I was always told by Dr. Terracina and all the nurses that drinking a carbonated drink is bad for you after the surgery because it blows up your pouch. Well, I wanted to find out for myself what it does and how I will react to it. So I bought a diet coke yesterday. I always made it diet because there are no carbs in it at all. Anyway, When I took the first sip and I mean a light sip, just to get the carbonation in and a good taste, when I swallowed, I could feel it fizzing in my pouch but it didn't hurt, it was just a very funny feeling. So I probably drank about half the 20 oz. bottle and threw the rest away. I'm not use to the taste anymore. After a period of time, you start to notice you don't have the taste for things like you did before the surgery. Everything taste so different to me now, for one of the mean reasons is because I quit smoking. I haven't had a cigarette in 2 months and I feel GREAT!

Better yet, what was yours for 2006? Mine was to loose weight and quite smoking. I can proudly say, I DID THEM BOTH! I have never fulfilled my resolution. Every year I said " I'm going to quit smoking and loose weight and ofcource it never happened.

And ofcource not to ever break tradition, I haven't really thought about my new years resolution for 2007. I guess an obvious one would be to loose to my goal weight which is 185 Lbs. which is exactly 100 pounds to go. I'm going to have to think about what my other one will be.

I am steadily dropping the weight down. If I get my 90 Grams of protein in or more, I steadily drop weight but if I don't get 90 Grams in, I remain where I am. So everyday I try to get more then 90 grams in the drop weight. Anyway, I had a doctor visit yesterday which was good. The doctor was still amazed at how much I've lost already.

This is a comparison before the surgery up to today. I went to my appointment today and she took my Weight and this scale will tell you everything else and give you a print out of it. It's a pretty nifty little scale. I recommend that to ANYONE post OR Pre-Op to jump on it. Before my surgery, Dr. Terracina told me I had to loose at least 20 to 25 pounds. I ended up loosing allot more then he expected. That is not calculated in this but he said it doesn't count but I say it does. weight loss is weight loss to me!

October 23, 2006 - Pre-Op Visit

WEIGHT: 342.0 LBS.
BODY FAT: 47.2%
FAT MASS: 161.5 LBS.
FAT FREE MASS: 180.5 LBS.

Am I Morbidly Obese?
Please reference the Ideal Body Weight Chart below to determine if you are possibly morbidly obese and potentially a candidate for weight loss surgery.

Ideal Body Weight Chart

Some people have asked me what the difference is between the Lap band Surgery and the Gastric By-Pass Surgery. The one to your far left is the Lap Banding. The other one is the Gastric Bypass.

According to two organizations, the American Society for Bariatric Surgery and the National Institutes of Health, Roux-en-Y (pronounced ROO-en-why)gastric bypass surgery is the most popular surgery in the United States.

In this procedure, the surgeon creates a small stomach pouch and then constructs a “bypass” for food. The bypass allows food to skip parts of the small intestine. By skipping a large part of the small intestine, the body cannot absorb as many calories or nutrients.

Advantages

• 83.7 percent of type 2 diabetes cases are resolved.
  


• Studies always include a control group; the control group that doesn’t have bariatric surgery is at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes: 3.7 times higher
  


• Gastric bypass surgery successfully resolves more people’s type 2 diabetes than purely restrictive procedures.
  


• Resolution of type 2 diabetes often occurs within days of the surgery.
  


• 96.9 percent of hyperlipidemia cases are resolved.
  


• 75.4 percent of hypertension cases are resolved; 87.1 percent are resolved or improved.
  


• Substantial weight reduction occurs; 61.6 percent of excess weight is lost.
  


• In 2000, a study of 500 patients showed that 96 percent of co-morbidities (the study looked specifically at back pain, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and depression) were improved or resolved.⁸
  


• The average excess weight loss after a gastric bypass procedure is generally higher than with a purely restrictive procedure.
  


• As with every type of bariatric surgery, the overall quality of life for patients improves greatly. A great deal of excess weight is lost, and patients experience resolution of co morbidities, and improved appearance, social opportunities, and economic opportunities.
  


