Halfway

In the past 10 months - from January to November, there have been tiny steps and BIG steps towards the changes in my life. The biggest has been the spiritual blessings and the smallest the little losses that have added up to 62.5kg - halfway to the 125kg goal set by my doc.

Thank you all for your words of support and encouragement - I have appreciated and needed them along the way!

God bless
Anton "1/2-way shrunk" D

Side Shot

Hello all my friends and family

Here is a side shot of me at dinner in Queenstown where we went for Richie and Meg's wedding. Lamb still almost puts me man-down!!

Well I am nearly 60kg down still (haven't weighed for 3 weeks at least). Will go and update here soon.

Lots of love and God Bless

ASD

Getting Closer

Hello all my friends and family

Well, another week, another kilo.... I am blessed it is going so well!

I have lost another 3.5 kg and am down to 175kg, down a whopping 58kg! I am only 4.5kg away from being 1/2 way to my (estimated) final weight of 108kg.

See you all soon. Don't forget to post comments....it certainly motivates me!

Lots of love and blessings

Anton "Shrunk a lot" D

Compare Then and Now

Look at this comparison from Dec 07 and Sep 08...... Jeepers, even I can spot a little change!


God is working, God is Good!

Love A"S"D

Welcome back...

Hello there everyone, it's been a busy month or so since I last updated.....God works in our lives, time gets short, pressure at work builds, work tasks take over, so the blog comes last...sorry about that!

The good news is that I have broken the 180kg barrier - am now down to 178.5 kg, down by 54.5kg!!! Yeeha!

Here is a picture of myself and Daryl, who weighs as much as I have lost.......
I will post some pics of then vs. now soon. Love you all and God bless.

Anton "Still Shrinking" D

In Outer Space

What does 50 kg weigh away from Earth? You'll be surprised!

What is 50kg....

equal to?

1/133rd of an elephant; More than half of Lisa; 1 BIG dog; 1 Bag of cement; Over 1 and a half of Rachel; 2 thirds of Warren; 3 and a bit of Jake; 5 pockets of potatoes; 10% of a Grizzly bear; 15% of a cow; 20 bags of sugar; 454 cell phones; 2500 dwarf hamsters

in weight?

0.05 metric tons; 0.95 hundredweight (UK); 0.9 kintal; 1.1 sacks;

4 quarters; 4 tods; 7.87 stone; 500 hectogram; 1763.6 ounces; 28219.1 drams; 35200 pennyweights; 42240 scruples;

50000 grams; 771617 grains; 50000000 (50 million) micro- grammes

in liquid?

0.83 barrels; 1.2 firkin; 4.5 pecks; 4.7 hogsheads; 11 gallons; 41.5 litres; 44 quarts

50kg gone now!

God Bless you ALL

Anton "50 down" D

(Not so) Subtle Reminder

I checked my old photies and was subtly reminded of how far I have come already....

Look for yourselves....



GB, AD

Oops

Hi all

Oops, sorry, weighed last week but forgot to update..... 46kgs down in 5 1/2 months....

Significant number now!

Posting again soon. Stay well.

God Bless,
Anton

Even More I Can Do Now

-Roll around and play with my children
-Sit in chairs with arms
-Fit in any shower -Use any toilet
-Climb stairs without huffing (well 1 or 2 stories only)
-Walk on the beach -Run -Bend down -Lie in a bath
-Eat less -Eat on my lap -Walk places
-Touch my toes -Do household chores
-Be more active as a parent -Sightseeing -Crawl around
-Wash the car -Carry a tray -Be the butt of thin jokes -Lean forward -Wash dishes without backache
-Touch my toes

God Bless
Anton "Definitely Shrinking" D

Forty (40)

Forty is the number of kilo's I have nearly lost (39.5) in 4 months...

