Getting closer to my surgery date with only a few weeks left before pre-op begins and my thoughts (and pesky emotions) are running all over the place. Somewhere between excitement to complete and utter panic. so thought about postponing surgery for a few months ... or a year, to have more time to lose weight to make surgery safer and work on my head more first but then i think more likely i’ll just end up in the same place as now but have lost the time. instead i could be weighing a lot less and getting healthier. So not really wanting to postpone and instead pushing forward!

One of the big things that comes up is the feelings of being alone in all of this and the lack of in person support. It seems that the only support group/rehabilitation program (combined program) existing near enough to attend is one that requires health insurance to attend with no option for paying yourself; and for some crazy reason my insurance is one of only two insurers that doesn’t cover this as it’s not long enough or frequent enough. Hoping to find an exercise physiologist at least who can help but then i go into the financial freeze state i.e. how am i going to afford all this ?

I’m starting with a BMI over 50 ... so i know health wise this is the right move for sure. Not sure really why i’m writing just now ... i know it has to be my decision and i’m the one doing it ... i think i just need (want?) some extra encouragement and to be reminded it’s worth doing and that i’m worth doing it for

Edited August 9, 20197 yr by Zemi

We all been where you are now. There is always fear going into something new, but after a while the new become the norm. You're doing something to better yourself and that should be the focus. It might seems like you doing the along , but you got this whole bariatricpal family now to lean on for support..... remember "You got this".

@MLB357 thanks ... very much for your reply ?that’s what i’m trying to remember ... that i’m doing things so things will improve and be better, a lot more so than now! reminders just help sometimes

Hi, I started with a BMI of 36, I have/had a lot of health related issues and was diagnosed with type 1.5 diabetes and my mother had major complications from diabetes so I wanted to do whatever I could to stop it as best as I could. So for me the risks of surgery were nothing compared to the medical conditions I was developing and had. I had my sleeve surgery 7/8/2019 and within a week after surgery I was off my blood pressure medication. I am feeling better and it is so much easier now without being hungry all the time. It was so worth it! I think if you weigh the long term risks of being your weight now and the risk of the surgery you will have your answer. I was required to attend an informational meeting and a support group before my surgery and they have one every month at the hospital and it is free. Maybe ask your surgeon and do a google search for them in your area. I honestly would not wait. My surgeon explained how hard it was to not lose the weight but to keep it off and the huge percentage of people that put it back on and more. Long story short he explained when your stomach is a certain size and it’s empty your hormones are kicking in making you hungry and wanting to eat. So That’s why so many fail at keeping the weight off. I did keto lost 25lbs then put that back on and a little more my Dr. told me “You just did more harm than good” that was the day of the diabetes and I made up my mind for surgery. So anyways, Make the change and keep moving forward Best of Luck to you!

Getting closer to my surgery date with only a few weeks left before pre-op begins and my thoughts (and pesky emotions) are running all over the place. Somewhere between excitement to complete and utter panic. so thought about postponing surgery for a few months ... or a year, to have more time to lose weight to make surgery safer and work on my head more first but then i think more likely i’ll just end up in the same place as now but have lost the time. instead i could be weighing a lot less and getting healthier. So not really wanting to postpone and instead pushing forward!
One of the big things that comes up is the feelings of being alone in all of this and the lack of in person support. It seems that the only support group/rehabilitation program (combined program) existing near enough to attend is one that requires health insurance to attend with no option for paying yourself; and for some crazy reason my insurance is one of only two insurers that doesn’t cover this as it’s not long enough or frequent enough. Hoping to find an exercise physiologist at least who can help but then i go into the financial freeze state i.e. how am i going to afford all this ?
I’m starting with a BMI over 50 ... so i know health wise this is the right move for sure. Not sure really why i’m writing just now ... i know it has to be my decision and i’m the one doing it ... i think i just need (want?) some extra encouragement and to be reminded it’s worth doing and that i’m worth doing it for

I was first approved for wks in 2005 and got scared and backed out at the last moment. I was sleeved on 7/31/19, the biggest regret I have is not having it done sooner!! I wasted so many years that I could have been healthy. My weight was like a yo yo and all the diets I tried were unsuccessful. Since my surgery I have lost 15lbs and prior to my surgery I lost 45 lbs. I'm down 60 lbs since Jan. 2019. Don't wait and regret it.


5'4"
Starting weight 297
VSG on 7/31/19 265
CW 250
GW 135

9 hours ago, Zemi said:

Getting closer to my surgery date with only a few weeks left before pre-op begins and my thoughts (and pesky emotions) are running all over the place. Somewhere between excitement to complete and utter panic. so thought about postponing surgery for a few months ... or a year, to have more time to lose weight to make surgery safer and work on my head more first but then i think more likely i’ll just end up in the same place as now but have lost the time. instead i could be weighing a lot less and getting healthier. So not really wanting to postpone and instead pushing forward!

One of the big things that comes up is the feelings of being alone in all of this and the lack of in person support. It seems that the only support group/rehabilitation program (combined program) existing near enough to attend is one that requires health insurance to attend with no option for paying yourself; and for some crazy reason my insurance is one of only two insurers that doesn’t cover this as it’s not long enough or frequent enough. Hoping to find an exercise physiologist at least who can help but then i go into the financial freeze state i.e. how am i going to afford all this ?

