christynbj

I'll start with the details. I'm 39 years old, 5'10" and weighed 211 pounds in March of this year. I know that many of you out there are struggling with BMI's much higher than mine, and I feel for you. But I had this surgery for another reason: I was diagnosed 3 years ago as Type 2 Diabetic, and within those 3 years, had already progressed to 100 units of insulin per day (2 injections). I was on the express lanes to an early death, and even my endocrinologist was shocked at how quickly I was progressing.
I saw information about the surgery on TV, read about in the newspaper, and was told about it all within 2 weeks in early January of this year. I decided to do some research on my own. I researched non-stop for about 2 weeks about the effect that VSG has had on diabetes, and the fight underway to get it approved for patients with a lower BMI suffering from diabetes. And suffering. Boy, was I ever. Mood swings, tired, grouchy, even the insulin wasn't controlling my extreme swings. And on top of all that- I was heavier than ever, and unable to lose the weight because of the 14 different medications I was on (for everything from Diabetes to High blood pressure, cholesterol, HDL...you name it.)
I got my husband on board by sharing the research I had done, and I spoke to my parents about it. My dad was skeptical (to say the least). He thought this was the "easy way out" and thought I should be able to lose the weight on my own (despite the fact that I hadn't been able to do so over the previous 12 years). We all went to a seminar at Dr. Billings office with a couple other families. My dad expressed his concern there, and Dr. Billings explained that this would be a total change in the way I ate and lived my life. Did that sound easy to him? ( I mentally fist bumped him at that point....and knew he was the surgeon for me!).
My husband's Union Insurance (Carpenter's Trust of Western Washington) would not cover the surgery since my BMI was so low, but we decided that I needed to go ahead anyway. I am very blessed to have a job that pays an annual bonus that coincided nicely with this process. I called the Puget Sound Surgical Center Office and started the process in early February, I had an appointment a week for that whole month (psychological, nutrition, intake, surgical consult). I had everything completed by early March, and asked for a surgery date by the end of the month, since i had to travel for work in late April and wanted to be on a somewhat 'close' to normal eating plan by that time.
There was a 2 week wait for all the reports to come back, and on March 14th I got the call that I could schedule the surgery for the 26th if I wanted to. (LESS than 2 weeks away!!!) I schedule a nutrition consult right away to do the pre-op low carb diet (no liquid diet for me!) and we were full steam ahead. I was wrapping things up at work, planning a trip to another state for 3 days for work and prepping for a 3-week leave of absence. It was a busy 10 days!!!
On March 26th I had my surgery, and it went extremely smoothly. Nothing extraordinary happened...I mean beyond the fact that I think it saved my life!
Since that day I have not taken ANY medications (vitamins and supplements YES, but not medications!). No insulin, nothing. My endocrinologist "broke up with me" on 5/8/12, since my diabetes was effectively "CURED." He didn't really know what to say, since admittedly, he said it's never happened to him before.
I did talk to him prior to surgery and he was hesitant to reccomend it based on the lasck of long term data to support successful outcomes. I took his opinion into consideration, but decided it was still the right thing for me. I did talk to my PCP about it before the surgery so that she would be aware. I told her the insurance wouldn't cover it though, and to please not note it in my chart. She was fine with that, and ran lots of tests for me under codes that would be covered.
I have lost 40 pounds....and am the woman my husband married 12 years ago. I have energy, vitality, wellness and peace. I know I'm going to be around for my family and live a long and happy life. I am still in the losing phase, and find that I stall about every 2-3 weeks for about a week. It's going really well though, and I am loving my new life! if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'm happy to answer about my experience.

I'll start with the details. I'm 39 years old, 5'10" and weighed 211 pounds in March of this year. I know that many of you out there are struggling with BMI's much higher than mine, and I feel for you. But I had this surgery for another reason: I was diagnosed 3 years ago as Type 2 Diabetic, and within those 3 years, had already progressed to 100 units of insulin per day (2 injections). I was on the express lanes to an early death, and even my endocrinologist was shocked at how quickly I was progressing.
