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The Bitter Bandster

A blog by btrieger

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It's time for the butcher (a.k.a plastic surgeon)

Down 151 pounds since last year and I am making arrangements for my pannulectomy. I called around last week and prices were ranging from $9,000 to $16,000 for a tummy tuck. I was asking about tummy tucks because I didn't want to try and pronounce pannulectomy. I had a consultation with a plastic surgeon yesterday and was quoted $4,870. He comes highly recommended. The price is a lot less than I thought because he said I can get 40% covered by insurance if I have my umbilical hernia fixed simultaneously. I have another consultation next week with another highly recommended plastic surgeon next week. I am probably not going to try any more unless the diagnoses and quotes are very far apart. I am really fearing the pain but am looking past it to the final outcome. I'll be losing 10 to 20 pounds of ugly fat and skin. Then I won't have to tuck my dulap into my swim suit and the next picture may be me in a speedo.

August 31, 2010

5

Yes, I'm still alive

... and doing great. I've lost a total of 121 pounds since September 18 and 26 since being banded almost 3 months ago. I've been away from this site for a while because I have OCD and got caught up in that retarded Farmville game on Facebook. The weather here has also been great. So, I have been spending a lot of time outside, walking the dogs and cavorting with neighbors. The weight loss has slowed from the 3 pound average loss I was doing weekly but it is still dropping. I even gained a pound or 2 in a few weeks only to lose it the next. I didn't let it get me down. I am at 244 now, that just happens to be the lowest I have gotten to both previous times before gaining it back. That is not going to happen this time. Phyl (my band) won't let it. I had my second fill on Friday putting me at 7 cc in my 14 cc band and I may be a bit premature in saying this but I think I may be at my sweet spot. It let's me eat enough and hammers me hard if I over due it. Also, I learned that drinking while eating not only washes food down but more often it reconstitutes what you just chewed the hell out of and makes it get stuck. I spend quite a bit of time sliming these days because I am not doing what I know is right. Live and learn. I've been contemplating a tummy tuck. I brought it up with my nutritionist and he said that a good PS wouldn't do it until I was at or near my goal. My goal is 170 pounds, which is next to impossible. I think I am going to hold out until I get down to 215 - 220. I am guestimating that I will lose an additional 20 pounds with that surgery. Well, I'm off to bed if I can there without stopping at Facebook.

