I enjoy reading other people’s journeys and stories, so I decided to create one of my own! I’m Shelly, about to turn 35 years old on July 7^th, and I’m from Iowa. I’ve struggled with my weight ever since I was 10 years old and have been up and down too many times to count. My lowest adult weight was 165 (very briefly) and I’m currently at my highest adult weight, 242. At 5’6”, the top end of the healthy weight range for me is 154, so 150 is my goal. Funny thing is, the last time I got measured as an adult I was told I was 5’4” so I always thought I needed to get to 138 or less to be at a healthy weight!

Currently, I am in the final stages of being approved for my VSG. The surgeon is supposed to sign off on everything today and the gal handling my insurance paperwork said she would submit to insurance today and call me. She said approval could take anywhere from 15 minutes to 7-10 business days. Fingers crossed for 15 minutes! ?

Backing up a bit, I originally went to Iowa Weight Loss Specialties for their non-surgical weight loss program on 5/10/2018. Knowing my BMI wasn’t 40 or higher, I thought trying for the surgery would only end up in disappointment if I didn’t get approved through insurance plus I was still struggling a little mentally with the idea that I thought I should lose the weight on my own. While meeting with my nurse practitioner, I mentioned that I had considered WLS and she asked if I’d like them to at least look into it with my insurance company in the meantime and I agreed.

At my next appointment two weeks later, my nurse practitioner told me that surgery would be covered, all I’d need is one more nutrition counseling appointment and a mental health assessment. I thought that meant my insurance was approved, but I had misunderstood what she said. So for the next couple weeks, I was happy as a clam thinking I was approved as long as I completed the steps, until I went to meet with the surgeon and found out I wasn’t approved yet! I was devastated and in tears, which was really embarrassing but I had my heart set on this surgery and it was extremely disappointing to hear that I may not even get approved without a comorbidity. However, they did tell me they wanted to do bloodwork and possibly a sleep study to see if I had a comorbidity, but the wait time for the home sleep study kit was two weeks. ☹ Luckily, the next day when I came in for my bloodwork they magically had a sleep machine I could take home immediately, which was great news.

My bloodwork all came back normal, so I was really riding on the sleep study and praying I’d have at least moderate sleep apnea. My husband told me he thought I definitely have sleep apnea based on how loud I snore, but I was still worried. Plus I thought all this time he was exaggerating on my snoring! ? So I returned the sleep machine on Monday 6/11 and they said it would take 7-10 business days for the results. I was happy and surprised to hear back on Friday 6/15 that I did have sleep apnea which qualifies as a comorbidity and scheduled an appointment to come in Monday 6/18 to hear the results and do my nicotine test, which was the last step before submitting to insurance. I was completely shocked to hear that I have SEVERE sleep apnea. Which all makes sense now that I know and think about it. But I have to get a CPAP machine to wear from now on. She indicated they’d have me do another sleep study after I lose 10% of my body weight to see if I still need the CPAP machine, but that my weight might have nothing to do with it. Not getting adequate sleep may have been one of the reasons I have not been able to lose weight on my own in recent years. Although I dread the thought of wearing a CPAP machine, I’ve grown so used to being exhausted that I’m actually looking forward to seeing what getting a good night’s sleep feels like.

After hearing that I have sleep apnea, I briefly wondered if I really needed the surgery after all and that maybe lack of sleep was really what had been holding me back from losing weight through diet and exercise. But then I remembered how I’ve been struggling all my life and that the hunger hormone ghrelin was going to continue to be a problem for me. I really feel like the sleeve is what I truly need to become a healthy person for the rest of my life.

Finally, in addition to sleep apnea, I suffer from depression, anxiety, back pain, heartburn, and ADD. I am hoping the surgery will reduce my depression, anxiety, and back pain.

That’s all for now! I’ll update again next time I have news, which will hopefully be my insurance approval!

Ugh. I am sick. It started on Wednesday and Thursday with just a very sore throat. Friday the runny nose, sneezing, and sinus pressure joined in. At first I thought it was my allergies flaring up, but I'm pretty sure it's a sinus infection now, or a combo of the two.

I was dreading this because I get a lot of sinus infections and can no longer take Advil Cold and Sinus. Nothing else works for me. ? I hate being sick. Plus I haven't worked out since Wednesday and I'm eating tons of sugar free cough drops and G2 since I cannot do water right now. All this sugar/fake sugar can't be good for my body. Plus I'm eating more carbs than my nut recommended due to the vegetable beef soup I'm eating.

