Well, I am ending my WLS journey.....for now

This is very helpful to those exploring options as it reminds us how important communication and support are.  I'm researching gastric sleeve for my 19yo daughter and am very concerned about such a permanent invasive procedure at her age.  Mostly the lifelong nutrition challenges.  Thanks

This is very helpful to those exploring options as it reminds us how important communication and support are.  I'm researching gastric sleeve for my 19yo daughter and am very concerned about such a permanent invasive procedure at her age.  Mostly the lifelong nutrition challenges.  Thanks

I personally would be more concerned about the lifelong effects of obesity, than I would nutritional challenges. That is what vitamins are for.

With VSG, the nutritional issues are minimal since there is no malabsorption. It is simply a matter of getting sufficient vitamins with a significantly reduced food intake. For most people, it seems that just a couple of multivitamins each day is sufficient.

Now, RNY or DS is a whole different ball game...

Lora

My personal experience is that husband and boyfriends come and go .. but if I don't take of myself I'll never be happy ( or healthy) and I DESERVE to be .  I would so encourage to just have the surgery and sort the finances out later .  $5000 is not that much money .  Your husband may be testing your resolve ( or probably ) have his eye on some useless toy he'd like to spend that money on... 

Your health is SO much more important and should be to him.  If he loves you he will encourage you to have the surgery if you explain to him how much you need it and want it.  Free Weight loss ( barbaric) seminars are a GREAT way to inform families .. ry taking hm to one .  Then hell know you're serious . (((())) hugs 

Although I don't disagree with the bulk of what you said, and I also encouraged the poster to reconsider the surgery,  even if $5000 is "not that much money" to YOU, it is a hell of a lot of money to a lot of people, and many people are not fortunate enough to be able to spend that kind of money on "some useless toy". 

Please consider that your statements might be very hurtful to someone less fortunate than you who would really struggle to come up with that kind of money for surgery.

Lora

Rereading her post I don't necessarily even think she must come up with the 5000 pre op .  She might just have to sign some sort of agreement that she'll be responsible for it if her insurance doesnt  cover ( which they will)because anesthesia is necessary for major surgery  .  I don't believe she would be scheduled for these  preop appointments otherwise .

If I were her I would uncancel my appointments  and go and surprise  hubby with a surgery date .( or right before the date !)  400 lbs is a deadly weight to carry and even if it meant getting rid of 200 more useless lbs in the form of hubby ...I would so jump at the chance of having WLS .  The truth is the surgery makes many marriages hotter and closer ... some that were usually in trouble to begin with break up   .  But most importantly you have the chance to improve your health, your longevity, your mobility.  (((()))) big hugs 

PS I got married immediately post op and divorced a few years later .  Its not the end of the world- I deserved and deserve way better ((()))

She may have an insurance plan that is an 80-20 plan with a $5000 deductible and therefore HAS to pay all of the first $5000 out of pocket.

I find it VERY interesting that, instead of responding to my suggestion that your comment might have been hurtful to someone not as financially well off as yourself (and for whom paying $5K would be a hardship), you are trying to challenge/coreect the OP's statement that it would cost her that much! Really?!?  Also, what does your marriage and divorce have to do with the OP's situation and do you see how ridiculous it sounds to suggest that she needs to dump her husband over thsi one issue?!?

Do you have any idea how self-centered your response is?

We all come together here from different walks of life .. thats what makes these forums  a rich, learning experience . 

I can only speak of my own experience with any authority ... if that makes me self centered ( or just truthful) so be it.  

I think seeing the world from someone else's perspective can often jolt us into " I need to treat myself better  and have to take steps to change my life in order to find the happiness I deserve " .

The fact is it IS possible to be financially secure after many years in twelve step programs - losing the fear of financial insecurity is one of the promises .

I personally grew from someone who had nothing in their life but fear and excess food to someone who has time to be creative - is financially pretty stable ( working on making it better) , a homeowner  with savings who can indulge herself finally occasionally .

This was not an accident but the rest of many years of hard work changing bad old patterns . 

What does ANY of this have to do with your assumptions about how much of a hardship it would be for the OP to have to pay $5000 for surgery and your belief that she probably doesn't really have to pay that (based on ZERO info about her medical ianurance plan)?

Your entire response is about you and things completely unrelated to the OP's situation. No one cares that you became financially stable after being in a 12 step program in THIS thread because that has NOTHING to do with the topic at hand. 

Its interesting that the OP seems to have checked out of the discussion.  She could certainly enlighten us as to whether she has medicare 20% contribution  or private insurance . If she does have medicare she will most likely not have to pay anything else.  If her insurer is private - could the 5000 deductible be for " elective" surgery ?  In this case a letter from a doctor saying due to her weight she MUST have bariatric surgery should eliminate the deductible and so the 5000 dollars .  

I wish she hadn't given up so easily .  Virtual hugs for her and all the concerned caring posters .  'm sure lots of forum members learned fro this thread.