On my way to a new me... - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

buddy67217 · 10-30-2008, 02:39 PM

Thats right folks, I decided about a little over a year ago that it was time to get my life back. I am 37years old, married to a very active 42 year old, that I have to remind constantly he is not 16 anymore, and I have a 16 almost 17 year old daughter that is also very active in everything. I am tired of being reminded of my weight everyday, whether it be from, the stares, being out of breathe getting dressed, getting in a very uncomfortable car with seatbelt issues, or just seeing my reflection in the mirror. I am 5'6", 263lbs and take approx. 10 to 17 pills for various reasons daily for everything else thats wrong with me(blood pressure, thyroid, depression, hormones and etc) and Iam tired of being tired!! So I talked to friends, family (mostly friends), and decided I was ready for a real change so I joined a local weight loss program, Solutions for Life, and that is where my story to gastric bypass surgery started. I started their classes at the first of the year, met all the requirements they gave me to do, met the therapists, the nutrionist, fought with insurance for what seemed like forever, and finally met with the surgeon, Dr. Dort, on October 20th and have gotten my surgery date scheduled for December 8th of this year. I am super excited, yet scared as well!! I am excited for many reasons, want to be healthier, more of a participant then a sideliner, a most of all able to keep up with my family!!! The weight loss is an extra huge bonus!!! The fear I have is the unknown, the what if's, the am I strong enough to do this, I think I am but again doubt myself a little. I also need help with understanding my medications, what do I stop taking now, what will I be able to take after surgery, I don't want to change the depressants I am currently taking but they aren't offered in liquid; What about my birth control? I do not want off of it either? Food, does the desire or the so called "need" for food go away; Does the emotional crutch for food go away?? What in the world will I eat? are there special cookbooks out there for people who normally don't go near a kitchen, that is to cook anyway? So see, I have a lot of questions I still need answered, so any help you guys can give me would be great!! I have been all over the internet, I even went to the book store (Barnes and Noble) and they didn't carry anything, I checked our local library as well, and they had to special order some books, so who knows how long that will take. So if I haven't lost you all with such a long post, of complete dull reading material, I would appreciate any help you can give me.

cnc904 · 10-30-2008, 06:21 PM

Buddy,
Congrats on starting this new phase of your life, you're in for a wild ride! It's incredible that you got a surgery date so quickly too.
I had the surgery 7 months ago and I'm down 79lbs as of today. It's the best thing I ever did for myself.It's not always easy but so worth it! I've been very fortunate so far,I haven't even experienced the dreaded dumping syndrome yet.
I'm not much of a cook either but after the 1st couple months it's not so hard to figure out what to eat because there's less restrictions.
Good luck to you.
P.S. feel free to PM me any questions you may have
Chrissie

Phoenixfire · 10-30-2008, 09:27 PM

Congrats on a big step and don't worry, you'll find more information on the posts here than any library or bookstore can offer you.

Don't take it personally if all of your questions aren't answered in your thread here, so I'll suggest you try what I did. Just go and read read read the forum posts from all these years. You can search for any topic and you'll find A TON of information. Glad you found the forum and you've got time to study!

As far as the anti-depressants and birth control, those are small pills in my experience. See your docs well before surgery and address the pill size with them. You can take small pills after surgery. I did. You'll need to address the anti-depressant medication issue especially because some pills are long-acting. Your psychiatrist is the one to see about this, AND talk to the surgeon's office for more information because some psych docs don't know much about WLS.

Skinny Boy · 10-30-2008, 10:23 PM

Welcome to the Forum. This is a great source of lots of information.

What I have found from my WLS is that I have been given a great tool, it has been an experience in learning what I can and cannot eat and tolerate. Just be careful, it is still easy to abuse the tool you have been given, old eating habits must change or you can make your tool not function for you.

There are lots of things you will experience, but I guess one of the major things I have had to experience is being able to eat out in public, as I travel for work and meet with vendors and suppliers periodically.

Hope everything continues on a great path for you and congrats on your upcoming surgery date.

jerseygrl684 · 10-30-2008, 10:28 PM

If you are looking for a read, try Weight Loss Surgery for dummies, still to this day I read it, though i feel there should be a section for complications, because it doesss happen.

Congrats on taking the first step, it isn't easy, but trust me it is a great decision you made, this is a big family here, and we are all here to support you.

sassy37 · 10-31-2008, 01:46 AM

Congrats and best wishes in your new journey & life ....
x

mlquilts · 10-31-2008, 07:43 AM

Hey Buddy,

Congrats on getting your date! I'm having my GBS on the same day, plus I'm around the same height and weight. I would love to keep in touch during our journey. Send me a PM if you would like to compare notes as we go along.

I have found this site to be very informative, and as PhoenixFire said, just read, read, read. I have been reading anything and everything I can find on this site.

Good luck and I hope to hear from you.

Lou Ann