angie pang

Lord have mercy! I made this for Sunday dinner at my sister's house. It was a hit. I made one modification and puréed some boiled zucchini and layered it. OMG!
I think I will use spinach next time.
I had a small square and I am so satisfied! I love the recipe and my skew

Another Aussie here. Sleeved 10 months ago by Dr Joseph in the Mater hospital Sydney.
I cant say enough good things about how the surgery has gone for me. Most the surgery was covered under my health fund, including private hospital but still out of pocket around $5k.
I have lost 66kgs in the last 10 months and am happier and healthier than I could have imagined!
Happy to answer any questions anyone has.
Good luck to you all on your journey.

Hi all I had sleeve Sydney 1 year and 6 months ago 80 kilos down and very pleased slowing down need to do some work to get the last 20 off. The sleeve has given me back my life I am very happy.

I'm so excited that my journey has finally begun. I feel like if i won the lottery. I have a new lease on life and I can't wait! Im looking forward to doing all the things I can't do now, like play with my kids on the floor, tie my shoes, go up a flight of stairs without losing my breath, etc... I know this journey will be challenging but its better than not doing anything at all, and allowing my weight to continue controlling me. :wub:

Then we were sleeved the same day! June 26 in Australia is June 25 in USA! Freaks my mom out all the time!
Great job so far!!

