Before And After VSG With Kate N. Down 120 Pounds!

January 3, 2023

Why I Decided to Have WLS

Before And After VSG With Kate N: My battle with obesity has been ongoing since around the end of second grade. Lodged firmly in my mind is our family doctor advising my mother to keep me on an 800 to 900 calorie diet and to this day just the thought of a Carnation Instant Breakfast drink mix makes me equally nauseous and angry. The more restricted my intake, the more obsessive I became about food. The only time prior to WLS surgery during which I could have been considered an “acceptable” weight occurred during an extremely stressful time in my early twenties while working as a retail manager. My relationship with food during this period was equally disastrous and dangerous but in the opposite direction. As you can guess, when my career changed and I began teaching, the 80 pounds I had shed to extreme deprivation came back and brought 10 to 15 pounds of friends with them. My highest weight was 315, but until my surgery at age 42, my weight fluctuated between 295 and 305 for almost two decades.

From about 27 to age 42, though blessed with a loving and supportive husband, I faced fat shaming and misinformed, though well-meaning, advice from friends, colleagues, administrators, random strangers, and, of course, medical professionals. While WLS was always in the back of my mind, it was never mentioned as an option by anyone, medical or otherwise. On the outside I presented a friendly, happy, driven front, but inside my body was silently breaking down. Arthritis began to invade hip, knee, and ankle joints. My blood pressure began creeping up. Type II diabetes was standing at the door, just about to knock, and PCOS was wreaking havoc on my hormones and ovaries. I was struggling with infertility, pain, depression, and a repeated whispering in my inner mind that I would most likely die young. No matter what diet or workout routine I tried, I failed. Eventually, in my late 30’s, I stopped fighting the war with obesity and accepted the inevitable.

Ironically, while my teaching job was contributing to my ever-increasing blood pressure and sleeplessness, it changed my life. Or rather, a colleague from work changed my life. In August of 2014, after another fruitless summer of trying to move the scale in a downward trajectory, my colleague and I returned to the school site. She had undergone a startling transformation and in an uncharacteristically optimistic moment, I asked her what workout or diet she was following. Her response changed my life forever. She was incredibly open about her Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy and then proceeded to set me on a path for VSG. In less than an hour, I learned what VSG was, that my insurance would cover it, and how long it would take to get approved. She even took my phone and entered the numbers for her surgeon and primary care provider. There was no turning back. My colleague had gifted me with a path for a healthier life that day and I will never forget her kindness and compassion. I decided to pursue VSG in order to have a healthier life for myself and my husband.

Before And After VSG With Kate N.

Name: Kate N.
Total Weight Loss: 120 lbs
Surgery Type: Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
Surgeon: Dr. Sami Hamamji
Surgery Center: St. Joseph’s Hospital

My Surgery and Post-Op Life

My excitement about VSG made me a model pre-op patient. My new pcp was extremely supportive, but also blunt. No to RNY. Yes to VSG. Cold feet? Try walking with a cane when 50 due to osteoarthritis in the spine. My surgeon was equally compassionate, but just as tough. Lose 10 percent of your total body weight before surgery to prove you are committed. Lower those carbs. Exercise daily. No excuses. Like two gruff, but loving uncles, they laid out a plan and I dutifully and happily followed along. I lost 30 pounds in six months by replacing one meal with a protein shake a day for four months, along with cutting out all high carb-low nutrition snacks, and then switching to two protein shakes and a sensible meal for dinner the last two months. Since I would be on shakes the final two weeks before surgery, I had to get over my aversion to shakes and replacement drinks. Childhood memories were difficult to conquer, but conquer I did and sailed through my VSG without complications.

Both of my doctors were extremely attentive at the hospital and my follow up appointments. My family understood that life had changed and I was finally winning a lifelong war with obesity. My husband and my doctors told me often how proud they were of my dedication and my willingness to “trust the process”. Though I grew frustrated during the very long “soft” foods phase, especially when confronted with other patients from other surgeons who had far fewer restrictions, I soldiered on faithfully. I struggled with getting in enough protein during the first few months and had to supplement with protein waters, but all the struggle was worth it. My weight plummeted in the first few months and I was approaching 170 by my year anniversary. I credit my medical team, my husband, and my Instagram weight loss surgery family. Their support was unwavering. However, in that first year, my biggest supporter was my tool itself. My VSG made it possible to reach the impossible.