Oh well. I guess I can't do anything about it. I haven't gotten on the scale in a few days, hoping I'll maintain or show a loss when I step back on. If not, I just need to accept it and get back at it.

Hey @ Shells83 ! How is Labor Day going for YOU? Are you feeling better than last week? A day,and a half until my surgery. ITS THE FINAL COUNTDOWN For Moi!???

15 minutes ago, Frustr8 said:

Hey @ Shells83 ! How is Labor Day going for YOU? Are you feeling better than last week? A day,and a half until my surgery. ITS THE FINAL COUNTDOWN For Moi!???

Oh Yeah! Doing the happy dance for you in Iowa @Frustr8 ??? Wishing you the very best on your surgery and your new journey! Please post as soon as you feel well enough and let me know how you're doing!

I am feeling better, but still can't get rid of this cough and crap in my chest. I did end up going to the doctor and getting some meds. Thinking it's time to get my butt back to working out tomorrow. Maybe I need to sweat the rest of this crap out.

Almost forgot to mention.... I am officially 40 lbs down and only two pounds away from ONEderland!

So excited to reach that goal of 200 and reward myself with a spa day. My husband got me a spa gift card for Christmas last year and I told myself I wouldn't use it until I got down to 200 lbs. ?

@Frustr8 Been thinking of you and can't wait to hear how you're doing. The first couple days are rough, but it's all downhill from here! Keep resting but check in when you're feeling up to it. ?

The scale said...... 200 today! I'm so happy. Going to schedule my spa day reward and go get my drivers license picture retaken at the kiosk at the grocery store. My current driver's license picture features the unhappy and depressed woman who ate me, sans makeup and hair in a ponytail. Time to get rid of that! So embarrassing. I'll post pics of my old and new one once I go. I know that no one ever likes their drivers license picture, but mine is bad. So bad. Lol!

Now. I haven't worked out in over two weeks and need to get back on the wagon. Tomorrow is the day. I have been working too much lately and need to make time for myself. I'll work on that over the next couple weeks.

Frust8, can't wait till hear how you are doing. I can't agree more with Shells83 that the first several days are rough, but you get better every day and the results are so worth it!!! Thinking of you and wishing you all the best!

Thank you so much for sharing your journey!!! I am currently at your weight pre surgery (242) and i'm 5'5" and 36... so i'm really relating to where you started this journey!! After reading about your recovery i'm hopeful for a similar experience! I have my first appointment next Friday but I may be in for a longer stent of insurance hoop-jumping due to my "6 month medically supervised diet by surgeon requesting authorization" requirement.

I've been so encouraged reading about your progress, your weight loss, and the way you describe your feelings and the food at your different restriction progression. I feel like I am going to be the same way. I already am unsure what to eat on a regular basis when i'm dieting to keep carbs etc... in line but I can see how sticking to the soft foods or a set lunch can be a comfort. Keep on posting on your progress if you can, i'm following your story girl and cheering you on in the sidelines!

So Shelly, how are YOU doing now?

Hi @MegHealthy! That's so exciting you have your first appointment this week. We are VERY close in starting stats. ? I wish you the best of luck. Don't worry, the time will fly by and you'll be at your surgery date before you know it!

@frustr8 How the heck are YOU? I was worried about you. I'll have to go stalk your profile to see what I missed! ??

I'll post an update now about me. ?

It's been awhile since I've posted an update. I'm still feeling really great! My weight loss has slowed down but that's my fault. I was exercising almost every day, then I got sick. The kind that lingered for two weeks. On top of that, I've been so busy with work and mentally drained with all the stress that I never got back to my exercise routine after my illness went away. And now I have a rotator cuff injury from lifting heavy logs from a tree we cut down in my yard. Go figure!

So the stress of work caused me to start drinking wine again on top of not exercising. I'm disappointed with myself, but life happens. I wish I hadn't had this job change so I could have continued focusing on myself 100% and wish I'd handled the stress better, but that's okay.

I got back on the treadmill this morning and it felt so good! This is the last week of my stressful project at work. Although I don't know what I'll be doing next, I am making some changes and will set some boundaries so I can continue working on my healthier self.

I'm down to 191 and it still feels good. I just know I probably should have gotten down to more like 181 by now. Like I heard from everyone before my surgery, this is not a magic fix! You do have to put in the work. And I'm ready to jump back on that train. This small stumbling block won't stop me for reaching my goals.

