ratmom

I too am making a list of all of the things I want to do when I'm smaller and it's helping me overcome the fears and anxieties I am having about the surgery because it's showing me that the reward far outweighs the risk. Some of my items are roller skating, ziplining and parasailing! I even have some things that are simple like running or riding a bike!

Yes! I'm sorta ashamed to say, I did the food funeral! Mine took place the day before my post op diet began and was held at an amazing brazzilian steak house, ended with a chocolate souffle all to myself! After that, I made a list of things I will do for myself at each 10lb loss and things I avoided for years that I would tackle as soon as I was medically clear. Like, wear a bathing suit, go to a Water park, wear real shorts to Disney, wear a dress with no sleeves and so on. All things I had been hiding and not doing for many years like someone in witness protection! I vowed I would push my limit's and stop saying. ..I'll do it when...and I really have. I'm living life and pretty happy with how I feel and how others seem to react differently to me as well. I hope you do something special too, it's been a long time coming I'm sure!

Axlr8n I hope you have a smooth recovery!!
I just had my last weigh in with surgeon-- they are submitting for approval this week! ????????????

I'm near Saginaw. Having my surgery on Monday.

Hi all! I am new on here and was wondering if I could find anyone who might become a friend close by? I'm in Brighton, Michigan.

Thanks, and good luck with your surgery. My hairstylist had a Tummy Tuck to remove her C-section flap and says once it starts causing sores and infections, insurance will often pay for it even if you haven't hit your goal weight yet. I don't have insurance and I doubt skin removal surgery is an option for me yet anyway. At this point I don't really have loose hanging skin so much as loose hanging fat rolls. I think once it's not so heavy it will be easier to deal with.
My upper roll isn't a big problem and my chest I just stuff into my bra, smooth out as best I can, and it doesn't bother me. The side skin is an issue with bras that have low-cut armholes, but the Goddess bras with side boning keep everything in place, hold "the girls" up away from my chest so I don't have the same skin-on-skin sweat issue there, and they look pretty good under my clothes, too. Once it's cooler and I have more skin than fat, I imagine I can use shaping underwear basically the same way--lift it up, stuff it in, and smooth it out as best I can.

Wow wwboy its like you are my surgery twin. I could not said it better myself. Except #4, I never ever thought of that! Lol oh my word, not a new fear! But I'm not scared of hair loss, I'm not scared of loose skin, I know its gonna happen so I have already started researching how to deal.
I think every day about what if I never wake up from surgery and leave my newlywed husband a widow? Or what if I have complications?!? I have to work, ain't no body got time for that. What if it hurts intolerably? I am pretty helpless when in pain. And last but not least, what if I don't get a grip on my food consumption? And im still suffering from crazy hunger?
Even with all my fears and worries, I am not changing my mind at all. Call it shallow, but I would love to one day look in the mirror and like what I see. I would love to be able to travel and my worry about fitting in seats or being made fun of because of my size. I am moving for the day when I can go into a normal clothing shop and try something on. Instead of buying a shit ton of hand bags and jewelry. And most importantly, I don't want to continue on like this until I develop serious health conditions that could have been prevented.

I filled out the form on the insure website (I think it was their website) and the next day someone called me to verify info and said I will hear soon if my insurance will cover it, or not. I'm in Michigan and have BCBS. Good luck to everyone!

I want to go sky diving n hiking

I have a short list that I've been working on:
1.fit in swing at the park and swing race with the kids
2. go down the slide at the park and not get stuck in the tunnel like winnie the pooh
3. run 1 mile non stop then 2 miles, etc til I get to 5miles then I give myself a gold star of achievement
4. get some skin taken off and my boobs put back where they used to be maybe implants if they deflate too much
5. ride on a motorcycle(any volunteers? My hubby hates them)
6. plan a trip to Ireland to see where my family came from(we're from Northern Ireland from Tyrone County if anyone else shares the dream)
7. take a full length pic from head to toe-maybe do a full nude pic for my hubby(tastefully of course)
8. ride a bike and not just a big fat tricycle because I can't balance all of this awesome on 2 wheels
9. go to theme park and ride all the rides that won't give me a seizure
10. buy a bikini and wear it like a boss...at least in the comfort of my own backyard.
11. go on airplane ride and buy ONE seat and need only ONE seat
12. go hang gliding off of Lookout Mountain in Colorado
13. climb all the 14ers in Colorado
14. learn to swim
15. buy a single digit size piece of clothing and have it fit-I've been in plus sizes since I was in 3rd grade so this one is a super huge deal to me.
and that's what I have so far, but if I think hard enough I can find more but it's a start!

@@Doubletruble#1 Great question! You have so many good things on your list!
I have a list going in my mind....
2 knee surgeries (as soon as my BMI is below 40, as that is what the surgeon requires. One replacement, the other big bone spur)
Whatever plastics my insurance allows. Fix this hernia my surgeon didn't fix because it's so big.
Go outside, literally. Unless I have to go to the Dr. or shopping, I rarely leave my home. I'm so self-conscious. I've had horrible issues with OCD, and anxiety in general for many years. I'm hoping losing this weight will eliminate one more thing that keeps me locked inside, like a prisoner.
Get a bike. Pink. Start riding around like I'm the wicked witch of the midwest. hehehe
Go to Ireland. (It's a lifelong dream. I will be able to walk and bike and paint...which is exactly what I want to spend a lot of time doing. I also don't smoke anymore, 1.5 years ago I stopped. Travel abroad seems like a real possibility)
Do even more travelling. I'd love to do Disney and NYC (need to be able to do a lot of walking)
Get a dog, FINALLY....because I have wanted one for so many years, and I couldn't get out, and even walk well or long enough to take care of a dog. I want a Boston Terrier, a male, and I'm going to name him Buster!
Start singing in public again. I host open mics, and sing online twice a week. But I want to get out in public again, and sing with the kind of confidence I had when I was younger. I was still fat then, but getting bigger and bigger over the years has really taken a toll on my self esteem.
Date.

