6 months with my sleeve-from a band revision
Six month sleeve musings!
I started this journey 5 years ago in May of 2008 at my highest recorded weight of 279! I was wearing size 26/28 pants with drawstrings and 3X tops and needed 4X. I wouldn’t go to my doctor for fear of what I would weigh and would stop eating for two weeks before hand when I couldn’t avoid it. This included the visit to talk to my PCP for the second time about WLS. The first time I asked to talk about it she wouldn’t even talk.
My surgery weight from pre-op testing was 257 but I GAINED 4 pounds on the liquid diet. I was down to 199 for a day, literally, when my bother passed. My real low with the band was ~205. My goal with the center was 215 which I made. My weight one year out was 228. I went up to 260 for my two year checkup. From eight months out, I started having problems that weren’t addressed until my one year checkup. At the two year checkup my PCP wanted the band out because of the medical problems. I found out my only option was RNY (insurance wouldn’t cover the sleeve yet.) I fought to keep the band as I didn’t want to go back to having no tool. By three and a half years, the problems were so bad I just needed the band out. It came out 9/4/11.
My insurance was changing to a once in a lifetime WLS policy as I was revising and they said I couldn’t get another. Once the band was out and with all the documentation from the medical problem and the proof from the surgical notes and photos, I could show medical need and compliance. I could also show direct data that my Wight could be affected with a tool when not having medical problems.
I was sleeved 1/22/13 at 232 pre-op testing/233 first day of liquid diet. Day of surgery I was 220, I lost on the liquid diet this time after a 25 pound regain after being unbanded, cruising for 3 weeks with free alcohol every day and coming home to the holidays. My only real goal for this surgery was to get below 200 and staying there for good. I made this goal and stayed at 5 weeks. I reset my goal at this time to a BMI of 25. I never dreamed I would do this as my goal had been set at 195 ever since I started this journey. Coming into this surgery I told my sleeved daughter I just want to be a 16 so if I regained two year out I would end up a size 18. Then I set a goal to weigh less than the DH. Took some work as he went from 193 to 186 while I was trying. I made this goal, which put me at the weight I was when I was in 7th grade and when I had my daughter 35 years ago, (other than a short period when I went thru a divorce.) Talk about an event that caused tears.
Now at 6 months out with my sleeve, I have lost 100 pounds as of today. I weigh about 30 pounds less than I did with the band. I am off all meds. I am wearing size 14 and medium tops. I can do more and am so happy that I was able to have this chance to have a painless WLS that WORKS like it is supposed to. I now have a tool that I hope will help me live a healthier life. The reason I started this journey in the first place.
BAND REMOVED 9-4-12-fought insurance to get sleeve and won! Sleeved 1/22/13! Five years out and trying to get that last 15 pounds back off.