I saw information about the surgery on TV, read about in the newspaper, and was told about it all within 2 weeks in early January of this year. I decided to do some research on my own. I researched non-stop for about 2 weeks about the effect that VSG has had on diabetes, and the fight underway to get it approved for patients with a lower BMI suffering from diabetes. And suffering. Boy, was I ever. Mood swings, tired, grouchy, even the insulin wasn't controlling my extreme swings. And on top of all that- I was heavier than ever, and unable to lose the weight because of the 14 different medications I was on (for everything from Diabetes to High blood pressure, cholesterol, HDL...you name it.)
I got my husband on board by sharing the research I had done, and I spoke to my parents about it. My dad was skeptical (to say the least). He thought this was the "easy way out" and thought I should be able to lose the weight on my own (despite the fact that I hadn't been able to do so over the previous 12 years). We all went to a seminar at Dr. Billings office with a couple other families. My dad expressed his concern there, and Dr. Billings explained that this would be a total change in the way I ate and lived my life. Did that sound easy to him? ( I mentally fist bumped him at that point....and knew he was the surgeon for me!).
My husband's Union Insurance (Carpenter's Trust of Western Washington) would not cover the surgery since my BMI was so low, but we decided that I needed to go ahead anyway. I am very blessed to have a job that pays an annual bonus that coincided nicely with this process. I called the Puget Sound Surgical Center Office and started the process in early February, I had an appointment a week for that whole month (psychological, nutrition, intake, surgical consult). I had everything completed by early March, and asked for a surgery date by the end of the month, since i had to travel for work in late April and wanted to be on a somewhat 'close' to normal eating plan by that time.
There was a 2 week wait for all the reports to come back, and on March 14th I got the call that I could schedule the surgery for the 26th if I wanted to. (LESS than 2 weeks away!!!) I schedule a nutrition consult right away to do the pre-op low carb diet (no liquid diet for me!) and we were full steam ahead. I was wrapping things up at work, planning a trip to another state for 3 days for work and prepping for a 3-week leave of absence. It was a busy 10 days!!!
On March 26th I had my surgery, and it went extremely smoothly. Nothing extraordinary happened...I mean beyond the fact that I think it saved my life!
Since that day I have not taken ANY medications (vitamins and supplements YES, but not medications!). No insulin, nothing. My endocrinologist "broke up with me" on 5/8/12, since my diabetes was effectively "CURED." He didn't really know what to say, since admittedly, he said it's never happened to him before.
I did talk to him prior to surgery and he was hesitant to reccomend it based on the lasck of long term data to support successful outcomes. I took his opinion into consideration, but decided it was still the right thing for me. I did talk to my PCP about it before the surgery so that she would be aware. I told her the insurance wouldn't cover it though, and to please not note it in my chart. She was fine with that, and ran lots of tests for me under codes that would be covered.
I have lost 40 pounds....and am the woman my husband married 12 years ago. I have energy, vitality, wellness and peace. I know I'm going to be around for my family and live a long and happy life. I am still in the losing phase, and find that I stall about every 2-3 weeks for about a week. It's going really well though, and I am loving my new life! if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'm happy to answer about my experience.

I'll start with the details. I'm 39 years old, 5'10" and weighed 211 pounds in March of this year. I know that many of you out there are struggling with BMI's much higher than mine, and I feel for you. But I had this surgery for another reason: I was diagnosed 3 years ago as Type 2 Diabetic, and within those 3 years, had already progressed to 100 units of insulin per day (2 injections). I was on the express lanes to an early death, and even my endocrinologist was shocked at how quickly I was progressing.
I saw information about the surgery on TV, read about in the newspaper, and was told about it all within 2 weeks in early January of this year. I decided to do some research on my own. I researched non-stop for about 2 weeks about the effect that VSG has had on diabetes, and the fight underway to get it approved for patients with a lower BMI suffering from diabetes. And suffering. Boy, was I ever. Mood swings, tired, grouchy, even the insulin wasn't controlling my extreme swings. And on top of all that- I was heavier than ever, and unable to lose the weight because of the 14 different medications I was on (for everything from Diabetes to High blood pressure, cholesterol, HDL...you name it.)
