My New Beginning

[renee3846 0]

Hi All,

I am Renee' from Washington state. I am a wife to a wonderful man (together for 17 memorable years), mother to 2 fantastic children, one beautiful daughter (who has given me 2 beautiful precious granddaughters and a wonderful son-in-law) and a handsome fun loving son. I think my weight story starts in my memory when I was about 10-11 and in 4th grade. I really was not extremly overweight just "chubby". I now do not even think I was that chubby but the teasing from the other kids assured me I was. Once I hit teenage years, I started dieting and got quite thin. I had my daughter at the tender age of 16 and after birth started the "Jane Fonda" craze. It was easy becasue at 16 and 17 you have all that energy anyways. I even got thinner then before pregnancy. At the age of 24-25 the weight started creeping up slow at first, then I was in a car accident that messed up my back and neck and the weight really started to pack on due to the lack of phyiscal excercise (which I really needed to lose and keep it off). I remember when I hit about 200 lbs, I was looking at my knees and I thought something was wrong with them because they looked different, not really realizing it was because they were fatter. From that point on, I think I blocked out my weight gains, even though I have weighed myself every week now for 26 years and have kept a weight diary just as long. I had joined Nutrisystem when I was about 27 and was able to lose about 35 lbs at that time. I joined a TOPS group about 1999 and got down to 246 at the time I stopped going. What a wonderful group of people. I have joined Weightwatchers at least 3 times, all with some degree of success, only to stop going due to finances or other reasons and gain it all back and then some. In 2003 I really started looking into weight loss surgery. I even attended a couple of seminars put on by the surgeons only to find out my insurance did not cover it. In August 2008 I weighed in at my highest weight ever, 305lbs, an extreme amount on a 5'4" frame. At this point my knees were so bad I was heading for a wheelchair fast. I learned in 2005 that I have Degenerative Joint disease in both knees and also arthritis in both knees. In October 2007 I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. My father died at the age of 39 (when I was 12) from a heart attack. He was extremly obese as well. Being a long haul truck driver did not help his weight. All of these aliments and all the odds against me and having such a wonderful family, I finally got serious about doing something about my morbid obesity. Wow what a hard word to say about yourself, morbid obese, morbid meaning death. When the realization came, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was way too young to keep on living this way and my family watching me suffer, how unfair to them. In April of 2008 I started the battle with my insurance. Even with all my co-morbitities and several doctor recommedations and appeals, I lost. Talk about a punch in the stomach, it hurt hard and deep. It also did something else, it made me so determined to find a way to get surgery, that I was like a freight train with a vengeance! My husband attended yet another seminar with me that my surgeon Dr. Lee Trotter was putting on, this was in early September 2008. Out of all the seminars that I had gone to, this one was "the one", the one that really insipred me, informed me and gave me the strenghth to pursue a Bariatric Surgery. It was at this that I learned about the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I had heard and read up to this point about RYN and the band. I was leaning towards the band until this seminar. After I got home, I researched the VSG and at first thought I must say I was like no way, I am not removing a good portion of my stomach! The more I researched though, being that I would have to self-pay, the band would have extra costs for fills and possible slippage (which would be extra cost which I do not have), and the RYN was way more extreme (and more costly) then I wanted to go. At the seminar the surgeon handed out the paperwork if you were interested in WLS you had to go out and get several tests. Within 2 weeks and the hard work of me and my husband we got the finance part figured out and I got all the tests that were required. I made my appoinment with Dr. Trotter. At the first appointmnt we discussed the different surgeries. I shared with him my research and felt that the VSG would be best for me, he agreed. I was able to make my sugery date for 2 weeks later on October 20th, 2008, a date I will never forget! The day of surgery I was at 292, down 13 pounds since my high at the end of August. I remember being so at peace, I knew this was for me. My surgery went well and I went home after about 28 hours. My surgery cost me 17,000.00 which included 1 year monthly followups with Dr. Trotter, labs done every 3 months and a BIA (Bio-electrical Impedance Analysis) at each visit. My experience from start until now has been phenomenal and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat! Within 3 months of surgery I was off of all my diabetes medication. I am still currently on Hypertension meds but only a half a tablet a day now. I can now walk more then a mile at at a time which I could not do for so long! To date (8/1/09) I have lost 93 pounds since surgery (just 9 months) and 106 lbs (less then 1 year!) since my high last August 25th, 2008! I am like a whole new person which and I am so thankful to have met Dr.Trotter and for his tremendous talent, experience and compassion, he helped me get my life back! My family is so supportive and I am so glad I am here for them and they for me. I wish each and every one of you reading this, the best whether you have had surgery or seeking surgery! Dont give up, you are worth it!

Renee'

[Finally! 0]

Beautiful story, Renee. Thanks for opening yourself up to us and letting us know what it's been like for you.

[i1Linda 15]

Welcome Renee!

Wow! What a great story. Thanks for sharing. Congratulations on your weight loss and hitting "Onederland". :thumbup:

[Norma 10]

Awesome, Renee! Glad you are here.

[Malaika 50]

Welcome Renee and thanks for sharing your story!

[kaykay 1]

My husband just began the journey last week. Thanks for sharing your encouraging story and pics!:thumbup:

[*susan* 1,709]

Renee, welcome and thank you so much for sharing your story with us. It is truly amazing and you have accomplished so much, what an inspiration you are! I hope you stay with us and continue to post your accomplishments and help those who are just beginning in their journeys, etc.

[Ky.hen 5]

Welcome Renee,

Thank you for sharing your journey. My surgery will be on Oct 1st and your story is so encouraging. Please keep on posting. You will be a big help to the beginners. Judy

[Bornagainbabe 4]

Truly inspirational story! Well done. Just one question - I have seen it referred to a few times but what is 'Onederland?' Maybe the anesthesia is still affecting my brain but it has been perplexing me lol!

[Malaika 50]

Truly inspirational story! Well done. Just one question - I have seen it referred to a few times but what is 'Onederland?' Maybe the anesthesia is still affecting my brain but it has been perplexing me lol!

Onederland - out of the 200 lbs. into the 100 lbs. (not sure what that is in kgs.)

[Bornagainbabe 4]

Right, I get it! Pretty obvious really - just me being a bit thick there. We don't work in kgs (yet) in the UK but we do convert every 14lbs to a 'stone' (just to be awkward - like driving on the left) so everytime I come across, say, 195lbs, I am working it out in my brain how many stones and pounds that is! It will take me a while now to calculate if I have hit onederland at all during my journey with Maths not being my strongest subject ha ha!!

[*susan* 1,709]

Helen, I would offer to help, but math is not my best subject either!

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Congratulations Renee! That is an awesome weight loss!

[renee3846 0]

Thank you all for the wonderful and kind words! The journey has been amazing so far and I am looking forward to someday getting to my destination! My personal goal is 145, but whatever weight my body stops at and is happy at, will work for me! I love reading others stories, journeys, struggles and successes..we are all in this together and going for the samething, health and livelong happiness!

Take care,

Renee'

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Renee, since you have had your sleeve longer than some of us, can you tell us if you were nauseous for the first few months?

There are quite a few of us who are struggling with this. It would be nice to know it goes away.