Hi everyone, I'm Paul (Paulie), and I just joined up. I had surgery in Tijuana on June 14th after flying into San Diego that very afternoon. I just wanted to share a little about my journey and experience, figuring it may help others (especially guys) who are thinking about taking the plunge.
This'll be long, as I want to share.
TL;DR: - Best. Medical. Experience. EVER.
I've been fat my whole post-pubescent life. I started getting chubby at 13, and through ups and downs have battled weight my entire life. I've tried NutriSystem, Weight Watchers, Atkins, just working out, and everything else I can think of. My best experience was moving to Japan with no money - a few months in a country where you don't speak the language, walk an hour to work each day in sweltering heat and have only enough coins in your pocket for rice and Water really helps the weight loss. I dropped 150 lbs (380 to 230) in 6 months, and then gained all that back over the next few years.
I moved back to Canada in 2004 at about 320lbs, and swelled over the next 7 years until I was about 420 at my wedding in October of 2011. I knew I wanted to do something about my weight, having a young son and planning to have another with my wife as soon as possible. I want to be able to run and play with my kids and not be Fat Dad.
Married life was very good to me, and by May of 2012, I was a hair under 490. My doctor here had recommended some form of gastric surgery for over a year, and started pushing me to lose weight this past spring. I'd heard about a local agency on the radio and sought out some reviews, and decided to take the plunge. I was determined to change my life and do it quickly. Adele at Global Healthcare Connections talked to me about my options, and I chose Dr. Kelly based on reviews my wife and I found on the web. I immediately started a liver reduction diet - 2 weeks of high Protein followed by 2 weeks of liquids right before the surgery. I was booked in for June 14th, and though nervous as all get out (I'd never so much as had a filling before), was determined to drop some weight before the surgery.
I lost 22 lbs before the surgery, weighing in at 468 the day before flying out. I was headed down with another patient (Hi V!) and Adele from GHC joined us, as my wife isn't able to travel and I really wanted someone there to guide me through things.
We were picked up at the San Diego airport by Cece, Dr. Kelly's wife, and whisked across the border into Tijuana. I'd been to Mexico before, and my dad had painted a colourful picture of Tijuana from his visit there in the 80's, but I was pleasantly surprised at how the city came across.
Checking in at the hospital was a breeze, thanks to Omar - Dr. Kelly's majordomo and right hand man. Really, enough good things cannot be said about Omar. The main is a saint and deserves all rewards that come his way. He made me feel at ease, comfortable, and confident that surgery was going to be great, and I would be well taken care of.
Settling into a room with a bed for me and a queen sized bed for my travel companion, along with my own private washroom, I was then visited by the staff.
The nurses all spoke English to some degree and all were kind, caring and proficient. Within an hour of arriving, I'd had a couple of doctors visit to do an EKG or EEG or something - he stuck sticky pads on me and read how my heart was doing. My blood pressure was taken, and blood was given to back up the lab results I'd brought down from a visit to my own doctor earlier in the week.
The only rough spot in my experience was getting my IV. As a fat guy, my veins aren't so visible, and when the poor young nurse tried locating a vein in my hand, she ended up piercing some muscle and sticking the needle into a bone. I can safely say that was the most pain I felt in the entire experience, and I will freely admit that I'm a big baby with no pain threshold.
Thankfully, a more experienced nurse came into the room quickly, and with one painless swoop places the IV in the crook of my elbow. I was then visited by the doctor on staff - between the doctors and nurses, someone checked up on me every 30 minutes or so throughout my whole stay.
When it came time for my surgery, then asked me to get onto the gurney (how do you spell that?) from my bed, and then wheeled me down the hall, humoring my requests to go faster. I entered the operating room, saw some lights and men standing over me, and remember my arms being strapped down to something as I asked "You really need to strap me down, you're not going to knock me out?" before I got a little dizzy and fell asleep.
I woke up later, and there was soreness in my gut for all of 30 seconds before a nurse came in and put some pain medication in my IV. My first coherent thought was "How the hell did they move me off the gurney and back into my bed?"
I had 4 incisions, the largest being just to my left side of my belly button, where my stomach was extracted. I also had a drainage tube in my left side, attached to a pouch, which led to a humorous (to me, at least) event when I first tried rolling over to get out of bed and use the washroom. I rolled onto the pouch, which popped open, blood spraying all over me and the bed and the room. It was shocking, and the nurses quickly came in and cleaned everything up, laughing at my clumsiness. Their demeanor calmed me, and the drainage tube was quickly explained.
I slept quite well that night, and was walking around the hospital slowly the next day. I had no core strength and needed to be helped to sit up for the first couple of days, but felt quite good, chewing on ice as my lips and mouth were quite dry.
Omar, Dr. Kelly, and the other patients were all extremely supportive and jovial. I don't want to mention other patient names to protect their privacy, but I was the only male, and there were 2 women who had surgery the same day as I did, and a group of 3 (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE ) who came in together from different parts of the US for surgery on the 15th.
After recovering for the 15th and the morning of the 16th, it was time to head out - first for a barium leak test, and then to our hotel for another couple of days of recovery. The barium swallow and scan at Angeles hospital was great. It didn't taste bad at all, and we had water to wash it down with. Omar video'd the experience on an iPad and immediately emailed it to us. We received our x-rays as well as had a chance to get weighed. I was 460 on the nose, now 30 lbs down from starting - thanks to losing a heavy and large stomach pouch. We were then settled in our hotel, where I was lucky enough to have a pool-view room.
What I thought was great is that Dr. Kelly provided us with a cooler of things that we could enjoy at the hospital - gatorades, other drinks, and Jello. We were also given all of our medication - pain killers, antacids, antibiotics, and something else that I can't recall right now. Treatment was not over, however. Each day both Omar and CeCe came to visit - CeCe to check on sores and rebandage anything that needed looking at, and Omar to take us out for lunch - he'd scouted out all the best broth places in town, or to take the ladies shopping. I heard that the women even received pedicures right in their rooms!! The service and care was just incredible.
Though I wasn't flying out till Monday, most of the Wed/Thurs patients were leaving on Sunday, and so on Saturday night Dr. Kelly took us out to dinner - all 6 patients and their companions, along with his wife CeCe, and their son Ricardo. Of course, Omar joined us too! The fish broth was outstanding, and the food that the companions got to eat looked stellar. It was just a really great feeling to get to sit and chat with the Doctor and the other patients, and share that experience - along with some interesting entertainment from some live singers!
Heading back to San Diego was quick and easy, thanks to Dr. Kelly having a medical pass for his van, allowing us to skip the giant line up at the border. Flying home was great too! For Canadian visitors, I highly recommend WestJet - the staff knew that I'd just had surgery, and were extremely accommodating (a row to myself? yes please), and Adele had arranged wheelchair and motorized transport in the Calgary airport to make it easy to catch the connecting flight.
I've spent a couple of weeks recovering before starting up at work, and am down to 433 lbs already! I have so much more energy than before, and though not all my sores are healed yet (the big one is still closing, the rest have closed and are healing over) I feel optimistic, hopeful, and extremely positive about the future.
I look forward to the group sessions at Global Healthcare Connections, and starting work with a trainer in the fall. My goal is to run a mini-Ironman in the summer of my 40th year - two years away. I'll keep everyone posted.
Thanks for reading, and good luck to those waiting to make a change - it's already the best thing (next to getting married and being a dad) that I could've asked for in life.

