30 YO Mom That Has Battled Weight for a While..gastric Sleeve..FIrst Appointment - Margate, FL

So after doing extensive research online and a couple of consults around my general area I decided to go with Dr. Wizman in Margate, FL. I filled out most of my patient paperwork online and watched a few videos online before my initial consult..I was pretty anxious when I arrived for my appointment, but Dr. Wizman has such a friendly and relaxing demeanor, by the end of my visit I wasn't nervous at all. He was very attentive and informative and he and his staff were very easy to work with. Living out of the area, they were very accommodating to help me finish up the rest of the process before surgery (I'm self pay). I wanted to get in as soon as possible and he made that happen for me! My set date for surgery is Sept 9th..in the mean time, I'll be finishing up some education and nutrition classes and getting my pre opt testing done. I was dreading the liquid phase of the pre opt part of surgery the most but was pleasantly surprised when he said I would have to do that portion since my BMI was under a certain number..I would have did it if necessary but that's just one less thing to stress about now! I'll post some before pics soon..maybe my next update.

So I'm only a couple of weeks out until my VSG surgery date (Sept 9th) and went in today for my pre opt with my general doctor to get clearance. I am a self pay patient but was told that since I do have insurance that all of my pre surgery testing would be covered by insurance even though it doesn't cover my actual procedure. My doctor today told me other wise.. And will end up paying out of pocket for all of my pre op testing as well .. So I was bummed about that. There were two test they were able to do in the office that will help me out (EKG and hemmocult) the blood panels, chest X-ray, and pylori test will be out of pocket expenses totaling about 300 bucks. I will finish those test tomorrow and hopefully have that accounted for and out of the way! Last step will me my education class and hopefully I will be all set for surgery. I'm getting anxious to be done with this part and move on to focusing on a healthy life style. I was also up five pounds at my visit today.. So strict diet phase before surgery will be starting tomorrow via paperwork from surgeon. Wish me luck!

So today is my second day in the hospital. Yesterday was my surgery date. I came into the outpatient building.. (They called the day before to pre register over the phone and tell me what time to be there) so I was there at 8 AM. They drew some more blood and sent me back to get ready afterwards... Cap and gown.. Get IV started etc. after about an hour I was sent back to operating room and I was out. Next thing I remember was waking up very disoriented and trying to sit up but in a lot of pain. Mainly in my chest and stomach region with some nausea. They wheeled me back to recovery where I was quite miserable from pain. They moved me to a regular room and had the worst day of my life dry heaving constantly all day and all night. ( which by the way is doubly painful right after a stomach surgery. I stay quite nauseated regardless of the motion sickness patch, zofran, and phenergan they have me constantly. I was in pain noatter what positioned I sat and felt horrible all day. Today is day two and there is a slight improvement. I am still dry heaving and in a lot of pain.. My biggest worry is not getting down the ice chips or water w/o throwing up. Very frustrating but they have reassured me it's very normal and I will feel better tomorrow before discharge.. So fingers crossed please! Tomorrow will be my first day on broth so we will see how that does. I'm so ready to be home!!

So it's officially been one week today since my gastric sleeve surgery. I am definatley on the mend and feeling a little better everyday. I had my first post op appt yesterday and I am down 10 pounds since surgery weight. The first week is def. seems to be the hardest, trying to get liquids and protein in...but my stomach tolerates a little more everyday. I'm so glad to be done with surgery and plan to focus on mini goals until I hit my big goal of 100 pounds. HW:257,SW:247,CW:237

HW:257
SW:246.7
CW:226.6
So I'm officially one month post op from my surgery and over all feel pretty good. I have had some really bad exhaustion a few days here and there..but from what I read, its normal for your body to still be adjusting. I'm taking my vitamins and eating small portions of softer foods..but my variety is getting better now that i'm tolerating foods and is making me feel more normal (Thank goodness!) Learning your new sleeve is an interesting journey..there have been a few times I've eaten too fast or too much..and believe me..it lets you know! Im figuring it all out day by day..and Im quite happy with my results thus far...Ive even been out to eat a couple of times since surgery..which is now a whole new experience in itself but totally worth it. I weighed in today at 226.6 which makes me down 20 pounds since my surgery day and 30 pounds from my highest weight (257). My stitches are healing up nicely and my new fit bit came in today..so I will be starting my exercise routine this week (wish me luck)! :) :)

So I am just a week or so shy of my 9 month post op which is crazy to think! I am back to being able to eat almost anything I want (which you have to be careful with) but just in smaller amounts. I definatley fit more into my sleeve than I use to. Anywhere from a cup to a cup in a half of food per sitting. My biggest enemy at this point is staying away from fried foods, bad carbs, and SUGAR. The surgery will help, but it's still up to you to make smarter choices everyday. I have been in a stall for 2 months now at 175. My surgeon had predicted this is where my weight loss would end, but I have a bigger goal to get down to 150. So I'm not giving up :) I am completely satisfied with my surgery and would do it again in a heart beat. I feel as if I have regained a life and found myself again. To anyone looking for advice on the sleeve... Do IT!! You won't regret it in the long run. It is life changing. HW:257 SW:246, CW:175

So I'm just a couple months shy of my 1 year VSG and I've def slowed down in my weight loss. I notice I can eat more but still try to make a conscience effort Abt what I eat. I have lost 5 pounds since my last review.. But it's hard to accept the fact that my major weight loss has finally slowed. It was easy when it was falling off 10 pounds at a time.. Now it's something I have to work at a little more. Still very optimistic. I have a final goal of losing 20 more pounds and I know I can do it if I just put my mind to it!! My goal is to be out of the "overweight" section on the BMI chart. So wish me luck! :) Starting Weight:257, Surgery weight: 246? Current weight:170