Samantha H.
I have been a big girl all my life. Strangely, I have also been extremely active. I have played volleyball, basketball, softball, and track in my younger years. These sports involved a ridiculous amount of running and weight lifting but I still remained heavy. Weight loss has always been difficult for me.
As the years went on and the activities stopped to only softball for a few months of the years, the pounds packed on. In early 2008, I moved to Thailand to manage a bar and my diet became more liquid than solid and I finally started to lost weight, but it was extremely unhealthy. In late 2008, I moved to Kuwait for a job and have been here ever since. Due to the extreme temperatures in the winter and summer, being outdoors is virtually impossible and going to a gym as a female is a very uncomfortable experience. Needless to say, with my sedentary lifestyle, more pounds added on.
Last year, I got married and even more pounds packed on. Before I knew it, I was close to 300 pounds and terrified. I had a treadmill and Wii Fit at home that I used religiously, only to see next to zero results. I began to get frustrated. I was eating healthy, exercising regularly, and I had almost no results.
One day this past April, a coworker of mine began talking about the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I was curious but wary about cutting myself up. I decided that I would watch her and see what kind of results she had. 7 months later, I am in awe. In Kuwait, the procedure does not require the same rigorous medical tests or prerequistes that the States does, so I went to see the doctor a in mid-November. The doctor ran some blood tests, did an ultrasound, did an endoscopy, and I had surgery on 06 December 2011.
The insurance in Kuwait is also a bit different. My surgery will be covered at 100%, thankfully, and I have no co-morbidities...yet.
I am nervous, scared, excited, and giddy all at the same time. I will finally be able to shop in the women's section instead of the men's. I can buy clothes here in Kuwait instead of ordering online! Most of all, though, I am looking forward to feeling good about myself again. I do not want to be ashamed anymore.
Wish me luck!
