For all those who are considering surgery or who have just had surgery x-post

Appreciate your words of wisdom!

Thank you Diana, for "telling it like it is"!  I've heard it all several times, and I'm already putting the things that I can into practice now, like you say. It makes a lot of sense to not pile all the challenges on at once. My VSG is on Monday, and I am eager to begin tackling the upcoming challenges. Many of them will be the same as the challenges I've had in the past, but this time, I will see results!  Again, thank you!

~Jan

Very sound advise. I'm doing a revision from lapband to sleeve and I wish I'd known about the mental and emotion aspects of WLS before I took the plunge in 2005. I never anticipated head hunger then and I got a crash course and floundered miserably. I've educated myself by reading patient accounts and some books about the emotional aspects of WLS and how to handle situations post-op and feel so much more prepared. I know that it's going to be hard to battle head hunger and to find ways to motivate myself to exercise, but I'm determined to do it by setting realistic goals. The first time I had WLS, I wanted to do it b/c I wanted to be thin. This time I'm more motivated because I have failing health. At 47 years old, I have 2 cardiac stents with several other 40% blocked vessels that are waiting for future stents if I don't change something. I have diabetes that requires me to take 5 insulin shots a day and I'm brittle so the blood sugars range all over the place. My endocrinologist has told me that I'm headed toward a dialysis chair if I can't get this 14 year old diagnosis under control. As a result of the diabetes I have eye problems, decreased sensation in my feet and hands due to nerve damage, and gastric emptying issues. In addition I have Rheumatoid Arthritis which has wrecked my joints and contributed to the cardiac problems. Losing this weight will improve my health drastically. I'm praying that when the pounds start coming off that feeling more like my old self will motivate me more than the numbers on the scale.