Sgt7546

So I am a 43-year-old male from Pittsburgh. I had a starting weight of 314, which dropped to 300 during the supervised pre-op insurance waiting period. I chose Dr. Anita Courcoulas as my surgeon. I had no pre-op liquid diet to attend to, just nothing after midnight the day before surgery. SURGERY DAY I was to arrive at 10:45 AM with a table time of 12:45 PM. Everything went on time. Starting in pre-op with an IV, consent forms, and a face to face with both the Surgeon and the Anesthesiologist. An interesting side note, from about 12:00 PM until at least 6:00 PM my family had no access to where I was. I knew this going into it and opted to just get to the hospital myself and my love ones came down after I was in a room. They were updated throughout the process by the nursing staff and by Dr. Courcoulas herself after surgery. I bring this up only to show there's a way to do the surgery without sticking your family in a hospital waiting room for hours. The surgery was on time and I was in my room a few hours later. I was really doped up and didn't feel any pain but I was aware that I was given IV meds for nausea. Around midnight I was up for a walk. The hardest part was getting into/out of bed. That first night they wake you damn near every hour for this or that. DAY ONE POST-OP Surgeon and other doctors were in to check up on me. IV fluids continued. By that point I had only used the Morphine pump 12 times since the start so it was discontinued. I was taken by wheel chair down for the Barium swallow to check for leaks. This test is very unpleasant but necessary. Back to the room for a nap. I woke and felt good. Started the sipping of fluids in little medicine cups. I think i went for three walks during the day and slept on and off at night. DAY TWO POST-OP I was discharged today around 2:30 PM. Prior to discharge I had a couple more walks, got a shower, and dressed in sweats and a t-shirt. I was given liquid narcotic pain medication to take home. Apparently this script is hard to get filled at a lot of pharmacies, but UPMC Magee has an outpatient pharmacy on floor "zero" that filled the script prior to me leaving. As it turns out I only used one dose of the medication, and that I gave myself before the car ride home. AT HOME I'm two days at home now. Pain is maybe a 2 out of 10. The hardest part still is getting up from a seated position. First day I slept a lot and only got 59 ounces in. Today I was up by 9am, my wife took me to a store so I could walk a bit more. It's almost 11:30 PM now and I'm headed to bed with 76 ounces in for the day. As far as the actual pain goes I'd say 80% is gas pain and it does hurt. Once your able to get up and start walking you will begin to burp and within a day or two begin to fart. Once this happens the gas passes really fast. Keep a bathroom handy though since you will have only liquids going in, you will end up with a whole new appreciation for the term diarrhea for the first few days at home. I have no idea if I lost any weight. I'm only going to get on the scale monthly, so January 1 I'll have a number. I will say my recliner seems to fit me better now. I'll report back with updates as they happen. Tom Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well how are you doing ?

Just a quick b4 and now pic. I'm far from done but heading the right way. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome. Good luck. It's worth it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just checking back in. Progress slowed a little during March but I still lost five pounds. I'm down 83 pounds overall, 70 of which are post op. My appetite is coming back some. I'm eating around 3-4 oz per meal. I started adding a bite or two of non-Proteins such as potato. All and all I'm very pleased. I'm back to lifting at the gym 3 days a week and continue to walk daily. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sleeved 12/1. . That was the morning of surgery. That was last week. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm three months post op. Down about 60 pounds. Life has dramatically improved. My high blood pressure is gone. I have a ton of energy now, and look forward to the final push to drop the rest over the next three months. I started as a tight 44 inch jeans, and now I'm getting ready to switch down to 36's. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well at 10 weeks post op I hit a huge milestone. I'm officially down 50 pounds!!! 51 pounds to be exact. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mine was UPMC insurance and I was approved within a few days. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Down 47 pounds since December 1, 2015. I'm just about ready to go down another pants size, I'm guessing next week. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just had the same problem with a bag of Doritos. I placed them in the garbage and the problem went away. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm officially eight weeks post-op and down 44 pounds. I was worried this week that I didn't lose any. I simply felt fat all week. I got on the scale and learned I actually lost four pounds. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm doing great. I'm down over 40 pounds, The food intake and Protein intake are going well, and back to work full capacity. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Another week in. I'm on the routine of chicken, chicken, and more chicken. I've been loosing more or less 3 pounds a week. No complaints. Only advice is eat slow and chew more. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I weigh once a week and totally agree it sucks when the number isn't want you thought it should be. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Had my follow-up appointment yesterday. Received my first B-12 shot. Was told I'm not loosing at the "normal" rate. We reviewed everything I'm doing and figured out I'm eating to fast. I was explaining that I often feel hungry between meals and I can eat at least 3 ounces at a time. I went home and had 2 oz for lunch and ate it over a 20 minute period and sure enough I was full. So the moral of that story is eat slower. In good news I'm down 3 more pounds this week. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No problem. If you any specific questions, myself and a couple others on here went through Magee and would be glad to help Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Five weeks post op and I'm starting to get hungry. I can get about 3oz of food in without any problems. For Snacks I've been doing sugar free Jello since it's only 5 calories and fills the void between meals. By the scale I'm down 34 pounds as of today. I've switched from 3x shirts to 2x shirts and am also down one pants size. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So I got a FitBit One for Christmas. I'm looking to add friends to do challenges. I'm sgt7546@msn.com if anyone wants to add me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Me too please: Sgt7546@msn.com Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent you a request Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I use bread crumbs in salmon cakes with no problems Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well it's been once month since surgery. All the pain has resolved itself and I'm back into jeans and t-shirts. Food/protein/water have been going in no problem. I'm down exactly 30 pounds in 30 days and it's starting to show . Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd announce to the family that I'm sorry for my MIL behavior, but bear in mind she's past menopause and dreading that she's used up the majority of her life. And you heard the SIL is bitter over that recent STD incident. But that's just me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pittsburgh Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk