My names Melissa, 25, Army wife here at Fort Hood, Texas. I just got the final OK from TriCare and the surgery date is August 27th with Richard Symmonds - I know, send a fat kid to a guy named that... the irony is just too much.

I've now started to get beyond nervous about the surgery (this being my first one that I can remember, I had my tonsils done when I was a lil'tike). My husband loves me being a fat girl, and pieces of me do as well, so it's a toss up emotionally on that part for hte surgery. Anyone else have this problem?

Melissa

Hey - I am being banded by Dr. Symmonds on Aug 13!!!

So tell me - if hubby loves you the way you are, and pieces of you do too.....I am curious.....what is your motivation to do this?

well heres the thing ... i am a usmc wife so we have something in common. My husband kept telling me that he didnt make me get this surgery and he was right but i am doing this for myself cause i dont want to be over weight for my son and me . But mostly i am doing it or my health because no matter what my husband says that he doesnt care if i am fat. I know that he wants me healthy. I want to not have knee prob, not have health prob, i want to fit and healthy . SO mabe u need to think why you are doing this cause girl it is a lot of mental strength as well ... it just doesnt fall off and it take supporrt from friends and family . Hope all goes well

Ladies, I was just cut on by Doc Symmonds and I have no complaints, other than there isn't a single nurse at Sit & Wait who can find a vein on the first try.

Have you met Paulette yet? She's beyond cold. "Arctic" comes to mind.

As far as being nervous, the very best thing you can do is educate yourself more about the operation. I was 110% on board until 3 or 4 days before when I started having those nagging second thoughts and doubts, but it was nothing worthy of calling it all off. Don't let your nerves get the better of you.

For OR prep, you show up 2 hours early, and they lay you naked in a sardine can of a room. You get an IV, all the normal checks (BP, O2, etc, blah blah blah), then when they're ready, you get wheeled into the OR with half a dozen busy people. The happy juice kicks in, you blink, and you appear in the recovery room a couple of hours later with a sore throat and the worst drowsiness of your life.

While you are still dangling on the precipace of unconsciousness, you are made to stand up on your own to get into a wheelchair for your barium swallow in the X-ray room. Drink the filth, don't pass out (the anesthesia is really good), and pray for a cup of ice Water when you get put into a private recov. room. If you didn't drink since the night before like you are supposed to, you'll be thirsty for the rest of the day. Sip slowly anyway.

Make sure you have your Lortab scrip filled beforehand, because you will need it that afternoon. I promise.

Also, when you get the scrip for Fragmin, DO NOT buy it at the S&W pharmacy. They wanted $1080 for 7 doses. After shopping around, CVS was the cheapest at $225.

If you have any other questions, feel free to reply here or PM me.

So happy for you. I'm an airforce wife and I also am scheduled for Aug 27 here in Northern VA (DC area).

I can't really tell you I love being the fat girl - I think I hate it more than life. After four babies and never really getting caught up in between, I am more than excited to go back to the way I was (and better!) over 10 years ago. My husband is wonderful and yes, loves me however I am but he wants me to love me too and I just don't now. I think it's unnerving and scary for sure but I am fantasizing about being able to run around with my kids for years to come, to no longer worry about having a heart attack, to be in a bathing suit and feel fabulous, to not worry about embarrassing my kids, to just being healthy and yes, okay I admit it...a hot mom of four.:ohmy:

Good luck to you!

Haven't had the exact same situation, but I know my husband loves me as I am. Not necessarily that I'm fat, but just as I am if that makes any sense. I've heard many guys are worried that their wives may start to look for attractive to other guys. But you know what? I think he'll love you healthy too and he'll have you longer.

P.S. Thank you for being an Army wife.....(thanks to hubby too for all he does)

Whew...thank God for the folks that take care of EOD! Not that every MOS isn't hugely important...but EOD is definitely not one that most folks would ever choose. At least you'll have one heck of a brave man backing you up :ohmy:

It sounds like we are all lucky to have been who love us and accept us as we are/will be. I'm going this route for the healthier, more active, longer life reasoning rather than physical attractiveness. In fact, I'm worried that my cute face is going to deflate and I just won't be as approachable as the cuddly, warm-hearted-looking lady I look like now.

Sorry you had a not-so-pleasant experience at S&W. What you may think about Paulette as being 'cold', I feel is, she is just very blunt. She tells it like it is. She's already "been there and done that" and is simply trying to get us to learn from her mistakes. I have found everyone to be very caring and interested in my success.

welcome to LBT. congrats on a surgery date!

I think it took me this long to finally love myself for who I am, and now I'm going to change that. I can say that I am going to miss being who I am now, but I'm also looking forward to who I will be later. I think you do both.

well heres the thing ... i am a usmc wife so we have something in common. My husband kept telling me that he didnt make me get this surgery and he was right but i am doing this for myself cause i dont want to be over weight for my son and me . But mostly i am doing it or my health because no matter what my husband says that he doesnt care if i am fat. I know that he wants me healthy. I want to not have knee prob, not have health prob, i want to fit and healthy . SO mabe u need to think why you are doing this cause girl it is a lot of mental strength as well ... it just doesnt fall off and it take supporrt from friends and family . Hope all goes well

I've got the support system, even though my husband loves me the way I am now, he's really excited for me to get this done. My Mom also had a gastric bypass done about 5 years ago, so we're prepared from her doing it. :tt2:

I'm doing this for me, but also a bit for my husband. He wanted to ge the LB done, but the Army wont allow him to until he's out. When he came back from deployment in '05 they put him on med for his PTSD that made him gain around 120 lbs on his already 190 lb (which he fought through deployment to get down that low). So, a piece is to help him - and I don't think thats wrong, I even told it during my psyc-eval and reg dr appts.

