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Hey All! To start off, the last couple months have been nothing but craziness! Three hospitalizations, 30+ days and nights spent undergoing tests and sleeping in the most uncomfortable beds ever. For now, I want to thank my VST family for all the messages while I've been away. Below is an explanation of what I've been through for those who have asked (much easier than replying to multiple messages). Much love to you all <3 At the beginning of September, I moved back home to Michigan to be with family and get well, leaving my new life and job in Tennessee behind. Everyone in my immediate family now knows of my secret trip and decision of getting sleeved, which has been a relief. My mom is my partner in crime and is always checking in on me which is something I appreciate more than I could ever imagine. I still have bouts of dry heaving and sickness + vomitting because of my siliva (thickness) but each day seems to get better and better. I'm now on a pill that has helped thin out secretions. I spend 3 days a week with a physical and occupational therapist, gaining strength and learning to walk again. All the hospitalizations caused me to lose much muscle, specifically in my legs. Each and every day gets better and I'm thankful for every professional that has helped me move closer to independence once again. From all the tests done in the hospital, I was told that my surgery went very well and that everything looks great- hooray! All worries regarding the procedure have been officially thrown out the window. The problem: Vitamin B1. Blood tests revealed that my B1 dipped critically low and seems to be the culprit behind many problems- numbness, blurry and double vision, etc. This vitamin has been added to my medicine and has helped much thus far. Just out of curiosity, has anyone else had issues with dry heaving or even vomitting up thick phelgm? It was much worse months ago but still lingers. If you experienced something similar, did it ever go away for good?

Enjoyed a lovely carvey with hubby and our two sons yesterday for my birthday which is today. i even had half a yorkshire pudding, it was yummy. I am getting a stairlift fitted today, I didn't think i would be so excited by a stairlift on my 55th birthday, but can't wait, my left leg is agony when i walk, no more crawling upstairs in agony, yay. I am going out tonight with the ladies from our church, it is the ladies christmas meal that just so happens to be on my birthday, thinking i might have a steak. I am hoping that by this time next year i will be wearing size 18 rather than the 28 i am in today, or even a 16. I am already eating much smaller meals than i was able to eat last year, and next year i suspect i might be eating a starter for my main course, bring it on. Still waiting to get my blood test results back, hoping it will be soon, ive waited 5 weeks now, so must be nearer getting them. Funny thing about time, 5 weeks just seemed like an eternity 5 weeks ago, but here i am, 5 weeks done and hoping i will get the phone call any day now. I have been able to address comfort eating in this waiting time and also am pleased that i now prefer to go for the healthier options for my meals and always try to share it with my dogs or leave some on the plate, not bad for someone who was brought up to eat everything on my large plate. It took a long time to get over the dissapointment of my sleeve op being cancelled, but now i am at peace that i will have it when it is the right time for me, God knows best, i am resting in Him. I particularly wanted to do a blog today to record how i am feeling and will compare with how i am next year, believing God Has got good plans for me, to do me good and not harm, and that my latter years will be even more fruitful than my former years, that the years that the locusts have stolen from me will be restored back to me 100 fold, amen. Praying for everyone who reads this to have a quick easy operation with no complications and a swift good recovery, to get to the weight of your dreams. I also pray for all who have already been sleeved for good healthe and continous weight loss to get to your dream weight too, God Bless to all, Janet, xxxxx

just spent 45 mins typing an update and poof, when i tried to preview it and edit a word it dissapeared basically, still waiting for blood test results, really fed up of waiting, not got my hopes up to have my op in november any more. Today i have cast my cares on the Lord and will have my op when He gives me the date, He knows best. I know i still want my sleeve, and will restart the liver shrinking diet when i have a new date for my sleeve. I am not concerned if it is just before christmas, any time soon will be ok with me, i was motivated and ready for oct 9th and can do it again, but this time without the problem of my blood it will be safer. Hope everyone is doing well, sleeved or to be sleeved, God Bless, xx

