Up up and away in my beautiful (gastric) balloon!

[novamay]

Went to my psychologist appointment on Friday. He does not recommend that I have the bypass (yet/ever???), but rather take a 'staged approach' - which basically means more counselling to help with emotional overeating and perhaps a gastric balloon to see how I cope emotionally with food restriction.

I don't know if I can face more counselling - I was totally drained after the session on Friday and have been in tears most of the weekend when I think about it.

I don't quite know how I feel about things now. I'm fed up with being encouraged by one person but then being told 'no' by another! I am thinking of just forgetting about the surgery altogether and going it alone - doing what I have been doing since Jan to reach my wl target.

I don't think that the surgery is going to happen for me at all.

:cry:

 

[Big an Bouncy]

Nova the balloon is something some surgeons use to reduce your weight to a safe level before bypass surgery.Please dont feel discouraged,do what they ask.Im sure you will be fine!

 

[Fuffs]

Good luck with this journey. Even though things look a little better for me, my gut instinct also is that I will have to go it alone.

I think I would have a balloon if it was offered. It would be a great jump start and would get you used to eating with restriction.

Please keep your eyes on the prize and keep talking to us on here.

Counselling is always hard at first. But after session 2 or 3 feels great (if you click with your counsellor)

Good luck chick!

 

[novamay]

Thanks for the comments ladies. I feel a little bit better now that I’ve calmed down and stopped obsessing and have accepted that the road ahead won’t be as smooth as I’d anticipated. I have different needs to other people, just as there will be others who have more complex needs than I do. No two journeys will be the same I expect.

SRH have timescales in place as a guideline but obviously, not all cases will follow these timescales. Some people have had to wait longer than others – go down different routes (weight management/medication) prior to being accepted for surgery. Some people do not get the option to have surgery at all.

I got myself upset because no-one mentioned that there was a possibility of not having surgery at this stage - I had met the weight loss target (I explained that I find it really difficult to lose weight after all the yo-yoing that I've done over the years) and I was really surprised that I'd exceeded the 5kg target; the sleep apnea test was in the bag and I was due to see the psychologist the same week. So, yes, I was really disappointed after all my efforts to be turned away... at least that's how it sounded to me!

I am not going to bite the hand that feeds me; I won’t tell them to stuff it. I am also not going to ‘go off on one’ and put on the weight that I have already lost by reacting how I would typically react – overeating and going back to old habits. I am going to continue what I have been doing since January to meet my WL target – watching what I eat and particuarly portion sizes, and starting with a little exercise.

I'm also going to continue with the therapy - will need lots of tissues! I think a lot of things have built up over the years and I haven't known how to deal with them and I need to face them.

I'm trying to forget about timescales and waiting lists - hopefully when my turn comes I will be in a better position physically and mentally to deal with it.

I'm trying to get as much information on the balloon as I can - I've not researched it much in the past as I felt it was dismissed as not working too well, but I have found a bit of info that it can work well - if you work with it. Again, there hadn't been any mention at 1st appointment that this could be a possibility due to my size. If anyone on this forum has experience of the balloon I'd be grateful if they could let me know how it went for them.

Sorry that this is a long post - I could go on and on...!

 

[Fuffs]

Sounds like your focus is defo in the right place. You are taking this as well as you can. Well done and please keep us informed