How I Got to the Operating Table

So my amazing son has been sick and it turns out he had a nasty case of RSV, a virus that is fairly common in kids.  Unfortunately he also gave it to me so I stayed home from work today.  Not eating too much but I am drinking tea, water, and having a few of my protein popsicles.  What are those?  Oh I will post the very simple recipe when I make my next batch.

I think though, before I go any further, I should post a little of my background so we can see where I came from.  I started this journey at 330 lbs.  I still can't believe it when I write that.  For most of my adult life, I have struggled with weight issues but I always topped out around 260 lbs.  I always looked at that number as my highest limit.  Several years ago I actually managed to lose 100 lbs and stayed at my goal weight for an entire four months (insert sarcasm)!!!  Then I got pregnant.  I gained about 45 lbs with my pregnancy but maternity leave did me in.  I crept my way up back to 260, again what I thought my high weight was.

In the beginning of 2011, I started my weight loss plan.  It worked at first and I lost about 30 lbs.  But then we moved and for some reason my "plan" fell apart.  Over the next month or so I regained my 30 lbs and added on another 70, yes that's right.  I put 70 lbs. on in about 6 months.  Now I was truly at my high weight, 330 lbs.  I always swore that I would never, EVER let myself get to 300 lbs. but it's not hard to do!  Especially when one is eating crap constantly.  Take out from the Italian and Latin restaurants, cake from the bakery.  I felt completely out of control.

Even then, I still thought that maybe there was something medical going on.  How does anyone put 70 lbs on in 6 months?  So off to the doctor I went.  Of course nothing was wrong except me stuffing my face.  And that is when I got tired.  Tired of dieting, tired of being fat, just so damn tired.  I started looking at weight loss options including surgery.  I quickly found out that there are better options now than even 10 years ago.  I completely ruled out the Band as I knew it was not the right choice for me.  Then I narrowed it down to Gastric Bypass or Sleeve Gastrectomy.  I researched and did a ton of reading on several WLS forums.  I decided that The Sleeve fit my life to a tee.    That started my relatively short journey to the operating table.

I was pretty lucky in that my waiting time was pretty short.  I had a consult with my surgeon (Hey Dr. Weber) on 1/10/12 and had my surgery on 3/15/12.  I had a LOT of other appointments in between then so I was fairly busy.  My insurance did not require any prior approval so I really lucked out.  I have read some horror stories that others have had to go through and it truly makes my heart hurt.  So that's my background for now though I will add more throughout my future posts when needed!

Hey all you fellow sleevers (and other WLS)!  I am starting this blog to chronicle my journey after having a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy.  For those that don't know, it is a weight loss procedure.  I had my surgery on March 15, 2012 and have lost 49 lbs. so far.  I hope to share my experiences, recipes, food finds, and life.  I am a busy working Mom to a 3 year old boy who is the joy of my heart.  He is a huge reason why I did this.  I never thought I'd go under the knife because I couldn't stop stuffing my face.  But I did and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I look forward to this!