May 26, 2010

6

My Heart Attackiversary

A year ago today, a pain in my forearms woke me up and it was so bad I couldn't get back to sleep. It felt as if somebody was holding my arms over a campfire and I could not pull them away. I tried running them under cold water and even took a cold shower trying to cool them down. After a few hours, I gave up and decided I should probably go the hospital and maybe they'd give me a pill to make it go away. I'd never been to a hospital in the area. So, I used my GPS to find one. I ended up driving around for about an hour before locating a hospital. At 4 am in the morning you don't pull over and ask directions. I spent 30 minutes or so filling out the paperwork; they brought me into the little room and took my vitals and some of my precious blood (probably 25% gravy back then). Everything seemed normal to me. My blood pressure was a little high and my oxygen was a little low. The blood tests take a while. So, I sat there playing games on my phone, bored out of my skull for the next 90 minutes waiting for them come back with a prescription and send me on my way. Then, the doctor comes in with this serious look on his face and says, "Mr Trieger, the enzymes in your blood indicate that you've had a heart attack. We need to get you up stairs immediately." I called my roommate; told I was at the hospital and asked him to feed the dogs and let them out. He was a little pissed. He was under the impression that when you have a heart attack, you should wake up your roommate for a ride to the hospital. The orderly comes with a gurney and has me crawl up onto it. I was sure my fat ass was going to fall off. He rolled me through the hospital to the elevator for everybody to see. This wasn't as much fun as it looks like on TV. They get me to a room and ask me if I can make it to the bed from the gurney on my own. I should have said, "no" and made them lift me but I was nice about it. It was one of those fancy beds that weighs you. The nurse went to write my weight on the whiteboard on the wall and I asked her not to. We compromised and she wrote it in kilos. 164.8 kilos to be exact. She jammed and IV in my arm and put one of those oxygen things on my face. I could only imagine how silly I looked, so I snapped a quick picture (below) when she stepped away. Yep, pretty silly and where did all of that neck fat come from? An hour later, a couple more orderlies came in and told me I was going for a ride to the tech lab. I had no clue what that was but as long as all I had to do was lay there while they pushed, I didn't mind. They roll me through the hospital on the bed for all to see yet again. It still wasn't as fun as it looks on TV. Into another elevator and down the hall to the tech lab. Once we get there, they help me out of the bed onto some little table that couldn't have been 24" wide. Laying flat on my back, I knew I was going to fall but they belted me in and swung out two flaps for me to put my arms on. It was like being crucified horizontally. The mask went on and the next thing I remember was them unstrapping me from the table and helping me back to the bed. I blacked out again and awoke back in my room. The cardiologist came in and told me that two of my coronary arteries were 100% blocked and had to be stented. I, like my spell-checker here, had no clue what stented meant. I spent the next 2 days watching TV and sleeping. Which isn't such a bad thing if the damn nurses didn't find the most inopportune times to wake you up to take blood. Fast forward 2 days: It's Sunday and I am released. Ah!! I have been waiting for this time so I could get to my car and my beloved cigarettes. I had 3 left and these were going to be the last. As soon as I pulled out of the parking lot, I lit one up and I was in Heaven. I smoked another that day and saved the last for Monday morning, my birthday. I did manage to put them down for 7 months until after my Lapband surgery but am trying once again to kick the habit for my upcoming panniculectomy surgery. It still amazes me, that with my memory is bad as it is, I remember that day a year ago as if it were today.

September 25, 2010

6

I'm banded and don't feel any different

I'm almost disappointed that my surgery was uneventful and boring. It was kind of like my C-section only this time the doctor didn't pick me up by my legs and slap me in the ass to get me breathing. 11:10 AM - Checked in the hospital 11:20 AM - Got brought a room to strip and put on a johnny 11:40 AM - Nurse inserted IV as prep 1:10 PM - Rolled to OR 2:20 PM - Woke up in recovery room feeling bloated 2:40 PM - Walked to x-ray and drank barium 3:20 PM - Was sent home I did not feel any pain yesterday and this morning I am a little cramped maybe sore but the gas is irritating. When I went to bed the gas is subsiding. Well, the night shift came on while I was sleeping and I have a whole batch of renewed gas this morning. I take 8 pills a day and the doctor said I may have to take them 1 at a time now. I took the whole fistful at once and chugged some water. No biggie. All in all, I've felt much worse after a night out drinking. I could actually go to work today if I wanted but that ain't gonna happen. I did however gain 5 pounds yesterday. How much do these damn bands weight?

