Before & After VSG with Andrea, losing 104 lbs!
July 11, 2017Why I decided to have WLS
As long as I can remember I have always been heavy. I was a chubby baby, a chubby toddler and it didn’t stop once I was in school. I was always the fat friend who was loud and funny with a good personality. I just wasn’t the dateable one.
After I got out of high school, I went on to college and at 23, I had my daughter. I ballooned up to 243 pounds and was miserable. About three years after my daughter was born, something clicked and I started eating right and exercising after work. Within a year I had lost 90 pounds.
I had thought about joining the military in high school but the recruiter that came to the school looked at me and said, "You know we have a height-weight requirement, right?" I contacted the Air National Guard and within two weeks I was in his office signing papers.
Serving my country was something I could be proud of. I became a Munition Specialist and had the honor of deploying to Kuwait, Jordan, and Afghanistan serving my country. During this time, I married my husband. I became pregnant with my son and slowly started gaining weight again. By the time I had my son, I had ballooned back up to the 200's. Obviously, this caused some issues with my military career. Every time I went, I had to deal with the weight issue. It became too stressful.
After 10 years, I discharged from duty. I regret that decision to this day. I let my weight balloon up to 264 pounds. I tried diets, supplements, prescriptions, and exercise. Nothing worked. I would start out great and then if I didn't see the results I expected, like most people, I would get frustrated and just give up. I realized it was a lot easier to lose 100 pounds in your 20's than it was pushing 40.
I started not going places because I was worried I would see people I knew and I felt like my family suffered. I used to take a lot of pictures. My kids would always ask me why they had to continue having their picture taken. I would tell them "Because you could die tomorrow and this is all I would have to remember you by." I started being in fewer pictures and one day my 9-year-old son said, "Mom, you could die tomorrow and this is all we would have to remember you by." It was like a ton of bricks hit me. Tears filled my eyes and I knew then I needed to do something different. How could I do this to my children?
Before & After VSG with Andrea
Total Weight Loss: 104 pounds
Surgery Type: VSG (Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy)
Surgery Date: 3/9/2015
Surgeon: Dr. Jose Curiel Marchena
My Surgery and Post-Op Life
I knew people who went to Mexico and that had WLS. I remember thinking "are they nuts, ha ha?" I started doing research and chose A Lighter Me because I had many friends from work who had used them and had good results. Because of timing, I chose Dr. Curiel Marchena. Once I made the decision, I didn’t look back. I knew I needed this to get my life back. I went alone and enjoyed every minute of the trip. Since I have traveled a lot, I knew about Mexico. It is a different atmosphere. I took this opportunity to meet fellow surgery patients.
The night before surgery I sat in my hotel and cried. I think it finally hit me that I had let myself get so out of hand I had to resort to surgery. The next day, I went to the hospital and waited for my time. It seemed like forever. I met with my surgeon and anesthesiologist and felt confident in my decision. Once on the table, I could feel my heart racing. I said "Okay hold on, do we all know Advanced Life Support here or do we need a refresher? Don’t let me die!" They laughed and told me not to worry, and before I knew it I was in recovery. I remember looking at the nurse and saying, "I didn’t die" she laughed and said "Nope!" Recovery was a piece of cake. By the time I left Mexico I really felt like I hadn’t had anything done.
I stuck to my post-op diet and made the decision to exercise. Within a year, I had dropped 104 pounds to my goal weight of 160. WLS is not the easy way out as a lot may think. I struggle with food issues daily. Learning to train my brain to think like a skinny person, not a fat person has been the biggest obstacle. I wish they did surgery on your brain also. I know the mistakes I made in the past and I don’t want to repeat them. I stay active in the ALM (A Lighter Me) support group. It helps me to keep things in check. Once real life after WLS hits things change. Your honeymoon period is over and it’s all on me.
I know it is cliché to say that Dr. Curiel and ALM saved my life. I guess a better way to say it is he gave me my life back.
Milestones and NSV's
I am happy to report that I am back in pictures with my family. I don’t feel like an embarrassment when we go places. I am more comfortable in my marriage because now I can love myself the way my husband has always loved me. Vacations are much more enjoyable. We can do so many more activities when we go out. I am seeing people I had avoided for years. I am living the life I was always meant to.
How Has ObesityHelp Been a Part of My Journey
I am always looking for ways to help my journey. I love the articles and reading the forums. It is good to relate to those that know your struggles. I attended the ObesityHelp Conference in 2016 and have already booked for 2017. I walked the catwalk and it felt great to share my accomplishments with others.
Share Your Before & After Success!
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