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!

Great Idea

My name is Lee Ann, I 41 years young. I have been married for 26 wonderful years to my soul mate. I have a son who is 23 and two beautiful daughters twins who are 22. I also have 2 dogs oscar and pookie. I am a Texas native, I have llived hear most of my life. I am also a stay at home wife. I only ever worked if I wanted to. What started as my weight gain was when I was 21 and my mother passed away at 56. She died from brain and lung cancer, so I started soothing my pain with food and kept on for years. I finally work up one day and said that it was enough. I love animals all kinds. I have a dream of doing so many different things before time runs out, like horse back riding, skydiving, wearing Victoria Secret, flying in an airplane. I always put others first in my and I still do. My family are the ones who finally encouraged me to do this, they always tell me that its my time. I guess I can really say that I am one of the luckiest people in the world because of the way my family appreciates and LOVES me.

God Bless Everyone may your destination be your dream come true!!!

I am Lorraine and I am brand new here. I recently made the decision to pursue WLS and now I just want it to start moving!

I have been married for 17 years and have two kids - Cassidy my 16 year old daughter who plays softball and is brilliant (biased I know) and a son Charles who just turned 13. He is equally brilliant to his sister and plays the string bass.

I have three cats and a bunny and four chickens.

I decided to have this surgery to take back my life. I am tired of counting every calorie, and starving all the time but losing no weight. I want to run a 5k and a half marathon and look in the mirror or at photos and not hate what I see. I also have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart problems. Yeah me!

I look forward to sharing this journey with you all.

I'm Rachel. I'm 27 years old and I'm married to my wonderful husband, Billy. We have no kids as of yet, but we do have a toy poodle named Freddy.

I have 2 main motivations for having this surgery. One is that I want to live a good, long life. The other is that I would like to have a baby some day and right now I don't think I'm in good enough physical shape to try for a baby.

I don't know, realistically, whether or not I will ever have a baby, but it's a dream. See, in addition to being morbidly obese, I have Asperger's syndrome, adult ADHD, depression, a non-verbal learning disability, and a NOS mood disorder. NOS stand for Not Otherwise Specified. Basically I get horrible mood swings when I don't take my meds. I've been stable for the past few years thanks to my therapist, my psychiatrist, and my meds which are Concerta, Welbutrin, Abilify, and Lamictal.

I'm Jewish, but pretty reform. Basically I go to synagogue on the high holy days, don't eat pork, and light hannukah candles. My husband is Catholic, but also not very religious. He goes to church on Christmas and Easter.

I'm Andrea, 33 live in Rockford MI. Married, no human children just 2 dogs an african grey parrot and cockatiel. I have been a life long yo yo-er and eventually considering having a baby. But would llike to get my weight under control for me first. I'm at 260 5' 7 right now highest ever, Freaks me out to even say it out loud. No one around me knows that even. I have been to my seminar and Dr visit 0 so far. I go in for my first weigh in 1/17/13 of the 6 month requirement. I have also met with the NUT and exercise specialist.

I wish I would have looked into this sooner. A couple months ago I read something about the grehlin hormone and did some soul searching. I came to the conclusion that I need a permanent tool. My insurance is priority health but I am waiting to hear from my employer if they are switching to a different plan as of Feb. But might as well get things started.

I have always had a carb addiction. And like most here have tried "everything". Yet always gain back. I am also dealing with constant hunger. My husband is super supportive. Hes never said a word to me about being overweight and always makes me feel wanted no matter what size. But I would like to be healthy and hot for him! I have stayed around the 225 range for quite some time. Then out of the blue another 25 appeared. I am finding myself not fitting into clothing and very lazy. I have always remained active even with the weight till recently. So exercise isn't a problem. I have trouble with eating late and eating too much. I am someone that if you looked at me would say "theres no way shes 260"!

I have been lurking around this forum for a good month and love it. I am finding support here that I will need as I proceed. I don't plan on telling many prior to my surg. that may change as time goes on. So far my hubby and mother and couple friends know. there are so many misconceptions with WLS and I have already heard that I am taking the "easy" way out. So while I am trudging through the next 6 months I will keep things on the DL and hope it goes smoothly. Till next time

Hi, I'm Betsy. I've been lurking around the site for a few weeks now and thought now that I'm on the forum on my computer instead of my phone, I'd add an intro and update pics, etc.

So I'm 32 years old and finally decided I've had enough of this unhealthy body and lifestyle and everything that comes with it. I am very excited to start this process but naturally also a bit nervous. I am so happy to have found this forum as it has been so helpful in my prep for the surgery.

Hey you guys, A Big Hello to everyone !!!!!!!!! I am Tanvi, a 24year old Indian who lives in Mumbai and is getting operated on 21st Jan 2013, Monday it is .

