Pro's and Con's of WLS.. (VSG specified) for me..

Just the personal Pro's and Con's that I've faced.. (Honest ones.. and kind of funny ones which some people may find stupid, offensive or have a problem with.. sorry if you do.)

Pro's

• I'm never hungry. Hardly ever. Unless I pull an all nighter and don't eat for over 12 hours.. which has happened a couple times.
• I can't eat more than 8oz at a time.. and I rarely have a desire to.
• It's much more permanent than just medicating myself.. That is the only way I have ever lost (and kept off) weight before.. Was the 4-5 months before I went for a surgery consult, and was on a high dose of metformin and had just started aldactone for the first time.. No amount of just plain diet and exercise has ever done it for me.
• It's a cool story to tell... sometimes... to the right person...
• VSG is much less common and less known.. so if People question what surgery i had, and i don't really want them questioning weight loss surgery on a minor, i can say a "Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy" and they'll most likely have no clue what it is..
• I enjoy that i get to call my sleeve chewbacca. it's funny. its easier to laugh about something serious, for me. whenever it bugs me or acts up or i get frustrated.. i just scream "F you Chewbacca" and people look at me like I'm bordering insanity... It's extremely amusing... and I laugh.. and forget my frustrations.
• (this goes along with the lack of hunger..) There have been two ties since surgery i didn't have time to eat.. and literally didn't eat all day.. I didn't have the time or money to stop and get food.. I just dealt with it... and aside from my blood sugar getting messed up later on... i never got hungry... I'm not supposed to go long without eating. or skip meals. i usually don't. but on the few occasions I've gotten caught up and what not... it was nice not having my stomach roaring at me.
• I get to participate in research to help see long term affects of it on children/adolescents... for the vsg... there isn't much out there. it's cool to be a part of something like that. to feel like i might be helping future generations or something.
• I haven't had any food intolerance's. I assume with the lap band or bypass i probably would have more issues.. never experienced it, so I'm not 100% sure... but i just know I'm happy i haven't had any issues.
• No mal absorption.. my vitamin levels are perfect.. (even my b1... which in 100% honestly: I only took once. one tablet, the day after i got home from the hospital... it made me gag and want to throw up.. i didn't.. but i was nauseous for awhile.. i think the smell/taste more so than anything... but it was perfect. and i only took it once, so, ya know.... yeah)
• I'm able to Jog now... 7 1/2 months out... and play soccer.. and basketball.. for half an hour straight.. i haven't been able to do any activity like that since i was 12 or 13... which is honestly amazing.. and i love it.
• I don't mind having scars honestly... I know that's messed up... But I have a good collection.. and i think they tell a story. stupid things like that make people unique.. so i have 4-5 tiny scars on my abdomen that just show how serious my health got.. and i started to take it seriously.. and i can now honestly say i have done just about everything i can to get it under control...
• i feel like a much stronger person having gone through all of this...
• I've certainly found out who my real friends are.. (and real family, for that matter..)
• I'm now able to wear a ring on my ring finger, that would only fit my pinkie before.
• i can shop in the juniors section at like walmart and stuff.. (still 1x-2x... the largest it goes in that section.. but i can. which is a huge accomplishment.. i haven't done that since i was 12 or 13, either.)
• I get to tell a story not many people get to tell. I get to blog about my journey through all of this and hopefully help other people.. I can honestly say I've tried everything.. and out of everything I've tried. *this* *this* and *this* is what I've found is the best, etc... not even necessarily surgery related.. but people can see I've gone to that extreme and I'm serious about getting healthier..
• which brings up the next one... my entire family always thought i was just a lazy ass who ate to much... not my immediate family.. mostly my dads side of the family.. the fact that doctors sent referrals and performed this surgery on me i think got them to realize it is a real sickness.. it's not just a kid that eats too much...
• Through having surgery, I got diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, and Sleep Apnea... and found out part of my heart was enlarged.. if i never got motivated to get a referral and see more doctors.. i probably wouldn't have found all of that out as quickly as i did, to do what i can to get it all under controll.
• It's helped me feel like if i can control this, and get through it all.. i can do anything.
• I think my parents trust me more.. Ever since I brought this up.. And I've been complying with everything.. listening to the doctors.. and even blogging about it all (which they're both happy about..) Ive stepped up to the plate... I've grown up a lot the past year or so... My mom doesn't try to control my health stuff like she did when i was younger and I'm really happy about that.
• Its a good motivation.. like i said before.. wls was a last resort.... knowing that, I'm way beyond determined to make this work... There isn't a word to describe how determined I am..
• It helped get my life back in order.. I got a GED, started getting involved in more things, got off my anti depressants, went out more, i see the few friends i have more, go to more concerts, and do more things i enjoy.. and it all started in April 2011 when i had my consult with the bariatric center.. and they accepted me into their program. things had been going bad for so long, it was a positive thing.. and it still is. the acceptance alone changed my life.. the surgery in itself is a whole different story.
• I've met some awesome friends through it.
• I started this blog because of the WLS, but through that I've gotten to help other people with metabolic issues that I've dealt with my entire life... the wls is great but the real passion i have is behind the disease that i struggled my whole life with.. and still do. surgery or no surgery. surgery is just what got this blog started up.

