Hello,

My name is Kara. I'm 24 years old from Green Bay Wisconsin. I have been overweight my entire life and have struggled for years. I can typically lose about 15 to 20 pounds on my own, but that's the most I have ever lost. It doesn't stay gone.

Here's my story... About as far back as I can remember.

I have a huge family. My mother has been married 3 times, and my father 4. I have two biological sisters who seemed to get my fathers genes. My one sister who is 2 years older, is exactly 5 feet tall and weighs about 95 pounds. My one sister who is 4 years younger is a little over 5 feet and weighs around 110. I am 5'7 1/2 and my last weigh in was 299.9. I was so elighted to see I was under 300! :001_smile:

Anyway, as far back as I can remember, I was teased about being overweight. I never really ate that much, but it just kept adding on. By the time I was in 5th grade I was already in a size 14.

Throughout middle school, I got the nick name blubbercheeks. Infact, I started calling myself it because it made the teasing stop. Kids in school didn't find it amusing anymore when it no longer bothered me to be called a name. I was now calling myself names. I continued to gain weight throughout middle school. I wasn't very active in sports, but I was in volleyball.

In highschool, same thing. I wasn't really active in sports. I tried out for volleyball freshman year but was cut from the team. Sophmore year I tried out again and made the team. I was 290 pounds My sophmore year, and lost only 15 pounds the entire volleyball season. This took me down to 275. I was involved in a lot of other things in school. Forensics, Theatre, Choir, Pep Club. All this to keep my mind away from my weight.

I maintained the same weight all throughout the rest of high school. I think my senior year, I finally dropped down to about 260.

Senior year of highschool, I met my husband. He was my first boyfriend, my first everything if you know what I mean. We dated through graduation and the start of my freshman year in college.

I don't know what happened, but my freshman year I was happy, in love, and I lost some weight. I got down to about 250 on my own. No dieting nothing.

The world turned.... I suffered from severe depression, and I started making myself throw up. I got down to my lowest on record. 236. This only lasted about a week.

I had to drop out of college because my mom didn't want me to stay as I was making myself sick.

I quit school and moved back home. My husband and I at the time were driving a very rocky road, and because of the stress I started gaining all my weight back. I was a size 20 at this time, my lowest that I can ever remember.

Things changed, and my husband and I got our own place and got married. I was 19 at the time I got married. My weight was pretty steady at around 275. That seems to be the magic number. I'm always around 275.

Now I've failed to mention that during these years, I was constantly on diets. I have tried everything from making myself throw up, to weight watchers. The weight would come off, a few pounds here and there but as usual would come back on.

5 months after I got married, I re enrolled in college. A week into school and my husband and I had to get up and move 1/2 way across the country to Massachusetts. You see, my husband is an immigrant and throughout our marriage we had tons of immigration problems. Our lawyer felt this was the best way to get things moving.

Boy was he wrong. We moved to Massachusetts and nothing happened. We wasted a lot of money and precious time. Because of all the stress, I got up to 305 pounds when I moved. I told my husband that I couldn't handle it anymore and I wanted to move back home. 6 months after being there, we moved back to Wisconsin.

Back home, I started school again, and worked full time. The immigration problems continued so I always had stress in my life. Some people lose weight with stress, but I gain it. I lost about 15 pounds and got back down to my 275 and was pretty steady for quite some time.

I've had the same doctor since I was 15 and she knows my history with weight. I would meet with her often asking her why I couldn't lose weight. She would ask me how I eat, what I drink things like that. I always got the same answer.... You need to excersise and watch what you eat.

I always have, just can't keep the weight off.

She finally decided to put me on Phentermine when my weight got back up to 305 pounds.

In order to stay on it, I had to lose 4 pounds a month. I lost 20 pounds before she took me off.

What do you know, as soon as I was off even though I was excercising the same and eating the same, the weight came back on.

I asked to go back on it again in January 2009. I just started a one year membership with Anytime Fitness and was working my butt off, but was not losing weight. She put me back on, and I got down to 265. My lowest in years. I only lost 3 pounds that last month so she took me off the Phentermine.

I continued to work out 5 times a week, while off the Phentermine and I did not lose a single pound. Now, I didn't gain any of the weight back but I did not lose any more weight.

I went back to my doctor and asked her why I wasn't losing weight on my own. Why could I only lose weight while on Phentermine. Her Answer!

Some people just can't lose weight!

