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 Alex and I'm a 39 year old male living in Tennessee. I am divorced with three children. My highest weight was 323 and I became more and more concerned with my overall health condition. In 2007 I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, and just two years ago, atrial fibrillation. When it was suggested that all of these problems could be related to my obesity, I started looking for more extreme ways to try to lose weight. I have struggled with weight gain my entire life, trying all kinds of diets, losing 60 pounds when I was 16 but gaining it back by the time I was 22. My ex-wife had Roux en Y surgery in 2007, and had a dramatic weight loss. Unfortunately, she did not heed the advice of the doctors and dieticians and never took her supplements, so the weight came right back within two years. This has turned me away from having the surgery until a mutual friend of hers, a lap bander, had me speak to another friend who had recently had the gastric sleeve surgery, which I had not heard of until earlier this summer.

I got very excited after researching the surgery and called my insurance company for physicians in network who perform it. I signed up for a consultation with the Vanderbilt Center for Surgical Weight Loss in Nashville in July and that is when I was sure this was the right time and the right thing to do. When the surgeon, Dr. Brandon Williams came in during the presentation I realized I went to high school with him and felt another sense of ease since we already knew one another.

I had complete encouragement from my parents, my fiancée, and my personal physician, who wrote the letter of recommendation for me to have the surgery. And my insurance company was very easy to deal with, and only required a few standard prerequisites prior to having the surgery. (Psych eval, attendance of support group, evidence of trying other diets, etc).

Four months later my surgery took place 11/21/2013. My only complication during the surgery was during post op; my heart went into atrial fibrillation while I was in the recovery room. I was moved to the cardiology floor at Vanderbilt for monitoring. The first night in the hospital was spent seeing many cardiologist trying to figure out how to get my heart rate below 130 where it stayed for hours. By morning, it was down to the 80s, since I was able to take my beta blockers crushed (yuck!). I was discharged the next day since my heart rate was back in the 60s.

It has almost been 2 weeks since I had the surgery, and the only pain I feel is in my right side around the ribs, which is close to where they removed most of my stomach. I am now past the soft foods stage and can drink and eat ok, long as I resist the temptation to eat too big of a bite of food. I still crave the old foods I am no longer allowed to eat, but am putting in the toughest battle to stay with this diet by the book. I am 27 pounds down and hope to lose more and when I return to work I hope I can keep in control of my daily diet. That's enough about me... Good luck to everyone out there. I feel good about what I have done, no regrets.

I am a divorced mother of 5 children and a grandson. My youngest are 20 years old. I am a CNA in the hospice field and a full-time student going for Medical Office Administration. I began to gain weight after I got married and I struggled to loose eight and keep it off over the years. food became my friend and confidant...lol. A girlfriend of mine told me she was getting sleeved earlier this year but I was too busy trying to maintain employment. After my feet kept hurting and clothes kept getting bigger, I decided to slow down and take a second look at myself. I started researching the sleeve and decided to start my journey 12-16-2013. Here I am with an attitude to be beautiful, successful and happier!! Oh, and to wear lots of sundresses...lol.

And healthier..

Hi everyone my name is Kimberly and I'm 24. I'm a recent college grad and new RN. I have struggled all my life with my weight and I have tried everything I can think of. In the end, I know my battle lies with portion control. When I was 19 I tried a popular weight loss medication (that I'm sure most of you have tried as well, so no name is needed lol) available only by a physician as well as b12 injections. After 8 months I had lost 65 lbs. But my blood pressure was through the roof, and I began suffering daily headaches. That was the lowest weight I can remember being (183). Even at 5'3'', that was still too much for my height. Since I stopped, all the weight came back and then some. I have dieted and exercised, but I have yet to go under 200 lbs. Last time I was weighed, I was 238. Which is why I am researching sleeve gastrectomy. Next thursday I am going to my first information session about it. The hospital system in which I will be working for has a bariatric program, and I am interested in hearing about this procedure.

I am Sheila a 50 year old married registered nurse with a 17 year old son. I have been a nurse for 30 years and overweight for about 20 years. I feel weight loss surgery is necessary for me to continue my nursing career. 17 more years before retirement age.

Hello Everyone!