Wow! It's been a month since I posted last. Does that tell you there's not been much going on since I got my date set for 11/16? Haven't heard a peep from the dr's office. Guess they trust me to do what they told me on 9/26. They can, but one would think they could be a little more customer inter-active. Oh well.... This past weekend, my 8-month old niece was baptised! (yeah!)....The whole side of my family was together (2 sisters and a brother...one sister (step) was missing, but no reason was given). Any..who....I had mentioned to my husband during our 3 hour drive to the ceremony, that I was considering telling my parents and siblings (well, my brother since the 2 sisters who were there already knew). He said, please don't, I have to ride home with you tomorrow. (ha) Well, we were standing in the kitchen cutting the cake and mixing the punch, and there was a lull. So I grabbed my dad by the elbow and dragged him to an empty hallway outside. I didn't want to make a scene or take away from the celebration they were having for Emma. I started off with, "Dad, I have something to tell you and I'm not asking for advice, guidance or alternatives...I'm just filling you in on what I'm planning as a courtesy so you know what's going on". He looked at me like I was talking giberish. I told him I was having wls on 11/16 and that my sister Becky was going to come up and stay with me during the process of hospital and a couple days at home before she returns to her family (or they come up for Thanksgiving, however it works out.) He was a bit shocked and then started asking all the typical questions. What kind? How does it work? How successful is it? How long will recover take? etc. Then once we were done talking (about 5 min or so) he looked at me and said "Sis, what made you think I would try to change your mind or give you advice?" REALLY? Only because you've done it every other time in my life when I've tried to talk to you about a decision I was making or wanted to make? No idea, Dad. So then, I told my step-mom (whom I've not been that close with EVER in the 32 years they've been married) and she was actually stunned and then hugged me. After I explained everything and answered he questions, she said "I'm excited if you're excited. Whatever will make you happiest is all I can hope for". Now, I want to know this....WHERE ARE MY PARENTS AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM!? have they been abducted by aliens, injected with some syrum that makes them seem (or at least come across) as normal? When did they become so relaxed and easy going with things? This is the couple who ALWAYS knew what was best and were never bashful for sharing (or strongly suggesting) how they think we should proceed with our decisions. Today I am 3 days from my second 22 birthday. Yep, I've made it to the point where I get to celebrate 22 for the second time. Then on Friday, I start my 2 week liquid diet. And, just for good measure, as if I need ANY challenges during the liquid diet, I have a wedding to attend on 11/10 with a large reception. I made sure everyone I told on Saturday knew that I would be on a liquid diet at the wedding, so I would not be eating, so please don't make a big deal out of it. They all agreed. I never thought on 9/26 that 11/16 would get here so quickly. I'm glad it's almost here. I'm excited, anxious and nervous all rolled into one. I have started trying to teach myself the liquid diet just to get ready, so I've been doing liquids only for breakfast and lunch. Only solid foods for dinners. I'm starting to wonder, though, are the sounds/grumblings coming from my stomach from hunger, or nerves? I hope everyone who is working through the process is having great success. Chins up....our day(s) are coming!!

Started back on liver shrinking diet yesterday, thought i would be ok but wasn't, because i have had some wws puddings etc i found i was really hungry yesterday and have a headache due to lack of sugar and carbs. I had my flu jab yesterday and don't usually have a reaction but feel really yuk today. Rang up dri yesterday to see if my blood test results were back, and was told by one person they will be back on the 29th but the pre op assessment nurse said it could be weeks. all the bariatric team are off until 1st nov, but the preop nurse said she will contact me if the results are back before then. So here i am again shrinking the liver in the hope that i can be fitted in if there is a cancellation if my tests are back and i only need a vit K injection, but if i find i have to wait longer can go off the preop diet, but then the pain will begin again, when i start again. I read today that God doesn't break a bruised reed, am feeling very bruised, but God knows best. Mom was supposed to come home today but was told today it will be early next week now, she is going to be so upset, i am too, all this waiting and dissapointment is really testing, don't understand why, but such is life. I am even more determined to get my operation, if i ever had any doubts, i don't now, i am ready for my sleeve NOWWWWWWWWWWWWW, lol, God give me strength. Found a great web page yesterday, bariatriccookery.com if any one wants to take a look, it has some great post op recipies. Keep up the good work friends, it will all be worth it when we get to our healthier small selves, meanwhile i will keep on learning from all of the great people on this forum, xxx

