kwikwits

[color=#800080]It wasn't until the words "type II diabetes" were uttered by my internist that I realized my weight was becoming [/color]
[color=#800080]a dangerous health issue. Sure my joints hurt and I was always out of breath -- but as much as those problems[/color]
[color=#800080]upset me I wasn't sure I could go through weight loss surgery. When I was diagnosed with diabetes (okay 2 years[/color]
[color=#800080]later than my Mom who was an adult onset diabetic by age 54 and at age 82 her kidneys shut down) I knew I had[/color]
[color=#800080]to do something. [/color]

[color=#800080]I was considering the lapband and then my surgeon mentioned VSG. He gave me another month to research [/color]
[color=#800080]and come back for a second surgical consult. I came here to VST learned a lot and by March 31, 2011 I [/color]
[color=#800080]decided to get the sleeve. My surgery was scheduled for June 1, 2011. [/color]

[color="#800080"]Two weeks before surgery -- May 18, 2011 I started my pre-surgery diet. I gave up diet soda immediately. [/color]
[color="#800080"]I lost 20 plus pounds before my surgery. After losing 7 pounds the first week of my pre-op diet I stopped [/color]
[color="#800080"]huffing and puffing (obesity related shortness of breath). Surgery went fine. I got out of the hospital [/color]
[color="#800080"]and started drinking my protein shakes. Moving to mushies was difficult. Even mushy food made me nauseous. [/color]
[color="#800080"]I learned to drink soup. Soup was great. I could tolerate soup. I couldn't eat much solid food until mid-August, [/color]
[color="#800080"]over 3 months post surgery. Once I was eating solid food I couldn't meet my protein goals. Every problematic[/color]
[color="#800080"]side effect (chronic nausea, gastric reflux) got better as the months passed. Plus I was melting. I was losing [/color]
[color="#800080"]roughly a half pound a day -- sometimes more. At 4 months post surgery my hair started falling out. That was[/color]
[color="#800080"]devastating. My hair was very thin to begin with -- this additional rapid hair loss was awful. I managed. Got [/color]
[color="#800080"]a fabulous wig and moved on with my life and my weight loss journey. [/color]

[color="#800080"]April 1st will be 9 months since my surgery and I'm nearly down 120 pounds. I feel great. My blood sugar is [/color]
[color="#800080"]normal. My cholesterol is normal. My joints don't hurt. I can move effortlessly. Looking better is just extra. [/color]

[color="#800080"]. [/color]