Philly Yum

WoW Its been a while! I can't believe its been 4 months since my surgery! I remember when I would frequent this page I would come on twenty times a day! I would always wonder why people who are far from surgery date never long on, and BAM i did the same thing! Guess I have been busy living! If any of your remember my post ( i think you can find it in my profile?) I was about 517 lbs last january. Today I weighed myself at 385! A few weeks ago when I was at the critical 399 I nearly fainted. I never thought I would see a 3 again, now I am excited thinking about the day I see a 2! At the surgery I was at about 461 so its been a total of about 76 lbs. Every day gets easier and easier and for anyone even remotely thinking about this surgery, DO IT ! Yes there are times I wish I could "throw down" like I used to but those days long gone. I remember posting about my trip to disney, and as a side note I was able to go on the haunted mansion without stopping the ride! For anyone who was ever been on it when it played the " the spirits are acting up and the ride will resume soon yada yada" bit, thats when a fat guy like me got on and the bar didnt go down, so it stops the ride! I was shocked when i just sailed past the workers and the ride kept going! I promised myself I would buy a car at 100 lost, and I did just that, a brand new jeep arctic edition. I am able to go much harder on the treadmill now, and simple things, like tying shoes, to just plain walking to the car are so much easier. I find myself zipping everywhere in almost a light jog. I am guessing its because I am used to lugging around and extra 140+ lbs on me? Anyhow, I will leave this post just updating all the people who posted last time on my out of surgery post that I am doing fantastic! I will post some before and after, for new years.

How can you seriously post Your hospital is called the royal jubilee ? Lol. Canadians. ????

Hello all! I had my first trip to the grocery story today. It was the first time I left the house since coming home from the surgery too! It felt so good almost like I was in a movie, kids on bicyles, mailman walking by. I was suprised how easy it was to walk around the grocery store. Very little if anything bothered me, I mean I was looking right at the food and I had almost no desire for anything ,except crossaints of all things. I picked up some tiny cups too, in the baby section. Its pretty amazing how that section now suddenly seems like a valid aisle to go down. I even looked at the baby food too while I was at it. Some of that stuff looked good. How long post op do you guys think it would be ok to try some of that ? TLDR , went to grocery store and didnt feel hungry. Any tips on a sugar free drink ? I hear some of the crystal lights are kind of yucky.

4 week pre op?!! Thats nuts!

Hello fellow sleevers! Its my 3rd day out of surgery ( Aug 22 sleever) and I am feeling better. Some background info on me because I am not sure where to even start! I am 30 years old from NJ/NYC. Around Feb I weighed a staggering 517lbs. I was walking around disney world in FL thinking, hey, where are all the people my size? I'd like to think Im the type of person who doesnt even know hes fat, until its too late. ( what do u mean this bar on the haunted mansion ride doesnt go down???). Around that time when I came home from FL I realized that while on my vacation I slept noticably better. I blamed me no longer drinking coffee and sugar as the reason I felt so great on vacation, and quickly lost 10lbs from this alone when I came home. One day while staying late at work ( an accident , as I am a bus driver ) a co worker walked by me. I couldn't recognize him at all! He explained to me all the details of his sleeve, and a few other of my co workers had gone with him. Not wanting to be rude, I said I would atleast check out the info. A few weeks pass, and I promise to atleast check out the seminar my dr was having. It was kind of funny looking back because it was at a local gym, the last place i wanted to be seen, let alone walking up to the info counter and asking hey "wheres the meeting for fat people ?" ( sorry to offend just at my weight i throw the term around). I remember thinking to myself, I hope i just have to ask where, and i get pointed to a room. As luck would have it, the lady was so busy she couldn't hear me and I had to ask 3 times. She wasnt really sure and had to call around to find out where it was, getting atleast 3 other people involved, at which point I wanted to run and hide in my car! Fast foward a bit, I found the place, met the surgeon and told him i would make an appointment if i thought I was serious. A week later I made the apointment which is kind of strange, I guess i went in thinking I was going to be bamboozled or tricked into, and left thinking man I WANT THIS! My surgeon, Dr. R Sadek of Somerset NJ was fantastic. He told me I had to lose atleast 30lbs before the surgery to slim down the stomach area. At first I thought this was impossible. But I quickly lost 10lbs again. I purchased a treadmill and began chugging away 30-40 minutes a day, eating better and BOOM 30lbs! The worst part of the surgery for me , was the dreaded pre op diet. OMG. The crazy part is as you progress from full liquids, to clear only, you wish you were able to have some of the stuff you had on full liquid! About halfway into the 2 week liquid, I met my co worker again who confessed to me he had mcdonalds two days before his surgery. This was awful I thought! How could he? And it got to me. I wish I could sit here and say no I didnt cheat on my 2 week pre op. But I did. Honest here ? You bet. I had two slices of pizza. I didn't feel bad either about it too, but I knew I had to get back on track, and finished the last 6 days strong. My insurance, blue cross blue shield sent in the letter of approval literally days before the surgery but picked it up 100%. Infact the only thing they wouldn't pay for is for me to see a nutritionist. But they will be for my surgery? Go figure! My surgery on Aug 22 was at Robert Wood Johnson in NJ. I have to admit everyone was so nice and friendly at the hospital. I guess its me being from NY always thinking people will rush or be angry with me? They couldn't find my vien in my arm using a sonagram, so they had to put a "central IV" in my neck. This was painful and had I known this I would have said NO! It was very messy without TMI or grossing anyone out but an IV in your neck is not very pleasant. After waking up from my surgery, I felt terrible. I had to wait a bit to get pain killers because I was feeling nauseous and apparently you have to wait a bit if you feel this way. After I had my morphine I spent the rest of the day snoozing, off and on. ( and realizing I had a cathoder which kind of liked, kind of hated?). I was not allowed to drink anything till the Xray the next day. The next morning I had my x ray , no leaks, and was given an amazing amount of clear foods I could never eat . Bowl of chicke broth, Jello, ice tea, waterbottle, italian icee. I think I had about two sips of the tea and felt full. I could not believe it! So, around 1pm, roughly 24 hours later I was given the OK to go home. I was pretty good, I mean I walked to the car myself and felt like someone punched me in the stomach, but I thought it would have been much worse. Pain killers for the win? Yesterday ( first full day out of the hospital) I spent mostly sleeping on the couch watching cartoons and semi talking to people who called to check on me, until they realised I really couldnt pay attention. Day 3, I feel great. Im amazed how long it takes me to drink a cup of Water. I have no hunger at all, which I always thought was just plain BS when people say on this on boards, but I have no desire to eat at all. I don't mean this in a bad way of course, but looking around I can't wait to try some of the recipes you guys have posted, IE a pumpkin latte or bean cup cake recipe I saw posted! So here I am, day 3 post op, feeling good. Started at 517 , 461 at surgery, and 456 right this second. I am Phillip. And I'm a sleever. =)

