on the fence 2

i was weighing myself everytime i went into my bathroom, it was driving me crazy. Now my wife hides the scale. It comes out on friday mornings for weigh in then its gone till the following week.

Welcome. you will do great. I'm 6 weeks post op from gastric sleeve and this sight has been a godsend. Everyone is very supportive and any question you need answered you can find here. From the standard questions to the not so standard. Enjoy the journey.

This is my first time on the site. I'm very excited to read everyone's stories and get some advice on mine. My story in some ways is a long one, but my journey to surgery has been relatively short.
I have struggled with weight my entire life. When my doctor asked me when I first struggled being overweight, or when I went on my first diet, I honestly couldn't answer. I don't remember a time where weight wasn't an issue for me. Now, I am not a "sad" fat person. I have never struggled with depression, I have never honestly felt that down on myself. I have had fairly normal romantic relationships, am confident, and have an active social and family life. I have had the same struggles as everyone as far as airplanes, restaurant booths and vacations. The way I dealt with those situations was to "outsmart" them. I obsessively check the seat map when I'm flying (which is often). I change my seats constantly to try to get an empty one next to me. I carry my own seat belt extender so I don't have to ask for one. I will upgrade to first class, even if it's expensive, and I always try to have a travel companion, even if that means I have to pay for the ticket. Typing all of this out feels very strange. I have never ever told anyone about these secret behaviors. It feels shameful almost, but this is how I dealt with normal things. At a restaurant, I arrive first and request a table instead of a booth. Always plaster a smile on my face, with the thought that if I am extraordinarily nice to people, they won't notice I weigh almost 400 lbs. I suppose I have not come face to face with my weight in quite some time. My friends and family would consider me a happy and well adjusted person, and I am for the most part. But I have been micro managing the way my weight affects my life for as long as I can remember. Smile, look pretty, don't draw attention. I am funny, people like me. But they have to, right? You want everyone to like you so they don't notice the weight.
In October, I began to have horrific nosebleeds. They were happening a few times a day, and they were terrifying. It was taking 30-45 minutes to get them stopped, and I felt as if I were bleeding to death every time. It was awful. Finally on Halloween, I had a family member drive me to the ER, I was in the midst of another nosebleed, and I was certain something was wrong with me. The doctors there were pretty passive, said that it's winter and dry and having bloody noses is not abnormal. They did say my BP was very high, but chalked it up to the stress and told me to follow up with my Primary Doctor. Thing was, I didn't have a Primary Doctor. I hadn't been to the doctor for years. I think as the weight came on, the more nervous I was that I would have health problems, so I avoided it. So of course, I did not follow up on the blood pressure.
About two weeks later, I went to Target on my lunch hour, and there, right in the middle of the store, I had an episode that is still very hard to explain. I became extremely dizzy, I had to steady myself on my cart. I was hot, my ears were ringing, and I had an overwhelming urge that I needed to get out there, and fast. I drove myself home and sat down for a few minutes. I felt a little better, but still uneasy. I drove back to work, still unsure of what had happened. A coworker asked me a few minutes later if I was okay, and I most definitely was not. My eyes would not focus, I felt short of breath, and I was dizzier than I have ever been in my life. She asked me if I had taken any kind of drugs. She later described what I look like to someone that was going through a drug withdrawal. My skin was grey, pupils were the size of pins, and I couldn't communicate clearly. All I could tell her was, "Something's wrong". She drove me immediately to the hospital. When I arrived there, I was feeling somewhat better, but still not myself at all. I couldn't really describe how I was feeling. My sister in law met me there, and I could tell by the look on her face that she was scared. My first blood pressure reading in the ER that day was 194/126. They immediately did a urine test to see if my organs were failing, luckily they were not. My BP went down some as we sat there, but not significantly. The doctor told me I had to get this addressed immediately with a primary doctor, or I was going to have a stroke. I made an appointment the next morning.
The Thanksgiving holiday fell between my ER visit and my appointment, and it was the worst holiday I have ever spent. I was having racing thoughts, horrible anxiety, and fairly sever discomfort. When I checked my BP, it was always skyrocketed, which lead me to think "worst case scenario" every time. I was sure I was dying. My mind went to how my family would find me, how they would feel. I considered how hard it would be for the paramedics would get me out of the house. I was miserable.
I met Dr. Thomas on December first. She was the MD I could get in with first, and I feel that was a gift from the universe honestly. I unloaded on her and rattled off all of my issues and symptoms. I am fairly certain I sounded like a crazy person. She believed what had happened to me at Target was a Panic Attack, and she felt I was suffering from extreme anxiety as a result of exceptionally high blood pressure. I went on Blood Pressure medication that day. She also prescribed me a rescue anxiety med in case that part of things became an issue. I had never met a doctor that listened to me like she did. I felt she was my peer, not my doctor. I was so comfortable talking about everything. She ran every blood test possible, and amazingly, Hypertension was my only diagnosis. A1C, thyroid, and cholesterol were totally fine, which was incredible. It was at my second visit with her that I asked her what she thought about weight loss surgery. She gave me a referral, and honestly that day was the first day of the rest of my life.
I realized, going through all of these things, I HAD to have a major change. Dealing with my high blood pressure, and how it made me feel was the scariest thing I have ever been through. As my blood pressure got under control, so did everything else. I didn't feel crazy anymore, I was having the racing thoughts or the fears about dying. I was starting to be me again, but I knew this was just the beginning. I called the Weight Management Clinic very soon after that and started my process.
My insurance will not even consider covering the Sleeve. I was very disappointing to hear that, but I did luckily have another option. My dad expressed that he would gladly foot the bill if I was serious about this, and it's what I wanted. That was a very tearful conversation. I have never asked for help from my parents before, so it was hard to accept. But I will forever be grateful to him for giving me this gift.
So here I am, 2 months into this journey. I've completed just about all of my steps, I have one more group next week, and then my exercise evaluation next week as well. I have an appointment with my weight management doctor next Thursday, and then I will hopefully be able to schedule my surgery consult. Not dealing with insurance has made the process a lot quicker. I am hoping for surgery in February, although I am told that sometimes the surgeons have other steps they want you to complete.
I am a little scared, I can't lie. I am nervous for the pre and post op parts. But I am so looking forward to the future. The thing that has been the most amazing to me is, every single person I have talked to about it has been super supportive. There has not been one single person that has said "You know, I think you should wait", or "Are you sure"? It's incredible. I have carried this weight and this burden with me for 30+ years. I am beyond ready to shed it and move forward with forever. I am so grateful that I am as healthy as I am, and I am so thankful that I had these things happen to bring me to this place. I know it will be a long journey, but I couldn't be more excited. And after all, that's what it's all about- the journey, right?
Good luck to everyone that's starting this journey, this is just the beginning of our story!