I got my husband on board by sharing the research I had done, and I spoke to my parents about it. My dad was skeptical (to say the least). He thought this was the "easy way out" and thought I should be able to lose the weight on my own (despite the fact that I hadn't been able to do so over the previous 12 years). We all went to a seminar at Dr. Billings office with a couple other families. My dad expressed his concern there, and Dr. Billings explained that this would be a total change in the way I ate and lived my life. Did that sound easy to him? ( I mentally fist bumped him at that point....and knew he was the surgeon for me!).
My husband's Union Insurance (Carpenter's Trust of Western Washington) would not cover the surgery since my BMI was so low, but we decided that I needed to go ahead anyway. I am very blessed to have a job that pays an annual bonus that coincided nicely with this process. I called the Puget Sound Surgical Center Office and started the process in early February, I had an appointment a week for that whole month (psychological, nutrition, intake, surgical consult). I had everything completed by early March, and asked for a surgery date by the end of the month, since i had to travel for work in late April and wanted to be on a somewhat 'close' to normal eating plan by that time.
There was a 2 week wait for all the reports to come back, and on March 14th I got the call that I could schedule the surgery for the 26th if I wanted to. (LESS than 2 weeks away!!!) I schedule a nutrition consult right away to do the pre-op low carb diet (no liquid diet for me!) and we were full steam ahead. I was wrapping things up at work, planning a trip to another state for 3 days for work and prepping for a 3-week leave of absence. It was a busy 10 days!!!
On March 26th I had my surgery, and it went extremely smoothly. Nothing extraordinary happened...I mean beyond the fact that I think it saved my life!
Since that day I have not taken ANY medications (vitamins and supplements YES, but not medications!). No insulin, nothing. My endocrinologist "broke up with me" on 5/8/12, since my diabetes was effectively "CURED." He didn't really know what to say, since admittedly, he said it's never happened to him before.
I did talk to him prior to surgery and he was hesitant to reccomend it based on the lasck of long term data to support successful outcomes. I took his opinion into consideration, but decided it was still the right thing for me. I did talk to my PCP about it before the surgery so that she would be aware. I told her the insurance wouldn't cover it though, and to please not note it in my chart. She was fine with that, and ran lots of tests for me under codes that would be covered.
I have lost 40 pounds....and am the woman my husband married 12 years ago. I have energy, vitality, wellness and peace. I know I'm going to be around for my family and live a long and happy life. I am still in the losing phase, and find that I stall about every 2-3 weeks for about a week. It's going really well though, and I am loving my new life! if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'm happy to answer about my experience.

I'll start with the details. I'm 39 years old, 5'10" and weighed 211 pounds in March of this year. I know that many of you out there are struggling with BMI's much higher than mine, and I feel for you. But I had this surgery for another reason: I was diagnosed 3 years ago as Type 2 Diabetic, and within those 3 years, had already progressed to 100 units of insulin per day (2 injections). I was on the express lanes to an early death, and even my endocrinologist was shocked at how quickly I was progressing.
I saw information about the surgery on TV, read about in the newspaper, and was told about it all within 2 weeks in early January of this year. I decided to do some research on my own. I researched non-stop for about 2 weeks about the effect that VSG has had on diabetes, and the fight underway to get it approved for patients with a lower BMI suffering from diabetes. And suffering. Boy, was I ever. Mood swings, tired, grouchy, even the insulin wasn't controlling my extreme swings. And on top of all that- I was heavier than ever, and unable to lose the weight because of the 14 different medications I was on (for everything from Diabetes to High blood pressure, cholesterol, HDL...you name it.)
I got my husband on board by sharing the research I had done, and I spoke to my parents about it. My dad was skeptical (to say the least). He thought this was the "easy way out" and thought I should be able to lose the weight on my own (despite the fact that I hadn't been able to do so over the previous 12 years). We all went to a seminar at Dr. Billings office with a couple other families. My dad expressed his concern there, and Dr. Billings explained that this would be a total change in the way I ate and lived my life. Did that sound easy to him? ( I mentally fist bumped him at that point....and knew he was the surgeon for me!).
