Tracy Before Gastric Sleeve

Tracy After Gastric Sleeve (On Right)

Tell us in your own words how your weight has affected your life:
I’ve always been what was considered ‘average size’. Not thin by any means but not unhealthy overweight either. I am 5’3 and I would fluctuate between 145-155 throughout young adulthood. I’ve always had to watch what I ate or I would easily creep up in the 170’s but I always got back down to a comfortable weight through diet and exercise. However, when I was 35 (2018) I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. I went through surgery, chemo and radiation over a 9 month period. During that time I was on multiple steroids and other hormone blocking medications. And honestly, I felt sorry for myself and eating and drinking unhealthy things made me feel better…as well as feeling like ‘what did it matter, I could very possibly die from this anyway”. Going into 2020 I was approximately 180lbs. I was back to work and feeling awful from treatments, weight gain, and continued medications. I struggled through that year and my oncologist stressed heavily that I get a hysterectomy, being that my breast cancer was hormone receptive and despite the hormone blocking medications I was on it wasn’t enough or as effective as having a hysterectomy. In December of 2020 I had a complete hysterectomy. A large majority of women who have a hysterectomy go on some type of hormone replacement therapy, I however could not do that seeing how the whole goal was to reduce/eliminate the amount of estrogen in my body. From December 2020 to December 2021 my weight increased nearly 20 lbs. My diet and exercise was not working! I tried everything! I was fasting for days at a time and would lose half a pound for the week. I felt so defeated and miserable, and thought ‘I can’t maintain this fasting regimen the rest of my life, but I can’t be happy at this weight either’. My mental health had began to take a hard hit. I did not want to go anywhere or socialize with anyone. I was rarely wearing anything but ‘comfy clothes’ and never wanted to leave my house. So in December 2021 at nearly 205lbs I had a gastric sleeve. Best. Decision. Ever. At the time I felt ashamed and didn’t tell many people that I was having surgery. When I would tell people they often replied “you’ve been through so much and you are still beautiful”. It made me feel like beating cancer was all they thought I could have or hope for. That I should just be happy I’m still alive and my weight is just a cosmetic complaint.

Tell us how surgery, balloon, or medication has helped you get control of your weight issues:
When I returned to work 9 days after surgery. I began to tell people why I was off. I knew I would begin losing weight and certainly didn’t want to mislead people and them think I was sick again.
Once I started losing it made things so much easier! I felt better physically and I felt more in control of my life. I didn’t feel trapped like I had for the few years prior to surgery. I wasn’t ‘starving’ all the time which made making healthy food choices much easier.

Tell us about the support you have received from the team at JourneyLite and how it has impacted your success:
Journeylite has supported me every step of the way! From my initial consult to now, nearly 4 years later. They have been available for questions, whether they were post operative questions, nutritional questions, financial questions, or anything in between. I felt completely comfortable and taken care of!

What’s one thing you can do now that you couldn’t before you lost the weight:
Honestly, everything is easier! I have so much more energy. I’m able to work full time and still go home and be the mother I want to be for my kids. I have more confidence and mentally I feel more in control and have a much more positive outlook on my life.