• A condition known as dumping syndrome can occur from eating too much sugar or large amounts of food. While it isn’t considered a serious health risk, the results can be very unpleasant. Symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, and, on occasion, diarrhea. Some patients are unable to eat sugary foods after surgery.
  

Risks and Disadvantages

• Because the duodenum and other sections of the small intestine are bypassed, poor absorption of iron and calcium can cause low total body iron and a greater chance of having iron-deficiency anemia. Patients who experience chronic blood loss during excessive menstrual flow or bleeding hemorrhoids should be aware of the chance of iron-deficiency anemia. Women, already at risk for osteoporosis that can occur after menopause, should be aware of the possibility of increased bone calcium loss. By taking a multivitamin and calcium supplements, patients can maintain a healthy level of minerals and vitamins.
  


• Bypassing the duodenum can cause metabolic bone in some patients, resulting in bone pain, loss of height, humped back, and fractures of the ribs and hipbones. Eating foods rich in nutrients and taking vitamins can help patients avoid this.
  


• Chronic anemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency may occur. The problem usually can be managed with vitamin B12 pills or injections.
  


• The bypassed portion of the stomach, duodenum, and parts of the small intestine cannot be seen easily using X-ray or endoscopy if there are problems such as ulcers, bleeding, or malignancy.
  


• It is a permanent, non reversible procedure.

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Now that you "should" understand what the Gastric Bypass is, I will explain to you what the Lap Band is:

The Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding procedure is a purely restrictive surgical procedure in which a band is placed around the uppermost part of the stomach. This band divides the stomach into two portions: one small and one larger portion. Since the stomach is divided into smaller parts, most patients feel full faster. As the name indicates, the band is adjustable. So if the rate of weight loss is not acceptable, the band can be adjusted. Food digestion happens through normal digestion.

• 47.9 percent of type 2 diabetes cases are resolved.
• Significant improvements in overall cholesterol occur, including a boost in HDL levels.
• 70.8 percent of hypertension cases are resolved or improved.
• Patients lose roughly 47 percent of their excess weight.
• The amount of food that can be consumed at a meal is restricted.
• Food passes through the digestive tract in the usual order, allowing it to be absorbed fully by the body.
• In studies involving more than 3,000 patients, excess weight loss ranged
  from 28 to 87 percent, with a minimum of two-year postoperative follow-up.
• Band can be adjusted to increase or decrease restriction via an access port.
• Surgery can be reversed.

Risks and Disadvantages

• The access port may leak or twist, which can require an operation to correct the problem.
• Surgery may not provide the necessary feeling of satisfaction that one has had enough to eat.
• Dumping syndrome, which may provide important warning signs, does not occur.
• Band may erode into the stomach wall.
• Band may move or slip.
• Weight loss is slower than that following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

Don't we all just LOVE fast food? Do you ever stop and think of what exactly is in some of the food they serve? Such as fat, cholesterol, saturated fat, carbohydrates..ect.. OR do you even care? I for one did not care 3 months ago when I weighed 370 Lbs. My favorite was a double whopper meal from burger king. I miss it sometimes, but then I think about my life and how much that stuff can hurt you by eating it. Yeah, it may be good but what good are you doing yourself by putting your body through that? Nothing! Sometimes we eat just because we want to. Not because we are hungry but maybe it's from boredom, stress, depression or maybe you just want a midnight snack. We all get this way one time or another. That's when you need to pick up a new hobby such as exercises or a sport or even reading. Something to keep your mind focused on something other then that thought of food when your bored, stressed out or depressed.

Next time you go to a fast food restaurant, ask them for a nutrition chart and take a look for yourself and see what your about to eat. I was always the one looking at the others funny who asked, but now I laugh at the ones who don't know and eat blind.

Well, it's almost Christmas time and I have completed my shopping. I still have not yet reached my goal in loosing 100 Lbs by Christmas and Im not quite sure I want to. I think im pushing myself to hard. Im trying to loose this weight to fast and it's putting a tole on me. So instead of running 6 miles a night, im only going to run 2 to 3 miles. Im not concerned about the weight lose as much as I am about getting back into shape. Smoking really hurt me so now I have to get back to where I once was as a non-smoker.

