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!

Hi I'm Susan. I am 36 with three wonderful children 15, 13, and 12. I have been married to my husband Sean for almost 14 years. I am Office Manager for a Political Consultant and I love my job! We love to travel and have moved to three different states in 4 years looking for the right fit I guess. But it is always back home to AZ lol! I have been overweight since highschool but didn't hit the morbidly obese mark until after my last child was born and I had a hysterectomy. That added to hypothyroid and I balloned right up. I have managed to loose 50 here and ther only to gain it back plus some. I decided to have surgery because I wanted a permanent solution to my weight problem. I know the sleeve is a tool, not a magic wand, but so far I love it. I'm hoping to finally be healthy and keep up with my family. Good luck to all of you!

My name is Kelly. I am 41 years young. I have two wonderful children. My son is 22 and travels the world as a self employeed welder. My baby is 19 and is a sophomore in college planning to become a cardiothoracic surgeon someday. I have two of the most gorgeous blonde haired blue eyed grandbabies in the world ( boy age 3 1/2 and girl age 2) who absolutely light up my life. I love my kids...dont get me wong... But i would have had grandbabies first if i would have only known I am currently living with my boyfriend of 2 years in his home that we just completely remodeled. Ive never known a more supportive, loving, kind, generous, man in my life. He has been a Godsend for me. I am a very blessed woman. I was previously hostage to an abusive relationship with an addict. It took many years and lots of leaving and coming back to finally break free but I praise God everyday for the strength to do so.

I have been a nurse for 20 years. I am the Region manager for a Long Term Care Program that serves elderly and disabled members to assist to keep them safely and cost effectively in their own home if possible. My history is primarily nursing home work. I love the geriatric population. I love nursing and the fact that my career choice allows me to help people. It is very rewarding.

My hobbies are of course spending every possible waking moment with the grandbabies, photography, travel, and messing in the flowers and plants. We have a 100+ acre cattle farm deep in the country. I love watching the calfs play in the pasture. I also love to cook which brings us to the issue with weight; which of course brings us all together on this site.

I have battled my weight all of my life. I was my thinnest the day my daughter was born but have gained steadily ever since. I am currently at 221 but my highest weight has been 240. I am 5'6". I am scheduled for the VSG in Memphis on next Monday the 27th. I am excited and a bit nervous too. Weve traveled to Florida for a week to help take my mind off the upcoming surgery and to keep me busy. (and what am i doing??? Laying on the beach reading about the surgery) I'm just ready to get down to being me again. I know that somewhere under all this excess weight is the slender me just waiting to come out. I look forward to following everyone's journey to success.

God Bless and Good Luck!!

Hi! I am 51 and have been married to my hubby for 25 yrs. We have two sons (21 and 22) who make me proud to be their Mom. I work as a teachers aide and enjoy drawing, painting and doing crafts in my spare time. my friends call me hyper-creative I only wish my legs moved 1/2 as fast as my brain does! lol.

I have struggled with my weight my entire life but tried to never let it define me. I played ball with the kids, hiked with my hubby and shopped with friends. I was large but...living. Don't get me wrong I would try to lose and would sometimes lose weight just to gain it and more back. Then about 2 yrs ago it got out of control. I became diabetic, got high blood pressure, my joints ACHED and I found myself avoiding social activities because I knew I wouldn't be able to wholey participate. I felt like I was existing and not living, that I would die WAY TO SOON if I didn't make a change. So here I am ready to live again. Woo-Hoo!!! I plan on living the rest of my life to the fullest!

I'm Tracy from Oklahoma. I've been married for 17 years. I have a son who's 15 and a son who's almost 14. They are exactly 15 months apart and are growing into incredible young men.

My family used to own a pool hall and i earned my stripes moving from waitress to bartender to manager. We sold the business after my dad passed away from a seven year battle with colon cancer. My favorite job (before my current one) was being a lifeguard and swim instructor in college.

I am adopted. I found my birth parents and actually have a relationship with them. It's a bit odd, but it's my life. I love who I am so much, it is now my career of choice. I am an adoption case worker. I work with the birthmothers all the way up to birth then to court to sign papers. I say my job is really more of a professional hand holder and strong shoulder. My heart breaks and leaps with joy usually within minutes apart. It's tough but it's all worth it when I get to look in that baby's sweet face and tell him or her 'welcome to the club'

So, that's me with or without the extra padding.