I'm finally in the 170's!!! I'm so relieved to see the 170's I can't tell you! My primary goal is 169 lbs, and my birthday is in 2 weeks. Today I weighed in at 177.9, which means I'm only 8 lbs away from my goal- most importantly my birthday is in 2 weeks!!!!! I want so badly to make my goal by my birthday, a present I've never really been able to give myself before. I have friends coming to visit me and I'd like to get dressed up in a fabulous tight dress and show everyone AND take pics!! I still haven't told the rest of my social world about my surgery (not really planning too) but I also haven't posted ANY pics since my weight loss started, and now every time someone see's me they kind of freak out a little bit. So I figure my birthday in two weeks is a great coming out party for weight loss pics, and even bigger motivator to get this last 8 lbs off! I can do this! And my NSV this week? NSV... my skinny jeans/pants I bought in Nurnberg, Germany years ago on the Euro size chart at H&M... FIT! Like a glove. Hallelujia! About a size 9/10 on the American standard. Here is my before and after 2.5 months after surgery! Size 16 to size 9/10!!!! Check out the before and after below!! Height: 5'9 Highest Weight: 216 1st Goal Weight: 169 Sleeved: (8/17/2012): 216 lbs Week 1 (8/24): 204.8 (-11.2) Week 2 (8/31): 200.6 (-4.2) Week 3 (9/7): 196.8 (-3.8) Week 4 (9/14): 193.5 (-3.3) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 9/17/12- 1 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog Week 5 (9/21): 191.6 (-1.9) Week 6 (9/28): 190.1 (-1.5) Week 7 (10/5): 187.0 (-3.1) Week 8 (10/12): 181.9 (-5.1) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 10/17/12- 2 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog Week 9 (10/19): 181.4 (-.5) Week 10 (10/26): 177.9 (-3.5)

Had a good week not just in terms of weight loss but more so emotionally. I am just really found myself admiring myself, loving the newfound me this week. I even had to check myself not to be looking in the mirror so much. I bought a dress pre-surgery that I loved but it was also only $8 so that made me love it even more...Well, it was an an "XL" and even still was pretty tight but I put on my spanx and made it work. (I had to walk with my legs squeezed because you could hear the spanx rubbing together. I had the leg kind on). Well, I wore this same dress on Wednesday and oh what a differnece. I wish I would have taken a picture now. But the dress was so much longer, dragging the floor even since it had less to go around. Those spanx that used to hold everything tight were actually too lose and so I put on another pair that I had outgrown...First no swishing as my legs dont overlap as they did...Still touch but no overlap...My stomach look as if it is was not there and the dress just flowed from me...Not snug in the least bit. In fact, I think I had my last wear in it because it will be too big by the time I put it back in the wear cycle. My sleeve buddy posted in our FB support forum, how so many of her milestones are marked by her remembrance of her weight and as I got to thinking about I have several of those moments too...Weight really had taken over my own being...Funny thing is I am still marking milestones but its not marking them with a new look as my weight goes down. I go home to visit my family back in Arkansas and it will be the first any have seen of me since having surgery. I am both nervous and excited about their reaction. I think a lil more nervous then excited. I is my motivation to really work hard and maintain a straight line with diet compliance so that I can see 180lbs by Nov 19th. Pretty lofty goal but I know really think I can make it happen with "Two-A-Day" workouts...I love the Insanity workout which I do in the morning and then in the evening 4 days a week I will get my run on. And speaking of running, I committed myself to a running a half marathon on June 1, 2013. Keeping a goal such as this in front of me keeps me motivated to stay on the grind, particularly during the winter months when it becomes easy to get lazy with a warm blanket and hot chocolate. HW 232 & SW 227 (VSG 08/17/12 & 5'8) LW 196.2 CW 193.6 [Total Weight Loss 38.4] GW 155

