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The beginning- contacting a surgeon

I began researching weight loss surgery quite a few months ago. I was originally considering Lap Band (at the time, I only really knew about Lap Band and gastric bypass). After reading much info, talking to patients and doctors, and watching countless video blogs, I've decided VSG seems right for me- I like that it seems to have great results, relatively few complications, and it won't require an implanted band.   Of course I'm a bit nervous about this journey, but I believe the alternative (living fat and unhealthy) is worse than the struggles of weight loss surgery. I'm happy to say I have some great people supporting me- my husband, mother, great friends, and awesome coworkers/friends. Not everyone is fully supportive- in fact there has been a couple friends that I'm shocked don't agree with my decision for wls- shocking because they are over-weight also.   Today I finally had enough courage to phone a surgeon's office. I've decided on Dr. Borland in New Iberia, LA. Just making the initial phone call was such a relief. His staff seemed really nice- I answered a few health questions and she answered all of mine. Next step = saving cash. $$$. I'm a self-pay as my insurance pays for no wls. But that's okay. I plan on saving some and financing a little. Dr. Borland charges $9800 plus the preop tests and hotel stay- by far the most reasonable price in my area.   Right now, most of my anxiety is about paying for this surgery: will I be able to save quickly? Will I be able to get a loan? Will I miss much work? Will I be able to afford this as soon as I want it?... Hopefully everything works out well in that department!
Mrs.RRn

Mrs.RRn

1
 

Postop: Week 2

I wasn't expecting to write any type of entry for week two, but this week has a big impact on my thought process.   Losing 22lbs in week 1 was amazing. I felt great! On top of the world! Ready to jump-start my new life! ...And then, it stopped. On day #7 the scale stopped moving. Now, I've researched this surgery soooo much and knew this was very likely. It seems many people have a stall around week 2-3. I thought I was prepared for this strange phenomena... But I was wrong. I had so many doubts this week. Would I ever lose the weight? Am I doing everything I'm supposed to do? Did I just have surgery to lose 22lbs? It was a terrible week. And then I realized... This is completely normal. Not only not losing weight is normal, but also all these feeling are normal as well. It's easy to get discouraged when things don't go your way. It's easy to get angry or sad... But that's what this journey is about- it's about a fight to a better you. A physically better you AND an emotionally better you. It's about strength, determination, and learning. To all you who are discouraged and down this week, pick up the pieces and keep on keeping on. This is all part of your story- the ups AND the downs. There are many times we will feel this way, down and depressed, but we just have to pick ourselves up, dust off, sip some water, and walk it off.  
Mrs.RRn

