Half way done, and it’s now day 7 of the optifunk diet and I feel like total crap. I have zero appetite and having a very hard time getting in 3 never mind 4. I have tried everything to make it taste better… the taste is not the problem anymore.    UGH I went and saw Vivian from the bariatric center and explained to her of my issues of soreness in my abdomen and she booked a diagnostic for this Thursday to rule out any complications. My pain radiates mostly on the front and to the right side….today it hurts the most.   The good news is that I have lost 20 lbs since my updated weigh in on Jan the 10^th and I hope my liver is shrinking in the process. Cant wait to be off this crap, but it is all towards the greater good.   D

So at 645 am this morning I started the wonderful, delicious, healthy and nutritious OPTIFAST for the very first time. Ok I lied, it’s not that wonderful, and not that delicious….but it’s NOT that bad either!   When I first bought my optifast, the pharmacist in the shoppers drug mart (that’s in the same building as the bariatric centre) he gave me the option of buying both chocolate and vanilla one week at a time so I wouldn’t be stuck with one or both flavours in case I really hate it. Well THANK GOD, cause the chocolate must have been made in “suckville” because it tasted like watered down Nesquik with a hint of chalk! So I decided I’d add some sugar free Hazelnut syrup that I bought direct from Starbucks coffee…. and it slightly improved the flavour…..but not much.

I bought a few Syrups last night from Starbucks: Cinnamon Dolche and Hazelnut which I figured would be nice in vanilla or chocolate. And if you are wondering they don’t sell them openly here in Thunder Bay so you have to ask. They are $9.99 each and look like they will go a long way, but they also have an expiry date on them. One said march and one said may.   Anyhow… I found by being prepared (buying low sodium broths, sugar free jello’s and sugar free popsicles on sale in the last month(s), that I am all set to go. I have also treated myself and bought a collection of manly looking water bottles…and boy oh boy that was a feat! LOL.  

So one shake down and many more to go….next one will be around 11am this morning….going to try the Vanilla Cinnamon Dolche combo. I hope it’s great, I brought my NINJA (top powered multi mixer) to work…the NINJA rocks, and makes anything into a frothy, icy, thick drink. The NINJA will be my buddy for the rest of my life, along with a strong Vitamin regiment!  

Good luck to anyone else on OPTI at the moment….stay healthy and don’t cheat.
And like the words spoken by Rob Schneider from the movie “The Water Boy” YOU CAN DO IT!

 Found out my surgery will be Feb 10th 2012, I could have done it earlier but this was a great date and time that worked out for me. Found out that my surgeon is Dr Mehran Anvari, heard he is one of the best in Ontario, if not Canada. The dr seems pretty pro with experience with robotic surgeries and has even worked with NASA.

Im turning 40 in jan so this is a great way to start my middle lifedom lol.... I'm just hoping the surgery won't make me look older, most people when they meet me think I'm early 30's....and my personality helps with that as well.

Anyways I won't bore you with the extra stuff in my life, just wanted to post up an update.

Today I had my upper GI and I must say the nurses at Thunder Bay Regional Hospital were very sweet and accommodating.

After a night of getting around 2 hours of sleep I arrived at the hospital. They showed me to my little curtained off area and I got dressed into the hospital skivies. The nurse soon arrived and put in my IV pic and took my blood pressure. 

Around an hour and a half later I was wheeled into the room where the procedure was done. Dr. Mapeso is a pretty nice guy, nothing I was expecting... the dude was TINY compared to me lol. Anyways the little bugger tricked me the first time an got that nasty spray down my throat, then proceeded to do it 3 more times.  That stuff tasted like the juice that forms at the bottom of a garbage bag.. lol I wanted to throw up right there. Then the Dr gave me my sedation for the procedure... he then puts a plastic piece in my mouth and gets me to bite down on it... I assumed it was were the tube would enter... of course when he did that he started asking me a bunch of misc questions..(why do Dr.'s do that LOL as I sounded like a fool speaking with that in my mouth and was drooling all over), he then asked me if I felt the sedation yet and I nodded no, then again....I nodded no... then one more time...then he says "ok we are all done!" LOL wow I wasn't expecting that...I felt nothing!

After the successful procedure I was wheeled off back to my room/area and relaxed on the drugs for around 45 mins, and then the nurse brought me cheese, crackers, cookies and ginger ale...  after I ate I got dressed with some help from my gf, and finally got my land legs and we left!  All in all it was an easy procedure and any worries I had were for not.



Hope this helps anyone about to get there upper GI done... no worries....and remember you get cheese at the end!  Heh!

<---- I look really wasted!  What was in that vial the DR gave me :P

New to OH! Hey all my name is  Darren, and I am a OH newb :P  I am looking forward to finding a ton of new information and meeting new friends who are going through the same thing that I am.I don't have my surgery date set in stone yet but I am close, I am going for the gastric bypass.

A little about me: I am 6'4 388 lbs, my pics are all current and I am from Thunder Bay, Ontario  Canada and I am proud to say that our city has finally got on the ban wagon and setup a bariatric clinic! Although we don't preform the operations here yet I am optimistic that we are going in the right direction!

Next week I finally go for my upper GI and what I have heard about it I am not looking forward to it. If most women say its painful and women are usually tougher than men for pain tolerance (us guys are just big babies lol) I better be getting some good drugs before they violate me! 

I think having this website/forum/chat is a amazing resource! Looking forward to meet you all :)