candlelakegirl
My story goes like this....My name is Cristal. I am 38 years old. I am 5' 4.5"
I never had a weight problem when I was a child or teenager, but after I had my son at 26 years of age, my weight was a constant battle. I let myself gain almost 60 pounds when I was pregnant!!
After the pregnancy, I yo-yoed like most people do. In my late 20s and early 30s I tried different strategies to lose the weight on my own, like extreme diets and excessive exercise. I would have some success but when I realistically could not continue the extremes I always gained the weight back and a little bit more.
Depression played a big role in the battle. My husband (now ex-husband) and I were trying to have another baby. Our son wasn't a planned pregnancy so we couldn't understand why we weren't able to get pregnant again. Eventually we got help and went for fertility treatments. I was told I had polycystic ovarian syndrome. In other words... "you are too fat to get pregnant" at least that is what I heard. I felt like a failure in so many ways. A failure because I couldn't keep the weight off unless I was living extremes, a failure because I couldn't get pregnant, a failure as a spouse, even a failure as a mother to the son I did have because I wasn't able to give him a sibling.
We tried various fertility techniques and finally gave up. We decided to adopt and started the process of adoption. If anyone has gone through this process they know that it is very detailed and many steps including putting together a scrapbook, or album of our life that would be presented to possible birth mothers for the birth mother to choose a family for their baby. I had another MAJOR emotional setback when were at the point of a home visit with the social worker. When the social worker came to our home he told my husband and I that we wouldn't likely be a favourable choice for a birth mother because of my weight! He said that our family album would be passed by because I was overweight in the pictures and a family with slim parents would be picked first. I was absolutely CRUSHED! I couldn't have my own babies because I was FAT and I couldn't even adopt a baby because I was FAT! I told my husband I wanted to give up the adoption idea and became seriously depressed. That is when I hit my all-time high of 220lbs. I was wearing size 20 and 22!!
My doctor put me on weight loss medication. I can't remember anymore what it was called, but it had a anti-depressant component to it as well. I started to feel better and started to lose weight. I got down to about 150lbs and my doctor took me off the pills, saying they were not meant to be used long term. Shortly after, as a result of the weight loss, I had my gallbladder taken out... unknowingly I was pregnant at the time and miscarried after the surgery (of course). At which point.... started gaining weight again.
And so the pattern went, for years.
In 2007, at 190lbs I joined Herbal Magic and my Dr. prescribed Prozac. The anti-depressants and weight loss program worked beautifully for me. I got my weight down to a healthy 132lbs. I looked and felt better than I had in years. My self-confidence was back and I found I loved myself enough to let go of an unhealthy marriage. However, becoming a single parent was costly and I couldn't afford to keep using the herbs. Herbal Magic had easily cost me in the range of $4000 - $5000 ALREADY! I was at my goal anyway and thought I could manage my weight on my own, and I could no longer afford the supplements, so I quit taking the herbs.
GUESS WHAT HAPPENED? Well.... my pre-op weight for the VSG was 185lbs... so I guess that tells you what happened after I quit taking the herbs.
I was SO ANGRY at myself!! AGAIN!!!!!
On a Friday in April of 2010, after work and over a beer, a co-worker told me about her upcoming VSG surgery (Sleeve). She had done extensive research into this procedure, including possible locations and surgeons. The more she told me about the physical and chemical changes that would happen after this surgery, the more I KNEW I wanted to have the surgery done myself! I was already showing signs of high blood pressure and both my parents have been diagnosed with type II diabetes. I was well on the path to serious health issues as a result of my excess weight and I didn’t want to enter my 40s with these stresses.
I spent that weekend doing my own research. I watched dozens of testimonials on YouTube from people who had undergone the VSG surgery, I searched for American Medical Journals for professional opinions on the procedure. I watched several different videos of the actual surgery being performed and I noticed that different surgeons were performing the procedure with slight variations. For example, some surgeons stitched over the staple line and some didn’t. So I researched the reasons behind the different techniques and Googled for possible stories of regrets. Believe me….some of my friends call me a “computer expert”, and I applied all my Internet searching expertise to find out as much as I could online. By Sunday, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind and I couldn't wait to book my surgery and get started on a journey to a full life!!
I emailed my co-worker and asked her to send me the name of the person she had booked her surgery through and I was given Melanie’s email from Weight Loss Forever. I emailed Melanie on Sunday and she promptly emailed me back! We set up a time to meet on Monday and she send me out information in advance about the clinic and the surgeon in Tijuana, Mexico.
