New to this whole idea

Hello, Helen. Welcome!

A few points: Firstly, it's not "the Bariatric Surgery"---currently, there are FOUR major forms of bariatric surgery being performed.You need to educate yourself about all four of them in order to choose the one that's the best fit for YOU.

The four forms are the LapBand, the VSG/Sleeve, the RNY/gastric bypass, and the DS/duodenal switch. Each one works in a different way, gives different results, asks different things from you, and has different impacts on your current and future medical conditions. Not all surgeons offer all procedures, so it's important to choose your surgery type FIRST, then seek out a surgeon highly skilled in performing the procedure of your choice.

I suggest you visit all the various surgical boards here, including the Revision board. Talk to as many people as you can, but give the most weight to what you hear from people who are AT LEAST 3 years post-op. That's about how long it usually takes to really understand exactly how your surgery is going to affect the rest of your life.

Hi Helen :) Welcome! I'm pre-op as well, my doctor recommended bariatric surgery to me about 2 years ago and I just brushed it off. I was embarrassed and said I'm not that heavy i'll just do it myself. Well 2 years later here I am, heavier than ever. Like you I was always active, varsity sports in high school, never heavy until I went to college. It took me a while to make this decision but I'm finally ready to accept some help and make a serious lifestyle change. Congratulations on taking this step. If you ever need to talk through the journey feel free to message me! -Lauren