The Beginning...

Yesterday I met with my vsg surgeons office and did my initial consult. I'm kind of nervous but also excited. Like everyone else that has had this procedure, its a pretty big deal and lifestyle change. Because of insurance I have to do the 6 months of weigh ins and will have my procedure (Lord willing) in January. I'm curious to know what everyone's, that has had the surgery, thoughts were up until the day of the surgery.

Congrats!

I'm one of the weirdos who was nothing but excited between when I decided to have surgery and when I had it. I went full speed at making lifestyle changes and finding a therapist to work with throughout the entire process. I'd had surgeries before, though, so there was no apprehensiveness about surgery for me.

I basically spent that time wanting to tell every single person I met about what I was doing, since I was so super excited :) (I didn't, though, I just wanted to.)

I couldn?t wait and just paid for it. I still had to wait almost 2weeks for blood tests and endoscopy and all but love the decision made! Yes its work but you can do it- its a reset of your thought process and just doing the work. Best thing I did for myself! 3 months out -50#.

Congratulations!

During the 6-month wait, I paid a lot of attention to the triggers that made me want to eat unhealthy foods. For me, in order of importance, they were 1) not feeling like cooking, and 2) being stressed. I then made a plan of attack for dealing with those triggers after surgery. In addition to food prepping, I found a lot of healthy foods that require little or not preparation. I made a list of things I could do when I feel stressed, like drink herbal tea and cuddle my cats. That planning is definitely helping me now, after surgery.

I kept it a secret for a while, while I came to terms with all of the reactions I might get. Once I started telling people, it became the topic of the moment. No matter what, I stayed VERY focused and talked to everyone close to me, mostly so I would have support and they would understand how things would be for me in the long run. I actually sat down with my kids and hubs and talked with them about 3-4 years down the road (which is NOW), about "are we going to be able to avoid having junk in the house even then, because I don't want junk in the house"...(FYI- they do keep junk in the house but i'm super focused and it doesn't phase me).

The one thing I didn't do was tell any family (other than folks). my 'people' are very much into vanity and possessions. I didn't feel any need to explain my private health issues with them, nor did I have the nerve to listen to their criticism without losing my cool.

Leading up to surgery, my thoughts were only good ones, thinking down the road to how different life would be. It is, but I DID have some regain- which I totally conquered...I also remember thinking about being committed to lifelong change, and I remember thinking about how improving my health issues would give me long-term opportunities with my career.

I would do it again in a second, HANDS DOWN. no question. I was very sick, my health was so poor and I was hardly functional. I am so glad I took this path. Even 4 years out I still identify as a bariatric patient and am still proud of the decision.

I was mostly excited, up until the morning of I think lol. Surgery was at 6am maybe, I was at hospital by 4:30 for check in and preparations. I kept thinking "What am I doing to myself?" It was scary! It IS scary, you are changing your body, but it is the best decision I have ever made in my entire life. Nothing else compares.

I felt like it was a lot of hoops to jump through, even though I acknowledged that each of those steps was important. I was very excited and each little delay was annoying (for instance, came down with strep throat the night before my EGD..could not reschedule until almost 3 months later). Buuut, at the same time, I harbored doubts. It seemed like such a grotesque thing to do--cutting up a healthy organ--I didn't have any Comorbid conditions aside from sleep apnea--was I doing the right thing? I would have to mentally go through why I'd made the decision in the first place to overcome those doubts.

One thing I do recommend: don't cruise on your 6month pre op plan like I did. I took it easy on myself. If I had not, I'd be so much closer to "one-derland" right now.)

Best of luck!

Scared, nervous, excited! In that order. It?s been a wonderful journey so far. One that I believe is saving my life 1lb at a time. I?ve completely changed my life. I?m the healthiest I?ve ever been and I look the best I have in a long time. No regrets whatsoever. Congratulations on your decision. This 6 mnths will fly by.

Thank you everyone for your input! I'll definitely will be proactive in these next 6 months trying to not only do my weigh ins and other appts but be positive and press on. I honestly do feel this is the best choice for me.

Honestly, I felt sad but determined. The sadness came from this place of self-pity and self-flagellation. But the second I decided to do it, I was determined to learn everything I could and to go about it the right way. I read about it constantly (which is what lead me here). And I talked about it with my closest loved ones. I had to wait about 4 months, not because of insurance but because of my work schedule. That time went by quickly and allowed me to fully prepare myself.

The first several weeks after surgery I struggled with fatigue and fear and worried that I'd made the wrong decision. By about 3 months out I started feeling normal again, better than normal. I'm about 9 months out now and I feel fantastic!!! Every single thing feels easier now. I still struggle with food issues, and I accept that I will have to be hypervigilant for the rest of my life, but I have zero regrets.