18 and booked my first appointment

Hi everyone =]
unfortunately I don't yet have my date set but I have my second appointment with the surgeon next week. I have to go back to dietician this friday and have the psychologist tomorrow. I'm off to the doctors this morning after getting blood test results back on friday finding out I have an iron deficiency.. -__- yaaaaaaay.... but oh well hopefully we can get it fixed and I wont feel tired all the time =]

@crisalida - thanks for the support! I have not yet had my sleeve op yet unfortunately but I hope I'm not too far off. I totally agree with it being no ones business. Unfortunately for me though my friends and I arent the type to go out to bars and clubs its normally sit down meals.. but I don't really get to do that too often anyway so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Thanks for the allergy tip though =] I'm betting on using that enough times when I have to.

Well off I go to the doctors,
bye for now =]

Congrats on getting your sleeve done.

Good luck gretchen!

As far as telling friends, I see it as no ones business at all. If you are at a lot of social functions just always have a drink in your hand even if it is just water and if you are out at dinner, go for the soups :)

At your age, I imagine most social functions are more of the party atmosphere and not big sit down meals so you should be able to hide it well enough. If anyone tries to co-erce you to eat something you know you will find difficult and you don't want to tell them about your surgery, just say that you have an allergy or intolerance to whatever it is lol.. works for me :)

Ooh I only just saw this! Thanks LittleMissCee, I'm feeling heaps better...very much over the 'oh my god what have I done' stage and feeling lots more positive.

That's so great about the referral Gretchen! Have you got a date yet?

Congrats Gretchen on getting your referral!

heartonmysleeve - also a big congrats to you... I hope you're feeling better soon :)

Wow congrats!!!!! hope things start looking up for you soon!! keep me posted! really want to hear how it goes =] hows the food situation going??

One more week until my first appointment ^o^

Well I'm 'sleeved'! Haven't wanted to post anything cos I've been feeling really crap. Started to feel better but I had my last 'good' (haha) painkillers last night and I'm feeling pretty crappy today.

Great that you got your referral, Gretchen!

Congrats Gretchen! Now you can get the ball rolling.

Best of luck with everything!!

Emma :)

Just letting everyone know that I went to my new GP this arvo and got my referral!!!!!!!! YAY!! such a lovely GP will definately be going to her as my regular GP from now on =]

So your sleeve is tomorrow?? good luck! and try and have some fun hahaha if that's even possible >< Haven't heard of ASOS.. but i'll definately google it! ^^

Have my appointment with the new GP tomorrow to get the referral =] fingers crossed all goes well!
My mum had her band removed today! and in comparison to when it was put in.. she's fantastic! not getting sick or anything =]

Gretchen
Sorry for the late reply, I've just been stressing about tomorrow a bit :/
I'm 164cm, so short haha. Ugh yeah I know what you mean about bigger clothes. I guess cos I'm short I'm lucky cos I still fit into 'standard sizes' but I'm definitely pushing it...a few more kilos and I wouldn't know where to shop. Big City Chic et al all sell such horrendous clothes. I mostly shop online to avoid the whole experience haha. One thing I would recommend if you're struggling with finding nice clothes is ASOS. If you haven;t already heard of it, they sell lots of different brands just in standard sizes but they also have their own brand which is really lovely and it has a section called ASOS Curve which goes up to a size 26. It's not overly expensive and it has free shipping to Australia :)

Isis
Thanks for the advice! Maybe I'll reconsider my decision once some of the weight has come off and I'm feeling more comfortable with everything. You've lost such an incredible amount of weight. Do you have any regrets about having the surgery done?

LittleMissCee
Well done! You must be feeling amazing! That's good that so many people have been so supportive. Gotta love the footballer brother...similar sentiments from my ex-ballerina sister haha (who eats a big mac meal every day, but that's another story). Has it been a difficult adjustment? I had my final appointment with my surgeon yesterday and he kind of freaked me out with going on about how difficult it's going to be...I had to sign all these forms saying I understand this is going to be really hard and won't blame my surgeon, and other stuff to that effect haha.

haha! should have tried that with my first GP!!

Good luck with the new GP... Put your foot down & refuse to leave without a referral!

I think that is one thing I'd miss (probably not the right use of words) having friends come and visit me in hospital.. but I'm happy just to have my parents =]

Also letting everyone know that after beind denied by my GP for a referral I've booked in to see a new GP this friday! fingers crossed >< will let everyone know how it goes!

