What's up everybody, long time lurker, first time poster. I have a surgery date of July 6 and I am looking for others as well. This is actually my second time going through this process, I went through the process like 2.5 years ago and stopped my surgery about a week before it was time to go through with it. I am going to do it this time, I need to.

I'm prior service Army Infantry and there is a pretty big stigma about how this will be taking the easy way out from my friends who I served with which is why I'm only telling very few people. Not a lot of people I interact with have any knowledgeable information about what I'm getting ready to do so this is why I keep it to myself. I'm pretty young still, 26... and have been married going on 7 years and my wife is my support system, she sees how hard I try to lose weight and she is 100% behind my decision.

I worked as a Sheriff's Deputy in a jail near where I live for almost a year and then I had to step down to deal with some family issues, but I really want to go back. How long after surgery will you all guess that I have to wait before being cleared? The worst case scenario is pushing it too soon and getting in a fight with one of the inmates and me tearing stitches or something along those lines.

Sorry for the long post, just wanted to introduce myself and if there's anything else you guys wanna know, you know where to find me.

6ft 4in

HW: 366

SW: 355

CW: 322 (need to be below 320 by 6/23 for pre op appointment).

GW: 220lbs OR LESS!

My surgery is scheduled July 5th . I say keep posting we can all be your supporters. I say you may get lucky and find someone in your area to workout with. Have you gone to any support groups by you? Please keep us posted . Good luck for a speedy recovery so you can get back to work

Hey thanks for the reply! Good luck to you as well. There are support groups around me but I am pretty anti social when it comes to stuff like that so I haven't been to any as of yet. Have you gone? And have you benefited from it?

Welcome to the forum, my surgery is scheduled for 7/11. I also have experienced the stigma that this is the easy way...i tell myself it most assuredly is not the easy way...it is HOWEVER the quickest way to lose the most weight, but easy??? Nope it's a lifetime commitment. Welcome! I also joined a Facebook group for July surgeries which I am looking forward to bonding with and sharing with these people, I will see if I can find the link and post it here. Ultimately it's your business and I commend you for taking this big step towards a healthier lifestyle!

Welcome to the forum, my surgery is scheduled for 7/11. I also have experienced the stigma that this is the easy way...i tell myself it most assuredly is not the easy way...it is HOWEVER the quickest way to lose the most weight, but easy??? Nope it's a lifetime commitment. Welcome! I also joined a Facebook group for July surgeries which I am looking forward to bonding with and sharing with these people, I will see if I can find the link and post it here. Ultimately it's your business and I commend you for taking this big step towards a healthier lifestyle!

Hello the decision for WLS is not an easy decision. I have been contemplating this for 4 years. I'm ready for a new healthy life. My gastric bypass is scheduled for 7/11 I'm nervous but excited also. Good luck to everyone.

Welcome all! You are going to do great and will have a new, healthier life. I also backed out of surgery the first time and waited about 5 years to do it. As for going back to work, you will have some fatigue but if you are staying hydrated and healing, you may be ready sooner than you think. I returned to work 6 days post op but was really tired at first. Good luck!

Hey Philly,

Good for you! I'm July 12th and a lot of questions like 'who do I tell' are going through my head too. I think it's best not to worry too much about the things we can't control - like how other people will react - there are dozens of small practical things to consider so I'm just focussing on those.

Good luck with the operation - hope to hear how well you're doing soon!

J

Welcome, I'm scheduled for 6/27 and on day 5 of my liquid diet. I've also found it difficult to explain to people that aren't knowledgeable about the process such as my coworkers. What I have found works for me is that I'm just telling them I'm going to be out 2 weeks for surgery and if they ask why, I'll give em a quick explanation that I'm having weight-loss surgery because i've decided that my health is more important to me than eating and drinking in excess and I know its risky but its much better than heart disease or diabetes which is otherwise in my future. Although most still probably don't understand, everyone has actually been very supportive and want me to be successful. I feel it also keeps me accountable and I'm going to try my hardest to stay on track until I hit my goals. So far I'm down 28 lbs since Jan and about 120 more to go!

Regarding the support groups, the "secret" facebook groups are great. I'm in two different groups called June Sleevers and everyone is super supportive and sharing their experiences since we're on similar timelines. There's also a massive closed group that can be found via search called "Gastric Sleeve and Bariatric Surgery Support Group" with like 65k members. Theres tons of good info there.

