mamamckinzie

Wow! 3 years ago I made this terrific decision to have surgery and although it has been difficult at times and still can be I much prefer this lifestyle than the previous!!!!

Thought I would do a shout out to all Kansas sleevers so we can help each other out during our VSG Journey. My name is Laurie...will be 50 on the 8th...hubby, 2 kids, live in SE KS but travel to KC each week at the beginning of the week for work. Will be sleeved by Dr. Kowalski at KC Bariatric Center in Lenexa. Self Pay. Very excited. How is everyone holding up and are you surving the heat?

Food tastes good to me however I am glad that it has become fuel instead of a crutch! Now I can enjoy so many other things in life beside being obsessed about food/dieting/failure. You will love the sleeve side of life!

I did not get to start this post on the 1st because the family made a quick trip to Branson,MO. So a year ago I was recovering from VSG and wondering if this time was going to be the last time I would have to lose weight. Would I be able to lose AND maintain? Went thru a few very tough weeks in the beginning but slowly things got better. Now a year later I am at Table Rock Lake in a bikini!!!!! Wow! Gotta love the sleeve life!

So I make it thru the xray machine and stand on the mat where they pat you down. The TSA agent kept asking me what I had in my front pocket while jabbing me with her finger. I replied...."That would be my hip bone!" The lady standing next to me on her mat busted out laughing!!!!!!

I wanted to tell all the August sleevers how proud I am of your choice to do VSG. For me personally it has been the best decision I have ever made. Although I had a low bmi (31) I was obese, I took 2 blood pressure pills that were very expensive. I have a rare liver disease so I can only take certain medications. My liver doctor told me that if I continue to gain weight it would compromise my chances of a liver transplant if I ever needed one. Wow! I was just shy of turning 50. Tried every single diet more than once. Even tried hypnosis. I excercised regularly. But I was always hungry, even after eating a large meal. The hunger monkey climbed onto my back in the last 5 years and just stayed there. Although I had fought with me my weight for the last 20 years there was a significant change in my hunger cues that became constant in the last 5. I have no idea why. So I looked into to Lapband and was not thrilled about the results. But fortunately during that research is when I learned about VSG. The first few weeks are tough at times but it has been so worth it in the end! You have begun the most brave and fantastic journey of your life! This tool WILL help you to succeed. It WILL NOT fail you if you stay on your doctor's reccomendations. Enjoy the journey...take progress pics (wish I would of done that) Wishing you all the best of luck!!!!!!

ditto on the flushing out the tummy. We can only eat so much at a time. So you really want to utilize your new tummy to it's full potential and not flush it out with liquids.

I hope you decide not to smoke. I am so glad I quit 14 years ago. Not easy that's for sure! Please talk to your doctor and see if he needs to add/change your meds to help with the depression. Hang in there! Remember that you are also going thru hormone changes as you lose weight.

Put some socks on and move forward sista! It will be the best thing you ever did for yourself!

I know that feeling of fear of the unknown! My thoughts were "wow, if I fail at this too what am I going to do?" But the wonderful thing about VSG is it WILL NOT fail. It is the only tool that truly sets you up for success. NOT FAILURE! We know how to do our end of the deal with all the stupid diets we have been on! We just need not have the right tool for long term success. It is hard work but well worth the effort!

You might want to check out www.gastricsleeve.com and search Dr. Garcia on that board. There have been a couple people recently that have come back with infected incision sites. Not trying to scare or bad mouth anyone. Just happen to notice the posts when I was cruising thru the posts. Good luck!

Everyone is different and each surgery pain level is different too. For me the VSG surgery was not near as bad as my 2 seperate shoulder surgeries. Labor 1st time was terrible..2nd time better. I used the heating pad everyday for almost 2 weeks to help relieve gas pain on my left side. You can manage it and it will be over soon. Then you get to enjoy the best journey you have ever been on!

Welcome Sandra! Wow you have gone thru a lot to get where you are at today. I love your positive attitude thru it all! You are an inspiration on how to deal with life's blows. Best wishes to you in your journey! You will love the sleeve side of life!

I remember reading alot of other people's post when they had hit their 1 yr surgiversary and thinking to myself..."What will that be like for me?" Will I have been successful (finally) after so many failed attempts. I really did not have the emotional strength left anymore. I really had given up on weight loss by the time I discovered VSG. I have a rare liver disease called Primary Biliary Cirrhosis. The medicine I take to slow the disease progression down makes it challenging to lose weight. The disease also causes fatigue that resting does not alleviate. You just have to manage it. My hepatologist told me that if I continued to be obese that it would hurt my chances of a liver transplant if and when I ever needed one....yikes! My journey has not always been smooth. Nothing ever is I suppose. I still deal with diahrrea issues between the sleeve and the medicine I have to take but I can manage it. I have lost 74lbs and gone from a size 20 to 8 in jeans! Size XL in tops to S/M. My feet no longer hurt when I walk!!!!! I do not feel like I am embarrasing my teenage kids infront of their friends by having an obese Mom. My horse is probably alot happier not having to carry my big fat butt around anymore either! LOL! It so wonderful to no longer have the hunger Monkey screaming away on my back! That was sooo annoying! Too be able to calmly make food choices now is very liberating! I no longer have the cravings I used to. I WANT to eat good food! Really the sleeve life has been the best decision I have made for myself in a long,long time! So for all of you who are just starting out in a few months from now you too will get to post about how wonderful you feel a whole year later!

Thanks everyone! I could not have mentally made it thru this journey without the love and support from everyone here! You guys are the best!!!!!

The thing I like best about the sleeve life is I am off the diet roller coaster! I eat pretty much what I want. It's just now since I do not have the cravings like I did before and the hunger monkey to contend with it is much easier to make the proper food choices. I get to use my head instead of my stomach when I choose what to eat. So I always try to do the Protein,Veggie,Fruit, Carb order when I eat. Plus it is wonderful to know that since I get full so fast I can just have a bite or two of a treat from time to time and not sabotage all my hard work! Now that it is has been a year I am much more confident that this is the right tool to rely on! It is always there for me!

Looking fantastic! Love the new hair do! Super Cute! Keep on rocking that sleeve!!!!

First pic was May 2009 at son's 8th grade grad. Not my heaviest which was 199. Second pic is July 2012 at 125lbs. Much happier!

Way to rock that sleeve! Isn't it fun to look "nifty in our fifties?"

You have really rocked your sleeve!!! What a terrific job you have done. All your hard work really shows! You will do FAB in maintenance!

Just kept following the doctor's plan. Used Myfitnesspal.com to log although I am not a everyday logger. Try to always follow the do not drink before/after and eat Protein,veggie,fruit,carb in that order.

I FEEL younger too!