Forty is also:

• in the Saying "Life begins at forty"
• in the expression "forty winks", meaning a short sleep
• the number of years of marriage as the ruby wedding anniversary
• "Forty days and forty nights" describes the period for which rain fell during Noah's flood
• "Forty days" was the length of the period that the twelve spies explored the Promised Land (Numbers 13)
• "Forty years" was the length of Israel's wandering in the wilderness.
  
• Forty years represents a generation, that is, the time it takes for a new generation to arise.
• Moses' life is divided into three 40-year segments, separated by his fleeing from Egypt, and his return to lead the people out.
• Several Israelite leaders and kings are said to have ruled for "forty years", that is, a generation. (Examples: Eli, Saul, David, Solomon.)
• "Forty days and forty nights" was the period Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness, after which he was tempted by Satan.
• Forty days was the period from Jesus' resurrection till his ascension into heaven.
• Roaring forties - areas between latitudes 40° and 50° south in the Southern Hemisphere, where the prevailing winds blow persistently from the west
• Forty Martyrs of England and Wales - a group of Roman Catholic martyrs executed by English authorities during the Reformation, most during the reign of Elizabeth I
• the code for direct dial international phone calls to Romania
• in the name of the food additive FD & C Red Dye #40, commonly known as "Red 40"
• the customary number of hours in a regular work week
• the classic Russian vodka is alcohol content 40 percent by volume
• UB40 is a form for those claiming unemployment benefits in the United Kingdom. The band UB40 was named after this form
• It is also an octagonal number, and as the sum of the first four pentagonal numbers, it is a pentagonal pyramidal number. Adding up some subsets of its divisors (e.g., 1, 4, 5, 10 and 20) gives 40, hence 40 is a semiperfect number.
• Since the greatest prime factor of 402 + 1 = 1601 is prime and obviously more than 40 twice, 40 is a Størmer number.

GB
ASD - 40

LITTLE BIG

Well as you saw earlier, my pants are a LITTLE BIG now, so I dug into the cupboard for the pants I outgrew 8 years ago!!!

I tried the first pair of old jeans on and ..... SURPRISE .....................they FIT!

What is so cool is that they are a 169cm waist (OK, they're still quite BIG) but they are certainly smaller than the tight 189cm waist of my last ones. Here I am wearing them and they are a little loose I must tell you, but at least thet are not SO baggy on me.

YooHoo.....I am now really certain I am shrinking.

Praise Him for His Blessings.

GB

ASD

3 into 1

A funny ting 'appened...we desided to see if de kids could klimb into mi (by now...EXTRA EXTRA large) pents! Well, as yu can see from de pix, dey culd.....3 into 1 does go!

I wuz always veddy gud at mafs. Must werk on my inglish now?



God Bless

Anton "Shrinking" D

The Flip Side

Hey Folks...my project at work is keeping me BUSY...so sorry for no updates for a while!

Anyway, I wanted to share a funny story with you....

The way I usually get out of bed is to drop my legs over the side, flip my body into an upright sitting position, and then push myself up to my feet before waddling off to my morning chores...

Anyway last week, after pushing the snooze button too many times, I was a little late, realised I needed to hurry so I put in extra effort to do so....I dropped my legs over the side, flipped my body upright, BAM!!!

The next thing I see are tiny little furrows, like very small corn fields, right at my face..WHAT? I see it's my carpet....WHAT happened? Geez, I forget I am 35+kg lighter and had flipped body way past 90degrees and over the end of my bed ending up with my cheek flattened against the carpet. HA HA you say. You're right...

Yeah, it would be funnier if I didn't have carpet burns on my eye and realising it needs a shampoo....

See you

God Bless
ASD

BREAKTHROUGH!!!

I finally made it through 200! Yippee!

Thanks to God for his Grace and to all my friends for their support. I could not capture all your smiles when you read this news so I took clips of some of you out of my archive and published them below.



GB
ASD

ULOs

I went to brush my teeth one morning earlier this week and as I looked in the mirror I saw these GIGANTIC ULOs (Unidentified Lumpy Objects) just underneath and on the outside of each eye! I ran to Lisa and asked what these are, do I have a disease or an allergy? What's happening to me? HELP!!!

