Allan Cameron

This is a great idea, thank you for sharing! Now I have to go shopping...

Surgery was June 7th, weighed 440, started out at 456 when I decided to finally go thru with this...just made it to 400 this week...clothes are starting to be too big, and I can easily bend over to put on shoes and socks...not a big deal for most people, but it is a big deal for those of us who couldn't...I started way heavier than most so I expect my loss rate is going to be higher than most...

I work for the military, and the only secrets I keep are those Classified by the government... When I was thinking about having surgery I talked to by boss and coworkers. Most of them are of course GIs and have to stay in shape or get kicked out, I'm a civilian and as such don't have the same PT rules. Once I made the decision everyone publicly has been very supportive. I've got plenty of sick leave, and no one seems bothered when I take a couple of days just because... Eventually it is going to be obvious I've made a lifestyle change, I know I won't be going to out to eat or drink with coworkers in the future, but I'm looking at this long term. This is how I'm going to get healthy again...

If you didn't have second thoughts I think that would be a big worry. This is a huge decision, that will impact you and your family for the rest of your life. This is NOT a decision to take lightly. If you have done your research, and your family supports you (I don't believe in secrets, other than those I must keep for my military Security Clearance, so I told anyone and everyone), then second thoughts are just a rational mind weighing the pro and cons. My two cents worth...

Still relearning what I can and of course cannot eat, but I have to say I'm seldom if ever hungry, for me it is deffienatly a case of having to remember to eat, so I must be pretty stupid... And when I do eat, I can only eat a very, very small ammount. About one egg is tops. And there is no overeating, that is painfull and for many, many hours... I've caught myself planning what it is I'm going to eat, but usaully that is to ensure I get the flavours I want, from the miniscule ammounts that I'm taking in.

I too had a drain tube and bulb, felt little pain but it was strange them pulling that long cord out of me...Surgery on a Friday, the drain stayed in over the weekend and came out early Monday when I was released back into the wild...

Seems to be a very quiet corner... Just sleeved on June 7th at Madigan on JBLM. I retired from the Air Force in 1994 after 18 years of service. Presently work on McChord Field at JBLM.

Olympia Washington, Surgery done at Madigan on JBLM

I'm from down Olympia way, got my sleeve surgery down at Madigan on JBLM. Got to loose the weight so my wife and I can enjoy our sailboat once again... That and travel around the country. The military sent us all over the world, to the point that we've been to more countries than states here in the good ole US of A, now is the time I choose to lose the weight and start a wonderful retirement.

We all wear personas throughout our lives. I've been a tan skinny sailing instructor, a quiet GI letting others lead that didn't really know what they were doing and then became the leader, the guy that ran towards the trouble. The one they called when they needed a calm head to bail things out. Eventually I became the big guy in the back quietly letting others do the work, but I was always there to point the way to those that got lost. Now I don't know who I'll be, I've been the quiet big guy for almost twenty years now, trying to stay out of the light, back in the shadows. I expect I'll move back up towards the front, I'm sure it will ruffle some feathers and I won't be quite as well liked, but you gotta be who you want to be. Skinny or Fat we all find our way to be what ever it is we can stand to be. I may be 56 years young, but inside my head I'm still a 19 year old goof ball trying to figure out what I'm going to do when I grow up...here's to finding your way, whatever way that is you choose.

I'm a relatively recent sleeve (June 7th), and consider myself problem free. I've had a couple of issues, didn't really know how to sip, but that was my own stupidity, not a real problem, just had to listen to others and learn. I've only thrown up once in two weeks, again my own stupidity, not a real problem. I have NO REGRETS, 15 days and down 35 lbs, this is fantastic. Best decision I've made in years.

I went into Basic weighing in at or near 180, came out over 200 and that was the beginning of a lifetime fight with my weight and the military weight management program. Retired in 1994 after 18 years under the DESERT STORM RIF, and unfortunately kept putting on weight. Had a bad experience with anesthesia in 94 so I wouldn't even listen to the docs when they recommended surgery. Finally in 2012 I had Kidney Cancer, lost the left Kidney but on the plus side the surgery and anesthesia issues were gone. So this year, June 7th back into the hospital (Madigan at JBLM) and I was sleeved. Time will tell, but I'm going to try and get back to my before Basic weight...maybe, anything under 200 is going to be just unbelievable.

The first couple of days it seemed impossible to both count the protein and drink enough water to stay hydrated. Three weeks later it is normal... You just drink, very slowly, sipping (some of us had to learn the hard way how to sip) and keep at it. The first three or four days I felt I wasn't going to figure it out. Now I've figured it out. You will learn what the new you can handle, and unfortunately what you cannot...

Check out the "Western Washington Sleevers" forum, particularly the Seattle Flab discussion... I'm down in Olympia and retired military, so my experiences are going to be quite different from what you will go thru... Al

I expect it's kinda troll like to say Knowledge Is Power, but damn it helps to know what the heck is going on, and what I should expect. Though the support group I have at my Hospital is a little light on men, I've been there as the one and only male in the group sometimes...gals I love ya, but I really don't want to know how surgery is going to effect your period. The hair tips I do like to hear about, but then again I'm not normal in that respect...but back to the point there are some good books (I liked "The Sleeved Life: A Patient Guide on Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Weight Loss Surgery") that will give you an idea of things to come. And everyone can use a support group. This place is great for being able to ask questions and read about other's issues and stories...we are all in this together

I'd echo CCarterRN's comment that we are all different and have to learn to listen to our bodies. Even while I was in the Hospital for my three days, they wanted to watch a clock, my body obviously has never learned about clocks, when it needed to do it's thing it did it regardless of the digits or hands on the wall...and yes in my case boy did the pain meds do a number on BM...

laurenthomp93, I'm on my 7th day post op and I still burp with almost every sip, and the gas can really be a pain. Luckily for me nausea has not been a symptom of mine very often. I think part of my problem is I don't really know how to sip, I used to down a 24oz (or bigger) drink in one log gulp. My wife has pointed out to me that I suck while I sip, which mean I'm probably getting in lots of air with each sip. We are all different, so you may in fact know exactly how to sip, unlike me, but I just thought I'd try to share... Al

Monday, Monday, Monday!!! It feels good to be on the path, I wish you nothing but joy!

June 7th was my big day, trying to only sip...and count protein g's. Pain is minimal, gas is still a bit of an issue, but I think that has to do with lack of sipping skills...

I'm going to try and stay away from the scale, tipped on end and put between the bed and my night stand. We'll see if that keeps me off the damn thing. After putting up with pain for months last year after my Kidney surgery, I ready for pain to be out of my life...

hmm, could it be that they had a laparoscopic labotomy? oops now I'm the one making smart ass comments

I'm new to all this, just had my surgery on the 7th, but just as others have said here being fat does not define us, hell I'm still 19 inside my head even though the calendar says I'm 56. I'm starting this journey weighing in at 450 on an under six foot frame, in a very skinny military G.I. environment where everybody else has to go to PT every day and if their waists get over 36 inches the world will come to an end. Embrace yourself, be yourself, your personality is yours and as long as we are true to ourselves we can persevere. I don't know that I'll ever be "skinny" but I'm not going to be "fat" either...I want to be me...