I am at 291.6 Lbs today. I had to go to the hospital last night on my way to work because I blacked out while driving. I felt really sick before I left but I really didn't think anything of it. Come to find out, I just got dizzy and that's it. I think it was because I was dehydrated. So they gave me a bag of that stuff with an I.V and it made me gain a few pounds I don't want. But It helped me so I can't really complain to much. Plus I had a small breakfast which consisted of 4 bits of scrambled egg and 2 pieces of bacon which filled me up. I hope I can reach my first goal of loosing 100 Lbs by Christmas but I'm not sure if that's going to happen. I think I push myself to hard but that's the way I was raised.

I wanted to write this post to thank a life savor. This is a man that has dedicated his life to changing others and giving them a second chance at life. He is a man that has given me a second chance to live a healthy and happy life. Yes, it was my decision on getting the surgery done BUT if it wasn't for doctors in this world who care enough about someone else's life and dedicate their own to helping people and to be able to change the way they live and help them become healthy and happy, I would still be smoking over a pack a day and way overweight and on the track of death within the next 5 to 10 years. He saved me and my wife's life and I thank him for that. He is an outstanding man as a person and as a doctor. I don't think I can thank him enough for what he has done for my wife and I. We together, can now live a healthy and happy life style. How do you thank someone for changing your life and giving you a second chance to live? You say.......

I'm still at 288 Lbs. I ran 3 miles on the tread mill last night while at work, 1 mile at 5pm and 2 miles at midnight. I didn't run anymore after that. My legs felt as if they were on fire. I have 18 Lbs to go for the BIG 100!

Last night while at work, I ran 6 Miles on the tread Mill. I ran 2 miles at 5pm. The another 2 miles at 10pm then my last 2 miles at 3am. I have become an exercise freak! I love to exercise now and I don't get tired doing it. I ran 2 miles in under 25 minutes all 3 times! It's hard to believe what I have already accomplished, and I'm still in the early stages of the surgery. Some people don't loose this much until about 6 months out of surgery. My goal for this month is to get down to 265 Lbs. I have 19 days to do it in and 23 Lbs to loose.



I am now at 288 Lbs! Seems like I should be allot less running 6 miles in sweat clothes every night I work. I'm probably not getting my protein in which I'm going to fix that tonight. I'm going to start eating tuna fish at night which has a HIGH protein source and no carbohydrates in it which is great.

Some people have asked me "How to post a comment." Well, this will explain to you how it is done.

1. At the bottom of the post, you will see this -->( Posted by Matt Williams at 2:44 PM 0 comments ) , click on the "Comments" link beside the time.

2. Once you click on the "Comments" link it will take you to where you can post a comment. Write your message in the space provided.

3. You can do 1 of 3 things. You can register for a Google account, you can choose "Other" which is for someone who has another blog with a different service other then Blogger Or you can post your comment "Anonymous." I would recommend to sign up for a Google account in takes no more then 3 to 5 seconds. Very simple process.

I encourage anyone to leave a comment. I would love to hear what others think about my wife and I's success or the website in general.

Well, I guess I'm off the stand still ( or stomp ) is what I like to call it. I weighed myself this morning and I weighed 290.8. Yesterday I weighed 294. So I've lost 3.2 Lbs today! I will be running 2X tonight at work 1.5 miles on the tread mill So I hope to be out of the 290's tonight!

When I began this surgery, I wore a size 52 pants. Now, I am down to a size 44. BIG difference there! I had to get a whole new uniform for work. That day I felt like I was on cloud 9. I could not believe I fit into a size 44 pants! I also wore a size 22 to 23 neck, Now, I wear a size 18! My body is melting away! I'm shedding my cocoon which I love doing. All my old clothes do not fit me anymore. I had to wear a belt with sweat pants today while I went out with my mom. All fo them just fall right off me. and ya know what? IT FEELS GREAT!