Hello everyone , I am Megan I Am 28 and and proud momma 2 adorable little chillins. A wife to an amazing sexy man. I love my family and friends. I have struggled with my weight ofr 7 years I was a gymi=nist in high school then I broke my back in a car accident whe I was a17 a senior and started gaining and gaining it sucks but I am at my heaviest I have ever been and it is scary 1 year ago I embarked on a serious weight loss journey I hired a trainer and started eating better I worked out 3 to 5 times a week and in a year I have gain 7 lbs ( I know tell me about it I am livid ) but arounf the beginnign of Jan 2012 I went to a seminar And met with Dr. Kemmerling who is the nicest guy and a weeke later started my journey towards the Sleeve 6 months of pointless Dr visits to please my insurance and I have my last Dr. appt Wednesday so I should be getting sleeved soon . I couldnt be more excitred. I am so so so ready to actually see results, although I am so fre=aked out thinking this WILL not work for me becasue nothing weight wise ever has. But I am staying positive. I have a great support system but I do have some very negative friends too because I do work at the YMCA so they think its an easy wasy out but they know me they should know better but still I stay positive. I am so ecouraged by the stories I havce read on here and I know I now have a new family of sleever s to help me when I am down. God bless your day, Megan

Hi, My name is Sharon and I live in the Kansas City area. I am 58 years old, married and have been overweight for 20 years. My journey toward bariatric surgery started about a year ago when I started and failed, yet again, another diet. I work in the healthcare field as a medical coder, and I knew about bariatric surgeries, having coded some of them in a local hospital, but I had always told myself that surgery would be the last resort for me. I realized that I had reached that final place, for me, another diet was not an option. I researched lap band and proceeded to the point of being scheduled for lap band surgery. But something didn't feel right about this decision for me. I had had my gallbladder removed about twelve years ago, and as a result I burp alot after I eat and continue to have GERD. I was terrified that I would not be able to relieve the stomach gas and would have a problem with acid reflux, with the lap band. I cancelled the lap band surgery and knew immediately that I had made the right choice for me. I attended another bariatric surgery seminar with a different surgeon and this seminar changed how I felt about everything. As soon as the surgeon started talking about VSG, I knew this was the right path for me. Finally, I felt confident about my decision and once again I am on the correct course for me. I have my first surgical consult tomorrow and hope to be able to get scheduled for surgery soon. I have joined this website as a way to track my progress and share the journey. Sharon

Hi Everybody, I Love Reading all your Introductions!! Here goes my little 2cents worth. My name is Angela I am 43 yrs old I work for NYS Workers' Compensation, I have two grown children a son 26 and a daughter 20, and 3 grandchildren 3yrs,1yr and 9 months.

I am also a Christian wholeheartedly, though sometimes my kids have me forgetting that (LOL) I'm sure the Lord understands. I totally love the wonders of nature, Rain and Thunder Storms, First Snow Falls, the smell of fresh cut grass and the colors of Fall, there is nothing more beautiful for me then the picturesque colors of Autum that alone proves to me that God Loves Us. I also have an obsession for owls.. I have no idea why I just think there fascinating and beautitul.

I have always had sort of a husky shape so gaining weight was not a problem for me, I went through a bought of bulemia as a teenager for a few years and other sort of "Trying to Stay Skinny" methods since most of my friends and peers were "Stick Thin" but once I started having children it got harder and harder to take care of myself then a divorce and I decided I needed to stop smoking cigarettes that totally ballooned me to 253lbs which totally sneaked up on me or I really was oblivious to what I did to myself (excuse) either way I didn't want my grandbabies to grow up with a Na-Na who couldn't play with them, especially since I am not that old. I had my sleeve on 3/14/12 and it has been the best decision of my life, I feel totally blessed to have been able to have this surgery and I feel Great and people are now starting to tell me I look more like my daughters' sister then her mom. (WOW that is soo cool) I am also blessed to be able to come to this site and see how even though no-one knows anyone personally on this site, everyone here is so helpful and willing to help anyone who is going through a rough patch or simply has questions and needs info by people who have been there. This site got me thru alot and it is truly a comfort

Yeah! Another KC sleeve buddy! Welcome!! What part of KC do you live in? Feel free to reach out if you need anything. What Dr. are you using?

