My name is Cheri.  I am 33 years old.  I have been overweight for a long time.  I have tried numerous diets with no relief.  I recently decided that I was going to do surgery to help me lose weight.  I just started the process for gastric bypass.  I originally spoke with the surgeon about having the lapband done but then after talking to several friends about the gastric bypass I decided that this was the route for me.  I am so scared, nervous and excited all in one.  I am looking to find a pen pal who either has had it done who can exchange their challenges or looking for someone who is getting it done.  Any and all help is appreciated!!!!!!

I have surgery on October 13th, 2010. I'd love having a pen pal whether they are pre or post op. I think that it would really help get me through this process a lot better :). So please add me, or message me. I'm up for getting to know anyone.

Hi Toni,

good luck with your surgery. I am hoping to have mine sometime in the next few weeks. Let me know how it goes when you get out of hospital.

Ann

Hi Loretta!

I would love to be pen pals with you. I am about to lose my support person and my family doesn't understand very well.  I also am trying to blog about it, that has helped.  I have a lot of online frends that are very supportive, but not at my house.  Where in NJ are you?  I am in Ocean County.  My email is [email protected], my yahoo messenger name is the same, email me anytime, I am home a lot.

Darlene

Thank you so much for replying! It's great to talk to someone who has as much weight to lose as I do - it feels overwhelming but I truly believe I can do it. Let me tell you just a brief bit about my situation. I started the pre-op process in late July, so I am still in the process of taking care of all the pre-surgery appts and losing the 10% of weight I need to lose before surgery. I have taken care of many of the appointments but still have some biggies to do - at my age they require cancer screenings and I have to have a colonoscopy, mammogram and papsmear along with all the routine appts everyone has to do. I just had the papsmear last week, my mammogram is next week and I am waiting to hear from my Dr.as to the date for the colonoscopy. I also have to be cleared by a cardiologist - I believe I have to have a stress test. My sleep study is next week also to see if I have sleep apnea, and I meet with the surgeon next week too for the first time. I am a little scared but also excited to get on with things! I have lost 20 of the 37 lbs I need to lose before surgery and just bought a recumbent bike for exercise. I have pretty bad arthritis in my knees making most exercise very difficult - stationery biking is the one thing I CAN do for now so that's what I'm doing for exercise. Boy am I ever out of shape!!
As far as what kind of surgery I am having, I am not sure yet. I want either a bypass or duodenal switch but my insurance only covers the lap band. Everyone I've seen so far (all the doctors) have said I would not be successful with the band because of the amount of weight I need to lose and my age. I know when the Dr. gives me a date and submits for approval from the insurance co for the bypass or DS it is going to be denied, so then we are going to appeal. The Drs and the HR person where I work are already gearing up for the appeal - but I know how insurance co's are - heck, they sometimes even deny cancer patients the treatment they need so I am not holding my breath in the hopes of winning the appeal, but I AM going to give it one heck of a fight !!  I was going to go ahead and get the band if it comes down to that being my only choice but now I'm not so sure. I have been researching, asking a lot of questions and getting ALOT of negative feedback about the band. Now I am not so sure I want to put myself thru that surgery and have the out of pocket expenses I will incur for something that I really don't want and don't feel I will be successful with. So I am not exactly sure what is going to happen at this point. I should be done with all my pre-op appointments in early Oct - then the Dr. will sbmit for the surgery and we'll get the denial and then the appeal process will begin. I figure I should have a final decision in late Oct. or early Nov. and then I'll know what route I am going.
How about you? Where are you in the process and which surgery are you having, or have had? It is wonderful that you are doing this while you are young - I wish I had done it a few years ago when I first started looking in to it but it scared me too much. I was about 320 when I went to my first info meeting 3 years ago and I walked away thinking "Nah, I can do it myself" but all I managed to do myself was gain another 50 lbs! It was an intervention with my kids a couple of months ago that finally got me to make the decision to do this - that and how impossibly uncomfortable and restrictive my life has become with all this weight on me. Heck - not to sound rude but I can't even wipe my butt with out doing acrobatics to reach it!!  I can't live this way anymore! So I pray I do get approved for either the bypass or the DS - if not I will have a hard decision to make as to whether to get banded or not.
My regular email address is [email protected] - please feel free to write to me there as well as on here. My name is Catherine. I do so appreciate your reply and hope we can be of support to each other throughout this journey - not just the surgery and weight loss but KEEPING IT OFF. I tend to be a food-a-holic and worry a lot that I will be one of those people that gain the weight back, but I am working really hard to incorporate the lifestyle changes NOW that I know I will need to make after surgery. And I am working hard to turn my thought processes around to a more positive outlook and belief in myself. So, if, after all this rambling you would still like to be penpals, please write! I look forward to hearing from you soon, Catherine