In time, you'll get past the size issue, and you'll be proud of how far you've come...

I was the exact same.. Hated talking about my weight, size, etc. Always changed the subject... But then everything changed when I had a baby, and I guess you just, well, get over it. (I mean that in the NICEST way possible of course!)

Everyone in here is a GREAT support, and always will be. I was glad mostly that I told people, and had them come visit while I was in hospital.. It was very much appreciated, and brightened up my day heaps.

Thanks for the response LittleMissCee =]
It's not that I'm embarrassed about having the surgery itself its just the whole idea of talking about anything to do with my size that I find embarrassing >< If one of my friends ever said something about wanting to get a sleeve done or what ever I'd tell them then but i don't know how many people I could trust to keep it a secret anyway.. haha. I might re-think not telling anyone once I've been sleeved but as far as pre-op support goes this forum is just fantastic so I don't really feel I need to tell a friend yet just to get support, especially when I don't think any of them have heard of anything like this hahaha but then again maybe they're keeping secrets like me ^__~

Welcome to the forum Gretchen & heartonmysleeve...

I just had a quick scan through your conversation (I almost felt like I was prying! lol).. I'm 23 & was sleeved just over 7 weeks ago & have lost nearly 17 kilos so far... For the weight I was (am) it's actually a really noticeable drop, as I've gone from being a size 18 - 20, to a size 16.. But my stomach & face (and chest) have slimmed out the most, so people that I've not seen in a little while, really do notice... So be prepared for all of that with your friends and family.

I originally wasn't going to tell anyone either, but I'm not ashamed of what I've had done (not saying either of you girls are), so I thought I may as well put it out there - I have had great reactions from pretty much everyone I've told. A lot of my friends are all "skinny minni's" too, and they are the most supportive I have found.

I can understand why you don't want to tell people, as you don't want to be judged.. But don't ever be ashamed or embarrassed about what you're getting done... While some friends will probably go WTF why? Why can't you just eat better & exercise more? (This is what came from my brother - a very vain, very fit, footballer lol) You will probably find a lot of your friends will go Oh wow, that's fantastic.. Good on you! A lot of them don't even know what it is, so if you do decide to tell people, and you get a slightly mixed reaction, try explaining the surgery to them, and what it's going to do for you.

Good luck to both of you :)

heartonmysleeve.m55
I'm not sure what a good goal for me would be yet, I just know what I'd like to be... How tall are you? I can't specifically remember the ages I was at when I was getting overly p***ed at myself for weighing so much more than my friends... I just sucked haha
50% of excess weight? I want to weigh 50% of what I am all together hahaha!

It's lucky that you have those clothes already that you want to get into =]
Over my years (haha makes me sound old) I just get rid of the clothes that can't fit because I found it just depressing.. now I wish I had kept a couple of shirts or something.. I'm not really sure what I'm looking for as a reward shirt.. I'd just like something normal for everyday use =] Awesome having friends on the "in" to get discounts :P hahaha I currently shop at "Be Me" and rarely I'll be able to find a few pieces of clothing in places like target, kmart, best & less, big w, etc... but have you noticed that those sections, over time just keep getting smaller and smaller o_O and all the clothes they sell in those sections are getting uglier and uglier... why can't they just have all the same shirts and stuff but make them in every size??? I'd pay extra if I had to because most places with clothes in my size range (20 - 22) are all clothes for older people! I've been thinking about making my own clothes for ages... I'd love to get a shirt from somewhere I dunno maybe one from Jeans west or something like that =] what about you? where do you normally get clothes from??



Isis
Don't worry you're not too old ^__~ it's just good to get some feedback =]
That's what I'm worried about.. If I knew all my friends would be ok with it I'd tell all of them but I'm just not sure so I'd just rather not tell any.. =/

Quote :

My flatmates in particular thought i had gone anorexic and got all worried about me.