Hi, My name is Sharon and I live in the Kansas City area. I am 58 years old, married and have been overweight for 20 years. My journey toward bariatric surgery started about a year ago when I started and failed, yet again, another diet. I work in the healthcare field as a medical coder, and I knew about bariatric surgeries, having coded some of them in a local hospital, but I had always told myself that surgery would be the last resort for me. I realized that I had reached that final place, for me, another diet was not an option. I researched lap band and proceeded to the point of being scheduled for lap band surgery. But something didn't feel right about this decision for me. I had had my gallbladder removed about twelve years ago, and as a result I burp alot after I eat and continue to have GERD. I was terrified that I would not be able to relieve the stomach gas and would have a problem with acid reflux, with the lap band. I cancelled the lap band surgery and knew immediately that I had made the right choice for me. I attended another bariatric surgery seminar with a different surgeon and this seminar changed how I felt about everything. As soon as the surgeon started talking about VSG, I knew this was the right path for me. Finally, I felt confident about my decision and once again I am on the correct course for me. I have my first surgical consult tomorrow and hope to be able to get scheduled for surgery soon. I have joined this website as a way to track my progress and share the journey. Sharon

I am a 54 year old nurse, wife and mother of 9. I have 5 adopted children, 4 are still at home ages 5 to 13. I have a 25 year old entering his 3 rd year of international film school a 28 year old who is a phd candidate at Rutgers U and a 19 year old who is entering her sophmore year at NYU. the other 2 are finding their way. The yougers are adopted with my second husband. I have a special needs 10 year old with significant emotional/psych disabilities. I work as an RN doing home care for a VA hospital in CT. i love my vets! I have struggled with my weight since I was a teen. I had been a runner for 20 years that kept the weight off. Many years of diet pills to keep the trophy wife status then Doctor husband wanted. Once I gained weight, i was emotionally and verbally abused and ended in an ugly divorce. More weight gain. Despite my weight, my best friend and the greatest love and my life were married. Atkins for 2 years, awesome weightloss then bigger weight gain...optifast, medifast, scarsdale, south beach, juice, atkins again and again, for repeated failure. Now I have hypertension, arthritis, plantar fasciitis. I am miserable and sad. My husband supports me and my best friend supports me. I am almost done with my requirements and hope insurance is swift and my surgery sometime in October. Nice to meet everyone

Wow, great thread! It is so nice to get to know a little more about people you see posting out here all the time. I can't normally make a post without writing a novel, but I am going to try to keep this one to a short story so here goes....

I am 45, live in Florida after transplanting here 10 years ago from RI. Sometimes I miss New England, but I love being a Floridian now! I have been married to my wonderful husband, Mike for 21 years now. We met our junior year in college at Rutgers University. I worked in pharmaceuticals for ten years as a sales person and a medical liason, but I left when my son was four and my daughter was 2 because the travel was becoming too much while having a young family and I no longer wanted them to be in daycare more than they were home with me. While we missed the second income, I never looked back. My son is now 17 and a senior in high school. I am constantly amazed by the wonderful, intelligent, accomplished young man he has become. He plays football and baseball and hopes to play one of those in college (most likely football) while going to school for Engineering. He is looking at schools everywhere in the country, except Florida! (mostly the Northeast and midwest) He wants to be back in a climate more like New England with changes of seasons and snow. Personally, I am not ready to start emptying my nest but I am excited for him and his prospects for the future. My daughter is 15 and turns 16 in October. She is my fashionable, athletic, funny, social butterfly. She is a sophomore in high school and is facing a tough academic year, but she is a hard worker so I know she will be successful. She was a competative cheerleader from the age of five (we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into) but decided to give it up this year in favor of running cross country and track and being more involved in her high school.

I am still trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up. Right now I am so busy with my family and their activities that I do not want a full time job. I have dabbled with a couple of direct sales companies. I have had my own business making window treatments, cushions and memory quilts etc (which I still do on a limited word of mouth basis now) but when the kids are in college I would like to get back out into the work place again. Unfortunately, my husband was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when the kids were young. It is a progressive disease and he is now confined to a wheelchair full time and fully dependent on me for everything. Two years ago he finally had to go on long term disability from his career in pharmaceutical marketing. So figuring out how we will take care of his needs if I go back to work creates a bit of a wrinkle in the picture. We will cross that bridge when we get to it.

I'm Nancy. I am happily married to my husband Greg. I have two sons 19 & 22 from my first marriage. I work for a local municipality as a Water System Controller. I am one of 4 that helps keep the city in water. We also dispatch emergencies for water utilities. I have worked here for 10 years.

I used to cater for a living. My husband and I like to cook and check out new restaurants. food has been a big part of our life. That will change!!

After trying every single diet in the world, i got fed up earlier this year. Once it finally sank in that I'm borderline diabetic (my grandparents and father and brothers are all diabetic) I had to do something to change the pattern. I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, GERD and IBS.

