Mattymatt

I wish I could afford this ....

If your self-paying, then the process should be much faster but I would stay on top of it with weekly or bi-weekly phone calls. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. :-)

I don't smoke but I can appreciate how difficult quitting the habit is. It's made even more difficult by the fact that Big Tobacco adds extra nicotine just so you'll smoke more and buy more. It's really a seedy and unethical way of driving up profits. R.J. Reynolds and Phillip Morris are sleezy corporations.

My 3 month clock started on Monday of this week and I wish I could feel some joy. Instead, I feel some despair because it seems like a long time. I am fortunate enough that my insurance does not have a weight loss requirement but I need 3 sessions of nutrition counselling. I was really hoping that the entire affair would be much faster but I understand the reasoning for it. The problem is that I am caught in a stuck cycle. I suffer from depression and anxiety, I eat, gain weight, and then my body hurts more so I eat again. I am hoping that this surgery will break the cycle so I can get healthy. I miss riding my bicycle and being able to hike. I miss a lot .....

None right now because I can barely take care of myself at the moment, let alone having a fur baby. One day soon though. I'd like a mini panther of my own.

You're among good company. I think about it at least several times a day. Mostly I'm concerned about eating pureed food. I've got my Upper GI and Abdominal studies next week. Curious ... since I'm a fellow feline enthusiast. How many kitties do you have?

Cheese steaks pretty much have to be unless I can do them without bread and fries. Might be kind of impossible right now. My weakness is fried chicken too. :-/

I'm in Philly so we'll have to do this virtually. LOL!

Maybe the two of us can encourage each other - you know, team up so to speak. When is your surgery date? Mine is sometime in Feb. Let's do this! 2% is totally doable. I just got up and managed to walk for 5 minutes. One step at a time.

I did get some good news. My A1C is only 10%. I thought it was 14%. Still, the remaining 2% or so won't be easy. For me, sweets aren't the thing. Carbs like breads and fries are.

I am actually dreading this stage of foods because I have a really sensitive gag reflex. Please someone tell me that puree'd food is not that bad.

I would recommend following up with your bariatric team.

On paper it is as easy as calories in and calories out. This is what my surgeon had mentioned. But he said life is not so black and white and there are other factors that contribute to weight gain that are often ignored. The person that tells you that it is calories in and calories out is just another internet champion whom thinks they know it all.

You have to be careful about what you read on the internet, this forum included. The internet can be a great place to spread stories that are just plain not true or one sided. There is also a lot of bad advice out there given by people whom have expert syndrome. Expert syndrome is people that believe they're authoritative based on their own experience and can give very harmful advice. The one thing all of us can agree on is that WLS is a life changing experience. Weight loss and health improvements aside, we cannot predict the course of our lives.

@Apple203 Nothing about this process is easy! It presents some of the same challenges for some people and different challenges for others. My challenges relate to my disability and its related co-morbidities. The only thing different is that my wait time will be less

I would say the wait time really depends on insurance or self-pay. I am certain that if you can afford the surgery out of pocket, they will whisk you right in. I am really humbled by @KarenOR having to wait 6 months. I don't think you'll hear me complain any longer about three.

Thanks, Killian. Yes, I am going to use this time wisely. Anyway, I have to get my A1C <= 8%. To do this I am just going to begin the process of eating less carbs, more protein, and fewer calories. I am kinda an expert in dieting by now because I know what I need to do - I just was not doing it. Now I have an absolute reason to do it other than health and body image or some other abstract reason. I have a concrete reason: blood sugar under control.

West Chester, PA here! Dr. Korus is going to be my surgeon.

I live in PA where we have a new Medical Marijuana law. I definitely qualify and would like to try it in the vape form. It's been a long time since I've smoked up, but the few times that I've done it, I've been anxiety-free for almost 2 full days. Please keep us posted if you decide to try.

Damn dude! You look younger by a good 5+ years.

You look like a new person!

For the win!

My first visit came and went. Sadly, it looks like the surgery may not happen until February. In the mean time, I have a myriad of things to do. The good news is that I have a recent stress test, sleep apnea study, and I have been super-duper compliant with the sleep apnea machine. After my appointment, I went ahead and got the EKG and all the blood work done. The next appointment is for the Upper GI and Abdominal Studies on Nov. 2nd. The bad news is my A1C is all kinds of outta whack and I have to get it down to 8% or below in order to undergo the surgery. This will be the hardest because for me to deal with because I don't cook - previous attempts at it resulted in nearly taking a finger off and under- or over-cooking. I also eat to deal with deep depression. The journey to get to surgery will not be easy.

I found this site on a google search because I am looking for something to calm my nerves some. I'll start out by introducing myself. I am a 40 year old, disabled, morbidly obese man. I am a high functioning autistic and I have lost weight before but gained it all back and then some. I was driving a bus until I became disabled due to my weight and adult onset diabetes. I can no longer qualify for a medical card and I feel at my worst. Generally, I do not handle the extreme sensory stimulation of doctors and hospitals but I have no choice in the matter. I am on a high dose of insulin with oral medications so my PCP feels that this has become pretty urgent. Tomorrow is my first pre-surgery appointment at Penn Presbyterian Hospital. I went to an information session at the beginning of last month, but sadly, I remember little of what to expect. I do not scare easily but I sure am in a tizzy right now.

Thank you for the response. I believe I will write down some questions for the surgeon and his staff.