My name is Carrie and I work in healthcare. I am in a LTR with a wonderful man and we have 2 children ( a boy 12 and a girl 5). I have been overweight since childhood. I am extremely excited about my sleeve and also very worried if I will be completely successful. I am a month out from the surgery and I have lost about 25lbs. I have stalled already at least once. My husband actually threw away my scale.I was weighing everyday, sometimes twice! Thanks so much for all the posts. very inspiring!

I'm Keisha. I'm from Wilmington, DE. I'm 34 years old, and I am a police dispatcher. I love to enjoy life. My motto is that I will do anything as long as it's both moral and legal. I love to travel. I love to read. I'm a geek and a techie. I love to meet new people.

I'm currently pre-op. If all goes well for me, I'll likely have my surgery in May or June. I'm really happy that I found this website. I'm learning a wealth of information. I believe that this site will help to prepare me on this journey. I'm nervous and excited. Feel free to share any encouragement or valuable information. It will all be appreciated.

Edited January 10, 201412 yr by tlallen710

Hello VSGers. My name is Pat. I had my sleeve done Dec 26th 2013. So I am just a few weeks post-op.my journey started years ago in high school. I have struggled with obesity for years. Personal issues. Family issues. Relationship issues all were a part of my problems. To set the record straight. I blame no one but myself. No one forced me to eat and eat and eat. I did it all on my own.I moved from Minnesota to Wisconsin fall of 09. Work relocation. After a failed relationship( not my fault. Lol. Ex told me after the fact) I went into poor me. Etc. Gained a large amount of weight. Fast forward. Went to a seminar in Jan 13 about WLS. I finally got in to see DR. End of may. Type 2 diabetic high BP. Cholesterol. Sleep apnea. I was in bad shape. Jun 15th. Joined YMCA. Did an hour a day in pool. Spent next 6-7 months Dr. Appts exercise. Etc. Met with bariatric team in Oct. Things really took off. Insurance wanted 6 months of Dr. Appts. Psych eval.dietician appts. Etc. Got approved about the 12th DEC.. Still wasn't sure if it would happen before Jan. My team went to work and they were able to secure the last available slot. Dec 26th was the date. Things went into overdrive.had a few more appts. To get pre-op ready. Hit the water even harder. Was taking no chances of not having surgery. Pre-op diet. Weight loss. Make liver as small as possible. Told my family on Christmas. Total support. Mom came to WISC with me. Help after home from hospital. 65 lbs gone day of surgery. Surgery went perfect. Words from surgeon. Went home day and half after surgery. Just over 2 weeks post-op 35 more lbs gone. Started vitamins a week ago. On purieed food now. Next week start little more soft foods. Went back to work last Monday Jan 6th. I feel great. Very excited for 2014 and beyond.

I'm Kate, 52 and married with two grown wonderful kids. I'm a clergywoman in a midsize congregation and have only recently made a job change to my present church. It's wonderful and I love my work, but I know if I lose some weight i'll have more energy for it and for play time when i'm away from work. I love art and museums, reading, my dog, hiking, my work, my family most of all! I have a wonderful husband of 30 years, and am looking forward to surgery in May of this year I hope. I especially enjoy spending time with my adult kids and seeing and knowing them as adults, and now time with my husband exploring our new town and what fun it is to be both working at things we love and being free at our age to do some things just for fun. Kids out of the house were an adjustment, but it's good now!

I have to say it's great inspiration to read all of the posts about the sleeve, whether it's frustrations or questions or stories - it all helps me feel better informed and get through this waiting time. I'm approved and doing some tests before my pre-op class in early March and then pre-op doctor appt. After that i'll get a surgery date, and they said they're scheduling for that in May.

I used to think WLS was definitely not for me, and now three doctors over time have suggested it. Of course I said it wasn't for me anyway - thinking i knew best and that such a thing was too drastic. Then I went on a conference and met two other women who had chosen to do it; one six weeks earlier and the other two years earlier - and they weren't crazy or extreme or anything, but they were sure enjoying life and being in better shape. I spent most of the free time at the conference researching it, and before I'd left I had contacted my GP for a referral and she'd answered back right away that she was delighted to put in the referral! Anyway, that's my story - not just about my non-weight life though. Sorry about that!

