Hello! My name is Shanna . . . I'm a newbie!

[red_delicious 0]

This is pretty much what you will find if you go to my "About me" page. It's there in case anyone wants to re-read this ever again . . . but I figured it was as good a way to introduce myself here as any! I am inspired by the successes of the people on this board, and I have certainly learned a LOT from reading on here!

I am a thoroughly blessed wife to my husband of 19 years . . . and mother to the most amazing three children on the planet! We have a son, 19 years old, a daughter, 16 and a half years old, and another daughter who just turned 14 months old! Thanks to PCOS, we had a REALLY LONG gap between those last two children . . .

But God knew what he was doing because having a sweet little baby in the house has certainly been an enormously positive change to an already awesome family! We are all crazy about her . . . even though her presence certainly changed the dynamics of this family!

I am not sleeved yet, and I don't have a surgery date yet either. I have not met with the surgeon, but I know it will be one of two at DePaul Hospital in St. Louis, MO . . .

I begin a 12-week "medically supervised" diet next week . . . a month into that, I get to meet with the surgeon. I am a registered nurse by education and have done EXTENSIVE research on the available procedures, and I know that the sleeve is the right one for me. I wish I had done this a long time ago, but my husband's insurance has only been covering weight loss surgery for a couple of years . . . so it wasn't an option for me before. I have type 2 diabetes, PCOS, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. I'm sure I'm really not very different from anyone else here . . . although I HAVE already raised a couple of kids and I just started over!

My older kids have said they don't know if they want a "skinny mom," because "fat mom" is the only mom they have ever known. They love me the way I am and have never been embarrassed to introduce me to their friends . . . have never been ashamed to say I am their mom. They think it's weird that their baby sister is going to be the only one of them to grow up with a thinner mom . . . lol. They are saying that none of her childhood experiences of mom and dad are going to be like theirs were . . . especially this. They support my decision to do this . . . but they really don't understand all of the factors that went in this decision.

I do not have any raging body issues. My husband (who is thin) absolutely loves me. He finds me attractive at any size and can't keep his hands off of me! I know I'm heavy, but I still clean up ok! I'm not really having surgery because of a burning desire to be thin necessarily. I want to control my diabetes. I want to live long enough to see my baby grow up . . . and at my current weight (285), and with all of the problems I have controlling my blood sugar, I just don't see that happening without a massive surgical intervention. That's not to say that I'm not looking forward to some of the benefits of being thinner! I can't wait to buy a pair of pants that I DIDN'T have to go to Lane Bryant for! I might even start wearing make-up again! Who knows!

All I know is that I am committed to this change, as well as all of the lifestyle adjustments that it entails. I need this tool . . . this mechanical advantage, if you will, to help me. I have been unsuccessful on my own, and I have been fat, getting fatter and fatter for almost 20 years. Enough is enough.

Thank you for reading my ramblings!

Shanna

[Rootman 1,101]

Shanna, sounds like your head is screwed on straight and you are doing this for the right reasons. Keep up with the diet, keep examining the issues and if WLS is for you then go through with it.

We all wish you the best!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

Hello Shanna, welcome to VST

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I think you would be a great candidate for this procedure. You sound like a very stable person and are considering this for all the right reasons. Of course there is nothing wrong with the outward reasons too! I'm loving my new figure that's emerging as I continue on to my goal. My self esteem just keeps getting better and better.

I hope you'll stick around here and join in on the conversations. The support here is the best you'll find for the sleeve.

Blessings!!

[FindingMe75 9]

Hi Shanna!

I'm pretty new to the site too, and I think you'll like it a lot - there's great information, people are supportive and positive, and it sounds like you've got some great motivation to proceed already, but there's plenty of inspiration here as well.

I hope you enjoy it here as much as I have been...best wishes!

[ginajeans 4]

Welcome Shanna! Like you I am in the beginning stages of the process too. Good luck to you. Keep posting on your progress!

[Was a humpty dumpty 35]

Welcome!

[mb20mom 9]

Welcome to the site. Glad you found us because there's so much good information here. It's great that you're in a 12week program. That helps tremendously to make you prepared for life after surgery. I hate to see people who self-pay, rush in to get surgery without much preparation and then struggle with life afterwards. Being prepared is so important. At Kaiser it was a 6 month program (now changed to 12 weeks) and I remember going through it thinking how stupid it was but now I'm so thankful. Good luck!!

