New here, and surgery is 10/26/15

[Mysticcherokee]

hi, Mysticcherokee here, and Im new. I am scheduled for sleeve surgery and considerably scared . would like to talk to those in the same situation or post op same situation, or similar. If I can be a help to anybody I offer my assistance. I weigh 245 pounds and have had this weight on for 2.5 years. Cant lose it, tho Ive tried and done it years ago, its not managable now. I have high chol, blood pressure and am pre-diabetic. Not to mention the extra pain the weight causes my fibromyalgia. Im just fed up and want to be thin again. Anybody relate to what Ive said?

 

[Cheyenne]

WELCOME to the Forum!!! Didn't see your post until just now. Don't know if I missed it or it just showed up but I look everyday for new posts.

CONGRATULATIONS on your decision for surgery. Weight loss surgery saved my life. I had developed serious health issues and most of them have completely resolved after my weight loss with my gastric bypass. I'm sure you will feel so much healthier and enjoy life better as you drop your excess weight, too.

Good luck!


Cheyenne

 

[Linney]

hi, Mysticcherokee here, and Im new. I am scheduled for sleeve surgery and considerably scared . would like to talk to those in the same situation or post op same situation, or similar. If I can be a help to anybody I offer my assistance. I weigh 245 pounds and have had this weight on for 2.5 years. Cant lose it, tho Ive tried and done it years ago, its not managable now. I have high chol, blood pressure and am pre-diabetic. Not to mention the extra pain the weight causes my fibromyalgia. Im just fed up and want to be thin again. Anybody relate to what Ive said?

Welcome Mysticcherokee!
Absolutely! We all can relate on one of those subjects you've mentioned. It's great to see that you're taking the necessary measures to ensure a healthier life for yourself, and you'll be amazed how quickly your health issues may in fact disappear in a short period of time after having WLS. Many health issues that I've encountered were completely gone from changing eating, drinking, and sleeping habits. The tool (gift) you're going to receive will be a long-lasting, satisfying, and remarkable awakening to your mind, body, and soul. You may say to yourself....why did I suffer so long? Why didn't I do this a long time ago? Why???? We face the unknown with apprehension, but if you actually look at all of the success stories that are not only on this site, but also on the internet, that should give you the much-needed shot in the arm you'll need to ignite that passion inside of you! Read the posts on the forums, the blogs, the videos, and become EXCITED, MOTIVATED, AND ENCOURAGED! There's hope, hold on, pain ends....go for it and don't look back!

 

[dancinbr]

Welcome.

The key is to move forward, get the necessary support you need, follow your new program and as Linney says never look back.

I made a long input on anothe post here to show you how I deal with it today.

I will copy it to this post.

=====================================

Wow, Cheyenne and Linney have given you such good advice.

I went with the gastric bypass for two reasons:

1.) The procedure immediately controls diabetes. Prior to surgery I was on two or three diabetic meds and also using up to 90 units of Novolog fast insulin per day to control my sugars and keep my A1C in the 5s.

Right after the surgery I no longer needed any diabetic meds and my glucose was immediately controlled between 80 to 130 typically and my A1Cs continued to come in the 5s. Yes, you could still make your sugars go up and get high readings if you don't follow your new way of life. Yes, you can sabotage your surgery and go back to old habits eating the wrong foods and too much of them and restretch your stomach and defeat the purpos of the surgery. As Linney says the surgery is a tool and it gets you 1/2 there. It is up to you to take on the accountability and responsibility of taking better care of yourself by following the new program.

You will be on a "honeymoon" for the first year since the tool is quite effective in helping you lose weight in the early go.

2.) At the time of my surgery 11/4/2013 gastric bypass was the gold standard. Since then the sleeve has gained a lot of popularity. It is less complicated, etc., etc., The statistics of success are not in as yet. The data is being collected. It will be interesting to see the success rates 5 years out with the sleeve to compare to the gastric bypass. It will be interesting to see how well the sleeve controls diabetes, etc., etc

Now, the challenge is in for me and anyone that has gotten to their goal weight.

I acheived my goal by 7/2014. I made it to 199. Maintenance is for the rest of your life.

Do I have fun now? Do I eat what I want? Yes, but in limited quantities. Many folks and many nutritionists say you should not eat this or that EVER AGAIN. I don't necessarily agree with that myself unless of course that particular food or "goodie" is so strong a trigger that it would sabotage your new way of eating.

I have a method. I have set up three weight zones. I manage and react based on what zone my current weight is in. Your weight will fluctuate.

MY GREEN ZONE is <200. In this situation I pretty much have arrived at an ability and daily routine that makes sure I get my protein in each day and fluids and anything else I want; again in limited quantities with an intent to keep carbs low but not zero and keep total calories in the neighborhood of 1800 to 2000 calories per day (net calories). By net calories I mean actual intake minus exercise calories.