Con's

• Like i mentioned in the pro's section, the VSG is a hard to explain to people.. i mean once you do they understand.. but no one knows what it is.. so you actually have to go into detail to explain it.
• The people who don't accept it, dislike it, are jealous, or otherwise have a problem with me having wls.. have been a pain in the ass.
• I'm 16. I had the surgery 3 days before i turned 16. Obviously there are risks with that.. and well, not many doctors deal with it.. so for whatever reason if i ever lose the doctors I'm going to, move, etc... it'll be hard to find someone to help me out.
• as said above, I'm 16... its harder to explain to people.. and my parents get shit for letting me... even though it was my idea and ultimately my decision..
• the VSG didn't fix my metabolic stuff.. sometimes I wonder if a bypass, or DS (which the surgeon i go to doesn't do..) would have been better... Or if I'll ever need a revision to see if it'll help.. but without that, I'm still going to be drugged up forever..
• the weight loss seems to be slower for me personally, because of all the metabolic stuff (and tons of med changes)
• Chewbacca is great.. I love him/her/it. but it is kinda hard when your out with friends and they don't even really know how much I'm able to eat... if I've explained it to them, they still have no idea how much 8oz really is... and if chewbacca acts up... its hard to kind of hide.
• Sometimes I wonder if I could have done it without the surgery... But i tried my entire lief and nothing changed... so I know I made the right decision. a permanent decision.

Pros totally outweigh the cons, i believe.. I may add more to this list later, if i think of others.. which I probably will.. haha.

Weight loss has been really slow.. lots of med changes.. but this has still been the best thing I've ever done for myself... I'm ridiculously grateful to be able to take advantage of this.

<3
have a great day.
-Ashley
www.twitter.com/ashleyohara_ (don't forget the underscore..)
www.facebook.com/justashley1637
ashleyellen1637@aol.com
(:

Fear of needles?

Personally, I don't have one.. I have absolutely no problem with needles.. I've grown up being stuck to test my blood sugar 3 times a day since i was 7 years old, and I have multiple piercings (currently I only have my nose, and 4 on each ear.. but total, i've had 7 on each ear, my nose,my bellybutton, and my lip.. 3 of which i did myself..) and a tattoo on my wrist... and i willingly get a b12 shot once a month, instead of a daily vitamin..

But I know a lot of people who do.. My little brother has to take a growth hormogne injection every day, because he has growth hormogne defiency.. and he still is terrified of them, even though he's taken them majority of his life.

And my best friend passed out getting her nose pierced.. she's terrified of doctors.. not sure how she managed to build up the nerve to even walk into the piercing place.. haha.

But anyways.. Basically with surgery, or metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, whatever... even just getting tested for it, a lot of blood is drawn, and what not.. so this is basically what happens, to ease the nerves of some people:

Getting blood drawn:
(keep in mind some nurses who draw the blood do these steps slightly out of order..)

*They'll put a rubber thing around your arm.. if you know you're going to have blood drawn, wear a shirt with sleeves thatcan berolled up, so they can put it over that.. otherwise it pinches your skin alittle bit.. if not, it's not that bad.. its bareable.. and definatley will distract you from the needle..

