July 2023 buddies

[LibrarianErin 28]

Hi! Anyone else scheduled for surgery in July of 2023? Let's talk!

How are you? How's your process going? What are you excited about for the future? What are you enjoying now? How are you talking about the upcoming surgery with family and friends? What supports have been helpful to you?

[LibrarianErin 28]

I’ll answer my own questions to try to get the conversation going.

I’m doing ok - some bad, some good.

Today is 2 months until my surgery date (which is July 12th, 2023). I have two big steps before that day - a virtual group class with the surgeon and dietician and an in-person visit for blood work and an EKG in which I’ll also pick up my pre-op diet food.

I’m actually excited about having a regimented diet. I love following a food plan; it’s creating the food plan that is hard for me. I’m terrible at making time to plan meals and shop for the food and prepare the food. I’m excited to have a smaller stomach so I can cook something like a crockpot of shredded chicken, portion it out, and warm it up for lunch every week day. (And not binge eat it all in 2 meals.)

Now I’m enjoying reading and viewing content from other women who have gone through the surgery part of the journey and are joyfully sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly with others.

Ugh, the talking about it. I’d rather not. I’ve spent hours and hours researching the surgery before I made this decision. So it’s hard to know what to say in a few minutes to help the decision make sense to someone else.

Two supports I’ve found useful are youtube videos from women who are post-op (like Simply Megan and Erin Branscom) and the podcast Our Sleeved Life.

[Chewchew46 16]

Hi yes I have my surgery July 17,2023 I am new here

[NettyD 80]

I so wish 😩 my surgery is scheduled for July but my coordinator said most likely the end of August! My last pre op appointment is 6/21/23…. Good luck to all the July surgery peeps 🥰🥰🥰

[Chewchew46 16]

Yes I am excited and nervous. I finished my last in march. Then I I had went in to meet the surgeon and then from there they gave me my surgery date. I had a class as well for after surgery. Good luck with your surgery

[LibrarianErin 28]

On 5/18/2023 at 11:00 AM, NettyD said:

I so wish 😩 my surgery is scheduled for July but my coordinator said most likely the end of August! My last pre op appointment is 6/21/23…. Good luck to all the July surgery peeps 🥰🥰🥰

Sorry to hear that frustration, NettyD. I hope on the pre-op you get good news of a July surgery!

[LibrarianErin 28]

On 5/18/2023 at 11:16 AM, Chewchew46 said:

Yes I am excited and nervous. I finished my last in march. Then I I had went in to meet the surgeon and then from there they gave me my surgery date. I had a class as well for after surgery. Good luck with your surgery

Thanks, ChewChew! I wish you the best with prep and surgery!

[Islandgirl29 1]

Hi @LibrarianErin and friends,

Im scheduled for July 5th for vsg.

How are you? I’m excited more than anything that I have a surgery date and that I’m taking control of my eating habits

How's your process going? I still need my pre-op clearance from my primary physician but I’ve completed the nutritional consultations, mental health evaluation and other requirements.

What are you excited about for the future? I’m excited to finally take control of my eating habits after over 20 years of yo-yo dieting and falling into unhelpful eating patterns.

What are you enjoying now? I’m enjoying following other women’s vsg journey’s on social media and getting all the information I can.

How are you talking about the upcoming surgery with family and friends? I was on the fence about sharing my decision with friends and family but I do not regret sharing with those I did, even though 1 person didn’t agree, but they’ve some-what come around. I told my husband (of course), my 3 sisters, 1 of my brothers, my mom and 1 of my best friends and the girl who does my wax🤣 I think I will be more comfortable sharing after the procedure. I don’t want negative vibes prior to the surgery.

What supports have been helpful to you? The most helpful supports have been my therapist and family. They know I’m making this decision for my well-being and it was not a decision that I’ve taken lightly. Seeing and hearing about other people’s journeys has also been helpful so I have a realistic idea of what to expect.

[LibrarianErin 28]

Hi @Islandgirl29!

Thanks for sharing about your journey. I'm totally with you on the excitement to stop yo-yo dieting! I wish I had made this decision 10 years ago, but back then I really thought the next diet plan would be enough (sigh). Sounds like you have an extensive support network in family and a therapist, that's great! Let us know how the pre-op goes. I have mine on June 9th.

[Jamie72 2]

Hi,

I got my date for vsg last week, July 31st.

Completed all my pre-op requirements and got insurance approval, just waiting for my appointment in mid-July to see what my pre-surgery diet will be.

I'm excited but also nervous. I've gone back and forth on the surgery vs. trying those new weight loss drugs but i really feel that the vsg is the best long term solution for hopefully getting the weight off and keeping it off. Looking forward to stopping the dieting merry-go-round I've been on for 30 years.

I've told my Mom and one friend at work and both have been supportive. Don't think I'll really be sharing it with anyone else.

I've been getting support and some really good information on the /gastricsleeve reddit (i'm a Reddit junkie) and watching youtube videos of other people's journey's.

[Aliakathleen 4]

Hi! Totally new here today. I am both excited and nervous.
I found out yesterday that my surgery was approved! I have a July 20th surgery date.

[adelie21 11]

Hi All.

Found out yesterday that my surgery date is going to be July 17th. I am super excited, however I find myself feeling totally unprepared and almost panicked that I won't have everything ready. I think the liquid diet scares me the most because I have a physically demanding job and living on liquids is going to be hard to have enough energy to get through it.

[Jnpxo2 34]

Hey !!! I’ll be having surgery I believe in July. Just got approved today waiting to be scheduled. Definitely looking for a friend or buddy

[LibrarianErin 28]

11 hours ago, Jnpxo2 said:

Hey !!! I’ll be having surgery I believe in July. Just got approved today waiting to be scheduled. Definitely looking for a friend or buddy

Hi! That's exciting you got approval! I'm so happy it's June so I can say, "My surgery is next month."

[LibrarianErin 28]

On 5/27/2023 at 4:16 PM, adelie21 said:

Hi All.

Found out yesterday that my surgery date is going to be July 17th. I am super excited, however I find myself feeling totally unprepared and almost panicked that I won't have everything ready. I think the liquid diet scares me the most because I have a physically demanding job and living on liquids is going to be hard to have enough energy to get through it.

Hi, Adelie! Congrats on getting a date! Please don't panic - you can get ready! There's a lot of really good information on this site. I've been setting aside an hour or two each week, so just 15 minutes here and there, to read discussions here and the info my provider gave me. Do you have to do a liquid diet before the operation? That does sound difficult, but not impossible!