That's what I'm worried about o_O but I suppose maybe I don't see my friends often enough for them to notice my odd eating patterns... hahaha
Thanks for the reply Isis! =]

Hey guys, I'm 'old' but been reading this anyway :) It's interesting to see people's decisions about telling their friends. I told my closest friends and received mixed responses - some really positive and others who disapprove and change the subject whenever it comes up. I didn't tell my other friends and yes, it was kinda hard to eat around them. My flatmates in particular thought i had gone anorexic and got all worried about me. The thing is, I was happy and healthy and had tons of energy so eventually they stopped worrying, especially once i started eating more normally. It's your decision, so tell who you want to - you might be surprised and find that afterwards you want to tell your bestie.



Anyway, good luck with your journey!
Isis xo

65kg is a really good goal! Especially cos you're so tall...you'd be so skinny haha. My weight has bounced around heaps...I was 68kg by the time I was 13 but then I managed to get it back down to 55kg and stay there until I was 17...since then it's just gone up and up (I've probably lost 5kg and gained 10kg about 10 times haha). I'd like to be 55kg again...I wasn't happy with it at the time but I think this time around I would definitely appreciate it more this time. The surgeon said I should get down to 65kg with the sleeve and anything below 65kg would have to be big lifestyle changes on my part, not something that the sleeve could do for me. The other surgeon I saw said the standard formula is 50% of your excess body weight...so if I'm 20kg overweight then I'll lose 10kg....I didn't like that calculation so much haha that's like $500 a kilo (to put it in my poor student frame of mind).

In terms of rewards, I don't think I'll be buying stuff for a while...I've been in a bit of denial about my weight so I don't have many things that fit properly. I'm just looking forward to getting into some of my favourite clothes that haven't fit for a while. Two things that come to mind are buying some sleeveless tops and not being terrified to take my cardigan off when I'm wearing them, and going for a shopping spree at American A*parel (apparently putting the star in stops it from coming up in google or something...I really hope so)...my friend works there and she said I can use her discount but most of their stuff either doesn't fit or looks atrocious. Where do you shop at the moment/where would you like to be able to shop?

wow! really? that's great to hear hahaha nice random guy ^__~
but yeah i know exactly what you mean about the whole is he being dared thing.. I don't think at this size I could ever take any guy seriously for the fear that they're doing it for fun..
I had to do 2 weeks clinical in a nursing home a week ago (I'm a nursing student) and to avoid people wondering what the hells wrong with me I made sure I took heaps of fruit with me, of course I love fruit but you end up wondering if the others are thinking "I bet that fat girl's just putting on a show" -___- sucks so much..
well I started putting on weight when I was in about grade 6 or 7 and it just increased from their.. and it never went down far enough for there to be much of a difference and it never stayed down more than a week or so anyway..
Honestly with the goal weight I'd love to be 65kg that may be unrealistic but that's still what I want to be.. but any weight loss would be fantastic! I already tried to make a weight loss ticker thingo but I think you have to be a member for 7 days before you can make one... -__- lame haha
Have you thought anything about a goal weight you'd like to be? I don't really think there is a problem with a personal goal.. before you even talk to the surgeon haha but then again I don't want to get too disappointed either
what ideas have you thought of as like a reward or such?
I've been thinking that when I get the sleeve I'll buy a shirt that's 1 size smaller than I am now and then go on from there =] can't wait to start buying normal sized clothes ^^

Gretchen wrote:

you can tell that they aren't wolf whistling because you're hot!

Haha yes so true! This guy came up to me in the street yesterday and asked for my number and I felt sick because I was so sure that it was a dare or something there would be a group of his friends pissing themselves laughing somewhere in the background. He texted me later and it turns out he was genuinely interested but I can't wait to get out of the mindset that whenever someone is looking at you it's because you're fat!
I have worked in places that sell food and I feel like you're under extra scrutiny because of it...like if you work an 8 hour shift it's reasonable to get hungry at some point but you don't want to say anything because it's like 'oh well of course YOU would be hungry'...one place I worked I made a point of only eating salads during my shifts but this woman that was obsessed with weight was like to me 'oh you're hopeless, you're always eating' ARGH you can't win.
I was just wondering, if you don't mind me asking, how has your weight changed over your teens? Like, were you ever a weight you were happy with, has it fluctuated heaps or just steadily increased? If it ever went down, did you feel better about yourself? Do you have a goal weight in mind? I want to make one of those weight loss ticker things that everyone has but it seems like it might be jumping the gun a bit haha

