Michael S.

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Well Everyone,

I am back with an update.  I have just been living life and moving forward.

I am preparing for the last round of plastic surgeries starting next month.

I had the upper body work done and have been very pleased with the results.

I must say that it is a weird feeling not having man boobs. 

Anyway, next month I am scheduled for my inner thigh lift.  They have decided to go ahead
and do a but lift and tighten up my flanks at the same time.

Next procedure in October will be the mini face lift to get rid of my chicken neck and the
lower eye lid surgery to get rid of the fat that makes me look like I have bags under my eyes
all the time.

They are also going to do a slight revision on my tummy tuck and remove some excess skin
that is hanging just below my new nipple location and just above my new belly button location,
kind of in between the two.

I still have a slight bulge in my tummy but they say there is nothing that they can do to remove
it so that I have a flat tummy.  Something to do with my organ anatomy.

Anyway, all of the surgeries have resulted in a size 34 waist and large shirt size.  This is a far
cry from size 52 pants and 3XL shirts.

I give all my blessings to the lord and am thankful for each and every day of my new life.

I must also thank the doctors at the Veterans Administration for all they have done for me.

My military service has definitely paid off ten fold for me.

If your on the fence about taking the leap and having the Gastric Bypass, I highly recommend
it, but also want to warn you that not all results are as good as mine have been.  I understand
fully the risks and have always realized from day one that complications do exists and that
I could at any time develop a complication.

I follow the rules religiously and never ever forget where I have been and how I got here.

I believe if you keep reminding yourself, then you reduce your chances of complications.

God Bless!!

Hi All,

I just recently got the full adominal plasty procedure and lower body lift all at the same time.

The surgeon did a whole lot of work on my pannus region so that there is significant improvement.

I was operated on July 23rd and am feeling really good.  I still have significant swelling in my belly
and pannus.  I hope it starts to pull back in soon, 4 weeks is enough wait time.

I get around pretty good, but still can't do alot of heavy physical activity.  I don't want to hurt myself
or mess up what has been done.

I am schedule for the next procedure in November which includes a full upper body work over.
They are going to do the arms, boobs, etc.

This second procedure should take care of the torso and they are planning on doing my inner thighs
to tighten up that area a bit and a mini face lift to get rid of my eye bags and chicken neck.

I will have to wait 6 monts after my next surgery.  They like to do one then another in 3 months then
wait 6 months to heal thoroughly and then do another and wait 3 months and do another.

Seems logical to me.

Anyway, beside the plastics I am doing great and really only have one health issue which will be with
me till I die.  Having suffered alot of back trauma in my life so I have degenerative disc disease and chronic pain
syndrome.  I have had a disc replacement and currently have two crushed vertabrae and two bulging disc
for which I must take pain meds for.

So life is an adventure and like everyone I am feeling the pinch of the economy.  I know that things
will get better in the other areas of my life, but I am happier than I have ever been in my life and
expect to live a long life due the the miracle of the gastric bypass surgery.

Good luck in your journies and remember that it is all worth it in the long run.

God Bless!!

Hi All,

Well it's 14 months since my surgery.  I can't begin to tell you all how wonderful my journey has been.  I have met a goal that I could have never thought I could actually achieve.  I broke the 200 lb mark and now weigh 197.  WOW!!!  I am completely healthy again and the weight loss reversed all my health problems.

It is so wonderful to be able to buy clothes in a normal store, to do things that I couldn't do when I was huge, and to know that I will never have to experience the pain of being overweight again in my lifetime.

I, like many others am still working on my self image and find it difficult to see myself as being normal in size.  Also, I still feel ugly because of my hanging skin.  It is actually kind of de-masculinating to look in the mirror and see the damage I have done to myself. 

I however am happy to report that the Veterans Administration which stepped up and gave me the surgery has said that plastic surgery will be in the cards in the near future.  I need an adominal plasty and also to get my arms and chest area redone.  Maybe after the damage is repaired I can start to see myself like I should and hopefully learn to love myself.

