Yet another new sleeve patient in recovery

[Thomas B 1]

Was looking around the web for more info and stories about life after gastric sleeve surgery and found this nice place.

Back in Jan of this year, I decided to investigate gastric surgery after hearing about the gastric sleeve. (I never liked the radicalness of the all up gastric bypass and heard and saw too many lap band failure stories from friends) I am an engineer by profession and the sleeve operation appealed to me by being between those two extremes.

I am 6'1", 54 years old and weighed 420 lbs when I attended my first doctor sponsored seminar here in Fort Worth in Jan 2011. My health problems were numerous: type two diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, high triglycerides. high cholesterol. Each was keep somewhat at bay by the 8 meds I was on at the time. Color me a stress eater/boredom eater and a guy who loved all the wrong foods. I had become so weighed down that I was not able to keep up my normal activities very well. Other health issues included lots of joint pain and scary bad leg swelling.

Robin, my wonderful and fairly new wife of about two years and I did this as a team. She is 6 feet tall, 56 years old and weighed about 348 lbs at the beginning of the year. She had her gastric sleeve operation on July 18 and is doing well, with very minimal side effects. As she is a high school teacher, she was able to have 4 weeks off before the fall semester started. Seven weeks post op, she is tolerating small meals of all the foods you should be eating very well. I would rate her as 98% free of any post op discomfort or issues. She has lost about 35 lbs since the operation.

I was able to loose about 11 lbs before entering the three month nutrition program held by my doctors faciility and required by my insurance. During these three months I basically kept at that weight level. Due to my size, the doc put me on a liquid protien diet for 3.5 weeks befor my operation.

During prep for the operation, after hearing about how statin type drugs can cause joint and muscle pain, I decided to try forgoing my cholestrol meds (pravastatin), since I would soon not need them nearly as much. As I had hoped, this single step got rid of more than 90% of my severe joint and muscle pain. Also, my cardiac doc mentioned that the Avandia I was taking was likely causing my leg swelling issues. (This was never mentioned by my GP doc during the eight previous years). The week before I started the liquid protien diet, I stopped the Avandia under a doctors observation and within a week, my leg swelling issues were reduced more than 95%. Blood sugar numbers remained good. With all the bad press and negative stories about Avandia, I was really glad to get rid of that scary drug!

I also started using a CPAP machine to treat my sleep apnea in April 2011 (STRONGLY suggested by my weight loss doc (and should have done this years ago)) Was a very effective treatment for my sleep apnea, if a little uncomfortable after 6 hours in bed.

By the morning of my operation I had managed to loose another 38 lbs in the 3.5 weeks before surgery, for a very encouraging total of 49 lbs for the year. I hoped the surgeon enjoyed all that extra elbow room I had helped create inside myself for him during the operation!

I had the operation the day before my birthday on Aug 29, 2011. All went as planned and I was out of the hospital by 5PM on Aug 30.

Original plan was to take about a week off work and return the day after Labor Day, on Sept 6. In reality, I took two more days and returned to work pretty fatigued on Sept 8. Took the "good" pain meds for about 1.5 days after getting home and since them, extra strength Tylenol was all I needed for pain, and not much of that.

Doing OK so far. My new stomach and old parts of my digestive track gurgle and growl a lot, but seems to very slowly reducing this effect. Some gas discomfort despite gas reducing meds. Feeling a lot of fatigue and a very low energy level, with some evidence of moderate dehydration, but have slowly been ramping up my fluids and liquid protien intake to suggested levels (hard work) and have recently started on the suggested Vitamin regimen after the full week of Clear Liquids post-op. No vomiting or reflux so far. Have had a fair amount of very watery and thin stools.

Was able to reduce another drug to a very small level and stopped taking another one, so am now off of 3.5 of my 8 medications, with good blood sugar and blood pressure numbers to date. Really looking forward to getting down to one or two meds instead of the eight I used to take!

Now in the second week of full liquid diet post op, mostly the Bari-essientials protien drink suggested by my doctor. Going to ramp up the walking a little more this week. Should have walked more during the last two weeks, but was very lethargic.

Only annoying side effects so far is the much greater than anticipated fatigue, which I am working on now, plus the relentless gurgling of my new plumbing.

I ran on a bit, but I guess I had a lot to say!

Let me say now that I have no "buyer's remorse", so far. My goal weight is about 220 lbs. Am now at 366, so 146 to go.