HW: 330 lb

SW: TBD 6/27/2017

CW: 302 lb

GW: 180 lb

VSG, Dr. Jawad, Orlando, FL

Regarding recovery and going back to work, I think about 6 weeks until you regain full strength. I have a desk job and should be fine going back after two weeks. My wife just had hers done, she was off the pain meds after 2 days, got the staples out and was working on projects around the house after about a week, and back to work no problem after two weeks (desk job also). Doctor said no heavy weights until 6 weeks just to be safe though.

HW: 330 lb

SW: TBD 6/27/2017

CW: 302 lb

GW: 180 lb

VSG, Dr. Jawad, Orlando, FL

Hey Philly, just a somewhat neighbor waving. I grew up in Bucks and am over in NJ now. I'm glad you found us here so you have more support. No shame in trying to get healthy

Good luck getting those 2 pounds off before your pre-op appt. You've got this, stay focused.

Thanks for all the replies guys it helps a lot to know there's more out there on their journey like me.

Crocodoxie I've never lived in Philly area just the biggest Eagles fan ever lol.

I really need to check out these secret pages maybe they will benefit me after all. 6 weeks seems like such a long time not to be active though before I can go back to work but I'd rather be 100% then be at 50% and NEED to be at 100%

Ahh, yeah. I grew up with the Eagles a part of my life. That's funny. My bad for assuming you were local. As a kid, Bill Bergey was my favorite player...back in the Jaworski (sp) days. That dates me! Then we had some good years with Cunningham. I got away from football a few years back, and when I moved over to NJ, I was like...why are they showing the Giants and Jets on TV!?!? haaa....went from suburb of philly to suburb of NY, go figure.

Reggie White is my Idol. I played O and D line my whole life so I guess that's why. I'm a Military brat but never ended up in PA. Been in CA more than 1/2 my life and I could watch maybe 2 games a year if I was lucky. I'm in VA now so it's a lot easier to be a fan. But thanks again for your reply. Those 2lbs are gone every day after I go to the gym but after I drink water it comes back every time so i just gotta keep doing the cardio I do over an hour every day. It gets so boring but Atleast I can watch Netflix while putting the miles in.

I am in Philly burbs and am scheduled for 7-12. Unfortunately not an Eagles fan as I have been following the Seahawks since their second year in the league. That was back when Dallas was "America's Team" and I wasn't having that, so I decided to follow the worst team in the league. Difficult to on the east coast, and lots of really ugly seasons.
This WLS journey can't be any worse than that! Good luck to everybody on the journey and looking forward to shedding many ugly pounds!

Sent from my SM-G930V using BariatricPal App

What's up everybody, long time lurker, first time poster. I have a surgery date of July 6 and I am looking for others as well. This is actually my second time going through this process, I went through the process like 2.5 years ago and stopped my surgery about a week before it was time to go through with it. I am going to do it this time, I need to.
I'm prior service Army Infantry and there is a pretty big stigma about how this will be taking the easy way out from my friends who I served with which is why I'm only telling very few people. Not a lot of people I interact with have any knowledgeable information about what I'm getting ready to do so this is why I keep it to myself. I'm pretty young still, 26... and have been married going on 7 years and my wife is my support system, she sees how hard I try to lose weight and she is 100% behind my decision.
I worked as a Sheriff's Deputy in a jail near where I live for almost a year and then I had to step down to deal with some family issues, but I really want to go back. How long after surgery will you all guess that I have to wait before being cleared? The worst case scenario is pushing it too soon and getting in a fight with one of the inmates and me tearing stitches or something along those lines.
Sorry for the long post, just wanted to introduce myself and if there's anything else you guys wanna know, you know where to find me.
6ft 4in
HW: 366
SW: 355
CW: 322 (need to be below 320 by 6/23 for pre op appointment).
GW: 220lbs OR LESS!

Welcome to the forum. My surgery date is July 17. We are all here to help you. This forum is great and you will gain lots of information pros & cons regarding the surgery before during & after. People are a blessing on this site. Keep us updated. Continue to explore this forum everyone has been great

Sent from my LG-H811 using BariatricPal App

Jim, good luck with your surgery in July. I'm August 1st. My husband was a Jets fan...I still married him anyway.