My husband's Union Insurance (Carpenter's Trust of Western Washington) would not cover the surgery since my BMI was so low, but we decided that I needed to go ahead anyway. I am very blessed to have a job that pays an annual bonus that coincided nicely with this process. I called the Puget Sound Surgical Center Office and started the process in early February, I had an appointment a week for that whole month (psychological, nutrition, intake, surgical consult). I had everything completed by early March, and asked for a surgery date by the end of the month, since i had to travel for work in late April and wanted to be on a somewhat 'close' to normal eating plan by that time.
There was a 2 week wait for all the reports to come back, and on March 14th I got the call that I could schedule the surgery for the 26th if I wanted to. (LESS than 2 weeks away!!!) I schedule a nutrition consult right away to do the pre-op low carb diet (no liquid diet for me!) and we were full steam ahead. I was wrapping things up at work, planning a trip to another state for 3 days for work and prepping for a 3-week leave of absence. It was a busy 10 days!!!
On March 26th I had my surgery, and it went extremely smoothly. Nothing extraordinary happened...I mean beyond the fact that I think it saved my life!
Since that day I have not taken ANY medications (vitamins and supplements YES, but not medications!). No insulin, nothing. My endocrinologist "broke up with me" on 5/8/12, since my diabetes was effectively "CURED." He didn't really know what to say, since admittedly, he said it's never happened to him before.
I did talk to him prior to surgery and he was hesitant to reccomend it based on the lasck of long term data to support successful outcomes. I took his opinion into consideration, but decided it was still the right thing for me. I did talk to my PCP about it before the surgery so that she would be aware. I told her the insurance wouldn't cover it though, and to please not note it in my chart. She was fine with that, and ran lots of tests for me under codes that would be covered.
I have lost 40 pounds....and am the woman my husband married 12 years ago. I have energy, vitality, wellness and peace. I know I'm going to be around for my family and live a long and happy life. I am still in the losing phase, and find that I stall about every 2-3 weeks for about a week. It's going really well though, and I am loving my new life! if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'm happy to answer about my experience.

I'll start with the details. I'm 39 years old, 5'10" and weighed 211 pounds in March of this year. I know that many of you out there are struggling with BMI's much higher than mine, and I feel for you. But I had this surgery for another reason: I was diagnosed 3 years ago as Type 2 Diabetic, and within those 3 years, had already progressed to 100 units of insulin per day (2 injections). I was on the express lanes to an early death, and even my endocrinologist was shocked at how quickly I was progressing.
I saw information about the surgery on TV, read about in the newspaper, and was told about it all within 2 weeks in early January of this year. I decided to do some research on my own. I researched non-stop for about 2 weeks about the effect that VSG has had on diabetes, and the fight underway to get it approved for patients with a lower BMI suffering from diabetes. And suffering. Boy, was I ever. Mood swings, tired, grouchy, even the insulin wasn't controlling my extreme swings. And on top of all that- I was heavier than ever, and unable to lose the weight because of the 14 different medications I was on (for everything from Diabetes to High blood pressure, cholesterol, HDL...you name it.)
I got my husband on board by sharing the research I had done, and I spoke to my parents about it. My dad was skeptical (to say the least). He thought this was the "easy way out" and thought I should be able to lose the weight on my own (despite the fact that I hadn't been able to do so over the previous 12 years). We all went to a seminar at Dr. Billings office with a couple other families. My dad expressed his concern there, and Dr. Billings explained that this would be a total change in the way I ate and lived my life. Did that sound easy to him? ( I mentally fist bumped him at that point....and knew he was the surgeon for me!).
My husband's Union Insurance (Carpenter's Trust of Western Washington) would not cover the surgery since my BMI was so low, but we decided that I needed to go ahead anyway. I am very blessed to have a job that pays an annual bonus that coincided nicely with this process. I called the Puget Sound Surgical Center Office and started the process in early February, I had an appointment a week for that whole month (psychological, nutrition, intake, surgical consult). I had everything completed by early March, and asked for a surgery date by the end of the month, since i had to travel for work in late April and wanted to be on a somewhat 'close' to normal eating plan by that time.
There was a 2 week wait for all the reports to come back, and on March 14th I got the call that I could schedule the surgery for the 26th if I wanted to. (LESS than 2 weeks away!!!) I schedule a nutrition consult right away to do the pre-op low carb diet (no liquid diet for me!) and we were full steam ahead. I was wrapping things up at work, planning a trip to another state for 3 days for work and prepping for a 3-week leave of absence. It was a busy 10 days!!!