[MRSKOUBiK 27]

Welcome

There's a lot of really helpful people around here, so if you need anything just ask!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

Welcome to the site. Glad you found us because there's so much good information here. It's great that you're in a 12week program. That helps tremendously to make you prepared for life after surgery. I hate to see people who self-pay, rush in to get surgery without much preparation and then struggle with life afterwards. Being prepared is so important. At Kaiser it was a 6 month program (now changed to 12 weeks) and I remember going through it thinking how stupid it was but now I'm so thankful. Good luck!!

Not trying to derail the thread but I just wanted to highlight this point. I do agree that the pre op diets do help. I had to do a six month dietician meeting (once a month) before I got my band, and at first I thought it was ridiculous. Afterward I realized how much information I received and was grateful for it.

All the tools we are given are good in their own way, its how we use those tools to our advantage that makes the difference!!

Ok, back to the regular thread topic!!

[Bella Delta 0]

Hi Shanna, Like you I am also a Registered Nurse, been fat all of my life, tried every diet only to lose some weight and gain it all back and I also think this is the best WLS to have. For the last 10 years I have researched every WLS procedure and have settled on the Sleeve. By nature and trade I worry because I know of al the possible complications. Now that I have been approved I am thinking more about the " what ifs". However I know that if I don't get the weight off now at the age of 52 I will more than likely have serious health problems in the future. I have a 20 year old daughter and I want to live to see her become an old lady!

[red_delicious 0]

Hi Shanna, Like you I am also a Registered Nurse, been fat all of my life, tried every diet only to lose some weight and gain it all back and I also think this is the best WLS to have. For the last 10 years I have researched every WLS procedure and have settled on the Sleeve. By nature and trade I worry because I know of al the possible complications. Now that I have been approved I am thinking more about the " what ifs". However I know that if I don't get the weight off now at the age of 52 I will more than likely have serious health problems in the future. I have a 20 year old daughter and I want to live to see her become an old lady!

Exactly! I'm not crazy about getting surgery of any kind . . . but the status quo will kill me in 15 years . . . NOT INTERESTED! LOL . . .

Seriously though . . . I don't mind the 12 week program. If I were ONLY doing that program, I would be concerned, because I know that after I finish it, I would just gain the weight right back. THIS time, after I finish the "diet," I will be undergoing the surgery that will equip me with a TOOL for life. It's a process . . . I know it's not nirvana . . . but I am seriously thinking that I have a snowball's chance in Hades of succeeding this time.

Thank you all for your warm welcome! I appreciate that, and I know that you will all be a font of information for me in the months to come!

Shanna

[Sleeveme2011 0]

Welcome! I am a newbie also. Everyone seems nice and helpful here. I am sure you will like it.

[BajaMedGroup 6]

Hi Shannah...looks like you are in the right place!! This place is amazing. Everybody is so nice and supportive. You will definitely find the answers, or at least the people that want to help you figure them out. I recommend this site to my patients all the time. I literally say, a large dose of will-power with a little bit of VST every day, is the recipe for success.

I wish you the best of luck, and would be glad to answer any questions you may have.

[M2G 1,836]

Welcome! You sound like you have done your research and the pre-op stuff will really help get your mind and body in the right frame of mind. I didn't have to do a pre-op and wish that I had because I would be that much farther in the game. But I did have to complete 6 months of nutritional visits which were incredibly helpful. Like someone else said I was devastated when I found out that I couldn't have surgery "immediately" but now after having gone through the whole process, I am SO thankful that I had that time to get my head in the right place and I really get why the insurance companies require so much from us.

Best of luck to you! This is definitely the right place to get all your questions answered and to find that support that we all need!

[shannoninathens 0]

Welcome, Shana. You seem like a perfect candidate for this surgery! At the practice I'm working with, they are always emphasizing the importance of support, so you are in a great place. I'm not sure what kind of nursing you do, but one of my nurses in the hospital had had gastric bypass about 5-6 years ago, and she was an incredible source of information and support. While all the nurses at the hospital were just as nice and helpful as they could be, I was so lucky to get to spend that time with Terry because she could combine her professional knowledge with personal experience and she most definitely made the experience much easier, not just for me, but for my family.

God bless! Keep us posted on your progress!