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5 years has gone by since  My dear hubby and I drove to Michigan and met the AMAZING Dr. Mark Pleatman.  He is the best!!!  My surgery went very well, and after a week staying in a hotel suite near Dr. Pleatman's office, I returned to his office and got the clearance to go home to Tennessee to complete my surgical recovery and begin my new life as a healthy, active, and normal weight individual.  I have followed up with Dr Pleatman by emails, and have needed no further post op visits except for yearly lab work with my regular doctor here in Tennessee.

 My weight today at 5 years post VSG is 137lb. and aside from normal aging, I am healthy and have no physical problems.  My blood pressure, although it was very difficult to control even with medication, is completely normal now, and no meds needed.  Snoring and sleep apnea was a problem for me prior to my VSG 5 years ago, but I have had absolutely no problem with this since just a few weeks following my sleeve surgery.   I no longer have trouble with my knees like I did before my weight loss, or the general body aches that plagued me when I weighed over 200 lb. 

I am so thankful for my Dr. Pleatman and my VSG!!!!!

Since I don't find much time to get on OH anymore,  just posting a brief update. 

I have been weighing about 123 consistently until about a month ago.  Then I had a change in my lifestyle, (changed jobs)  and have been eating more for some reason.  Now I weigh 127 which is my goal weight, but would like to stay below goal, so will start journaling my food and keeping tabs on things so that I can drop a couple pounds.

Feeling good, and not having any health issues.  No problems with my pre sleeve issues (sleep apnea, snoring, joint aches or hypertension.)  Still doing lots of stair climbing, and loving it.  Only one cup of coffee per day as I take it with sugar and creamer.  That is the bulk of my sugar intake on most days.  Don't care much for desserts or sweets in general any more. 

Last lab work was in June, and everything was looking great, cholesterol even in good range.  (miracle in itself)

So, so thankful for my sleeve, and my new life.  I don't want to start taking it for granted.  Of course the down side (and there has to be one) is that I cannot get health insurance since I have had a sleeve.  The government site for pre existing condition policy is available to me for 400 plus dollars per month.  Of course I cannot afford that, so it is a good thing I am so healthy now.  My main objection to this type of policy though, is in the questionnaire, it asks, "do you have a pre existing medical condition?"  I feel that the truthful answer to that question is: NO.  thanks to my VSG I am now healthy without any medical conditions.  It's a catch 22.

The best I can do is a serious illness policy, and an accident policy.  That is all I have, aside from my home owners and car insurance, of course.  Oh well, I wouldn't trade it.

Love and luck to all who travel this path;  and to all who contemplate going this route,  I must say that if you have a great surgeon like I did, and have medical issues like I used to, it is a miraculous, life changing, epic regeneration.

 

Have lost 6 lbs since reaching goal, but have bounced around up 3 lb, then down 2 and then up 1, and so on and so on.
That is the same thing I did just before my weight dropped the last few lb to my goal wt also. 
My restriction is good, and I feel better than ever.  Skin is getting less droopy, and no so much turkey neck now.
I do need face lift, but that is more to do with age than wt loss.
It will be a year since my DH died next month,  also my 60th birthday is next month.  Both days traumatic.  Not sure which one will be worse.  I expect it will all run together, since they are just 10 days apart. 
Trying to learn to take some pictures that will upload to the site.  All of mine have been too large a file to upload so far.  Have been unsuccessful.
Trying to look forward and keep moving ahead.  Depression has me by the arm and is tugging hard..
Thankful for my sleeve.
Carol

Have been maintaining 127 lb for the past week.  Eating approx 1500 calories per day.  Doing minimal exercise.  Walking outside since the weather has been terrific this week.  Surgiversary coming up on Wednesday.  Tough to think about the trip we took to Michigan a year ago.  My husband was with me..... We were happy.  Anticipating positive changes with the weight loss coming up.  He was so kind, so supportive.  He was a very good man.  Why do the good die young?  62 is too young to die.  We had plans for a retirement together.  Doing things that we had not had time to do before retirement. I miss him.   I feel like something major is missing from this accomplishment..... like the major reason that I wanted to accomplish it at all.
Part of it was for me, but mostly it was for the love of my life, and our future together.

Trying to do my taxes early this year.  I hope to do them early every year, but this year I am actually working on it, so I'll stop now and go back to work on them. 

I actually reached the first goal that I set for my weight loss in September 2010, and after reaching this goal, realized that I would really like to weigh a little bit less.  I reset my goal for 135, then reached that one in November.  I have now reset my goal for 127, and have resolved that I will not change it again.  If I continue to lose after I reach 127, I will just be "below goal weight" that will be super nice also.  I don't know that I have ever been below goal weight since I was 18 years old, over 40 years ago.
I can eat pretty much what I want to, but try to eat a balance of protein and vegetables.  I do have a little bit of a sweet tooth, and seem to always have to eat a piece of hard candy or two most every day.  Fortunately, I have always preferred regular food, such as entrees, vegetables, and salads to desserts.   Especially when I am out to eat at a restaurant.  I can't eat much, and so am never tempted to get desserts. 
I am in my 12th month since VSG, and weigh 129 as of the day before yesterday.  I plan to lose the last 2 lb between now and
Feb 23.  My 1 year surgiversary.  I have been working on trying to establish a good "Maintainence routine"  but of course since I have reset my weight goal again, I will need to go back on weight loss mode again to get to goal by my 1 year date.   That means increase the exercise.  I have really been slacking on that.  
Missing my husband, who died suddenly this summer.  He was so very supportive, and helpful once he knew this was something that I wanted to do.  He was not very verbal about my weight, but he knew that it bothered me, and was supportive of whatever I tried to do to get control of it.   I wish he was here to see my success.  He had been very proud of the progress that I was making.  He had said that I was looking good. 
Still lovin my sleeve.