Ladies, I was just cut on by Doc Symmonds and I have no complaints, other than there isn't a single nurse at Sit & Wait who can find a vein on the first try.

Have you met Paulette yet? She's beyond cold. "Arctic" comes to mind.

As far as being nervous, the very best thing you can do is educate yourself more about the operation. I was 110% on board until 3 or 4 days before when I started having those nagging second thoughts and doubts, but it was nothing worthy of calling it all off. Don't let your nerves get the better of you.

For OR prep, you show up 2 hours early, and they lay you naked in a sardine can of a room. You get an IV, all the normal checks (BP, O2, etc, blah blah blah), then when they're ready, you get wheeled into the OR with half a dozen busy people. The happy juice kicks in, you blink, and you appear in the recovery room a couple of hours later with a sore throat and the worst drowsiness of your life.

While you are still dangling on the precipace of unconsciousness, you are made to stand up on your own to get into a wheelchair for your barium swallow in the X-ray room. Drink the filth, don't pass out (the anesthesia is really good), and pray for a cup of ice water when you get put into a private recov. room. If you didn't drink since the night before like you are supposed to, you'll be thirsty for the rest of the day. Sip slowly anyway.

Make sure you have your Lortab scrip filled beforehand, because you will need it that afternoon. I promise.

Also, when you get the scrip for Fragmin, DO NOT buy it at the S&W pharmacy. They wanted $1080 for 7 doses. After shopping around, CVS was the cheapest at $225.

If you have any other questions, feel free to reply here or PM me.

:tt2: Sit & Wait - too true. I think thats what is going to get me in "trouble" the day of surgery. I'm a naturaly worrier, and then I start to panic. Heck, when I had my wisdown teeth pulled and they took me back without my husband, you should have seen the panic attack that ensued. So when I go in for my pre-op appt I'm going to ask for something before surgery to calme my nerves, or I'll hyperventilate - no lie.

With this being my first surgery that I can remember (I had my tonsils/adnoids out when I was around 7, and wisown teeth under twilight sedation at 22), I'm panicking more about the surgery. I'm worrying about blood clots, dying on the table, it being botched for some reason, ect. But i'm assuming that that is pretty normal for first timers of anything.

Yea, we're also going to ask for the RXs before hand becuase the wait at the base pharmacy can take hours.

How lonog did your surgery take?

Melissa

So happy for you. I'm an airforce wife and I also am scheduled for Aug 27 here in Northern VA (DC area).

I can't really tell you I love being the fat girl - I think I hate it more than life. After four babies and never really getting caught up in between, I am more than excited to go back to the way I was (and better!) over 10 years ago. My husband is wonderful and yes, loves me however I am but he wants me to love me too and I just don't now. I think it's unnerving and scary for sure but I am fantasizing about being able to run around with my kids for years to come, to no longer worry about having a heart attack, to be in a bathing suit and feel fabulous, to not worry about embarrassing my kids, to just being healthy and yes, okay I admit it...a hot mom of four.:tt2:

Good luck to you!

We don't have any kiddos yet, but thats one reason for me getting the surgery done. My IIH (my cerebral fluid doesn't drain off my brain as fast as everyone elses, so it causes chronic headaches/migraines and vision loss, and in severe cases blindness) hasn't bothered me in a while, but it's still 'there', and if we want to have kids there are a lot of precautions to do. (Mainly with how much weight you can gain & meds you take)

And I feel ya on the swimsuit thing! I have one right now I looove, but I only wear it around family. I have a friend who's lost 100 lbs twice (to get prego, and after baby), and I just can't bring myself to go swimming with her. It's really been the only time in my life that I've felt really ashamed of who I am.

Hope to hear your success story surgery-buddy!

Haven't had the exact same situation, but I know my husband loves me as I am. Not necessarily that I'm fat, but just as I am if that makes any sense. I've heard many guys are worried that their wives may start to look for attractive to other guys. But you know what? I think he'll love you healthy too and he'll have you longer.

Me and my husband talked about the smaller body/guys googling issue as well. He said he doesn't really fear me doing anything - he knows I'll enjoy the attention, but who doesn't want someoen besides your husband to look you up and down? - but he doesn't want it to change who I am. He says he thinks I'll be ok because I do love the "fat girl" that I am, and that I'll still be her on the inside.

Melissa

Whew...thank God for the folks that take care of EOD! Not that every MOS isn't hugely important...but EOD is definitely not one that most folks would ever choose. At least you'll have one heck of a brave man backing you up

It sounds like we are all lucky to have been who love us and accept us as we are/will be. I'm going this route for the healthier, more active, longer life reasoning rather than physical attractiveness. In fact, I'm worried that my cute face is going to deflate and I just won't be as approachable as the cuddly, warm-hearted-looking lady I look like now.

*lol* Yea, I'm partial to the EOD MOS, I can't lie. We're getting out of the Army before the end of the year, and he's going to look for a job doing it in the civilian world - they tend to come in handy. :tt2:

My husband is just worried about my butt going. *lol* He said I could lose it everywher else, but leave the butt. But I agree on look like the cuddly lady thing - I like that persona in people.