"I don't think you could say bariatric surgery is particularly 'sexy' haha" made me laugh so much! hahaha!!! very true though and I suppose it would be weird if your partner didn't have a problem with you doing a surgery like this, but even better that he'll support you through anything! Yeah I agree that if having bariatric sugery was a relationship breaker they're obviously not in love with me enough to love everything about me.. haha ^__~
I've never really had the out in public but I have at school and all that, like somtimes they don't even mention the weight but you can tell that they aren't wolf whistling because you're hot! people say to walk and ignore.. well it would feel just so much better to go give them a piece of my mind ^__^ and a lot of time I've found that I'd rather not tell people about where I work (I work in a bakery) because I can just imagine what they'd think.. people alwas ask when they find out "do you get to take stuff home free??" "I'd love to work in a bakery, but i'd eat too much" wow -___- well atleast I can say that I don't really like all that much from bakeries but it sure doesn't look like I don't... Have you ever worked in a place that sells food?
hopefully this whole surgery will help you with your recovery!
I'm sure lots of people would think it's more rewarding if you pay for it yourself.. but for some that's still damn near impossible until they get a full time job.. wish i could say the same - "God if only I was thin I could strip to pay for it (joking!)" hahahaha!

I guess the phase where you can't eat solid foods will be the most obvious, but it only goes for a few weeks and you only see your friends every few weeks you could just say you haven't been well. Then, when you're onto solid foods I don't reckon it would be too obvious cos you'll still be able to eat a wide range of foods, just less. If they noticed I guess you could say you were just trying to eat healthily, if you felt comfortable with that?
My boyfriend isn't too keen on the surgery...he thinks its too permanent. I originally started by looking into the gastric balloon cos I didn't realise I fit the criteria for the band or sleeve, and he was much more supportive of that. Ultimately, he'll support me in whatever I choose to do. Honestly, though, if I thought I could have pulled it off I wouldn't have told him. It feels like a bit of a relationship killer, especially when he's so young too. I don't think you could say bariatric surgery is particularly 'sexy' haha. Although, I guess how I feel in my body at the moment isn't that great either, so it all evens out. If you get a boyfriend after surgery I don't think you have an obligation to tell them, unless you really wanted to. Although if they didn't agree to the point where it would cause them not to be in a relationship with you then perhaps you could use it as a good test for tolerance haha cos you ultimately want to date someone who respects your decisions.
I know how you feel about the siblings...my sister is an ex-ballerina who has never had a weight problem so she doesn't really get it. I feel like she probably looks down on me, she wouldn't say it though (probably only because my parents would kill her haha). That's so true about it being the first 'low blow' that people go for in an argument. I've had people scream at me about my weight on the streets on a night out, it's awful, and now whenever I see anyone I always get worried that they're going to say something offensive. Has that ever happened to you?
I would like to tell my best friend but it's hard because she's bulimic and I'm a recovering bulimic. I've been having counselling for years and I feel like this surgery is a step in the right direction, as does my surgeon, but she's more of a 'functioning bulimic', if you will, and although she means to be supportive she doesn't really get it.
My parents won't lend me the money because they think I'll appreciate it more if I have to pay for it myself...which is great in theory but it's sooo much money to come up with at once. God if only I was thin I could strip to pay for it (joking!)

Wow that's a lot of appts to get through in less than a month o_o but gives me hope that i can get through things quick. I have exams in the first 2 weeks of November than I'm going away for a week after that so I'm hoping there is still a possible chance of getting this done before the new year. Thanks for the heads up on the blood tests! hadn't thought of that.

I agree with "Personally, if I technically fit the criteria I don't think it's up to her to say I can't even have a conversation with someone" Why do I need a doctors permission?? I mean I can understand if I have any medical issues preventing a safe surgery but i'm the one getting the surgery not them, I want a say in this. Yeah I have my appointment with the surgeon at the end of the month =] He's a lovely man and he also said he doesn't have a problem with operating on 18 year olds =] Your first surgeons sounds rather.. odd haha glad your second surgeon is much better!