March 3, 2010

8

Pet Peeves

I have my final pre-surgery nutritionist appointment on Wednesday and my paperwork is being submitted to Aetna after my final pre-surgery consult with the surgeon on January 6th. I have been reading these boards almost religiously since September to get an idea of what to expect. Surprisingly, it seems that many of the people that been banded have more questions than I do. I've put together a list of pet peeves I have on this site. If one or more of them sounds like you and you are offended; frankly, I don't care. Save your breath. :tt1: 1. The following 3 questions are asked all of the time and there should be a canned response: Q1: I've had my band for a while. Why I am not losing weight? Q2: Will I lose weight after I get fills? Q3: How long after I get banded will I start losing weight? The band and fills do not directly affect your weight loss. If you don't change your eating habits and start exercising, the band probably won't work for you. 2. This is the latest I have been seeing and I just want to strangle the posters: "I'm afraid I will have loose skin." Yo! You are morbidly obese and looking at an early grave. Do you really think that "bingo wings" or saggy boobs are any less attractive than blubber? Worry about the weight first. The plastic surgeon can fix the rest afterward if need be. 3. Another favorite: "I was recently banded and can still eat as much as I want." Perhaps you should have done a little research before having surgery and a foreign object implanted in your body! Little or no restriction is realized until you have a fill or 2. Meanwhile, just because you can eat everything in sight, doesn't mean you have to. Try using just a little bit of willpower. 4. "I cheated on pre-surgery diet" Do you understand that you're undergoing surgery that will require you to modify your eating habits for the rest of your life? If you can't control yourself for a week or two maybe you should rethink getting a LAP-BAND®. 5. Women replying in the men's forum. Ladies, when a man asks a question in "The Men's Room"; he is most likely looking for advice from men. If not, he would have posted it in the general discussion forum. I better quit before I get in trouble O.K., one more and perhaps the most minor of them all; we do not "loose" weight. We may have loose skin after losing weight but we do not "loose" weight.

December 20, 2009

12

epiphany

It just dawned on me in the past few days that I experienced an epiphany either with the heart attack in September or somewhere along my journey here. I've had a few dozen people thank me lately for comforting them or being inspirational to them with my positive attitude. All the while I was thinking, "Boy do I have them fooled. If they only knew the real me." The more I thought about it, the more I realized that they were seeing the real me and the only one I was fooling was myself. I went back and reread my last 100 or so posts. Almost all were either positive reinforcement or congratulating somebody for reaching a milestone. The surprising thing is that I meant every bit of it. Six months ago I was a selfish, miserable, negative, argumentative, pessimistic jerk with a huge chip on my shoulder feeding on others' misery. Today, I feel like I get stronger with every positive experience I have or read about. I am trying to forget the past and look forward to each new day. Attitudes are contagious!!!! I'm actually feeling pity for those that are letting their negative feelings take over. I try not to empathize with their feelings because I don't need any regression in my attitude now that I may have finally seen the light. I've still got quite a bit of anger and repressed feelings inside me but they are dwindling with every minute passing.

March 8, 2010

7

Last pre-op post, Today's the day

Well, I'm either in shock or this is really no big deal to me. I'm having surgery that will change my life forever about 6 hours from now and I had absolutely no problem sleeping last night. I made it through 22 days of shakes without being hungry, moody or cheating. I have another 14 days of shakes starting this afternoon. I wonder if that will be just as easy. Not drinking water for the next 6 hours is going to hurt. I should be nice and parched by the time I get to the hospital. Today is not only notable for my surgery but it also marks the day that: 95 pounds weight loss
100 pounds left to lose
NO longer morbidly obese!
I want to thank everyone on this site (except of course the idiots that told me I know nothing and shouldn't give advice because I'm not banded). I don't wear my feelings on my arm and may come across as I think I know everything but I wouldn't know a thing without reading about your experiences, questions and answers. I don't ask a lot of questions because for the most part, you've all done that for me. Pre-Surgery ticker! Post-Surgery ticker!