My surgery is scheduled for September 20th. Between now and then, I'll be getting all my pre-op requirements taken care of. I'm so ready to be healthy again!!

Good luck everyone with upcoming surgeries! I wish you health and happiness!

Oh my gosh, 9 children. Adopted or not, that is a lot to take on. Sounds like your children are all doing well. Welcome to the losers bench!!

I am a 54 year old nurse, wife and mother of 9. I have 5 adopted children, 4 are still at home ages 5 to 13. I have a 25 year old entering his 3 rd year of international film school a 28 year old who is a phd candidate at Rutgers U and a 19 year old who is entering her sophmore year at NYU. the other 2 are finding their way. The yougers are adopted with my second husband. I have a special needs 10 year old with significant emotional/psych disabilities. I work as an RN doing home care for a VA hospital in CT. i love my vets! I have struggled with my weight since I was a teen. I had been a runner for 20 years that kept the weight off. Many years of diet pills to keep the trophy wife status then Doctor husband wanted. Once I gained weight, i was emotionally and verbally abused and ended in an ugly divorce. More weight gain. Despite my weight, my best friend and the greatest love and my life were married. Atkins for 2 years, awesome weightloss then bigger weight gain...optifast, medifast, scarsdale, south beach, juice, atkins again and again, for repeated failure. Now I have hypertension, arthritis, plantar fasciitis. I am miserable and sad. My husband supports me and my best friend supports me. I am almost done with my requirements and hope insurance is swift and my surgery sometime in October. Nice to meet everyone

My name is Carly, I'm 28 about to be 29 in a few days. I live in San Diego California and love it! I have been married for about 11 months and have had the best/worst past year possible. Two months ago my mother passed away very unexpected and it gave me the extra push I needed to have this surgery done. I have been overweight my entire life. However, I am very active I do boxing/kickboxing at a boxing gym where they train professional MMA fighters and the coaches I work with are world champions or ex-NFL players. I also have PCOS which makes loosing weight hard and having a child almost impossible. I am at the point where I need to do this now, get healthy once and for all not only for me, but for my husband and future children. My husband is very fit, and never had a weight issue. He is very supportive of me, he was the one I was most scared to tell because to him he thinks losing eight should be easy! But we all know for us, it's not.My Best friend had the Sleeve a few months ago and has had great success, even though we live in difference states she is still been such a good reference guide for me. My husband and I have a dog, she is about 2 1/2 years old and is a basset hound, poodle, schnauzer mix. Sounds so different, but she is the cutest thing ever! She gets attention wherever we go and loves people! She is our baby for now I am about 3 weeks away from my surgery and am very excited to start the next chapter and new journey of my life!Hopefully to meet others along this journey that can be my support as well. I want to loose 200 pounds, but would be happy with 175 pounds lost.

Hello Everyone, I just found this app today and I'm super excited to be able to read the different journeys u guys have to share. I'm 32 yrs old and work as an Ops Manager at a mortage co...married with 4 beautiful little ladies. I'm 5'2 with a BMI of 69.9....no I didn't make a

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typo, 69.9 is correct. I was always told I had a pretty face which wasn't a compliment in my book. As the years went by I didnt want to do anything outside of work....I missed school activities and family gatherings so after this year's family vacation and having to rent a mobile machine to ride through Sea World I knew I had to do something fast or I would continue to get bigger and eventually die. In order to reach my goal weight I'll have to lose around 220 lbs. My surgery date is scheduled for 9.10.12, so pls keep me in your prayers and I'll keep u guys posted on my progress. Thx

Welcome!! Just remember that you are a beautiful person regardless of your weight. The only difference is not everyone else sees that, but I'm certain your family and close friends already do.

I am sure you will have great success with your journey!

Hello Everyone, I just found this app today and I'm super excited to be able to read the different journeys u guys have to share. I'm 32 yrs old and work as an Ops Manager at a mortage co...married with 4 beautiful little ladies. I'm 5'2 with a BMI of 69.9....no I didn't make a

[ATTACH]4540[/ATTACH]

typo, 69.9 is correct. I was always told I had a pretty face which wasn't a compliment in my book. As the years went by I didnt want to do anything outside of work....I missed school activities and family gatherings so after this year's family vacation and having to rent a mobile machine to ride through Sea World I knew I had to do something fast or I would continue to get bigger and eventually die. In order to reach my goal weight I'll have to lose around 220 lbs. My surgery date is scheduled for 9.10.12, so pls keep me in your prayers and I'll keep u guys posted on my progress. Thx