One Month

One month from today I will get the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) procedure done. One month. It's so soon, and so far away at the same time. Of course the story starts long before this point but one must always start somewhere. Let's go back in time....

I have struggled with weight my entire life. The only time I had significant lasting loss was 7 years ago. At the time I did The SouthBeach Diet all on my own and lost 80 lbs. Then I started dating someone (who I later married!), my Dad fell very ill with cancer and died quickly and in general - life just got in the way. I kept a decent amount of it off for a few years but really exploded after my wedding (2008). I had a baby in 2010 and while I didn't gain *any* weight while I was pregnant (what?!) I am now about 30 pounds heavier than I was when I got pregnant with her.

Caught up?

OK, so why now? Why surgery? Good questions. It boils down to the fact that there are a million reasons TO lose weight and really only one not to (a.k.a "it's hard..."). Knowing this and fulfilling a promise to my husband to establish with a Primary Care doctor,  I found out that my BP, which was an issue during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia), continues to creep up. In fact, it was in the 'treatable' range and she prescribed blood pressure meds. I also found out that my glucose is high and that I have Insulin Resistance. Grrrrreat. I am only 35 and I left her office with at least 4 prescriptions and I just finally said enough is enough.

So, why surgery?  Well, I believe (as does my Doctor and my Surgeon) that people who have been chronically overweight fight a different battle than people who recently put on weight. Both believe it's a "disease" and coupled with my newly diagnosed metabolic issues (insulin resistance) the fact is that losing weight on my own AND MAKING IT STICK (that's key) would be an uphill battle. The weight loss surgery will just be a tool to help me along the way - but the work still has to be done by me. It just makes it a little bit easier.

I think that's about the whole of it. In upcoming posts I'll talk about the process you have to go through to get approved, the procedure itself and ultimately I'll keep track of my post-surgical ups and downs. Hopefully more weight loss 'downs' and emotional 'ups' but truly I'm expecting a little bit of both.