My story

[Megan007 2]

It was my birthday, I step on the scale then crawled into the shower to cry. I was in a camp and didn’t want anyone to hear me cry. That was the minute I decided that regardless of my fears I was going to have gastric sleeve surgery.

I had researched it about eight months prior, and on one of the sites I looking at, a person had said that although they had lost weight the side effects were horrific, I closed the site and didn’t look any further until my birthday. I didn’t care any longer, I would risk life and limb to lose this weight. Although I only had 70 pounds to lose, I was only 5’2 and a size I couldn’t continue living with. I had become somewhat of a recluse, I didn’t want to run into any one I knew, my joy of riding my horses was effected because my balance was so far off with this extra 70 pounds and I was beginning a downward spiral I didn’t know if I could recover from.

I called “ALM” first thing the next morning and voiced my concerns, and was assured everything I had feared was so far from the truth. I booked my appointment immediately, and started my two week Protein Shake diet a week from that call. It was hard, really really hard. I hate Protein Shakes, and to this day have yet to find one that doesn’t make me gag. The only way I was able to get them down was to plug my nose and drink it all down at once. Those two weeks were the only time I actually drank Protein shakes. I have since tried about 20 different types, all claiming to be fantastic, the greatest and the best, but still make me want to throw up. After surgery they weren’t an option, I couldn't just plug my nose and drink, so I didn't continue trying.

I arrived in TJ less than a month after that frightful night of my birthday. I’d lost almost 10 pounds on my protein shake diet and it was a struggle every single second, how I did it I don’t know. I had used starvation dieting for almost 40 years to control my weight, but after a horrible injury the weight had come on and I couldn’t use my old tactics any longer, I was no longer able to starve myself to my usual thinness. All I wanted to do was eat, will power was no longer anything I possessed.

When I arrived in San Diego I was greeted by a wonderful driver who took me to TJ and my hotel. There were several of us that were about to embark on this new adventure the following day, which was Monday.

We all had very successful surgeries and were taken back to our hotel on Wednesday, then those of us who wanted to do a little shopping met in the lobby. Our wonderful driver took us for ice cream, it was the most glorious ice cream ever. We all enjoyed a small cup, some had a little more, but we all felt like we deserved it after our two week pre-surgery diet.

When I returned home, back to Canada four days after surgery, the first thing I did was drive out to check on my horses. It was good to get out and move, do some walking and a little hiking out to the fields. I didn’t exert myself, I just did what my body allowed me to. On the way home I stopped off at the store and bought some of my favorite Soup (cheese and broccoli), some pudding, juice, Gatorade and cottage cheese. I didn’t have any trouble at all, I ate small portions.

I had to return to work Tuesday, just over a week after surgery. I had a seven hour drive to work to a remote location on a logging road. I won’t lie, I was a little exhausted when I arrived from loading my truck and then the drive, so I had just a quick bite and went to bed.

I was staying in a camp, two hours from the closest town, which was a really small town (no hospital and limited medical facilities) and seven hours from home, two of which were on a horrible gravel potholed logging road. All went fine, there were no issues.

Because all meals were prepared for us, I was immersed immediately into solid food. I had a poached egg for Breakfast Wednesday morning (day nine after surgery), soup for lunch, and for supper, well, I figured it was going to be sink or swim, I had a little prime rib (chew, chew, chew) a teaspoon of mashed potatoes, and one Brussel sprout (chew, chew chew) all went well, easy peasy! I continued eating solid food, I just was very careful. If your body doesn’t want you to have it, it will tell you, believe me. I did vomit a few times, it was a foamy type vomit, but after those few minutes, all was fine and good.

I did really well, I had a piece of pizza and a coke about a month after surgery (only half a glass of coke, not diet, I don’t EVER use anything with artificial sweeteners, ever) and a very small piece of pizza. Two months after surgery I went to my favorite Chinese food place, I love rice, and welcomed a taste of everything from sizzling rice to ginger beef. Again, only a taste, and I relished every morsel. The thing with this great tool is that you no longer need a huge amount to be satisfied. My cravings never went away for food, but they became manageable.

It’s been almost four years since surgery and I have never regretted for a second my decision, I have sent so many people that have struggled with weight loss down to TJ, all but one to ALM, they chose a different surgeon that was much cheaper.

The one and only downfall I found was my hair. I lost about 60% of my hair, and it never returned, even the texture changed. Some of it came back, maybe about 20% returned, but not the rest. I do miss it, as I had GREAT hair, but now I have a great figure.

I don’t know why some people’s hair is effected more than others, I’ve done a survey of all those I know that had the gastric sleeve, and there is no telltale as to why.

All I know is that I wouldn’t trade this for anything, and so wish I would have done it when I first thought about it and not been scared off. This changed my life for the better, back to where I could be the me I had always known, but lost because of my weight.

One thing to remember, this is a tool, if you go back to eating the way you did before this surgery, you’ll be right back where you were. A friend of a friend who had this surgery after me, did so well initially, but went back to her old eating habits and is now heading back to TJ for gastric bypass surgery. I too gained back several pounds last year and had to go back to the basics to lose it. It was a good reminder I needed to continue watching what I eat. I don’t ever deprive myself of anything I want, I just do Portion Control. You don’t need a large amount to be satisfied, and you don’t need to stuff yourself, enjoy and appreciate food, but be smart and you will continue to be successful. Everyone is different and what works for one person, might not work for the other. I was lucky, I continued to stay in contact with each person I met in TJ and we constantly compared notes, but all were very successful. Those that have all gone down on my recommendation have as well been very successful, some of them were a little more aggressive with their eating and drinking after surgery than I was, but I was a little more apprehensive because I had no one to ask. Most important thing I can say, is listen to your body, make smart decisions, but don't be afraid. I remember waking up after surgery and one of the ladies that had surgery prior to me that day was in my room saying "come on we need to get a walking" so I sat up, thinking wow I'm not in any pain, it just feels like I've done lots of sit ups. So off about four of us went pulling our IV poles to do some walking.

I wish each and everyone of you thinking of embarking on this journey the best of luck, embrace your decision, and look forward to having a better and healthier you!