My Story -- well, I add 209lbs (95kgs) to mother earth's weight,,,i am a doer & God graciously,2012 has been a year when i officially got settled on the career front, got an MBA, got placed on campus & doing what i love.I have been the happy one - people love being around me & im the one who they come to for practical solutions to everything around, but i recently realized that i was always in the "gr8 friend" category but never "the gal" guys date...why was that, wasn't i a good human,why is it that the person who is seen as the "go to" one in terms of help isnt the "one" they date? That's when i realized that the weight hides it all,,but am i ready to let that happen to me -- blah,are u kidding me !!!! --- so the doer in me is all out,to finally & once for all combat the weight monster & kill it for good !!!

Who all know about it-- 3gals, 2 at work and a friend, mom-dad stay in another town & i want them & the world to only see the results and not judge me as to how i loose the weight, for i have accepted that working out in the gym will take me down by 6kgs in month 1 ,3kgs in the second & then i will be back to avoiding the gym & 10kgs heavier.

I got myself into the hospital today -- been here for 8hours and the liquid diet sucks, its now that it hit me that this isnt going to be easy :ph34r: but whatever comes easy in life isnt worth it , so go baby go - give me liquid in cups & call it food, what i used as a taster before is now an entire meal

So here im, in the battle against weight, help me,as you have helped others, for now, there is no stopping -- its an out & out ,to achieve what i deserve !!!!!!!

I'm 53 years old. I am married to my highschool sweetheart. We met at a football game in 9th grade, I'd just turned 15 and he was still 14. We have two daughters and three 'grands'. We will celebrate 34 years this coming July. I'm a Native Texan, and after having lived in Denver and then Wisconsin....I'll never take sunshine, warm weather, good food and good manners for granted, ever again! I'm a 'kept woman' - we moved back to TX summer before last and are living in the Dallas area. We love the beach. There is no place we'd rather be than in a beach house on the west end of Galveston Island being beach bums!

I've struggled with my weight since about age 18. I've taken pills, gone to WW, Medifast......the list is endless. I've lost 50 lbs two, maybe three times in my life. Of course I gained it all back, and then some. I've lost 20 and 30 lbs more times than I can count. After the phen/phen scare I promised my DH I'd never take another pill, and I never did. Luckily I escaped that without damage to my heart. I envisioned being like several paternal aunts who are well over 300 lbs. I struggled to 'maintain' 228. I knew it was bad when I lost down to 200. Ugh.....but now, life is great, I feel great and look pretty darn good. My BMI was relatively low, I had no health problems. The surgery and losing was a breeze. Maintaining isn't difficult either, although I committed to lose an additional 8 lbs as of this morning. Just because.....I want to see if I can do it. I am a lb below the doctor's goal, but four lbs above mine. Last week I was three lbs lighter, then we had out of state company for three days. It is so easy to gain a few lbs, but it is pretty easy to lose it again. I am just going 'lower' to see how easy it is to do!! Fingers and toes are crossed.

This sounds like fun so here goes.... I am 43' date=' mother to an almost 21 year old son, an 18 year old son and a almost 14 year old daughter. I am happily married to my husband Dave. We have been married for almost 5 years now. My first husband was abusive and it took me 10 years to leave that codepenant relationship. I have yo-yo dieted for 20 years. Loosing up to 40 pounds two and three times, but always gaining it back and almost never getting under 170. Once, on weight watchers, I got to 163 but it was very short lived. I was back over 170 in short order. I reached my all time high of 236 about two years ago. After i got remarried we wanted a child together. After all the fertility treatments and hormones, my weight was at this all time high. I knew I had to try something new. We never got pregnant either.

I hosted 10 exchange students over the years and went to see one of them get married in Brazil last spring. I have not hosted since being remarried though it is something I want to continue to do as soon as I can. I am a forensic scientist in firearms and toolmarks and have been for 12 years. My first career was cytotechnology (we diagnose cancer on the cellular level) so I have a pretty good medical knowledge, but i only use it as a little hobby now. My husband calls me "Dr. My Wife" because family members are always calling me for advice and to diagnose their health issues. I am not a doctor, however. I love forensic science. I am about halfway through my Masters program in forensic science administration right now. I am still in disbelief most of the time that I have lost almost 60 pounds already and only have 40 to go!

I know I can loose 40, I have done that before but this time I feel confident I will not be gaining it back again! I am 5 months out next week. HAPPY NEW YEAR![/quote']

I'm so encouraged by your post. We have some similarities. Good luck!

