1 year update

One year ago yesterday I had surgery. It has been amazing year. My wife and I were talking last week and she asked me if I ever imagined doing this well or being where I am in a year. Of course the answer was no.   When I stop and think about it I am blown away. Today I was walking at lunch and every now and then I would look in a store front window and see my self and think, damn who is that skinny guy. I walk every day now, today I took an hour for lunch and I walked for thirty minutes and turned a corner and started back. 12 city blocks down and 12 back. I think it is around 3.5 miles.   Dx made a comment about a year or so ago in a post about some one being a poster boy for WLS. I took that comment to heart and decided to do everything I could to be as successful as possible. I followed the pre-op diet and shrunk my liver and the surgery took less than an hour. I followed the guys advice about walking and was accused of trying to walk a whole in the floor at the hospital. I didn't have any complications in the hospital and haven't had any to date. I have followed the diet I was supposed to for the most part and have steadily dropped weight with only a couple of mini stalls along the way. At times I feel bad about posting how smooth it has went for me, when others like Bob come to mind that have had problems. But I think it is important for guys to that some of us do have a complication free journey.     I totally agree with CB that it is not the easy way out and that we do have to make life long changes for this to be successful long term. I told a lady at my support group meeting that I had not had a piece of bread for over a year and she looked at me like I was on fire or something. I told her that it was something I had gotten off of and didn't really miss so I didn't really see a reason to start eating it again. My choice. Same thing with soda. That was one of the hardest things for me to quit, but now that I have, I don't see the reason to start back.   My advice to any one that has decided to have surgery is to do what it takes to be a "poster boy". Use that time right after surgery when you "are" going to loose weight  to make permanent changes that will last and insure that this will be successful long term. I really feel that I can do this the rest of my life.   I have said this before and I will say it again. I credit the locker room here for most of my success. I got the basics at the surgeons office, but the real life experiences from the men here have proven invaluable, as well as the support, plain talk and common sense advice. Thanks guys.  Like I have said before, for some reason I have been blessed in this journey. I have had no complications, I have never even yakked as my surgeon calls it. So here are the numbers. Highest recorded weight 375, weight at first consult 360, wheight day of surgery 324, now 165. I am now in the normal BMI range. I have went from size 54 jeans to 34. Size XXL and XXXL shirts to medium.  I do have a little hanging skin and after the first of the year I will probably look into having PS. It is really not as bad as thought it would be. I wear compression garments and it pretty well disapears. Well that is my ramblings on the past year. I was told I would have to make changes for life, but for me this has been a life changing event.  One last thing. Alot of us say we do this so we will be here for our kids or grandkids. Back in the summer my grandson and I were out playing in the yard. He wanted to get out the water guns, so we loaded up and went after it. At some point he took off after me and I ran from him and got away from him. He said "Poppy you can run", at some point in the past he wanted me chase him and I told him I couldn't. So we spent the next half hour chasing each other. We had a blast. A year and a half ago I would have stood in one place until my knees and back gave out and then would have squeezed my ass in one of those plastic lawn chairs and let him have at me. I would have ended up soaked.  Life is good! pan head

Thanks, Pan Head!  What an inspiration to a guy 10 days out of surgery!  By the way, I ride a 2000 Dyna Convertable.  If there is one concern I have about my new life it is that I will lose interest in the Motorcycle!  I don't know why that concerns me, guess because she and I have been all over the USA together! Congratulations on your "poster boy" success! Charlie

My biggest concern after surgery was how long I would have to wait to go back to riding. He gave me the OK at my 2 week visit. Actually was about 2 1/2 weeks. I ride year round and the only thing he said was I had to wear a helmet. In WV I have no choice, it's the law. So I told him I would. Rode to work yesterday matter of fact. I have lost all my insulation. I have had to buy all new riding gear. Except for my old leather jacket I bought when I was 21, when I bought my pan head. I have a 58 pan and a 99 ultra pan head

How amazing that it all started with a new guy posting - "I was told along time ago when you first go into a strange bar,(place), to get a beer and then put your back against a wall. Scope everything out get a feel for the place…… Everyone calls me Pan Head…. …This is a great board and I hope to be able to contribute in the future."

Hey Dude! You certainly made good on your plans!

Start planning that- Dancin’ at your Grand-Kid’s Weddings! Keep up your Great Work! Best Wishes- Dx

Great post and congrats for doing so well.

You the Man Pan, One can only hope and pray to be as successful as you.

way to go panhead. actually i think most guys have a pretty good time of it after the surgery which is great. granted you really sailed through and i really like to hear that. kind of makes up for me when i had to post my problems. i really hate scaring anyone away or worrying. the reality is i've had my pouch and surgery looked at by cat scans and tests a ton of times over the past two years. not once has the surgery itself been the culprit. well, not the surgery at least. my pouch and all the stitching is perfect. i've had every test, scope you name it. my surgeon was perfect.

i can relate to the soda. it occured to me i haven't touched one either in two years and i was hooked on diet coke. funny, don't miss it one bit either. it was hard in the beginning but like you, i made choices. oh, i can cheat some stuff now but at least i make an effort not to go there and i've been pretty good about that. so thanks for endorsing what i say, try to make permanent changes and you'll do fine. you're a shining example. i didn't remember how big you were and i'm blown away you're only 165 now! that's just a few pounds heavier than me. so overall you kicked my ass! great job. so now i'm off to go run my 3 to 4 miles. i'm barely breathing hard after my run so i have to run up the canyon at the end of my run just to exhaust myself! who knew we would be at that point if ever? this is just an amazing journey. let us know what the next year brings in store for you. take care.....carbonblob

Thanks CB, I have wanted to start running, but when I first tried it a several weeks ago I was getting hip and knee pain. So I have been hitting the treadmill every evening and I am trying to build up to it. I have gotten where I crank the treadmill up as far as it will go and walk as fast as I can. I am trying to build up to where I can run. The cardio has really been great to drop pounds as well. I have the veins really showing through in places now and my at rest heart rate use to be in the 90's is now in the 50's. The other day I took it and it was 48. Pain is pretty much gone, need to buy me some better shoes to run in. I was told you can walk in running shoes, but don't run in walking shoes. It's strange, I walk every day and there are times when I am walking that I just feel like running. Having watched you and some of the other guys; Boner, AJ, Buckeye and many others I know I can do it as well. pan head

hey pan head,

i had no plan to run either, it just sort of happened one day! we walk the canyons all the time and runners are there. so i just took off one day and found i was running! it blew me away. so.....i bought a pair of good running shoes, asics, shorts, running belt and took off. now i did do the tread mill for almost a year prior. but only at 3.8 miles per. but that did get me going at a 12% incline. so maybe that was part of the training. now i don't run very far, maybe 3 miles or so but i finish the run going uphill to the top and that's a ball buster. so try just trotting next time. wrap you knees and ankles if you have to, buy some running shoes and give it a whirl. if it doesn't work, well you'll have some great lightweight shoes to wear. of course your knees might be worse than mine but i say if you feel like running, just give it a try. now i have to run everyday or i don't feel right. i take the dogs and off we go. it's raining off and on here today and i'm going no matter what. can't believe this is me two years later. jeez!! carbonblob

Thanks for a great post!!  Inspirational!!  I hope I will still be as successful as you when i get to a year. Brian