-op things I have to do. I understand thatt I will be drugged up & need a ride home. Will I be able to work later in the day or will I still be a little out of it?

you might just be sick in general...a cold or something?

I know it varies by person and your type of work -- but what was the length of your hospital stay and the number of weeks out of work? My job is a desk job. And I am specifically asking those that had the Gastric Sleeve procedure. Thanks