1 Year Surgiversary! I can't believe it.

[STLoser 1,083]

I considered wls for many, many years, but never seriously. When I was a new RN in 1997, it was fairly new and I saw people die from it, so I was always scared of it. I also never had insurance that concerned it, so I knew I'd have to pay out of pocket, and I was overall healthy, so I figured I could do it on my own. I had my son in 2010, and that's when I really started to gain a lot of weight. I had done WW before I got pregnant and had lost 45. I was down to 263. After he was born, the weight started piling on. I was sick all the time and got diagnosed with asthma. I was in pain all the time. My liver enzymes increased slowly year by year, until 2020 when my doctor decided I needed to see a liver specialist. That same January, I had my gallbladder removed and that surgeon offered to biopsy my liver and it showed Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis, with hepatic fibrosis. As a nurse I had seen people die of liver failure and it is awful. This scared me to death. That surgeon recommended wls, and he was one of the only doctors who had ever acted compassionate and non-judgmental about my weight. He told me I had very little chance of losing it and keeping it off on my own. I took his advice and made an appt. That day with a bariatric surgeon. I saw him in March and he recommend gastric bypass. I started getting the required testing and had just had my EGD when the hospital decided to let a bunch of staff go due to COVID. That surgeon was one of them. I decided to go to a different hospital and surgeon and this one recommended Loop DS. I had not heard of it, but he said I was a perfect candidate with a BMI of 69.9 and since I was paying for it myself, as it was a newer procedure that insurance didn't usually cover. I researched it and decided to go with it.

My high weight was 393 pounds. I am 5'3". I was 368.8 on the day of my surgery, July 23, 2020. As of today I am 226.4. I never thought I'd be even close to this weight again. I am hoping to lose at least 200 pounds total. I am getting close.

I was close to borderline diabetic, had just been diagnosed with hypertension, and had liver disease. I could barely get around or keep up with my active 10 year old son. My hypertension is gone, my blood glucose is normal, and my liver enzymes are now normal, so I have reversed my fatty liver disease. I turn 50 on August 2nd and this will be the best birthday ever! I am so happy I had this surgery!

I can't get my befores to post right now but I'll put them here once I do. Here is me today.  

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[Creekimp13 5,836]

Woot! Great work! Looking smashing, darling!

[Wahinebythesea 49]

Wow! That's amazing!

[Elidh 236]

Nice photo and well done! You deserve to be proud of yourself!

Edited July 24, 2021 by Elidh
Punctuation

[Elahnen 183]

Awesome! Thanks for being such an inspiration! Your smile in the pic says it all!

[STLoser 1,083]

Here are the before pictures.  

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[Arabesque 5,647]

Congratulations @STLoser. The changes amazing & I’m not just talking about the superficial though you are looking great. The improvements to your health & well being are the most wonderful achievements. Woo hoo!

[STLoser 1,083]

Thank you so much, Arabesque. I feel so much better!!
And thank you to a of you for your nice comments.

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[STLoser 1,083]

Thank you so much, Arabesque. I feel so much better!!
And thank you to a of you for your nice comments.

Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

All not a.
I may have lost weight but I still have fat fingers and can't type. Lol

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[Lillimint 48]

Congratulations! You look fantastic, and you should be very proud of the journey you’ve been through over the past year. It’s hard work and it shows! Doesn’t it feel great to be able to enjoy being healthy?

[STLoser 1,083]

Congratulations! You look fantastic, and you should be very proud of the journey you’ve been through over the past year. It’s hard work and it shows! Doesn’t it feel great to be able to enjoy being healthy?

Thank you! It sure does feel great!

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[Sandee29 113]

Awesome progress!!!

[Rara 26]

What a phenomenal story! Thanks and congratulations!

[BDL58 86]

I had the DS 6/1/21 and am so happy my surgeon recommended it! It has definitely improved my life and health! I’m still early in this journey but down over 50 lbs from preop ( 35 of those since surgery!) and it feels great! I too am a nurse and walking those hospital hallways carrying 50 lbs less (so far) is sooo much easier now! I already walk farther, faster and have a spring in my step I haven’t had for years, and I’m 63 years old! Congratulations on all you have achieved! You are doing an amazing job!

[BDL58 86]

I also meant to say that I also put off WLS for years because I had taken care of patients in the ICU that died due to complications (mostly leaks) after gastric bypass surgery and it scared me badly. Fortunately techniques have changed and improved over the years and surgical complication rates are MUCH lower so after much research and consultation with friends and coworkers who had WLS I decided the time was NOW. Plus the fact my insurance now covered WLS without requiring $3000+ up front any more convinced me it was time to go for it. Still early days but I’m convinced it was the best decision I could have made to improve my health and take back my life!