Welcome

[coco.c 11]

Hi new friends! I am being sleeved on Monday 3/25/13. I am trying to save my life. I weigh 347 and I really appreciate this group. SassySenior, I too have physical problems with my knees, back and hip. I am in a wheelchair and taking pain medication along with many others. I really hope those of you who are in the process of jumping though the hoops will be able to have your surgery soon. Best of luck to you all. I can really use some encouragement.

[specialt 1]

Coco---good luck tomorrow. Just remember that your life will change forever starting tomorrow. Its hard at first but it gets easier. Even when you dont feel like moving around in the hospital...walk,walk, walk!! It gets easier...i promise!

My 3 months is coming up this week. It goes by so fast. I have had no complications, down 40 pounds and counting...

[southernsoul 773]

Hello, everyone! I'm new here & was glad to find this group. I'm still pre-op, but almost finished with all the requirements. My surgeon won't even submit my file for insurance approval til next month, but I already made his nurse pencil me in on June 19. I'm in school right now, so I had a very narrow window to squeeze in the surgery between my summer classes.

Coco, good luck to you today! Please let us know how it goes when you can. I am not in a wheelchair (yet), but I have very limited mobility. I blew out my left knee when I was 17, and the weight gain over the years has caused my poor knees to deteriorate badly. I can't walk without limping & I'm in pain every day. I was facing double knee replacement surgery, but I decided that sleeve surgery would be the better option. Not only will losing weight make me healthier overall, but my ortho surgeon told me that for every 10 lbs of weight I lose, I'll take 40 lbs of pressure off my knees! I will probably still have to have knee replacement some day, but I'm hoping to hold it off for as many years as I can.

[JT2013 30]

Hi there extraordinary sleevers

My name is Joyce and I'm in the whoppering 500+ category. Someone started a group for us but it's just me and the founder so I figured I'd join you all 300+'s. I hope noone minds, because like you I have a hard time relating to those 250<.

A bit about me... what I am ... 518 lbs.. with a long slow build up of weight from 6 to my 42 years of age I am today. I have pcos, sleep apnea and chronic back pain with a right knee that is giving out. I have been classified as disabled for about 3 years and finally this year Medicare took me under it's wing allowing me a chance to finally get weight loss surgery.

Who I am... I have been a professional Nanny for over 20 years with an AA in early childhood education, I adore children and was devastated to find out that the PCOS issues had built up so much that by the time I felt I could support kids with a loving husband and a home in my mid 30's, I find out that it's highly unlikely I can have them. My children have become my 3 kittens who I adopted within the last 2 years and they are ragdoll, and ragdoll lynx mixes. I like to do crafty things and I love to swim. For those of you looking for some way to get a work out in without your body breaking down on you. Look into your local community center. If you are under the age range of "Senior" don't be afraid to ask if it would be ok if you join their classes to get started, I found that those classes are at my current pace and many of them don't mind someone in our situation joining in.

I got to where I am today by eating too large of portions, some of the wrong foods, bad hormones and not enough of the right kind of exercise. I have been pursuing the ability to get surgery for about 3.5 years, but right now is the most likely I've ever come to it.

I can really relate to you Sophia with your troubles getting approved and jumping through hoops. I'm looking at a possible sleeve surgery date in mid June. I'm in that stasis of "maybe just maybe it'll happen this time" and a "omg it's going to happen, will it actually work for me.... well it seems to work for everyone..." kinda swing of inner-monologue.

I wish you all the best, and hope that we all keep on trudging towards that goal of be healthier.

[Sophia Bubbles 4]

_{Welcome Joyce! Glad to have ya. Looks like you're doing pretty good already. Thanks for sharing your advice. Good luck and keep us posted.}

[coco.c 11]

Hi!

