xavtay2

OK so I'm a few days (3) shy of 7mos post-op but I don't care.. I have to share!
Starting/current/difference
278#/185#/ -93# GONE!
24/26/12/14/ -5 sizes down!
-47" total!
Now that's inspiration to keep going! I'm officially 35# from goal!
Slide show below...

My top weight was 245, surgery weight was 239 and I originally set a goal of 155 but I've been so pleased at 165 that I've been maintaining there for about 7 months now. I'm 5'7"

I'm glad to know it is possible. I'm 5'1" and started at 279. I want to be between 130-140, and my doctor said 160 was more reasonable.

I am officially APPROVED for surgery!!! Submitted on Monday and the fax came yesterday but the lady was on vacay. Shooting for a Sept 10 date! Soooooooo relieved. Aih an emotional time. Of course I cried . Life is good right now. Ahhhhh'

yea I know its hard on you but it seems simple to me; just leave yourself... go for a walk or read a book/magazine in another room. you can do it... other peoples actions is not what got us here. Its up to us to be successful.

Next, you'll be wearing Skinny Jeans!

Then and now.
Or dying and living. :-)
I reached goal
Last December then decided to lose 10 more made rhat by mid january and have been right here 159-163 ever since. :-)

Pre Surgery Weight: 375
Day of Surgery 4-24-12: 370
Today 8-16-12: 276
down 99 lbs!
These pictures are before surgery, and today.

That's super fast!! As my grandmother would say... You must be living right

Well there's an ENDORSEMENT! LOL!

Congratulations Suzanne! I can't wait until I am 4 years out and you are right one month will be over before I know it

Hi,
I read a post on here the other day that summed up my life and feelings about doing this. I'm pre-op but would have never considered this just a few years ago. Fear of surgery I guess. I wish I could remember the posters name because it made an impact on me. Being fat has stolen my life. And I mean that literally. EVERY single choice I've made for 30 years has been influenced by fat. High School, college, career, hobbies, sports, dates, clothes, vacations, love/hate food, relationships...EVERYTHING. Every single thought I have is filtered through fat and self loathing. I go to sleep with thoughts of being fat. I worry if I die they will find my fat ass and the medics, coroner would have to lift my fat ass. I think about how humiliating that would be --- I can even be humiliated DEAD. I AM DONE WITH THAT. I am 49 years old -- I want to LIVE my life, not just exist and watch everybody else LIVING. Screw it! If I die during surgery, well, it was meant to be for some reason. I have a serenity about it, which is really amazing to me. If I could do this today I would. And if I'm successful (please God, let this work) I plan to use my 401k for plastic surgery. I want the last half of my life to make up for the first half of being a shell of who I really am.
I want to thank everyone on this board who takes the time to respond and help everyone else, even when they are past their crisis or struggles. This board is an amazing resource of hope and help!
Thanks everyone!
Dana

Not sure if I loaded these correctly and the pics arent great but...78 lbs gone, 27 to go!. 

I was denied by cigna because the Memorial hermann hospital I chose didn't renew their contract to be a Bariatric center of excellence. How dumb is that? Then I'm told anyone who applys in the houston area through cigna will get denied if they dont go to two hospitals in northwest houston. There is a huge selection of surgeons in houston that accept cigna. To me this doesnt make sense. Then conveniently one would think the surgeons office had prepared for something like this but no. Okay so then I called all the doctors that work at the two hospitals mentioned. None of those doctors have openings till sept/oct. I know there are going to be road blocks but I can honestly say the last few days I was being positive till this came up. I really feel like after a total of 2.5yrs trying to get this done, I want to give up. The average person will have "road blocks" I'm sure but not this many.
*then i get a call from the surgeons office saying it was a misunderstanding and they will correct it and submit for reconsideration. I'm so confused. I hate cigna

So my surgeon sent in all of my paper work to insurance on Monday. I just checked with my insurance company and it was approved the same day and they already sent the letter to my home and my doctors office on Monday! I am so excited I am almost giddy. I can't believe approval happened so fast.

For so long i've been overweight and in being so I can't tell you the last time I've really SEEN parts of my body. I use to enjoy things like painting my toenails. Now I have to bend and damn near perform acrobatics to even get a good look at my feet. Shaving my WhoHaw has also become an acrobatic task. Trying to steady the mirror in one hand and the razor in the other.....I tell you it's exhausting. I'm probably lucky to still be alive and not have bleed from severe lacerations!!! I've almost completely managed to build a shed over my "tools"! I can hardly wait for the day to be able to get a good look at some of those "things" i've lost touch with. I know this may be going a little to far and into details, but when I'm with my hubby, what's the fun when I can't position myself "up there" and get a good look at what's going on down there!!! I tell you, carrying around this whole other person has become mentally and physically exhausting. I can't wait for my sleeve! Just out of curiousity, what would you like to see.