Mrs.RRn

9
 

My First Week Postop

Wanted to share a rundown of my surgery day and 1st week Postop. I was sleeved on June 11, 2013. Here goes:   Surgery day!: the surgery itself went smoothly. No complaints or complications. When I woke up, I did experience some nausea. I also felt a little too sedated. My mind was like, "ok, Misty, you need to get up and walk." But my body was like, "F*** that." My mom and husband brought me to my very comfy hotel room and I was instructed to start sipping on water at 10pm. So, I did. And I vomited. I did have some mild pain, but I couldn't tolerate the pain medication (I couldn't tolerate the water). Recap of the day: pain- very mild. Nausea- holy hell.   Day 1: I continued with nausea until I hit the 24 hour mark. Then I was able to drink. Magic! The day's intake totaled 5oz, and I was super proud of that. On this day I met my new best friend = Gas X. I attribute the Gas X with me feeling so much better. Oh! And I was allowed to take a shower!! (A shower cures everything). That evening Dr. Borland came visit me, and gave me terrible news = no bowel sounds! Ahhh! Some people might be like, "so what?" But in my mind (my nurse mind) I pictured myself with an NG tube, large midline abdominal incision, and a colostomy. Ah! I took Phenergan that night, not for nausea, but for sleep.   Day 2: I was able to leave the hotel. Home sweet home! After the car ride, I did have some mild soreness and a little trickle of blood at the bellybutton site. No biggie. And on this day I learned the value of burping myself, yes, like a baby.   Day 3: ok, we talked about no bowel sounds- Since the doc told me that, my ridiculously obsessed self kept listening for my bowel sounds. And I had been hearing increased grumbling. Yay. And today??? A BM!! Yes, thank you, I was happy for myself too. Today I felt no pain or soreness. I walked to the mailbox a few times- I was afraid to leave my driveway. I had a total intake of 17.5 oz!   Day 4: Feeling good! Walked outside a little. No pain. Total intake of 19 oz (I felt like I pushed it too much). I was feeling much stronger until I had to wash my hair-- OMG!   Day 5: Felt great!!! I discovered today that my engagement ring no longer fits. but and I got 21oz in with no problem. And today, I ventured past the mailbox into the street!!!   Day 6: I woke up feeling weak. After thinking about it, I believe I was a little dehydrated. I actually slept late this day. So my observation= sleeping too much= not drinking= dehydration= weakness. I did some light housework, walked outside, had an all around good day once I caught up on my fluids. And I went on my first outing: Walmart to shop for thickened liquids: dear god that was exhausting. Lol   Day 7: I started my protein shakes! And vitamins!! After all that clear liquid, I was kinda excited for protein. Feeling strong! Feeling good! I went to my first Postop appointment. Lost 22lbs! Yay! I will see my doc again in 2 weeks. Oh, and I learned I love V8.   So that was the first seven days. Honestly, I thought I'd be worse. And with no pain medications, I felt like I did well.
Mrs.RRn

Mrs.RRn

10
 

Months 2 & 3

At 3 months out I have lost 62 lbs: Starting weight: 240 Current weight: 178   I still have quite a bit to go (as my height is 4' 11").   I'm so happy with this progress! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my sleeve. I've learned and lived through quite a bit in the last couple months....   THE GOOD:   - Doing 175 squats will not kill you - I can see my clavicles! (This was a very happy NSV for me) - Eating at restaurants and parties is more manageable than I thought (just remember: protein first) - While shopping one day, I looked down and realized I couldn't see my belly, just boobs - I reached my surgeons first goal on 7/22/13, which gave me even more motivation to keep on track - NSV: I can wrap a bath towel around me! - I entered ONEDERLAND on 7/31/13 - This, to me, is by far the most exciting... My resting heart rate went from 120's- 130's down to the 70's!!!   THE BAD   - "Hunger" during your time of the month: oh wow, I feel like a monster! Lol. Just a tip: don't weigh yourself during your period, it'll just lead to frustration that isn't needed!! - I've come to terms that negative people will be negative. No use in trying to please or understand these people.   THE UGLY   - CONSTIPATION... Def never had this as an issue before surgery. My norm before was a couple times a day. Now, a couple times a week. Um, ouch. But I recently starting taking Colace. Hopefully that'll help. - Hair loss: Ok, I knew hair loss is a side effect, and it usually happens around month 3 or 4, BUT I wasn't really prepared for what it'd actually look like... Like a horror movie! It's quite disturbing to look have hand- fulls of hair while washing it or to look down in the shower and have a hair ball the size of a chinchilla near your drain! I'm lucky I have such thick (and long) hair to begin with, which is why I think it looks so disturbing.   WHAT I'M DOING:   Well, what I'm supposed to be doing. Protein first, lots of water, low carbs, and exercising. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I find following this plan pretty simple. I don't feel deprived and I rarely feel hungry. It requires work, but the results are so worth the sacrifices. Just working towards and hoping for continued success!!!
Mrs.RRn

Mrs.RRn

3
 

1st appointment (Dr Borland)

