I'm currently waiting to hear back from insurance. Sitting at work today, I began thinking about my final "Yes, I'm making an appointment to see a surgeon and moving forward with WLS" moment. It had always been something I knew was available, but it had never been a realistic thought.

My "Yep. This is happening moment": 6 months ago I was at the doctor, stepped on the scale and out of habit...or not thinking I said "230-ish" to the nurse. Confused, she looked at me and slowly moved the weight up...because obviously I weighed more. Then it clicked, my head dropped and I said "Sorry, I meant 330." I felt my blood rush to my face, my heart sink to my stomach and the reality of the number set in.

In that moment everything clicked. The fact that my food addiction had spiraled out of control and my inability to drop the weight. It also clicked how badly I wanted a happy and healthy lifestyle. I follow SO many healthy living blogs, instagram accounts and facebook pages. I knew what I wanted, but didn't know where to begin. I had to face the fact that my weight was the highest it's ever been and I needed to fix it.

Immediately after leaving the doctor, I made an appointment with my surgeon, a mental health therapist and a dietitian. Finding a tool to help me reach my goal and finding the WLS Online community has been amazing. Hopefully within weeks I'll know if I'm approved and if I'm not...I won't stop trying.

What was your "I'm doing this" moment?

All of these are great...in the weirdest way. It's so comforting knowing that others have had similar struggles.

We've got this guys! Cheers to healthy, long and happy lives!

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Yes we do.

Mine was on April 3rd, 2015.

Was near the end of a 14 hour workday......did something my arse shouldn't have done.....lifted shyt in a careless manner.....ended the workday and came home and decided to manhandle a boat trailer (with boat on still on it) in my garage to make it easier on my b-i-l when he came to borrow the boat.

Herniated a disc in the process.

The weeks and months ahead presented me with the worst pain I'd ever experienced.

My regular family practitioner, my spine surgeon and my pain management doc all said to lose weight asap.

So.........bariatric surgery plans were made and followed up on.

Glad I did.

All of these are great...in the weirdest way. It's so comforting knowing that others have had similar struggles.

We've got this guys! Cheers to healthy, long and happy lives!

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Yes we do.

Mine was on April 3rd, 2015.

Was near the end of a 14 hour workday......did something my arse shouldn't have done.....lifted shyt in a careless manner.....ended the workday and came home and decided to manhandle a boat trailer (with boat on still on it) in my garage to make it easier on my b-i-l when he came to borrow the boat.

Herniated a disc in the process.

The weeks and months ahead presented me with the worst pain I'd ever experienced.

My regular family practitioner, my spine surgeon and my pain management doc all said to lose weight asap.

So.........bariatric surgery plans were made and followed up on.

Glad I did.

It's strange... My back started hurting worse as I was losing weight. Then I found out on top of the arthritis I have a herniated disc.

When I took my measurements and they were all within an inch of my measurements from 10yrs ago, my highest weight , which I said I would never go back to!

A year ago my family went to Disneyland, agree hours in the parks each day struggling to keep up with my boys I ended each night in so much pain. I just want to be healthy enough to be active and keep up with my family.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using the BariatricPal App

Mine was laying in bed one night with a portable heart monitor strapped to my chest. Just decided "I don't want to do this anymore." Next day I made an appointment with a clinic in Ft Worth to get an idea of cost (no insurance). And after a month of waiting and calls back and trying to juggle financing and educating myself, I found this site and sent an email. My phone rang before I finished filling out the paperwork and I was scheduled for 3 weeks later. I never looked back.

Hey Maggie- I'm getting my surgery in Fort Worth as well. What hospital and Doctor did you use?

Also, if you were self pay what were the final costs of hospital stay, surgeon fee, etc? If you don't mind me asking of course:-)

I'm trying to get an estimate.

Thanks!!

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

When my a1c was 9.6..and I felt like shit, I was fed up. And my wonderful Dr helped me to the right path, and that was my aha moment... Asking for that help.

Sent from my XT1575 using the BariatricPal App

What a great topic! I had always considered weight-loss surgery to be a very extreme choice. Then my sister had the surgery. And she didn't die. And every time I saw her she looked visibly smaller. And she was happy.

One day, I was sitting at my computer, and I thought to myself for just a moment, I would suspend or withhold all of my doubts and judgments about the surgery. And I said to myself, I am going to have weight-loss surgery. It was like this little mental game I was playing with myself that day. But when I did that, all of a sudden I felt very expansive inside, like my lungs opened, like my body was shouting, yes please! It felt good, and very surprising.

That was followed by a series of inner experiences that helped me get in touch with what was going on deep inside of me, why I treasured all this weight so much, what I was really using all this fat for.

It became very clear to me, very quickly, that the surgery, scary as it was, was something I absolutely needed to do, if I wanted The life I yearned for.

So I started the process.

I then had another very powerful and her experience, in which I realized that since having surgery would mean a great deal more freedom in my physical life, I would be able to choose again, the kind of lifestyle that would support me best. I received A vision of myself, then, radiant, dancing, and my heart leapt up with joy. I decided to create a new start up, with the debut product for an audience I have built up as a writer. In the summer I am going on a year-long tour to promote it in an RV. I always wanted to travel! I would never never never even have considered it at my previous weight. I just wouldn't physically be able to live that kind of lifestyle.

