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!

Hello, My Name Is Ron. I am a 39 year old married father of two beautiful twin girls which are my life. I have been struggling my entire life with my weight. When i was 34 i had the band surgery, it was the Realize band. I didnt join any support groups and only went by the advice of a couple of friends with the band and that was my down fall. I did lose weight with the band but these friends actually taught me how to cheat the band and i still was eating terribly. After 5 years and approching the weight i was when i got the band i decided to sit down with my surgeon and have revision surgery to the Gastric Sleeve. It wasnt an easy procedure because having the band removed and the sleeve done in the same surgery was alot to handle. Im 6 weeks post op and doing well except for the hunger spells i sometimes get. Im down 46 pounds. May G-d help me on this journey, I want to see my kids grow up and them see me grow old.

Ok...I am 59, wil be 60 in October!!!!! I can't beleive it. I was Born and raised in Daytona Beach Florida, raised my family in Louisville Kentucky and now home is Arizona. Had 15 inches of colon removed the begening of the year for severe diverticulitis and a concerous polyp

I have always fought my weight...but I magaed to keep it down enough to be comfortable fronting a rock band from the age of 13...then A managerial position at a Petsmart Salon (I like animals better than humans) then it took both jobs to support my three boys and then my grand daughter.

I moved out west, along the Navajo and Hopi reservation about four years ago...and I love being around other Natives...very tiny little town Named "Winslow" about 45 minutes from Flagstaff...I'm in Northern Arizona so we get "weather" here....only 10" of rain a year but we get a couple inches of snow a few times a winter also. Aaaaaanyway, After about a year of being out here I had a mini stroke, had to stop working, go on disability (I had transferred to the Petsmart salon manger position in Flagstaff) and found I have a hole in my heart and one side is a little larger than the other...also my legs are swelling some times the left one as much as 3 inches larger than the right...so I am walking with a cane...needless to say…...I have gained a lot of weigh and not handling it well mentally or physically. My Dr wants me to have the surgery because I am physically limited...when my legs are doing well....I can walk and I lose weight and then they get bad again and gain it all back. He said I would be a good candidate for it.....so I am going to go through the hoops and do this.

I am going to see my kids and grandkids in October come back and have the sleeve done...that's all he'll do is the sleeve, as he says the other is just not as good nor as safe...so now here I am studying and learning all I can and very excited to do it

Hello Everyone! My name is Audra, I am a single mom and am currently in the process of planning for my surgery. I've chosen to have the VSG done in Tijuana with Dr. Elias Ortiz, hopefully within the next month or so. That said, here's more about me.

I work as the Morning News Anchor for a local Talk Radio station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I also have my own business designing websites/graphics. I am an avid reader. (more books than friends is a comment that has been heard in reference to me quite often...lol)

I have always been more of an introvert than anything else. Don't get me wrong, I have friends and I have a lot of fun when I spend time with them, but I am also perfectly happy spending time on my own with a good book. I'm also a very crafty person, although I don't sew (much to the disappointment of my mother...haha).

I've been divorced for going on 10 years now. I am considered VERY outspoken, sometimes a little too sarcastic for most people to understand, but I'm okay with that. My favorite color is lime green, in fact, I'm a little obsessed with it...if it's possible to be obsessed with a color...lol. I enjoy the outdoors, but don't like to sweat or get dirty, so hopefully that will change as I shed the weight and can be comfortable outdoors. I'm an avid Doctor Who/Sherlock/Supernatural fan and I love superhero movies and sci-fi. Yes, I'm a GEEK and I'm proud to say it!

That's all I can think of at the moment, if you would like to know something about me, just ask! I'm pretty open!

Audra

Hello,

I am Alexandria.

I am a 23 year old mother of one.I am working full time to support him and then come home to another full time job.PARENTING!

Although I am only 23 I have been struggling with my weight all of my life.I do have some medical conditions that contribute to that struggle quit a bit.

