Are you a nurse? I am starting a support group for nurses that are contemplating, undergoing or are now 'old pro's' with their sleeves!

By way of introduction, my name is Jana & I live in the DFW area and am currently undergoing the approval process. I have been a RN for 38 years--18 years in Surgery & 18 years in Case Management & as a Manager for a major health plan carrier.

So feel free to jump on board!

I felt the same way. I didn't want to be the source of anhyone's conversation' date=' so I only told a handful of people, and my boss. I now know that they each told other people! One day the VP of HR asked me about my surgery in the elevator - and I never told anyone in HR. So, the moral of the story is tell NO ONE, unless you want everyone to know. And I think you hit the nail on the head, people start talking once you start losing anyway, so I'm not sure there is any way to avoid it. I wonder if hospitals are worse places for gossip than others?? You'd think people would get the whole concept of privacy, lol. So, I'm not mad at the people who told, because I am absolutely certain they didn't do it in malace...they are just human.[/quote']

Yes, we are all human. I think everywhere u have a lot of people working in close contact there will be gossip.

I am!

I've been contemplating/ researching VSG for some time now. So, no date set just yet, But because I will be self pay, it'll take some time. Nice to see so many nurses here! I've been a nurse for about 4 years now. Currently working in M/S and loving it.

Just starting Hello to all

Start weight march 13 th 273 lbs now 255.5 lbs

Hello fellow nurses and sleevers! I have 3 more days of my liver reduction diet and have lost 11 pounds so far. Count down is on for OR on Tuesday......super excited!!

I felt the same way. I didn't want to be the source of anhyone's conversation' date=' so I only told a handful of people, and my boss. I now know that they each told other people! One day the VP of HR asked me about my surgery in the elevator - and I never told anyone in HR. So, the moral of the story is tell NO ONE, unless you want everyone to know. And I think you hit the nail on the head, people start talking once you start losing anyway, so I'm not sure there is any way to avoid it. I wonder if hospitals are worse places for gossip than others?? You'd think people would get the whole concept of privacy, lol. So, I'm not mad at the people who told, because I am absolutely certain they didn't do it in malace...they are just human.[/quote']

I told everyone from the very beginning & figured I could not control what anyone else thought or said. Letting them get to me was part of what fueled over-eating for part of my life & I was done with it. Now, 6 months & 60 pounds down, I get stopped & congratulated & compliments every day. That too is great but doesn't validate my worth as much as my new found respect for my dedication & commitment to ME!

My docs office sent off my info to the insurance today for approval. I'm really excited!!!!

I did not tell my management what I'm having done just that i needed time off for surgery. They cannot ask me what I'm having done. I have told my co-workers because they are my friends and i know whoever doesn't know will once i start losing weight after having off for 2 weeks or more!

The doctors office called me Thursday to schedule and they said they had a cancellation for Monday that they wanted to offer me but work would not give me the time off. I am pissed about that. Now i am not scheduled because i could not get a hold of the nurse and she didn't call me back. Now i have to wait to Monday to even try to schedule again. Ugh... just want it done.

Last night at work was surreal. We had a gastric bypass come in through our ER (1 week post op) that had a leak around where her small intestine was attached to her pouch. She was severely septic and I hate to say this but probably is going to die no matter what we do. She was all kinds of high risk...advanced age, smoker, DM, ect. So that freaked me out a lot to say the least but the worse part is my coworkers talking...saying things like "why would anyone do that to themselves" and "I would never do that". I havent told anyone yet but I had decided to tell. Now I think I will not tell anyone at the hospital at least until it is done and I am out of the woods so to speak. To say the least it was a bad night.

Last night at work was surreal. We had a gastric bypass come in through our ER (1 week post op) that had a leak around where her small intestine was attached to her pouch. She was severely septic and I hate to say this but probably is going to die no matter what we do. She was all kinds of high risk...advanced age' date=' smoker, DM, ect. So that freaked me out a lot to say the least but the worse part is my coworkers talking...saying things like "why would anyone do that to themselves" and "I would never do that". I havent told anyone yet but I had decided to tell. Now I think I will not tell anyone at the hospital at least until it is done and I am out of the woods so to speak. To say the least it was a bad night.[/quote']

OMG how very sad. I know it must have been hard to see that. I think we all know deep down that there are risks, but unless you are confronted with it we can push it away. I have doubts sometimes because I don't want to leave my two girls without a Mom. On the other hand I worry about an MI or stroke doing me in. Being a nurse can really suck....we know too much. As far as people saying how could anyone do that to themselves......people who are not obese don't really understand. No sane person would undergo major surgery if they did not need to. I want a chance at a healthy, active life. We all deserve that. Anyway.....I hope you are well and can ease your mind. :-)

Dee, it does suck to be a nurse sometimes. I cant lie...i am freaked a little. But I also know how high risk the pt was to begin with so that eases my mind somewhat. I just feel so sorry for her, I think it really is all about weighing the risks vs benefits and that decision should not be left up to the doctor. It should be an "informed decision" and nowadays that means we have to become as informed about the issue as possible. That is why I like message boards like this one.

_{Hi, I'm Jessica. I am from Alabama and have been an RN for almost 8 years - 1 year in telemetry, 4 in L&D. Currently I am nursing in Australia and have been here for almost 3 years. I am set to be sleeved on April 22, 2013. It's so good to be able to chat with so many other people about the op and what to expect, etc. I'm looking forward to talking to you all more}

Dee, it does suck to be a nurse sometimes. I cant lie...i am freaked a little. But I also know how high risk the pt was to begin with so that eases my mind somewhat. I just feel so sorry for her, I think it really is all about weighing the risks vs benefits and that decision should not be left up to the doctor. It should be an "informed decision" and nowadays that means we have to become as informed about the issue as possible. That is why I like message boards like this one.

Dee and Laura, that ER situation is a very scary reality, and we all have seen the saddest life stories, so I think as nurses it can make decisions like this harder. I always thought "I can lose weight with diet and exercise", but I never met any real success. I looked into WLS 15 years ago, but at that time, the risks were greater and it was open surgery (RNY). I didn't have any health issues, and I had three small girls, so I didn't proceed. Now, at 50, I'm starting to see some of the weight related health issues, the risk is lower than it used to be, and I felt the benefits outweighed the risks. My youngest is in high school now, and while I don't want to leave any of them, I also want a chance at a healthy life. I'm almost 4 months out, and I'm happy I did this. I did have a complication, but it was minor (an abscess that took about 7 weeks and 2 I&Ds to heal). Now that that's behind me, I'm feeling stronger and better all the time, and I don't regret my decision. Again, it is definitely necessary to do a risk/benefit analysis, and determine your risk tolerance. I finally just put blinders on and proceeded, knowing I couldn't predict my actual risk, but I could certainly predict the weight related health issues descending upon me every day. I wish you both all the greatest success as you proceed!

I started using Slim Fast low carb' date=' it has 20gm protein and 2 gm carbs per 10oz bottle.[/quote']

have you found the Slimfast High Protein (20g) in any flavor other than chocolate? their other shakes come in assorted flavors but I've only found their High Protein shakes in chocolate.

Michigan, I am so glad you did well even with that complication. Thank you for your thoughts. I am young, 39, never smoked, normal blood glucose, normal BP but I do have sleep apnea and arthritis started. I have a huge family history of DM and CAD so I definately need to get out in front of this before I do major damage. I want to live a long and active life. I know what to look for if there is a problem so I feel I am good to go. I worry about others out there that don't know that is why I am glad there are forum like this so those people can research and ask questions. One other thought for everyone to contemplate....if you smoke...please stop before you go through this surgery.