We all know how being fat takes the ability to love ourselves away and no matter how much we try to convince ourselves that we can cope, we all know that without a solution to the problem loving ourselves just isn't in the cards.  That is why this surgery is so life changing.

My journey will continue and I want to make sure that everyone who reads my post understands that I am happier than I have ever been and although I still have some issues to work on, I wouldn't change everything that has happened for anything.

My advice is to get the surgery and don't look back.  I sincerely hope that God blesses you as much as he has blessed me and that your success comes in waves.

Good Luck!!

Hello Everyone,

Well its 6 months since my surgery and I have to say that I have been so blessed with this life changing event that I don't know where to start.

I have lost 89 pounds since surgery and almost 150 pounds total since the begining of my journey.

I FEEL GREATTTTT!!!!!!!

My diabetes is gone, my blood pressure is very good according to my doctor and I am having another sleep study next week because they think my sleep apnea is gone as well.  I haven't had any gout attacks and my choloestoral etc.. from my blood work is showing excellent results all across the board.

I am litterally half the man I used to be and have gone from a size 50 pants to my current size of 40 which is loose and soon to be re-evaluated.

God is good and I feel so lucky to have had this opportunity.

I have been very blessed not to have any complications and have only
had one episode where I ate something new and too fast and paid the price.

I pretty much eat what I want but I stay away from sugar and carbonation religiously.  I haven't met a food that didn't agree with me other than lettuce/salad but I also stay away from bread as much as possible but have actually indulged a time or two with no ill effects.

I must admit I need to be more diligent in exercising, but I am enjoying getting used to the new me and will eventually start up an exercise program.

Anyway,  enough about me.  If your thinking of doing this surgury, then let my experience help you to come to the realization that this does work if you want it bad enough and are willing to follow the rules.

Good Luck in your decision and God Bless!!

Well it's December 14, 2007 and that is just over five weeks since my re-birthday.

I am doing great and have lost 43 lbs so far.  I am no longer on Diabetic
medications and have also discontinued my reflux medications.

I am feeling better and better every week !

People are starting to notice my weight loss and I have gone from a 50" pants size to a 46.

I am amazed at my progress and hope it continues and I get to the point where I can actually start doing some physical activity again without pain.

Anyway,  If your reading my profile and you are still trying to decide which way to go, I would highly recommend the RNY.  I tried the less invasive route and paid the price for it.

I am just so blessed to have had the opportunity to get the surgery from the Veterans Administration since there is no way I could have afforded another surgery.  I am still paying off the Lap-Band.  LOL

I will continue to post here periodically during my journey and if anyone wants to ask me any questions, feel free to send me a message.

God Bless !!

Well it's just about two weeks post op and I wanted to post about my progress.

I have lost 28 lbs since surgery and have moved from the clear
liquid to the full liquid stage of my recovery diet.

I must admit I was glad to make the switch because the Jello was getting to me.  Enough is Enough !! LOL

I feel pretty good just lacking energy, which I must assume is normal so soon after major surgery.

I have my follow up appointment on 11/27 to review my progress and make sure everything is healing alright.

So on goes the journey !!

I give thanks to God for this miracle.

Well this is my first post for the record.

A bit of history:

I had the Lap Band in May of 2005 with Dr. Veninga of North Texas Bariatric Center.  Great Doctor!!

Anyway, after about a year I developed a complication in which I could only take so much fluid in my band.  If I tried to get a fill past that amount I would get severe reflux and wind up vomiting stomache acids etc.. and choking on them during my sleep time.

So a reduction in band fluid fixed that problem, but unfortunately I was left with an insufficient amount of restriction in which to lose more weight.  A perfect catch 22 or rock and a hard place scenario.

So, while receiving treatment from the Veterans Administration I learned that there was a possibility of getting the RNY gastric bypass.  As a veteran in my current situation, I jumped at the opportunity and was quickly approved.

The best part is that the surgery and everything won't cost me a dime.  I am so blessed to have this opportunity and thank God for his love which allowed this to happen for me.