Not what I wanted to hear....

I continued working out all this last year, I continued to diet, but the weight came back on.

I am now at 300 pounds again!

Finally.... I give up!!!

I do not have any insurance and I started looking into WLS. I was really interested in the band until I went to a seminar from my surgeon. This is where I heard about the sleeve.

It seems so simple. There are more risks during the surgery for the sleeve, but post op there are less risks.

During the surgery for the band there are less risks, but after there are so many problems.

I scheduled my surgery for April 15th. 8am!

I am soooooo scared.....!!!!!

I don't have any heath problems besides the weight. I don't want to go into this and ruin the rest of my life because of a problem from this.

I don't have much support. My mom is really against this. She is overweight herself, but says I shouldn't waste my money on the surgery w/o trying other options first. Such as a nutritionist and personal trainer.

I know if I did the trainer and nutritoinist, I would lose weight. I just know it wouldn't stay off....

I hope I'm doing the right thing.

My surgeon has only performed 10 sleeves before and 1 of them had a leak.

He says I am an extremely low risk patient as I'm not severly obese and don't have any other health problems. He doesn't see a concern with doing the sleeve on me. He said the patient with a leak was high risk going in, and new there might be complications.....

I just don't know... I don't have any kids so I have never had a hospital stay in my life.

I am not scared about the before or after of the surgery, just the surgery in itself. Because i'm self pay, if anything goes wrong It'll be a huge difference in the cost of the bill.

These are the things I think about!

What kind of concerns did you all have going in?

I know this is long, but I wanted to give you all a backgound.

Thanks for all your advice!

35 days and counting until the rest of my life changes!

Kara

Kara, I don't know how old you are, but I sure wish this option had been available to me 20 or 30 years ago! I have tried EVERYTHING, and I do mean everything. Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, personal trainer, acupuncture, psychotherapy, Optifast, liposuction, you name it. I was never able to get really slim, and I was never able to keep myself at what I considered an acceptable weight unless I absolutely made a career out of it. And I have better things to do than exercise and obsess about food all the time. If you need a supportive fiftysomething mom, I'll be it!

Sounds good! I'm 24 years old so you'd be perfect! My mom is 58.

Even though I'm only 24 I've done a lot of dieting also. Phentermine twice. Weight Watchers, Just plain old diet and excercise, slim fast, low carb, you name it, i've tried it! I'm glad I have this option before I have kids. It'll mean for healthy pregnancies and a healthy lifestyle for my children. I've been married for 5 years and everyone asks me why I don't have kids yet. My answer always was because I wanted to lose weight first. I didn't want to be 300 pounds before getting pregnant and be on bed rest my whole pregnancy because I couldn't move!

I'm having my surgery April 15th. If I wait a year and 1/2 before getting pregnant, I will be just about 27 when I have my first child. I will have my whole life ahead of me. A whole healthy life!

My mom doesn't see that. She only sees the right here and now. I wish she what i'm seeing for myself and my future.

Change4thebetter2010...I know what it is about your mum! She's your mum and she loves you and she doesn't want anything to happen to you. I'm 35 married with two children and my mum is worried about my upcoming surgery. I totally understand where she is coming from. She doesn't want me to have it done and is not supportive. It's just because she loves me

I know I'm new here but if I could add anything to this conversation it would be, you are doing this for you and your health and well-being. It would be nice to have mom's support but when push comes to shove you need to do this for you.

All the best.

John

I know I'm new here but if I could add anything to this conversation it would be, you are doing this for you and your health and well-being. It would be nice to have mom's support but when push comes to shove you need to do this for you.

All the best.

John

Thats what this is all about, doing this for myself. I'm tired of doing something for everyone else. It's about time I take care of myself! That's what 2010 is for! For Me!

That's the spirit! I had my first and only child when I was just short of 27, and now he's 23 and I'm 51 and I feel like I'm still young and he's all raised, and I still have the best part of my life ahead of me! Hugs from your VST "mom!"

Hi Kara,

I'm still new to this forum, but I have found it to be the best place to find answers to any questions about vsg, a great place to vent, and a good group of supportive folks who genuinely want to see others succed with the sleeve. I wish you much success on your journey!

Kim

Hi Kara,

I'm still new to this forum, but I have found it to be the best place to find answers to any questions about vsg, a great place to vent, and a good group of supportive folks who genuinely want to see others succed with the sleeve. I wish you much success on your journey!