On March 26th I had my surgery, and it went extremely smoothly. Nothing extraordinary happened...I mean beyond the fact that I think it saved my life!
Since that day I have not taken ANY medications (vitamins and supplements YES, but not medications!). No insulin, nothing. My endocrinologist "broke up with me" on 5/8/12, since my diabetes was effectively "CURED." He didn't really know what to say, since admittedly, he said it's never happened to him before.
I did talk to him prior to surgery and he was hesitant to reccomend it based on the lasck of long term data to support successful outcomes. I took his opinion into consideration, but decided it was still the right thing for me. I did talk to my PCP about it before the surgery so that she would be aware. I told her the insurance wouldn't cover it though, and to please not note it in my chart. She was fine with that, and ran lots of tests for me under codes that would be covered.
I have lost 40 pounds....and am the woman my husband married 12 years ago. I have energy, vitality, wellness and peace. I know I'm going to be around for my family and live a long and happy life. I am still in the losing phase, and find that I stall about every 2-3 weeks for about a week. It's going really well though, and I am loving my new life! if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'm happy to answer about my experience.

I'll start with the details. I'm 39 years old, 5'10" and weighed 211 pounds in March of this year. I know that many of you out there are struggling with BMI's much higher than mine, and I feel for you. But I had this surgery for another reason: I was diagnosed 3 years ago as Type 2 Diabetic, and within those 3 years, had already progressed to 100 units of insulin per day (2 injections). I was on the express lanes to an early death, and even my endocrinologist was shocked at how quickly I was progressing.
I saw information about the surgery on TV, read about in the newspaper, and was told about it all within 2 weeks in early January of this year. I decided to do some research on my own. I researched non-stop for about 2 weeks about the effect that VSG has had on diabetes, and the fight underway to get it approved for patients with a lower BMI suffering from diabetes. And suffering. Boy, was I ever. Mood swings, tired, grouchy, even the insulin wasn't controlling my extreme swings. And on top of all that- I was heavier than ever, and unable to lose the weight because of the 14 different medications I was on (for everything from Diabetes to High blood pressure, cholesterol, HDL...you name it.)
I got my husband on board by sharing the research I had done, and I spoke to my parents about it. My dad was skeptical (to say the least). He thought this was the "easy way out" and thought I should be able to lose the weight on my own (despite the fact that I hadn't been able to do so over the previous 12 years). We all went to a seminar at Dr. Billings office with a couple other families. My dad expressed his concern there, and Dr. Billings explained that this would be a total change in the way I ate and lived my life. Did that sound easy to him? ( I mentally fist bumped him at that point....and knew he was the surgeon for me!).
My husband's Union Insurance (Carpenter's Trust of Western Washington) would not cover the surgery since my BMI was so low, but we decided that I needed to go ahead anyway. I am very blessed to have a job that pays an annual bonus that coincided nicely with this process. I called the Puget Sound Surgical Center Office and started the process in early February, I had an appointment a week for that whole month (psychological, nutrition, intake, surgical consult). I had everything completed by early March, and asked for a surgery date by the end of the month, since i had to travel for work in late April and wanted to be on a somewhat 'close' to normal eating plan by that time.
There was a 2 week wait for all the reports to come back, and on March 14th I got the call that I could schedule the surgery for the 26th if I wanted to. (LESS than 2 weeks away!!!) I schedule a nutrition consult right away to do the pre-op low carb diet (no liquid diet for me!) and we were full steam ahead. I was wrapping things up at work, planning a trip to another state for 3 days for work and prepping for a 3-week leave of absence. It was a busy 10 days!!!
On March 26th I had my surgery, and it went extremely smoothly. Nothing extraordinary happened...I mean beyond the fact that I think it saved my life!
Since that day I have not taken ANY medications (vitamins and supplements YES, but not medications!). No insulin, nothing. My endocrinologist "broke up with me" on 5/8/12, since my diabetes was effectively "CURED." He didn't really know what to say, since admittedly, he said it's never happened to him before.
