back2barb78

I'm filling in the "about me" section a year late, so I can't really remember how I found BariatricPal. I'm sure it was while trolling the Internet trying to figure out what to do about my fat. I had been talking to my friends about getting weight loss surgery for about 2 years, and finally decided late 2012 it was time to do it in 2013. The problem was I had no idea you had to wait, go through an EKG, sleep study, therapists, etc. to have insurance assist you with the payment. I was 35 wanting children and had already felt like I had wasted so much time. I went to a very nice MD in Calabasas at which time I had decided I wanted a lapband. I ended up finding out about all of the different things I needed to do and started calculating all of the costs which I was more than willing to pay. I then thought- there's got to be another way, which I'm sure is when I ended up finding BariatricPal. How thankful am I that I did!! I ended up speaking with people at work as well as here who had had surgery and long story short ended up changing my mind about having a lap band in the US and ended up have a vertical sleeve gastrectomy on October 7, 2013 by Dr Ortiz and Dr Martinez at the Obesity Control Center. When I made my decision I was excited and terrified all at the same time. What the hell am I thinking doing this in another country? What about problems? I moved forward with my decision believing I had done my research and had made a good decision. Surgery day arrived and it was more than uneventful for me and the other 4 people ranging from mid 30s to mid 60s in age. My doctors and the staff were great and I have nothing to complain about. I'm a nurse and know not to sweat the small stuff. I had surgery on a Monday and headed home on Thursday. Minimal pain (amazing) but I definitely had a hard time getting my fluids in. That was the main problem along with no longer being hungry-at all!! I guess that was the point but I literally didn't start feeling hungry until the past few months. My entire recovery was pretty much uneventful except a period where for about a month 3 months postop I had some random itching (still don't get it) and nausea. Nothing showed in my labs and it came and went. At this point over a year postop, I have occasional times where things don't agree with me and come back up. It's never anything new I'm trying it just is a occurrence I'm sure happens when I eat something greasy or I eat too fast. I've never once had dumping syndrome. The good and the bad parts? The good parts are obvious- I feel sooo much better and seriously saw everyone else on here 6,8 and 12 months out and saw how much they changed and thought it would never be me. But it happened to me too!! It's quite remarkable that a surgery can change your life so rapidly. The bad parts- I really don't have anything that I can think of. I would do it all over again including the dreaded preop diet in a heartbeat. There was a phase about 2-3 weeks postop where I was still on full liquids just before I could eat simple solid foods again that I was so weak I was thinking what did I do. Why did I decide to do this to myself. I do remember that time, but it is definitely a small price to pay to get my life and health back on track. No one said it would be 100% easy. And to be honest besides that short period it has been for me and I can't be anything but thankful for that. I decided I was going to do it and I was going to go into it with a positive attitude for a wonderful outcome. And that's what happened!!!
While the weight loss portion of my journey has kind of ended, the journey of my life I feel has just begun. I have so many things I want to do and places I want to see. I finally got on an airplane in Nov 2014 and didn't need to ask for a seatbelt extender, not get up to go to the bathroom during the flight, or hope that the person next to me wasn't offended by my size. I had a private celebration inside as I sat comfortably in my seat for the first time in a long time. I'm trying not to think of how much time I lost but to look at how that time has made me a better person. I still have work to do on the outside of me and plan on getting plastics starting next year, continue having new adventures, and hope one day to have a family.😊😊