My wife wore a size 22, Now she can wear a size 16! She is on the right track with things. Before you know it, she will be nothing but skin and bones! She, on the other hand, will have to get plastic surgery to remove access loose skin. Me, I won't have to worry about that. The doctor said my skin will just tighten right up as I loose.

I spoke to my friend Mrs. Bautista who works with me and she said she was very nervous and of course she has every right to be. I'm just glad I can be there for her because I know what she is about to go through. Don't get me wrong, it's not painful it's just stressful. Not being able to eat a solid food for 24 hours ( if not more depending on your surgery time ). All you can have is jello, pudding, water, pop cycles and that's pretty much it. It's even harder when you have to quit smoking. I personally had to leave my house and put a sign on my refrigerator saying " do not eat anything in this fridge, surgery tomorrow!" I sometimes have to remind myself because I will easily forget if I don't. My friends surgery is tomorrow at 1:00 PM. I will go see her Wednesday morning. I hope she is prepared at what's getting ready to happen.

Unfortunately, I am still at 293 Lbs. I am at a small stand still. But that's OK. I had some Wendy's chili and I tried to eat spaghetti but It came back up so I will stay clear from that for awhile. I did however have 3 cheese sticks at the bowling ally tonight with a lemonade. Sometimes I can eat something and it will be fine, but other times, it will come right back up that way it went in which is painful. But you never know when it will happen, you just have to go with the flow and find out afterwards.

I was out playing golf after Thanks Giving, I had just bought a new set of clubs, so I wanted to try them out. Anyway, I began to feel really sick and my stomach felt like it was going to explode any minute. I went to my moms house before I went golfing and I could not stand the pain anymore. I had to make myself throw up. It sounds disgusting, in which it is, but it makes you feel allot better afterwards, or so they say. Anyway, I felt better afterwards and I left to go golfing. I felt OK during the drive, but when I got there, I felt sicker then a dog! To make a story short, I threw up 11 times that day and lost approximately 10 to 12 pounds. To say the least, it was by far the worst day I have ever had. I have not had anymore problems like that, and I hope I never do. It is by far the worst excruciating pain to feel.

Getting healthy and showing people you can do it, can create a chain reaction. My friend Mrs. Bautista is getting the surgery on the 12th of December, 2006 which is in 3 days. I hope she is doing well. I haven't seen her in about a week. She quit smoking to and I know how hard it is to do that and I hope she's doing well with that to. When she saw me at work for the first time since I left, she could not believe what a change it created for me. So I wish her the best of luck in the world and I hope to see her on the 12th when she gets it.

The first picture is of me now, the other picture was of my 3 months ago. I have lost a total of 80 Lbs! Just to look at the pictures I am shocked at the way I look now compared to what I use to look like. It is just amazing to see the difference. And the funny thing is, I lost all this weight in 1 month! Everyday I run on the tread mill or outside, I eat healthy and I haven't had a cigarette in over a month! I feel like in a new person. I want to get down to about 225 Lbs if not lower then that which I hope will be soon!

For the life of me, I don't understand why people smoke. I smoked like a train. Until I realized and came to my senses what it was doing to me! It makes your body and breath stink. It gives you cancer, makes your teeth yellow. You spend on average $4.00 per pack per day. Why? Why don't you just hand Phillip Morris $4.00 a day to kill you for the rest of your life because that's what your doing anyway. Just think of the money you would be saving! $4.00 per day - 30 days = $160.00 per month - 365 days a year = $1440.00. What in gods name was I thinking? All that money wasted just to kill myself. I use to look at those cigarette commercials and laugh but I don't now because I understand them. They now make sense to me. If you smoke, Stop! Your only killing yourself AND PEOPLE AROUND YOU AS WELL!

I started on the Atkins Diet that day and was very confident I would loose the weight because my mom went on this diet and was very successful at it. She lost about 80 Lbs and now she looks wonderful. I eat things that were in very low carbohydrates such as meat. I basically became a meat only eater. I stayed away from anything white, such as bread, potato's, rice and anything else that was white...

