lisabe

Hi, everyone! My name is Lisa. I'm 43 years old, live in Michigan, and am married, with a 7 year old daughter and a 22 year old stepson. I'm scheduled to have a VSG through St John Providence in August. I'm 5'3" and weighed 225 when I started the process a few months ago. A little about me: I've been overweight my whole life - "chubby" as a child/teen and just plain fat as an adult. You know how some people can carry excess weight and still look good? Well, I'm not one of those people. Although I'm not much of a snacker and don't get into sweets, I have a terrible time with portion control. I've had bad reflux for about ten years. When I was pregnant in 2005/2006, I started having terrible back and knee pain and developed sleep apnea, too. I ended up with preeclampsia and delivered early. I had been sick most of the pregnancy and the majority of the weight gain was from Water retention, which I lost fairly quickly, but the sleep apnea, back and knee pain never resolved. I ended up with an apron of fat that hangs at my waist (yuck) and a fat deposit at the top of my back that pushes my neck and head forward like a hunchback (I can't tip my head back and look at the ceiling). I'm tired and uncomfortable all the time, and sick of not being able to bend over to tie my shoes. I'm really lucky that my husband loves me enough to give me pretty manicures, but I hate that I can't do it myself. I buy Skecher shoes that don't have laces (gah! I used to laugh at people who wore those!), elastic waist skirts (think: grandma's), and the pictures of me in a bathing suit when my daughter was an infant were the stuff of nightmares. If you look at the scrapbooks I've lovingly created for her, there's not a single photo of me. How sad is that? I'm excited about the surgery, but worried about being able to change my portion control problem. I swing between being ready to do it RIGHT NOW and thinking maybe I shouldn't do it at all. My husband is very supportive and says that he loves me just the way I am, but wants me to feel better physically and emotionally and he will do whatever I need to help me in that endeavor. However, my parents aren't as supportive and my friends keep saying, "Oh, you don't need to have weight loss surgery." I feel like I'm being pulled in all different directions. And it doesn't help that I'm a little (well, okay - a LOT) resistant to change. You know, that fear of "out of the frying pan, into the fire"? So, that's me. Anyone out there with thoughts? Similar concerns?

Thanks, ccbarrick - that's really a good idea to list the pros and cons and to take a good look at what my life is like compared to what I'd like it to be. You put it just right - I don't like being a sldeline mom either. And I do like to daydream about going for a bike ride someday! I just can't decide whether it's better to not talk about it and then I don't have to deal with the naysayers (but then there is also less support and encouragement),or whether I should be open about it and try to just ignore the pessimists.

I'm really excited for you! What made the first three weeks hard?

Are you excited? Nervous? Both?

I think it's fantastic - great job!!!!! What's it been like? (I'm three months pre-op ... always curious.)

Hi, Kailie! I'm from Michigan too (Hartland - not too far from Plus Size to Fabulous), and am having the VSG in August. My surgeon's name is Dr. Gary Katz and he's from St John Providence (same as Dr. Kole, I think). I also have BCBS - I had no problem getting the approval but before the surgery, I have to complete a 6 month "diet" under the supervision of a dietitian and get clearances from my primary care dr, cardiologist, and a psychologist. Those have to be within 60 days of the surgery, so I haven't been able to do them yet. Hopefully, your insurance will approve it and you'll be flying along!