gina171

I'll be doing the same as you krazy kat.....laying out all my health info and concerns about each procedure to the doctor, and then trusting their judgment. It's scary, I know. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Got you covered! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I wish insurance covered the mini bypass....would rather have less resectioning of my intestines, honestly.... Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Why? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Incredibly helpful thread....would love to hear from more folks, pls? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

James....is it hard for your head/thoughts to keep up with the changes in your body along the way? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Why is it that when people hear that someone who was destroying their body through obesity has lost 100+ pounds with the help of surgery, some will call that a "cop out" or the "easy way out"..... But when someone who is destroying their life through alcohol abuse and gets help through an intensive, in-patient recovery program with medical professionals....how come that's perfectly okay, even laudable? Why is getting serious medical intervention for obesity treated like something to be ashamed of, when we applaud those who take similar intense intervention to drug or alcohol addictions? Aren't we all just trying to save our lives ? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Thinking ahead to what might be realistic this holiday weekend next year. Not fantasy, but....possible, likely. So, next year Memorial Day....I am going to be away for the weekend, to a seaside/beach location. The exact kind of place I avoid now bc right now I am only a spectator to everyone else's fun. Next year, maybe I will go swimming, maybe I won't....depends on what I want to do. I will have a CHOICE. I will be in a perfectly nice one piece bathing suit with a gorgeous sarong tied around my waist, sitting outside by the pool maybe.....no more sitting by the pool in jeans and a t shirt and lying that "oh, no I am not too hot." I will maybe be wearing a size medium or large (am 3x now), but no matter what size I am, I won't have to wonder if people are are staring at me for unkind reasons. When I walk into a crowded restaurant and walk between tables, I won't have to apologize again and again for bumping every table I walk between. Next year, maybe I won't be sweating when everyone else is not. Maybe my makeup won't sweat off. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

So I recently saw a photo of someone's incisions immediately post-op and I thought, "Darn, the biggest one is RIGHT WHERE THE BRA LOWER BAND HITS!" Ouch! Does anyone have suggestions for a soft bra to wear post-op during the first few weeks of recovery at home? I don't like to sit around with the girls free at all, and while I know I can't get right back in a serious support bra, I don't want to wear no support garment at all. I know I will have visitors, and my 44DD self needs some support to be comfortable in a social situation, even if I am the patient. And....how long til you could go back to wearing real bras again? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Since your parents are being supportive and generous enough to provide the funds so you can have this operation, how about you think of the psych eval as a way to give your parents a big thank you? They are willing to help you, and all they're asking is that you get the psych eval first. Sounds like a dream deal to me. Also sounds like they love and care for you a lot. Your openness in your post also shows you to be a very self-aware and mature young woman, with solid reasons for wanting this. I think the psych eval will be no problem at all for you. Don't be afraid of failing it, or that someone (like the psychologist) is trying to keep this surgery away from you. You'll be fine. You might find its the best money you ever spent. To be completely honest, your post is so reflective and well written, with insight and honesty....that I think you almost sound like someone who could BE a therapist or psychologist, or at the very least in a helping/healing profession. You've got a lot of heart, and a darn good brain, too. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Pls don't LOL, Gsleeve822.... This is serious, you have to know that. Right now by eating 200 calories a day you are living off not just your stored fat, you are burning up your muscle (bc I am guessing that with only 200 calories a day, you don't have a lot of energy to exercise....and exercise helps keep your muscle mass from being used for fuel). You're not burning fat, you're burning up your body's muscular framework. The other danger here is that you are training your metabolism to work on 200 calories a day.....that's setting you up for a nightmare when it comes to maintenance. Get back on the Protein shakes, if you can't find one you love, oh well, you need to drink it anyway. Get yourself an empty NyQuil cup or some tiny cup with a 1 tablespoon measuring line on it. Pour ONE tablespoon of Protein shake in there, and drink one tablespoon every 15 minutes. A Premier Protein shake has 11 ounces total, which comes out to 22 tablespoons. If you do this you will take in 30 grams of protein in 5 and a half hours.....do it all day long and you can get in 2 shakes and 60 grams of protein. Please get a comprehensive book on weight loss surgery that includes post-op food plans. Read it like your life depends on it. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I had no idea that my sideways bows on my shoes were because I can't lean properly!!! Omg I can't believe I never realized this. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I just want to walk into a room and blend in.... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@Lemm61, I sent you a PM yesterday, not sure if you saw? Happy to help you any way I can. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Regarding transgender bathroom access....I promise that if any one of you comes to my home state of North Carolina and wants to use the bathroom you feel comfortable with, I will lay down my life to protect you from the idiocy of my knuckle-dragging governor. We're not all crazy in North Carolina, the rest of the country knows this, right? Pls say yes... Especially here in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, the most wonderful progressive diverse bubble in all the South. Love my bubble, but not my Governor. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Haleymarie....I am pre-op but yesterday I attended a support group (to ask questions...I have a lot) and I met a woman who has lost over 120 pounds in a year and she told me that she lost NOTHING for the first 6 weeks and she was doing everything as her doctor asked. So don't worry, everyone's body is different. I am so glad you are feeling so great! I hope it keeps going smoothly for you. Keep us all updated! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