March 2, 2010

10

A year in review

After years of contemplating surgery; it was one year ago today that I first met with my surgeon, Dr. Kim. I was about 200 pounds overweight; my 45th birthday was fast approaching and I felt like shit. I told Dr. Kim that I wasn't one of the confused fatties that he was used to seeing that thought surgery was a panacea. I was an educated fatty. I had done my research. The LAP-BAND® was the tool that would help me keep the weight off if I did my due diligence and lost it through hard work and determination. He agreed and told me I was the perfect candidate for LAP-BAND® surgery. I was skeptical of his attitude because I was sure he fed that same line to everybody that walked through his door but none the less, I knew I was the perfect candidate and was ready to prove it to him and the world. A week to the day later, I suffered a heart attack at 44. It was an epiphany (I've had a few epiphanies recently). I needed to heal myself and fast. I immediately modified my eating habits and lifestyle. I didn't continue to stuff my face like some moron that thought, "I better eat all I can before the magical LAP-BAND® was installed and kept me from doing so." I stopped eating fast food; cut my portions down and began walking my dogs daily instead of just tossing them in the backyard. If I was going to have to exercise, they were too. Whenever I thought I was hungry, I would ask myself if the feeling was real or just my gluttonous appetite trying to lead me astray yet again. Aetna required me to do a 3 month supervised diet in order to get approved for surgery, this included meeting with a nutritionist once a month. I didn't whine about the waiting like so many retards do. I took complete advantage and learned even more about what I can do to gain my health and prepare for surgery. I paid it forward by sharing what I had learned and experienced here. I received many thank yous from grateful people and that convinced me I wasn't wasting my breathe. Although, I did have a couple of jerks, like whatshername on a journey with her bible tell others that I had no clue what I was talking about because I wasn't banded yet. I dropped 50% (95 pounds) of my excess weight by the time I had surgery five and a half month later. Surgery went smoothly and there were no nasty surprises. A few of the good surprises are that rice and bread are not taboo with the LAP-BAND®. I'm down 153 ugly pounds and I'm preparing for my panniculectomy. I fear the pain a lot but I need the surgery. My clothes are way too big for me and I refuse to buy any new pants until this pannis is gone. I'm going to lose my belly button but I figure I haven't used it in 46 years except to store lint. So, who needs it. I can always get a tattoo of a belly button if I miss it. I should have a date by the end of next week. I am aiming for December. The liquor is wearing off and I need to get to bed. I'll probably have to edit this when I'm sober. :thumbup:

September 19, 2010

8

Back on for March 2nd!

This is turning into a friggin' soap opera and I hate drama. I called my surgeons office today and spoke with the office manager and before I got a chance to whine or threaten, she told me that the girl I had been working with was gone, "she just didn't work out." I said, "good, she screwed my plans up. I should have been banded a month ago." Then she told me that I must have been the patient that complained about her and that I should have complained sooner. I would usually feel bad about getting this girl fired but I don't. I feel relieved. Needless to say, my surgery is back on for March 2 in the hospital it was supposed to take place in in the first place. March 3 will be the last time that Dr Kim does surgery in that hospital. I think I may be turning anorexic. I haven't eaten solid food in 10 days and am not hungry. I'm really not even interested in eating. I'll tell you what though, I am giving birth to some rock hard, mega-turds. I don't know how a shake can do this to me or if these have been up there for 5 years waiting for their opportunity but they hurt! Any woman that dares tell me that I don't know what it feels like to have a baby is going to get an earful.

February 17, 2010

8

Pre-op shake 1

Well, the day is finally here. I started my 3 week pre-op diet this morning with a strawberry Opti-fast shake. This may come as a shock to some but I thought the consistency was great and is was delicious. If the chocolate and vanilla are just as good; I am going to have no problem drinking 5 of these a day. We'll know by the end of the day how well they suppress my appetite. * Gained a pound since yesterday and I am not going to kill myself over it. I will probably lose 3 tomorrow. So, I am officially starting pre-op at 289. My goal is 275 after 3 weeks.

February 8, 2010

7

Getting closer!!

I finally have a date!! February 30th (March 2nd) I start my 3 week Opti-crap diet on Monday. It won't be a breeze but if anyone catches me whining about it online, please feel free to lambaste me like I want to do every time I see somebody whine here. A lifetime of health is worth a few weeks of inconvenience or discomfort. My roommate is going to stick around an extra week so I don't have to bum a ride from anyone else. Hopefully he won't change his mind because I am not cooking for him for the next 3 weeks. He'll have to live on stir-fry and tuna sandwiches.

February 4, 2010

9

Ready to call it quits!

