I keep going through this roller coaster. A couple years ago I went through the process and had a surgery date to get a band and I chickened out two weeks prior. I recently found out about the sleeve and started the process all over again. The sleeve was not covered by my insurance but my doctor was going to try to see if we could get approval anyway since bypass is not a good idea with my family history of chrohn's disease. I also have an aunt who had a botched up bypass years ago and she is skinny but miserable, in pain and can hardly eat.

I've canceled my last two nutrition visits at his office because I haven't lost any weight. He wanted me drinking Protein shakes twice a day and I just keep sabotaging myself.

The doctors office left me a message a couple days ago and said that my insurance now covers the sleeve. This is great news because I definitely don't want anything else but I am scared to death to go through with it.

I need to lose about 250 pounds overall. if I was told I had to have the surgery I would do it no problem, but because it is elective, I am deathly afraid of doing it and causing myself more health issues than what I already have.

Besides being morbidly obese, I have severe sleep apnea and hypothyroidism and a general ache in my body all the time, so as I get bigger my mobility is going out the window. I don't have diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease thank God.

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions that has been through this? Perhaps someone else has felt the same way along their journey.

I have lost about 15 years to obesity and I am not getting any younger. I used to be a very fit and active person at one time.

Thanks for any insight you can give.

HMW

When I started out, I did not know anything regarding the sleeve. I was going to get the band but my insurance had recently approved the sleeve and my doctor recommended it. I did my research as I only a short time to make my decision to turn into insurance. I am never made a better decision than getting the sleeve. This was the best decision of my life. You really need to see someone to see why you keep sabotaging yourself. If you are really serious about improving your health, you would be really do anything to make this happen. I am focusing on my end results. I am getting healthier and have never regreting making this decision.

Sounds to me like you NEED to do this. It seems like you already know that is your best hope for a better healthier life. And the sleeve being approved is awsome...my doc said yesterday that the sleeve is the safest option... so what do you have to lose? If in doubt... read these boards!

You know at one time I weighed 408 pounds went to la weightloss for 8 months and lost to 343 now I am back to 383. The doctor told me I needed to lose weight. My joints are getting bad due to weight loss and I have sleep apnea and borderline diabetes. I truely don't see my health getting better, in fact it is getting worse. It really all depends how long you are willing to live with your issues that deal with how much overweight you are. Me I am taking a leap of faith and making a step on a path that I don't know. A healthy path for my life!!!

ok

Thanks for the comments. It is a big decision and I know I cannot continue on as I am. I need to call the Doctor's office back and schedule that next nutrition visit.

Good for you!

I am 10 days post op and it was practically painless for me! When I first looked into weight loss surgery I refused to do the RNY it was to dangerous sounding and did not want the lap band because I did not want a foreign object left in me. The doctors than told me about the sleeve, I prayed and God showed me this was so right for me because I had to do something. You see I have been overweight since birth, so I was not like some who have been skinny in the past and now were trying to get back to that. I remember weighing 180 in junior high so I never really felt my weight until I turned 40 and my knees started to ache, back, etc. This is one of the best decisions Ive made to date! You can do it! Ill support you thru it, hey we can support one another because I know I have some bumpy days ahead as well! God Bless

I was worried about the pain....but then I think about how much pain I am in everday just living at 450 pounds....a few days of pain is worth it for me to have a life free of this knee, back and emotional pain. I have been letting my fear top me fr years but I'm ready now...I just can't live like this anymore, it's not fair to me and definitely not fair to my children to have a mom who can't play with them, go on field trips, go on rides with them etc. I want to LIVE not just watch life pass me by because I am paralyzed by my fear!