I did talk to him prior to surgery and he was hesitant to reccomend it based on the lasck of long term data to support successful outcomes. I took his opinion into consideration, but decided it was still the right thing for me. I did talk to my PCP about it before the surgery so that she would be aware. I told her the insurance wouldn't cover it though, and to please not note it in my chart. She was fine with that, and ran lots of tests for me under codes that would be covered.
I have lost 40 pounds....and am the woman my husband married 12 years ago. I have energy, vitality, wellness and peace. I know I'm going to be around for my family and live a long and happy life. I am still in the losing phase, and find that I stall about every 2-3 weeks for about a week. It's going really well though, and I am loving my new life! if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'm happy to answer about my experience.

I'll start with the details. I'm 39 years old, 5'10" and weighed 211 pounds in March of this year. I know that many of you out there are struggling with BMI's much higher than mine, and I feel for you. But I had this surgery for another reason: I was diagnosed 3 years ago as Type 2 Diabetic, and within those 3 years, had already progressed to 100 units of insulin per day (2 injections). I was on the express lanes to an early death, and even my endocrinologist was shocked at how quickly I was progressing.
I saw information about the surgery on TV, read about in the newspaper, and was told about it all within 2 weeks in early January of this year. I decided to do some research on my own. I researched non-stop for about 2 weeks about the effect that VSG has had on diabetes, and the fight underway to get it approved for patients with a lower BMI suffering from diabetes. And suffering. Boy, was I ever. Mood swings, tired, grouchy, even the insulin wasn't controlling my extreme swings. And on top of all that- I was heavier than ever, and unable to lose the weight because of the 14 different medications I was on (for everything from Diabetes to High blood pressure, cholesterol, HDL...you name it.)
I got my husband on board by sharing the research I had done, and I spoke to my parents about it. My dad was skeptical (to say the least). He thought this was the "easy way out" and thought I should be able to lose the weight on my own (despite the fact that I hadn't been able to do so over the previous 12 years). We all went to a seminar at Dr. Billings office with a couple other families. My dad expressed his concern there, and Dr. Billings explained that this would be a total change in the way I ate and lived my life. Did that sound easy to him? ( I mentally fist bumped him at that point....and knew he was the surgeon for me!).
My husband's Union Insurance (Carpenter's Trust of Western Washington) would not cover the surgery since my BMI was so low, but we decided that I needed to go ahead anyway. I am very blessed to have a job that pays an annual bonus that coincided nicely with this process. I called the Puget Sound Surgical Center Office and started the process in early February, I had an appointment a week for that whole month (psychological, nutrition, intake, surgical consult). I had everything completed by early March, and asked for a surgery date by the end of the month, since i had to travel for work in late April and wanted to be on a somewhat 'close' to normal eating plan by that time.
There was a 2 week wait for all the reports to come back, and on March 14th I got the call that I could schedule the surgery for the 26th if I wanted to. (LESS than 2 weeks away!!!) I schedule a nutrition consult right away to do the pre-op low carb diet (no liquid diet for me!) and we were full steam ahead. I was wrapping things up at work, planning a trip to another state for 3 days for work and prepping for a 3-week leave of absence. It was a busy 10 days!!!
On March 26th I had my surgery, and it went extremely smoothly. Nothing extraordinary happened...I mean beyond the fact that I think it saved my life!
Since that day I have not taken ANY medications (vitamins and supplements YES, but not medications!). No insulin, nothing. My endocrinologist "broke up with me" on 5/8/12, since my diabetes was effectively "CURED." He didn't really know what to say, since admittedly, he said it's never happened to him before.
I did talk to him prior to surgery and he was hesitant to reccomend it based on the lasck of long term data to support successful outcomes. I took his opinion into consideration, but decided it was still the right thing for me. I did talk to my PCP about it before the surgery so that she would be aware. I told her the insurance wouldn't cover it though, and to please not note it in my chart. She was fine with that, and ran lots of tests for me under codes that would be covered.
I have lost 40 pounds....and am the woman my husband married 12 years ago. I have energy, vitality, wellness and peace. I know I'm going to be around for my family and live a long and happy life. I am still in the losing phase, and find that I stall about every 2-3 weeks for about a week. It's going really well though, and I am loving my new life! if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'm happy to answer about my experience.