Two years after VSG
Yesterday my gmail popped up a little reminder from Obesityhelp that it was my two year surgery anniversary! I thought I'd take the opportunity (a day late, but whatever!) to update the community on my progress and what it's like being two years out.
Leading up to surgery...
I'm 30-mumble and I've been married for 13 years. (Wow.) Anyway, I was heavy my whole life. If you look through my profile there's a little tidbit about how I weighed 160+ lbs in SIXTH grade. That's about 70 lbs more than a normal sixth grader. My weight at the time of surery was 338 - my highest ever. I had surgery in Tijuana, Mexico. Surgery itself went well, no real complications. I got home, however, and discovered I had an infection (Serratia), which took about 8 weeks of two-times-daily wound packing by my husband to finally heal.
The first year...
I was tired all the time. I never drank protein shakes. Nastay. I'd gotten my fill in the pre-op diet. I discovered Eggface in this time, though, and that helped a LOT. Early on I ate a lot of scrambled eggs, which I know some people can't tolerate after surgery but I had no problems. It took a long time to really figure out what "full" was. There were times when I'd eat only to discover I ate too much and ended up burping up bits of food. Gross. Water was (and is) a challenge for me. I lost quite a bit of hair. It sucked tremendously. BUT despite all of this crap, I lost a TON of weight.
The second year...
My hair came back! It's now much curlier than it's ever been, so that's kinda cool. I eat normal food and I'm happy to say my portions are still very limited. Recognizing "full" isn't really a problem anymore. I do have heartburn quite often though. I occasionally have esophageal spasms or gas pains or some crazy chest pain. Not 100% sure what it is, but holy crap does it hurt. Luckily it usually doesn't last long and doesn't come back for another month or so. Not sure if it's directly related to the surgery or not. My skin... OMG. There's so much of it. I would love to have surgery to get rid of it (especially in the neck area), but it's not hideous or unbearable or anything. Pretty much everything between my knees and *****ould use a little tightening. Hah.
Successes...
So I've lost 140-something lbs! Awesome! It's not exactly as much as I was hoping for, but I will definitely take it! Here are some of the really cool little things I dreamed of before WLS that I've been able to enjoy since surgery:
* Shopping is fun again. (In dresses, I can sometimes wear a medium!)
* During a recent trip, the airplane seat was roomy and I didn't need a belt extender.
* I can cross my legs with ease.
* Tying my shoes? No problem!
* I can sit on the floor again! And afterward... I can actually get back up.
* My office is cramped and it's kinda cool being able to squeeze between narrow spots.
* I can sit on my husband's lap.
* Stairs? No prob! We parked on the 4th floor of a parking garage recently only to realize the elevator was broken when it was time to get back to the car. Around the last flight of stairs my legs were starting to protest but I wasn't gasping for breath!
I'm sure there's a ton of other stuff I could add. It's hard to put two years worth of trials and successes into one post. I'm so happy I had this surgery, no doubt about that. I can't imagine where I'd be physically without it. I am not perfect, though. I know there are some things I eat/drink (*cough-Starbucks-cough*) that aren't good for me and if I'd cut them out I might lose more weight. But I am happier with my body than I've ever been... and my goal isn't perfection.
So that's about it. If you've read this far, thanks! If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask away.
Leading up to surgery...
I'm 30-mumble and I've been married for 13 years. (Wow.) Anyway, I was heavy my whole life. If you look through my profile there's a little tidbit about how I weighed 160+ lbs in SIXTH grade. That's about 70 lbs more than a normal sixth grader. My weight at the time of surery was 338 - my highest ever. I had surgery in Tijuana, Mexico. Surgery itself went well, no real complications. I got home, however, and discovered I had an infection (Serratia), which took about 8 weeks of two-times-daily wound packing by my husband to finally heal.
The first year...
I was tired all the time. I never drank protein shakes. Nastay. I'd gotten my fill in the pre-op diet. I discovered Eggface in this time, though, and that helped a LOT. Early on I ate a lot of scrambled eggs, which I know some people can't tolerate after surgery but I had no problems. It took a long time to really figure out what "full" was. There were times when I'd eat only to discover I ate too much and ended up burping up bits of food. Gross. Water was (and is) a challenge for me. I lost quite a bit of hair. It sucked tremendously. BUT despite all of this crap, I lost a TON of weight.
The second year...
My hair came back! It's now much curlier than it's ever been, so that's kinda cool. I eat normal food and I'm happy to say my portions are still very limited. Recognizing "full" isn't really a problem anymore. I do have heartburn quite often though. I occasionally have esophageal spasms or gas pains or some crazy chest pain. Not 100% sure what it is, but holy crap does it hurt. Luckily it usually doesn't last long and doesn't come back for another month or so. Not sure if it's directly related to the surgery or not. My skin... OMG. There's so much of it. I would love to have surgery to get rid of it (especially in the neck area), but it's not hideous or unbearable or anything. Pretty much everything between my knees and *****ould use a little tightening. Hah.
Successes...
So I've lost 140-something lbs! Awesome! It's not exactly as much as I was hoping for, but I will definitely take it! Here are some of the really cool little things I dreamed of before WLS that I've been able to enjoy since surgery:
* Shopping is fun again. (In dresses, I can sometimes wear a medium!)
* During a recent trip, the airplane seat was roomy and I didn't need a belt extender.
* I can cross my legs with ease.
* Tying my shoes? No problem!
* I can sit on the floor again! And afterward... I can actually get back up.
* My office is cramped and it's kinda cool being able to squeeze between narrow spots.
* I can sit on my husband's lap.
* Stairs? No prob! We parked on the 4th floor of a parking garage recently only to realize the elevator was broken when it was time to get back to the car. Around the last flight of stairs my legs were starting to protest but I wasn't gasping for breath!
I'm sure there's a ton of other stuff I could add. It's hard to put two years worth of trials and successes into one post. I'm so happy I had this surgery, no doubt about that. I can't imagine where I'd be physically without it. I am not perfect, though. I know there are some things I eat/drink (*cough-Starbucks-cough*) that aren't good for me and if I'd cut them out I might lose more weight. But I am happier with my body than I've ever been... and my goal isn't perfection.
So that's about it. If you've read this far, thanks! If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask away.
Thanks for sharing your journey and congrats on your success!!!! Post like this give encouragement to everyone and it is so needed and appreciated!
"Encourage instead of criticize. Love instead of hate. Hope instead of doubt. Give instead of take. Trust instead of worry. We open our hearts to others so that they will be prompted to open their hearts to God" Lucy Swindoll
Thanks for posting your story! You have done an awesome job and it is great that you are keeping it off 2 years post op.
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