Feeling surreal

 Hello - just checking in after lurking a few days.

I was curious if anyone could relate to the surreal feeling of coming across this board, learning about WLS for the first time, and then suddenly wanting to know EVERYTHING about it and realizing this is probably something you want to pursue, all within a week?

Last Thursday my doctor referred me to get an endoscopy for stomach plains I have been having, and she told me I needed to realize that my weight was almost certainly contributing to the problems I have been having.  I came home and began looking for new ideas, as I have been a believer in the Weigh****cher healthy eating plans, but have never been able to stick with them long enough to lose more than 15 pounds.  WLS was not even on my radar.

Then I found this board and began reading your stories and seeing your pictures, and I am so inspired!  I already made an appointment to meet a local surgeon who was recommended on this website in a few weeks to learn more about him and the surgical options (although I am paticularly interested in VSG) and am thinking I should also check out some free information seminars being offered by other surgeons in the next few weeks.  So one week ago I hadn't even thought about WLS, and now I'm making appointments!  That's the surreal part!!!!!!!!

I don't want to rush into anything, but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes that after 20 years of trying every diet- and exercise-based program that I could find without long-term success, maybe it's ok to get this kind of help.

It happened pretty quick for me, just two monthes ago I was surfing accross this site and decided to see if my insurance would cover the surgery, well turned out they did, and I went to a seminar scheduled a date due to my insurance approval, and here I  am one month post op today and twenty something pounds less.

I was a sponge for info the first few weeks (heck, months.. scratch that, still am) and I "signed up" the day I decided to really do this thing - Valentines Day! No relation (not a chocoholic or anything!).. but yep, I was on here all the time.. and still am some days, just soaking in all the info. It was a light switch type moment for me too, I just realized I couldn't do it again on my own, and certainly needed an extra hand to maintain.. the VSG just made sense to me, and fit my needs very well!

I was a naysayer (thought the mortality rate was high, many complications etc.) and then my sister in law had a roux and lost 150 lbs., is happy and healthy and has had no complications - she looks like she did in high school. That sent my whole family to the seminar.

One of the first things my surgeon spoke about at that seminar is the statistics regarding obesity and WL surgery - he said that the mortality rate is higher just sitting and doing nothing than to have a WL procedure. He also shared the long term success rates for surgical intervention with diet and exercise alone - which is pretty significant.

I have spent most of my life trying to get rid of the weight to no avail. I finally feel that there is light at the end of the tunnel for me - especially after attending the bariatric support group sessions and getting the chance to be around the folks who are years out - a wonderful group that is very inspiring.

As for rushing into anything - unless you are self pay it is a fairly long road to surgery - I went to that seminar last April and will be finishing up my final medical clearance stuff next month.

That's OK about the process taking some time.  I am a teacher, so I wouldn't be interested in scheduling anything until the summer for sure, which is why I decided to jump on the initial process right away.  If I decided to proceed and summer 2012 was too soon, that would be a bummer to have to wait an entire additional year, but from now until July would be ideal.

Okay to be honest, I have been thinking about this nonstop since my seminar on Sept 13th.  I await insurance approval.  Could even be today.  Once [if] that comes through, I will have my surgery date.  Good luck on your journey.

I totally understand what you are saying! To be truthful though, I first attended a weight loss seminar four years ago, but decided that the RNY was not for me...so last year I toyed with the lap band and made a call to the surgeon's office (so glad I didn't go that route now)...but I have had several specialists tell me over the last few years to have WLS...and then at the end of this summer I had my "lightbulb" moment - went to a seminar early September, and here I am preparing for surgery in two weeks. Since I found this website I have not been able to think of anything else...there is a wealth of information and I have "cut and pasted" recipes and before/after stories to reference and I am not sure if I would be actually planning the surgery without all the great people I have "met" here.

So, as far as finding this website and not being able to think of anything else, I totally get that...as someone else said though, depending on if you need insurance approval or not could delay it a bit for you...just keep reading and soaking it all in!

Best wishes to you!! 

 I am the same way! I started looking on this website, and now, the more I do, the more I feel like I can't wait. I was wanting to have a lap band done this past summer, but in May I was put in the hospital with a rare condition called Guillian Barre. I am over it now, has nothing to do with weight, has to do with the nervous system. Anyways, I am back on track with getting my insurance mess. I am fixing to submit all my stuff to insurance and just sit and wait. 

I was so angry for so long about getting this weird condition because I wanted to have surgery and keep thinking I could have been thin now!! but, I have now changed my mind from lap band to VSG. I am so excited that I didn't' have the lap band and I have found the sleeve! 

I am just like you because if I didn't have insurance, I would be there today having it done! The only reason I am waiting is because of insurance! 

Good luck to you! Here is to our new Journey!!!!

 i originally would never have considered weight loss surgery.  to me it was reserved for people who were morbidly obese.  then i realized, wait.  I was one of those people.  at 5'2 and 280 pounds, i was waiting for all those co-morbidities to take over me.  i have been on diets since i was 15 and spent the last 20 years trying to lose weight.  A friend/co-worker of mine had bypass surgery and lost 110 pounds.  I found myself staring at her and wanting to be her.  i decided to go to a seminar and look into it, and found out about the sleeve as a good option for me.  that was in march of 2011.  had surgery september 2011 and can't wait to see what the rest of my life is going to be like when i am actually able to live it.  i'm now 230 pounds and am so pleased with the results.  good for you for looking into it!