Hi,
@jerseygirl69
My name is Vanessa, 30 years old and I just had my DS a week ago.
My highest weight was 240lbs (I'm 5'1"). I've done every diet you can think of. I would excel...but then something would always happen to cause me to fall off the wagon...and my weight would creep back up and then some. Yo-yo dieting is utter hell on your body. Plus, I had genetics against me. My mom had a successful RNY (gastric bypass) nine years ago...and she looks great...but she's a slave to the gym. She has to be, because she loves carbs too much to give them up. I, myself, did not want to settle for the RNY and be a slave to the gym like my mom, or risk putting all the weight back on in the future. I knew I couldn't do this on my own anymore. I was fighting a losing battle and things were only getting worse. I had to take control of my life back because I was miserable.
About two years ago I made the decision. I knew I wanted WLS, but I didn't know what kind. I logged onto the WLS ProBoard about a year and a half ago. I don't know how it started, but I began reading about the DS. I had NEVER heard of it before. The statistics were fascinating: The highest percentage of people who had the DS, who lost the weight and it never came back. It was billed as "The Gold Standard of Weight Loss Surgery". I also read that you don't have to change your eating habits to drastically...your diet is basically a modified Paleo diet...all the steak, chicken, shrimp, beef, fish you can handle...and you can have cheese and eggs?! Plus high fat is encouraged?! I mean the DS diet sounded like a dream to me. So what's the cost? I can't eat bread left and right like I did before? No more embarrassing myself on dates because the minute the waiter puts the bread basket down, I devour it in 16 seconds? I was obsessed with carbs and sugar. I had no control over myself with those and obviously that was not helping my obesity situation. I refused then and there to have food retain that kind of obsessive power over me. So fine. I will gladly give up carbs and sugar, in favor of this new protein-rich lifestyle that I would be in control of.
The more I read off DSFacts.com, the more I was convinced this was the surgery for me. I also joined a FB group of people either entertaining the idea of having the DS, scheduled for the DS or have had the DS. I noticed something interesting. A lot of people on the page were introducing themselves as having had a "revision to the DS from a gastric sleeve" or the RNY or the lap band...again this solidified the DS for me in my mind. I decided that if I met all the qualifications for the DS, if a vetted surgeon thinks I'm a great candidate for the DS, then I'm going to do this. Because you know what? I refuse to have WLS twice. If I'm doing this, I want the best surgery for weight loss, with the best statistics and the highest success rate for little to no re-gain. It was a no- brainer for me.
Then I faced a year of insurance hurdles. My insurance did not cover the DS. By its standards, my lower BMI didn't qualify for it. That wasn't ok with me. I knew there had to be a way to fight this. And there was. Through the ProBoard...I put a post out into the oblivion...stating where I was from, what insurance I had and could anyone help me figure out how to fight for my DS. I was contacted almost immediately by two "DS Angels"...who, wanting no payment, other than the promise of me one day paying it forward for someone else in need of guidance, helped me take on an insurance giant. And we won! It was a long fight. But I didn't give up. I was stubborn and I knew what I wanted. I grew so much during the process, I was taught how to be my own health advocate and stand up for what I believe I deserved. That struggle alone made my DS that much more valuable to me.
Was it hard to get here? Yes. Do I have any regrets now that it's been a week after my surgery? None. Will I have to stick to the rule of 100+ grams of protein need to enter my body EVERYDAY? Absolutely. That's not negotiable. Neither is your life-long commitment to taking your supplements and tracking your blood labs. It's not a choice. You can't deviate from that. You have to do it.
Would I trade following those rules and my inevitable healthy BMI for being morbidly obese for the rest of my statistically-shortened life ( let's be honest here, my own genetics dictated it. No matter what I did on my own, I was never going to have the will-power to stay healthy)? Risk the chance of not being able to conceive, due to my obesity? To have to cycle though relationship after relationship because as heavy as I was, I would much rather stay in and sit on the couch, rest, watch TV and let the world pass me by...as the guys I dated became frustrated because I didn't hike or bike or take walks in the fresh air. I'd have to settle for someone that was ok with my sedentary lifestyle...find an enabler who enjoyed eating pizza as much as I did and didn't get bored of sitting around.
That's not a life I wanted. I want to be a mother more than anything in the world. I want to train for a half marathon. I want to travel to amazing foreign countries. I want to be happy. I want to be healthy. It's that simple.
The blood, sweat and tears it took to get here...I've wiped them away. I'm on the other side now. I will always have to work to stay healthy. But it will be a much fairer fight now. I'm thankful for my second chance at the life I always knew I deserved.
So that's my story. Whatever you choose to do, make sure it's a decision you can accept responsibility for. Do as much research as you can. You should feel 110% comfortable with the path you chose. Good luck to you!
