Harriet S.
Where to begin? I'm a 57-year-old woman, who two years ago took early retirement from a very demanding and stressful job. I was a court reporter in the Superior Court in Massachusetts, working 70+ hours a week; always feeling that I was on a treadmill with someone else controlling the speed. After having to have major hand surgery in Oct of 2002, not just the usual carpel tunnel problem. With great pressure from my already retired (early) husband I made the decision, retired and moved to sunny AZ. A great place to retire to, eventhough my entire family lives on the east coast, from Maine to Virginia.
My weight gain began with the birth of my first child. Try as I might getting back to pre-pregnancy weight just didn't happen no matter what I tried and with each additional child the weight just got higher. Three children later I was over 200 pounds. Like most I tried every diet know, including FenPhen which caused an overnight stay in intensive care with a constricted artery. That was quite a scare. After that scare dieting didn't enter my mind for many years.
After my retirement in 2004 and our move to AZ, I started another diet and lost 20 pounds only to gain back 25, getting up to 275. The winter of 2005 I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and began medication. In the winter of 2006 I was diagnosed with high cholesterol and began medication which caused muscle weakness, an experience I don't wish on anyone. I was switched to Zetia (SP) which works through the digestive system, another 6 wk adjustment with constant bowel problems and enough gas to power my car. Six months after that my PCP told me I was well on the way to being diabetic. I think it was my H1C or something like that, was 6.0, the high for a non-diabetic is 5.8. Anyway, this didn't come as a surprise to me as there is a family history of diabeties, including my youngest brother. I had gestational diabetes with all my pregnancies, not to mention all my babies weighed over 9 pounds, two coming in over 10.
The crowning blow was a conversation this past May with my dearest friend who lives in NJ. She had gone to visit one of her daughters in Massachusetts and bumped into a mutual friend of ours at a restaurant. This friend was in a motorized cart. She needs her knees replaced but because of her excess weight (she's a little over six feet tall and has to weigh close to 450 lbs) her surgeon cannot preform the surgery. I realized this could be me in a few years if I didn't do something about my weight. (My mother has had both knees and both hips replaced and she has always been a "normal" weight woman.)
In June, my husband and I went to a seminar, thinking I would get a lap band. RNY was something that scared me to death because you don't know if you'll be one of the ones who has a life-long problem with B-12 and iron deficiencies. To make a long story short, I learned about the VSG and decided that was for me. I should say I thought it, my husband said it to me right after the presentation, a surprise to me, knowing that we would have to be self-pay. BCBS Fed Plan considers it experimental at this time.
I'm now 7 weeks post-op and down 43 pounds. I have had some struggles, the head stuff is quite a battle, but I'm winning. I did vomit for the first time two days ago. Ate my first veggie, one green bean and my new tummy just didn't like it. The salmon stayed down but that green bean sure didn't. I'll give veggies another try in another week, maybe I'll try broccoli, my favorite. Sure hope my new tummy likes it.
Harriet, VSG, Dr. Chaisson, 9/20/06, 43 down, 93 to go.
