My Journey Through Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG)
September 10, 2010, a beautiful Vegas morning, and my 35th birthday. This day would be the day that would change my life forever.
I have struggled with my weight all my life. Feeling miserable, and burdened with life, I finally decided it was time to stop dieting and take matters into my own hands. 30 days before my surgery section, I called what would be the surgeon, he went into his office, and within 2 hours before my scheduled surgery day. Since I was paid cash, the next two weeks were going to be easy for me.
The hardest part of the whole thing is telling my husband to go ahead and have my VSG plan. When I told him that the surgery was scheduled and paid for, he was a little hesitant, but I decided not to support him. He was just hoping that having this surgery would make me feel better about myself, allow me to take less medication, and live a longer, happier life.
So I started occasionally drinking shakes in the morning for breakfast as part of my pre-surgical routine. I didn’t like these much and found them quite delicious when mixed with my vanilla soy milk. I guess when you weigh 325 pounds and embark on a new life, there is nothing sweeter then the thought of losing weight.
The night before the surgery was stressful. I am so worried. We got to the medical center on time, checked in, and before I knew it, I was in the back, ready to roll. Within an hour I was taken into the surgery room. The last thing I remember was that room. Next thing I know, I’m awake. Oh, I was so thirsty. The nurse gave me water, but I remember drinking even the slightest bit of nausea. Then it was time to stand up. Still shaking on my feet I made it, walked a few steps into the living room, and sat down in a chair. My husband finally came to me carrying the wheel and telling me it was time to go home. Already?
The ride home was the longest ride of my life. I was so stubborn and uncomfortable. Considering this was my first surgical procedure, I wasn’t sure what I was looking at.
I went straight into my room. Dogs shall not disturb this way of mine, my thinness. It took until I was at home, laying on my bed, to notice that I had this fanny-packs”>fanny around my neck. I tried to pull the bag and realized that it was the “ball of pain” that I heard about, because the threads went into my stomach to numb me. HA!
Of course I made it through the first night. Thank you for the liquid loritab. 2 was the worst day. I almost strangled myself with the bundles, and was so uncomfortable that I didn’t even use the loritab to help. There was this burning sensation where the strings were attached to me that I couldn’t stand. I begged the man, this one, to remove the strings and deliver me. (I remember that the wires were supposed to stay until the pain ball was deflated and no medicine was left). Against my better judgment, he moved the fan from my neck, gave it a quick twist, and I was free!
That moment was the turning point. Finally I was able to go to the bathroom, walk around a bit, and take a light shower. I’m starting to feel like a man. I still missed sleeping on my stomach, which was probably the biggest thing I had gotten used to, yet propping me up with tons of pillows to avoid rolling over was the best my husband could do.
In a few days things got much better. I sit outside in the yard and enjoy the sun. I still had no appetite, but finally I was able to drink water mixed with grape sugar hawaiian punch. O best! Since the hand surgery was on Friday, I had the following week off work. I suggest this to everyone who is also considering this way, because there are new things happening in your body that you need to learn.
Finally, after one week, it was time to go back to work. I’m tired, but I managed 2 protein shakes my day, and by the end of the time at home he was eating soft food and he loved my egg a drop of soup. I needed a bit of a challenge due to my fatigue. The vitamin was supposed to make me sick, so I opted out of working days.
Days became weeks, and people were finally noticing the changes in me. I didn’t notice myself until six months later, when I was down about 80 pounds. Next thing I knew, I gained weight and lost 100 pounds since the surgery, which was in May.
Unfortunately, since June I am a stallholder. My weight went from 325lbs to 218lbs. I am not miserable at all, because I can finally say that I stores shop. can never shop before. There is a big difference between size 30/32 and 18/20. I am so much more secure with myself then I was before, and I know it shows. I know I still have a long way to go to reach my personal goal, which was initially set at 190lbs, but I know I will get there. I just have a few more hurdles to jump over right away.
Today:
Today is Halloween, which comes with its own set of problems, namely candy. Now that I can eat food again (only about 4-5oz at a time) I miss my sweets. I may be limited, but I still have those desires and my taste buds still work. I’m often frustrated because I can’t consume what I could, but learning how to pick every hour is really nice, especially since you have food cravings The Chinese want spaghetti one minute and two hours later.
But if I can, you can too. This was a life changing decision. This plan has changed my life for the better. I am no longer diabetic, and I do not take medication every day. The one thing that makes me different is the few tiny scars I have on my stomach, which I really love, because it’s a reminder of how far I’ve come.
When the weather cools down, I will relegate myself to training. Keep your fingers crossed! My personal goal is to lose only 30 pounds!