Got a call from my insurance company this morning telling me that I was approved and would be covered 100%. Great news. I just called my surgeon's office to ask if they knew I was approved. They said they knew but there was a minor complication. My surgeon was no longer operating in the hospital they were scheduling me at and they don't know which hospital will replace it. I asked how long she had known this and she said she just found out this week. I told her it would have been nice if she would have called to tell me. This is the same person that was supposed to have called my cardiologist to get the ok for me to stop my blood thinners for a couple of weeks prior to surgery and did nothing. I ended up doing it myself 3 weeks later. I probably won't have surgery for over a month. I've been drinking expensive shakes for a week now. My roommate delayed his move out of state to give me a ride to and from surgery. I've already cleared my calendar and scheduled my vacation. This is more than an inconvenience to me and the assholes don't have the common courtesy to make a phone call. I told her to call me the minute she knows anything. If I don't hear from them by next Friday; I quit and they lose out on the huge chunk of change they would have made on my surgery. I'm down 82 pounds without them. Surgery isn't as important to me that it is to a lot of people. I will just have to muster that much more willpower and hope I can keep going.

February 12, 2010

8

Yep, the band is there and working :(

I'm an offical bandster!! I went to lunch with a good friend at a japanese hibachi restaurant. I ordered the salmon; scallops and fried rice. I Had a small salad and some broth before the meal. The fried rice gets put on my plate first. I ate about a quarter cup of that with no issue. Next comes the scallops and salmon. I ate a small piece of salmon, about a 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. I chewed it well but wouldn't you know it, the first bite gets stuck. No big deal, I'll just force it through with a couple of mouthfuls of water like I have the past 2 times I was stuck. WRONG!!!! Now the water is sitting in my pouch with the salad and fried rice. The fish is firmly lodged and the other stuff ain't staying down much longer. I had to excuse myself and run for the men's room while cook was still cooking the beansprouts and stuff. I barely made it into the stall before I projectile vomitted everything into the toilet. Still stuck but feeling better I went back to the table and just sat there waiting for my friend to finish. Before she sould finish I was running back to the mens room. This time it wasn't water, it was slime and lots of it. I went back to the table and my friend had already put my meal in the take out container. We got out of there and I held back the vomitting for the ride back to work. As soon as I got out of the car, I let go with a gallon of slime and what little food was still left in me. The salmon finally went down more than an hour later and I feel great. I have been stuck 3 times, tilapia, pollock and salmon. Do you think maybe I should stay away from fish? The moral of the story is: Getting stuck, PBing and sliming in public, like constipation, is only funny until it happens to you.

March 26, 2010

7

Having slight second thoughts

I got on the scale this morning as I do every morning because I never listen to the little voice that says once a week is enough. Well, anyways, it said 305. I am down 60 pounds, 15% of my starting weight since I started this journey. I am NOT dieting. I am eating the same things. I just cut the portions a little and am logging everything. I don't go to bed hungry like I always have on other diets. I have NOT been working out. I have been walking and doing a teenie bit of running about 5 hours a week. I stretch for about 5 minutes every morning and pick up my 10 lb dumbbell for about 10 minutes 2 or 3 times a week. But I am not waking up sore like I have from other work outs. I have NOT been banded. I've lost a lot of weight and post on this site a lot with my cool little ticker. But I have not been banded yet like other posters. A lot of my weight loss has been with the help of the Bodybugg. Other has come from the nutritionists at my surgeons office. I will schedule my LAP-BAND® surgery in 6 days. It will probably be for the first week of February. I am having second thoughts. I am doing so well without the LAP-BAND® that it has me wondering if I need it at all. I am still about 80% - 20% in favor of getting it but that number is dwindling. This scares me because I have lost a lot more than 60 lbs in the past only to gain it back and them some. But in the past I was dieting. This is different. And if I decide not to get banded I have to stop being sarcastic and witty here :biggrin: I guess only time will tell.

December 31, 2009

11

A third of the way there!