I monitor everything by using some useful calorie counter program.

MY YELLOW ZONE IS 200 to 205. Here I start to get a bit cautious. How did I get here? Well, perhaps too much fun over the weekend with goodie foods, exceeded the 2000 calorie barrier or whatever. I do enjoy my pineapple martinis over the summer. Alcohol tends to get me to retain fluids too much. So, at this point I start to keep calories around 1500 calories and gradually pull the weight back down to green zone. I do know how to lose weight and I certainly know how to celebrate and have fun.

MY RED ZONE IS >205 (by the way that is where I am now). I am at 207 right now. Too high. When this occurs I cut back all the way to 1200 to 1500 calories and initially the first few days down to 1200 and return to "week 1" disciplines going back to mostly liquid diet (protein shakes and glucerna) and make sure I am near 1200 calories until such time as the weight comes back down to the yellow zone and ultimately back to my goal weight of 199.

So this is something to think about for you. You have plenty of time to get used to a new way of life. You MUST strictly adhere to your new bariatric nutritional program to acheive the significant weight loss to goal that you desire. After that, the rest of your life is keeping your weight under control.

Best wishes,

Ralph

 

[TraSea]

Hi Mysticcherokee, I'm brand new and just saw your post. How come the surgery day is so far out? I went to a seminar last week and they are in the process of checking my insurance (I already did and I am covered) and they said that they will contact me within 5 days to make the initial appointment. I am hoping that I will be able to have my sleeve surgery mid October and hoping that you chose that date and that it doesn't take so long to be scheduled.

 

[Cheyenne]

Hi Mysticcherokee, I'm brand new and just saw your post. How come the surgery day is so far out? I went to a seminar last week and they are in the process of checking my insurance (I already did and I am covered) and they said that they will contact me within 5 days to make the initial appointment. I am hoping that I will be able to have my sleeve surgery mid October and hoping that you chose that date and that it doesn't take so long to be scheduled.

Hi TraSea! WELCOME to the Forum!

How fast you get scheduled for surgery depends on your insurance company. Some require very little before scheduling surgery. Other insurance companies require 6 month diet and exercise programs supervised by your primary care physician, a psychiatric exam, and numerous other criteria. One insurance company I read about wanted a 2 yr diet and exercise program.

If you are able to schedule surgery so soon, you are very lucky indeed!

Got luck,


Cheyenne

 

[TraSea]

Hi TraSea! WELCOME to the Forum!

How fast you get scheduled for surgery depends on your insurance company. Some require very little before scheduling surgery. Other insurance companies require 6 month diet and exercise programs supervised by your primary care physician, a psychiatric exam, and numerous other criteria. One insurance company I read about wanted a 2 yr diet and exercise program.

If you are able to schedule surgery so soon, you are very lucky indeed!

Got luck,


Cheyenne

Hi Cheyenne,

2 years?! Good grief, that is like a life sentence. I have been on just about every diet there is and have lost hundreds if not thousands of pounds so far in my life and have gained it all back plus more every time. This is my last hope to finally lose and keep the weight off because I am now experiencing health issues such as high blood pressure, arthritis in both knees, undiagnosed sleep apnea and more.

When I called my insurance company they said it can take up to 2 weeks after they have received all of the required medical documents and that gave me the hope of having it mid October. My WL center schedules all of the appointments on the same day for efficiency and my doctor has been suggesting for years that I get this surgery and I finally conceded after failing on my own time after time. He has already written the referral and necessity forms. My goal is to be in surgery the week of the 13th of Oct. I hope that I am not being naïve.

 

[dancinbr]

Hi Cheyenne,

2 years?! Good grief, that is like a life sentence. I have been on just about every diet there is and have lost hundreds if not thousands of pounds so far in my life and have gained it all back plus more every time. This is my last hope to finally lose and keep the weight off because I am now experiencing health issues such as high blood pressure, arthritis in both knees, undiagnosed sleep apnea and more.

When I called my insurance company they said it can take up to 2 weeks after they have received all of the required medical documents and that gave me the hope of having it mid October. My WL center schedules all of the appointments on the same day for efficiency and my doctor has been suggesting for years that I get this surgery and I finally conceded after failing on my own time after time. He has already written the referral and necessity forms. My goal is to be in surgery the week of the 13th of Oct. I hope that I am not being naïve.

No, it is reasonable to expect your surgery to be scheduled in a time efficient manner.

I remember once I decided to do this and then I went through all the preliminary requirements for approval, which take time, I was scheduled quite quickly.

I would guess from start to finish about 3 months or so.

I am including the initial seminar where I made my decision to go through with the surgery, the nutritionist meeting, the bariatric psychologist meeting, the surgeon meeting, etc., etc, and the actual surgery insurance approval timeframe.

