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!

My name is Kat, I'm 26 years old, and have battled my weight my entire life. I have tried everything possible to get the weight off ~ dr supervised weight loss programs, personal trainers, laxatives, exercised like crazy, nutrisystem, fat camp, weight watchers. It all worked for a brief period but then it all came back. I have finally reached the point where I am ready to do this. It's time for me to come first. I'm tired of the dirty looks from people when I'm out. You know the look, that look you get when a persons face says "Oh my god how can they be out in public and look like that." Do any of them ever think about the persons story? I know the answer is no. I know I shouldn't let the dirty looks get to me but it does, I'm not gonna lie. If these people only knew that I do eat right, and I train my ass off but still can't get results maybe they'd change their minds. I'm sure looking at me they would never think I've completed 3 Tough Mudders....by myself. It's a 12 mile obstacle course run, with 20-25 obstacles along the way.

My dream is to get off this weight that is holding my back from my ultimate dream of being a personal trainer and owning my own gym.

I want to be able to do things at the gym I can't do like a handstand, or even just be able to do 10 regular pushups. I know this is going to change my life, and I'm excited, scared, and nervous all at once.

I'm ready for my new life to start....

My name is Kat' date=' I'm 26 years old, and have battled my weight my entire life. I have tried everything possible to get the weight off ~ dr supervised weight loss programs, personal trainers, laxatives, exercised like crazy, nutrisystem, fat camp, weight watchers. It all worked for a brief period but then it all came back. I have finally reached the point where I am ready to do this. It's time for me to come first. I'm tired of the dirty looks from people when I'm out. You know the look, that look you get when a persons face says "Oh my god how can they be out in public and look like that." Do any of them ever think about the persons story? I know the answer is no. I know I shouldn't let the dirty looks get to me but it does, I'm not gonna lie. If these people only knew that I do eat right, and I train my ass off but still can't get results maybe they'd change their minds. I'm sure looking at me they would never think I've completed 3 Tough Mudders....by myself. It's a 12 mile obstacle course run, with 20-25 obstacles along the way.

My dream is to get off this weight that is holding my back from my ultimate dream of being a personal trainer and owning my own gym.

I want to be able to do things at the gym I can't do like a handstand, or even just be able to do 10 regular pushups. I know this is going to change my life, and I'm excited, scared, and nervous all at once.

I'm ready for my new life to start....

[/quote']

congrat and welcome to the family

Sent from my iPad using VST

Here goes nothing. Im Andrea ..37yrs old ..divorced mother of a 16 & 13 yr old..I've been a nurse for the last 13 yrs..im currently in school.. I have no energy ..im pretty much lifeless at this point..I've also tried every diet and diet pills there is..i was at my lowest weight about 4 yrs ago down to 176 ..but gained it all back plus some ..im at my heaviest at 227 and 5'5"..I've always wanted Wls but my insurance never paid..so this year i was really determined to have the sleeve..and decided to go to Mexico and get sleeved..im soooo excited about being able to see my "girl"..lol... With out having to hold my belly up..lol..im having my surgery 10/10/13..please pray for me...

Thanks for the welcome' date=' Mytime2shine.

I really admire the weight you've lost and the comittment you have to excercising 5 days a week. I'm hopeful of doing something similar. My employer has an on site gym, and since I live in Minnesota, I'll most likely make good use of it! lol

Were you able to control the pain with the meds they provided to you after the surgery? I a bit leery, as I had a lower inguinal hernia surgery years ago, and it hurt like hell! Hopefully, this operation will result in pain that is better managed.

Regards,

Kevin[/quote']

Pain was well controlled with the meds Dr prescribed. In fact, I only took a couple of doses. Most of my pain was minimal & was more discomfort than anything.

Having a gym at work is def a plus!!

Best of luck to u.

Hi! i'm JewelJ I just joined tonight. I have a different story. I am 60yrs old. I had a Lapband done in 2007. after it was done I felt that I did well. I took off about 35lbs. Than stopped for two months.

Than started to lose again. I took off another 20lbs. But than just stayed the same. Last Aug my husband was told he had Alzheimer's Disease so now i'm a caretaker and my world has been crashing with changes. Over this past year I put on mabe 20lb , than took off 8lb. It seems to be harder to work with as I get older. I can't move as well as I use to. I have had mgr Back surgery since the Band and I have two plates of metal in my back as well as 8 screws. I can still walk with my two small dogs and my Grand Daughters. I will always take the last parking place in the parking lot just to make myself walk more. But I have a lot of arthritis from driving a School bus for 25 years. So my same Doctor talk to me about taking out the Band and doing the Gastric Sleeve that I might have more success and be able to walk more as the weight came off, and one thing might help the other. So the first thing he did was get approval to have two operations. the surgeon feels that he has to go in and take the band out and have me heal and have good tissue grow before he can do this surgery. So I will have this band taken out on Oct 9th. Than by Jan 2014 I can have the Gastric Sleeve done. He said he is not going to staple bad tissue and have a problem with it. So that is my story.. I hope I can work this board and get the info that I need. Thanks for the welcome. It would be nice to know if anyone else on here has had a Lapband and went to the Gastric Sleeve, and how did they make out??? Thanks again.. JewelJ

Hello everyone, I'm a newbie..and here's my story:

I've tried every diet and eating planning known to man, since the time I was 15 years old... some mainstream, some not so mainstream...from popping pills to the vinegar diet to the soda diet and from Atkins to the Zone... all over the course of 33 years. I've lost upward of 65 lbs, only to gain it back, plus some. I've had a personal trainer, a nutritionist, a dietician, a prayer circle and a shopping list...to enhance my weight loss chances. The only weapon (outside of WLS) I've never employed was a witch doctor, but if one could have promised weight loss, I would have probably signed up and tried it too.