I am currently 320 pounds but at my heaviest I was almost 400 pounds.Most of the weight that I have lost was just from giving birth and being able to go back to work.

I am still what they call obese.

I am going to get the gastric sleeve but i have only just started the process.

I want to start an new life for not only myself but my son.

He should not have to play outside by himself because his mommy is too tired from walking out the door.

He should not have to wonder when he is older if I will make it to my 40th birthday.

I am doing this so that we all may get a better chance at life.

I want my son to be proud of me,I want to always be there for him.

I want to be healthy.

Hello out there in bariatric land. Looking forward to learning from all the sleevers out there. I was "chubby" as a child, but not alarmingly so. I thought I was fat in high school, but now as I look at the pictures I was a very healthy weight. I'm a librarian and i love my job. No kids, but happily single. I live in Alaska and have learned to love it. I just want my life to be more than about my weight.

Funny, I look in the mirror and i see an overweigh but not grossly so woman. But pictures of myself bring me back to reality. hey guess what: I'm morbidly obese! Current weight is 294, with highest weight at 304. Last year, I did Optifast for 9 months and lost 60 pounds.. It took about 9 months to regain it and and additional 10 pounds.

What I hope to achieve from VSG is a new relationship with getting outdoors and being active. It's exhausting to go 20 minute around the block.. I want to go on vacations without having to haul around a cpap, i'd like to go the doctor and not get a lecture. I would like to sit in an airplane seat without a seatbelt extender and not get dirty looks from my seatmate. i want to not be diabetic.

My surgeon will be Dr. Rodriguez in Tijuana on October 24. To prove to myself that i can make changes, I've been more or less following the pre-op diet even though it's three months away. Might as well start now, kickstart the weight loss so I have that much more of a head start.

I'm excited and nervous. The oher night I had a dream about having some kind of surgery and it was chaotic. Guess the old subconscious is a little freaked out!

lk

Hi everyone. My name is Cheryl and I am 42. I am in a committed relationship with a very supportive man and I have exactly zero kids. I am brand spanking new to this forum ...I just learned about it yesterday. My primary doctor recommended that I have weight loss surgery back in October. It took until March for me to even go meet the weight loss surgeon and then the psych eval finally got done July 2nd. The center called me yesterday to let me know that my insurance approved me and here I am. I am having Vertical Sleeve Gastrostomy on August 11, 2014. It will be done by Dr. Allen Alvarez with Texas Center for Medical and Surgical Weight loss. I was 301 lbs when I went in in March, started a new medicine in June and gained 16 lbs., and now I am down 5.

What I hope to gain from surgery: Improved health, higher self confidence, and to be a little more attractive. I have a "pretty face" but I want a nice bod to go with it. LOL

I look forward to reading your posts and chatting with you guys. I can't believe I didn't think to look for a forum sooner ...I have so many questions!

Cheryl

Hello my is Bonnie and i had my gastric sleeve June 24,2013, This is me after the surgery. After the surgery in Great Falls, Mt i ended up with 4 infections and back at the hospital that many times, i started at 310 Lbs and during that time i couldn't eat or drink anything and keep it down so i lost more weight then was expected, then i ended up with not enough vitemins in my body that i started loosing my hair so now im on so many that its unbeliveable. But after a year of fight to stay healthy im doing well, im down to 175 Lbs now and feel great.

Edited July 19, 201412 yr by Bonnie Bailey

Hi my name is Tanya and I am 41 years old. I just got married last week and I have 2 children and 1 grandchild. I have struggled with being overweight all my life. I have tried to get my insurance to pay for weight loss surgery in the past, but I was denied because it wasn't a covered expense. Now 6 years later, I have surgery scheduled for September. I am scared but so excited to be changing my life also. I am determined to make a total life change and finally be the person outside that I feel like I am on the inside. But nervous ya, no reason to try to hide that. I've gotten a few responses from people and they say well nice knowing you and I can't believe your going to Mexico. I have done all sorts of research and I'm very confident in my decision. Of course, I would like to hear other peoples stories and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Hello my name is Kriss. I am 35 and just celebrated my 14th wedding anniversary. I have 4 sons 18, 15 and 5 year old twins. I'm a full time student, so I took off the last two quarters to work on myself and have WLS. I was sleeved 6/5/14 and am only aware of a 20 lb loss because I do not weigh outside of Dr appt. which for me has kept me from becoming obsessed with that evil scale. Good luck everyone on your journey!

