wesja

Hi Wesja - In the end, it's your call. You know yourself better than anyone else and only you can weigh risks vs. benefits. However, as someone with the EXACT medical conditions -- Hashimoto's and PCOS -- I need to tell you that having gastric sleeve surgery has been nothing short of miraculous for me. It has completely reset my metabolism and allowed me to do the impossible -- lose weight. A lot of it. Six months in and I've lost 64 pounds. Something that was impossible for me before surgery. And, I've had zero complications and zero side effects.
I'm a lot older than you, and I wish this option was available to me many years ago. The older I got, the more these metabolic conditions kept me from longterm weight loss success. When I added a physical disability and menopause into the mix -- gah! I was roadkill. Oh and by the way -- my endocrinologist and primary care doc both said I didn't need the surgery. That I wasn't "fat enough." Now, they're both thrilled with my weight loss and improvement to my overall health.
I wish you the best of luck. If you have questions for me, shoot me a message. Take care!

I am looking for guidance. I sort of have a gun to my head right now to have my RNY gastric bypass before the end of the year due to insurance reasons, but I am still not absolutely sure I want to have the surgery. Some of it is fear, but some of it is also the fact that I feel like I haven't tried hard enough to lose it naturally.
So, I currently have BCBSM, and after Jan 1 I will be switched to United Healthcare due to an acquisition of my company. I was told by more surgeon that it is highly unlikely that I will get approved by UHC if I wait to have the surgery, but BCBSM will definitely cover it and I have already met all my deductibles for the year. Today I set a surgery date for 12/18/17 out of sheer panic, and all I have to do before surgery is get an EKG and a signature from my PCP.
My dilemma is this: I am a 5'6" female, age 30, currently weighting 228 lbs. I have a BMI of 37, starting weight was 255 (BMI 41) at the beginning of my mandatory 6 month diet. During month 4, I saw an endocrinologist and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). She put me on Metformin and Synthroid, and I immediately felt like I had more energy and the weight started coming off way quicker than before. I feel less hungry, less depressed, and better able to make healthy choices. I am wondering if I can just follow a healthier diet on my own now that my thyroid isn't ruining everything! I talked to my surgeon today and he told me that the chances of me succeeding in losing more than 50 lbs without surgery was about 3%. My weight loss with the Metformin and Synthroid is starting to plateau now, but I am not sure if it is just because I have been making bad eating choices since Thanksgiving or if it is because my body is now used to the medicine and I will go back to struggling to lose weight even when eating sensibly. My PCP is against me having the surgery and thinks I just need to put my mind to it, but he is a skinny dude and not an expert in the field. My endocrinologist thinks the hormone changes from RNY would help with my Hashimoto's and PCOS, so she is for it. My surgeon says I am obviously not going to die without surgery because my BMI is not super high, but he doesn't think based on my genetics/family history/comorbidities that I will be able to get below 200 lbs on my own. He says he has done surgeries on women like me and they were very happy with their decision.
If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Is a RNY too much of a nuclear option for me? I can't do the sleeve because of my history of reflux and ulcers, so I am torn.

I look forward to not breaking down when I look into the mirror. To not feel invisible in a crowded room. For a kind man to take the time to get to know me and how special I am before running away because I don't look good, dating and not being the bigger one in the couple, I look forward to showing the people, the haters, the guys I crushed on who used me, I look forward to having nothing to do with them now. I look forward to the rest of my life, because I can live it without shame. 09/14/17 - the day my life finally changed for the better.