Hello all! I am a little less than 6 weeks away from my sleeve surgery on April 16th. This whole journey has been a whirlwind and happening much faster than I had anticipated. It was less than 2 months ago that my PCP at Kaiser submitted my referral to the bariatric department and I was approved right away. I have mixed feelings about Kaiser, but after reading about the anxiety and wait many people have had to experience awaiting insurance approval, I'm grateful I was approved early without issues. Kaiser is a center of excellence and I have been thrilled with the wholistic approach they take with their clients. While Northern California Kaiser does not make you take 6 months of classes, they did have me take an orientation class, lifestyle and nutrition classes as well as meet with a psychologist to assess how mindful I was of the lifestyle changes I was about to make and a dietitian to evaluate my current eating habits and make a plan for the future. I also have meet with my surgeon to go over my medical history. Post-op I will be seen at 3,6,12,24,36,48 and 60 months. There are also support groups and mindful eating workshops offered weekly if I choose to participate. I feel so fortunate to have a team around me that supports me as I make this huge change in my life. In reading the posts on this forum, it has become apparent to me that wls is not a guarantee of success. It will take a lot of commitment on my part to make long-term lifestyle changes. I feel so fortunate to have found this website pre-surgery to add to my support. Thank you to all of the unknown faces out there in bariatric pal land!!! Who or what else makes up your support system? I'm especially curious about those electing to have surgery out of the country. What aftercare Is available to you back home? It takes a village, and I'm so glad we have each other for support along the way! Xoxo

Edited March 8, 201412 yr by Bluesea71

I am still pre op but I will have my husband and two sons at home for support. This website for any questions I will have, either asked directly or searching for questions already asked. My PCP if I have immediate problems or concerns. My surgeon and his coordinator Amy who does the monthly meetings in case I need to go.

I could not think of doing this without everyone and everything I listed here. Good luck to you on your surgery date

These forums helped with questions and doubt. My husband was my support before surgery but not after.

The people around me were my support system but they had no clue about the op as in if I had a pain or concern about it they were clueless they only knew what I told them no one read up on it.
So I got support with like making me Soup and bringing me things my mum jabbed me in the arm with my anti coagulant every morning and i got to talk about things if I wanted.
Mostly I supported myself from what I had read before the op, what I read after coming here and reading helped and answered a lot of things.
My hospital with my team if i had questions or felt pain or worried and my GP.
But I pretty much kept most things to myself and got on with it, being asked every day how you are over and over gets old and annoying after a couple of weeks lol