Trixie

I thought I would post an update on my surgery. I'll be one week post-op tomorrow. Everything went fantastically well.
I had the procedure on Monday and was released from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon. I have had very little pain, even in the hospital, and didn't ask for pain meds after they removed my morphine pump on Tuesday morning. I was up and walking on Monday afternoon, and did my best to walk a few laps around the hallway every 2-3 hours as proscribed by my doctor. I swear, that makes all the difference in the world!
I'm convinced that my surgeon, Dr. Wier, is the most compassionate, caring surgeon around. I would highly recommend him! We had a great, funny moment in the hospital when Dr. Wier came by on rounds on Wednesday and found me talking to @hirskborn, another of his patients, who was there visiting me. The look on his face was priceless.
Thank you to everyone for your kind words when I last posted about my journey to having this surgery. Through VSTalk, I have made at least one RL friend in addition to a supportive online community. This forum is invaluable.
Before she died, I promised my mom I would have this done by the end of the year, and I have.

I started my journey toward my VSG over a year ago. One of my best friends, who happens to be an Ob/Gyn, pulled me aside to talk to me about my weight. She cautioned me that I was heading for diabetes, a heart attack or a stroke. She encouraged me to look into bariatric surgery "before it's too late."
That was in June of 2010. At 240 pounds, I was at my heaviest ever. My job doesn't help. I run my own law firm,with all the long hours and high stress that entails. I didn't exercise much, and my husband (who thinks bacon is a lean meat) did most of the cooking. I had just turned 43, and I had packed on most of the excess weight since starting law school in 2003.
But then I got news that my mom had lung cancer and that her oncologist recommended removing part of her lung. I dropped everything and went to be with my mom after her surgery. Meanwhile, my business partner and I started to have problems. By the end of the year, Mom was doing OK, but the business had fallen apart and I had to start over. By December I had relaunched my firm as a solo practice. And gained another four pounds.
I finally made it to a bariatric weight loss seminar in January and learned about my options. I settled on a VSG because it has fewer complications than either the RNY bypass or the gastric band. I submitted my insurance info to the practice manager, and crossed my fingers!
About a month later, I got word that my oldest sister had thrown a blood clot to her lungs (a saddle pulmonary embolus). Thank God she is a pediatrician! She knew what was happening when it started, took the right precautions, and the "widow maker" embolus didn't kill her. Once again I dropped everything, this time to help my sister when she came home from the hospital. Boy was THAT a wakeup call! My sister, who is only four years older than me, nearly died of something that is weight-related.
A few weeks after I got back, I got word that my insurance would indeed cover a sleeve gastrectomy. I met with my surgeon shortly thereafter, and started the six-month long process of physician-supervised dieting, lab tests, barium swallows, pulmonary and cardiology stress testing... the works. Finally, in August 2011, I got a surgery date: September 26th.
Along the way my mom's cancer had returned, metastasizing to her liver. It was terminal, I knew, but Mom made me swear that I would have my surgery on September 26th, no matter what. But on September 10, 2011, my mother passed way, just two days before I was to start my 2-week pre-op liquid diet. I called my surgeon's office and postponed the surgery indefinitely.
I was heartened to learn that my slot was given to a good friend who I met through this BBS: Hirskborn. Karma can be a wonderful thing!
My surgery has been rescheduled to November 28th. I am three days into my liquid diet (which sucks, by the way) and down 6 pounds. Hopefully I'll lose enough before my pre-op consult on Tuesday that my surgeon will give me the green-light for surgery.
And that's my story. I've been around here a while, lurking and reading everyone else's stories, questions and advice. This is the first time I've really felt up to sharing what I've been through in the last year and a half.