I'm new and thinking about getting the sleeve surgery
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drina1226
Posts: 1
I have not got the surgery as of yet. I am in the process of completing the 6 months of supervised weight loss which is required by my insurance before I can get the surgery. I just started in March and have to check in with the doctor once a month. My only requirement for the program is to keep a food log, which is why I started using MFP.
I know people who have had the surgery, including my sister. She had the gastric bypass though. I am interested in the sleeve. I am nervous and hesitant about getting the surgery. I been a big girl basically my whole life. I'm not nervous about the surgery itself but how I will look when I do lose the weight. I know its weird to even think this but I'm afraid I'll lose too much weight. The couple people I know, one of them who has had the sleeve, is real small and skinny now and in my opinion she doesn't look healthy and her body is like not proportional, meaning her head looks really big for her body. Please forgive my I'm not trying to be mean or rude, I just don't want to look like that. But there are also some other people I know, including my sister, who look amazing and you would never even be able to tell they had the surgery. I know results are different with everyone and that's where I'm nervous.
I also am diabetic and have high cholesterol which I am currently taking medication for. I would really like to lose the weight to be healthier and get off medication which I hear happens pretty quickly after surgery, like 2 weeks even. I am also a mom of 3 little ones 2, 5, and 8. I would love to have the energy to keep up with them and enjoy activities with them. But most of all I really want to feel better about myself. I have had body issues for as long as I can remember. I want to have confidence and great self-esteem. I want to be able to wear an outfit that actually looks great on me. I'm sure my self-consciousness is affecting my relationship as well. You know they say you have to love yourself first before someone else can love you (or something like that). I am really trying to make a change but I know its going to be a huge life altering change and I don't know if I can handle it.
I know people who have had the surgery, including my sister. She had the gastric bypass though. I am interested in the sleeve. I am nervous and hesitant about getting the surgery. I been a big girl basically my whole life. I'm not nervous about the surgery itself but how I will look when I do lose the weight. I know its weird to even think this but I'm afraid I'll lose too much weight. The couple people I know, one of them who has had the sleeve, is real small and skinny now and in my opinion she doesn't look healthy and her body is like not proportional, meaning her head looks really big for her body. Please forgive my I'm not trying to be mean or rude, I just don't want to look like that. But there are also some other people I know, including my sister, who look amazing and you would never even be able to tell they had the surgery. I know results are different with everyone and that's where I'm nervous.
I also am diabetic and have high cholesterol which I am currently taking medication for. I would really like to lose the weight to be healthier and get off medication which I hear happens pretty quickly after surgery, like 2 weeks even. I am also a mom of 3 little ones 2, 5, and 8. I would love to have the energy to keep up with them and enjoy activities with them. But most of all I really want to feel better about myself. I have had body issues for as long as I can remember. I want to have confidence and great self-esteem. I want to be able to wear an outfit that actually looks great on me. I'm sure my self-consciousness is affecting my relationship as well. You know they say you have to love yourself first before someone else can love you (or something like that). I am really trying to make a change but I know its going to be a huge life altering change and I don't know if I can handle it.
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I was nervous right up to having surgery but it was the best decision I ever made. I am a diabetic and was on insulin and 2 pills and now my sugar is perfect and I will probably get off of the one pill I'm on. I have lots of energy and I really am healthier.
It is a huge decision but I rarely here people say they regret it.0 -
Idk what happened but mfp deleted some of my response... Hope I didn't duplicate this again!
Anyways, I agree- best decision I ever made. Not to say I don't have moments of "fat kid tantrums" where I want to eat more than the sleeve allows but that's sort of the point
If I can suggest one thing... Get your head straight now. Love yourself now. Be okay with the skin you're in now. I know it's hard esp when society sells you everything to make you feel "less than". I was almost 300 lbs when I started so I get you, and the stigma/shame being obese. But your body (for better or worse) is gonna do some crazy stuff post op. Some amazing (running again, size 14 jeans, yoga) and some challenges (my arms... Michelle Obama won't be calling me for tips anytime soon Lol). You are beautiful. I know this because we are all beautiful! The "flaws" and bumps and imperfections are what make us uniquely human. The best thing I have done for my health is the sleeve. The best thing I have done to support the sleeve is meeting with a therapist who specializes in disordered eating and body dismorphia. And that was a process that started way pre op.
Best of luck! Don't hesitate to ask if you have questions!!! Folks on here are awesome!0 -
The sleeve is the best thing I ever did for ME. It took me two years of research to finally get comfortable with the decision. My regret- taking so long to have it done.
I was the fat mom and my daughter was relentlessly teased about it. Now I ride the roller-coasters with her and nudge her to keep up with me!
Your little ones need you for many more years! Now is the time to do this- while they still want to run and play with you! You'll get your exercise and soooo many happy memories!0 -
I started my journey last year in March and had my surgery in October. I was very scared and nervous. I can tell you it was the best thing I ever did. I was taking 2 blood pressure medicines and have a cpap machine. I came off of the blood pressure medication 2 months after surgery and I am hoping after another 20 lbs I will be able to sleep without the cpap. Just follow the doctors orders right now and you will love the results. More energy, clothes that feel great on you, and even the way people look at you. Good luck and keep us posted. Please feel free to friend me.0
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I am just over one year out from when I first set foot in the Bariatric orientation meeting and almost seven months post surgery. Blood Pressure, Cholesterol and pain from arthritis have resolved (arthritis has not, but much less pain) and evaluating getting off of my CPAP.
I am down 180 pounds and living my new life! I lost 100 pounds pre-surgery.
