Felix1967

Nine months later - down 134 pounds overall and 110 since surgery on October 29. The hardest part is not what I ever expected - I thought food cravings and eating the wrong things would haunt me - in fact, that isn't even an issue at all. The hardest part is getting use to the new physically smaller person I have become. I look in the mirror some days and laugh - catching myself asking "who is that guy looking back at me." None of this is bad or beyond control - it's just the psychological piece and the new physical appearance that is the most difficult to get use to...

Well, today marks one month since my gastric sleeve surgery. I'm down 30.5 pounds since my surgery and 55 overall. I can honestly say that my recovery, my adjustment to this new lifestyle - the entire process - has been an amazing journey so far. My Thanksgiving was marked with thanks for the love of my family, my friends and all of the medical professionals who helped my navigate the process to that OR table on October 29. I'm thankful for getting my life back too - what a true blessing...

Got my insurance approval in one day - surgery scheduled for Oct 29. Here we go...

Hi everyone - just a quick update. Had my sleeve done on Thursday as scheduled. Essentially uneventful (ie. no complications). Hospital stay was terrific (big shout out to Midstate Medical Center in Meriden, CT and my surgeon, Dr. Aziz Benbrahim!!!). Came home Saturday morning and haven't had any need for painkillers. Progressed to puree stage this afternoon after a follow up with the doctor. All in all, this has been a much easier experience than I had imagined. We all have great anxiety, fears, concerns, etc., going in and now that I'm on the other side, at least for me, very few, if any, of those emotional concerns were justifed. I do need to make one funny note - that God awful pre-surgery Protein shake (I'll refrain from mentioning the brand) was more of a challenge for me then any of the post-operative stages thus far. The damn thing tasted like dirt with chocolate flavoring - I named them "dirt shakes." LOL. They strengthened my resolve... Lastly, my biggest challenge right now is not what I expected. My family is hugely supportive, my work is supportive, my friends are supportive. The hardest thing is getting 64 ounces of Water in each day. I was a water guzzler - sipping is really, really tough. Doctor says it gets easier, but I'll never be a guzzler again. Sip, sip, sip all day... As of tonight, I've lost 30 pounds since my pre-op weight. Cheers!