I have really been going back and forth as whether to post here or not. I guess I am sort of a "forum person" in my hobbies and areas of interest, but I have to be honest, I have avoided posting on this site or even looking at it for a couple of reasons. I found this site only a few days before my surgery but when I found it I found more negativity and frightened people then I found inspiration. Actually, I have gone here and gotten the (bleep) scared out of me by a few posters, every time I see their posts I get knots in my stomach. The main poster that does that to me has a screen name that starts with the letter "i". Everybody is terrified of leaks and all the negatives of this surgery and I just haven't been able to relate to many of the topics. Below I will share some of the basics of my journey so far.

First off, I am a 35 year old male who is 6 feet 3 inches tall. I wasn't fat my whole life, I actually weighed 218 when I was 19 years old. That was pretty close to a "perfect" weight for me. I got into a business where the guys I worked with partied, ate, and drank to excess. Over the years I ballooned to 445 lbs which is where I have been for the past 2-3 years. In 2010 I was considering the lap band but chickened out. I was back on in 2011 but chickened out again. In 2012 I HAD to make a decision because I was put on Metformin for borderline diabetes and Lisinopril for borderline blood pressure as well. That was it. I started again with the nutritionist appointments and made an appt. to see my surgeon who is located downtown Chicago a few miles from my house. My first appt. with him was in early October 2012 and he suggested a VSG instead of the lap band because of the large amount of weight I wanted to lose. I left thinking about it and did the rest of my pre op requirements such as upper GI, psyche, EKG, etc. I saw my surgeon again on November 14th, 2012 and we decided on the VSG (which I really didn't know a lot about). We set surgery for December 21st, 2012.

Because I am a big fella, my surgeon put me on a 28 day pre op liquid only diet (to shrink my liver and loosen my skin) which I started on November 23rd, 2012 (the day after Thanksgiving). The first few days were tough but I have very strong will power and stuck to it, following the requirements to the letter. I didn't cheat even once. Again, not even once. After about 12 days it was smooth sailing and I just plugged away and kept up the exercise plan that I had been doing for over a year which was just walking 1.5 miles, three times per week at my local YMCA. I didn't weigh myself even once the entire plan and weighed myself the morning of surgery. To my astonishment I lost a staggering 49 lbs!!!!I I couldn't even believe it, to be honest with you I began to sob like a little girl! I went from 445 to 396. I was just so shocked. My surgeon told me that I broke his practice record which was previously 45 lbs for a pre op diet. Again, I LOST 49 LBS IN 28 DAYS!!!

On the morning of December 21st, 2012 I was ready for surgery at a major hospital downtown Chicago. I arrived, valet parked, checked in, and was laying on the table prepped for surgery within 1 hour just waiting for the anesthesiologist. I was in surgery about an hour and a half later and the surgery took 2 1/2 hours. I am going to cut the details of my hospital stay down so readers aren't sitting here all day reading. Any questions just ask me. I wanted to leave the hospital the next evening but my surgeon said that he wouldn't allow me to break two records and that I should stay another night. Quick recap, I was checked into my room after surgery at 6pm Friday night and was discharged from the hospital at 11am Sunday morning, less then 48 hours after entering my room.

Upon arriving home I checked my weight, expecting to have lost a few lbs, and actually gained back 2 lbs due to all the fluids that were pumped into me. I was back up to 398. My recovery went ok I think, I was in a lot of pain along my largest incision which is about 3+ inches wide. I was on Tramadol which sucks. It took me 9 days to finish the 25 pills that I was prescribed since I was skipping doses. I was home on Sunday morning and by Wednesday morning I was off to the YMCA where I walked only one lap around the track. I limped around and talked to my friends there before going home. I was back at the YMCA on Friday and actually walked 5 laps (a half mile). I finally weighed myself on Friday, one week after surgery, and I was down from 398 to 391. I weighed myself again on Sunday afternoon and I lost another 4 lbs from Friday to Sunday, 9 lbs in 9 days, ending up at 387 lbs, 58 lbs down in 38 days.

So that's basically that. It's been over 10 days now since surgery and I am feeling like a million bucks. Here are the "scary" parts. I am using the term scary because after reading this site I would have thought I was going to die from this surgery. I HAVE NOT been nauseous even for one second since surgery. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOT thrown up, or even gagged for that matter, not even once. I AM ABLE to drink 60ozs of Fluid per day. I just started puree on Saturday, 8 days out, and it's been perfect. I had 4 ozs of low fat cottage cheese (which I LOVE) today as well as only one Protein shake, a bowl of tomato Soup, and plenty of Water. I AM NOT hungry, EVER. I just eat to live, that's it. Today I feel the best that I have felt since surgery. Every day gets better. My goal is to lose 220 lbs, 100 in three months from the start of my pre op diet on November 23rd. I WILL do it.

I know I left out a bunch so fire away (or ask any questions that you want).

Thanks for this great info! I am drinking the Whey chocolate powder stuff from Walmart mixed with 2% milk. (Please don't tell me that 2% milk is to filled with fat, I drank it for 28 days pre op and lost 49 lbs.) They have become disgusting to me.