Truly, the surgery has provided me with an opportunity for a brand-new life, and I feel privileged grateful to have had the chance.

Struggling to wipe. Sorry if TMI.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using the BariatricPal App

I met my husband in 2002, I was around 260 then. We moved in together before we got married and we both started to gain weight together. He was a very healthy weight when we met so his weight gain was about 30-40lbs over the course of 8yrs, my weight gain was 100lbs to 370 by 2013. At a yearly check up with a new PCP she looked at me astounded that all of my blood work was fine, no hyperglycemia, I was still very mobile, only a slightly high BP. She behooved us to try the DASH diet for weight loss telling me my good numbers would not last. So my husband and I did and very successfully lost weight with diet and exercise. My husband lost down to a BMI of 25 and I lost 93lbs to 277. Then last summer we planned a Caribbean getaway and fell off the wagon starting in June. It was slow, but I did start gaining back and by November had gained back 25lbs. I tried again the reset method from the DASH diet of no carbs/sugars for two weeks and only lost 4lbs... Discouraged I went to a seminar with a coworker who was loud and proud about having it done. I was always a naysayer about WLS thinking if you can eat like that after surgery why can't you do it now? I was uneducated!! My husband is very supportive of me and has loved me unconditionally at all sizes that I've been. I decided to make this change so I can travel comfortably in an airplane seat and see the world. My kids are grown and my main focus can be me for a change. My husband was scared about surgery and he, in a moment of complete honesty, said he was happy right now with the way things were which included planning a place to eat out on the days we were off together. I told him it was the simple things he takes for granted, like running into Walmart and buying a cheap Tshirt (I know Walmart has plus size, but plus size belly shirts, they're so short!), not thinking twice about a booth in a restaurant hoping the table wasn't bolted to the floor, not worrying not having your elderly dad say "sit in that chair right there, I think it will hold you"....Those things!

Edited April 15, 201610 yr by doppelganger

@@JupiterinVirgo That's awesome! I hope your trip is amazing!

Edited April 15, 201610 yr by GranadoM74

I didn't have one moment, just a couple years of wishing I could get it done, but not being able to afford it. I had started the process while my husband carried the insurance that would cover it. A month into the process, he switched jobs and the new insurance did not cover it. In the meantime, I failed every single diet I ever tried, didn't want to put forth any effort to exercise. I failed me. When I had to turn sideways to get through a gate, couldn't get a seat belt to fit right on a plane (too embarrassed to ask for an extension) and got too winded trying to change gates to board my next plane, kept getting winded trying to walk upstairs to my bedroom...I knew it was time. Open enrollment came up that November and when I saw my employer's insurance was going to start covering for it, I knew it was time. That December, I made an appointment for January 4th...I haven't looked back....best.decision.ever.

I was very unhappy with losing 10lbs and then re-gaining 15. I KNEW the weight was going up and up and at 51 there was nothing that seemed to help me get the weight off.

When I had stopped the pre-op insurance required classes and in a matter of about 6 weeks gained about 10 lbs. I had completed 1 of 3 monthly classes and backed out because the ladies in the office were questioning my lap-band choice (long story). That was mid-December and I was about 272. By mid-January I was at 282 and realized 300 was the next number I was going to see on the scale. I called up and got back into the rotation and went to my original plan to do the sleeve and I haven't looked back~~~~~

NO REGRETS!

Mine was - 9 years ago when my dad died in 2007 of a massive heart attack at the age of 53 because he had diabetes/severly overweight (close to 400lbs) and he was a heavy smoker... I decided that I didn't want to die at 53 as I was already close to being the same weight as him and I was 23 years younger. I wanted to live to be able to play with my nephew and teach him everything my dad taught me and wouldn't be able to now... So, I decied on the lap band because the sleeve wasn't available to me back then. I had decent success, I lost weight - which was my goal - wasn't a complete success as I didn't lose 50% of my weight but I still lost some. Now, I want to do the revision to the sleeve and continue my weight loss and continue to become healthier, so that I can continue tplay with ALL my nieces and nephews now - three of which my dad never got the chance to meet and I don't want them to miss out on knowing him through me as my sisters had a different type of childhood with him then I did. I was the first and his subsititue boy - so I learned everything - they were the girls

Getting surgery in a month or 2, my deciding factor is that I knew I was biggish but then I seen pictures and bam....it's real. I have so much more to live and do and go and see. Right now, today this minute no can do. My weight is holding me back. I will be so appreciative to regain control.

It had been building up for me. I was becoming more aware of my weight, didn't feel attractive, and couldn't make it through a 1 hour bellydance class without getting winded and having to take breaks. Shopping with my sisters at Christmas had been more depressing than fun... it was just getting to me. So I had decided that I would try and go back to a gluten-free diet, exercise more, etc.

Then one night I was reading a book, that made reference to Einstein's definition of insanity, which is basically doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. In that moment, I had a flash of clarity that the many attempts at various diets, supplements and fads were a form of insanity for me, because it was essentially doing the same thing over and over, hoping that maybe something would really work.

At that point, I realized that maybe I needed to approach things from a direction that I had never dared consider before: surgery.

I'm now scheduled for surgery in July, and am happier than I have been in a long time, because even though I know there will still be a lot work ahead of me, that I now have a real shot at changing my life.