bobbyswife

ohhhh, sneaky sneaky! You'll have to send me the link, I would love to get one!

HAHA! I found that little guy on Google images and I have affectionately started calling him "Verti"

I have my first consultation tomorrow so we've both got exciting stuff happening! I can't wait to be where you are!

So, about this decision I've made to pursue VSG. It wasn't an easy one, and in fact, I went down this road almost 1 year ago. A year ago I was at my highest weight. At 5'3" I weighed 259 lbs. I was so disgusted with myself and was at the end of my rope. I looked into bariatric surgery and was really interested. I exchanged lots of emails with an old friend that was working for one of the best bariatric surgeons in the Atlanta area. I was excited at the prospect of doing this - I knew the benefits greatly outweighed the risks. It seemed I was in pain all the time, I had failed at so many diets, and hunger always won. After talking it over with my husband, we agreed that we should go forward with the process. Well, unfortunately my excitement came to a screeching halt when I found out that my insurance wouldn't cover ANY bariatric procedure. Since the company I work for was a privately owned small business, bariatric surgery was completely excluded from the policy. BAM. Plans Over. So, I joined a gym, and hired a personal trainer. 3 days a week I gave that little fella my blood, sweat and tears. And a little pee, but that's another story entirely lol. I followed a strict Paleo diet and lost about 32 lbs in a matter of 5 months. Then, out of nowhere I had wrenching back pain that made it very difficult to even walk. This went on for weeks, and finally my husband insisted that I see a doctor. Well, guess what? One torn disc, one bulging disk, very bad facet arthropathy (a crap ton of arthritis in my lower back), and spondylosis. Yeah, to put it in a nutshell, I was screwed. Fast forward to July of this year and I began to see a specialist who periodically injected me with steroids in my back which helped tremendously with the pain. Because I did so well with them, he recommended that I have a nerve ablation procedure (now when I say my nerves are fried - they really are!). About a week after that procedure an entirely new pain began. Head to toe agony. More doctors, more specialists. Diagnosis - Fibromyalgia. Often the onset of this ridiculous disease occurs after an invasive procedure. The most unfortunate part about this diagnosis and the one before it is that I'll never again be able to train like I once did. I sank into a deep depression; I honestly felt like life as I knew it was over. I rapidly gained weight back, up to 240.6 now. I tried to stay positive about it, but I literally went from an energetic, do-everything possible in a day kind of person, to an aching, sad, shell of a woman. Fearing that my fate was to forever be fat, my husband, my partner in life had an idea. How did this not occur to me? It's amazing how depression clouds your thinking. His realization about a critical fact was like a ray of light. In January, the small business I worked for was purchased by a huge corporation, and in March... you guessed it... new insurance. One phone call to the number on the back of my card and my hope is renewed. They cover bariatric surgery. My consultation with the surgeon is tomorrow! Wednesday, Oct. 15th. They are saying that I qualify for the "Fast Track" to surgery and I could be sleeved as soon as November or December!!! Send me prayers, love and light. Stay tuned...

In talking with my baby sister (my 35 year old baby sister), who has always been so wise, we were discussing the relentlessness of regaining lost weight and why we do it. Her words were simple, but profound. "To reach your goal you have to shed all those things that give you an excuse from pushing yourself to the next level on every topic. Being obese allows us to back down. It's our safeguard, our built-in hatch. It's been your friend. So has food. So, you're killing that old self." Here's to new beginnings.

Hi! My name is Emily, and this is my journey through the process of VSG or vertical sleeve gastrectomy, aka gastric sleeve. I'm starting this blog at the beginning, so I'm excited about the fact that my "about me" will be an evolution of change, because in all reality, the me that I am now, will not be the same "me" in a few months. I'm anxious and timid, but optimistic about the future. I'm a 40 year old Mom of two girls and wife to the most amazing, supportive husband in the world who is not only my lover, but my very best friend. He's right beside me through this process, and without him, this would be an entirely different journey. This blog is not intended to have an audience. Well, rather, just an audience of one – that one being me. I recently read a blog about why people blog. Some do it for financial gain, others do it to increase their journalistic (is that a word?) exposure, and others – this is the category I fit neatly into – blog for very personal reasons, and never really expect to have any “followers”. But, maybe one day I will, so before I go any further, I’ll say “thanks” to whoever may come. For whatever your reasons are for being here, I appreciate your support. Maybe you’re hoping I’ve got something to say that will help you along the same journey, God knows I certainly searched for little nuggets of thought when I first decided to go down this road. Regardless of why you’re here, thanks. Sometimes when I’m relaxing in the tub I’ll ask myself why I’m doing this, and occasionally I’ll have little moments of clarity and come up with a cute quote or motivational thought and think “I should put that in my journal so I’ll read it later”. Inevitably I forget what it was, and when I’m finally writing again, it continues to escape me. I should come up with a good way of making notes to include in my writings. But, then again I probably won’t. So, to those of you who have somehow come across me and decided to subscribe to my way of thinking, or at least pose a curiosity about it, thanks again. As I continue on this journey I can only hope that whatever I’m doing is helping someone out there, because if it does, then that gives me great happiness.