I was working that day and got a phone call from my wife saying that Cat called. Cat, which is short for Cathy, was the surgery date coordinator and insurance person. I already knew I was approved through my insurance because my wife was approved to get it done. Anyway, I called her back from work and she tells me that my surgery date is set for October 31, 2006. I was very excited about this and immediately went and told my supervisor and everyone else I came in contact with. I was very happy that I was getting it so quickly! I called my wife, told her the news ad went back to work a happy man.

October 25, 2006 - pre-operation visit with the doctor

I went to see Dr. Terracina that day to weigh in and see how much I lost on the Atkins Diet. And to my surprise and everyone else's, I had lost about 25 Lbs! To say the least, Dr. Terracina was in complete shock. I think he thought I wouldn't do it. But I fooled him that day! Anyway, the visit went well. We talked about what will happen on the 31st and what time to be at the hospital and what to bring and blah blah blah. I thought to myself, If I can loose 25 Lbs on the Atkins Diet, why don't I just continue with it. But then I thought, No, I wont quite smoking, which was a very big issue for me to do. If I get the surgery, I wont eat everything I see because I wont be able to. So it's like killing 2 birds with 1 stone.

Well, the long awaited day had finally arrived. My wife and I woke up around 6 AM to get ready to go to the hospital. I was not allowed to put anything in my hair or skin such as gel, lotion or hair spray or wear any kind a jewelry. I thought it was a little odd but, whatever! I arrive at the hospital 2 hours ahead of schedule to prepare for the surgery. I was quite nervous at this point but I was also very anxious to get it done. But on the other hand, was having second thoughts about going through with it. But I knew if I didn't do something about my life style, I was going to die at an early age and I really didn't want to do that. I get back to the pre-operation room where the doctors come and meet with you and gets you all ready for the surgery. Dr. Terracina met with me around 11:30 AM and asked if I was ready to change my life. I said to him "Yes, what are you waiting for, roll me in!" So off I went into the surgery room. All I can remember is, it was cold as ice in there and all I had on was a very thin robe. Then I went out like a light because the anaesthesia kicked in.

I woke up and was in a waiting room. Everything was pretty blurry. All I could hear was one of the nurses singing. I looked up at her and told her " American idol your not" and fell back to sleep. I woke up in my room that I would stay in over night, and my wife and mom were there to meet me. I was kinda out of it and I wasn't really sleepy. I felt really good actually. I stayed in the bed till around 6 PM and then called the nurse to help me get out of the bed and to start walking around. I got out of bed and walked around the hospital and all the nurses could not believe I was walking 3 hours after my surgery. Once again, I fooled them. I felt good enough that night to actually go home but I couldn't because I still have the " G-Tube" in me which is the drain tube and the decafitor in still. I also had to go the next day to get X-Rays and drink the nasty drink.

I was really dreading this day. My wife told me that they make you drink this horrible drink to see if you have any leaks in your new pouch in an X-Ray. Well, I drank the drink and almost puked on the guy. It was nasty and disgusting. After that I was fine. I had no leaks and everything appeared to be OK. I got up and walked some more around the hospital till about 2 in the morning.

I was very excited to go home. I felt great and I packed everything and waiting for the discharge papers. I finally got discharged from the hospital around 2 O'clock. I was happy to get out of there. Me and hospitals don't get along to well. Anyway, I get home and I'm doing wonderful. I told my wife that it was a piece of cake and that I didn't know what she was complaining about all the time. The I get really sick about 2 days later and run a fever of about 102.3. I felt like I was going to die. I couldn't breath, eat or drink anything. Then I finally realized after going to the emergency room and talking to Dr. Terracina, I wasn't getting enough oxygen to my left lounge which almost made it collapse. I also was very vulnerable to get Pneumonia which would not have been a good thing. So I started to blow into this special thing and it cleared it right up in about 24 hours. Everything went smooth after that. I started drink my protein stuff and doing what I needed to do to start loosing weight....