Surely you are someone outside of your surgery and struggles with our weight. You have interests and dislikes and families- jobs and hobbies. And honestly- yes it is exciting to have this stool and to be on the journey- but hasn't there been enough focus all our lives on just our weight?

I know VST is dedicated to our VSG stories, but I sort of think that who we are makes our VSG surgeries that much more meaningful.

So I'll go first...

I'm Danielle. I'm 27 and I have three sisters and one nephew. I am unmarried and have no children. I work full time running the office for a respiratory company. This semester I am also attending college full time via online classes. I'm now also trying to squeeze in going to the gym three times a week.

I suffer from PCOS and had this surgery to help increase my chances of having a family of my own one day.

I am a TOTAL girly girl! I love the color pink, I like Hello Kitty the way others like Betty Boop or Tinkerbell, and I HATE HATE HATE spiders! I'm not much of an outdoorsie person- my idea of roughing it is five girls and one bathroom. That being said I do love to garden and can't wait for spring.

I love anything to do with 16th century european history and am a total fanatical nut when it comes to Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. My favorite movie and book of allllllllll time is Gone With the Wind. I love watching old movies with my mom- our favorites are Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, anything with Doris Day and the Tammy movies. We also make a point of watching A League of Their Own together whenever it is on tv. I'm close with my Dad but sometimes I feel like we don't have anything in common.

Prior to surgery I loved home cooked food! (Along with chinese and pizza hut haha) I still enjoy cooking for my family (One sister, my parents and I all live together for economic reasons) and resumed cooking them meals within a few days of coming home from the hospital. I have a dog, she is a chihuahua/yorkie mix. Her name is Gypsy and well... she is sort of a monster!! I <3 her tho!

Now it's your turn!! Tell us who you are!

First of all, welcome to the board! I have horses also and like you riding was not comfortable. Among the normal things I hated about being fat in public, I hated not being able to enjoy what I love most and that was riding my horses. I love being able to climb in the saddle and not hear my horse grunt, or when I was on his back have him shifting the weight between legs because I probably shouldn't have been up there...

As for any resistance you may get from your family or friends, I would really try to focus on doing what you know you need to for your health and well being. It sounds like you are well on your way. Remember that sometimes the resistance that comes from others is the fear that you will change or that the relationship between you and that person will change and maybe they aren't sure they are ready for that. Those are things you can deal with all in good time, but please do NOT let those things deter you.

Good luck to you and I hope you are able to literally climb back in the saddle again soon!!!

Hello I live in Michigan with my husband and two kids. I'm interested in the sleeve surgery because I seem to have tried everything else. I wish I could do this by myself but I've just learned over the years that I just can't. It's not something that I can do without this kind of tool.

I haven't really talked about this with my family. My husband is on board but my mom and my sisters I'm sure will have a lot to say about it. I'm not really looking looking forward to listening. I wonder how a lot of you have handled this? I'm not the only one that had to deal with people that were not terribly supportive or understand what it really is like to have to lose this much weight.

I'm 40 years old, maybe I'm having a midlife crisis but I think that if I don't do this now I wont have much of an active future. I have horses. What fat lady needs horses? I want to ride again. I want to go dancing. I want to feel sexy. I want to go and be able to pick out clothes and not go to a fat girl store.

I want to feel more like a women and not like this extra weight defines who I am. I have plans and being fat just does not work with those plans. I want a future and I want to be the one that is driving. I don't want to let this addiction drive anymore. Sure, I'm scared as hell to have this done. I think I shouldn't have to have this done. But I know that I do because I've tried everything else. Actually Im more scared not to have this done. What else is there?

I've read so many success stories on this site. I've seen so many videos on YouTube. It's amazing what this tool can do if you are brave enough to use it.

I'm so excited. I stopped drinking pop. Southern folk that would be soda. In Michigan it's pop. I'm going to start trying to do little things to get prepared for this new life. I can't wait to join you sleevers! Currently I am waiting for HAP approval. Hope to have good news soon. I weight my highest now, 357. I lost about 5bs last year but it's back! Looking forward to reading more of your stories!

This sounds like super fun!!!

Here Goes....

My name is Liz and I am a single 25 year old Front Desk Clerk at two different hotels/occasional college student. I am working toward a degree in Music Education. Say what you will, but music is my passion! I adore making it, listening to it, teaching it, talking about it, reviewing it...my greatest achievements have been in music and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life making a career out of it...once I manage to drudge through college.... I live in Ingleside, Texas which is about 25 min. from Corpus Christi, Texas. I Love living in Texas and I am very proud to be a Texan! I enjoy reading (romance, suspense, history, etc.), I LOVE to crochet...right now I'm working on a baby blanket for a couple of friends that are having their first child ( a little girl), but I also love to make hats and scarves, and flowers which I make into pins to accessorize ( I like to say "expressorize" lol) your outfit with. I was adopted at birth by my parents and they are the better than I could have even asked for! I was able to meet my bio mom and half sisters, and we are still in touch and funnily enough they live in the area so we see one another from time to time. I love my friends and family fiercely...I'm probably too intense sometimes, and I wear my heart on my sleeve (no pun intended) so I have had to learn to reign in the emotions a little bit so I don't overwhelm people. Having said all that, the most importnat thing in my life is my relationship with Jesus Christ! Everything else after that is just second best!

Great story, Liz

You sound awesome

I live in Texas too woot woot!!!

Hello!

