Seriously considering it

Hi everyone, new here. I am a 31 yo male, 5ft 9in approx. 340lbs. I have excellent health benefits as I am a NY State employee, so that is not a consideration, however I do have some reservations. Such as the problems I have read of people not being able to drink enough, or get enough protien after. The hair thing doesnt bother me so much as I like to shave my head...LOL. I just feel like my life would be ALOT better, in ALL aspects, if I were skinny. I know I am treated differently at work than other managers, both by the public, my peers and my subordinates, due to my size. Whether people want to admit it or not, when I deal with an angry park patron, they right away think, "That Fat SOB". Its always about being Fat....I can tell that I am all but dismissed compared to other managers, by my superiors, and my charges. When your fat, your judged right away by that alone, "Oh....he's fat, so it must mean he's lazy" I have tried EVERYTHING else there is to try, yet I keep getting FATTER. I think this surgury is what I need, and know it would be good for me, but I still have some reservations. Although, 5 Years ago I had Laser correction surgery and that turned out to be the best thing I EVER did. I went from almost legally blind to 20/20 in both eyes, and had some of the same thoughts that I am having now, So maybe I should have the surgery?!?!? Did anyone else go through this type of "debate" in their head? Thank you in advance for any information that helps with my choice. Any advise on Doctors in the Oswego or Syracuse, NY area? Thanks Keith

Hi Keith Welcome to the NY board, you will see there are some awesome people here. I can definitely tell you that we all go through what you are going through when deciding. For some of us it takes years to make the plunge others it is quicker. But we all have the same concerns and I am sure we all face the same prejudices. I think you will also find that for most of us it is the best thing we ever did but it is also the hardest thing, it is definitely not easy but it is worth it! ALso, some do have complications and they end up resolving and those who had them still say it was worth it. Read as much as you can, it is a personal decision. Your eye surgery is a good comparison most say they should have done it sooner. Good Luck with your decision, post any questions, we are all here to help! Tina

Keith Hello, and YESSSSSS I know you !!! I would talk to you any time about this at lenght, and being that you are right here, I KNOW I can help you as far as this goes. When I saw Fair Haven NY I had to look twice, ya know, being that everyone knows everyone in this town. Anywaysssssssss, any time you want to talk, FIND ME !! I would be MORE than happy to give you any info your looking for. As far as the water and the protein, yea, its hard, but, you adjust, I think ANYONE here thats post op can tell you there are some parts of this that are harder than others, however, in the end, its worth some of those SMALL struggles. As far as Dr's, there are good ones in Syracuse, I however had mine in Rochester, I had Dr O'Malley......WONDERFUL Dr and famous too, he was on the Oprah show...LOL I didnt know that when I went to search for a Dr, I just wanted a GREAT ONE, and he IS great, however, there is about a 2 year waiting list. I know the process in Syracuse is a bit faster.....by about 1 1/2, so if its sped your looking for.....go that way, however, Dr O' has a team of Dr's now and they are passing them through alot faster, Dr Boss who is one of his Dr's is a great man !! and there are 2 others... The Cheif of Staff at highland and another dude. I am just about a year out, and I DO NOT regret this "journey" at all. It hostely has opened MANY doors for me, I truely have become a different person , not better, because I was always good....LOL Anyways, I would be more than happy to talk to you. Give me a call or stop by. Nice seeing you here !! Brenda

Hi Keith I am seeing a doctor in Syracuse and I really love him. His name is Dr. Simon I think he is one of the best out there. He tells you just like it is. I just had my surgery about 4 weeks ago. I feel great. I would recomend him to everyone. I can get the water in no problem everyday, I do have problems with the protien though. I am hoping that when I progress to the next stage of eating in the next couple of weeks it will be better. If you ever want to talk about anything feel free to email me. Take care Debbie

Keith, Hi, And welcome....It took me about a year to make the decision, and then I wanted it done!!!! but needed to see sooo many different Dr.'s. It took a couple of months, and then they had found an ulcer that needed to be cleared up before they would ok the surgery. So, You might want to start the process, it's not a bad idea even if you decide not to have the surgery, because you find out exactly what kind of health you are in. As you are going through your tests, continue to research. I hope this helps a bit. Janean

Hi Keith, when I was reading your post the first thing that popped into my head to say was for me "benefits outweigh the risks" Like someone above said,start the process-try a seminar first that way you will have an idea of what you would be going thru-then I just researched and went to all the boards on this sight,even the memorials page,I wanted to know the good the bad the ugly,any q's you have throw out to the wonderful people here and you should always get feedback-also go to some support groups-you will find people in all stages of their journeys-I wish you the best. This is truly a very personal and emotional experience not to be entered into lightly-it is life altering,and some days are harder than others, I am less than 2 weeks post-op,but my journey began back last spring just talking to 2 women at work who had the surgery,I thought about it(let it go) then came back to it again because I just couldn't see my life improving in the near future. I then went to a seminar at my Dr's office and it all sno-balled from there,first consultation,many Dr. appts to make sure I was as healthy as can be b4 the surgery-then b4 I knew it May 26 2005 was here and it was over! Sorry if so ling winded,I think we all can say to an extent that"we've been where you are now",if you want to ask any q's just post and me or somebody else will respond to help you out--Have a good night-- Robin 5/26/05 -14.5 lbs.

Hi Kith, I am still in the process of getting approved. I also live near Rochester, and I am going through Dr. Boss, who is in with O'mallly. Dr. Boss's wait is much less. I met him at the info meeting he has every couple of months, and I really liked him. The staff who work for him are great. My ins. is Aetna, and require more than most, so it will take me almost a year. However, my sister started same time I did (march) and will probably have hers done in Sept. Good luck in whatever your decision. God Bless, Dottie H

Keith, First of all, welcome to the NY message boards and to obesityheld.com in general. You asked if any of us have ever had that "debate" with ourselves as pre-ops. Are you kidding? I think we ALL have had some form of this debate at one time or another. I know that for me, I first had to admit that my situation was serious enough that the surgery was a real consideration. Then I went thru all the pros and cons and decided to stop acting on hearsay and do some homework and research and THEN see how I really felt about it. It's a major decision but one that I do not regret for a minute. Emotionally, it took a lot for me to get to place where I said "I'm going to do this" but once I got there, I put a lot of energy into making it happen in the timeframe I wanted it to happen in and I have to say I feel vrty blessed and fortunate. I think that most of my reasons for having the surgery were medical/physical but some of them were definitely emotional, psychological, etc. But if this is something you are considering to make you feel better as well as look better and be better received professionally, then good for you and best of luck to you. Renee H. 387/242/-145 lbs.