Kim

Thanks Kim. I wish you the best as well! When do you have your surgery?

MlkPas, thanks for the hug! That's more then my real mom does. I'm not joking! I'm glad we have this forum to talk to others who are in the same boat! Its important to have support when going through something this dangerous. Does your son know your having the surgery?

Kara

I don't in any way want to keep you from getting this surgery, because I along with many other people have done well with it. I just wonder why you are paying so much? $21,000 seems like a lot, not that it is any of my business. Dr. Aceves in Mexico is only $8700 and he has done 700 without any leaks. Just my 2 cents...please don't anyone yell at me for it!

Kara, I am happy to hand out all the hugs you need, any time! Here's another one from my whole family: :scared0:

And a motherly smooch for good measure: :kiss2:

Yes, my son knows about my surgery. In fact, he's going to be in town for a couple of job interviews so he'll be here for a week or so while I'm recovering. My hubby had to go out of town for a few weeks this morning, so my BFF is taking me to the hospital and will stay overnight with me at the hospital and also for a couple of days at home. So I'm in good hands.

I don't really think it's all that dangerous. Certainly not as dangerous as being morbidly obese!

And I have to agree that it sounds like you are spending an awful lot of money. I'm private pay and I'm paying $12,000 plus the cost of labs and psych, which were covered by insurance and were another few hundred bucks.

Kara

I don't in any way want to keep you from getting this surgery, because I along with many other people have done well with it. I just wonder why you are paying so much? $21,000 seems like a lot, not that it is any of my business. Dr. Aceves in Mexico is only $8700 and he has done 700 without any leaks. Just my 2 cents...please don't anyone yell at me for it!

I won't yell at you cause I was thinking the same thing :scared0:.

I realize not everyone is comfortable going to Mexico; it is a little scary when you first think about it. I was glad to have met someone about a month before I even considered having the surgery so I had heard her story ahead of time.

I paid $5200 plus $300 airfare. If my insurance would have covered it (I didn't qualify and their restrictions were crazy), I think my share would have been even more than that.

After seeing other posts, it does seem like mine is quite expensive. $7500 only goes to my surgeon. $10500 goes to the hospital for the stay and use of the facality. $1700 goes to the anestegolist. (sp?) The rest is preop tests, and Upper GI test after surgery. I guess I can be paying for the conveinence. This price includes 1 year of post op appts with my surgeon. The office is only 15 minutes from my house.

Does your price include all air fair and hotel stay as well? What are you going to do when your back home for post op care?

That's a good price for all of that after care especially if you have access to a nutritionist.

You're gonna do fabulous ! ! !

After seeing other posts, it does seem like mine is quite expensive. $7500 only goes to my surgeon. $10500 goes to the hospital for the stay and use of the facality. $1700 goes to the anestegolist. (sp?) The rest is preop tests, and Upper GI test after surgery. I guess I can be paying for the conveinence. This price includes 1 year of post op appts with my surgeon. The office is only 15 minutes from my house.

Does your price include all air fair and hotel stay as well? What are you going to do when your back home for post op care?

At Jerusalem Clinic, most people arrive in San Diego the day before and stay at a hotel near the airport. Several have free shuttle service. A driver from the clinic picks you up at the airport the next morning, the day of your surgery, and takes you to the clinic. You and a companion stay free while at the clinic and recovery house. All meals are provided for your companion as well and the food looked and smelled amazing! I heard it was good, but didn't get to try it of course :scared0:.

As far as post op care, I am hoping not to need any. I already had a digestive specialist that I saw for other issues so can hopefully go to him if necessary. And complications seem to be rare.

It isn't the first time I have lived dangerously! :kiss2:

That's a good price for all of that after care especially if you have access to a nutritionist.

You're gonna do fabulous ! ! !

:scared0: You think so! I'm guessing for everyone that has gone to Mexico, they have to pay to meet with someone back in the states for any post op check-ins. I know my regular nurse practioner is $120 a visit. Just to meet with her. What would you consider a years worth of post op appointments to cost?

I hope I'm not overspending! But I would pay so much more for an extended life!

Ya know, it is only money and you can't take it with you : ) If you can afford it and it makes you more comfortable, then it is worth it. There are definitely pros and cons to every choice. Fortunately, it seems that the majority of people do just fine without a lot of post op care, but if something does happen, it would be nice to have that available.