I am copying my lengthy post from the other "newbie thread":
I am coming up to seven months post surgery, but I honestly think of my progress as one year since I started the Bariatric program.
My main advice to new folk is that starting on day one, you need to hit the pre-surgery program as hard as you can. In my case, I had about 180 pounds to lose (starting at 420) to hit the middle-ish of the Overweight BMI range. Honestly, I am not sure I ever thought I would get there. What was clear to me, though, was that since a majority of the weight loss post surgery comes in the 6-9 months post-surgery, I was unlikely to lose that much. I would need to lose as much as I could pre surgery.
My program laid out the pre-surgery plan relatively simply:
1200-1500 calories
100g of protein
64 ounces of water
Start exercising
Log everytihing (food, water and exercise)
I jumped in with both feet and was surprised at how successful I was. I was losing so quickly that I asked the nutritionist if I should reduce the caloric deficit. She told me that if I was tolerating it, i should continue because it was set up to train me for post-surgery life. I continued and lost 100 pounds pre-surgery, which left 80 pounds to lose post surgery. I hit that goal last week, 6.5 months post-surgery and one year to the day after I started the process.
I believe that the high protein was the key to my pre-surgery success, because I had never tried high protein in my previous dieting, and the protein kept me from being hungry. My main concern coming up to surgery was if I could do it without the surgery. I looked back on my history (you can see the chart of my weight since 1999 in my profile pictures) and every time i was successful in dropping weight, *something* happened and the motivation/desire/habits slipped away and I regained. Having the surgery would give me a physical backstop if my habits start to wane, reminding me why I did it and hopefully kickstarting me back into good habits. I obviously don't know what the future holds, but do not regret having the surgery at all.
One of the big things I learned was that for this to be successful, you have to make yourself a priority. I can see that being difficult with your home load of responsibilities. It might be why it took me so long (about 5 years after starting to think about it) to decide and fully commit to having the surgery. My kids are now 13 and 16 and I have more freedom to take *me time* to go to the gym, cook and eat the way I need to (although for the most part, we all eat the same stuff, i just eat less and more of the protein). There needed to be a bit of selfishness for me to be successful.
I also echo juneau's comment to trust and commit to your program's rules. There are a lot of edges to my program that don't make complete sense to me, but I do my best not to push the envelope to see if it really is a hard rule or not. I gave myself to the program as much as I could and was successful (thus far). I recommend doing the same.
I suggest you read as many pages of topics in the groups here (VSGers and Gastric Bypass/VSG/LapBand are the two most active I have found) and add as friends people in all stages of the program who resonate with you either from a physical similarity, similar family situation, or just makes sense to you. By having friends on your newsfeed you will see the real day to day successes and struggles, check out eating patterns and get ideas, etc. My stable of friends is an extreme help when things are going rough.
As usual, I ramble, but I hope you seize this bull by the horns and jump in as fully as you are able. Hit your surgery date in the best physical shape as you are able and having lost as much weight as you could. You will love the results!
Rob
Good luck to you and let us know how we can help!
Rob0 -
It's hard to add more information after the other posts. But I'm 9 months out only 7 pounds from my goal. Feeling 25 years younger my exercise program is 1 hour of deep water aerobic two days a week and another hour of strength training three days a week.
I've lost over a hundred pounds in all and I'm still replacing fat with muscles.
Best life choice ever getting sleeved in July of 20140 -
I don't have very much to add-everyone has been really spot on. Love the comprehensiveness and wisdom in Rob's post. It is a journey-it does not begin or end with surgery. It is as much about your mind and your heart as it is about your stomach and your metabolism...maybe even more so. I think it is a very big decision, one not to be taken lightly--anyone can lose in the short run, its practically impossible not to. I think though you really have to be prepared for the changes in order to have long term success. And that begins with loving yourself now, as you are, and knowing you are worth the love, attention, and effort necessary to get to where you want to be.0
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You've got a lot of good answers here. To add, I started at 386 with high BP and bordering on diabetis and cholesterol issues. I have damage to my lower spine with arthritis from the lower spine down. Almost 4 years later I have lost 164 pounds, am 99% pain free (although I do have to be very careful about what I do for exercise as I injur very easily), no more BP meds and my sugar and cholesterol numbers are now in the normal range. The only medication I still take is for acid reflux. No, I'm not to goal yet, but I am still working the plan and very happy with the surgery and results so far.
Keep educating yourself about the various weight loss surgeries and weigh your options. Getting the weight off will only be a positive and certainly won't make any health issues worse. But as everyone above me pointed out, this isn't a cure, it's a lifestyle change and it's a lifelong lifestyle change. You can't go back to how you lived prior to WLS or you will regain. This journey is different for every person, I'm a prime example. Most people have hit goal before they are 4 years post op. My journey has been slower, but it's still the best thing I have ever done for myself and I have no regrets.0 -
My only regret is not wrapping my head around it sooner and waiting until I was 46 to start this. I have been so happy with my progress. I am not quite 5 months post-op and I am down 94 pounds from surgery and 131 from my start last June. I have given up my CPAP (with my doctor's approval) and the pain in my joints from arthritis and years of overweight abuse is now managed with tylenol instead of prescription NSAIDS.
One cautionary tale about the diabetes, my husband also had the surgery. He only had a BMI of 36, but with the co-morbidities he was approved. His diabetes was way out of control before surgery (high 200s consistantly) He is no insulin now while his beta cells recover from long-term damage. Things are getting better, but with the sleeve, it's not the instant diabetes fix that bypass typically is. Even with that, he is so much happier and healthy now, and expect to be off the insulin by the end of the summer.
Best of luck!
-Phill0
