Hi all, thank you for your patience and great advice as I navigate all this. My family has been great, just celebrated my 60th birthday with a final “food funeral” of my favorite dinner and pie. I’ve been getting a lot of “Why now?” questions, sure wish I had done this earlier but had a job I didn’t think I could juggle with the aftercare. I thought maybe it’d be interesting to share what moment tipped you over into making the decision to do this.

Mine: Medical issues + multiple embarrassments through the years, but the final straw was a few months ago. I bought us concert tickets for a musician my husband loves but is seldom within driving distance. Beautiful day, beautiful venue… but the seats. Started the first half of the concert immensely aware the man sitting on my opposite side was bear-hugging himself to keep from touching my overflow. He didn’t come back (or rejected different seating) the second half. Utterly mortifying.

Edited July 20, 20233 yr by GrannyMaggie
Typo

My "moment of awakening" was when I started to sweat so bad. I went to a dermatologist who gave me pills to dry up my sweat, but it dried up my whole body (mouth,eyes ) and I was still sweating. I went to see my family doctor and she sent me to a bunch of specialists & I went through tons of tests and everything came out normal. I just had to face the hard truth that it HAD to be my weight. I was scared to tell my husband that I wanted the surgery , but I got up the nerve and was pleasantly surprised to see how supportive he was. We've been married for 50 years ... hopefully now I'lll be married AND healthy for many more

My moment was when I was 500+ pounds overweight and I realized I could not do it with "diet and exercise." I realized that in 5 years I would be dead or unable to move.

I chose RNY surgery then because that gave me a choice: "I could die during surgery or I could live with the result."

Good luck,

Tek

Mine was when I hit 421 pounds, I was on 3 diabetes meds, a blood pressure med, and my joints were constantly hurting. When I was diagnosed with MS, I was already having mobility issues. The extra weight was making me need a walker. I just couldn't do it anymore. I hated everything about myself, my life, my body, my health. I avoided mirrors, despised trying to find clothes that fit, and the looks I would get when we went anywhere. I was always out of breath, always in pain, health getting worse.... I couldn't take it anymore.

My moment was when it clicked that I could afford it; I always struggled with my weight fluctuating but I was getting to the point where I was just getting bigger despite all my efforts in exercising (and I always liked going to the gym, would even go for 2hrs), but I was simply eating more than I was putting out, on top of which I never felt full awhen eating + my insatiable hunger when my depression would hit, so I needed a physical stop.

I opt'd for the sleeve as it would still allow me to eat what I like, but rather smaller portions. And with positive attestations from family members and friends I went ahead with it.

I'm nearing two weeks post-op and don't regret it so far, I am just begging for the liquid diet to end just so I can have diversity in what I eat lol; currently getting burned out on just having protein shakes and gatorade.

Edited July 21, 20233 yr by Penguin733

My moment was being diagnosed with a rare ish condition that was mainly caused by obesity. After a week of painful tests, I began to research and came up with the list of options for my condition (I still have the digital sticky note).

Bariactric surgery was the most unexpected and appealing option. It honestly wasn’t even on my radar. I think I really decided the moment I wrote it down but I went to the consultations with the other specialist to confirm what I really wanted.

I think in our journeys we all have different moments that accumulate over a course of time. 2 months prior to surgery I had a doctors appointment because I was not getting my period at that point for 7 months. They were referring me to an endo since obesity causes PCOS and they wanted to rule that out and my BP medicine was being raised and my cholesterol was being monitored. A few weeks later I was on vacation and taking some pictures. While I was posing a certain way, my body wasn't doing that at all. I took those moments to actually see what I was doing with my life, and made the decision 2 weeks later.

My son graduated last June, I saw a pic of myself taken that day... I had already been considering surgery, but that was the push. He graduated on June 8th 2022, I picked a surgeon and had my date locked in on June 26th 2022. I knew if I didn't just do it, I would still be here thinking about it a year later.