I'm a 45 yr old mother of a 19 yr old daughter and 11 yr old son. I've just begun thus journey. Pre-PreOp is what I'm considering myself. No surgery date yet. Still working on meeting all my requirements. I've worked in the Human Resources field for most of my career. I'm a Taurus, a natural "encourager" or cheerleader. Huge football fan!

Hi all! My names is Hayley. I am a 29 year old mother of three. My surgery is set for March 5th, and I am very excited to begin this journey. Feel free to follow my blog at:

www.sleeve4life.blogspot.com

It is true that we are more than our struggle with weight. But for 30 years I struggled with being overweight And it wasn't until I had the VSG That I began living again. It took a year for me to lose 100 pounds And today I'm happier than I've ever been in my whole life. I hike and bike and snowshoe and dance and smile and approach people and socialize and entertain. It's been wonderful. My husband I've been married for almost 35 years and we're like honeymooners again. I feel so sorry for all those out there that have had difficulties with their surgery Vomiting pain depression other illnesses. I personally have had no problem whatsoever. I have gained about 15 pounds But that's due to drinking too much wine and alcohol and not doing enough exercising. So my husband I have begun cutting back and were hitting the gym more often. We are getting in shape for a two-week long hiking extravaganza across the country in July. We will start at Arches national Monument, Followed by national reef national Park, Bryce Canyon and then Zion national Park. We plan to hike at least two trails in each place. We will end this hiking extravaganza in Las Vegas Where my husband and I are planning to reinstate our wedding vows for 35th wedding anniversary. Good luck to all of you out there. For those of you struggling I hope that things get better for you And for the rest of you I hope that your as happy as I am

hi. my name is dustin ive been reading around on the site for a couple weeks now while ive been getting all my pre op tests done and figured its about time to make a profile. i live in lake havasu, arizona ( gods country ;D ) im a divorced dad of two girls ages 14 and 11 and work in the utilities industry. my doctor is dr. krahn in riverside, ca. im going to him although hes a couple hundred miles away due to the fact ive had a few family members and a few friends use him for their WLS and have nothing but good things to say about him. ive struggled with my weight since after high school when i blew my knee out playing foozball (the devils game) in college and have continued to yo yo with my weight ever since.

Hello,

I'm Virginie but my friends call me Gin. I just turned 30 and decided this year to have the sleeve done because I want to start having a family soon. My ankles, and knees have started to bother me and climbing up stairs has become hard. I go tomorrow for my pre-op appointment. I'm petrified of having this surgery because my cousins wife has scared me because she had the gastric by pass and has been in the hospital for almost all of the last year, and due to that she is not being supportive. I have a loving husband who supports me 100%. I hope to make some friends in the Rockland County area who has had this surgery.

Greetings, my name Jon. I live in Lenexa, Kansas. I am a 35-year-old Hispanic male with type II diabetes possibly on the verge of being type I. I've been overweight for nearly 30 years of life. I have been at the lowest at 170 pounds and at my heaviest at 280 pounds. I love food, I eat when I'm bored and I eat my emotions. Last month after the holidays I made the decision that I was going to explore the option of doing a weight loss procedure. After countless days/ hours surfing the Internet watching YouTube testimony videos I made the decision to pursue the vertical sleeve option. Two weeks ago I had my first meet and greet session with the surgeon I selected Dr. G. Brice Hamilton, M.D. He made a very strong first impression of course I wasn't prepared to ask questions. I will be ready for my 2nd consultation this is for certain. I'm scared of the unknown. I do not have a friend who has walked down this path. The few people that I've shared with seem to be supportive but deep into their eyes I can tell they do not understand. There is so much to read and I know that it is my responsibility. If there are any local or national people who see/read this post please say, hi. I sure could use the company during the unknown journey. What's the consensus have many of you documented your journey via video??

Hi! My name is Tanya. I'm 33 years old - 34 soon. I've been married for 14 1/2 years to my active duty Air Force husband. We have 3 kids total. My oldest is my husbands from his first marriage and he is 18 and joining the military this summer. 2nd oldest is 16 and she is also from DH's first marriage. They are as good as mine even if they are technically step kids. My youngest is ten and is 6 years off treatment for a childhood cancer. She is considered cured. I have PCOS and Metabolic syndrome. Both of those combined make weight loss extremely difficult. I managed to lose around 20 in the year before surgery at which point my weight loss froze and even the pre-op diet didn't make me lose more weight. I got sleeved on 12/3/12 and was finally able to lose more weight. I've never enjoyed shopping for clothes so much before. I exercise for around an hour every day and eat about 800 calories a day. I'm loving the sleeve and don't regret it for a second. I got my sleeve done at Walter Reed Bethesda National Military Medical Center by Dr. Lin. I love my surgeon, too!