Where do I start...Week 8 was the week of workouts... I concentrated on my running game...So I pushed myself everytime I ran...Managed 2 miles in 26 minutes on Wednesday...And on Saturday, I actually did an 11 minute mile...Killed me but I felt good after I caught my breath and my heart starting beating inside instead of outside of my chest...Now I need to duplicate that across two miles and then three miles...My goal is to do 3 miles in 30 minutes...I have also kept up with Insanity workouts...Still hard as hell but well worth it...I get a sense of accomplishments from getting through another greuling 40 minutes of insane workouts...I feel myself getting stronger..my stretches getting better and my cardio picking up so I am so encouraged... I know some say I am going too hard on the workouts but I do not think so...I feel absolutely fine and no pain from the workouts other than sore muscles...And I actually get a rise out of that because that means they feeling the effect and making way for change...Working out, particularly running is a lifestyle for me so no sense of putting it off any longer..I also am putting weight lifting in my routine. My arms have always been big proportionate to my body so I am giving them a lil extra work to see if I can get them to get with the program...lol... I had a few struggles with food and the dreaded alcohol...I went out to eat with friends and there was bread and I had a tiny piece...Didnt take it too far because I did not want to risk upsetting my stomach...And I also tried a drink, on a separate occassion, and it burned my stomach...Good and a bad thing...so I didnt finish the drink and have the empty calories but man I was looking forward to that drink... But the best part of the week...I got down to 199...I guess it is possible on my scale...For the past few weeks I was beginning to think that my scale did not display #'s less than 200...I attached progress photos and I can see the difference in the photos but when I look in the mirror I pretty much see myself the same as I was pre-surgery...I had a girlfriend tell me that it was funny that when I was bigger I saw myself as a sexy b*tch..and now as I have getting smaller I am seeing myself as a slob...I dont really know where I lost myself..I do remember feeling good about me or at least I played the role so well that I believed I liked myself at some point in my "big life"...Now, I critique myself so hard on that and I am almost uncomfortable in my own skin...I need for my self image and confidence to catch up with my smaller waistline...It is sometimes hard to process the compliments because I am thinking what do these folk see...In fact, I told this one guy, I wanted to see myself through his eyes...He had always adored me even at my biggest and now he can't wait to see me in the morning to shower me with compliments... HW 232 & SW 227 (VSG 08/17/12 & 5'8) LW 201.2 CW 199 [Exactly 44lbs away from goal] GW 155

Yeah! The Nurse Practitioner called me Friday on the drive home from work. She was working through the files on her desk just like I was told. Now that things are in her hands, it seems as though the ride from here might be a bit smoother. I am not scheduled: August 21 - Endoscopy September 24 - Chest X-Ray; EKG; Blood Work September 26 - Review tests with Nurse Practitioner, go over 2 week diet requirement and schedule the surgery date!! After talking things over with my hubby, and trying to navigate the events we have coming up, I believe I'm going to work to begin the 2 week liquid diet on 10/15. I have a wedding party to do make up for (Mary Kay Consultant) the first weekend of October. We are taking my 88 y/o mother-in-law on vacation the next weekend (10/12). That would put my surgery (if I'm lucky and there's availability) the week of 10/29....which puts it very near my birthday. I'm TOTALLY ok with that, as this can then be my birthday present to myself!!! At 44, I'll be starting a new me! Next year, it will be 2 birhtdays in one! This will also mean (hopefully....if post-surgery recouperating goes well) that I could potentially have turkey and mashed potatoes with everyone at Thanksgiving! And Christmas will be even better because that will be about 8-9 weeks out and things should be showing significant progress. (I know, maybe a bit Pollyanna-ish, but if you're not positive, things won't happen, right?) WHOO HOO!!! I'm SO excited this is finally moving forward.

Yeah! After talking to the Dr's office Monday and finding out they still had not received the letter from the insurance company, Tuesday I called again, and they told me it was in nurse review. I called the insurance company and they told me that wasn't so, that I was approved and the letters were all mailed out the same day (7/24). If they still had not received it, they could log into their website and use the reference number (she gave me) to pull up the letter and print it from there. I called the Dr's office back, and gave them the informatino along with the website and reference number. I called back yesterday, and was told they called the insurance company but had not received a call back, and asked if I could fax my letter to them. So as soon as I walked through the door when I got home, I dropped everything and faxed that sucker to them. This morning I called to confirm they had recieved it. She said they had and that my file was on the coordinator's desk and I would get a call soon to start the scheduling of pre-op testing that was needed. I didn't think anything about not getting a call back. At about 3:50 p.m., my husband called. He had just walked in at home and said I needed to call the Dr's office before 4 p.m., but he had not written down the number. I found the number on the web through my phone (one would think I would have it memorized by now) and called. The receptionist answered and found my paperwork. I was scheduled for an endoscopy on 8/21 at 2 p.m. The file will now go to the nurse practitioner who will call me to schedule a date/time to go in and meet with her to go over the next steps, procedures, what to expect, 2-week liquid diet, etc. She is on vacation next week, so hopefully she will call me tomorrow. I made sure to let them know to use my cell as my primary number, so now we wait...... At least things are moving forward.