*they'll put gloves on, and wipe off the area with a rubbing alcohol pad... then pat it dry with gauze. they'll feel around for a good vain to use, too.

*they'll pull the needle/tubing out, and take a capoff.. they'll pull out a few tubes too, that the blood goes in...

*then they'll either count, or they'll just do it... they may ask you.. but they'll push it in.. and just leave it there... switching tubes out of the plasticthing that is hooked onto the needle.. (i don't know the terminology... sorry.. haha.)

*when it's done.they'll stop, they'll take gauze, press down, pull the needle, out, and put a bandage over it...  and you're done.


Getting an IV:

*they'll put on rubber gloves, clean off your arm/hand/wherevertheivisgoing with a rubbing alcohol pad.. pat it dry with gauze, or let it air dry... they'll take the needle that is attached to tubing (usually... and the needle is usually a bitthinner than the one you get blood drawn with.) and takethe cap off.

*they'll feel around for a good vain t ouse,lightly pressing on your skin.. (although i'm not entirely sure why.. i can't imagine it helps much.. theres no way it's easy to feel any vains... unless you can see them like on your wrist.. in my experience, anyway.. haha.)

*they'll push it in carefully,  and tape it down.. you honestly don't feel it unless you bang it against something orpresss on it.. unless it's in a really awkward spot where if you bend your elbow or wrist you mayfeel it a little.. but that's only happened to me a few times.

Taking blood sugar:

*This is something you do yourself, typically... but this is basically what you do:

*put a clean lancet in the thing that you stick yourself with.. test it to makesure its in properly..

*put a test strip in the meter.

*wash your hands.. some people wipe off their fingers with rubbing alcohol... i don't.

*press the tip of it to your finger(or arm or wherever you do it..) and don't press hard against it, don't ahve it too far away.. just keep it resting on your skin.. if onyour finger, like i do, have it towards the tip, on the side of the finger..

*hit the button. it'll prick you really quickly.. and thats it. pull it away and blood should be on your finger.. you only need a little dot.

*press the test strip to the dot of blood.. wait for it to fill up.. and in a few seconds the number will appear on the screen.


no big deal. (:

-------------------------------

Keep in mind no one is perfect.. if someone is drawing blood or putting an iv in, don't be surprized if they can't hit a vain the first time.. they may have to move it while it's in your arm, or try again. You want to try and do what they do? good luck!

Tips for getting through it:

*personally, it helps me if i watch... but i've been told that is borderline insanity.. peopel are surprized when i say that.. that holds true for not only blood drawing, iv's, etc.. but tattoos and piercings too.. haha.  but... anyways..

*don't look. hold a conversatoin with someone, orlook at some small detail of something...

*don't hold your braethe either... remember to breathe.

*hold someones hand if you're really feeling anxious. squeeze if you need too.

*try and stay relaxed..they're not out to get you. remember why you're having it done and why it's important.


And if youra parent with a child going through this? If they want to look.. let them look. I have seen two other kids before who wanted to look, and the nurses didn't let them, or their parents didn't let them, and the kids spazzed out.... i was in the room with one of them.. i eventually just blurted out "let the girl look" and everything was perfectly fine..  and the girl (and mom.. and nurse..) thanked me for that, later.. --- but if your child isn't bordering crazy liek me? (; haha. i hate to say bribe... but it works... say they can get a cool sticker afterwards, or if they're a big girl or boy and let the nurse do what she needs to do (draw blood, iv, etc...) that they'll get to watch a movie with you when theyg et home... or oposite: say big girls and boys have t oget this done sometimes.. tell them if they're mature about it then it'll make them a big girl/boy.. (all of this depends on the age ofthe chidl, obviously..)


Hope this helps. (: have a great day/night.

-ashley.

P.S. sorry for any spelling/grammar errors.. it is 2:35am as i'm finishing this up now.. I can't sleep. I'm heading to the hospital tomorrow morning (or today i guess.) for a 6month follow up from my VSG and i have to get up at 6am anyways... so i'm not asleep now.. what's the point in sleeping? lol. alright. bye(:

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