vanilla premier Protein pre made shakes worked for me it had to be very cold i would put it in the freezer 20 min before drinking. as far as getting Water in i would mix it with apple or grape juice no sugar added. it definetley made getting my Fluid intake alot easier. it does get easier every passing day.

call your dr. i posted a couple of weeks ago about my shoulder pain while eating and got some good feed back. you seem to be experiencing other symptoms i would see your surgeon. best of luck hopefully its nothing and will pass with time.

try mixing half Water and juice with no sugar added. grape helped me with getting my water down. apple is also a good choice. good luck it gets easier every day. i was sleeved on 12/11 water is no longer a challenge i couldnt say that when i was a week out.

happiness is ................having sex six days post op

happiness is ................having sex six days post op

happiness is ................having sex six days post op

ihave my date,so i'm starting to let family members know that im going to get sleeved.i think this is a mistake. instead of getting encouragement, i have o hear its not needed your not that big 5'9'' 260 i have gained and lost the same 40 pounds numerous times and never really been able to get to a healthy weight and can not keep it off for any extended period of time. high blood pressure and sleep apnea are also a problem.
so instead of getting excited about this the doubts are starting to get into my head. i love food as im sure everyone here does or we wouldn't be having or had this surgery. so what im asking is do you ever regret having the surgery. men a would appreciate your honesty to this question. thanks in advance for your replies.
thanks for the replies.i do need to add that its not everyone that is not supportive. i have a wife and three girls that need me to be around for many years to come and they are supportive with my decsion.

ihave my date,so i'm starting to let family members know that im going to get sleeved.i think this is a mistake. instead of getting encouragement, i have o hear its not needed your not that big 5'9'' 260 i have gained and lost the same 40 pounds numerous times and never really been able to get to a healthy weight and can not keep it off for any extended period of time. high blood pressure and sleep apnea are also a problem.
so instead of getting excited about this the doubts are starting to get into my head. i love food as im sure everyone here does or we wouldn't be having or had this surgery. so what im asking is do you ever regret having the surgery. men a would appreciate your honesty to this question. thanks in advance for your replies

ihave my date,so i'm starting to let family members know that im going to get sleeved.i think this is a mistake. instead of getting encouragement, i have o hear its not needed your not that big 5'9'' 260 i have gained and lost the same 40 pounds numerous times and never really been able to get to a healthy weight and can not keep it off for any extended period of time. high blood pressure and sleep apnea are also a problem.
so instead of getting excited about this the doubts are starting to get into my head. i love food as im sure everyone here does or we wouldn't be having or had this surgery. so what im asking is do you ever regret having the surgery. men a would appreciate your honesty to this question. thanks in advance for your replies