VSG_Melli

I've been gaining weight steadily fir the last 3 years and it it didn't hit me how big I really was until Christmas 2014. I had started looking into WLS in April of 2014 but thought I could lose the weight on my own. I was wrong. My thyroid disease has kept me from maintaining a healthy weight for over 10 years. I have been 320 pounds and I have been 155 pounds in my life but I never stayed at one weight for long. I am a recovering addict and I'm 36 months sober as of today (6/30/15) and when I got clean I promised myself that I wouldn't waste my second chance in life. I'm on methadone, have been for almost 8 years, so I've gained weight from that and also from being given a second chance at love. I'm a survivor of domestic violence who spent 10 years with a man who abused me emotionally, physically, sexually, and verbally daily. My self esteem was crushed and I was told I wasn't worthy of love or even having a good life. I escaped the abuse and ended up in a shelter in 2012. That's where I met the love of my life and I decided I was going to do everything I was never able to do when I was younger and under my ex's thumb. I'm now 37 years old and have been doing my thing for three years. As anyone who's dealt with addiction and recover knows you gain weight when you finally get rid of your habit. Everyone also knows that when you fall in love and get comfy you also gain weight. Well Shaun and I had both of those working against us. While my fiance didn't gain more than 50 pounds and 40 of those were needed, I gained 108 pounds three years! While I knew I wanted to get healthier and lose weight I wanted to attempt it on my own. After 8 months of diet changes and exercising I lost a whopping 2 pounds! That picture of Shaun and I on Christmas day is what made me decide to take the plunge. I filled out my paper work throughout the month of January, slowly while still researching the process of WLS, and turned it in February 2015.My first set of appointments were on 3/06/15. It was a long exhausting day, but after meeting my team I knew I had made the right decision. I went in with the idea i would face methadone prejudice like I have dealt with for so many years. I told my bariatrician straight up that i was on methaodne and I have a clotting disorder. I didn't want to waste their time and I didn't want mine wasted either, so if you're not comfortable with these things, then I can just leave. Dr. Young was very cordial and understood why I approached him with such apprehension. He made me feel at ease and told me i wouldn't be his first patient on methadone or with blood clots in their history and I wont be his last. I was sold from there on. I only had to meet with my NUT once and the psychologist twice, and the physical therapist once before I was able to submit to insurance. The psychologist at my bariatric center, Jill Leer, was the most unpleasant part of the process. She was bound and determined to tell everyone who listened that I was going to relapse after surgery and I that I shouldn't be trusted with pain meds. Well, i have an amazing team behind me at my methadone clinic and they stood behind me and put her in the corner. :)I got approval on may 11th 2015 and met with Dr. Thomas Jones on 5/20/15. He's an amazing surgeon and i would highly recommend him if you live in or around Minneapolis Minnesota. He scheduled my surgery for 9 days later. My liquid diet began the next day! My approval process was very simple and Medica, my insurance company made it very easy. I have friends going through the process and who have the surgery and I have been the one who made it through the fastest. I'm lucky to have such an great team supporting me. I'm.now 30.days post-op (6/29/15) and 35 pounds lighter. I'm plateaued as we speak, but my thyroid disease is making my levels go nuts. It was 4.5 times higher than a high normal level. I get to meet with my FP doc tomorrow (6/30/15) to address those issues. So that's me. I'm a freelance writer by trade, so being king winded is a blessing and a curse. I'm here to support, encourage, and learn from everyone else. I'm an open book, so ask away.