Information Session Today

It's a shame they didn't also give you info about the DS. It's actually the most effective 'tool' of the FOUR forms of WLS, and the one with the best long-term stats. (Easiest post-op lifestyle, too, IMHO.) I've been living with it for 9.5 years now, and I couldn't be happier with my choice.

Hi, Shanita,
Thanks for writing back. As of right now I'm thinking of the bypass but to tell you the truth I've been thinking of the DS procedure, I read that eventually you have to get to a point that you eat 100 grams of protein everyday...thats sounds like a lot of protein. But we'll see...still undecided. As excited as I am to be finally doing this I'm nervous also.Its all good though. I lost 80 lbs about 12 years ago and everyone all the time was looking at me, my body, my food i was eating, it was very disturbing to me. Now, i dont want anyone to know anything. I feel like this is a personal thing and i really dont want to share anything with my evryday people, like work friends, my family or my in laws. Im just telling people I'm on WW and don't want to discuss my stuff. Its funny how people in your life feel entitled to give you their opinions, thoughts, etc...

Anyway, I obviously jumped up on that soap box, not really meaning to. Keep in touch, your my first friend here. Its good to have someone to share with.

I went to some of my appointments alone, not because of support..just no body I wanted to come was available to join me. I am also young (just turning 29 in a month) and I have been considering the surgery for nearly 10 years. Living in Canada our options are slightly different...RNY bypass is the only option covered(if you meet requirements), everything else you pay out of pocket. 

I am currently waiting for surgery in July. My process was quick, much faster then some it seems...very emotional. I would suggest when you go for your multi team member visit... you take someone(if possible). That was the hardest day for me. I did see one woman leave her husband in the waiting room during her meetings. In fact during all my meetings at the clinic, I saw some with people, some without. 

My family is on the fence about WLS, my husband wants me to be happy but like many other husbands just goes for the ride and tries his best to listen as I yammer on in excitement. My mother thinks I'm selfish..she thinks the risks outweigh the pro's(but she is slowly coming around).  My sisters think its awesome, and well the rest of my family don't know yet. I think the whole journey is one that allows you to filter the people who support you and who don't. It will surprise you whom you can trust. 

Good Luck to you and I hope you find what will work best for  you soon!

 

Hi Hibby Angel,

Thanks for the suport. Surprisingly, my husband asked me about my appointment before I even had a chance to tell him about it. I was actually going to wait to mention anything until I met with the surgeon and made a final decision. I'm thinking of the sleeve but not so sure how I feel about having most of my stomach removed. At least with RNY it's still there if I need it and met some rare requirements and needed to be put back together properly. RNY is a great choice and there is a lot of long term data on operation. Would it have been your first choice if the options in Canada were different? I'm in U.S. (Philadelphia, PA)

That's awesome that you got a surgery date quickly and without having to jump through too many hoops! Because I work for the hosptial that is doing my surgery and we are self-insured, I know my process will be quick as well. Some of my coworkers have gotten everything done in as little as a month.

My sister, who is very much against WLS, is slowly coming around. She's actually a nurse here in the recovery room so she sees all of the bad and none of the good where WLS is concerned. So I've gradually been trying to educate her. I know I don't need her support but it would be nice to have someone to listen to me go back and forth out loud and even dream about how much better my life will become when I'm smaller. None of my (few) friends that know think this is a good idea. But I'm not too concerned about their opinions. I support them through a lot of their foolishness so they'll have to get over it. LOL

Best wishes to you! I'm going to follow you through your journey!! I'll be here right along with you cheering you on.

While he wasn't 100% dead set against the idea, my husband didn't warm up to it right away. A few things that helped him come around:

• Telling him that I weighed 444 lbs and that I was "off the charts" on the doctor's BMI chart (only went up to 400 lbs)
• Explaining to him all the ways my life was difficult and unhappy because of the weight I was carrying around
• Showing him before and after pictures for people on this website

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions! I hope that you are able to get the support that you need. This website has been a great source of support for me in the past 6 months. It's nice to be able to talk to people that actually know what you're going through!

Hi Nikke2013,

Congrats on your weight loss! I see that you lost a great deal of it pre-surgery! Cool!

Initially, I didn't tell my husband that WLS was reccommended by my doctor this time. He found the paper that stated I weighed 241 lbs and had a BMI of 48.7. He's overweight himself so when he learned that I only weighed 40 lbs less than him he told me that maybe I needed to go see what it was about and that it wouldn't hurt. At the same time, he still does not want to really know any of the details of exactly what they are going to do to me. My husband knows all of my weight struggles and often comments to me that I need to loose some of my belly and some even more embarassing things. :( At first, I felt I liked wanted to "show him" and get the surgery and get smaller and stay that way and maybe even make him a little jealous. But I KNOW that's not the right reason to go into this. The more I thought about it, I thought about the health benefits and the mental/emotional benefits I would get from having better self esteem if I lost weight and felt better about myself. We actually have a couple friends that had RNY. We saw one in a bikini on vacation after plastics and that scared him a little bit but I think that looks a lot better than all this fat I'm carrying around.

I find this road to be very lonely, confusing and sad at times. If it wasn't for you guys here on OH, I honestly don't know where I would be. Thanks for the support and I'll be sending you a request. I see that you had your surgery not too long ago. Are you on pureed foods now? How is your recovery coming along? Have you been hungry yet?

Shanita