20 something female new to the idea of WLS

Hi everyone! I just found this site today and boy has it been a huge help! My primary care doc along with my GI doc and nutritionist have decided to tell me that weight loss surgery is probably my best bet for being healthy. I have been overweight since childhood, but lost weight my senior year in high school...I was actually considered skinny! Anyway since then I have gained all my weight back plus say 120lbs. So overall in almost 10 years I have gained 168lbs. So according to bmi charts I have gained an overweight version of myself. Yikes!

Anyway I am now starting the very long journey to weight loss surgery. The referal has been sent in to set up a consult with a surgeon and I'm probably going to be looking into support groups soon. I have had a bunch of tests already and have 2 more scheduled for this month so I already have a few necessary tests under my belt.

Here are some of my weight related health problems...anyone who has them too or can relate feel free to add some support!

depression (not sure if it's weight related, but the weight doesn't help)
PCOS
insulin resistance
metabolic syndrome
fatty liver disease
edema
super high triglycerides
knees dislocate
severe joint pain
muscle aches
asthma
acid reflux
etc...

I think those are my main ones. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but that's ok. I haven't officially decided on gastric bypass or lap band, but I'm leaning more towards the gastric bypass with the more I learn. I'm going to go to support groups for both though plus get the opinions of my surgeon.

I never considered WLS as an option for me. I mean I know I'm overweight, always have known...I knew it was affecting my health, but still didn't think it was for me. I've tried LA weight loss, nutrisystem, weigh****chers, slim fast, diets from doctors. I don't enjoy the way I look, but I guess I just accepted that I was always going to be heavy/big. The fact that I've been getting bigger and bigger has made me feel worse though...I mean I'm getting too big for the regular plus size stores. Anyway so when the doctor brought it up to me I was kind of taken a back.

Since this is a novel I'll end it now. I'm looking forward to talking to you guys more and more throughout this new journey I'm going on. Hopefully all will go well and after some months of prep I'll be ready for surgery.

Welcome aboard...and congrats on researching your options!
WLS has been my miracle...I got my health and self esteem and my future back all at once...
the last year has been the most amazing time of my life and I would make the decision to have WLS a thousand times again just to feel this good.

as a 20-something, you're young enough to enjoy so many more years of active healthy life if you jump on this now...PLEASE scour this site for every bit of information you can get and follow your heart on this decision...it's the BEST gift ou can give yourself!
good luck!
xxxBecca

thanks for the welcome! I've been reading and reading over the past couple of days and I'm not going to lie...it's a bit overwhelming. I want to get the best information I can though so I can make a good decision. as long as I'm approved I'm going to do the surgery...which surgery, I don't know...but it's either surgery or my life in 20 years or less. any appearance improvements are extras for me. this is a scary journey, but if it improves my life it's worth every bit of it.

Welcome to the board!  I ditto everything Becca said.  I will be three years out in January and am loving every minute of it.  Heck, I never would have been able to show the livestock last week without this surgery- it was brutal in the ring.

Welcome again and don't hesitate to ask questions!

Welcome to the board!

thanks for the welcomes! I really appreciate it! I just can't wait to get healthy/pain free and not think about fitting into chairs, hopefully fitting more comfortably in the car, maybe going back to an amusement park...I didn't fit in a coaster once and was absolutely humiliated! I'm sure we all have stories though.