Hi, my name is Samantha, I am 39 & a mother of 2 precious little girls aged 4 & 9 I live in London UK, My parents are still married and I have a younger brother who lives with them, I also have another brother & 3 sisters, apart from my youngest brother who suffered health problems from birth we were all slim before we had our children but we have all gained weight over the years, I had a fall a few years ago and struggled with pain in my lower back ever since but over the years it has become increasingly worse and I struggle to move at all and the weight has crept on so my GP referred me for a gastric sleeve, I have since been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease & was having epidural steroid injections but they were not working well for me so I am hoping weightloss is the answer, if my pain does not improve I am looking at back surgery, my sleeve op is booked for the 15th of April.

_{Hi, all! Shirley here, in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota. I do medical records and coding for a long-term care facility, just turned 60 and have been on some diet or other for 48 years. Was very athletic most of my adult years; cross-country skiing, horseback riding, played league softball, swimming. If those things weren't available, I went to a gym. Worked as a sign painter for many years and had to work out to do the job!}

_{Lately, I reckon, things are kinda wearing out. I have had two multi-level spinal fusions and a knee replacement. Between the surgeries I found out something was wrong with my immune system and kept getting sick all the time, mainly everything that went around but also odd stuff like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme's disease. Had mumps twice had two surgeries for gigantic kidney stones, and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Over a span of about 10 years, I was on a lot of pain medication. You take that kind of thing, you have to make sure there is something in your stomach so you don't get an ulcer. Being unable to continue working out, eating the wrong things (and way too much!), I have gained a whole lot of weight. Caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror and wondered, "Who in the world is that woman?"}

_{Started this journey just before an injury and the consequent knee surgeries and now it's time to get going! Things are lots better in other aspects of my health, but the weight has added some other issues, like sleep apnea, hypertension, high cholesterol, and my blood sugars are getting alarming. I am also tired of not being able to find fun clothing at a reasonable price, and being so tired all the time from hauling all this weight around.}

_{During recovery from all this, I have written a book of short stories and transcribed my grandmother's diaries (two volumes, 8 1/2" x 11" and each over 600 pages--then added photographs I have salvaged, inserted into the appropriate places). It was a good, productive thing to do while healing.}

_{My family is long gone, except my brother who lives about 1800 miles from me. But I have two Karelian bear dogs; mother and son, who are great companions. (Except those times when the cat deliberately baits them and they have to chase her around the house! The dogs are 70# each and it makes a lot of racket!) I got the bear dogs to train for hunting and search and rescue and have been unable to do much with them but love them. However, they are my muse! I cannot abide by the thought of never hunting again, and is one of the main goals I have for this year, post-surgery! By summer, I will be able to go trap shooting without someone hauling a chair for me to sit on until my turn comes up!}

_{The insurance company has approved the vertical sleeve, as well as my PCP. The next step is to see the surgeon and attend a seminar, then see a NUT and psychologist. Looking forward to a new year and new me! The surgery will be a great tool to help get back in shape before I get too old to enjoy it!}

Hi, My name is Sharon. I have been married 15 yrs and with my husband total for 18 yrs. I was diagnosed at 16 with pcos and was told I couldn't get pregnant. When I was 23 I proved the doctors wrong by accident, lol. She is now 10 yrs old. We decided to try to for another child and started the process of infertility treatments. I went to the doctor and he said lose weight, well turns out I was pregnant after 3 rounds of clomid. She is now 4 yrs old. Well about 24 months go we got another surprise and he is now 15 months old.

I have been big all my life and have tried every diet out there. I walked constantly. I move all the time. But nothing works. I have tried plexus, I have tried WW. My girls are active and we spend a lot of time at the park with soccer, softball and basketball. Plus dance. I never sit down, I walk around the field and cheer them on.

I am in a battle right now with my insurance company. They will pay for bypass and band but not sleeve. I believe sleeve is the best option for me and so does my doctor. Wish me luck. I have had 3 C-sections and really need to lose weight so I can be here for my children. I currently suffer from hbp and pcos.

Thanks

Hi everyone my date is finally here......I dont post much but i read just about everything...... my date is Feb 18 and I'm having all kinds of emotions. My husband, sister, brother, and one coworker knows about my journey. I dont understand why all of a sudden I'm SCARED!!!!!

Hi everyone. I just joined today. I was sleeved on 3/4/14 (6 days ago).

This thread is a great idea. It provides perspective to the weight loss journeys and helps to connect anothers journey on a much more personal level.

I am a 44 year old male. I have been married ten years. I have a 16 year old daughter. I work as a Medical Project Manager in San Antonio TX.

