Well I think I am gonna take the plunge

I am 45 years old, 5 ft tall and 230 lbs. I have a pacemaker, diabetes, reflux, diverticulitis and now worst of all....severe liver disease. I have battled this for years. My gastro doc says diet and excercise will work! HA if that were true for me I would not be in this situation. My family physician is on the fence. She did say it is my decision so witha a BMI of 44 I should qualify with BC/BS. I live in Jupiter Fla and the only bariatric surgeon is not on the plan so I am setting an appt to go to Cleveland Clinic in Weston, FL. My family is behind me 100% and just told me to do this for the right reasons. The liver thing was the icing on the cake!I want to grow old with my hubby and since I now have my first granchild and one on the way, I want to live to see them grow up. Any words of wisdom will be appreciated as I am still scared about the post op part. Thanks Donna Klaassen [email protected]

while making my decison i saw a theerapist and went to OA, a twelve step program just like AA. these two elements helped me come tothe conclusion this wwas the right thing for me. i would suggest you start a food/diet history. chances are your insurance willl ask you for it.. mine really helped me to see what and how food and diets have hurt me and my enjoyment of life. good luck and i will pray for you to make the right decison for you...florence

Hi Donna- Congrats on this life-changing decision!!! I had my surgery in November and am almost down 100 lbs! I had (notice I said 'HAD'!!!) diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, GERD, degenerative disk disease, high cholesterol, and cirrhosis from fatty liver. Now, my liver tests are all normal, no more insulin or high blood pressure meds -- actually, no more meds at all (except hormones!). I had ONE minute where I said to myself 'what have I done??' and felt a little sorry for myself and that was when I was in the hospital on day 2. Since then, it has been nothing but a blessing. The post op part really isn't as hard as you think -- afterall, you really can't do too much. I would say that the hardest part is the head hunger. If you can get a good grip on that - you won't have any problems. Good luck with your journey!! Linda in Jacksonville