Introduction

[brandyr]

Hi, I'm new to the forum. My name is Brandy and I am 42 years old. I have seen my doctor and had most of my pre-surgical testing, but my surgery date is still pending. Insurance is so much fun! They approved the surgery, but changed the hospital which is a problem since the doc doesn't work at that hospital! It's in progress of being fixed, so it looks like I should be scheduling for April 18 or 19.
I'm right at 220lbs and I'm 5'3" tall. I've been called a beachball with arms and legs among other things, and I've had high cholesterol since I was a skinny teenager. But then my blood pressure became high too, and I became scared for my health. I have 3 kids (youngest is 6) and I want to be around and healthy for them!

I have done so many exercise plans along with the atkins diet, weight watchers, nutrisystem, hcg diet, doctor supervised diet, and even had lipsuction all over after losing a ton of weight. The biggest loss was 82 lbs, but as soon as I stopped taking the Phentermine it came back again...plus some. I realized that I needed a more permanent solution and started researching surgical options. It appears that the sleeve is the best option for me.

My biggest fear is that I am missing some kind of important information and that this will be a horrible mistake for me. I've been reading some of the posts made in the last few days and I know I am not alone in being afraid. I don't have much of a support system...I'm divorced, my father died years ago, and my mother is extremely unhealthy (another reason for me to stop this weight problem now!). I am looking forward to reading more in the forums and hopefully making some new friends along this scary journey

[missbybee]

You're making the right decision! I had my surgery in June 2015. I'm nine months out and went from 203 to 120. I'm 5'5". I also took phentermine, which was wonderful (as long as you didn't go off of it). However, it killed my metabolism. I had a hard time the first couple months after surgery, it's really a mental game. I didn't have complications, it was the food restriction that played with my mind. But now it's not a problem and I'm happy. I can honestly say it's been one of the best decisions of my life. You won't regret it! Good Luck!

[RehabNurse]

Hi, there...I'm a few miles west of you in Fort Worth.

Our stats were similar. I was 218 pounds and 5'1" on the day I was sleeved in April 2015. I'm very close to my goal weight of 130 pounds and my only regret is not having had weight loss surgery sooner in life. Prior to the sleeve, yo-yo dieting was the story of my life.

Cheers to a healthier life!

[kleb42]

Welcome!! Im 43 and this has been the best thing Ive ever done for myself. If you have Instagram, my name on there is kleb42_vsg, this forum is amazing, but Instagram is also a great support system! You will do great!