Hello everyone! I am MonkVSG, and I am currently 10 days post-op. I want to introduce myself, and share my journey so far...
I am a 44-year-old educator, mom of 5, and military spouse. I have been overweight my entire life, have been over 200 pounds for about 9 years now, but only after the birth of my 5th child (now 4 years old) did my weight spiral into the “out of control” range. I had tried Weight Watchers, MediFast, and counting calories, working with a nutritionist in a military hospital, all of which worked for a time before I would gain the lost weight back plus more.
I began researching VSG last summer, but it was only at Christmastime that I decided I would actually pursue it. I made sure I was completely up to date with all of my physicals, yearly tests, evaluations, etc. during the months of January and February. I did anything, in advance, that I knew (through research) I would be required to do for insurance approval (Tricare Standard). By mid February, I asked my PCM to suggest a Bariatric Surgeon, and she named Dr. Thomas Clark who had performed approx. 5,000 weight loss surgeries and over 1,000 sleeves. I saw Dr. Clark for the first time on March 8th and had my surgery on March 28th! It was a whirlwind! I had only 12 days of pre-op dieting, in which I lost 12 pounds.
My surgery went well, according to the surgeon, but I had a very bad reaction to the anesthesia. I just remember the nurses telling me how hard it was to wake me up. And then the nausea and vomiting began. I vomited nonstop (obviously with nothing in my newly stapled stomach) for over 48 hours. It was miserable. I couldn’t keep anything down – to include pain medicine, anti-nausea medicine, etc. So for over 48 hours I was in excruciating pain with no way of relief.
After the vomiting subsided, I began to feel better. My body was so depleted, though, that I couldn’t even walk without my legs cramping up with every step. It took 3 days to be able to walk without cramping, and at least 3 days after that to begin to feel like myself. As of today, I am doing very well. I am getting liquids down easily (on liquid diet) provided they are a thin, water-like consistency. I am still not good with Protein shakes. They seem to get “caught” and I don’t feel good after drinking 3 -4 ounces. I am supposed to see Dr. Clark next Tuesday to progress to purees – I am hoping to get better with Protein Shakes before then!
So, that’s my journey! I’d love to get to know other sleevers, as I do not know anyone in real life who has had weight loss surgery, and I know that being part of a support network will really help. Please say Hi, and let me know a bit about you! I will be happy to answer any questions you have, and I am happy to be able to lend my support to all of you as well.
Excited to be on this journey!