She said they were my cheekbones. Not to worry it's normal.....

I almost fainted! Cheekbones? I haven't seen those for 10 years at least, thought they were gone! Relief coursed through me as I poked and prodded my NACs (Newly Appeared Cheekbones)

See you all soon and God Bless
A "S" D

Waiting for the Hammer to Fall

While waiting for the hammer to fall on the trigger of the cannon that will blast me out of the 200's, I wanted to show you that, whilst not losing the kg's, I am losing some skin (well...fat under the skin then...)

God Bless
Shrinking D

Lose Someone, Lose Someone More

After the BAD news from my previous post, here is something that cheers me up... (Hope you enjoy it too...)



GB
SD

So Near Yet So Far....

Hello my friends

A few of you have been asking why I have been so quiet? Well....I have been waiting to break the 200kg barrier before I posted again and I thought it would happen quite soon after my last post but alas, 2 weeks later I am only down to 201kg, only a loss of .5kg! VERY disappointing!

Why is this not WORKING!!!

Mmmm....complacency, the enemy of the dieter, reared it's ugly head. It's ALL MY FAULT!

Here are a few hard, yet helpful, words from my accountability partner Celeste, to illustrate the point...

"You are losing weight too slowly! Pottie will be horrified. You know the answers. You are eating incorrectly.

You must make use of the tool while it is assisting you. You are not hungry right? There is a huge difference between mind hunger and real hunger. You are mind hungry.

You have to make a concerted effort to only eat what you are allowed and as little as possible. You won’t die of hunger- cause there is enough to burn.

You have to teach your body all over again what is healthy and what not. Make a rule that you will only cheat once a week- this means that perhaps on a Sunday- you can eat what you want to, but every other day of the week- you need to only eat what you must.

I know Judy’s rules are maybe a little strict so here’s what you do:

• No carbohydrates- no bread, rice, pasta, potatoes at all- I MEAN IT
• Only meat where there is no visible fat ( before it gets cooked- don’t even think of only cutting it off afterwards- the temptation is too big!)
• Eat your meat first , then veg ( the veg need to be steamed. Put some grated cheese over it- just a sprinkling with some spice- believe me- it’s not too bad) No spinach with feta, not cauliflower in white sauce.
• Veg you can eat a lot from- carrots, beetroot, spinach
• Avoid fruit juice at all costs- too much sugar.
• No Alcohol- yeah I know- have a glass ( only one) on your cheat day.
• Meat first, then veg.
• Chew everything carefully. Consider what it tastes like. Can you discern the different flavours in your food? What is that spice?
• Put your knife and fork down between mouth fulls.
• Don’t eat while you are doing something else- working, reading,watching television. Concentrate-. You are eating a lot less now- so it has to be top notch. Don’t eat just because it’s there.
• Are you hungry? Is it half an hour after you have eaten? Do you really want / need it? If not- walk away – go do something else.
• Start exercising- no man- not join a gym or aerobics. Park your car further away from the door at work- take the stairs ( huffing and puffing in the beginning). Get up to talk to someone in a different dept or floor instead of phoning or e-mailing.
• Stop thinking of yourself as the FAT guy. Look at the thin people in your office. ( without them notifing- no sexual harassment please). Notice what they do, start emulating this. You will quickly see what you are doing wrong.
• Don’t ever eat when you are alone! This is perhaps my biggest sin- I used to think that if I eat something and no-one sees, then it doesn’t count. You are no longer responsible to others for your weight- if you cheat- you are only cheating yourself out of one amazing opportunity. You are going to be thin.
• Stop mourning- yes you are mourning- you think that it can continue as before. It can’t anymore, you have to change and think like a thin person. It is time to say good bye to the FAT guy.
• When people as you if you have lost weight, smile and say – why yes- 30kg today. How’s it going- absolutely fantastic- I no longer require my Blood pressure pills- this is amazing! OWN IT.
• If someone says- you look good- OWN it. Say thank you very much, it is nothing to how I feel on the inside.
• Most important of these rules. Dish up for yourself. Only take enough to fill half a cup. Eat this. Excuse yourself from the table. If you are hungry later, you can repeat this, but I promise you –you won’t be. This is the best thing I have done for myself. Sure it’s anti social, but until you can trust yourself to not pick and eat the rest of the stuff on the table- remember- we are food addicts. And we are going cold turkey!