Well as for me, starting weight 355, at least that I admit to. That was October 2017. When I first started seeking back in August 2015 I was still yo- yo-ing so couldn't give you solid for then, Switched to OHIO STATE March 2018, due to having completed another program twice, drat their fiendish souls and Nasty McFilthy MD who refused me my surgery, some things speeded up. Psych April, Met Nurse Practioners, Exercise Therapist, Dietician Late May, Presurgery consult mid July with Dr Needleman , and date then scheduled for September 5th. I had been gently losing weight until this point. Dr,Needleman, while palpating my abdomen found liver margin in the right subcostal(under rib area. Not "happy" sign, this meant NASH, given a choice of 2,3, or 4 weeks to shrink my chubby. liver down, I chose the entire month of August , and dropped 15 pounds that month alone. SW 319, surgery itself was wonderful , no real pain, no gas to expell. At a week,i had a weird purple,haze travel across my belly, Doctors theory: when doing surgery,a baby blood vessel got nicked, when I got enough Lovenox in my system it started bleeding, nowhere for the blood to go but between the fat and skin. Odd looking like,I was carrying an aliens baby in there. And I had already started dropping weight. I had another sppiintment a week later, they asked how I was doing, Doctor,had said I could move up to,level,3 , I told them I can't do,it, I think,maybe there,is a stricture in there. Oh no no they said, this can't be, you're just swollen inside, and I kept trying and Precious Pouch kept on her mission,of puking up as much as if. not more than I took in. Finally,on October 12, an endoscopy,was done, yes I have a stricture of my,stoman yes I also have 5 additional ulcers, 2 inside my pouch,& 3 more 9n the the back wall of my jejunem, the portion of my small intestinal wall. my pouch connects to. I m telling you all this because,when you use phone instead of computer, you cannot,enter things on profile. Another one on 10/26 , not successful and another coming ZN

on November 9th, my weight today probably between 285 and 290, don't have a scale, but that's the rate I am dropping weight at. I am scheduled.for a lab draw on December 19th, I think you need one before that.But I keep struggling on. Do I feel good ? not especially but I remain glad for the surgery. ?✋

It's been awhile since I checked in. Things are going pretty well. I feel so fortunate to have such a great bariatric clinic to provide me with support post-surgery. I've been seeing a therapist there since last fall and it has helped me so much. With both WLS and non WLS issues. I'm feeling so much more confident about myself than I ever have in my life and am really growing as a person.

I also had gained 12 pounds back since my one-year surgery appointment. But I have been exercising consistently and 3 pounds of that is muscle gained! My bariatric Dr suggested I get some help using medication to lose the last of the weight needed to reach my goal. They put me on Ozempic, which is actually a medication for diabetic patients but has been approved to help with weight loss. It's a weekly injection, which made me a little nervous since I don't care for needles. But it is the tiniest needle ever, I don't even feel it going in when I Inject myself. It is helping a lot, the restriction makes me feel like I've just had surgery again! It reduces cravings and makes me feel fuller faster. I'm very excited to be on the weight loss train again.

I've been lifting weights 3-6 days per week. 6 is the goal, 3 is the minimum I set for myself. I don't do much cardio anymore besides walking. I'm excited that the weather here is warming up so I can do more walking outside. I'm pretty proud of the progress I have made with weight lifting. I can see awesome definition in my shoulders, arms, and legs. I can't wait to see how much more muscular I will be when I lose the rest of this excess fat.

You know how they say WLS leads to divorce? I always thought this wouldn't happen to me. And it hasn't yet, but now that I know my true worth, the problems in my marriage are starting to make me question it. I feel like I deserve more than what he gives me. It has nothing to do about wanting someone else, because I don't. In fact, I don't think I'd want to date again, at least for a very long time. My husband and I have been married for 10 years. We've had a lot of ups and downs, and at this point I feel like he's more with me because of all I do for him and that I keep him on track doing the right thing. He's had issues with being responsible in his life before we met. It makes me feel like I'm his mom, not his wife. And I don't have or want kids! He doesn't help out around the house enough and isn't very attentive to me. I want to feel loved and special, I think I deserve that. So we're in therapy together working on things. I care about him, I just don't know if he can give me what I need. I don't even want/need much, I am not a high-maintenance gal!

That's all for now, I'm planning on Journaling more often here as I continue working towards my weight goal.

Your journey is inspiring! Glad you are back! Much love and respect to you! ❤️