I booked my date on my first call with the doctor, rushed to get all clearances and even got covid 3 weeks prior to surgery... ? But I wouldn't have done anything differently.

Edited July 21, 20233 yr by SuziDavis

I hit 50 and had a bit of a scare over my heart health in the same month. Turns out my heart was fine, but it made an impression.

Cardiologist and I had a discussion about how stupid it is that my otherwise good health insurance won't touch wls for any reason. He also brought up that gastric sleeve wasn't as expensive as bypass.

I did some research, and found that I could afford it. From the time of cardiologist appointment to surgery was only 2 months. I am exactly 2 weeks post surgery and am doing really well.

Mine was a few things

I was put on ' house arrest ' by the UK government during Covid. My husband had to stay inside with me as our house was not big enough to have separate areas. I thought it was because I have breathing issues, 2 years later, I realised it was because I was obese. Two years of not seeing my family, I was distraught.

This indoors two years, I put on another 40 -50 pounds and made breathing really hard and exercise a distant dream. It would take me years to gain my fitness back. I lost all my confidence and began to like hiding indoors

I was now Diabetic.

Was already dealing with arthritis in both of my feet and my left knee. Then, developed achilles tendonitis in my right foot, and that was the last straw.

My trigger (on top of years of unhappiness with my weight, as for all of us) was not being able to fit into a booth in a restaurant to eat with my family. Having to ask to be moved was humiliating. Probably for the umpteenth time but that was the (last) last straw. Never looked back.

I saw my son's wedding pictures, and it looks like my head is too small given the size of my body. I've also developed hip problems, after already having problems with my knees, shoulders, and back. One night after a broken sleep between my hip and my knee I decided I was done.

I was is SO MUCH PAIN every day. It hurt to walk, climb stairs, carry groceries in, sit. I was always out of breath and had zero stamina. I was uncomfortable in my skin and the negativity that was running through my mind. I absolutely hated for my husband to see me naked, and pictures were very cringy to look at. I also dealt with mental health, and the medication I was on contributed to my weight gain (I gained 60 lbs in less than a year). I was just tired of being fat, unwell, and unhappy. I struggled to lose weight and needed help. I also had sleep apnea and high cholesterol. In the long term, I wanted to be well for my family and, eventually, my grandkids. I wanted to enjoy the second half of my life (I just turned 41). I didn't see that future at 262 lbs and the physical and mental condition I was in.
Now, 71 lbs lighter, I have minimal pain (arthritis is still an issue), I'm growing stronger every day, and my stamina is higher. I strut around naked in front of my hubby and am confident in my own skin. I'm off all mental health medication, and my cholesterol is normal. I'm still having some sleep apnea issues, but I'm hopeful those will resolve by the time I get to my goal weight (30 lbs to go). And I feel hopeful for my future.
I'm so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to have this surgery.

I have been large all my life, but always felt healthy and mostly able to do what I wanted. I gained about 40 pounds during Covid and after struggling to get it off and no longer feeling healthy, my doctor recommended seeing an endocrinologist who recommended WLS. I was not interested, at all, so decided to try Ozempic. I was on it for a year, lost my Covid weight and a bit more, and was really surprised how it changed my cravings and interest in food. After my health insurance stopped covering Ozempic, I started researching other options and realized that WLS would give me some of the same effects I appreciated from the medication. I am on a long journey though because my health insurance requires six months of nutrition counseling and that ends in a work window when I can't take time off, so I'm hoping for a March 2024 surgery date. It's giving me plenty of time to plan, research and prepare! ?

Mine was the last diet I did. Went to a place called SOTA (state of the art). Like a bunch of other diets, it worked great at first, dropped 40#, then started to slide off. 9 months later I was 15 pounds heavier than I had started. I told my wife I was scared to diet again as I typically rebounded higher than I started. That was the inflection point where I lost all confidence in my ability to do it alone.