I am new to this forum, I have been lurking here and reading for several weeks.

I am one of the lucky people who had insurance immediately approve my procedure. from my first surgeons visit, it has only been six weeks. I am 44, have a BMI of 40 w/ diabetes. My doctor, here in Virginia, is one of the best, but I did not feel like I had many opportunities to ask enough questions or feel comfortable with my decision. It was as if I was on an assembly line, next stop, Surgery.

My surgery is scheduled for November 6, only 3 weeks away. I am nervous and having second thoughts about this surgery. I have never had surgery before. I am well aware of the risks and dangers of leaks, etc. w VSG.

With my nervousness, should I postpone and give another person a chance? I am afraid that with Obamacare this will change my ability to have the surgery. I have a high deductible insurance, self pay, so will be paying for part of the procedure out of pocket. I do not want to wait until the last minute to cancel....

I am most fearful of not being able to take the diet and succeed. I am a binge eater and eat when I am sad, which is often. How hard is it to change your habits???

Cat

Scragly cat

I will be 1 year out on Nov. 6th....I thought I knew enough to be very comfortable with the surgery. I was one of the few that went into the surgery with such happiness I could not wait for my second chance at life...Before the surgery I was just existing but now I am living...

Think of the reasons you have decided to have this surgery..Is it for you or your family...Only you know the real reasons why you are doing it.....

The sleeve is a great tool to use to help you not to over eat while you are dealing with the issues in your head that brought you to this place....If you are ready for a big change in your life..The sleeve certainly gives you that

But you have to work at it..All the emotions and body changes. your mind working against you or all other sorts of interesting things that you will go through that you never ever thought you would..

I studied the sleeve for 2 years before I had the surgery and now I realize that I did not know as much as I thought I did...By experiencing it yourself you will learn more about yourself then you ever thought possible..You will find the person that has been locked away inside and you will watch her emerge....

This forum was a great help to me and I am sure others benefited by it.....This is a valuable tool also..No one is going to tell you to do it or not do it...you have to make that decision for yourself...

I went through a lot to have this done..5 months in the hospital with a leak and 5 more months with nurses care at home....I would do it again in a second if I knew I would be able to do all the things I can now...This surgery gave me a second chance to live my life..To fly.. to move forward....It actually saved my life!

Thank you for your thoughtful message ...that is amazing and wonderful to hear that even with your complications you would do it again.

Scragly cat

I am new to this forum' date=' I have been lurking here and reading for several weeks.

I am one of the lucky people who had insurance immediately approve my procedure. from my first surgeons visit, it has only been six weeks. I am 44, have a BMI of 40 w/ diabetes. My doctor, here in Virginia, is one of the best, but I did not feel like I had many opportunities to ask enough questions or feel comfortable with my decision. It was as if I was on an assembly line, next stop, Surgery.

My surgery is scheduled for November 6, only 3 weeks away. I am nervous and having second thoughts about this surgery. I have never had surgery before. I am well aware of the risks and dangers of leaks, etc. w VSG.

With my nervousness, should I postpone and give another person a chance? I am afraid that with Obamacare this will change my ability to have the surgery. I have a high deductible insurance, self pay, so will be paying for part of the procedure out of pocket. I do not want to wait until the last minute to cancel....

I am most fearful of not being able to take the diet and succeed. I am a binge eater and eat when I am sad, which is often. How hard is it to change your habits???

Cat

Scragly cat[/quote']

I too was a 40 BMI with diabetes (oh and with high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease). I too was a binge eater, ate when I was sad, when I was happy, when it was raining, when it was sunny -- any excuse was fine.

My surgery was 5 months ago and I am now a 28 BMI, diabetes is gone, HBP under control and 58 lbs gone. I've had no problems, no complications, no pain. If I didn't have funny little scars on my tummy and the inability to eat very much (hooray, what a relief!), I might think the whole thing never happened!

Bingeing no longer an issue. Don't really know why but my relationship food has completely changed. Maybe I have turned my food obsession into a sleeve obsession, but I feel so good that I don't really care the reason. I truly now eat to live, rather than live to eat. My total focus is on getting in my Protein, and learning what I can eat that agrees with me and MAKES ME FEEL GOOD!

If you like to read, you might want to check out this thread about good weight loss surgery books:

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/85547-good-books-for-the-emotional-aspects-of-post-surgery/

I devoured tons of books both before and after surgery. They helped me understand what I was getting ready to do, and how to live afterwards.

Gotta say -- sleeve surgery was the best decision I ever made. Hope you'll be able to say the same.

Good luck on your journey. It's going to be amazing!

Thank you Cindy and RJ's....I will look into those books asap. I have read all the books and articles I can find, but it I'd good to hear your thoughts. GOD bless!

Scragly cat

I understand how you feel. I went though the same thing last January. I was rushed through and had so much uneasiness about it. So overwhelmed I felt u wasn't ready. I ended up canceling and 6 months later I regretted that decision because it was still constantly on my mind and I kept thinking how far on my new journey I would have been. I decided to enjoy summer a wonderful vacation and not let my weight or size hold me back AT ALL. I did things I wouldn't normally do and it was amazing. It then occurred to me that Even though I could still do the things I thought I couldn't I still wanted to lose the weight. I knew I couldn't do it on my own. I am now officially scheduled for Nov 19 and really just try to focus on the positive and the future. Don't over think it. Think about the reasons you even thought of this surgery and why you took that first step and made that appointment. Good luck. Thoughts are with you.

I had my first dr appt almost two years ago. My surgeon is a client at my hair salon... so its in my face every 4 weeks. He finally got me to his seminar and into his office. He tried to talk me into bypass but I have known too many people with bypass and... no thanks! So I put it out of my mind but continued to research vsg. Early this summer we had a change of insurance plans. While looking through it I noticed vsg was covered. I went back to my surgeon and have been researching and preping ever since. My surgery is on monday and I can't wait. Even this damn pre op diet can't get me down now! And... at 250lbs obviously food is a major issue and always will be. I just want the chance to be in control for once

Thanks all for your words of wisdom....I know I should be grateful and happy that I have this opportunity...

Scragly cat

I am new to this forum' date=' I have been lurking here and reading for several weeks.

I am one of the lucky people who had insurance immediately approve my procedure. from my first surgeons visit, it has only been six weeks. I am 44, have a BMI of 40 w/ diabetes. My doctor, here in Virginia, is one of the best, but I did not feel like I had many opportunities to ask enough questions or feel comfortable with my decision. It was as if I was on an assembly line, next stop, Surgery.

My surgery is scheduled for November 6, only 3 weeks away. I am nervous and having second thoughts about this surgery. I have never had surgery before. I am well aware of the risks and dangers of leaks, etc. w VSG.

With my nervousness, should I postpone and give another person a chance? I am afraid that with Obamacare this will change my ability to have the surgery. I have a high deductible insurance, self pay, so will be paying for part of the procedure out of pocket. I do not want to wait until the last minute to cancel....

I am most fearful of not being able to take the diet and succeed. I am a binge eater and eat when I am sad, which is often. How hard is it to change your habits???

Cat

Scragly cat[/quote']

This is a great place to get your questions answered. Strangely I feel more secure talking o people who have experienced the surgery first hand rathervthan the surgeon who only knows the other side, personal experience means everything. Great support here.