It has now been a month since I was sleeved. I have lost 11 lbs. pre-op and 19 lbs. post op. I seem to be stalled right now, and I am trying to eat all the right things, get my Fluid in, and my Protein it. Thoughts are running through my mind that this is all I will lose. I am not active because of health problems but I am set up next week for Water therapy. I am hoping it will help to get me losing again. If I don't lose anymore, I want my stomach back. I think being older is affecting it oo.

[michelle2948 6]

Hi,

Don't get too stressed out. It seems to come and go, seems like sometimes your body needs to catch up. I am 5 months post op and have lost 72 pounds. Some weeks for me have been better than others as far as weight loss. Try not to get too focused on the scale. I weigh myself every 2 weeks now, also many weeks I noticed the weight loss through my clothes not on the scale. This will and does work, try to keep positive. It's hard but it is working, give your body some time to adjust. Hope this helps a little.

[JT2013 30]

I agree, although I have not had my surgery yet, I have gone through many nutritional classes in college and a variety of conferences as well.

Remember weight loss is not the only goal for us, it's being healthier. There are things in your body you want to keep that do weigh something,... like muscle. If you are following most post op diet advise you are probably eating a lot more Protein than you used to which keeps your muscles "fed" as you lose the fat.

Just think of the low loss weeks as your body readjusting and becoming fortified for the next "drop". However I'd contact my doctor/weight loss support team if after a months time there hasn't been any change. They are there after all for you and maybe able to give you specific advise on things you can adjust to get the results you want.

[AmyR0929 4]

Wow i'm glad I found this group. Currently I am about 332ish and am just starting the process. I have my first consultation with my surgen next tuesday. I am having to self pay (with the help of my family) so i'm not sure when I will be able to get the actual surgery but i'm hoping it will be around August. The patient advocate suggested that I try to get to 300 pounds before surgery, if I do they will be able to do the surger as an out patient instead of inpatient and it will save me about $5000. Right now i'm just being super diligant about what i'm eating and trying to drink a CRAP TON of Water so my stomach stays full. I'm excited to start this journey and am glad that there others out there who are going through the same thing.

[michelle2948 6]

Hi AmyR092,

Good luck to you on this journey! While I won't lie to you it will not be easy, it WILL be worth it. I was totally scared and freaked out leading up to my surgery and for a bit right after surgery.......but now, now I would not change a thing. I could not be happier about my decision.

The pre-surgical weight loss will be tough but really try to stick with it, seems silly to loose weight to have weight loss surgery but it really does help! Hope you find answers and inspiration here.

[DebbieF 1]

Hi everyone! I have just signed up with a medical group and am waiting for my very first appointment. I have be looking into surgery for about 2 years and have finally decided to take the next step and talk to a doctor about it. So far this has been a very emotional roller coaster ride of my life. I hope it is ok for me to be in this group so early in the process. Look forward to talking to people who have gone where I hope to be able to go in the near future.

[elmay 7]

I remember the first time the scale went over 300. I was mortified. Unfortunately, that is a number I have seen come and go quite a bit. In 2005 and 2008, I managed to get down to 245 or so. Each time, I gained it all back plus more. I've decided that WLS is my best/only chance to have a normal life. I'm 52 and I figure I can get at least 15 more good years. I want to go downhill skiing again (with my 10 year old son). I want to backpack again -- and to hike the John Muir Trail which is 200+ miles along the High Sierra in California. I have never been a runner, but that would be awesome.

Tomorrow is my surgery. It is scary to think of 85% of my stomach being permanently removed. I'm worried about the side effects and complications.

I just need to keep my eye on the goal.

[coco.c 11]

I remember the first time the scale went over 300. I was mortified. Unfortunately, that is a number I have seen come and go quite a bit. In 2005 and 2008, I managed to get down to 245 or so. Each time, I gained it all back plus more. I've decided that WLS is my best/only chance to have a normal life. I'm 52 and I figure I can get at least 15 more good years. I want to go downhill skiing again (with my 10 year old son). I want to backpack again -- and to hike the John Muir Trail which is 200+ miles along the High Sierra in California. I have never been a runner, but that would be awesome.

