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Everyone: What was your turning point in your life that made you decide the wls route?



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I had many reasons, but the only one that mattered was that I needed to do it for me. You see I had a lot of insecurities. An ex husband that said he did not want to be married to a fat person. Seeing family at a funeral and they all said I look like my grandma. She was short and obese as well. Couldn't walk without being out of breath, constant back aches, Pre diabetic and geez the most embarrassing was constantly wearing out the crotch of my jeans, because ya know them thick thighs... etc. Finally I decided that I am only in my early 40's. With both my children grown, I can do better than this. Its time for a change. This has been the single most important and best decision I have ever made. I am making progress, working toward being the best me I can be.

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Aysia, so glad you are "losing" :)

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xoxo, how are you doing? Did you have surgery already (forgive me if you have posted this somewhere else on the bariatricpal website).

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I looked into WLS about 2 years ago but insurance wouldn't cover it because my BMI was just under 35 and my only co-morbidity was sleep apnea. My BMI has crept up and is now over 35 but more importantly, I had a heart attack in December of last year. Of course, NOW I qualify for insurance coverage.

I'm glad to be getting the surgery but in hind sight, wish I would have gone the self-pay route when I had the chance before having the heart attack. Btw, I had even gotten a stress test earlier in the year and everything looked good, so I was more than a little surprised when I went into the ER and found out I was actually having a heart attack. I expected them to tell me I had indigestion or something trivial.

After the surgery, I am hoping to be able to get off of at least a couple of medications my cardiologist has me on.

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I used to be against wls until I ended up in the hospital with a huge kidney stone. I remember layin there feeling like a fat ass in the huge hospital gown talking to my mom and she confessed that 4 years prior when I had gall bladder surgery, the surgeon came out and was ripping my mom a new ass because of my obesity. She didnt have the heart to tell me until last year. I decided that day I would prep for gastric sleeve. 6 months prep and had the sleeve done dec 6th 2016. Starting weight 388 now i am 258. One of the smartest decisions I have made.

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For me it was two factors, my period stopped because I was overweight and I developed Metabolic Syndrome. And the second, my dad was diagnosed with Diabetes last year, and I was heading that way, my grandpa died from complications with Diabetes. So I decided to talk with my doctor and she agreed that wls was my best choice, so here I am 2 months post-op and about 20 kg away from my goal weight.

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4 hours ago, Numbergurl37 said:

I used to be against wls

I think 85% of more of obese people feel that way initially. I'm not sure when or why the reality of past failed efforts bites into a person's psyche.

Ten years ago, I gave enough thought to WLS to go to a couple of information nights and do a lot of 'net research. Of course, back then, the mortality rate was 2x to 3x higher. And I thought the gym sign-up would work.

The beacon for me was 2015-now when my 1.9 metre tall (6'3") son-in-law went from 208kg (458.6 pounds) to 99kg (218.3 pounds).

It worked so well for him, I thought that the retired me could do it too.

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      1. Phil Penn

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    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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