Introduction

Hi. I'm new to this site. It took me six months of diligence, but I finally got approval from my insurance company for my sleeve surgery. I had it on April 17th. I'm feeling remarkably well on Day 3 post surgery, much better than I had mentally prepared myself for (from past experience with C-section, tubal ligation, hysterectomy and two knee surgeries). At 7 am today (65 hours after surgery) I walked my dog around the block and had no set-backs from it. Later, I took a car ride (first real outing) to shop and came home very weary, but still ok!and, 3 days post surgery, I've already lost 10 lbs. That's what really impressed me!

My motivation to have this procedure stems from my decimal history. Like most obese people, I am becoming diabetic, my joints hurt, and the GERDS is only getting worse. But, unlike most other obese people, my thyroid tanked about 27 years ago, which has made weight loss an even greater challenge. Add to that, I found out 5years ago that I have - not one, but TWO rare auto-immune diseases. Primary Biliary Cirrhosis ("PBC") and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). Another name for NASH is Fatty Liver Disease. My weight continued a gradual climb over the years, despite my efforts to change my eating patterns and selections. I felt cornered. This surgery was my only hope to delay - and maybe even eliminate the need for a liver transplant someday. And, if a by-product of this decision is that my sweet husband gains 'arm-candy,' then great!

I selected the sleeve over the other procedures because the full bypass surgery makes it impossible to receive a transplanted liver in the future (nix that one), and the Lap-Band is too easy to reverse. I wanted this decision to be permanent and never look back. I work with three people who had the Lap-Band, and only one of them has been successful at it. The other two have gained back all their weight and more. I know several others who have been successful at Lap-Band, but I wanted a permanent life-change. I'm so glad I did it. Pain and nausea? You bet! Unbearable? Maybe once or twice for five minutes, but I kept telling myself, 'this is normal. This, too, shall pass. The outcome of all of this is that YOU get to live to see your 3 year old granddaughter grow up.'

There is so much stigma with gastric weight loss surgery, that I've chosen to not share it with more than my husband and two very close friends. It's no ones business why I chose to do this. I see people who have been skinny all their lives say, "Oh, I see.... No wonder you've lost weight," implying the fat person failed and had to "cheat." My coworkers, siblings, and others were told I'm having a procedure done to 'prop-up' my liver, give it some relief, and hopefully delay a transplant - all of which is 100% true. Maybe someday, I'll feel better about sharing the whole story with everyone. I am into Day 4 post-surgery. I've lost 10 lbs. I'm on the right track.