Ralph

 

[TraSea]

Hi Ralph,

Thanks for the response. I have since began my appointment/approval journey. I didn't realize that there would be this many tests and hoops to go through but my dream of an October surgery will be more like December unless there is a miracle and I can submit to my insurance early October. If that happens there is a possibility of having surgery in November. The biggest hurdle right now is getting my sleep study completed and I'm not sure how long that will take but my initial consult is tomorrow.

How are you fairing after your surgery, it has been a couple of years and is all well?

 

[TraSea]

Hi Ralph,

Thank you for the advice an update. I just replied to another message and then saw this one. The RNY gastric bypass is still considered the gold standard of bariatric surgery. POSSIBLE TMI... I'm hoping for the sleeve because I have already had surgery to remove the sigmoid portion of my colon due to severe diverticulitis I had back in 2004 and I didn't want to have less nutrient absorption than I do now. Plus, I had to have 3 hernia's repaired where my surgery was - it was not a laparoscopic procedure, I was filleted from belly button to groin and now there is a mesh over my entire abdominal cavity which might cause complications plus the removal of all that scar tissue could cause excess bleeding and I'm not supposed to use anti-inflammatory medication. However, after all of my tests are complete, if the surgeon recommends the RNY over the sleeve then that is what I will proceed with. I have put my life on hold for too long and have lost and gained weight for my entire life and I want this to be it. I'm not looking forward to the surgery itself but the results it can produce.

Welcome.

The key is to move forward, get the necessary support you need, follow your new program and as Linney says never look back.

I made a long input on anothe post here to show you how I deal with it today.

I will copy it to this post.

=====================================

Wow, Cheyenne and Linney have given you such good advice.

I went with the gastric bypass for two reasons:

1.) The procedure immediately controls diabetes. Prior to surgery I was on two or three diabetic meds and also using up to 90 units of Novolog fast insulin per day to control my sugars and keep my A1C in the 5s.

Right after the surgery I no longer needed any diabetic meds and my glucose was immediately controlled between 80 to 130 typically and my A1Cs continued to come in the 5s. Yes, you could still make your sugars go up and get high readings if you don't follow your new way of life. Yes, you can sabotage your surgery and go back to old habits eating the wrong foods and too much of them and restretch your stomach and defeat the purpos of the surgery. As Linney says the surgery is a tool and it gets you 1/2 there. It is up to you to take on the accountability and responsibility of taking better care of yourself by following the new program.

You will be on a "honeymoon" for the first year since the tool is quite effective in helping you lose weight in the early go.

2.) At the time of my surgery 11/4/2013 gastric bypass was the gold standard. Since then the sleeve has gained a lot of popularity. It is less complicated, etc., etc., The statistics of success are not in as yet. The data is being collected. It will be interesting to see the success rates 5 years out with the sleeve to compare to the gastric bypass. It will be interesting to see how well the sleeve controls diabetes, etc., etc

Now, the challenge is in for me and anyone that has gotten to their goal weight.

I acheived my goal by 7/2014. I made it to 199. Maintenance is for the rest of your life.

Do I have fun now? Do I eat what I want? Yes, but in limited quantities. Many folks and many nutritionists say you should not eat this or that EVER AGAIN. I don't necessarily agree with that myself unless of course that particular food or "goodie" is so strong a trigger that it would sabotage your new way of eating.

I have a method. I have set up three weight zones. I manage and react based on what zone my current weight is in. Your weight will fluctuate.

MY GREEN ZONE is <200. In this situation I pretty much have arrived at an ability and daily routine that makes sure I get my protein in each day and fluids and anything else I want; again in limited quantities with an intent to keep carbs low but not zero and keep total calories in the neighborhood of 1800 to 2000 calories per day (net calories). By net calories I mean actual intake minus exercise calories.

I monitor everything by using some useful calorie counter program.

MY YELLOW ZONE IS 200 to 205. Here I start to get a bit cautious. How did I get here? Well, perhaps too much fun over the weekend with goodie foods, exceeded the 2000 calorie barrier or whatever. I do enjoy my pineapple martinis over the summer. Alcohol tends to get me to retain fluids too much. So, at this point I start to keep calories around 1500 calories and gradually pull the weight back down to green zone. I do know how to lose weight and I certainly know how to celebrate and have fun.

MY RED ZONE IS >205 (by the way that is where I am now). I am at 207 right now. Too high. When this occurs I cut back all the way to 1200 to 1500 calories and initially the first few days down to 1200 and return to "week 1" disciplines going back to mostly liquid diet (protein shakes and glucerna) and make sure I am near 1200 calories until such time as the weight comes back down to the yellow zone and ultimately back to my goal weight of 199.

So this is something to think about for you. You have plenty of time to get used to a new way of life. You MUST strictly adhere to your new bariatric nutritional program to acheive the significant weight loss to goal that you desire. After that, the rest of your life is keeping your weight under control.

Best wishes,

Ralph