5 years post op- total honesty

[kesleea1 4]

Height 5'4"

Pre-op high 355

5/9/2008 vsg surgery 309 lbs

5/9/2009 panniculectomy 199

6/9/2009 lowest 189

7/30/2013 243 lbs

I am not happy but not because my VSG failed. On the contrary it statistically did what it was supposed to do. Five years out 50/60 % weightloss.

I recently called a well known Doc on the west coast about the DS who told me I should be happy that the surgery I had was a success. He said the only problem was I had the wrong surgery.

Well, I had what I had. I hovered in the 219s for years until I was determined to see a DS surgeon who told me I didn't weigh enough for it so I ate donuts until I gained 30 lbs. I weighed enough then. Then the doc messed up some paperwork and I was denied by the insurance. This was last year. This year I am just thinking about how tired I am of this struggle.

I am not looking through rose colored glasses anymore. I need to eat like a bird and cut out the refined sugars and I don't drink enough Water. I know what needs to change and I am slowly.

If I can impart anything to heavyweight newbies it would be to maintain an attitude of I can after the honeymoon. Never give up or in.

240 from 250 is going in the right direction but wow it is so much slower and harder.

My friend had the revision to DS because she gained from her lowest 236 back up to 355 from 425 prior to the VSG. She is 249 today and her surgery was last Oct. Even her loss is slowing down once again.

Don't stop moving for anything. When you do inflammation takes over and will reverse everything you have worked so hard for. It also can kill you.

The lightweights don't have as hard a time usually but for the 150 plus group this journey is what we make it.

[kscdvm 78]

Wow. I am just 7 months out. This is eye opening. Thank you for your honesty.

[Reigo 111]

Thanks for sharing! It's great to know what the long road entails. I just posted that I feel my surgery was a failure because I can eat 60% of my old capacity at 10 weeks out but I guess it doesn't matter even if I did have restriction, I could gain. Looks like its just old fashioned hard work...

[lsereno 2,525]

Thank you for sharing. My heart goes out to you. I hope you succeed in whichever path you choose.

Lynda

[luckysmomma 407]

Thank you for sharing your story.

[M2G 1,836]

Wow. Thank you so much for telling your story. I sincerely appreciate your honesty. And the words of wisdom, to "never give up" ...so powerful and so true. We are in this fight for life and I know that sometimes I do feel like giving up. But then I know what the consequences of giving up mean.

So sorry about the DS not working out but enlightening to know about your friend who revised. At some point the surgery will only take you so far and the rest is up to you.

Thank you again for sharing your story with us.

[butterfly_gal 151]

Good luck to you, I hope you get back on the right path whiter it be DS or some other way. This is an eye opener for sure.

[kesleea1 4]

Watch for anemia. Iron deficiency after the VSG seems to be a rite of passage. I abhored those little pills and recently needed an iron infusion which almost killed me. I feel better but geesh. We all need to continue to get our Vitamins and minerals in correctly and go to the doc regularly even if it isn't the vsg doc. The anemia thing will only get worse over the years. Tired doesn't describe the terrible feeling of having no energy at all. I also have serious arthritis now at 46. I had no problems walking before the VSG. Iron is critical.

[Molly3 495]

Thank you for sharing.

[DeeBrownBaker 139]

wow... thanks for the info... I will take it to heart...I said that my motto after surgery is "no more status quo"... I see that this is the truth for life...

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

thank you - this was a very powerful post.

"I am not looking through rose colored glasses anymore. I need to eat like a bird and cut out the refined sugars and I don't drink enough Water. I know what needs to change and I am slowly. "

I am a newbie - only 18 months out. I have been in maintenance since Feb 2013 and i just want to say how powerful this sentence was to me. This feels like my world too. Going good so far, overall, but I too struggle at times.

Also - someone mentioned Iron defiency. Well, I am only 18 months out but my Iron is above average and I don't take iron supplements. There are alot of different experiences.

[kesleea1 4]

I am happy to hear your Iron is above average. I have heard too many horror stories about anemia after the VSG. You sound grounded and determined which will help you the rest of your life. Thanks for responding.

[No game 14,437]

I think your words should be read by all that have had this surgery, larger BMI yes but also "lower" BMI. This surgery is like anything in life, you get out of it what you put in. I get into trouble around here sometimes for telling someone in the early stages of this journey that this surgery is not a "cure" and I'm sorry it does not help you make better decisions. I gain weight these days way easier than I take it off, just like before surgery. I have had days where I have cried because it hits me I will always be "dieting" in some form or another. It doesn't come off and stay off, it's not "congratulations that's 70 pounds you lost forever" it's work, and it's never ending. You don't get to goal and Celebrate with a present. You get to goal (if your lucky) wake up the next morning and continue the work.

Wow! I realize everything I just wrote sounds like doom and gloom!

I guess what I'm saying is bigger or smaller we have a lot in common, it's called food, and food will always be....

[kesleea1 4]

There isn't much I can top that with :-)...I have cried, prayed, searched for another fix. What I never did was fix my bad habit of going to food for emotional issues. Granted the VSG kept me from getting back up to over 300 lbs again but no truer words have ever been said than this is only a tool to aid in our own good decisions. Its not doom and gloom to tell the truth as you see it. Not everyone has the same experiences but this is mine.

[kesleea1 4]

Back in 2008 I started a OH group with a friend called "VSGers with 150 or more lbs to Lose". She is now a DSer who was adamant the VSG could "fix" her issues then. That was before she gained back 120 of the almost 200 she lost with the VSG. I hope the DS is the answer for her as it is a radical change to the anatomy. She will have no other route left after time spent in this one. She seems to be doing well now 9 mos out. I tried but hit road block after road block. I am reviving my life and my OH group with the VSG alone.