I should have had my date 2 days ago but my cardiologist left something off of his release. Hopefully that will be cleared up by next week. This morning the scale said 300. Not only do I love round numbers but that means even without the band I have lost 1/3 of the 195 pounds I had to lose. Last week I was having second thoughts but I am gung ho to get my band now and it better keep me from ever seeing 300 again. I am figuring I will be 285-290 by the time I get it and around 265 for my first fill.

January 8, 2010

8

Post-op instructions tomorrow

I have an appointment tomorrow with my surgeon's office to get my post-op instruction; sign my life away and most importantly, get my prescription for pain killers. I hope the pain killers don't run out before I have surgery. :frown: Only 8 days and 38 more shakes until surgery. Time is flying by now. It's been 2 weeks and I still love the shakes and they are satisfying my hunger. I was hoping I would be down triple digits before surgery but I guess I am going to have to settle for about a 95 pound loss. Boy, that sucks. :redface: I don't remember if I mentioned in my last entry or not but I have been watching the Food Network as if it were porn. I don't want the food. I want to be cooking and making a mess. I can't bring myself to cooking for my roommate if I can't sample it though. I know if I dared take one spoonful, I immediately take many more.

February 21, 2010

6

Don't know where this is taking me but I am along for the ride

It's day 8 of my pre-op, Optifast diet. I thought about giving up when I got the bad news on Friday but I didn't. I have been drinking nothing but these delicious Optifast shakes for 7+ days now and I have not been hungry. Yesterday, I actually had to remind myself to drink one for breakfast and every 3 or so hours afterwards. My weight is dropping at rates that would make Biggest Loser contestants jealous. I've lost 9 pounds since last Monday. That is insentive enough to keep going. I'm going to call my surgeon's office today and if they are open (US holiday), threaten to take my surgery elsewhere. Hopefully that will get some kind of reaction out of them.

February 15, 2010

9

On the final leg of my journey to bandom

Had my pre-op appointment at my surgeon's office yesterday. It was just another lecture on what to expect. I didn't get much out of it because you people already told me everything. Then went to the hospital today where I will have surgery next Tuesday for a pre-op there. Once again, pretty uneventful. Gave blood and peed in a cup. I should be excited and/or nervous but I am not. I just want to get it over with. I haven't eaten real food in over 2 weeks and it is going to be at least another 5 weeks. I am not hungry but I miss food.

February 23, 2010

6

Just looking for an excuse to brag

Five months since surgery and almost 11 since I started the process. My weight has been bouncing around between 220 and 223 for about a month. Go figure, my next mini goal is 219 (99 K). I still have my eye on 170 but if I never lose another pound my competitive side may be a little disappointed but the rest of me is ecstatic about what I have achieved. * I am sucking in my gut and the bathing suit hides the dolap but we should all be afforded a little cheating.

August 12, 2010

7

Pre-op day 4 of 21

I've been living on these Optifast protein shakes for 4 days now and I love them. It is like having desert 5 times a day and I have not been hungry...yet. Better yet, I have dropped 5 pounds in the past 3 days. I'm down 81 pounds since I started and I am showing no signs of slowing down. I'm feeling better than I have in years and should be close to 100 pounds down by surgery. I finished cardiac rehab yesterday. I started on October 12th weighing 346 pounds with a body fat percentage over 61%. My final weight was 285 with a body fat percentage of 46%. I haven't been approved by insurance yet but have a surgery date. If they deny me, I won't mind but I'd like to get this over with before I slip and start gaining the weight back as I have in the past. I can put wight on in record time. It only takes a diet of pizza and Guinness. The first picture is 2 years old and the second taken yesterday. It is starting to show a little. For instance, that is the same shirt and there is no more fear of popping a button and putting someone's eye out. Also, I don't have to wedge myself into the chair. PS. My secret is out, my profile pic is 10 years old :tongue_smilie: PPS. I am tilting my head in the second pic to try and assimilate the same position as the first. It is not because my brain is so big and heavy as many of you would assume.

