1) What kind of surgery did you have? When? Who was your surgeon? Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy on May 22. 2017 with Dr. Sanjoy Dutta at Kaiser Fremont. The surgeon essentially removed 80% of my stomach leaving a tube of a stomach-think the size and shape of a gogurt.
2) Why did you decide to have surgery now? My weight was not going anywhere but up, and I wanted to walk into a room and meet a new person without them first judging me for my weight. I am turning 50 on September 21, 2018 and I want to be fit and 50.
3) How much weight have you lost? From highest ever recorded weight 351 lbs. Weight on 3/1/2017 when I started Weight Watchers 346 lbs. (-5 lbs) Weight at pre-op appointment 313 lbs. (-38 lbs) Day of surgery 306 lbs (-45 lbs) 7 days post-op 5/29/2017 298 lbs (-53 lbs total -8 since surgery) 14 days post-op 06/05/2017 290.3 lbs (-60.2 lbs total -15.7 since surgery) 16 days post-op 06/07/2017 289 lbs (-63 lbs total -17 lbs since surgery)
4) How much do you eat? 2-3 ounces of food per meal
5) How much can you drink? Not enough-currently only 30-40 ounces daily. This is very hard and requires frequent sips as I can only take sips as more than 2-3 ounces hurts my stomach.
6) Did you have a lot of pain? incision pain was mild to moderate for 2 weeks managed with Hycet, Tylenol, ice pack, and abdominal binder. I also experienced stomach spasms every sip of fluid and bite of food. It is getting better with time, but still frequently painful to eat.
7) Are you exercising? Currently just walking 3-4 K steps daily. Will be stepping that up shortly.
8) What is your goal weight? 175 lbs
9) Are you tired? I am definitely not on my A-game, but getting better daily.
10) How long are you off from work? 4 weeks total-I return on June 19, 2017
11) Do you regret having the surgery? Not yet, and I doubt I will
12) Are you afraid of hair loss? Yes, but I am more afraid of dying.
13) Are you afraid of saggy skin? Yes, but I am more afraid of dying.
Anything else you want to know? Feel free to ask!
That is awesome Theresa. I didn't know you were having this done. My sister did this two years ago in Mexico - yes I said Mexico but everything ended up okay - thank goodness. She did have a lot of hair loss for the first year - however now her hair is getting fuller again and less loss which is great. The fluid intake was very hard for her - and she would get dehydrated so be careful with that - she saved all her room in her stomach for food intake and rarely drank anything. Indigestion gets the best of her but overall her health has turned around so much and i see her confidence has improved and her life span. Keep us posted on your successes. I need to get motivated especially after my health scare. Keep up the great work sunshine! :) Jennifer
ReplyDeleteAll the family is with you on your journey to recovery and weight loss. Brava for this important decision, Theresa. You are a strong and brave woman! Kathy
ReplyDeleteWow! Congratulations on all of your hard work to lose weight before surgery. Good luck!
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