Hospital /PCP visits since Sleeve

I go to Drs more now than pre wls because I'm more pro active about my health now than I was before. I realize that being on top of my health gives Drs the chance to check out & fix anything that might be wrong early out, rather than wait & have it become problematic & thus harder to treat.

Things tend to have a domino affect when it comes to health, ignore 1 thing then something else happens & now another problem pops up. Now you have to get treated for a bunch of different problems.

I also don't have to hear every answer to every question I had to be automatically be attributed to my weight.

YES.  Exactly.  

The other factor for me is my studies... as I've studied more and more anatomy, I get reminded of "Oh yea, I should maybe figure out why my body is doing [this weird thing]."  ;)

Forgive me. I think I am missing something here. Why do you need to be so proactive? Not to be nosy, but do you have ongoing medical issues related or unrelated to the sleeve that need constant monitoring? 

I agree that being self aware and preventative is ideal.

I feel like I have become a hypercondriac post op lol

None of my medical issues have been related to the sleeve.  

I had a weird copper toxicity problem that was actually found because of post-op lab work, I never would have had my copper tested if I hadn't had WLS.  The issue turned out to be caused by my BCP.  

I've injured myself a few times because I do way more physical stuff now than I had done.  I suppose I could blame that on the sleeve, but that would be foolish.  But I care (a LOT) about running now, so when I've had injuries that have made running painful - I see the doctor and I do physical therapy.  

I had a weird thing with my ovaries years ago but ignored it, so post-op I finally followed up on that to figure out what was going on.  

Orthostatic hypertension has been a problem for me post-op, but the cause was decades of obesity, not WLS.  I went to the doctor to figure it out instead of just suffering with it.  

BPPV - again, zero relation to WLS.  But, again, I went to the doc to figure it out instead of just suffering with it, which is what I probably would have done pre-op.  

I often ignored yearly exams pre-op, now I don't.  I ignored blood work orders, now I don't.  Etc, etc.  

If I get a shiny new car I take better care of it than if I am driving an old clunker.  I have a shiny new body now and am careful to give it the maintenance it needs to stay in top condition.

no, I go about the same amount I went pre sleeve. 

I have always been proactive about my health and I have had ZERO issues with my sleeve.

While I still have a ways to go, I don't want to jeopardize the 140 pounds I have lost.  I see my bariatrician monthly, the surgeon every 3-6 months (still mulling over revisions, but I am losing weight again so) the nutritionist every 3 months, and my counselor weekly or biweekly.  I have to get my thyroid tested every 3-6 months so that's when I see my PCP.

I'm not a hypochondriac, however I don't hesitate to advocate for myself.  I am healthier than I've been in decades and I refuse to backpedal or lose ground.  Bear in mind my highest weight was over 750, and I went from that to getting two degrees and working in a demanding and stressful field when I was told I'd always be disabled.  My self-advocacy is the reason why.

I have not regained at all since surgery (aside from 10-12 lb of water weight when I went zomg carb crazy), and I think that just the psychological reinforcement of staying on top of things and checking in is a huge component to my success.  I am very grateful that I am able to do this.  I prioritize my health care over entertainment, travel, and other things, sure.  For me the benefits are manifest and multiple.  I am very grateful to have good insurance.  While I do pay a lot per visit from some perspectives, it beats the way things were before.  

It keeps me focused and on target.  It also removes ALL excuses when the doctor weighs you monthly.  Every time I want to eat crap I remember I have to be accountable to my bariatrician or PCP or counselor that week.  I then remind myself that, more than anything, I have to be accountable to myself, too!  

Edited: forgot to add I have Hashimoto's, Celiac, and some other crap, so not everyone necessarily needs all this.  For me it works.

Congratulations on your success. I say this without malice. Your journey stands a billion miles apart from mine. My highest was a mere 310 pounds at 5'10. In all reality, I didn't need this procedure as a life savin measure. It was all vanity. 

Mmm, I'd disagree.  Regardless of gender that is significant extra weight.  Over time organs become compressed and enlarged, and distorted.  Fat is also an organ, not just a tissue, and it stores and changes the hormonal balance in men and women which also affects our health.  Every extra pound we are wears away at our spine and knees, but we don't know if we never see an X-Ray.  When I was "just" 250 pounds on my way to 750 I had to get a back x-ray for unrelated reasons.  Already at that point I had the wear and tear of a 60 year old on my vertebrae.  I was 25 at the time.  Insulin resistance is also deadly - and that damage and inflammation is silent for a very long time.

You may have been "fine" for a while outwardly, but undoubtedly it would have eventually caused issues.  The reason may have been vanity, however you have improved your health, regardless.  

Whatever the reason people are motivated to change is often irrelevant; no one reason is more virtuous than another (if they are healthy).  That's pure hubris.  Looking and feeling good is important, too.  Feeling good about ourselves is important!  An unhealthy reason would be getting WLS because a spouse forced someone to, or getting WLS hoping to fix eating issues without working on the behavior.  Entirely different than wanting to look and feel good.  I assure you probably 95% of us want to look better post-op and that's a huge motivation, heh.

Don't underestimate the benefit of being pleased with the way you are, or happy with the way you are.  It's a very healthy motivation.

I don't think that's a fair statement, unless you truly believe that's the only reason you did it. I had the surgery with a 36.2 BMI. I'm 23 days post op and I'm down to a 31 BMI. I wanted to fit into my clothes, OF COURSE. But, I can not tell you how big a grin I get on my face when I walk up stairs without dread or being winded and when I walk 3 miles and I want to RUN. I can't wait until spring when I can climb a mountain and keep up with my skinny family! All of these things are why I had my surgery!