When I walked into the Weight Loss Forever office in Saskatoon on Monday, Melanie got up to greet me with a big hug! I knew right away that she was a person who could really relate to my emotional battle with being overweight! Although I insisted that I was sure I wanted the surgery and was ready to fill out required paperwork, she was adamant that I go through with her all the information she provides someone to make an educated decision. Her informative presentation and her own personal story provided me with even MORE validation of my decision. She walked me virtually though the LIMARP clinic in Tijuana and spoke highly to me about Dr. Pompa. I booked my surgery for March 15th!! I invited my mom to accompany me for two reasons, first, because I wanted the comfort and security of my mommy. J But secondly, because I knew she was ultra critical in nature and if anything was not “right” when I got to Mexico, I knew she would speak up on my behalf.
Three days before my surgery I had to fast on clear liquids only. I was hungry and miserable. I literally downed a whole tetra pack of Ready to Use Campbell’s Chicken Broth for lunch on the first day and didn’t feel full! I couldn’t wait to have the surgery done and get out of this terrible rut of never feeling full.
I flew to San Diego on Sunday, March 14. I have to admit that the US Customs Officer put a scare into me when I told him I was travelling to Tijuana, Mexico for surgery and he cautioned me to be careful because the city was not safe. I was greeted in the airport in San Diego by a driver from the LIMARP clinic. He was easy to spot carrying around a big sign with LIMARP, Dr. Pompa and my name on it! My mom and I travelled in comfort and SAFETY the short 30 mins. it took to get into Tijuana, Mexico to the Grand Hotel Tijuana where the clinic was located and where we would be staying. I had absolutely no problems travelling into Mexico or at the hotel/clinic. We were greeted at the hotel by a staff of the LIMARP clinic. She got us checked in and told us we would be picked up at 8am the next morning and taken to the clinic for surgery prep. It was reassuring to know ahead of time what the next steps were going to be. The hotel was clean and the service was superior. My mom called room service to have the mattress pad on her bed changed and the maids quickly came up and put a brand new (out of the plastic) mattress pad, new sheets, new blankets on the bed for her! My bed was fine! LOL! But I told you my mom was picky!
The next morning were met in the hotel lobby by the LIMARP staff and taken to the clinic. We were shown around the facility and had an opportunity to ask questions. We were impressed and comforted by the modern facility and equipment and the cleanliness of the clinic. After being set up in my room, a doctor came in to describe what was going to happen and answer any further questions. Initial tests were done, including blood work and ECG. At first the ECG machine was not working right and no providing proper information. It was a little unnerving at first but on the other hand I felt relieved that the doctor and nurse didn’t give up on the test until things were functioning properly. When everything came back good, the anaesthesiologist came to review my records and describe his job in the surgery to me. Dr. Pompa, the surgeon, also came in to describe the procedure and answer my questions. I was impressed by the professionalism of the staff, and particularly the number of doctors on staff! Here in Canada, nurses far outnumber the number of doctors and nurses perform many of the tasks. In Mexico, there was definitely a team of skilled doctor’s providing the majority of my care. My impression of Dr. Pompa was that she was very skilled and intelligent. Her confidence and thoroughness was reassuring.
I got my “tequila shot”, a small pill under my tongue to relax me, and 20 minutes later was taken into surgery. Lights out! I don’t recall anything else until I was waking up in the recovery area. Once awake they moved me back into my room where my mom was waiting. Interestingly enough, I never experienced stomach pain at all… but once the anaesthetic wore off a bit I did have bad pain in my back and shoulder due to the gas that was used to inflate my abdomen for the laparoscopic surgery. My stomach muscles were sore and breathing in the inhalation machine hurt my diaphragm. I knew I had to use the inhalation machine, but I quickly got to DETEST IT! You are required to suck air on that thing 10 times every 30 minutes in order to inflate your lungs and avoid complications like lung infection. I hated it… when I left Mexico, I left that blasted machine behind!
The day following the surgery, I was up walking and in the shower. The following day I had all tubes (drain and IV) removed and had my final leak test. ALL WAY PERFECT! I got a blessed drink of water and the most delicious popsicle I have ever had in my life! I was free to go to the hotel for the next couple days. Mom and I did some shopping and I felt great! I flew home on Friday, March 19th without any issues at all!
It has now been 2 weeks since my surgery and I am already down 18 lbs!
I couldn’t be happier! Absolutely no regrets!!
Oh and my mom... the picky one... she was completely satisifed with the procedure, the clinic and the care I was given!
