New Here! Looking for Advice :)

Hi, everyone!

My name is Sabrina.  :)  I'm 20 years old and I live in Washington state.  I'm currently looking into weight loss surgeries because I am 311lbs at 5'3" and I haven't been at a "healthy" weight since I was a toddler.  As I'm sure is to be expected, I'm terrified.  I've heard the horror stories and I've made myself sick worrying over the "what ifs" of surgery.

I'm pretty sure that I'm going to go this route.  I have been trying for all of my teenage years to lose weight (unsuccessfully, obviously) and today, I am the heaviest I have ever been.  I was surprised to see that I had broken the 300lb mark, but I shouldn't have been.  The past year has been full of some crazy ups and downs!  This time last year, my boyfriend had just left for basic training for the Army.  By mid-April, we were married.  By early June, we uprooted and moved across the country from Tennessee to Washington.  We spent 6 months out of the year "together" because he was sent to various places for month-long training events - needless to say, it was a serious strain on our relationship and my emotional state.  I have been struggling a lot with depression, but I'd like to say that I'm moving toward a healthier and happier me and I'm hoping that a weight loss surgery would give me an extra step in that direction.

At this time, I'm really interested in getting advice on anything and everything.  Short of seeing the results from some friends' photo diaries, I know very little!

I look forward to hearing back from you all!

Thanks,
Sabrina

 Hi Sabrina

The best advice I can offer you is to do your research. WLS and any surgery has both risks and benefits. The best thing you can do for yourself is make sure you have all the information so you can make the decision that is best for you.

I chose the rny and I'm happy with it so far although, I still have moments where I sencond guess my decision based on some the complication stories I've heard. Thus far, my only issue is constipation. I'm losing weight slowly but I'm losing. I feel better and I look better.

Hi Sabrina - like Dori, doing research and being informed before you decide can really help. Something else I considered was the consequences of NOT doing anything about my weight. They found I have a degenerative joint condition. I already had a complete hip replacement and my doctor said that if I didn't lose around 100 pounds that I was looking at having all of my joints replaced before I was 65.... NOT GOOD. I also have diabetes and heart disease on both sides of my family. So for me, the risks of not having the surgery were far greater than having it. Good luck with your decision. Know that it is a life altering decision and that for it to be successful, it must be.

Hi Sabrina

It sounds like you've had a tough year, fingers crossed things start perking up for you.

Like Dori and Robert I cannot stress how important it is to do your research and look into all of your options. I chose RYN for various reasons but what works for one won't work for all

I have a folder that I keep all of my print outs in;

The surgery itself
Side effects of surgery
Post op diet
Research on my surgeon
Questions I need to raise next time I see him
Things I need to do prior to surgery and what I need when I go in
Recipes

I'm a bit OCD but having all my research on hand when I need it is a godsend. Whenever I start worrying or stressing over something I can go back to my folder and re-read everything and it puts my mind at ease