Please tell me more about "Maybe something like Nectar's Lemon Tea mixed with Water?" Is there "flavorless" Protein that actually does the job????

I use 2% too but water it down half milk/half water simply because we cannot have 2 gallons of milk in the fridge without wasting it.

Using a spoon of instant decaf in my shakes got me through some tough times when I didn't like them. Also, beneprotein or nectar unflavored are both pretty mild - I put them in hot chocolate. Jay Robb is expensive but I find it at Kroger and I believe Whole Foods has it too. Again, it got me by and has a smoother taste than alot of others.

I've use 2% from the beginning. It actually astounded me that people in my support group were making it with Water. They are 99.9% RNY patients, but nobody told them that they were allowed to make the shake decent.

I had one this morning with 4 oz. of frozen coffee and 4 oz of 2% milk, a bit of Torani SF chocolate syrup, 1 shake of two of SF chocolate Jello pudding powder and a scoop of chocolate whey isolate powder. I use pro Max from SEI.

I love the shakes. I'm using them to lose my last 17 pounds.

Some ppl like to be brutally honest. It validates their sense of self-righteous superiority complex. Sometimes such much insensitivity can be hard to ignore even for the most thick-skin. It's not about being afraid to post out of fear of a reality check but not wanting to associate with negativity that is unnecessary harsh. Honesty is not interchangeable with rudeness.

Some ppl like to be brutally honest. It validates their sense of self-righteous superiority complex. Sometimes such much insensitivity can be hard to ignore even for the most thick-skin. It's not about being afraid to post out of fear of a reality check but not wanting to associate with negativity that is unnecessary harsh. Honesty is not interchangeable with rudeness.

Pot, meet Kettle.

Thanks for this great info! I am drinking the whey chocolate powder stuff from Walmart mixed with 2% milk. (Please don't tell me that 2% milk is to filled with fat' date=' I drank it for 28 days pre op and lost 49 lbs.) They have become disgusting to me.

Please tell me more about "Maybe something like Nectar's Lemon Tea mixed with Water?" Is there "flavorless" Protein that actually does the job????[/quote']

No, no, no....I didn't mean to indicate there was anything wrong with 2%. Only that I get sick of milk-based Protein shakes. I like something a little different every once in awhile. I have been drinking protein shakes for years for working out, competing, and running. I feel like I've made an art form out of protein shakes.

Information for the nectar Lemon Tea: (taken from the Syntrax website)

Syntrax Nectar Lemon Tea

32.5 Servings

UPC: 0893912123765

Syntrax Nectar Lemon Tea Protein shake is so delicious you'll feel like you're drinking real iced tea! If you like lemon tea then substituting your Lipton for Nectar Lemon Tea will be so easy you'll forget how healthy and nutritious it is. Kick your weight loss program off with a bang drinking this promina whey protein shake featuring zero fat, and zero carbs. Also available in a convenient single serving size. See the Nectar Grab-n-Go's which contain 12 single servings.

Key Syntrax Nectar Protein Features:

Mixes great and dissolves easily

Gluten Free

Lactose Free

23g of Protein per scoop

Promina Whey Protein Isolate

Refreshing lemon tea flavor

Zero Fat and Zero Carbs

Ingredients

Whey protein isolate (milk)*, black tea leaf extract, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, soy lecithin, acesulfame-K, Sucralose.

You can order it in the SAMPLE pack from several different websites to save dollars and to see if you like it. There are several other flavors you may like. Just google "syntrax nectar lemon tea" to find different websites. Average for about 12 packets that you mix-n-match is 15-20 dollars.

There are several flavor-less protein powders out there. A couple of them are not, in my opinion. They taste like they smell, lmao. The unjury brand is the one I like. It's good to mix with different Soups and sneak in that protein. At the "Unjury" website you can order those in sample packets, as well. Around 2 dollars each packet.

Hope this helps!

Woah' date=' woah woah. Hold on a minute. No one is "bashing" people who are "negative." Go back and read my post. All I said is that when I found this site I was clicking on all the "concerned" threads only to find people were being cautioned about leaks and other scary stuff and it scared the (bleep) out of me. Like everybody here, I just went through a tough life changing surgery and didn't want to see stuff like that, especially if I wasn't going through it myself. All I said is that I avoided this forum because I saw to much of that stuff, and I did what worked best for me which was to avoid this site. I'm sorry that iggy had a bad experience but I need to stay focused on a healthy recovery. I wish her the best.

I am not saying that everything is TOTALLY perfect for me. I have a couple issues since surgery, one that is becoming a major one for me is Protein shakes. I did a 28 day pre-op diet which I consumed two shakes per day, and now I am 12 days post op for a total of 40 days, and I literally can't stand the site of protein shakes anymore. They literally make me feel physically ill!!! I don't know what I am going to do because I NEED to consume a lot of protein but the shakes have become SO DISGUSTING to me that I could probably make myself vomit by just thinking about them! What am I gonna do??!![/quote']

Have you tried almond milk? Unsweetened vanilla is 30 calories per servings and has double the Calcium over milk. Not watered down like skim.

