Vitae

Good evening everyone! Just introducing myself here, my name is Yvonne. I'm 31 years old, married, no children. I enjoy computers, video games, painting/sketching, aquariums (saltwater & freshwater), my 2 cats, and many other things. I've been obese for a very, very long time. I was a chubby kid and a fat teenager, transitioned into morbidly obese in my early 20's. Of course I've always had issues with self-esteem, so with that I never really had the desire to lose weight. That changed of course when I met and married my husband, I started becoming frustrated with how my weight effected our relationship and what it meant years down the line. I decided I wanted to do something about it, not only for us, but for me as well. I've always been 100% healthy even with my obesity. I've never had blood pressure problems, diabetes, cholestoral issues, or any co-morbidity aside from a very light case of sleep apnea, and even then that was very recently. However, I also wanted to make sure none of them became a problem down the line. This is why I decided to opt for the VSG. I started the process last year in July. I found a local surgeon, Dr. George Woodman, and attended the required class. Unfortunately, shortly after starting the process I was informed that my insurance company does NOT cover anything coded "obesity", so this had made things very difficult. I was able to secure a loan for MOST of the charges, but I digress. I obtained my pre-surgery work up and assessment from my primary care doctor. Most of the bloodwork was covered, however I still had to pay close to $1,000 out of pocket. It was also discovered that I had a minor blood clotting issue, which I was referred to a blood specialist, and even though it had nothing to do with my obesity I was still forced to pay out of pocket for all of those tests. Let me just say, I am not full of money, I live check by check. Regardless, I met with Dr. Woodman after everything and was advised to lose 30lbs due to my BMI. My first weigh-in with him I was 360lbs, also note I am 4'11. I was all set and ready to begin the required weight loss, I started dieting and exercising. I managed to lose about 15lbs, then in August I had a really nasty celulitis infection in my leg. This put me in the hospital for a week. During this time I also had a nasty break out of sores inside of my mouth due to the antibiotics, so I couldn't eat anything at all. I also couldn't move or get out of bed. After my week in the hospital I fell into a depression and gained back everything I had lost during that time and a little bit more. Finally in January I was able to shake off the depression and continue my journey. I contacted Dr. Woodmans office and explained what happened, we met for a new weigh-in and I was 367lbs. He still told me that due to the anestiesiologists rules I would need to be less then 70BMI before they could provide the surgery. He provided me a tenative date of February 13th. I got back on the horse and managed to lose 25lbs by that date, and thankfully the anestiesiologist accepted this and allowed surgery to commence. I really didn't have any issues, Dr. Woodman had told me surgery was a bit rough due to my weight but he has had tougher situations. Surgery went smoothly. My family and friends were there for me in the hospital. It's now been a month since surgery, and I've lost a total of 45lbs (this includes the weight I lost before surgery). I'm feeling a whole hell of a lot better. I no longer need a scooter when I go shopping. Hell, I even went walking around the mall, something I haven't been able to do in years. I look forward to losing more weight, but for now I am happy with the progress I've made so far. I have a question, what is the average amount a sleever loses in 1 month? I feel like I'm losing a bit slow. I've attached a picture of myself, this one is recent.