(My doctor was Dr. David Kim here in the Fort Worth area. Could not be happier with him or his staff, so far. Yes, I met Nate Newton, his most famous patient that is featured heavily in his advertising...a very nice guy!)

Wish us luck!

Thomas B.

[Shea 13]

I'm glad you and you're wife are doing very well. Keep up the great work and you both keep on rock'n your sleeves!!!

[Tony666 0]

Excellent news! We were sleeved on the same day, and have a lot of the same comorbidities. I am looking forward to coming off insulin completely soon. Keep up the good work!!

[Thomas B 1]

An update at 3.5 weeks post sleeve surgery. Things are going pretty well for the most part. Just started the soft food phase recently and am doing about three soft meals and two Protein Shakes.< /p>

Was sleeved at 371 lbs and have lost about 12 more since surgery. Might be on a little bit of a plateau as I had lost a lot before surgery, on the pre-op diet..about 38 lbs.

Tolerating soft scrambled eggs with a little bit of reduced fat cheese very well, plus some fat free tuna or chicken salad blenderized a little bit. A ripe and soft half a banana goes down easily.

I seem to have a pretty happy sleeve...As long as I eat slowly, it gives me a gentle warning at 3-4 oz of soft food. If I eat a little too fast, the warning is a little stronger.

Doing better with room temp Water than cold water, as many report. I also do well with a mix of 1/2 water and 1/2 G2 low cal Gatoraid.

Do have days with excess fatigue weighing me down, since I have returned to work. Have missed a coupe of days with it. I am taking 100% of the Vitamins prescribed, but sometimes fall a little short on liquids.

Am walking a little more this week and have hopes that more exercise will help with the fatigue over time.

My wife Robin is now a little over three months post sleeve and is doing very well.

[Thomas B 1]

Thought it might be worth updating my report from more than three months ago.

Weight loss numbers are very encouraging. I busted through the 300 lb mark into the "2's" this past weekend and am now down 121 lbs, since I started the journey about a year ago, including pre operation nutrition, pre operation liquid diet and post operation sleeve diet.

I was sleeved on Aug 29 at 371 lbs and now at 299, just shy of 5 months later. Call it 20 weeks since the sleeve, with a average weight loss of 3.6 lbs/week since the operation. I am just 59 lbs from my basic goal of 240 lbs and have erased more than 20 years of almost continous weight gain.

I can basically eat 4-6 oz of any kind of food I want to eat...have not found any limitations whatsoever. I have a very happy sleeve.

I am staying with a regimen of a 300 calorie Breakfast including eggs and some sort of meat and or cheese based Protein, a Protein Shake twice a day, sometimes with a little other protein added and a fairly light 300-400 calorie meal in the evening. Probably averaging 1100-1300 calories a day with pretty restricted carbs. Have ramped up the walking a good bit for aerobic exercise.

Numerous small victories...some new clothes at MUCH reduced sizes and being able to travel by air without asking for a seatbelt extension among them.

All blood work is spot on with only a couple of very tiny deviations. Vitamin absorbtion is going well. BP and blood sugar are doing better than they have in 25 years.

Early post surgical fatigue is gone completely.....I now have more energy and feel better than I have had in many, many years.

Let me say again that my experience with Dr. Kim and his great staff has been stellar.I know there have been some criticisms about Dr. Kim only seeing a patient once or twice during the process, but in my opinion, it is more important for him to be helping as many folks as possible and getting them started on their path to better health and a much improved life. My experience with his staff has been excellent and due to that, I do not feel slighted at all by any lack of direct doctor attention.

I hope everyone out there has as great a result from their sleeve as I have had so far. Good luck to all!

[hadouni 301]

So great to hear both you and your wife are experiencing good outcomes! Congratulations!

[Helen the Cat 42]

Thomas,

You are doing really great!!! Am very happy for your and your wife's success. I am 7 1/2 months post op and am down 98-99 pounds (depending on the day). I am so thrilled with my results. I am 10 pounds from my goal, and even if I never lose another ounce, am thrilled!

I think the sleeve is a tool that will work well for me the rest of my life. Just wish it had been available 30 years ago! I am 62 (almost 63). Wish I could have benefitted from this in my 20s or 30s. But still am thankful for it now!

Keep on posting to those of us that follow the boards on a regular basis will know how you are doing!

Again, Congratulations!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)