Hello my name is Kriss. I am 35 and just celebrated my 14th wedding anniversary. I have 4 sons 18, 15 and 5 year old twins. I'm a full time student, so I took off the last two quarters to work on myself and have WLS. I was sleeved 6/5/14 and am only aware of a 20 lb loss because I do not weigh outside of Dr appt. which for me has kept me from becoming obsessed with that evil scale. Good luck everyone on your journey!

Hi, I am new to the board, I have an appointment on Tuesday August 5th, 2014. I went to the same bariactric center to see about gastric by pass surgery 10 and 1/2 years ago. I still to today regret not going forward with the surgery, my regular Dr. and my husband were not supportive of me, now my husband is on board, and even if I have to pay out of pocket, I am getting the sleeve done. I just hope my process goes fast, and my insurance pays

I am new to the forum! I am so excited about WLS. I have my consultation appointment on 8/13/14 to discuss VSG... I can't wait! Like many others I have been overweight the majority of my life. I know once I've met my goal weight, it will be an adjustment. I've always been the "big girl" and that mentality will need to change..... so as for me outside of WLS:

I am happily married to the Marine of my dreams! No kids yet, but we have our dog that we love and adore! I work in the Human Resources field and love my job. Besides being a food addict, life is good! I am a makeup artist part time as well which is such a blessing because I get to help women feel more beautiful! My husband and I love to travel! I have also lived overseas for a few years which really made me appreciate and love the US so much. I think everyone should have to live overseas so they can appreciate how wonderful our country really is! I also LOVE to cook, but I think that is fueled by my love for food... so after the surgery, we will see how that changes. Even though I love girlie stuff like makeup and hair, I am also a tomboy at times... I love cars and I love to fix things around the house.

Above all, I love God! I am so blessed and to have the opportunity to have VSG is yet another huge blessing from the Lord. I'm so thankful for this forum too... it's such a wealth of information and support!

Hi there! I'm a 57 y/o mom of 6, grandmom of 6 (soon to be 8), and a medical transcriptionist trainer. I've been married for 35+ years and my hubs had roux en y in Dec 2013 (down 85 pounds so far). I first decided I wanted WLS about 3 years ago, but my family and even my husband were against it. They had watched me for years and knew I loved the hard work of DIY home improvements, and they had also seen me lose weight several times - they felt I could do it again. But a few things combined to make hard work very difficult - hitting 50+, working at an extremely sedentary job, and continuing to gain about 3-5 pounds a year. Eventually the hard work I loved became very painful, especially for my back. Last summer my husband and I decided we both wanted WLS and applied for insurance to cover it. He got approved, but I was denied, twice. As 2014 rolled around, a change in insurance coverage meant I was able to qualify (after 6 months medically supervised weight loss). My first appointment with the surgeon is Aug 13, and I'm both excited and wary/not looking forward to the liquid diet. I'm an emotional eater, I eat to feel better. I'm not sure how I'll deal with it when eating isn't an alternative. I'm reading cognitive behavior books that are helpful with changing my thoughts, trying to prepare as best I can.

I wasn't fat my whole life, but felt like I was anyway because I always had a tummy. Skinny kid with a tummy. I gained weight a few pounds a year over several years, intermittently losing between 10 and 30 pounds, then gradually gaining it back. My only weight related health problems are sleep apnea and fatty liver disease. I don't know how I can weigh this much and still have low blood pressure and normal blood sugar, especially with my sweet tooth and love of bread. But I know I can't count on my relatively good health to continue indefinitely without losing the excess weight. I'm looking forward to sleeve surgery and will make the most of it as a tool to get healthier. I'm going to need all the help I can get and am so grateful for the people on Bariatric Pal and all of the great encouragement and information. Thank you in advance for sharing what you know.