I have struggled with my weight all of my life. When I was young the struggle was there but less difficult. I was very active and athletic. I played football as a defensive lineman in college. However, once I stopped playing football the weight just started piling on. I have been able to loose it successfully a couple of times in the past but the efforts were draconian. The weight always came back. In the last 5-7 years the weight has been slowly increasing and despite my best efforts I could not slim down.

I was averse to the idea of surgical intervention, thinking that I could do it on my own. Last April my wife was dignosed with breast cancer. She has successfully been through a mastectomy and chemotherapy and is cancer free. When she was diagnosed I decided (with her support) to pursue bariatric surgery so that we would both be healthy and enjoy many years together.

It took almost a year to get insurance figured out (I am a contractor and my emloyer changed in the middle of the approval process). Somehow I got it all together and was able to have a sleeve procedure done. So far this has not been easy but I am taking it one day at a time. Overall I think I am doing fairly well .....maybe I hit the ground running a little too hard with excersize- walked 2 miles yesterday and 1.7 the day before. I was very weak after the walk yesterday and slept for 12 hours. I woke up still feeling weak. I am still on Clear liquids. So far I have lost 21 lbs from the start of my pre-op diet. The bulk of the loss has happened since surgery. (Start: 354 Current: 333)

I am looking forward to this journey and find many of your stories and struggles inspiring.

*pictures comming soon.

Hi, i had my sleeve last Monday-1 week ago today! I am 58, been married for 40 years, and have 2 grown and successful kids. I also have 2 rescue dogs-who give unconditional love, no matter what. They love you whether you're fat or not, have makeup on or not, and just because you are you.

I have dieted all my life. My mother was always thin and never understood why I had a problem. In my old age, I have figured out that my mom at to live-she hated eating. My dad and I lived to eat. I was called fat names my whole life, so in high school, I became anorexic. Back then, no one really cared about you not eating enough-they just told you how beautiful you were, now that you had lost all that weight. After getting married, I thought life was going to be perfect and I would be able to control my life of food. Unfortunately, I began eating again and gained weight and yo-yo'd (among other things) for years. It used to be I could quit eating and I could lose, but the older I got, the more I realized, no matter what I did, I could not lose-even when eating very little. So, I finally decided I needed to take charge of my life again, so I began checking into surgery.

In life, I have achieved most of the things I really tried -except for my weight reduction. I am a manager and have a lot of employees in "Corporate America". My concern has been that in "Corporate America", no one's job is really that secure. Plus, the older you get, the less value some people place on you.

I did this surgery for ME-to give me the confidence I need to do what I want and need to do. I am old enough that I do not care about being skinny. I want to be healthy! I want to be able to go to the doctor and not DIE every time I step on the scales. I want to have the confidence to take a cruise or go to the pool, or do anything else i darned well want to do. I am excited to be able to talk to people who have gone through the surgery and may be experiencing the same things I am now. As of today, I have lost 20 LBS. I would like to know if anyone has had bad headaches or felt like your brain was not really working since your surgery. I would bet it is hormones, but it would make me feel better to know if other people have faced these same issues.

I’m a 44 year old very girlie-girl mom of one precocious 8 year old daughter who is equally girlie. On my second marriage, married just this past September 2013 in Europe. Married my soulmate, hands down. I’ve been homeschooling our daughter since the third grade, she’s finishing the fourth grade now. We have a busy schedule and that’s the way we like it. Lots of travel and activities all the time. I have two degrees, one that includes as a registered nurse. I live with my Mom, a divorcee, while my husband is in Afghanistan. We are a retired Army family of 23 years and he is now a contractor overseas. I’ve been overweight ever since my parents divorced at the tender age of 9.

Just had my GS done three days ago Friday. The gas pain is PAINFUL and the nausea is beyond normal. I mean, I was nauseous all nine months with my baby girl and that was nothing in comparison to this. The sutures, five, are not bothersome in the least. Taking no pain meds.

I did this surgery for myself and myself only. My husband pleaded with me at first and turned the corner when I further explained it was not vanity but for health and that enough was enough being severely obese. When I teetered at 276 before our European wedding I crashed the weight down to 260 in a matter of weeks. Of course, it came back and was headed to the big 3-0-0. Could not, would not, should not allow that to happen. The science is there, insurance was there and the support to all those that love and support me followed and so I had the procedure done.

Three days post-op and i’m 262.4.