My friend- it is not easy. You need to pray and believe that God will help you. You will lose weight, but you are going to have to put some effort into it."

Thanks Celeste, bless you for this advice.....

So near yet so far will change.....back on the straight and narrow for me.

God Bless
Slowly "Shrinking" D

Close Target!

Hey friends...

Look at this, from 233kg to so close to the 200kg interim target and in only 10 weeks!


His Grace Saves...

God Bless

Who Dat?

What I Can Do Now!

It's been 3 months since my op and amazing physical changes have been happening in my daily life and I wanted to share these with you...

• I can walk further than I have for 15 years
• My family sees less of me every day
• My clothes are too big (Jake can fit inside my jeans with me....I will post a photo of that soon)
• I can go on outings and not get irritated (I have energy to look after my babies now)
• I fit in chairs with arms
• I can bend down and tie my shoelaces
• I can bend down and touch my toes
• I eat less than Jake (who is 4)
• My back aches less
• I can carry more things at once
• I fit into my car comfortably
• (I will post more as they happen)
  

If God can make these BIG changes in my life, imagine what he can do in yours!!!

First Walk

On Saturday we rose early and decided to go down to the Milnerton beach for a walk. In days gone by this is something I shuddered at and mostly had the convenient back- or headache or imaginary ailment, any reason not to WALK! Goodness who WALKS these days with all the stunning cars we have??? If you want to see the beach, Google it.....

Well, all you walkers certainly have something going for you.......What a fantastic time we had as a family WALKING on the beach (it was low tide so certainly easier for me...). We spent an hour walking and I LOVED it.

Thanks to God for the lovely city we are in and thanks to my family who have had all the patience in the world and who persuaded me to go for this walk. No persuading needed again!

7 Weeks and Counting...

Eventually I was able to get to our local supermarket and use their super duper scale and WOW I lost 8.5kg since my last weigh-in....

My number is now 204.5kg.

All in God's plan....

MAJOR DUMP

Last week after eating a single lamb chop (fat cut off) + some couscous and veg, I had a MAJOR dump!!

Now, before I get any emails telling me this is sick and is PG rated, dumping is really called Gastric Bypass Dumping Syndrome or rapid gastric emptying and it happens when the lower end of the small intestine, the jejunum, fills too quickly with undigested food from the pouch. Normally, the pyloric valve at the lower end of the pouch regulates the release of food into the bowel. When a Gastric Bypass patient (Me) eats a sugary food (or fatty food or eat too quickly etc etc), the food passes rapidly into the bowel, where it gives rise to a physiological reaction called dumping syndrome. An affected person (again, me) feels his heart beating rapidly and forcefully, breaks into a cold sweat, nausea, vomiting, bloating, cramping, diarrhea, dizziness and fatigue.

In this case it lasted for 2 hours! I walked up and down and around and would have flown if I could....After an hour Lisa called Celeste and she brought me anti-nausea and pain suppositiries all the way from Tableview at 8pm. Thanks my life-saving friend! The closest way I can describe it is if you have eaten the biggest meal of your life and then ate an extra plate for good measure. You are VERY uncomfortable and then start getting stomach cramps, you feel nauseous 'cause of too much food AND there is a big wind you can't burp out and you wanna be sick but CAN'T....

Anyway lamb is off the menu for ever and I survivived. Whew! Scared me off eating anything for a day or so.

Do I Look Thinner?

Here we go...the latest photo comparison.

By God's Grace I made it to here so far...

