1st appointment in 2 days Help

I am meeting with my surgeon Thursday, they said that I might be able to have surgery faster than 6 months out from nutrition and psychology work ups basically due to I have even done Dr weight loss shots and scripts.

What do I ask at the appointment?

If I decide to have another child can I?

I have heard mixed information on more kids.

I am 39 now got to 224-226 depending on the day I just want to be my normal size again.

I'm only on level thrive products and topamax 200mg a day. I don't want to continue with Phentermine.

I am barely hungry because the level thrive stuff works well and I get it for free so Major plus. I am just really scared. I was 280 I have lost 60 but it has been 2 years to get to 224 I miss being 170. I am only 5'3 so BMI is high.

Just please reassure me that I am going in the right direction.

I was 55 when I had my surgery and started in April 2016 at 271.5 and 5'3". Talk to the surgeon about which surgery may be right for you based on your other medical issues and the possibility of having another child. (I was 37 when I had my first and 41 when I had my 2nd.)

But, as for any surgeon, I would ask how many of these operations do they do annually? What is their long-term success rate? What kind of support do they offer for patients (groups, on line, email,etc.) What is post-op life like for the two surgeries? Recovery time?

Here's a bit of my story - I had a VSG on 8/23/2016. As of today, I'm 166 pounds and am down to 32% body fat (I'm shooting for 26%). I weigh less know than when I got married 20 years ago. (I weigh less than both my teen daughters at this point, but they have to walk their own journey.)

For me, the important things were what kind of support was offered - my team is available via email all the time - my registered dietician, my nurse practitioner, the nurse coordinator who handles the support group. The support group (in person) meets 2x a month at my hospital and I could do 2 meetings a week if I wanted because there are four other locations that host meetings for my group.

They were concerned about getting my health on track.

When I started I was barely squeezing into size 22 pants. Now, I wear size 8s and when I have my tummy tuck done next summer I'll probably be in a six.

Best of luck. Do your research. Bring a notebook and take notes - and don't be shy about getting contact information to ask follow up questions from people on the team. My first meeting was about 2-2.5 hours - an hour with the nutritionist, about 45 minutes with the nurse practitioner and 45 minutes with the surgeon. I left with a notebook of instructions for the next three months (first visit - May 11, surgery August 23).

There are people on here that have children after WLS, so I know it's not out of the question.

Ask your doctor how many surgeries he/she has done. Is the center a Bariatric Center of Excellence? (may or may not matter to you, but there are higher standards in care from what I've been told). Ask them what percentage of weight loss do they consider a success. Talk to them about their aftercare, nutritional information and expectations, and if they have support groups for you.

For reassurance, only YOU can reassure yourself that you are doing the right thing. I don't think you will find many (if any) here that will tell you they wouldn't do it again if given the chance, but I think MOST of the people here will tell you it's not a magical surgery, and that maintaining after you lose is hard business... The brain isn't cut like the stomach, and most of the struggles stem from the brain wanting to eat, not the stomach.

Good luck to you!

Without knowing your medical history, yes, it's possible to still have kids after surgery. I plan on doing just that myself. You will just be monitored extra closely, primarily for nutrition

Have you checked with your insurance on what their WLS approval requirements are? For example, do they have a hard requirement of 6 months of various medical visits prior to approval? As well, many physicians recommend waiting 18 months after bariatric surgery before getting pregnant. So it may not be possible to get through the pre-op process, surgical recovery and weight loss in less than 2 years, which could impede your ability to get pregnant as you would be in your 40's at that point. Something to consider. I wish you all the best as you go through this journey.

You can absolutely have more kids after having surgery. There's actually a study out there (don't have the link) that tracked women who had kids both before and after surgery; the children born after the moms lost weight from WLS were much easier pregnancies and have fewer health problems.

You'll need to be on birth control while losing weight, maybe even 2 kinds if you're not 100% on your current form. Something like an IUD or implant is great. The standard recommendation is that you wait 12 - 18 months after surgery and have reached a stable goal weight. (I got pregnant at 13 months post op and no way would I have managed if still trying to lose!)

Call your insurance company to verify coverage and see what's needed. Your previous weight loss attempts may or may not help speed the process along, or you may need other qualifications. Only the insurance company can tell you this.

Surgery is proven to be the best chance we have at reaching a healthy weight and staying there. It can be a bit of a scary decision, but there are tons of people here who have been very successful and don't regret it for a minute.