LAG4ahealthierme

In my 'skinniest' days (many ago) I was a 34B. Today at my largest I am a 38DD. I expect I will lose these boobs, but I am wondering where my nipples will end up. I fear in my jean pockets! LOL

Congrats! Best wishes as you continue on this journey.

Welcome and good luck tomorrow!

Thank you all for sharing - What a great thread. Reading your stories gives so much hope and reaffirms to me that I am on the right track. You are amazing!

Great question @@glitterpockets! I am pre-op so I do not have an answer, but I look forward to the responses. I'm a newbie, but I am learning real quick that the folks on this site are real, are very supportive and will tell it like it is.

Welcome Brandon! I am waiting for my surgery date (I anticipate sometime in September). I was not asked to lose weight, but I am making very conscious and deliberate healthier food choices in hopes that that my 2 week pre-op diet won't make me crazy.

@@Running2theSleeve, @amylovesparis and anyone else, I would be happy to be a buddy. Though I have a supportive family, I am the only family member who has struggled with obesity. Yes they are supportive, but do not understand. Hang in there. YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Though I do not have a surgery date set, I expect it will be end of August/Early September. I will turn 60 at the end of this month. The waiting is frustrating, but I am so ready to move forward!!!! This website has been a godsend. Reading everyone's posts has been very helpful in keeping me focused. To Miss Mac - You are an inspiration

Hi all! I'm looking for all of the buddies I can get! I have one more lab to go (scheduled for next week) then hopefully I will have a date. Because my insurance was very quick to approve, I feel like I have been waiting forever. My immediate family knows and is very supportive. I also told my boss and one close colleague. When I told one of my best friends, she kind of flipped out, told me that all I needed was her to kick me in my ass a little harder....I was not expecting that, so I've told no one else and don't think I will. When my surgery is scheduled I think I might tell those that need to know that I'm having gall bladder surgery. Any thoughts???

Just South of Chicago, IL

I was told that 'waiting' for my surgery to be set would be the most difficult of this process. But I seem to be going backwards in this process. I first met with my primary care doctor a year ago for help in weight loss. After 8 months of dieting under her supervision, I was referred for WLS. Lucked out and was able to attend an informational meeting on that same day and scheduled a consult the next. Met with the surgeon a week later then scheduled all of my required pre-surgical authorizations. Insurance approved BEFORE meeting with any of the required doctors for and clearances. Wow everything 'seemed' to be falling into place. Started more reading and research on WLS. Found this awesome website. Joined the Surgeon's support group. Psych Eval - check; Pulmonologist and sleep study- check; cardio - check - oh wait- cardiologist recinds and now wants a CAT Scan. What's up with that? The surgeon will not schedule surgery without all of the pre authorizations final. More waiting as it is taking forever to get this CAT scan scheduled.... has anyone had anything like this happen? I guess I was really crazy to think that surgery might happen this summer - sigh -

I have a bariatric health coach assigned to me through my insurance company. She told me that waiting for a surgery date is probably the most difficult thing in this whole process. I'm convinced she may be right. I had hoped I could plan my Summer around my surgery, but it doesn't look like that will happen. I have work committments in the Fall and am beginning to wonder if I should be cancelling those...... It's not my intent to be spreading any negative energy - just trying to keep real. The reality is this is a process and it does take some time to get through it. However, if I hear one more time, "You did not put on all of this weight overnight......" I might scream. The support from this site and continued reading and research on WLS is helping me to be a little more patient and stay focused on my goals. It will all come together!

I've enjoyed reading about all of you so here I go... I'm Lucy and all to quickly approaching my 60th birthday. A proud mom of 6, Nana to 7 of the best grandchildren ever, happily married (though there have been 'moments') 25 years to one of my best friends, I'm a self-employed event planner. Working from home does have its advantages, but for those like me the biggest disadvantage has been spending most of my days sitting at my desk in front of a computer... I do miss being in an office and taking those luncheon walks with co-workers. Like many of you, I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. My first self-imposed 'diet' was at the age of 13. I lost 15 lbs and was still considered 'pleasingly plump'. I've yo-yo dieted since and am turning to WLS to put an end to that. I'm not getting any younger and my body cannot take that stress. My last two major attempts at weight loss were under doctors' supervision. I lost 50 lbs in six months - gained 60 back in 18. Then a year ago I started again with a new primary care doctor, lost 15 lbs in six months and gained 20 back in 3. I began researching WLS a couple of years ago and kept it on the back burner until the power of social networking slapped me hard in the face. A colleague has posted a candid picture of me at a work function and tagged me in it. I had no idea I was as big as I am!. It is no wonder it has become such a struggle to keep up with my grandchildren and everything else I enjoy doing that requires physical exertion. This is not where I wanted to be turning 60! I want to be healthy and need to be to watch my grandchildren grow up. After going through the informational session with my prospective surgeons (at that time) and doing a little more research, it became very clear to me that the gastric sleeve in my only option. That was in April 2015. My insurance gave approval immediately! I've completed my psych eval, just finished with the cardiologist and had a sleep study this week. I can't make this process move fast enough and am anxiously waiting for clearance from the pulmonologist. My lungs are healthy and no further action required with the sleep study. I would love to say that I will be having surgery in July, but I may be expecting too much - am I? I don't know. I know that finding this website has been a godsend to me. Until now, I've done more reading of others posts-getting support and added strength to focus on the future from you. Thank you!!!!!

Best Wishes! After over a year of sitting on that fence-undecided, making that decision to move forward was major relief! Now getting all of my ducks-in-a-row to schedule surgery is making me a little anxious. I am an event planner and not having as much control as I would like planning this major event is making me crazy! UGH

I am not sure that I can offer any answers to your concerns as I too am new to this forum. I have a sleep study to get through before I can schedule my surgery. I can tell you that I will turn 60 next month and struggled with my age issue for a year before deciding to go forward with WLS. I have always struggled with obesity and 'diets' that helped me to take off weight, but never keep it off. I too, looked at WLS as an option for the 'weak' but with lots of research, reading, and a new primary care doctor that doesn't equate obesity with laziness, I am looking forward to using the gastric sleeve as a tool to healthier living, a longer life, and a better me. My husband says he loves me just the way I am, but that's not good enough for me. I can't run with my grandchildren like I want to as I am. I tend to avoid family outings and get togethers because it's a struggle to participate in the yard games and such. I don't love me as I am and I want to change that. Though I am not particularly looking forward to my 60th birthday (I don't know that I've accomplished much- there is still so much I have yet to do) I am looking forward to celebrating my 70th. My odds of making it without WLS are significantly against it. If you have a mindset for WLS and a medical team who will work with you, then I do not think 62 is too old. With every diet I've ever been on I experienced hair loss and that was devastating to me at those times. It still concerns me and hair loss is natural as we get older, but when I stop and think about what really matters, like a hugg from one of my grandbabies, hair loss doesn't seem nearly as important to me. As for sagging skin, well my current lumps, bumps, rolls and stretch marks are not a pretty sight either. I know that staying focused on the positive will be key to getting me through this process of WLS and beyond. I am counting on these forums for support and hope that I can be of support to others as well.