Tylenol is the only non-nsaid pain reliever I know of the is non-narcatic . I have degenerative disc disease, and have a pain pump implant. It feeds dalaudid directly to my spine twenty-four/seven. I also take it orally when needed. Since I have lost 28 lbs in the last few months, that has been a lot less often. I am hoping with the surgery, I can have the pump removed completely when it comes up for replacement in about a year, but both doctors are doubtful as the injury to my back is permanent.

Back in 2010 I had surgery on right ankle to repair a torn ligament. Went back to work after 3 months off but it hurt like a beast.
Decided then to do something about carrying all this extra weight around.
Atkins (induction phase extended) and lots of daily walking for 8 months and I lost 120 pounds. Gained every bit right back within 3 years......but for a while.....a short while......during the lighter weight......there was no knee pain....no back issues.....no ankle pain......everything felt great. Doc took me off the arthritis meds, blood pressure meds.....and every other medication I was on.
I am so very grateful for that experience.
It allowed me to glimpse.....and enjoy......how good I'm soon going to feel again. The cool part is that I hope to blow by that 120 lb mark and exceed 200 lbs lost.
My knees are both going feel brand new again.
So is my back.
So is everything else.
I can't stress how easy it was to spring out of bed.....get moving......stay active on long work days and come home ready for yard work and other fun stuff.
Life is better when lived leaner. I have seen it.
I know I can kill it on the pre-op diet.....but then the new tool arrives that will really help me get things dialed in. If I do my part I will be able to maintain a good healthy weight forever.
I am absolutely convinced that proceeding with bypass is the right thing.

Great topic. I'd honestly not realized how much I relied on medications.... both prescription and otc.....until listing everything for the initial bariatric program paperwork.
I'm hoping that we will all be able to reduce our medications needed to a great degree once we lose the weight.
I'm dealing with a herniated disc and umbilical hernia. Just got my first steroid injection this afternoon for the back.
Hoping this is resolved prior to surgery. Trying to lose 75+ pounds by the date of bypass surgery.
Arthritis in knees and back is something I've used ibuprofen for......will be glad to be able to give it up.
I really hope those of you having Migraines will see benefits on these.

Back in May I was having a lot of heartburn, indigestion, pain, and nausea. I had already seen a WL doctor and he suggested that I do the bypass instead of the sleeve because of all my heartburn and indigestion. In the process of this I went to the Gastro doctor and may they did a colonoscopy and a endoscopy. I found out that I have Barrett's esophagus and ulcers in my esophagus. For those of you who don't know, Barrett's esophagus means that I am precancerous. They put me on medication and she wanted to scope me again in 45 days. I was scoped on July 17 and they call me with the results today. No more Barrett's esophagus and everything is looking good. I still have gastritis in my stomach and the same type inflammation in my esophagus. She said to continue my medication. This is better news to me than being approved for weight-loss surgery, Because there is no cancer. I see her in about four weeks and she may discuss hernia repair because my GERD is so bad
I think weight-loss surgery is on hold for me right now until I get this stomach and esophagus healed. The other good news is I have drastically decreased my Coke intake and no weight loss.
I'm also scheduled for major eye surgery on August 12. This is one of the reasons I chose to back off on weight-loss surgery. But again I am cancer free in Jesus name. Amen

I did go to the seminar but I started with another doctor and after I scheduled the appt they're staff told me they didn't cover my insurance so I went on a hunt and finally found a doctor who can cover my insurance and in the mean time I've seen my doctor for medical necessity did my blood works as well as my daughters being that she has pcos so I know in in for a long process double the appts and double the challenge because it's me and my daughter doing the sleeve

Two things come to mind. The first is walking. Make sure you get 30 minutes of walking daily. It will help with the recovery process. After surgery, generally they require that you walk every 2 hours (round the clock). This is to avoid blood clots. Do it. It will help in the recovery and get the soreness out. The second thing is that if you haven't cut out caffeine, do it now. I went through a week of withdrawal syndrome (severe headaches) when I went cold turkey. You don't want to compound that with the effects of the operation.

Thank you all for the tip. I will see if I quality. I won't get my hopes up though since my insurance won't cover one bit of my surgery. The least they can do is buy me some Protein right!

Norther Virginia!
I have two more pre-op meeting with the dietician, but everything seems to be moving along fine. I keep expecting a speed bump but nothing yet. I'm nervous right but ready to get this over with and start living!

Hi,
My date is August 18. First I was June 18, cancelled then July 14, cancelled and now my new date is August 18. Marking the calendar ....again...
I got my Protein for pre-op liquid diet from my doctor's office but I bought some from costco for after the surgery. If you have one near your home, you could check.
I will definitely make a provision of broth, Jello and such.
Hope I am not cancelled again.

I actually started the process last year and I had some second thoughts but I decided to pick up where I left off. I'm pretty fortunate because the hospital that I work for will cover about 80% of the cost. Thanks for reaching out. I need some support because everyone has an opinion and I don't want to hear it...lol my decision is made