- Name: MICKAYLA COALWELL
- Age: 17
- Surgery: Gastric Sleeve
- Surgery date: October 17th, 2016
- Testimonial date: December 6th, 2016
- Surgeon: Dr. Marcelo Hernandez
I am a 17-year-old Girl, so making such a life changing decision at this age was very scary to me. I knew what I was agreeing to when signed up to have the surgery in October. Because my mom had done it a year before me and had lost 90 pounds. And she loves every minute of it. And ever since the day she came back and I was seeing the changes in her I wanted to do it. So, for a year I thought about doing this surgery. My family is big, and I got my mom s jeans. All my brothers and sister got my dad s jeans which is skinny. I have been depressed from my weight for as long as I can remember. And the worst part about it was knowing that I was going to get bigger and bigger as time goes on. So, when my mom became skinny like the rest of my siblings and dad I was the big one in the house. I became even more depressed, and hated myself more, and more every day. It was my Junior year of High School and I had a weights class, and we would run about 2 miles a day and lift weights. And I do a weights class to stay in shape and lose weight. But it was not working. So, when summer came, I weighed myself so I could calculate how much I could lose in a summer from doing swim team. And I weighed 213 pounds at 17 years old. (And this was in June,2016) That was the most I had ever weighed. It killed me to know how big I was, and much I had gained over the winter even though I had been exercising all winter. Going into the summer knowing I weighed that much, made me work really hard to lose my weight that summer. When the end of summer came, I had lost about 15-25 pounds. Witch is not bad but I needed to lose more than that. I was hoping I would have lost more. So, I started back at school in August, it was my Senior year of High School. I was back to being depressed, knowing every day I was gaining weight. But I knew that I wanted to have the surgery done so bad. People, including family members found out I wanted to do this surgery and told me that it was a bad idea. Because I was too young, and that I was not as big as I thought I was. But in my eyes I was huge. So, in September 2016, it was a Sunday. It was another bad day, I don't really know what happened, but I was supper down in the dumps and my mom asked me if this is what I really wanted to do. Do I really want to have the Gastric Sleeve surgery? and I said yes. This is really what I want, I have been thinking about this every day for the past year and I want to do it. I have the money to pay for it on my own, because of working as a lifeguard for 3 summers in a row. and 35,000 dollars to me felt it would be better spent on the surgery rather than anything else that I could think of. So, we scheduled my surgery for 3 weeks later, In October. I went over with my aunt and uncle who also got the surgery. I was super worried what people would think about a 17-year-old girl having such a major surgery like this, and I felt I was like the only young person having this surgery. but turns out the doctors and nurses told me they do young people like me all the time.
I weighted 190-197lbs before post op diet. 3 Days later, the day I had surgery I weighed 180 pounds, (that is from being on a strict liquid diet for 3 days before the surgery)I was super surprised I had lost 10 pounds. But I was also starving those few days. After getting home from surgery, every day and week I started losing more and more weight. I could see the changes. I was getting happier every day. Today is December 5th, 2016, it marks 8 Weeks since surgery and I weigh 163 pounds. I don't even remember the last time I weighted this much. I am so happy. But what I am most happiest about is that from June to December I have lost a total of 50 pounds. and from the time of my surgery I have lost almost 30 pounds now. And looking back to those pictures from 7 months ago, and seeing how much I weighed, makes me want to cry. But I know that I will never see those numbers on a scale again, and I m super existed to see what the future holds.
I still get flack back about being a young girl having this surgery. But what I tell them is I was so unhappy for so long about my weight, and regardless of my age, I was going to have the surgery one way or another. I have not regretted it yet. And every day I lose a little more weight and see a little more change in me. And every day I fit in close I haven t been able to fit into, for a long time.
So, what I want to tell a young person who is I my shoes right now trying to figure out what to do. I would say, think about it really hard, make sure this is what you want. Because it is definitely a big decision. Do what is going to make you happy, and know that it will it will make you a happier and healthier you. I am now finishing out the rest of my Senior year as a whole new person, and I am loving every minute of it. Especially being able to feel the feeling for the first time in my life of being small, and I feel smaller around others, instead of feeling like the biggest teen girl in my school.
