RareGold3000

VSG 8-21-12 in Lancaster, PA. Dr Joseph McPhee was my surgeon, for some reason the site still has him listed as in Virginia. He is now in Lancaster, PA!!

My whole life I've weighed anywhere between 130-180 lbs. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in February 2009. I couldn't figure out why I had gained more weight and went over the 180 lb max that I had never gone above before. I was put on meds, but it did not stop the weight gain. Was it heredity, the thyroid, etc? Who knows. But, from 2008 until 2012 I had gone over the 180 lb max to almost 250 lbs. I started at the gym in 2009 and started Nutrisystem and actually got down to 187 lbs, still not where I wanted to be, by August of 2010. Then my back went out, and my left arm went numb. Til they figured out what it was with my arm, 3 specialists and so many tests, I had kept gaining. I had C-3, C-4 bulging discs in my neck, thank God that was all it was, and my lower back L-4 and L-5 were also acting up. I couldn't afford the 300 dollars a month any longer for Nutrisystem and had been out of the gym for a year, so of course the weight came back.

I did not want to go over the 250 lbs total for my body so I chose to see Dr McPhee back in April of 2012. After realizing that it was not the easy way out, and I had tried everything over the years, I knew I wanted to get the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, over the other 2 options for weight loss surgery. And, although I am only a few weeks out as I type this, I know that a few do think that it is in fact the easy way out. I sort of see their point of view. They say "Well, your stomach now won't allow you to overeat, it will stop you, whereas I have to physically control it". Hmmm ok, but still I realize that I could choose to eat the wrong foods, it doesn't stop me from what I put in my mouth, just the amount that goes in. I don't think I will elaborate when it comes up any longer with coworkers, I start back to work on 9-17-12, after 4 weeks off of work. I pray to be happy with me again, and like what I see in the mirror and the scale.

I pray all of our journey's here are successful and we reap the rewards of our sacrifices. We did, after all, take the drastic measure of having 'major' surgery to feel good about ourselves again and get healthy so that our body's can sustain us for years and years to come. Good luck to us all!!!! I am thinking it will take me until December of 2013 to lose the weight I want to lose!! I started posting pics at 5 months out and will do so each month or so to show the changes. It's amazing and we are all so blessed!!

Pre Op I lost 10 lbs. 1st month post op I lost 22 lbs. 2nd month post op I lost 12 lbs. 3rd month post op I lost 9 lbs. 4th month post op I lost 9 lbs. 5th month post op I lost 6 lb. 6th month post op I lost 8 lbs. 7th month post op I lost 3 lbs. 8th month post op I lost 1 lb. 9th month post op I lost 4 lbs. 10th month post op I lost 4 lbs. 11th month post op I lost 0 lbs. 12th month post op I lost 3 lbs. That makes 89 lbs I lost total, which is awesome!! 13th month post op I lost 1 lb. 14th month post op I lost 0 lbs. 15th month post op (I will post on November 21st). I will say that I am at the gym 5 days a week, 50 min of cardio each day, the arc trainer, burning 600-630 calories each day and also adding 20 min of strength training in 3 days a week too. My weight loss has slowed down ALOT after 6 months, but I think it's just the way my body is and I'm closer to goal now.

Karen

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