Tomorrow is my surgery. It is scary to think of 85% of my stomach being permanently removed. I'm worried about the side effects and complications.

I just need to keep my eye on the goal.

Elmay, good luck on your surgery tomorrow. I will be saying a prayer for your safe recovery and success with the sleeve. Let us know how you are doing when you can.

[JT2013 30]

Hi again folks. Yes Ema good luck on your surgery. 52 years... oh come now I bet you have well over another 15 good years left! I am a decade behind you at 42 but almost twice your weight. Let us know how your surgery goes.

I just got my operation date today, June 11th... I'm in tears of happiness. It has been a long road getting here (and to this size really.) I was a "fat" kid and had a very "interesting" childhood. I remember arguing with my Aunt at 6 about being allows two sandwiches for lunch and her only wanting me to have 1 and a 1/2. By the time I was 13 my family had been homeless for awhile, I'd been in foster homes and out again but I always was a very active person. At 13 although I did not know it I was underweight, 110 pounds and 5'10 with a medium-large bone structure. I remember my dance teacher (an adult) being angry when we were fitted for dance costumes and her waistline was bigger than mine... "I'm so fat I cannot believe it, she cannot be smaller than me."

It was later in my teens when I remember telling a girlfriend that it didn't matter what I ate because I'd always be fat. (She was warning me against consuming too much and gaining weight, she thought I was thin.) Pretty much from 15 forward I began to steadily gain about 20% of my body weight per year. Not knowing I had PCOS, I just kept trying to enjoy life and run around like I always did.

At 25 I was around 300 lbs.. by 30.... 400lb. Like most of us I tried dieting and yo-yo'd quite a bit. I'd lose 50-60 lbs and then a year later I'd have gained that back plus more. When I turned 38 I got a big surprise. My back gave up on me. For some reason it didn't like a 450lb. individual running around, crawling on the ground, playing tag, and all the other things a nanny does.

Almost 2 years of therapy brought me to the realization that I just couldn't move anymore... not without my back going haywire and crippling me to the point a walker was necessary. I tried hard to keep active, with the Water aerobics, hot yoga and walking as much as my body could take. I dieted and knocked a lot of junk out of my lifestyle, but still my weight has crept up. This year in February my insurance finally changed due to my disability and finally it seems I have a chance to get the surgery.

At check in less than 2 months ago I was a whopping 518 lbs. I nearly broke into tears on the Docs scale. After researching and talking to the dietician team over at the weight loss center where I am going to get my sleeve, I adopted a "shadowed" version of what the diet will be after surgery. I eat 3oz. taking 20 minutes to do so and then I wait 20 minutes and have another 3 oz. I drink 1-2 Protein Shakes a day and eat less than a total of carbohydrates. It's becoming easier everyday to do. I'm down 42 pounds as of a week ago and I just got my approval and surgery date today.

I am excited and probably the way most of you feel a little scared. This isn't something to take lightly.

It has been a long long journey for me to get to this weight... a 1/4 ton.... and it will be another journey to get to even a lower bmi category... but I think I'm up for the challenge.

Wishing you all best regards to you and yours and great thoughts for everyone for a better healthier tomorrow.

jt.

[WeeWers 48]

What a wonderful sub-group. This forum is *enormous* and it's very difficult to keep track of everyone and make friends. I'm WeeWers and I'm at 300. I'm 59 years young and am VERY worried about all the sagging skin. I wish I had done this when my skin still had elasticity to it -- but I'm grateful to have it none the less. I have seen before and after photos of people who have lost a ton of weight who are mature -- and they look *horrible*!!!

We have to pay for this surgery out of our own pocket (exclusion clause with our insurance) and so it's going to take awhile to have the money to pay for plastic surgeries.

Golly, if I hadn't gotten *this* heavy -- it would be easier. I DON'T WANT TO LOOK LIKE AN OLD HAG!!!

Thanks very much for listening )

WeeWers