Today is my 10 month surgiversary!
Sleeved 4/13/2011
Height 5'5"
Start weight -210.5
Today - 143.4
BMI went from 35 to 23.9
Went from a size 18 to size 8 in 10 months - I am so grateful everyday that I made the decision to have wls, and that I chose the sleeve. I can't say it's for everyone, but it's definitely the right choice for me.
Dr. Aceves did my surgery, great experience and highly recommend him.

Yes to milk! Slow goes.. Just to make sure u tolerate. I need smart milk now

Crossfit is intense. I waited 8 weeks to do it again after surgery. It still kicks my ass every time - and I love it!!

Sleeved July 18th
Height 5'7"
Starting weight 93kg
Surgery weight 90kg
Weight today 87kg
Goal weight by sept 21st (my 30th aghh) 74kg
Goal weight- anything under 70kg and I will be over the moon!

Thanks Chad, I'm from Australia.
Good luck in September.

Thanks Chad, I'm from Australia.
Good luck in September.

Being short of breath
Sweating…all of the time
Constantly self-conscious
Worrying about eating in front of others
Being squished in an airplane, Angel Game, Concerts, etc.
Worrying about fitting in rides at Disneyland
Obsessing about food
Physical pain; arms, shoulders, back, knees, etc.
Going to the restroom more easily
Wearing flats or ugly shoes because high heels are exhausting
Missing out on life
Comparing myself to every other woman
Feeling lazy or tired all of the time
Not being able to keep up
Shopping at fat-kid stores
Not fitting into CLOTHES!
Hating my reflection in the mirror when I am naked, I literally cringe and look away
Jiggly arms
My legs rubbing together, holy rash
Tugging at my clothes to hide the bells rolls
Laying on the bed to button pants and then being in pain all day from sucking it in
Bathing suits!
People thinking “she has a great personality”….there’s more under there!
Faking happiness
Getting my hair as big as possible to off-set my double chins
Not ever being in “the mood”
Being the fat kid in the family
Dreading people’s reaction when they are next to me on a plane
Knocking over things because my ass has a mind of its own
Long showers and needing a nap after them
Sitting on my husband’s lap
Not afraid to squish my husband
Getting my back fat played like a wash board
Children asking if I can even be tickled through all of that fat
Looking at the “skinny’ clothes in my closet….loathe
Having to return an outfit because the person thought I was a much smaller size
Knowing that stepping on the scale means I’ll be eating a **** ton of ice cream and in a deep depression that night
Pretending I know about nutrition when my doctors lecture
Thinking if I just lost the weight, I’d be able to tackle the world
Society assuming I am a lazy pig
Not chasing my dreams of performing because the anxiety of being on display is crippling
Being too big to zipline in Maui
Being too big to horseback ride in Maui
Being too out of breath to hike down to the blow hole
Wearing tights and just dying to rip them off at the end of the day
Never wearing shorts
Wearing dresses to hide my figure
Online dating and picture a great picture of my face, getting to the date only panicked because I know they will be disappointed with the rest of me
Having to buy a circus tent to use as a bra
My husband saying I have sleep apnea
Being the one who would rather take the picture then be in the picture
Breaking a glass table from sitting on it
Not wrapping my arms around my husband
Being able to balance, I swear my stomach throws me off balance
Shopping in the maternity section when your coworkers pregnant sister has the same dress
My cankles!
Wide shoes
Anything stretchy
Someone asking where I got that cute shirt and lying because I don’t want to tell them a fat kid store
BBW- I HATE the acronym for “big beautiful woman!”
Never cutting my hair so it can hide my face and back fat
Being the big bride
Not crossing my legs…..because I can’t
Sitting and using my belly as a table
Doing everything I can to avoid bending over because let’s face it, it’s freakin’ hard to get back up
Feeling miserably ill after eating too much
Realizing I am more likely to miscarry when pregnant
PCOS
Wanting a baby so badly, but worried about the high risk pregnancy
Stretch marks
Feeling my stomach sitting on my lap when I sit down (my fanny pack)
Ditching my high school reunion because I didn’t want to be the girl who gained 100 lbs. in 10 years
My boobs crowding my throat
My wedding ring never coming off because it keeps getting tighter
Not being able to see my feet
Not being able to give myself a pedicure without sweating and being short of breath!