Hello! I am 37 y/o, a wife and mother of 3 (17, 12, 7). Also, a mother to three fur babies: a cat and two St. Bernards.

I am almost at the end of my pre-op requirements, just some labs and a drug test to go, oh and one last visit with the nutritionist/doctor.

I have not been this big my whole life. I believe that with my second to last pregnancy, my weight started to pick up and with my last pregnancy I had gestational diabetes...which never went away, so now I am a type II diabetic. Along with the weight my health headed south, now I have a lovely myriad of health concerns, I will list them just incase anyone can relate on theses boards: diabetes type II (duh, just said that), high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia (especially triglycerides), pulmonary hypertension, asthma (my whole life), sleep apnea, depression/anxiety (had that for a while too), GERD, my kidney function is declining (my doc told me the very beginning stages of CKD-chronic kidney disease),fatty liver, and finally, degenerative disk disease in my neck, which is pinching a nerve b/c it is arthritic (this one I can blame on my nursing career) Never would I have thought gaining weight could do some of these things! I have tried to lose weight so many times just to gain even more back....ugh! I have become much more sedentary in my thirties too! No excuses, just got lazier, I guess.

As far as family goes, my husband is very supportive of my decision and my oldest child as well, the other two are as supportive as their age allows them to be.

I am going to the Bariatric Center at St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, with Dr. Chandra Hassan.

Well, that is all for now.... Good Luck to Everyone and Wishing You All the Best of Health!

Edited August 4, 201412 yr by mama0297

Hi there! I'm a 57 y/o mom of 6, grandmom of 6 (soon to be 8), and a medical transcriptionist trainer. I've been married for 35+ years and my hubs had roux en y in Dec 2013 (down 85 pounds so far). I first decided I wanted WLS about 3 years ago, but my family and even my husband were against it. They had watched me for years and knew I loved the hard work of DIY home improvements, and they had also seen me lose weight several times - they felt I could do it again. But a few things combined to make hard work very difficult - hitting 50+, working at an extremely sedentary job, and continuing to gain about 3-5 pounds a year. Eventually the hard work I loved became very painful, especially for my back. Last summer my husband and I decided we both wanted WLS and applied for insurance to cover it. He got approved, but I was denied, twice. As 2014 rolled around, a change in insurance coverage meant I was able to qualify (after 6 months medically supervised weight loss). My first appointment with the surgeon is Aug 13, and I'm both excited and wary/not looking forward to the liquid diet. I'm an emotional eater, I eat to feel better. I'm not sure how I'll deal with it when eating isn't an alternative. I'm reading cognitive behavior books that are helpful with changing my thoughts, trying to prepare as best I can.

I wasn't fat my whole life, but felt like I was anyway because I always had a tummy. Skinny kid with a tummy. I gained weight a few pounds a year over several years, intermittently losing between 10 and 30 pounds, then gradually gaining it back. My only weight related health problems are sleep apnea and fatty liver disease. I don't know how I can weigh this much and still have low blood pressure and normal blood sugar, especially with my sweet tooth and love of bread. But I know I can't count on my relatively good health to continue indefinitely without losing the excess weight. I'm looking forward to sleeve surgery and will make the most of it as a tool to get healthier. I'm going to need all the help I can get and am so grateful for the people on Bariatric Pal and all of the great encouragement and information. Thank you in advance for sharing what you know.

Welcome Lorammy! You may want to check out all the "pre-surgery" and post surgery" gastric sleeve posts for insights on what you'll be going through. I also began as a sleeve patient. But my insurance at the time only supported gastric bypass or lap band surgeries. I had a gastric bypass in December 2013. After a harrowing first few months following surgery, I'm appreciating what I had done to me now. I look forward to YOUR many posts!