I’m starting with a BMI over 50 ... so i know health wise this is the right move for sure. Not sure really why i’m writing just now ... i know it has to be my decision and i’m the one doing it ... i think i just need (want?) some extra encouragement and to be reminded it’s worth doing and that i’m worth doing it for

Keep your eye on the prize (as they say), which is a healthier YOU! If you have Facebook, there are groups on there as well. I love watching these videos on YouTube by Dr. Vuong...He keeps it real (always follow your doctor's orders), but he has some great things about pre and post surgery. I was sleeved on 7/22 and have mind-hunger and other things that people seem to have on here, but I am keeping afloat! Good luck!

Quite unfortunately at very high BMIs, people are racing the clock. Physicians will even sometimes give to a timeline for XYZ (e.g. if you don't reduce your weight by 20% next year you will be prediabetic/hypertensive,etc)

If you think the delay will help you mentally & health wise, sure. Talk to your Surgeon/Team about it.

But if it will not and you're resolved to have surgery anyway, the delay is just a delay. You may even have to start over for insurance/surgeon requirements, gain and increase your comorbidities further.

After my intial sign on with my surgeon I took a 3 month summer vacation where I wondered if I actually needed surgery or if I could follow the dieticians plan and do it on my own.

I was ~245 at the start but by the end I was ~253. I was strictly following the plan but gained anyway.

Likely because I had an increased stomach capacity (stretched) over time which I couldn't escape from. Under my former conditions, I would always be able to eat more than normal even if it was healthy food. I moved forward with surgery as planned in light of that revelation.

The choice is *alway always always* yours on if/when to move forward. You will know when its the right time. Personally I would just rethink the plan if it sets you back further

Good Luck ?

At 287lbs and 49BMI, I started trying to get serious about weight loss and weight loss surgery on my own with only my PCP on board. My oncologist had been trying to talk me into WLS for 2 years and I resisted his offers of referral to a program. I wasn't ready to change. So it took 2 years to get my head in the game! And when I did, I didn't look back--even though the fear of affording the post WLS life gripped me!

My first visit with the surgeon, I weighed 256 and was just over 41BMI-ish. She required I lose 10% of my total body weight in the 6 months leading up to the pre-op liquid diet and I was so fearful of not being able to comply. Cuz if I could lose on my own, why would I need WLS? But WLS doesn't just help us LOSE the weight, it helps KEEP IT OFF longterm. I had to pay my nutritionist for each of 6 monthly visits out of pocket. It was so worth it and worth cutting corners elsewhere to help. I can still see her whenever I need to.

BUT, she runs a weight loss support group where I get to see her for free once a month at a hospital. It's a great group of ladies who meet to talk and offer support. And there is no cost. Most hospitals offer free support groups and allow outsiders (people from other surgeons) to attend, cuz you never know when someone is gonna need a revision. So look up all the WLS practices in the area--especially ones centered around large teaching hospitals, and see if you can find one!

I didn't go to a gym or work with an exercise physiologist--no funds to do so--but I was prescribed PT a few times for pain and rehabilitation. So see if you can start there and get that covered. Throughout the losses, I have walked daily and do sporadic core strengthening exercises at home using bands and isometrics.

I now weigh 135.2lbs today.

My BMI is right at 50. I went through a lot of emotions when I was first considering the surgery. I have already talked myself out of it twice. I have had...wavering support from those who I thought would be extremely supportive. I've heard everything from "surgery is the easy way out!" to admonishments of "you're going to look gross with all that extra skin". I keep reminding myself that they do not matter. If I don't have this procedure, I may very well develop diabetes or have a heart attack.

I would suggest looking for free support groups within the community. Dig a little deeper than just the surface. Hospitals tend to hold these in the evenings. I know my center has one and I can't wait to start going (life has been too busy thus far). But the requirement is POST op. And if you can't find one on your own, you can always start one. You can easily set aside time at a library or a high school for free.

BUT We can be supportive here, even if not in person. Once you start on this journey, you are forever one of us!

Don't listen when your past,tries to call,you back, it has NOTHING NEW to say, face the future bravely- It Is Your time to shine and your Day to Achieve Your Dreams! That sound you hear now is all of US cheering YOU,on!

And I too started at 50, may have even been an 51 BMI, just under 1 year , 11 months and 4 days , depending on medical office scales I am a 27 or 28, and lest YOU feel YOU can't duplicate it, I am 73 years old, will be 74 before years end, and I have the natural Basal Metabolism of a Sick Sea ? Slug, You can do IT with one ✋ hand tied behind your back and you will always have Auntie Frustr8 right here to celebrate every victory pound, This I do PROMISE and this Old Girl is honest in all my dealings if possible! ❤ and a HUG.,NOW A BIG SMILE? and believe in YOU!

a really big thank you to each of you for what you've shared here ... and for your encouragement and talking about some of the things you've experienced.

As far as local support groups, the one i can't attend seems to be the only one --- and is connected to my surgeon/hospital (the only one nearby offering wls) but for some reason insurance won't cover it ... so I've been trying to find and join a few more facebook groups (which means getting over my dislike of fb) as well as being here for some support

i know this is my choice, although it seems a bit like my current choices are disability/death or surgery so ........ i definitely need to take this one

@Azlanie i've heard variations of those comments as well, and they can be hard to hear .... and i need to keep reminding myself i'm choosing this for me and doing it for me ..... my choice not theirs! (and reminding myself again when i forget this)

thanks again and for being the inspirations and encouragement that each of you are!

The best thing that I have done for my physical body? Having the guts to be a WLS patient. It's been 5 years. I have to be revised. I would do it all over again! For me is/was worth everything I am going through today.