Hello all,
I've been reading this forum for more than a year. The experiences shared on this bored helped me make the decision to have the surgery.
I've been overweight most of my life although I am currently at my heaviest. Fortunately, the insurance company approved the surgery relatively quickly and without much fuss. I'm leaving overseas - in Central America - and will be back in the US during the summer of 2016 which is when the surgery is scheduled. I did the requisite six months of medically supervised weight loss and I didn't lose any weight. However, now that the surgery has been approved, I'm really going to take my weight loss efforts more seriously and make the lifestyle changes that I know I'll have to make after the surgery. My surgeon's longer term advice is no red meat, no bread and no sweets. At a minimum I will do this over the next few months. I've already committed to exercising. I get up at 4:30 AM and walk between 30-45 minutes five days a week. I've been doing this for a few years now. I know I need to kick it up a notch but knee, foot and back pain make it somewhat difficult. Hopefully weight loss will help with this.
I haven't told too many people about the surgery, but during the psych evaluation, the counselor suggested that I find a buddy and develop a support system. The nutritionist also suggested that I consider joining one of these forums given that I'm living abroad. I haven't even told my mom, although my husband knows and is supportive. (He says, jokingly, that if I have the surgery and don't die that he's going to have it done himself, but right now we can't risk leaving our two kids as orphans. The irony of course is that without the surgery, we're increasing the risk of leaving them as orphans anyway. He has a serious weight issue too and hope that he eventually joins me on this journey).
So that's about it! I'm nervous, excited and scared. I'm concerned about head hunger, hair loss, complications and sugar cravings, but I'm hoping that this will be the beginning of a new start for me!
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