WLS4ME33

Hi.! And welcome!! You sound like me girl.lol. This process is definitely something.lol. Though I feel like it’s moving slow, it is going by pretty fast, I’m at month 3 myself, and actually at my appointment right now.lol. I have millions of questions too, and I stay on here, Youtube, and online looking up information and watching videos.lol. My first appointment with the nutritionist is next Monday, and first support group meeting is next Thursday, I’m so excited and nervous about those too.lol.

Hey Brooke!! Welcome and congratulations on starting your journey!!! I’m actually at my 3 month appointment right now.lol. My PCP started me on Phentermine in November and I came off of it because it started to make me feel nauseated and vomit..from November to do December I had lost a total of 11 pounds, but just like everyone else who has taken weight loss pills and come off of the I’ve gained about 6 pounds give or take back...so I’m a little nervous about what my doc is gonna say.lol...but of course I’ll be a supporter/cheerleader for you! I need all of the support that I can get too!

Things still feel a little slow for me.lol. I still have a few things to get done too. The psych eval, sleep study, and getting cardiac clearance(had heart problems in the past), plus meeting the nutritionist, and attending an support group meeting..so I guess I appreciate the time, since I have a lot to do.lol. I’m a little nervous too, but like you excitement outweighs everything other thing that I feel.lol. You’re almost at the finish line!!! I’m planning on taking my dummy date, they told me I could switch it if I wanted to, but when the time comes I’m pretty sure that I will take it.lol.

Hi, and congratulations on starting you journey! I think the next steps more so depend on your surgeon’s requirements and what your insurance requires. For example, my insurance requires a consecutive 6 month physician supervised diet, I also had to do a surgery ed class, lab work, an Upper GI series, I have to meet with a nutritionist( that’s next week), a sleep study, a psych eval., and get cardiac clearance from my cardiologist( had heart problems in the past)...but that’s just with my insurance and surgeon, your insurance and surgeon may not require as much as mine.lol.

Hi.! Welcome, and congratulations on your journey! I’m at visit 3, which is tomorrow morning.lol. First visit with the nutritionist is next Monday, I’m all types of nervous about that.lol. How are things going for you so far?? How are you feeling?

Yes me too! No one really understands unless they have gone through it, or are going through it too.

Hi, how are you? Depending on your insurance it most likely won’t be a problem. Most insurance companies require a consecutive between 3 and 6 month physician supervised diet(with your PCP)my surgeon’s office gave me all of the paperwork that I needed to have filled out, so I literally just take it with me to my appointments and have it filled out.

Yes me too!

Yes, me too! The journey in it itself is exciting. The doctors I’ve seen for testing(blood work, upper GI etc.) are even so supportive. And love my surgeon and his team too. Everyone is sweet and supportive. And they have given me so much material.lol. There’s so much to learn. Have you tried Youtube videos? Dr. Wiener is good to watch, very informative, I’ve also heard Blossom Bariatrics is good, then you can just type in gastric sleeve journey and find people who have documented their whole process. There are so many resources out here.

Hi.! And welcome! I’ll be having my 3rd month visit of the 6 with my PCP on the 2nd. My first visit with the nutritionist will be on 1/8/18, I’m excited and nervous for that.lol. Haven’t had my psych eval yet either, that’s scheduled for 1/30/18, and I also have to do a sleep study which will be on 1/18/18, and also support group meetings(they only require that we attend one, but I will be going to them all). This is such a tedious process, but I know it’s gonna be so worth it in the end! Support here is the BEST, no one can truly understand unless they are going through it themselves. I’ll definitely be here to show you support too!

Yes! Say that! I’m so glad that I wasn’t able to rush into this, Ever since I’ve decided to have surgery I’ve been certain that it was what I needed and wanted, but initially I was dead set on having the bypass, did my research and all, but when I met with my surgeon and we talked about my life(literally lol), he told me that I could by all means have the bypass if I wanted it, but that he thought the sleeve was more fitting for me, so I decided to go with the sleeve, which means I had to start all the way over with research lol again another reason that I’m grateful for this waiting period.lol.