I have read through most of this thread, but am pretty sure I haven't posted on it before, figured I would. I'm a 25 year old single nursing student. I live with family and work part time at a pharmacy. I am a year and a half from my degree. I was sleeved on July 26th, 2012. I love video games and movies - probably didn't help my weight gain! My favorite game is probably one of the Zelda or Final Fantasy series. I also love to read and am a big fan of Dean Koontz, Stephen King, and Terry Pratchett.

I am really looking forward to being able to get out and do more with my life. I have been heavy all of my adult life, so I think I have really missed out some opportunities that I will be looking forward to taking advantage of. =)

Izuri! Congrats on your soon to have degree!! That's awesome!

I love movies and video games as well, my teenage daughters got me hooked Hehe! Also love Stephen King!!

I am Staci. My husband and I just had our 26th wedding anniversary. We have three children...well guess they are not children anymore. Our oldest Jessi is 30, and our son, Josh is 24 and our youngest, Jacqui is 22. I am an editor for a pygmy goat magazine and raise a small herd of 30 pygmy goats. They all have names and I travel to show them all over Washington. I am missing the Puyallup fair resting from my sleeve surgery on the 11th of Sept. We have 6 cats, ornamental pheasants and 7 dogs. Three Papillons, 2 Basset Hounds, a Chihuahua and a lab. Mind you the only dogs that are mine are the Papillons..the Bassets are my husbands and the Lab and Chihuahua belong to my youngest and her husband. We love animals, camping, the ocean, reading and movies. I recently found out my daughter Jessi and my daughter in law are both due March 11th. We will be first time grand parents!!!!!!!! So exciting. And with my weightloss, I shouldn't hurt so bad anymore and may be able to get on the ground and play with my precious grand babies in March!! Wish me luck!!

Nice to know all of you!

***Staisea***

You guys are all awesome!

Hi I have read through most of this thread and I don't think I have posted on here before . I am 32 and have been married for 8+years.I am a mom of 3 as you can see from my username lol.My children are 4yrs,5yrs,and 7yrs and I have 2 step kids that reside in another state but come to visit not nearly enough. I am a Military Spouse my husband is Active Duty Air Force for over 17 years.I am also a Nurse but decided in 2007 to stay at home until my youngest starts school at least and then I will further my own education with hopes of becoming a Nurse Practitioner:)

I love to travel one of my favorite places to go is Monterrey Ca (I am from Northern Cali).I love seeing other countries I have lived in 4 different ones.

I have struggled with weight since my early teens but it has been worse since I had my first child but not from pregnancy weight gain for some reason I seem to be a post pregnancy gainer :/ I am 5'2 and was at my all time high of 234 last November and got down to 212 while my husband was deployed but since he returned I have ballooned back up to 225 or so and that is just the latest yoyo.Like others I have tried about 20+different diets.I had been considering WLS for a while and decided on the Sleeve in June and I was hoping to be sleeved in October but due to an undetected thyroid issue I had to put on thyroid meds and need to wait until my levels are stable.That being said I hope to be sleeved by No later than December but hopefully much sooner:)

Hello, my name is Maureen. I am 52 years old and have been thinking about doing something about my weight, surgery wise, for about 2 years. It was a very hard decision for me as my cousin died after having gastric bypass. I finally came to the realization that if things continue to progress, as they have, I might not die from having surgery, but I sure as heck might die from HBP or any of the other problems we all have.

This was a hard year. I had two accidents which put my out of commission for a bit. POSITIVE>>>> Insurance will cover 100% of my surgery and why not take some of the negative out of this year and do something FOR me.... for once.

So here I am, just had my first doctor's appt. Had all the tests, at least required so far, done. Just need to meet with the psychologist and go into wait patter.

I am hoping for a November surgery. I decided on the sleeve for a bunch of reasons, the above being one, but my Dr. said that the complications he has seen after doing many many sleeves are far less than bypass. I watched a video of the surgery (biting my nails), and was pretty amazed at the process.

I cannot wait to be able to ride my horse (whom has been a lawn ornament for a while hehe), look good on my motorcycle and buying that 1st set of SKINNY JEANS!!!

If you are looking for a buddy to go through this with, please let me know.

Gud luck to u and ur journey..u wil loose so much weight and ppl wont hardly recognize u..i wil kep u in my prayers and u have rily made a fantastic choice choosing vgs..gud luk missy

Gud luck to u and ur journey..u wil loose so much weight and ppl wont hardly recognize u..i wil kep u in my prayers and u have rily made a fantastic choice choosing vgs..gud luk missy

Im tanisha nolen sanyang.33yrs old and I live in michigan..im post op 13 months from vgs and so far I have lost 128lbs and dropped 12 clothes sizes..i have more to loose and I have no regrets at all.day of sergery I was 306lbs with high bp and now im off of bp pills and I feel better than I ever have in 16 yrs.i have 3 kids and I now ride bikes wit dem and I also climb trees..i wil post current pics..the one up there is 4months old but if I had to do it again I will..

Im tanisha nolen sanyang.33yrs old and I live in michigan..im post op 13 months from vgs and so far I have lost 128lbs and dropped 12 clothes sizes..i have more to loose and I have no regrets at all.day of sergery I was 306lbs with high bp and now im off of bp pills and I feel better than I ever have in 16 yrs.i have 3 kids and I now ride bikes wit dem and I also climb trees..i wil post current pics..the one up there is 4months old but if I had to do it again I will..

I want to see pics, you look great in that one though!

Thank u so much! U lok so thin..did u have wls?

Thank u so much! U lok so thin..did u have wls?

Thanks, but it is just how the pic was taken;) I haven't had surgery yet I have a BMI of 40.8 I hoped to be sleeved within the next couple of months...