Hang in there! Pre op is by far the hardest part. Im over a week post and have lost any desire to eat. I always feel full.

So tomorrow will be a full week post op, but I must say the thing I hate the most is the awful JP drain! It gets in the way and I swear I feel it stabbing my insides every time I move!! Im not normally a squeemish person but today as I was puting the bandage back on it, I felt so grossed out! This tube is in me?! Curses. I feel so grump now! It looks a little bit red too at the spot it comes out of my body. What I was really wondering is, when they pull this out, does it hurt any? Also, do they have to stich the hole back up? I can't imagine they just throw a bandage and just send you home, I mean how is it going to seal up on its own?

Lost big time time to pizza during my pre op, didn't even feel bad about. Everythingworkedoutok.jpg Curiosity needs to know what toppings you had.

Finally got my JP taken out today! Thank god. They told me to lay down and breath in, and out and in and out , while the lady was pulling it out. It didn't hurt be certainly felt weird. definately gross too! I dont know what it is about it but i find the whole thing vile! Yeck! TLDR - Got it taken out , thanks for support that night guise.

I like your style.

Sounds like your in ! My BMi was very high at my first visit too and I was told I would need half the loops to jump thru just based on my weight. Congrats on taking the right step. First week out and another 10 lbs.

tough call, sounds like u were dizzy and faced a worse problem then losing that 15 lbs right then and there! Get back on track and don't look back! Atleast ur cheat was healthy! =)

I had this happen to me when I was on jury duty last year. I was so uncomfortable in the seat all I could think about is, im so mad, this guys guilty and got to pay!! This would make me laugh and then the judge kept asking me, is there a problem juror number 5?

Since your experienced , how bout you remove mine? ( ultimate pick up line )

thanks for the s upport guys! Only 12 more hours with this thing. And using it to help get when you get mugged? LOL what am I reading here???

good to know cosleevedude! I feel it hurts more when I walk , and I haven't even been able to sleep in the bed because I feel like I am going to push it in! OCD I suppose but glad it went away quickly after they took it out!

Im no dr but I have seen some people saying they only had to do 3 days liquid! There was a post earlier about some people saying they had a few cheats here and there on pre op as well, I don't think your alone in this! It seems most people find day 6 the hardest!

H ow can you have anything from when you were a kid?? My parent threw away everything if god forbid I didn't put it back in the same spot I found it! Where is forum for people who suddenly are upset by this as an adult? Where is my teddy ruxpin!!

Not bad, I had about a two month wait myself! keep us posted =)

I totally forgot about that myself, being sleeved 8/22! That damn IV machine makes the most strange noises at the weirest times! It seems so random that you can't even become use to it at all!

I know right? I was drooling the whole time, she has a baked ricotta which is like phoney lasagna ( without the pasta ) and a fake mac and cheese using beans instead of the pasta. Le Drool.

Oh yeah , trust me, the leak test is a joke! About the tape, picture having masking tape on your stomach area ( not inside the body, i mean outside ). That wouldn't cause you to scream, but it would just feel "funny" walking around like that. It certainly didn't feel like I was stabbed, but when I left the hospital, it felt like I was punched in the belly? But dont take this the wrong way! It's really not that as bad as you think because like I said, you will be sleeping on and off the entire day out of surgery.

Wow! A century club member! I can't wait to post pictures like this of me! Btw, nice red undies =)