Littel_Urchin

I have no idea about privacy laws and such here, guess I should look into it now. My understanding is, only doctors could issue MC and if I’m not seeing any doctor that day, then no MC for me. So from now on I have to schedule my appointments in such a way that I’ll also be seeing a doctor on the day I’m seeing those non-doctor specialists. If you must know, Singapore. It depends on the company, though. So happens that I’ve got the shitty kind.

As you know, the pre-op process can be exhausting with so many appointments. In the country where I live, companies require us to produce medical certificates (MC) if you want to use your medical leave. Recently I had my visits to the dietitian and psychologist and since they are not doctors, they couldn't issue medical certificates. Instead, they gave me Excuse Chits with time stamps on it. I've done this before (giving my company Excuse Chit in lieu of MC). At the time it was a visit to the physiotherapist. As I'd just broke my thumb around the same time, I think my company assumed my visit was related to the broken thumb and they gave me no issues about it. This time around, however, my admin interrogated me as to why I couldn't produce any MC. They asked me what the purpose of my doc visits was (in front of everyone) to determine if I could claim medical leave. I may be overreacting, but I suspect that seeing the word 'dietitian' on the chit made them think that my visit was for weight loss and thus cannot be classified as medical need. I hate that wanting to lose weight (especially when I'm clearly obese) is still considered an elective and somewhat for-vanity, instead of life-saving, must-do action. I think there's this mentality that obese people brought it upon themselves and that they should attempt to lose weight in their own time. Sigh.

Thank you! Funny you should say that! My favorite inspirational quote is from Moulin Rouge "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return" Wish I had someone like you for real in my life. I'm not giving up hope though, my motto now is, as long as you are still alive, there's always a chance your dream will come true =D Agreed! I suppose WLS was always in the back of my mind but do you know what finally made me decide to do it? RuPaul's Drag Race. Seeing those queens live their lives to the fullest made me realize that I am not, and a great deal of that is because I'm fat.

Bwhahahaha this is too funny =D

What the hell is a JP drain????? OMG OMG OMG. Can't they just put me under and wake me up when I'm skinny??? :((

Girl, looking at your profile pic, I find it hard to believe! You look pretty When I lost the initial weight when I started dieting, I told all my healthcare providers I've changed my mind. I was excited and thought I could do it the old fashioned way. But then the weight loss slowed down and I just can't go down that yo-yo dieting road again. I have to do this.

I am not skinny yet and am still at the beginning of my weight loss journey. Having said that...I don't really get mean comments anymore once I was able to put more effort in my appearance. Once I started earning my own money, I moved out of my home country (where clothing only comes in sizes S, M, and L) to another country where clothing comes in sizes 0-20 and shoes come in size 42. I'm always skimming at the top but I am still able to find great options that actually *fit* rather than just something I can fit into. I also enjoy taking care of my appearance (hair salon, mani-pedi, makeup) so I look like some fashionista, only fatter (if I may say so myself). In my experience, I have people open doors for me (some were even cute guys!), strangers struck up a conversation, etc and I have stopped thinking that it's all got to do with me. How people treat you is a reflection of themselves. I've had people open the door for me even when I didn't feel particularly beautiful / made any effort that day so, some people are just nice / respectful, and some are jerks. However, I do feel the difference when I put on some effort in my appearance and when I don't. People treat you with more respect when you do but I guess the same applies to regular-sized people as well, and I think because when you put some effort you feel more confidence and less sensitive to perceived slights from other people. I am, however, very interested to know if I'll experience these changes in treatment from stranger that others mentioned.

Thank you, all! Hi, LaLaDee! So far no luck in finding a femme bisexual in a closet relationship who is also going through the same thing, but I'll take your word for it! =D Been having fun reading the posts here, though. ETA: I love your words of encouragement, thank you. Deciding to do this surgery is no joking matter and now that I feel it's getting near, I'm panicking!

Thank you...I've investigated further, seems some people had it and some didn't. It definitely gives me some piece of mind that almost everyone says they insert it when you're out cold. Never occurred to me you'd need one and this thing is not always discussed in articles about what to expect on the day of your surgery.

I was reading what to expect pre and post op when suddenly I read the line 'at this time they will remove your catheter'. Shook. Do you need to use one for WLS??? God, I'm not ready :(( I am a very private person and I really hate stuff like this. How / when will they insert that? really dreading this :((

Hi, I’m 31 y o female, been fat as long as I can remember, finally got so fed up and decided to take the plunge last year. I will not spend another decade as a fat person. Saw the surgeon in Nov 2017. I know I’m a good candidate (241.5 lbs and 5’4”, BMI was 40+). As per the usual practice, he referred me to several specialists (dietitian, psychiatrist, physiotherapist, and endocrinologist) and will see me again in March 2018. FYI, he recommended the sleeve. First was the dietitian. I’ve been put on a simple diet by her. She prescribed the standard -500 cal daily thing and did not put me on any food restrictions. I think she wants to go gentle and just take baby steps. I’ve lost 10 lbs so far. Sometimes I feel good about this as I’d never lost any weight at all, much less keeping them off but sometimes I’d read about someone losing 40 lbs on their initial pre-surgery diet within the same time frame and I’d feel like such a failure again. Second was the endocrinologist. Blood works confirmed I have Type 2 diabetes (have suspected so, was afraid to get it checked). Blood pressure is also through the roof. Am now taking Forxiga and Metformin XR combined with Lisinopril for the blood pressure and vit D pills for some reason. I feel like a total failure sometimes. I’ve seen the physiotherapist twice. Both times she was too afraid to prescribe any exercise because my blood pressure is very high and ended up prescribing me some very mild form of exercise (like standing-up-sitting-down rep, lifting 9 oz bottles rep, that kind of thing). I admit I seldom do these. I walk everywhere and I feel I burn more calories doing that. I haven’t seen the psychiatrist yet, I’m meeting him this week. There are also other non-health issues intersecting with this surgery that make this journey especially hard. I have parents with Narcissistic personality Disorder (NPD) and am Low Contact (LC) with them. There is no way am I involving them in this journey. I am also an expat and don’t really have friends. Colleagues I can talk to, perhaps, but not confide in. My support system is literally only my girlfriend of 11 years. Oh yeah, that’s right, I’m in a same sex relationship, too. LGBTQ is officially condemned here but most people generally mind their own business. We do have gay pride here. Still, I can’t risk upsetting my healthcare providers (I know they’re supposed to be professionals blah blah but you can’t control personal bias and I feel more comfortable with them not knowing). I really need a support system. There are support groups here of course, but for the reasons stated above, I can’t be completely honest about my situation and feel what’s the point of even going. I have anxiety and am easily stressed out in social situations which will make me feel restless, leading to sleeping troubles which will drive my blood pressure up again. I feel more comfortable with online forums hence here I am. ETA - I'm also concerned about juggling work with the surgery and all its pre- and post- that entail.