BarrySue

If you search on youtube for gastric bypass vlog or weight loss surgery story, there are TONS of people of all ages, races, shapes, and sizes who have detailed blogs that follow their journey.

I'm paying 14500 here in Orlando. I had decided to take a year off college to earn the money and was really in the dumps, and then my mother told me she would front the entire cost and I could pay her back in monthly increments. I'm very, very grateful, because so many people need it just as badly and don't have the same family support. I looked into Mexico, but as a nurse, I've seen too many horror stories of people traveling abroad for surgeries gone bad (although it seems the WLS docs frequented by people on this board are awesome). I'd also be petrified to be in a foreign country by myself. It's amazing how fast and easy the process is for self pay. A lot of the people I've met at the same office have to wait up to five years for their surgery, which is ridiculous!

@nikkiblueyes @kazy298 @ I'll be joining you on July 13th as well! I was told two shakes per day and one low carb, lean Protein meal. The caffeine and carb withdrawals are already giving me a headache at just day 2, ugh!

I feel you on this one. I went back to school, worked hard, and got amazing opportunities for travel. But I always had to quietly ask for flight information so I could book myself into a window seat, and cover myself with a jacket so the flight attendant wouldn't point out the seatbelt wouldn't fit over me and make a scene bringing me an extension, and at times when the flights was full, I'd have to awkwardly ask a classmate to switch and spend an uncomfortable flight trying not to impede on anyone else's space. Everyone else is so excited to travel and explore the world, and I just dread it since it always involves me hlding my breath and waiting to be the next buzzfeed article "Fat student kicked off plane for being too fat." Heck, I got to go to Europe last summer, and I spent most of the time silently frustrated with myself for how I didn't fit in ANYTHING. Let me tell you, I've never appreciated how roomy and accessible American facilities are until I spent a few weeks in France. The worst part is, I can't be upset at anyone but myself. So OP, I really sympathize with you. All we can do is try to change, and use our unique perspective to remember that everyone deserves dignity.

In the seedy underbelly of Mickey Mouse-ville (Orlando, Florida)

My BMI is 60, and my surgery is scheduled on 7/13. We'll see how it goes!

48 hours into the low carb pre-op diet, and my head is already pounding! I always get headaches for the first week when I cut carbs.

I'll have mine on the 13th of July! Good luck!

Wow, I'm having a hard enough time with food. I can't imagine trying to balance restricting two things at once! Because you're having such a difficult time, I would definitely try to build a support system of friends and families. If you need to find a buddy on here, do so! Text them *before* you make a bad decision and let them talk you out of it! It might be the distraction you need. You're not alone, we're here for you!

A lot of problems can be avoided by staying on top of your hydration and fiber. I'd recommend going with tasteless fiber additives that you can mix in with a food of your choice if plenty of water and prunes don't work. Even with laxatives/stool softeners, if you don't have adequate water, you can end up with a fecal impaction. I'm a nurse, so whenever a patient has constipation, I always address it in a specific order, and if it doesn't clear up, I move on to the next step: extra water ----> prune juice ----> metamucil ----> milk of magnesia

My surgeons puts drains on everyone, and I appreciate his willingness to go the extra mile and avoid complications, even if it does take a few extra minutes of his time. Even though leaks are only a 1% risk, I'd rather be safe than sorry. As a nurse, I've gotten to pull out these suckers before, so I really hope they'll let me snip the stitches and pop it out myself for old times sake!

I'm glad you're being cautious and calling your doctor! It's probably nothing, but the nurse in me can't help but worry about tingling/numbness of the hands, arms, chest, or face. Please give us an update!

I won't lie, throwing away all the food in my pantry was harder than my last meal. As long as it was in there, it would be a temptation, but I felt awful just chucking it out. So, my friend challenged me to make a silly video saying goodbye to any bad food left in my house, and then donate it to a food pantry at the local community college.

Straws can have you swallow extra air, but only what is in the straw itself. As a nurse, what I tell my patients who want to drink through a straw to simply fill it first before drinking.

Pediatric home health nurse here, getting sleeved in three weeks! Pre-op diet is started, everything is ready to go...but I feel tremendously guilty about leaving patients for an extended period.

I went to my favorite steakhouse and had my last meal (as though I were a death row inmate). Then, I respectfully wrote a break-up letter to food. I think we all do things our own way, in our own time.

I'm relieved to hear I'm not the only one doing this! I don't want to tell anyone except a couple family members who will be going through pre-op with me, and my mother, who gave me a loan to actually go through with the procedure. Part of me wants to keep it a secret forever, but I also think that as I begin to lose weight and gain motivation, I might want to share it with others. I started a facebook and blog page under a pseudonym, and I figure I will invite my friends and family to join later on if I feel comfortable.