4 Year Surgiversary-WOW!

It's hard to believe that in less than a week it will be 4 years since I embarked upon an epic journey to change my life for the better.  I took it upon myself to seek out a surgeon to perform the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy on me to correct my obesity.  I was weighing in at a whopping 280 pounds that my 5' 6" frame just shouldn't be carrying around, and it showed.  And it also hurt--(emotionally and physically).  My joints were aching, my lungs and cardiovascular system were taxed every time I moved, there was little I could do physically that didn't make me tired or wear me out.  Just taking a walk around the block was tiring, and as a mother to 3 children (two of them small) that just didn't really work out so well.
So I scoured the internet for information once I had made up my mind to have the surgery.  I was on a mission.  I mean, ON A MISSION.  Nothing was going to stop me.  And since my insurance wouldn't pay for any of it, I had to find a company that would finance me as well.
I came across a surgeon's name in Piedras Negras, Mexico who was very well known who had written a book, had a fabulous website that showed the entire process start to finish, where you would stay, even YouTube videos of the drive from the hotel to the hospital, even a liason whom you could call with any questions about anything regarding the entire procedure.  I knew I had found my match.
So I booked my flight, and was on my weigh (way) lol.
I paid about a third of what it would have cost me if I had had the surgery performed here in the states, and turns out, Dr. Guillermo Alvarez is now extremely well known in the world of gastric surgeries and is the first to ever perform on a young person.  He has been in Newsweek magazine and has now written two books, so if you have any questions about this procedure, you can find information very easily here...Dr. Alvarez Book.
Anyway, I am maintaining a 150 or so pound weight loss and hover between 125 pounds and 135 pounds with very little effort--so the surgery works.  I will post pictures.
Me Before:

My son and I Christmas Eve 2010-one month before surgery.

Me After:

My husband and I getting ready to go out with friends about 3 1/2 years after surgery 

My hope is that this blog helps if even only one person to make a decision that helps them better their situation; whether it be to have the surgery or not.  I chose the Vertical Sleeve because I suffered from anemia in the past, and couldn't go with the traditional Gastric Bypass since they re-route your intestines which makes it so that you don't absorb your vitamins and minerals well--I couldn't have that happening.  With the sleeve, there is no re-routing of anything, everything works just like in a normal person's body, they just make your stomach smaller and remove the stretchiest part of your stomach (the very upper part called the fundus) which is exactly what they leave behind and use to make your 'pouch' out of with the traditional Gastric Bypass surgery.  No wonder you see so many of the people choosing that option gain back some/all of their weight.  

Anyway, I only know that this route was right for me and if you have any questions, Dr. Alvarez' books would be a great place to start.  You can get them on Amazon.

Thank you for reading my blog!

Lisa