My 60th Birthday Present to Myself-Getting Healthy. Grand Rapids, MI

I too, will be 60 years old in 2015. I made the decision about a month ago to have the Gastric Sleeve done. My insurance has a 6 month waiting period with a lot of classes during those 6 mos. My 6 mo. started on the 11th of this month.. so I figure I am looking at May for the surgery. I , like you , suffer from HBP, Pre Diabetic, varicose veins, depression, sleep apnea and acid re flux, and from there I can't remember the other symptoms i have.. Since I decided to have the surgery I think I have gained 20lbs onn top of my small short frame... well you get the picture. I am excited about the surgery and know that after I see the surgeon next week and start my nutrition classes I will be a much happier person. I know it is not going to be easy but I have to do something just to feel better. Look forward to your seeing how you do on your journey since it appears you and i will be on the same trail. :) Good Luck! Keep Me posted.

Hello. I'm a 58-year-old woman who has been overweight all of her life. I currently have high BP, sleep apnea (on a CPAP machine), high cholesterol, diabetes (at one time was taking 5 shots a day), Trulicity shots once a week as well as being on an oral med. I am in constant pain all over my body (fibromyalgia) and my knees are shot. The orthopedic doctor told me I have bone-on-bone arthritis. I can barely walk anymore and my husband has to drive me everywhere. I have to ride in electric carts in the stores. Plus I've already had major back surgery from blowing out a disk in my back which I'm sure was also attributed to my weight. So as you can see, I am a MAJOR candidate for weight loss surgery. Up until now, I have always made excuses for my weight and basically just took a pill, shot, or whatever to get by. My quality of life is horrible at this point. I am WAY too young to be having all of these medical issues. After I saw the orthopedic physician, he suggestion was to lose weight as that would take a lot of the stress off of my knees. Previously I was single, on disability and had no insurance other than Medicare so they would not pay for the surgery. I am currently married now to a wonderful man who has really good insurance. I have been debating this surgery for years now and have finally decided to take the plunge, mainly for my health sake. My husband wants me around for years to come and I know that wouldn't happen unless I had this surgery. I have been going through all the insurance "hoops" and I finally got a scheduled date for my surgery. It is scheduled for January 23. I am excited but also a bit scared too, as I have always been overweight my whole life and this will be a whole lifestyle change for me. I am currently 5'3" and 260 pounds. My surgeon anticipates that I will probably lose about 100 pounds after the surgery. I am just scared that after I go through all of this, I'm going to put the weight back on. I do attend a support group that is offered through my surgeon's office which helps tremendously. I also have my husband who is my support system. I have met naysayers who tell me horror stories about people they know who have had the surgery and something bad happened. But I have also met a lot of people who tell me positive stories about people they know who have had the surgery and kept the weight off. So I try and focus on that. My only thought is after I have the surgery and lose all the weight, I probably will look like a hot mess with all the sagging skin. I have already talked to my surgeon about this and he said I may need a tummy tuck and other body contour surgery (which isn't covered by insurance). So I guess I'd better start saving my pennies now. I have heard that is a pretty rough surgery. If any others out there have had removal of extra skin after weight loss surgery, please post your experiences .... good or bad. I am currently taking it day by day and have started a diet and lost 10 pounds so far. The surgeon wanted me to lose 13 pounds before my surgery so I have 3 more pounds to go. I hope all goes well with my surgery and I definitely will be posting my "journey" as I go along.

Good luck. I'm sixty five and am just waiting for clearance. Hopefully gastric bypass will happen in a few weeks! God Bless and take care of you!

Welcome and thanks for sharing your journey with us!

Good luck with the seminar, I hope it goes well! Please do let us know how you get on. I'll send you a PM and help you with the photos.

God Be with you at all times due this gastri sleeve, my cousin did 6 months ago and lost about 50 pounds, you going to be fine. keep us update and thank you for share your experiences with us.

My name is Mari...

you sound like a beautiful lady. love your attitude. good luck with you journey.