Hey everyone, I found a old picture today and wanted to show the progress I have made so far. The first picture is from 4 years ago (I dont know how much I weighed in it) and the second is from this past Saturday. My highest weight was 360lbs, day of surgery I was 338lbs and I am currently 237lbs, I have been in ANOTHER stall which seems like FOREVER but I hope I will be able to get down to my goal weight.

Today, I am exactly 9 weeks out from surgery and I got a "present" for my anniversary. For the last couple of weeks I have been gaining and losing the same few pounds. Although I understand that is part of the process, I still don't like it. Anyway, I woke up yesterday and weighed as I do every day and the scale was done 2 pounds. Yay! This morning I woke up and again weighed and the scale was down another 2 1/2 pounds. Yippppeee!!! That makes up for stall I was in for the 2 weeks prior. Okay, but all that isn't but my "present". What is my present is that I'm at 49 total pounds lost now......1 more pound till I hit the big milestone of 50 pounds. I've been waiting to hit that milestone and now I'm on the door step to doing it.
For anyone reading who may be considering having the sleeve, do it! It is one of the best decisions of my life. I started this journey at just over 300 pounds. I had high blood pressure for which I took meds and my cholesterol was on the border of needing meds. My whole body hurt all the time and just normal daily activities were a chore and literally a pain to my body. Bending over to tie my shoes or shave my legs was painful and left me breathless. I sweat at the least little exerction and stairs were hard. I felt so helpless to control my relationship with food and thus lose any weight. Food controlled my life and I was miserable. Today, just a short 9 weeks later, I am so different. My body only has occasssional pains now, I'm down to 1/2 my dose of blood pressure meds, I can tie my shoes and shave my legs with no problems and I have tons of energy these days. Food no longer controls me. Yes, I still have mental battles with it but I'm working on those and learning to quiet those noises in my head that want me to graze all day. I had tons of pain up until I was 4 weeks postop. Knowing what I know now, even that wouldn't stop me from doing it all over again if I had to.
I hope everyone is rocking their sleeve and loving life!

Lost 26 before entering my Bariatric program, 43 pre op, and 31 in my 6 weeks post op. The before pic is at my heaviest in 2008, the after poc I took this afternoon.

Just wanted to share my before and after photos for those of you who are nervous about getting the surgery. This surgery changed my LIFE! I was sleeved on May 21st.

I Am sharing my Facebook post to my friends:
Well, today was my 6 month post-surgical visit with Dr. Pinson and here is the run down: I am down 111# and 100 some-odd inches. I have went from a size 28 to a 16. I am off the walker, cane, and 21 medicines. I no longer suffer in continual, crippling pain from the Fibromyalgia, but can walk, without even a limp, a 20 minute mile. A VSG patient is considered a success if they have lost 60% of their excess body weight by 18 months post-surgery. I have lost 75% already, so today I was "pinned". I received my gold pin of success. I asked him if he thought I would be able to get another 40# off in the next 6 months. He said, "OH, YEAH! with a doubt." He was ecstatic with the progress I have made (he was cheering me like I had just won the Super Bowl...lol) and said, "I can't wait to see what you look like in another 3 months." YAY!! I am soo excited. I have not been this small in almost 20 years and I haven't felt as well in I know 10. Y'all just hang around and watch me disappear ;0)...and if you want to try it too, give me a call. All you've got to lose is sore feet, aching backs, the medicine bag, big butts and bellies and a lot of inches. It's not a magic bullet by far, but it is a shovel (a tool) to help FILL IN the hole you are in. It sure beats getting deeper and continuing to dig your grave with a spoon!
Sent from my iPad using VST

Highest: 300
Current: 175

338 before Pre-op diet 1-18-12
288 on surgery date 5-18-12 (-50 pounds!)
239 8-7-12
Goodbye 99 pounds!!! Can't wait to break 100 pounds lost & then get to onederland. :-)

I havent posted in awhile but I am feeling great! I have lost 80 lbs since surgery. I can now wear a size 12:-) . I weigh 182 today and my goal is to make it to 140 and see how I feel. I have not been working out much...that is my struggle so I have gotta start that soon since my weight loss has slowed down now.

I LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE!!! THANK YOU FOR BEING MY INSPIRATION. THIS IS A JOURNEY THAT I AM WILLING TO TAKE BECAUSE OF YOUR SUCCESS AND HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE!!! THANKS FOR YOUR WISDOM TO ME NOW THAT I AM SLEEVED!!! LOVE YOU