Good that you don't have to worry about what your friends will start thinking witht he food. ^_^ I'm not sure what my friends will think as I don't feel comfortable talking to them abot dieting (and I have both large and small friends) I wouldn't even go clothes shopping with friends because I'm too embarrassed (which I want to change!) I've had one friend before (average size, short) and my friends and I started getting a bit sus that she wasn't eating or when she did she'd go and throw it all up again... So what will the start thinking if I'm losing weight and I'm around them barely eating any food and only drinking water... =S

It's a good thing your boyfriend took time off for your birthday =] it means he can be there for you when you need him =] great support! What does he think about you getting the sleeve done? I'm only telling my parents, not even my siblings as they are rather fit and all that, I don't think they'd understand and as far as sibling go that are fit and they're not too nice when it comes to teasing and all that.. feel the love <3 but I suppose they only do that during fights because let's face it when big people get into fights what's the first low blow someones going to give them? and with friends once again i'd be far too embarrassed to tell them about any of this although I do feel bad about not telling my bestie.. but as she is around the same size as me im scared that i might lose her as a friend if i do something like this..
One thing I was thinking though as I've never had a boyfriend i wont have to keep it a secret from them.. but what happens if i start dating someone after surgery? Do i tell them straight away? do i wait until they see a picture of me when im huge and ask how i lost the weight..? what happens if they dont agree with it when i tell them? haha wow this is probably the only thing out of doing the whole surgery that im worried about :P

Don't worry about the whole possibility that a better weight loss method may be invented.. It's like "Don't buy that phone a better model will come out next year" and even if one does get invented hopefully our problem will be fixed by then so it wont matter anyway.

and for the paying of this - my parents will be paying for me as i'm not a millionaire :P but as soon as I finish university and get a full time job I will pay them back for this (another reason why I wouldn't tell my siblings.. I can imagine what they'd day "Did you pay for this?" "Are you going to pay them back?" "Get a second job and pay for it yourself.") I hope you can find enough money to pay for the rest of it! It's so expensive ='[ but remember! so is a funeral ><

Hey! Thanks for replying so quickly, I was kind of freaked out by writing all that down haha

Everything has moved really fast for me. I had my first appt in the last week of September, I had my nutritionist appt last week and then pyschologist and last appt next week. That's only because someone cancelled at the last minute and the practice manager was really accommodating...she didn't want me to be sick during my exams in November. I already had a whole bunch of blood tests done in anticipation for all of this so that sped things up (if you can get them when you get a referral for your GP I would recommend it...mine weren't WLS specific as such, just general bloods) but tbh I would have expected them to have done more tests. Oh well, it works for me!

Don't be disheartened by your GP! Some doctors are terrible with weight loss issues...especially if they haven't experience them themselves...I've heard the whole 'just go to the gym' thing before...umm, I've had a membership since I was 13, it's clearly not doing me much good anymore haha. The first GP I went and saw (I don't have a regular one because I've moved house so many times) refused to give me a referral because I 'wasn't big enough'. Personally, if I technically fit the criteria I don't think it's up to her to say I can't even have a conversation with someone! But, keep trying and there'll definitely be someone who will give you one! Have you already got an appointment with a surgeon? The first surgeon I saw wouldn't do anything for me (he basically said he wanted me to have diabetes and a walking stick before he would touch me...great preventative medicine right there) but the second one was really open to it.

I think I'm going to go with the whole 'gall bladder' thing too...or perhaps an ulcer or something haha. I don't imagine the food to be too much of a problem...they're used to me attempting wacky diets and if I'm lucky enough for anyone to notice my weight loss I wouldn't mind saying I've been on a diet/eating healthily. It is a pretty cool birthday present. Although my boyfriend took work off for my birthday...I don't think this is particularly what he envisaged. I hope it's not too much for him :/ Does anyone know apart from your parents? Would you consider telling anyone else at a later date?

That's so good that you don't drink...I wish I didn't, too many calories!

I agree with you about the risks...much more of a chance of dying from being overweight than the remote chance of complications from surgery (although the thought of a leak is pretty scary!). Also, I spent my teens unhappy with the way I looked, with my weight going up and down, so why waste our 20s being unhappy as well. The only things that worry me is that my surgeon said 'what if we invent some awesome weight loss surgery in the future and you've already permanently altered yourself?" and the fact that there isn't much long term data.

If you don't mind me asking, how are you planning on paying for this? Just interested because I know a lot of the older members probably have more means to pay for it. I'm paying part cash (my entire savings lol) and I was planning on paying part credit card but my application got rejected last week :( I know I can use Medicaid or something but their interest rate is ridiculous.

Good luck with finding a GP! Let me know how it goes :)