I am 29 years old and have struggled my whole life with weight fluctuations. I've always exercised but struggled to lose weight. In the last one and a half years I have exercised twice a day Monday to Friday, morning training was an hour of intense crossfit and in the afternoon I would go for a run. Saturday was 2 hrs of crossfit and Sunday a 10km run. My weight has stayed at 93kg. I'm a qualified chef so I know what's good for me and what's not. As you can imagine I was getting very depressed. I refused to go out to restaurants or even go on any social events as I was so unhappy with myself.
My partner's dad had just had a sleeve due to his diabetes. So it was from watching him lose all of his weight that I knew that this would be my answer.
I spoke to Dr Liew and explained my story. I was so happy when he said yes, he will do this operation for me.
The night before my operation: I hadn't slept for a few nights thinking about 'Cathy the catheta'. It scared me thinking about what the pain is like having it put in and having it pulled out. I was really terrified, I didn't even end up having one.
The day of the operation: after waiting an hour in the waiting room at the hospital I was called up and ready to go. Inside I was freaking out and just wanted to cry. The nursing staff were lovely and made me feel a lot better.
The operation went well, and I felt as anyone would after an operation. I had intense pain from what felt like reflux below my chest that lasted until I fell asleep that night. The morphine helped eventually.
The next morning: I woke up fine, wasn't in pain, my pain was a 1 out of 10 pretty much the whole day. I was given a buffet of icecream, puree apple, custard, jelly, chicken Soup, OJ and coffee. I had 1/2 a tsp of jelly and custard and that was it really. Oh and the coffee about 5 sips, it was sooo good, but was scared to have more not knowing what my stomach will do or if it will like it. The nurse took me on walks up and down the corridor and I sat most of the day until I was sent home that afternoon.
My first night home: I slept flat and woke up at 1am with chronic indigestion. It was horrible, I had to sit up and try to walk off the pain. It took about an hour to go away and ice cubes helped.
Today (Day 3 after the operation): I slept on an incline and the indigestion has subsided. Things are feeling a lot better.. I can't wait until I start seeing results!

Its my husbands first day home and 3rd day post op he is very happy to be home, but I have noticed its a little harder to keep him drinking fluids at home. I have enlisted the help of our kids, every time they walk by dad they ask him if he has drank something. It seems to be helping we went for a slow walk around our neighborhood park and he did great, the more he walks the easier it is to pass his gas, which means less belly pain. He is having sugar free Jello 2oz every 15 min and will have some pain yogurt later today. He is trying to sleep but in a house with 3 kids, its a little hard. Hopefully this means he will sleep through the night. good luck to all the post ops and the future ops, your future is in your hands

Congratulations!!! welcome to the rest of your life.. it's going to be amazing.