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Ask lots of questions about the support program before and after your surgery. Those programs vary a great deal and it's important to have support to work on your head, while the doctor works on the surgery. Make sure you understand all the requirements for the surgery (including how they work with your insurance, if you are using insurance); your program may have requirements and your insurance may also have requirements -- not being clear on both could cause delays. Be clear on the surgery you want going in, so that you can assess that against the program recommendation and be prepared to ask questions for why they are recommending one vs the other (and also be prepared to answer questions on why you prefer a particular surgery). Make sure you understand what the permanent changes and requirements are -- for example, with RNY, supplements are not optional post op. There are serious health issues coming your way if you don't take your supplements correctly (but they are easy to comply with in my opinion).
Good luck in your research and appointment!
HW: 306 SW: 282 GW: 145 (reached 2/6/19) CW:150
Jen
Hi all,
my name is Carrielee and I am 31 years old.
I have battled being overweight / obesity since I was a young child and I've finally gotten the courage to taking the steps toward a healthier self.
At 31, I'm 5 feet tall and weigh 278 pounds, at a BMI of 54.29, it's time to do this.
I suffer from a myriad of weight related health conditions and fear an early death if I don't take control of my weight and health.
I suffer from acid reflux, hypertension, high cholesterol, Type II diabetes, arthritis, limited mobility, chest pain/angina, sleep apnea, liver disease...I'm slowly killing myself and I'm tired of it.
Any tips for a first consult with a WLS surgeon? My appointment is on April 25.
Be honest with them according to the age of the kids. Be upfront with Kandi and water it down for the younger ones. Say you're going into the hospital so the doctors can help you get healthy, Explain that you love them very much and want to do so many things with them that you have trouble with now.
SW 327
GW 150
CW 126
I had vsg and I'm not happy with my results. Most of it is my own fault for not sticking to the program. Be sure you have an aftercare plan, after surgery. There were no followup appointments after 3months and that's when I stopped losing. I've paid out of pocket for a dietician and see a therapist, but my weight stays around 240. I started at about 272 and by the time surgery day came I was about 265. Because of a blood clotting disorder I didn't have a major decision in which surgery to have. I felt blessed having vsg and I'm still using the tools I've learned to keep going in my journey. My lowest weight has been about 230. The surgery can only do so much, it's really up to you as an individual to keep the weight loss momentum going.
How to tell and explane to my kids I'm weight loss surgery I have 3 kids, Kandi who is 15 my oldest ,Carl who is 8 , and Lilly who 4 and they are my word
You are going on a long journey. You need to get from New York to San Francisco and you need to do it using your own body and no car, train, or plane.
Your choices are;
Walking shoes (sleeve)
Roller skates (RNY
Bicycle (modified DS)
Bicycle with motor (DS)
Think about your choices'. All are hard work that takes a long time.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
I would say no unless it is followed up with the DS. I feel that either the bypass or DS would work best for someone who has over 100+ lbs to lose because they have restriction and malabsorption. Now saying that there are some folks who only had the sleeve at a high starting weight and did rather well.
Remember the first year is the honeymoon period and regardless what surgery one has that is the time to get most if not all the excess weight off.
Dr. Sanchez Lapband 9/12/2003
hw305/revision w280/cw197/gw150
Revision from Lap Band to Bypass on 2/4/2015 by Dr. Pohl
Did anyone see that couple they featured in a segment on Access Hollywood yesterday? He had lost over 400 lbs. and his wife a lesser amount as well. 
After his weight loss, I thought he looked a little like a young Conan O'Brien. 
The article said they had millions of fans following their journey on TikTok. The article didn't really detail how they went about losing the weight, but apparently WLS was not involved. 
If not, I wish them the best at keeping it off, as we know the stats on doing that are not good .. 
btw, I tried Googling the article to link to it here, but couldn't find it, even on A.H./NBC's website. 
Frank talk about the DS / "All I ever wanted to be was thin, like that Rolling Stones dude ... "
HW/461 LW/251 GW/189 CW/274 (yep, a DS semi-failure - it happens :-( )
