Good evening everyone! Just introducing myself here, my name is Yvonne.
I'm 31 years old, married, no children. I enjoy computers, video games,
painting/sketching, aquariums (saltwater & freshwater), my 2 cats, and
many other things.
I've been obese for a very, very long time. I was a chubby kid and a fat
teenager, transitioned into morbidly obese in my early 20's. Of course
I've always had issues with self-esteem, so with that I never really had
the desire to lose weight.
That changed of course when I met and married my husband, I started
becoming frustrated with how my weight effected our relationship and what
it meant years down the line. I decided I wanted to do something about
it, not only for us, but for me as well.
I've always been 100% healthy even with my obesity. I've never had blood
pressure problems, diabetes, cholestoral issues, or any co-morbidity
aside from a very light case of sleep apnea, and even then that was very
recently.
However, I also wanted to make sure none of them became a problem down
the line.
This is why I decided to opt for the VSG.
I started the process last year in July. I found a local surgeon, Dr.
George Woodman, and attended the required class. Unfortunately, shortly
after starting the process I was informed that my insurance company does
NOT cover anything coded "obesity", so this had made things very
difficult. I was able to secure a loan for MOST of the charges, but I
digress.
I obtained my pre-surgery work up and assessment from my primary care
doctor. Most of the bloodwork was covered, however I still had to pay
close to $1,000 out of pocket. It was also discovered that I had a minor
blood clotting issue, which I was referred to a blood specialist, and
even though it had nothing to do with my obesity I was still forced to
pay out of pocket for all of those tests.
Let me just say, I am not full of money, I live check by check.
Regardless, I met with Dr. Woodman after everything and was advised to
lose 30lbs due to my BMI.
My first weigh-in with him I was 360lbs, also note I am 4'11.
I was all set and ready to begin the required weight loss, I started
dieting and exercising. I managed to lose about 15lbs, then in August I
had a really nasty celulitis infection in my leg.
This put me in the hospital for a week. During this time I also had a
nasty break out of sores inside of my mouth due to the antibiotics, so I
couldn't eat anything at all. I also couldn't move or get out of bed.
After my week in the hospital I fell into a depression and gained back
everything I had lost during that time and a little bit more.
Finally in January I was able to shake off the depression and continue my
journey. I contacted Dr. Woodmans office and explained what happened, we
met for a new weigh-in and I was 367lbs. He still told me that due to the
anestiesiologists rules I would need to be less then 70BMI before they
could provide the surgery. He provided me a tenative date of February
13th.
I got back on the horse and managed to lose 25lbs by that date, and
thankfully the anestiesiologist accepted this and allowed surgery to
commence.
I really didn't have any issues, Dr. Woodman had told me surgery was a
bit rough due to my weight but he has had tougher situations.
Surgery went smoothly. My family and friends were there for me in the
hospital.
It's now been a month since surgery, and I've lost a total of 45lbs (this
includes the weight I lost before surgery).
I'm feeling a whole hell of a lot better. I no longer need a scooter when
I go shopping. Hell, I even went walking around the mall, something I
haven't been able to do in years.
I look forward to losing more weight, but for now I am happy with the progress I've made so far.
I have a question, what is the average amount a sleever loses in 1 month? I feel like I'm losing a bit slow.
I've attached a picture of myself, this one is recent.
