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What was your moment?



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The moment when you decided that you would have WLS?

My moment was when my doctor told me my BP was no longer being controlled by meds and he wanted to hospitalize me. He told me that if I didn't lose weight my heart would give out. I left there and cried because I realized that it was a very real possibility that i would not live to see my youngest graduate high school.

Now I plan to be around for grandkids!

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Mine was when they told me I have sleep apnea. I was like ok...now I have ALL the FAT PERSON PROBLEMS!!! BP, HC,Diabetes and now SA. I said that's It!!! I prayed and prayed and prayed some more. I'm 44 and if I planned on seeing 50, I had to do something AND QUICK. I thank God he ordered my steps and what HE start HE will finish.

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It was when my mom visited and had so much knee pain that she couldn't stay in my 3-story house and had to get a hotel room. And when, a month later, I started noticing knee pain every morning and realized I had seen my likely future. My mom hasn't walked pain-free since she was in her 30s. I had to prevent that from happening to me.

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The moment when you decided that you would have WLS?

My moment was when my doctor told me my BP was no longer being controlled by meds and he wanted to hospitalize me. He told me that if I didn't lose weight my heart would give out. I left there and cried because I realized that it was a very real possibility that i would not live to see my youngest graduate high school.

Now I plan to be around for grandkids!

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Wow. I bet your kids are so proud of you!!! ????

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No one moment was the one, but a series of events that happened over the course of a year must have impacted me somehow, because I woke up one morning, sat down at my computer, and started researching WLS, having never thought about it before. Never. I've mentioned a few of these moments before, but there are also some new ones:

  1. Having an appendectomy. My experience in the hospital made me realize that I never wanted to be hospitalized in Japan ever. I also had herniated disc in my back which lead to some really bad sciatica. I hate the thought of being incapacitated, and the fact that I'm single means I would have no one to take care of me, both physically and financially. So I knew I wanted to get healthy, and that meant losing weight.
  2. I like to travel, but now I actively search for airlines that have the largest economy seats. In addition, I have been cancelling plans (when travelling) to do certain activities I could have done in the past when I was thinner. I'm also avoiding meeting people I have known online, and have missed 2 family reunions, because I don't want people to see how big I've become.
  3. Last year, a large American woman in my city passed away. All the "big" ladies in the area, including me, were contacted to see if we wanted any of her clothes (I ended up with over a suitcase full). She had a lot of nice stuff, very pricey, some with the tags still on (smaller sizes - I do the same thing too.) But that got me thinking about what happens when you die in another country, especially when you are not married to a citizen of that country. I started planning for that eventuality, even though I'm not that old, because it may be a reality, partly due to my weight, even though I don't have any co-morbidities. I think that, combined with the 2 other reasons mentioned above, are what (subconsciously) motivated me to start this process.

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I had thought about it for over a year but it was when my doctor told me I had to make a serious change and she suggested the sleeve. Within the last 8 months I had gained a ton of weight (on top of already being overweight) and as a result had to be in physical therapy for a degenerated disc in my lower spine. And that was related to how heavy I was. I knew I was obese but it was so easy to not address the issue since I work from home and live alone. Once numerous physicians told me I needed to check out a WLS seminar I knew it was time. I'm only 3 days post-op and I already feel so happy about this decision.

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I went to a Dr. on referral of a friend for injections that help control hunger hormones. After the usual hight and weight blood pressure ect. he sat me down and told me about the injections, but also said because your bmi is over 40 (40.2) you qualify for bariatric surgery, would that interest you? I was shocked. I didn't know how overweight I was. I tried the injections and had some rough sode effects. At my 4 week follow up I decided to look into bariatric surgery with the knowledge the process is 6 to 12 months. I am at 11 months now and amount 3 months away. I have hope now.

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The pain everywhere the heavier i got - back, knees, feet. HBP meds, then diagnosed PREDIABETIC. Lastly was starting to get incontence. Couldnt laugh too hard anymore. That was it.

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The last time I heard of bariatric surgery was back in the 90s when it was really dangerous (at least my perception of it).

I just woke up one day and started looking into it. Have no idea where the idea came from, though I started thinking about a family reunion coming up, and how embarrassed I always am to see that side of the family.

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
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    • BeanitoDiego

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    • ChunkCat

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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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