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'm enjoying following your story BirdDog. I'm booked in for 2 December 2016 and can't wait. I look forward to your updates and journey- congrats

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Bird Dog, your posts have been extremely informative and reassuring. They reinforce what I learned in my classes and what my surgeon says. I even had my wife read them to kind of know what to expect. She went to the last class with me. My surgery is in Monday the 19th. Thanks so much for documenting your journey.

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I'm not losing weight!! 3 weeks out of surgery and lost an initial 10 lbs but nothing since. How is this possible? Help please.

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I'm not losing weight!! 3 weeks out of surgery and lost an initial 10 lbs but nothing since. How is this possible? Help please.

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It's very common - it's the 3 week stall! Your body is adjusting! Stick with the plan and you will lose weight! Stay off the scales for now. As long as you are meeting you Protein and Water goals you will lose!

Two weeks pre-op to two weeks post-op. Down 47 pounds and counting!

Day 13, Woke up down a little more than a pound. That was a good way to start the day! Had my two week appointment with the surgeon, went good. He was happy with my results, lack of pain, and how well I've been tolerating liquids and now purée. Because of my level of activity he gave the okay for me to stop the blood thinner shots. Those were getting really old. Got my paperwork to go back to work on Monday Won't be too bad, but I do start out having to go out of town for a week. Just have to pack purée stuff and I got a hotel room with a fridge and microwave in it, right across from the convention center where the conference will be.

Today I'm feeling pretty good, went for a walk, about an hour long. Just a nice stroll nothing real strenuous. Got in 70g of Protein, and an easy 64+ oz of liquid.

My mom and aunt came into town to visit and are staying for a couple days. It's funny they feel bad eating in front of me. I don't think they understand, I'm just not hungry, and what I do eat satisfies me AND fills me up. It is going to take some time for my family and friends to adjust to the NEW me habits.

Pretty happy with my decision to have the surgery, it for sure will be a game changer for me!

I couldn't wait to get rid of those blood thinner shots!

Congratulations - you are doing great!

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Thanks for posting your journey. Congrats!!

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Thanks for sharing! Is it hard for everyone to get 64oz of water and 80g of protein in? I can't - day 3 only though.

First few days were rough! My surgeon said to focus on water for the first week, then to start working in more protein.

Thanks for sharing your story. It's good to read about surgery day and immediately post-op for me. Congrats on your losses! I can totally see it on you!

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Would you mind saying your reasons for choosing the sleeve?

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Would you mind saying your reasons for choosing the sleeve?

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Not at all! So here are the two statements that I found through my research, these are from obesitycoverage.com.

Gastric bypass patients lose between 60 to 80 percent of excess body weight in the first year. Gastric sleeve patients lose between 50 to 70 percent of excess body weight in two years.

First of all, I don't care if I lose the weight in one or two years, this is a lifetime change. Now, taking those numbers and assuming I attain the high end of their average I can plug in my actual weight and compare them. In the beginning of the process I weighted 370 lbs, to not be considered overweight by BMI calculations I would have to be no more than 169lbs. (Which I believe is too light for my body). So my excess weight is 201 lbs. The bypass at 80% would be 160lbs of weight loss, and the sleeve would be 140. A difference between the two surgeries is 20 pounds. Coming down from 370 lbs I am not real concerned if I am 210 or 230, as long as I'm not 370. So the difference of pounds lost wasn't a big deal to me.

Now those numbers are averages, there are a lot of people that lose 100% of their excess weight with both surgeries. In fact I think those numbers are highly skewed by the people that are not ready for this extreme lifestyle change. No matter how you look at the surgeries, if you are not ready mentally, physically, and emotionally to never eat the same crap in the same manner as you did before then you will not be successful. You have to make a change. These are just tools to get there.

I had success with every diet I ever tried. I've lost 100 lbs several times. However my body would sabotage my plans. Hunger would push me to eating things I shouldn't. My lifestyle would have me pushing timelines until I was so hungry I would make poor choices. I would start craving things, and one slice of pizza turned into three, which turned into half a pizza, which turned into a whole pizza. The sleeve removes a large portion of the stomach giving me restriction so I can't be pushing that amount, as well as it cut back on the amount of the "hunger hormone" Ghrelin.

The bypass is a much more invasive surgery, moving of the intestines and changing the route of food. With that you have more life long side effects than you do with the sleeve. In fact my digestive tract is intact and unchanged, only difference is my stomach is much smaller now. So I have less of a concern with not getting in my necessary Vitamins.

As time has gone on where they have been tracking long term success between the two surgeries the amount of excess weight lost and kept off is getting closer and closer. I am in this for the long run. I have to make lifestyle changes, I have to make dietary changes, I have to make exercise changes. I still need to do my part, but this tool is giving me a "cheat code" if you will. A leg up on the diet world.

I have enjoyed some benefits already, I am no longer on Metformin as my blood sugar has been fine after surgery, I am also off of three medications for high blood pressure. That is four chemicals that I no longer have to put into my body to stay alive. If that is the only benefit I get from this surgery it was well worth it.

I'm sure the bypass has been the right decision for many people, and if you look hard enough you will be able to find different numbers or experiences than the ones I used to make my decision. Each person needs to work with their bariatric team, research, and soul search to determine which surgery, if any, is the right one for them.

I hope I can get off meds like that - you're doing fantastic! Thanks for sharing your story with so much detail.

Thanks BirdDog that's a great summary and exactly why I am going with the VSG. I also want to get off the Hypertension drugs, but most of all I want to sleep with using my cpap machine so the short term pain of surgery, will I hope lead to long term gains in enjoying life again. I'll stay tuned to your updates BD and we'll done

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#birddog. Congrats keep it up.

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