My lowest weight recorded was 171. Around the year and half mark post surgery, due to eating more and working out four times a week, my weight had settled at 185. Despite his desire for me to be 160, “but I will take 165,” my surgeon was thrilled with my progress. My weight had stabilized. I was running five miles four times a week with a longer run on the weekend. I had run a 10k followed by a half marathon the next day. I had won the war. I was invincible. I was wrong.

I gave a talk at the ObesityHelp National Conference in October 2018 and spent time describing how obesity is a sneaky opponent in this war we wage for our health. We face triggers and trauma throughout our lives which cause us to lose ground in the war, and I most certainly did. In November and December 2017, I had two back-to-back surgeries on my legs to correct vein issues. The surgeries were painful and put me out of commission for exercise until early February 2018. While my weight remained steady, it was due to loss of muscle mass. In June 2018, a long-time dream came true and I had skin removal on my torso. With it came another long hiatus from working out and the discovery of a problem in my uterus. A week after I spoke at the ObesityHelp National Conference in October 2018, I had a hysterectomy. Due to my lower weight and excellent bloodwork, I sailed through it, right into another exercise hiatus. Unlike previous surgeries, however, the hysterectomy came with an added bonus. While I was no longer anemic and my excellent surgeon tightened my abdominal wall (thanks, Doc!), I was left with a permanent injury to an already weak sacroiliac joint. In January 2019, I was barely able to walk, was having pain shots in the joint, and started three months of painful physical therapy. And obesity reared its ugly head. Depression, stress, and boredom are my triggers for emotional eating. By the summer of 2019, the enforced inactivity, pain, and a medical scare for my husband had given me an excuse to snack on 10 extra pounds. By the fall, I had regained a stronger mental outlook and began to workout for the first time since November 2017. I was on top again. Until my best friend was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer and the world also began whispering about a deadly virus. You know where this is headed. 

We all can probably remember what we were doing, wearing, thinking the day our own cities went into lockdown. Covid-19 ran rampant and my family, my students, and the world stood still. Some people took the lockdown times as a time to exercise and grow strong. Me? I never met a box of Lucky Charms I didn’t like. I often joked, because there was nothing else to laugh at, that I was experiencing “Covid-23”, a reference to the weight I gained during the enforced inactivity of teaching online for hours every day. Extreme duress and boredom made for fertile ground and I planted quite a few pounds. I had gone up to 195 due to the injury in my hip joint and then added another 23 on top of it. The stress and worry over my family, friends, and my students took a tremendous toll on my body. However, I am extremely blessed to have had a roof over my head, food, a job, and my best friend battled and won her cancer fight. When the lockdowns ended, I felt as if the sun had finally begun to shine again.

What’s Happening Now             

What does post-op life look like seven years after surgery, several years after a worldwide pandemic lockdown, and living daily with a chronic injury? I am spending time reaching out to my WLS support system via friends, going to the ObesityHelp National Conference, and grounding myself in the knowledge base instilled by my medical team. Every day is a battle to get back to basics and remember that the war against obesity is not won in a day, a week, or a month. I faithfully read the healthy recipes sent by ObesityHelp.com (and then pass them to my cooking loving husband), and I read all of the articles to keep me growing in my WLS journey. I am back to tracking my food, trying to exercise 30 minutes daily, and choosing healthier food options. While still 20 pounds away from my peak training weight of 185, I did lose 13 of the “Covid-23”. Every day is a choice and a challenge to fight for a healthier life. I am now able to face that challenge again, stronger and wiser than before.

Non-Scale Victories for the Win!

Celebrate your own Before & After WLS Success, milestones, non-scale victories like the Before And After VSG With Kate N. and inspire others! The OH team wants to hear from you to share your weight loss surgery journey. Visit our Before & After Submission page for details.

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