Well I did it. Yesterday they did the gastric sleeve operation at 7:30am.

When I arrived for checking they did some paperwork that allowed the hospital to bill my insurance, then they took me back to pre-op. In pre-op they had me strip down and put on a gown. I didn't have any valuables with me but that is when they would have taken them and put them in the safe. A gentleman came in and started the IV. Another nurse came in and was asking me about what I had to eat and drink prior to the surgery date. Then I met the nurses that would be assisting the surgeon. They gave me a shot of blood thinner to protect from blood clots. I met the anesthesia person, he asked about if I'd ever been under or if any family members had issues with anesthesia. The surgeon came in and asked if I had any questions before we got started.

They then wheeled me off to the operating room. In the OR there were several people work on getting everything ready, they hooked up to my IV, set up the heart monitor. Then anesthesia gave me something to relax. He then came over with a mask that covered my mom and nose and said he was going to give me some oxygen. Next thing I remember is waking up in recovery.

For me this was the worst part, not feeling good coming out of the anesthesia and being in pain. There was one nurse to every two people. Unfortunately the other person that my nurse was watching was being combative so he the attention of a lot of staff members. Once things started to clear up for me a bit they adjusted my pain medication to something a bit stronger. After about an hour of being awake in recovery they wheeled me off to my room.

On the way up to my room we stopped and got my family from the waiting room and they followed me up. I was pretty out of it from all the drugs they had been giving me. So I don't remember much about the day of surgery once I made it up to my room. It was mostly keeping me comfortable. They got me to the room around noon, and had me take a short walk at about 6pm. I was able to urinate for them so no need for a catheter. Yay!!! They gave me some more pain medicine and let me rest. Throughout the night someone came in about every two hours to check on me and my vitals and checking my blood sugar.

The next morning they came in and gave me another shot of blood thinner, I had been sipping Water this entire time. I got up and went for a couple walks around the floor. Had to prove I could still urinate. Then the surgeon came in and talked about the surgery and answered more questions. He gave the okay for me to be released.

I've made it home. Still in a bit of pain from one of the incisions but not the others. So far no real issues with nausea or vomiting. I feel this was the right decision for me and am excited to start this new chapter in my life. So far I'm doing good, as far as the pain, it sucks but I know each day it will get better and better. Just focusing on getting in my water and walking as much as I can.

I'm just now laying down for the night, sure will be nice to sleep in my own bed.

I just read this whole thread and I'm so inspired by your journey! Keep up the great work! You look great on that horse -- was that on your list of things to do when you lost weight?

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Things have slowed down a little for me, which I'm totally alright with. My nutritionist added in some more carbs and fat. I was dropping 1 to 2 pounds a day now it's much slower, about a pound every couple days. I'm down 110 pounds and feeling really good. I've been going to the gym four to five times a week and am in the best shape of my adult life. If my weight loss stopped now I would perfectly content. My surgeon would like me to get down to 200. Guess I'd be alright with that as well.

I've been using the PatchMD Vitamin patch, just had my blood drawn the other day and have an appointment with my surgeon this afternoon. Time will tell how well it's worked for me.

Happy to report my blood tests came back with excellent results. The only level that was a little low was vitamin D. But I do live in Seattle, everyone's vitamin D is low here.

Great news. You are on the right track.

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I'm down 120 pounds now. Nothing has really changed with my activity or eating. No news is good news . Only thing I'm struggling with is getting more variety in my diet.

It's been a while since I've posted. Thought I'd give an update. I've continued to go to the gym and eat within my surgeons plan. I'm down 155lbs now. Meals are getting easier as I learn more about what I can and cannot have.

What a massive transformation BD from page 5's images, you must be over the moon.....I'm down almost 50kg's since Dec 2 2017 so I still have another 15kgs to go to get to my target, but you sir are an inspiration and a motivation to others that with hard work and good eating great things can be achieved.....well done BD.

It is AWESOME!! I'm really happy with how things are going. I went from a size 48 jeans to a size 34 and a size 4x shirt to an XL.

Thanks for posting all this, it was nice to read. My surgery will be in August and I'm committed to it but finding it hard to get excited and feeling fearful and unsure. Hearing other people's stories is helpful. You look great!

DB, great job and inspirational. Thanks for your story. I'm booked in for a gastric sleeve in 3 weeks. Excited to make this change in my life after being overweight in varying degrees my whole life! Currently at around 320 lbs.

You look awesome [emoji122]

Such an inspiration! Great job! Congratulations!

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Thank you for the kind words! I went to my first support group yesterday. I think it was pretty good. I plan on continuing to go. Hopefully it will help me keep my head in the game. Maybe my experiences can help others who are just beginning their journey.

Been hovering around the same weight for a while now. This morning I weighed in two pounds lighter. Guess the scale isn't done yet

Still losing weight, down to 209 so I'm closing in on 1derland. Spent one day last weekend out at the barn riding with my wife. She snapped a photo and I shared it on Facebook, so many good comments from my friends. I still get a kick out of running into people and having them not recognize me. Happened twice last weekend