You guys are terrific...sending good thoughts your way!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

YIKES!!!! So she didn't like what we said so she changed her user name to "byehoes"????? Eeee gads, if she were my kid...never mind. Sorry I wasted so much time on that long post to her. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Shaydi.laine.....yes I will, as long as you return the favor by calling me out on my bs when it's needed! Our posts to the OP are saying the same thing, even if we said it differently. I have a feeling you and I have walked many of the same roads. That's how you get smart and independent. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Allyrenee11....you're not helping your case with those comments. I'd hoped there was something a little deeper in you than that. I hope you find some luck in life. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Love that funky haircut!

LOVE the font/handwriting and the curves of the lines of text...very artistic choice.

allyrenee....take a deep breath. You might not like all of what I am saying, but I hope you will let yourself hear it, even a little bit. There's probably some truth in what shaydi.lane said ... AND some truth in what you replied. Neither one of you are completely wrong, and that probably stings. You're a little younger than my son, so I am going to say to you what I tell him: no matter what you have to do to get it, you need a cushion of what I call "God-Forbid-Money" .... an amount of money that YOU DO NOT TOUCH unless the situation warrants you gasping and muttering "God forbid..." (life and death, fire, safety, illness...). Money for a plane or train or bus ticket in case someone you love 1000 miles away dies (or is suddenly dying and you want to say goodbye before they pass), money in case the person who pays the rent suddenly can't bc of illness, money to cover the co-pay if you suddenly needed to pay for a medicine your life depended upon, money to pay for that same medicine for an infirm loved one, money to fix the furnace if it dies in the middle of a snowstorm, money if you break down driving in the middle of the night driving through a different state and you need a tow and a repair and a motel. Money for the things you don't plan on....like the situation you find yourself in, where someone on whom you were counting can't come through for you. You have to be able to come through for yourself. If you can't, you live in chains. When you need to build up the funds for that "God-Forbid-Money", NO WORK IS BENEATH YOU IN THE SHORT TERM (babysit, cut lawns, go on care.com and sign up to run errands for people, drive for uber, clean houses, get a PT job anywhere, take care of kids after school for people who work, make telemarketing calls at night, clean office buildings at night, sign up at a temp agency...). Do anything short of selling your body or your integrity. Because the peace of mind that comes from having God-Forbid-Money is huge. If you have it, no one holds you (or your health) hostage. For you, it might be $1000 in the bank or tucked under your mattress. Whatever you think your number is, increase it by another 50%. Because emergencies are always more expensive than you expect. This is a big moment for you. You get to decide who you want to be, and how you want to be. You probably have more power to chart your own course than you realize. Dig deep. Show the world who you are. Plus....you might want to start a little separate fund for supplements, Vitamins, and -- hooray -- the new clothes you will legitimately need on your way down the scale. Even if you shop at Goodwill, you're looking at $50 a month I bet, bc you will also need new underwear, bras, etc. You're a young adult, too young to already feel burdened by bad credit and relying on other people this much. You deserve something different, and only you can make it happen. Get out of this mess, honorably. Straighten things out, fix the credit, save more money, get your surgery when you can on your own terms without relying on just an extra $1000 from your parents, channel your determination and anger positively. Let your real self out. Not a sassy, defensive version of yourself....let your REAL SELF out. It takes a lot of work. It is scary to realize that once you are 22 years old, it really is all in your hands, it's all your responsibility now. But the beauty is, once you do this you will not only be charting your own course, you will have the ability to help those who truly have no options through no fault of their own. And help those who helped you on your way up. You are too valuable to let $1000 hold your life in the balance. You are bigger than that. So, LIVE bigger than that. And get yourself some God-Forbid-Money over the next few months.

Yes! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Saggy skin won't give you diabetes, a stroke, heart attack, hypertension, GERD, gall stones, achy joints..... You're doing great! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App