I'm a little late sharing this, but I wanted to tell of my experience with my first appointment.   My first visit with Dr. Borland (New Iberia, LA) was on May 29th, 2013 @ 4pm. New Iberia is about 1.5 hours away from my home, and thankfully my mother was able to come to the appointment with me-- because after 1.5 hours of driving, I was a little bundle of nerves. Eek!   I checked in a few minutes before 4 pm. The receptionist was super sweet. Anyway, we waited for about an hour before getting called to the back where the nurse (Ms Marion, I believe) took my height, weight, and a small bit of medical history from me. She then talked to me about the preop diet (which I think is pretty lenient), postoperative diet, vitamins, protein (they suggests at least 60g/day), and expectations of the surgery. She also told me I would have to stay at least 2 nights in a nearby hotel so that Dr. Borland can keep an eye on me. I'm really happy to not have to stay in a hospital   Dr. Borland then came into the room and explained the procedure. Dr. Borland was really nice and had a great sense of humor. He put my mind at ease. He has been performing weight-loss surgeries since the 80's (I was born in the 80's!) He took his time and answered all our questions. My mother asked his mortality rate on this surgery ( absolutely HAD to know)- he said he lost just 1 patient... Not shabby.   After Dr. Borland spoke with us, his nurse came back in to discuss my date, preop requirements, and cost. I told her I wanted to schedule as soon as possible- which was June 11th. All of a sudden, I got light- headed and dizzy (LOL). She told me to have surgery on June 11th, I would have to get my lab work done the next day and pay the following day (I'm a self/cash pay). I got super nervous bc I knew I'd be working the next few nights, and I would have a difficult time fitting this into my schedule. It ended up all working out-- lab work, EKG, chest X-ray was all done the next day, and my dear sweet husband sent the payments (cashiers checks) on time.   The initial visit cost $200. The cashiers checks totaled $9600. And the preops were $270 ( which I thought was AWESOME).   Oh yeah, I was so excited when I left his office -- I turned down a one way street! And continued the wrong way until I nearly hit someone. OOPS!
Mrs.RRn

Mrs.RRn

0
 

1 Month Down

Today marks 1 month of my new life with my vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Wow! What a month!   THE GOOD   My "official" weigh in at my surgeon's office (on 7/2/13) was -25lbs. My unofficial weigh-in this morning was -30lbs. I can't believe what a difference 30lbs makes! I feel like I have so much energy, I'm sleeping better, oh yeah, and the bedroom stuff   In the past month: Lost 1 chin My engagement ring no longer fits My wedding ring is loose My thighs look slimmer I haven't been having night sweats/ hot flashes (purely bc of weight, I'm 25yrs old) I've retired my first pair of blue jeans And every once in a while I see a little peak of my clavicles   What I've been doing? **I exercise daily: 40 minutes of walking & at least 30 minutes of other stuff (light hand weights) and OMG, my husband and I are doing the 30 day squat challenge!-- it hurts to sit on the toilet! Lol ** I eat my protein first. I get in around 70-something grams of protein per day. I'm eating 3 meals (a protein shake being a meal) and sometimes a snack if I need it. ** H2O: I'm getting AT LEAST 64 oz per day- it's usually in the 70's. ** Vitamins: I'm taking 2 Flintstones, 2 calcium chews, and 1 dissolvable B12 per day. All taken at separate times to increase absorption.     OH, something I thought was really cool: my husband went away for work for a few days and when he came home he was shocked. He thought I looked so much smaller! It was really awesome to see the look on his face!!!   THE BAD     I've heard this rumor about changing taste after surgery -- TRUE. My husband and I ate boiled shrimp (one of my favorite things) and I thought it tasted like band aids. WTH? And I now love Greek yogurt, where before I took one bite and trashed it.   During this month, I felt like I had poor concentration and I kept getting dizzy upon standing, especially when getting out the tub (blood sugar= good, hydration= in check, orthostatic blood pressure= negative). So my doc suggested adding B 12. I can def tell an improvement in both my concentration and dizziness.   I don't think this is truly "bad," I'm just not used to it. *TMI WARNING*. BMs are now every other day- less than what I was used to.     THE UGLY     I did have one vomit episode, but it was purely my fault. I ate too fast and didn't chew enough. LESSON LEARNED! _________________________________________________________________________________   But this has truly been an amazing experience so far. I feel so blessed to have this chance in life- to be a healthier, happier person. I'm so excited to see what comes, especially in the next few months.  
Mrs.RRn

Mrs.RRn

6
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