So, I?ve posted in this group before about being uncertain about Bariatric surgery but knowing it?s a tool to literally save my life. I had an initial appointment booked with surgeon Dr. David Brandon Williams at Vanderbilt (where all my specialists are), but canceled it again (5th cancellation).

Well I?m back in the medical hospital again with erratic blood pressure, severe headaches due to my IIH, and off and on chest pain and today the internal medicine doctor seeing me point blank said ?you?ve got to get this weight off you or you may not survive the full life you want to live. This weight is killing you?.

So I?ve rebooked the appointment and it?s on 9/18. I?ve got to do it, no matter what.

I?m almost 33, 5?1? 271 pounds, BMI of 51.2, (I?ve gained about 5 pounds in 2 weeks).

My current co morbid conditions are Right Heart Strain/Heart Failure (just diagnosed), labile hypertension, severely high cholesterol and triglycerides, fatty liver disease, Type II Diabetes that is not well controlled, past history of PE, Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension, widespread arthritis, frequent shortness of breath, Sleep Apnea, PCOS.

My mom died at 50 of a massive heart attack and lung failure, maternal grandfather passed at 76 of a massive heart attack. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension run rampant in my family.

I don?t want to be next in the line of deaths in my family due to weight related conditions. So I?m finally ready to start this.

Hi friends, I was in this group, then I left it. I had my initial appointments scheduled with my surgeon, the dietician and my psych eval, had cleared things with insurance, then got really cold feet and decided I wasn't going through with it. Well this past week I had another new weight related health diagnosis that shouldn't be something a 31 year old should be diagnosed with, my weight is still climbing, got told by two different doctors they won't treat my pain because it's my weight causing the pain, so I've emailed my coordinator at Dr. Houston's office and plan on calling Monday to get appointments back on the schedule.

I guess I just need some reassurance that it's ok to go back and forth with commitment in the beginning?

After waiting forever,, health declines, weight gain, progressing toward my fear weight of 300+, (currently 272 pounds, 5'1" BMI 52.4), I have my first appointments with my hopeful Bariatric team on Monday!!!

Well, I've hit a little bit of a bump in the road.

The appointment I had with the WLS surgeon on the 25th had to be canceled as that particular clinic is out of network with my insurance, but they didn't tell me until 2 days ago.

I immediately reached out to another clinic and they ARE confirmed to be in network. They explained the steps required by my insurance.

First they requested records from my PCP yesterday. Once those are received, they'll schedule a consultation with their WLS, then I'll have to have a psych eval and a nutrition assessment.

So the process is slowed down a little, but I'm determined to make this happen.

Question for those further along...what have been some of your "non scale" victories or changes?

Things I'm hoping improve with surgery include things like mobility. At 31, I'm having to rely on a walker to get around. I can't climb stairs or walk more than 5 minutes without being winded. I can't bend over to tie my shoes or put on socks. My back and joints hurt all the time. I'm on an extensive medication regime and see many specialists just to stay alive.

And of course there's the more concrete medical things, like having sugars that never drop below the 150s, body being more acidotic, rapidly climbing lipid levels, angina and chest pain, and my extremely high BP that seems to be resistant to meds, climbing risk of cardiac events...plus things like not being able to fit in public places that normal size people don't struggle with...

I'm just so hopeless and sick of this life and am ready to commit to life style changes before during and after the surgery process to start living a new whole life with a much healthier self.

I've been overweight my whole life. I tipped past 150 before I turned 18 and I remember the pediatrician raising major concerns to my mom about my weight, but because she too was immensely obese and didn't do anything about it, my weight continued to climb even as a kid. I think the last time i was in a normal weight range was when I was a very young kid...

Thank you for that resource!

I am ready to make a change. This has gotten me to a really dark place and I need the help.

I think I've hit my rock bottom with my weight and the life I'm living...at 31, I'm slowly killing my self with food and that's shaken me.

My recent ER visits with cardiac / stroke concerns have really shaken me. They've been wake up calls, honestly.

Just last night I was back in the ER with a diagnosis of a pulmonary embolism so now I'm on blood thinners on top of my already lengthy medication regime for all of my illnesses. At arrival to the ER my BP was 178/108 and a heart rate of 137. This is with anti hypertensive / arrhythmic meds already on board.

I can barely walk without getting totally winded, constantly in pain, labs getting worse and worse...it's time for change.