SeanLB

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Didn’t even realize it has been three years until I got my anniversary e-mail from www.Obesity.com

What a great three years it has been! Still can’t believe I’ve lost all the weight, went from over 350 lbs to 233 right now. Most the weight loss was in the first year, I’ve had no problem being stable and have been able to live a totally normal life, and the only impact is smaller meals and the occasional reminder of feeling overfull with discomfort when I forget. But it is that discomfort that reminds you and keeps you on track. It has been a great journey and I’m still on it. After two years I ended with a weight of 235 lbs and a BMI of around 40%. I wasn’t at my goal of 210 but had been happy with where I was. I had started drinking again about 6 months after my surgery, one of the things the doctor told me I would have to give up but didn’t want to long term and was glad to see I could partake again. Interesting thing, drinking after the surgery is a much different effect I don’t know how to describe it but it is not the same I had been a social drinker for 20 years and always enjoyed it. After the surgery it took on a different mean, the consumption was a lot higher to get a buzz and the effect was different. It has now been six months, I gave it up to refocus on health again, that was six month ago today. When I gave it up, I committed to going to the gym with a trainer every morning, I’m now up to 1 ½ hours a day first thing in the morning in the gym, and it is the best part of my day. My weight is still 233 but my BMI is down to 27% and dropping fast. I am an entirely different person physically and truly enjoying where I am going... All in all the decision to have the Sleeve surgery was scary, but just as the laser eye surgery I had, it has proven to be one of the best decisions I have ever done for myself….

Surgery Completed I had my surgery yesterday, the final days leading up to the surgery had me going through many feelings that I really didn't think would come up. There is the normal anxiety and want to just get it over, but then I realized this is a major surgery with a potential (very small) of something very bad happening, it had me scrambling at the last minute to make sure all life business was in order in case something did happen so the family would be protected. After all that was taken care of it was just time to go and get it done. I was lucky to have my wife by my side the whole day as it all started by going to the hospital at 5AM, by 5:15 they had me in a prep room gowned up going over all the good old medical records and getting fully singed in. Got the IV in and got to spend some time with the wife before they moved me into the pre-stage room for surgery. When they moved me into the Pre-stage room, they again reviewed what would happen in the procedure, My Doctor Dr. Ki H O came by to check everything he's not much of a talker but he is one of the best Bariatric surgeons around based on feedback and results. I'd rather have a thinker then a talker do the surgery. Then the Assisting Surgeon Dr. Thomas Hirair came by to run through the surgery much more of a talker and explained what I would be going through.. The two doctors make a great team from this patients perspective. finally the anesthesiologist Dr. Dan came by and reviewed what my allergies are assuring me I'd be out pretty quick once I got in the surgical room. Great doctor very comforting in letting me know this "wasn't his first rodeo and I'd be just fine" Always good to be reassured.... And of course all the nurses at St. Francis medical center in Federal Way WA were also awesome.... by 7:15 they were pushing me in the surgical room, it was pretty interesting very high tech from anything I had seen before, they wheeled me in and had me move onto the surgical table, I could see the table holding all the tools they were going to use, wish I could have got a picture because there were some wild looking things. Once I was settled on the table Dr. Dan appeared and said he was going to give me something to relax... In less than 3 seconds I was "OUT, GONE, GOODBY" All I remember... The next thing that I remember was slowly waking up at 10:08 seeing a clock on the wall with a nurse saying my name saying "you need to wake up and focus on your breathing, they next 30 or 50 minutes were just that where I was dozing in and out being told to come to and focus on my breathing... Being a CPAP guy, my oxygen levels drop quickly if I am not awake or on my CPAP.. Once I was steady and breathing on my own well, they transferred me to the recovery room where I spend the rest of the day and night with my family around me the most all day. I was shocked to not have had much pain at all, I have seven holes in my stomach that cause great pain in certain positions but other than that I don't feel any pain inside of me which is a great surprise.  I was very focused to make sure I did everything I had read about before surgery day, to make sure as soon as they asked me to get out of bed I did and walked every two house during the hospital stay, drank my 80 ounces of liquids via one ounce cups at three sips each. I spent most of the time dosing in and out of sleep and was ready to go home by 10AM Friday (Today), got home and have felt really good, taking it easy and continuing to stay focused on the breathing and drinking the 80 oz's three small sips at a time out of 1 oz cups....  That has been my experience so fare... I am so very thankful for the support of my wife and kids... They have been awesome....

I have made it through 10 days of liquids, not nearly as bad as I thought it would have been but definitely hard at times… Nothing like those work meetings when everyone is eating pizza or something and you’re just trying to stay focused on something to not think about it… I only have four days of liquids Pre-Op to go... Surgery is on the 17^th, excited and scared at the same time… Not easy to forget that this is major surgery and there are possible complications... Just have to stay focused on the complications of being morbidly obese (that always sounds strange to admit) are fare worse than the risks of surgery. I have completed all of my pre surgery tests and have been cleard for surgery. One of the best parts of this so fare besides already losing 29 Lbs is that I have had just about every test possible for my health... 4 more days to go!

It is day four of the liquids.... Actually hasn't been all that bad. I am really surprised that I am not hungry. The trick seems to make sure you are hitting your meals with the protein and then drinking in-between. Strained soups have been a great thing but I can see how they will get old.... Luckily my favorite Thai Restaurant is willing to make my favorite soups in just broth for me... I can drink those by the quart.... Probably way more sodium then I need but I will deal with that later.

Packers won the Super bowl!  Great game, but nothing like only being on liquids during the big game... At least next year I can eat vegetables and a few ounces of protein..... Pop cycles saved the day for this one, but that got old after the fourth one...

it has been great to talk to various people on the forum and get feedback and thoughts on how to be successful.

This is it, the journey has begun. For me the journey started around three weeks ago (Of course I have been on it most all of my life). It took me months of knowing I was at a point were I needed to do something to build up the nerve to attend a seminar on weight loss. i have tried everything else without luck so I figured what the heck...

That one meeting started a journey that I am very glad I started, within a few days I had my first Dr. Appointment with Dr. Oh in Washington. He was very direct and straight up, told me from that point on I was on a 1200 calorie a day diet if I wanted the surgery, I was surprised to find out I needed to lose 20 pounds before the surgery, I figured heck If I could do that why would I need the surgery.
 
After the first couple of days (easy to stay focused for 48 hours) I remembered why...... it was going to take more then just dieting to stay focused. I'm down 17 pounds and starting my liquid diet tomorrow. the doctor requires two weeks prior to be on a liquid diet, I am not looking forward to that. Seems by some of the posts I've read not everyone had to do that... Curious on what others had to do or how they got through it.
 
I found this website by doing some research on Protien shakes and thought....... hey what a great place to try and find a support group and find info. From the info I got form the doctor everything points out that people that are involved in a support group are about 20% more likely to lose more weight. I don't see myself going to local support groups, just not into that. But this site is pretty cool. Great opportunity to rant and see other peoples thoughts as they go through the same thing..... Good luck to you... Good luck to us all...