February 11, 2010

6

Bodybugg - useful or just another expensive toy?

I've got OCD and you don't get much more compulsive than me. Whether it be gambling, shopping, drinking or eating, I have little control. I also have a thing for statistics. So, when a friend of mine showed me her Bodybugg and the numbers it keeps; I immediately went online and ordered one. It came Wednesday and yesterday was my first full day of stats. I am a little skeptical about the results. Calories burned: 4,887 Calories consumed: 1,726 That is 3161 more calories burned than consumed. That is nearly a full pound (3,500 cals) The part I am skeptical about is the calories burned. The majority of the day I was lounging around reading this forum or watching Judge Judy. In between I walked about 2 miles.

October 2, 2009

3

Getting frustrated!

My paperwork was supposed to be submitted to Aetna on January 6th but my cardiologist did not indicate that I could stop taking my blood thinners for a couple of weeks prior to surgery. My surgeon's office said they would call him the next day; get the ok and submit the paperwork. I called Aetna on the 13th to see how things were progressing and they said that they haven't seen the request. I figured, "oh well, maybe they couldn't reach my cardiologist." I called Aetna again on the 20th and they still haven't seen the request. So, I call my surgeon's office and explain my concern. The receptionist tells me that the insurance specialist is out of the office "today" and that she was transferring me to her voice mail. Well, I left a message on Wednesday and it is Friday night. I still haven't heard from them. I was in no hurry to get banded because I have been doing great on my own. However, my roommate just told me that he is moving back to nasty, disgusting, frigid, tax-you-to-death Boston in February and he is my ride to and from surgery. I need to get this over with before he leaves. I am self sufficient to a fault and it kills me to have to ask anybody else for a favor. Apparently it doesn't hurt me to whine though. :thumbup:

January 23, 2010

5

Panniculectomy done and the healing has begun

Well, I hope my surgery days are finally over. I had my panniculectomy on Friday morning and everything went well. I had an umbilical hernia corrected simultaneously. The surgery(ies) took just under 3 hours and they removed almost 7 pounds of excess skin and my belly button. When I first woke from surgery, the pain was about an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10 but that lasted less than a half hour when the pain meds kicked in. It's been about 2 and a half days since and I haven't felt the slightest tinge of pain since. I have a couple of drains that are collecting the excess blood and body fluids that have to be emptied every couple of hours. They are a little gross but really simple to empty and I have to bend 15% degrees while walking and sleeping until healed. I can't wait to get the bandages and stuff removed in a couple of weeks to get a look at the new me. It's been 15 months and few surgeries since I began this journey but I feel like a new man with a brand new lease on life. Who knew that losing 166 pounds (75.3 Kilos) and a belly button could feel so damn good? The pride I have for my accomplishments is somewhat clouded by the shame I am feeling for not being able to kick the butts for good but in due time, they too will be history. Initial Consult: September 18, 2009 - 365 pounds (165.5 Kilos), BMI 54 Lapband Surgery: March 2, 2010 - 270 pounds (122.5 Kilos), BMI 40 Panniculectomy: December 3, 2010 - 199 pounds (90.2 Kilos), BMI 29 The rest of my life: priceless! The pictures will follow soon!

December 5, 2010

1

Best responses ever

I am going to start compiling some of the best statements from this site. Only one so far but it's a keeper.

October 7, 2010

2

Waited a little too long

Tomorrow is my 45th birthday and I was going to quit smoking; start an exercise regiment and watch what I was eating starting then. As my luck goes, I suffered a couple of mild heart attacks on Wednesday and Thursday and spent the weekend being poked and prodded in the hospital. It didn't scare me as much as it probably should have. I knew at the rate I was abusing my body that it was bound to happen sooner or later. Needless to say, my new lifestyle started Friday morning when I checked into the emergency room. The time off from work will be nice, I just hope I have the will power to do what I know needs to be done.

September 27, 2009

4

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