Amanda Rae

Have you tried almond milk? Unsweetened vanilla is 30 calories per servings and has double the calcium over milk. Not watered down like skim.

Amanda Rae

LOVE almond milk!

This is the best thread I've read here yet! I, too, was so frightened by the leak stories that I wondered why anyone was doing the sleeve at all since every one of them was going to spring a leak and die a horrible, painful, sudden death! I have been consulting with two surgeons' offices and I doubted them every time they said that leaks are very uncommon ... simply could not believe that to be true since I read so much about the leaks here. I don't want to be overly confident that leaks never happen, but this site made me really scared! Thank you Frank for your candid post and to everyone else who followed with their success stories! I needed that!

Thanks for the encouragement frank I'm glad you are doing well. I'm not sleeved yet but hopefully around April or may I will be. That's good to here you have no complications.

First off, contrats to Frank. Your story is inspirational, and thank you for posting.

I for one, appreciate that not every story here has had a happy ending. I don't want to go into this with rose colored classes, only to be blind-sided should something go haywire. I ready "i's" story before it was pulled down. Her experience is a real possibility to anyone considering WLS. I like to think, however, her experience is the exception, and not the rule. And if I recall correctly, she has ultimately lost the excess weight and is happier with herself now, despite the rocky start.

My reading here has been informative - including hearing some down-sides of all this, and I like to think I contribute a little here and there, though my direct experience is limited. In that regard, I have seen postings of people who are scared and either cancelled or were contemplating cancelling their surgery. I for one, hesitate to come to support those folks, telling them things like "it will be alright." It might not be. I specifically recall a thread where someone was terribly nervous about their psych eval. I very gently suggested that they should be only truthful in their psych eval, because frankly, the way they were talking (typing?), I didn't think the surgery was right for them. There MUST be a reason for the psych eval... right?

My point is, I don't think I've seen much bashing & negativity here, and "negative experiences" are not the same as being negative toward others on this forum. I truly appreciate ALL of the information I get here, and it's up to me how to disseminate it for myself.

Mr butter.

Nothing that comes out of her mouth is golden. A couple of days ago she actually said that she wished leaks on other people because they were stupid.. And he mentioned someone with an "I" that could of been anyone.. Just wish there was a thread that was normal once in a while that's all!

Maybe I need to go elsewhere or Maybe everyone she eat a piece of cake and calm down

Oh and I love the WTF classy

And she also admitted it was said out of frustration, and she amended the post to remove it. You are the one perpetuating this now.

Don't worry Big Frank - we are here! Although I didn't have any serious complications, etc., I hope that a few of my posts didn't needlessly worry or scare any one, this has not been a walk through the park! The way I try to explain it to my family, is that no one can tell anyone what it is like to be pregnant, deliver a baby, and raise another human being. For every "miracle" there is a matching "horror" story. This journey is the same. I know posts can be disconcerting and scary, but the information is given with good intentions. Everyone should weigh the pros and cons of WLS for themselves. It took me over a year of investigating types of procedures, talking to other patients of my surgeon and deciding for myself, complications or not -- this was my last chance if I wanted to take control of my body and my life once and for all. I've since reversed diabetes and my sleep apnea is cured (before surgery I didn't know I had sleep apnea, but my snoring and stop-breathing episodes were getting worse. I thought it was my asthma so this surgery saved my life!) Good luck to you and have a much happier and healthier New Year!

WTF....the OP mentioned her specifically in the very first post so how does it have nothing to do with her? Then when she did post she cracked a joke and then said she hopes every one has a good recovery...where was the negativity? I don't think every word that comes out of Iggy's mouth is golden' date=' but honestly the Iggy haters have got some blood red colored glasses on.[/quote']

He only said a poster with a name starting with the letter I. Is she the only one on this forum with a handle that starts with the letter I? If not then you all assumed that's who he was speaking of and she interjected herself into it thinking he was speaking of her. He never acknowledged her name until a few post ago saying he wasn't bashing those with problems. Some of you are CONSTANTLY looking for a fight! Remember the rules of this site people. We are all adults here. I usually don't get involved in the back and fourth and I don't think iggy has ill intent when she's speaking but my God people! Geese Louise!

Knee jerk vigilantes by far produce the greatest source of tension and anxiety. Providing a specific point of view on an experience or sharing a story from the gut are not in themselves offensive. If someone finds themselves perpetually offended then they may need to look within for the real source of the problem, then reflect on proactive ways to address those issues.

He only said a poster with a name starting with the letter I. Is she the only one on this forum with a handle that starts with the letter I? If not then you all assumed that's who he was speaking of and she interjected herself into it thinking he was speaking of her. He never acknowledged her name until a few post ago saying he wasn't bashing those with problems. Some of you are CONSTANTLY looking for a fight! Remember the rules of this site people. We are all adults here. I usually don't get involved in the back and fourth and I don't think iggy has ill intent when she's speaking but my God people! Geese Louise!

Why are you directing your lecture at me? I'm not the one who keeps beating the dead horse.