Obesity Surgery WP Blog

Tangela,
You did not make the biggest mistake of your life.
Take a deep breath and repeat that. You did not make
the biggest mistake of your life. Now, as to food or
water. My doc told me it was more crucial to get
water in me than food. Do whatever your doc says, but
we can live on the protein we have stored in our
bodies for a few weeks without doing great harm. We
do, however, need to keep hydrated. And yes, you will
get over your fear of eating. I, too, felt worried
about everything I put in my mouth at first. Now, at
7 months out, I don’t give it much thought, except to
eat protein first. I’ve tried every kind of food
since surgery - Mexican, Greek, Indian, Thai, Chinese
- you name it, it all goes down wonderfully. Just in
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Carrie
You made my day. I am a 285 lb size 26 gal on the waiting list for my surgery
date for six months. I’ve been told it will be in May but I should know for
sure 4-15 when the new schedule comes out.
To here your story tells me that there really is hope out there and that
someone else feels the same way about this person waiting to get out from under
this coat of fat. I’m so proud of your success story.
My surgery will be done here in Phoenix at Good Samaritan. I hope that I too
will be able to encourage someone as you have me. God Bless you,
Susan
in Arizona

Hi Alex,
I’m sure you’re going to have a ton of replies that tell you this…
I’m 14 months post op from a lap RNY and I can eat just about any thing I want.
The only thing that’s changed in my lifestyle is that I’m thinner and healthier.
At first it’s difficult.. no doubt about it. But it is *so* worth it.
You’re young.. so you’ll heal fast and the surgery will probably be a lot easier
for you than it is for us old farts.
Only you can make the final decision to do the surgery or not. I can tell you
my boyfriend said exactly the same thing as yours. He thought I was insane for
doing this to my body and told me just to start exercising more and I would
loose
weight. Obviously… he didn’t understand. He’s thrilled with me now though;-)
Take care and email me anytime. I have 21 and 16 year old daughters. They both
think that I did the right thing now…..
liz

Hi everyone. I have been lurking on this list for about a month but have never
properly introduced myself. My name is Kelly, I am 28 years old and I live in
Eugene, Oregon. I’m 5′3″ and weigh about 275 lbs. I have been considering wls
for quite some time, my best friend back in Wisconsin had open rny in august and
is doing fabulously! I made the decision for myself about 1 month ago. Well,
after feeling so positive about it at the get go, I feel like I have just run
into a brick wall when it comes to getting things happening. First of all, I am
recently married (today is my 2 week anniversary!) so I have JUST been added to
my husbands insurance (they don’t even have my paperwork yet.) So I called them
to try and get the ball rolling and asked if bariatric surgery is covered, the
girl flat out told me no, she has never seen anything like it come through. I
asked her to research it, and she shuffled through what she called our “plan
book” and said no, it isn’t covered. (Our insurance is “self-paid” by the
company and handled by USI Administrators.) I don’t know what to think, if I
should call again and try to get someone else on the line, or mabye I’m not
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Alex..you have to follow you heart. Only you know if this is right for you.
Don’t feel bad about being nervous. It is completely normal. I am schedule
4/26 and very excited. I too worry about what will be after, I have two
young children to take care of but I know I have no choice. I cannot spend
another day like this. I have battled this my whole life and I msu do
something. You are lucky that you will not battle this for anoth 20-30 years
before making a change. It will be great fro you and you will do fine. You
have a heads up that most of us didn’t..you will live your entire adult life
as a ‘normal, healthy adult’
Stacey

Hi my name is Ruth and I’ve been a member here for over a year. I am approaching
my one year anniversary date for my open RNY. May 1st is the big day! I am so
happy I made the decision to have this done, as it has made huge changes in my
life. I wish I’d done it years ago.
I feel my weight loss has been somewhat slower than I expected, but I’m still
happy with the results. This time last year I was around 285 lbs. today I am 190
lbs. For the last month I’ve been fighting the same 5 pounds and getting
somewhat frustrated, but still hoping to lose more over the next 6 months. Has
anyone experienced this at or around the 100 lb. loss mark??
I have more energy, my self esteem has increased greatly, I look better, etc. I
still struggle with my eating habits and want to eat things I shouldn’t, but I’m
working on this. I really need to get myself motivated to get the exercise
going. Most weeks I walk about 4 times, but I know I need more. Maybe this is
why my loss has been slower than I expected. Over the last month my energy level
has dropped some, not back to where I was this time last year, but it has
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What Vicki said about knowing when the time is right is true. I sent for
information from several different places and even sent for info from my
surgeon’s office three times (over a several year period) before I was ready.
I even had all of the paperwork filled out once but could never send it in.
When I was ready I did send it in and now I am finally 4 weeks out. You
will do what is right for you when you are ready. It’s better to have all
of your questions answered. We can never rely on our emotions but fact is
something we can’t deny. When we feel scared and that’s normal we can always
look at the facts to keep us on track. I wish you the best. Sharon
Open RNY - 330 03/18/2002
298 04/11/2002

In a message dated 4/11/02 5:29:13 PM, kingermom@… writes:
<< did you find it beneficial to be a sqeaky
wheel when it came to your insurance company and surgeon’s office? Does it
do more harm than good to call continuously to see how things are
progressing, or did you find it better to just check occasionally?
Elizabeth,
For me being the squeaky wheel saved me months of waiting and maybe not
getting covered at all. There were mistakes and ommissions and they were
caught much quicker because I did keep calling….. at least once a week. Be
nice and courteous, but firm….and keep squeaking….lol.
Vicki
open RNY 6/28/01
161# and loving life!

Hi everyone…
I am relatively new to this support group. However, I am very
grateful that I came across it when I did, for I am scheduled to
have my surgery June 21, 2002. I am 5′6″-5′7″ and weigh
approximately 280 pounds. My only problem is, I am terrified. I am a
17 year old high school senior, and this has been a very important
decision in my life, being so young, but I feel that it is necessary
to complete this surgery (lap rny) to have a healthier and better
life in the future. I haven’t been this nervous up until a couple
days ago, when I realize that I’m actually going to be going through
with this, and I know I can back out at any time, so I have that
reassurance with me, thus far. I am so worried that this will be a
total life change for me, and although I know it WILL be a life-
changing experience, I’m afraid that it could somehow be a bad one
for me. I mean, I know losing this weight will be absolutely
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I was on the depo and HATED it, i gain well over 20 pounds and had no sex
drive what so ever, plus for a week after i got my shot i would have a back
pain that i would cry over. I lost my hair also!!
Hugs,
Kristin in MI
370/325