Suffice it to say, at this point in my life, I'm ready, I mean absolutely ready for a permnanent alteration to my phsyiology, not as a short cut but as a life long tool to help me, not only mount the monster but to conquer it and bury it deep without any chance of recovery.

I have reached the point, after much careful study and research, after many discussions and conversations, where I am completely and utterly ready for WLS & the Gastric Sleeve. I am committed to completely changing my life, my eating habits and my exercise habits. I've been working out again with a trainer, light stuff, . I finished my final round of chemotherapy for OV cancer in May, and now I've gotten the approval to move forward with this new journey.

I'm ready. I've started the process. Yes, I am ready.

I look forward to reading everyone's story and being inspired by other's journey.

Bountiful Blessings to All

Dear Jeizygurl do you mean Jerseygirl? Loved your story, I'm new here also. I hope to get the Sleeve by Jan 2014. I got approval already, it is just I have to get my Band removed first, than wait 3 months than have the Sleeve done. I wish you the best. JewelJ

Hi, I'm Wendy, and I am 43 years old. I have not had the surgery yet, but I plan to have it in early November. I weigh 312 pounds, down from 350 (342 at first weigh-in.) I have many current illnesses, including Diabetes Type II, asthma, sleep apnea, and lots of pain disorders. This includes frequent migraines, fibromyalgia, and more. I don't want to die young, so I am looking forward to having this surgery and losing some weight. I hope and pray I do well with it.

I am single, no children, although I don't like those facts. No one will go out with me because they don't like overweight women.

Well, I guess that's all for now. Thanks for reading.

Wendy

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Hi, I am Emma, I am 57 years old, married, and had 2 children. I had my surgery on May 17, 2012. Not only did I need to loose weight, I also had a hiatal hernia that was in my chest cavity. I had 2 major surgeries at the same time. I was in the hospital for 4 days and had some trouble with my sugar dropping. I was not a diabetic before, nor am I now. Guess my diet had a lot to do with the sugar dropping. But 15 months out and I am doing okay. I lost 60 lbs, but now have gained 10 lbs back. I need help staying on track with the diet and exercise. Praying that I get back on track and loose some more weight. I am looking forward to learning how others cope and keep loosing weight.

Who I am? Ha, the question of the day. I can say this, I am a mother of 3, a partner, a daughter, a best friend & a survivor. I can't say much more at this point. I recently turned 40 and life seems to be ever changing. I'm struggling with alot (not my weight for once!!). So it's time to redefine/rediscover who I am.. because I truly do not know.

Hi all, I am Kat. I live in Texas but work in IT for a computer storage device company in California so I get to travel constantly (which I love). I have two grown kids and a wonderful guy that keeps me sane. I have always been on the heavy side of life and I am not expecting to be a skinny minny from all this, but I am looking for the solution to my up and down history of weight loss.

I love love love! this forum. I'm Jessica and Im 28 and for as long as I can remember I have struggled with my weight - dont ever remember feeling comfortable and happy in my own skin. Im definitely an introvert and would skip school to play video games which probably contributed to me gaining weight to now. Family habits of eating seconds and thirds and big portions all my life have led to gaining weight and keeping it on. Tried jenny craig, weight watches, atkins... mostly only those diets and then just fell off the wagon. Im very shy and played lots of video games and only ever dated online and when all of those relationships failed i gave up on online dating and said eff it! Then something amazing happened and I met my wonderful boyfriend in WoW and he accepted me at my current weight and we have been together for almost 3 years now and he is a total skinny minny. I work in a pharmacy as a technician now for 5 almost 6 years and I love/hate it. Going to school SLOOOOOWLY to eventually become a pharmacist because I cant imagine doing anything else with my life. I feel like finally, almost turning 30 everything in my life will be TOTALLY AWESOME. Surgery date september 9th OMG.

Did I mention I love this place.

Hi, I'm Wendy, and I am 43 years old. I have not had the surgery yet, but I plan to have it in early November. I weigh 312 pounds, down from 350 (342 at first weigh-in.) I have many current illnesses, including Diabetes Type II, asthma, sleep apnea, and lots of pain disorders. This includes frequent migraines, fibromyalgia, and more. I don't want to die young, so I am looking forward to having this surgery and losing some weight. I hope and pray I do well with it.

I am single, no children, although I don't like those facts. No one will go out with me because they don't like overweight women.

Well, I guess that's all for now. Thanks for reading.

Wendy

Well Wendy, I'm right behind you.. I have to have my Band removed on Oct 9th..I than need to wait 3 months than have the Sleeve done. Prob will have it done in Jan.. So we will be pretty close together.. Don't be so hard on yourself.. People like you for YOU,, not for what you look like.. I wish you well my Friend... JewelJ