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Even though I was hesitant to reveal the how, I did share my story on Instagram (never used my real name) and there are videos my YouTube Channel. I have some preop videos there and early post-op surgery videos as well.

A few answers…

What procedure did you have?
I had the vertical sleeve gastrectomy procedure. This is where they cut away a large portion of your stomach and you’re left with a stomach the size of a banana (your new sleeve). It’s called a minimal evasive surgery since it’s done laparoscopically. I had a total of five incisions.

How long was the surgery?
Surgery lasted about 90 minutes.

Was I scared?
YES!

Did I have family support?
At first no. Hubby was against me having surgery. We didn’t have all the facts and all you hear are the horror stories about people who died from the procedure. The actual numbers of people dying from this surgery and complications are very low. My children have been very supportive.

How Much Did It Cost?
Thankfully, our insurance covered a little more than 80% of the cost. There’s a woman on YouTube who said Medicaid paid for her surgery. As of this post, they only cover the gastric bypass (more evasive) and not the gastric sleeve.

What Was Recovery Like?
You know me, I did too much too fast! But I didn’t have any complications with my surgery. None. I don’t think I even took the prescribed pain meds. I was sore. It was difficult getting in and out of bed and turning over. I think by week two, all the soreness had gone away. I didn’t need a drain bag or anything. My surgeon is excellent.

Is Hair Loss an Issue?
Yep! I didn’t start the hair, nails and skin vitamins soon enough! Some people did take them and experienced hair loss. The good thing is that it grows back. So my natural hair is healing and being protected under neath “other people’s hair” right now.

What I Didn’t Know
I didn’t know my iron levels were borderline. So after surgery, I wasn’t eating as much and my iron levels dropped really low. Like so low they wanted me to go and have an infusion. I did not. Instead I took a high dosage of iron supplements and that did the trick.

If you have any other questions for me, feel free to inbox me on Facebook or leave a comment below.

#ThisWomanKnows

Follow my weight loss journey on Instagram and YouTube.

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