Awesome sauce! Welcome to the Spring 18 sleevers group.lol. I have the 6 month physician supervised diet myself..started my process last month, finding out I’d have to wait so long to get surgery was extremely disheartening, but I’m almost half way there, and it’s taking 6 months just to get all of my insurance requirements taken care of, so I kind of need the time.lol. Plus, I’ve been able to do a lot of research, and just prepare myself mentally, emotionally, and physically for this amazing change that’s gonna take place in my life. I’m excited, I’m happy for myself, and everyone else! Lol. I’d love to be apart of your support system too![emoji4]

Awesome!! I’ve heard it only takes a few weeks for approval, surgery may be closer than you think[emoji847]

Welcome! I think at one point or another everyone fears weight regain,it crosses my mind every now again too...but I always remind myself that weight regain is totally on “ME”. If I regain that means that I slacked off. Keep your faith and believe in yourself, you can do this, we all can!

I am SOOOO glad you posted this. I have been going back and forth with myself about hair loss...the thought of hair loss terrifies me because I am only 5 months into my loc journey. I love them so much. I’m pre-op, won’t be having surgery until some time in April or May....Nothing can detour me from having surgery and I do mean NOTHING, but the thought of “loc loss” just hurts so bad.

Hi, just a few questions. I have my first appointment with my nutritionist next week, and I’m not really sure what exactly to expect. I’m assuming that this is the appointment that I find out how much I need to lose before surgery, or if I need to just maintain. Initially my BMI was 40 and PCP put me on Phentermine, along with referring me over to my surgeon, but the appointment was a month out, and I saw my PCP again before even seeing the surgeon(I have 2nd day of the month appts with my PCP), so I spent a month on the Phen, and I lost 11 pounds in that month..the last few days of my script it started to make nauseous and I would vomit at least once or twice so I stopped taking it, and now I’ve gained that weight back, well not all of it,about 5lbs give or take. I’m afraid that the gain might be an issue, has anyone taken Phen or had this problem??

Thank you for responding!! The thing is, no one has told me that I need to lose or how much to lose. I’m a little worried about the gain from coming off the pills, even though the nurse didn’t seem bothered by it at all, and I’d heard some people say the NUT is the one that told them what to lose..my weight fluctuates between the 240s and 250s. I just feel like it will look bad on my paperwork.lol.

Hi, don’t have the same insurance as you, but I’m currently going through the process myself. After my PCP sent the referral my surgeon’s office called to set up my first appointment with them, it was scheduled a month out...it really just depends on what your insurance requires for a approval. Mines requires a 6 month physician supervised diet, sleep apnea test, blood work, psych eval., upper GI Series, cardiac clearance, surgery education class, attending one group meeting, meeting with a nutritionist....I think that’s it lol, but I may have forgotten something,anywho, it just depends on the insurance.

You are absolutely beautiful!!!

Yay!! Surgery buddies.lol. Congratulations! How is the process going for you so far?

Also, my surgeon told me to be mindful of how much weight I lost pre-op because too much loss could disqualify me from having the surgery...after I told my surgeons nurse about the weight gain she brushed it off, said that was why she hated weight loss pills, because you can lose while on them, but not much, and you can’t take them forever, and as soon as you come off the weight comes back. Phen worked, but as soon as I came off, I mean within days I started gaining back.

Thank you! That was so encouraging. I try to just relax, and remind myself of the “concept of time”.lol. It’s just so exciting.lol. Congratulations!!! How amazing does it feel to be right at the finish line??! I’m so happy for you, and I wish you the absolute best!!! Please keep me updated..

Exactly! That’s why I started looking for forums...and I have my first support group meeting next week as well as my first meeting with the NUT. It’s all about having support, whether it’s family or not. This is a positive thing, that people try to make negative for some odd reason..so talk to the people that understand the positive and will encourage you. I most definitely will be one of them!

Hi! Nice to meet you! And congratulations on starting your journey as well. It’s such a tedious process.lol. I’m so ready to get to the point of submitting for approval, it feels like the month are taking years.lol. I’ll most likely be somewhere in late April early May though, my last visit with my PCP for the 6 months will be between the 1st and 3rd of April. Hopefully my insurance doesn’t slow around and I can get in for April, I’ve already told my coordinator I would like to stick with whatever dummy date that they submit.lol.

Hi.! Congrats! And I honestly wish I hadn’t told the few choice family members that I did tell. A friend of mine that had the surgery waited until the day of surgery to tell her mom, because she brought it up without saying she was having it and everyone’s response was so negative...but I had to tell someone, because I have young children, and though I have a boyfriend he’s not their father. God forbid anything go wrong with the surgery, but I just felt that someone that is actually blood related to my children needed to know, and also my surgeon requires that you have at least 1 person with you the day of to help you through the hospital recovery. I definitely need people who can relate to talk to, people stigmatize WLS without even knowing what it’s really about.