BUUUZZZZZZZ

Had some STRONG filter coffee today! BUUUUZZZZ!!!!!

Proved that there is Internet access in space.... See you when I come down.

Bye

ENORMOUS, GARGANTUAN, COLOSSAL.....I MEAN MY HELPINGS

I was talking to my accountability "buddy" the other day (Hello Celeste) and after our chat, I only then realized how big my portions were before my operation!

Well....everything is relative I suppose, compared to now it was positively ENORMOUS, GARGANTUAN, COLOSSAL, GIGANTIC, MASSIVE, HUGE, MAMMOTH...

Everything is now Super-Size (Super small that is...)

I can have about 30g of meat with A lettuce leaf, 2 slices of carrot and some balsamic vinegar for taste. Less than Jakie boy in fact. BUT I LOVE IT and it's working!

See you all soon. God Bless

New Number

Go Sharks.....29 vs. Bulls 15. Bonus point for 4 tries. Yahoo!

My new number is 213kg! Lost another 6kg in 3 weeks. Was a little dissappointed at first but I have to be a little stricter in excluding carbs from my diet and I HAVE to eat 6 times a day, even one of those little triangle cheesies for a meal will do.

Total lost since 23 Jan 2008 = 20kg. Sounds GOOD!

I am still feeling tired, exhausted in fact, but that should pass soon...

God Bless
Anton

PS Photo to follow...

Can You Spot the Difference?

Watched some stunning (and some boring) rugby this weekend while Lisa went camping with the babies at the Green school. Sorry about the coffee love!

Go Sharks!!

Anyway, today a fresh new week starts..... Onward and forward.....forever thinner.....

Can anyone spot the difference? Seeing Less of me yet?

See ya

(Please comment)

Weakness

Weakness is a grumpy, 40 year old polar bear on a 12 month hunger strike stuck in the North pole on a floating iceberg.....where the fish are frozen, the seagulls are quick, the seals swim too fast and the polar bear ladies run like >>>>>>>

Second Weeks Starts

Tuesday 20th:- Tuesdays s..k! Only joking...I love coming in to work. I look forward to my snacks during the day too! See what they are -->
Energade as a regular snack, pureed apple and pear for mid-morning and afternoon snacks! I left off the pureed chicken so I didn't scare you off...
Well, time to go home. Chat soon.

Monday 19th:- Mondays s..k! I slept all weekend as I was exhausted and I needed to stay in bed today...but gotta work. Hey, had to tighten my belt by 1 notch today...no food!

Things I can do when I am THIN

-Dance with Lisa cheek-to-cheek -Roll around and play with my children
-Have energy to burn -Sit in chairs with arms -Fit in any shower
-Use any toilet -Climb stairs without huffing
-Sit in an airplane seat -Fit in any car -Water ski
-Dance -Go down river in a tube -Go rubber-ducking
-Walk on the beach -Swim in public -Run -Bend down -Lie in a bath
-Walk around unnoticed -Buy clothes off the shelf -Eat less
-Lie in a hammock -Ride a bike -Paddle a canoe
-Bungee jump -Share my testimony -Eat on my lap -Walk places -Fit in a trapdoor
-Touch my toes -Sit cross-legged -Not be stared or laughed at
-Do household chores -Be more active as a parent -Ride a scooter
-Participate in team building activities -Camp -Climb a tree
-Walk the dog -Eat on my own tray in a plane -Go to gym
-Sightseeing -Play tennis -Windows-shopping -Crawl around
-Work in the Garden -Wash the car -Play bowls
-Carry a tray -Be the butt of thin jokes -Climb a ladder
-Lean forward -Wash dishes without backache

-Touch my toes

Back at Work - The First Week

Whew!! Its Friday and I'm ecstatic.

My first week is done and I made it through. It's been tough! I've have felt extremely fatigued, nauseous, in pain (especially where my belt goes). At least I made it through 90% of my days at work. At about 3pm or so, BANG, I suddenly feel terrible and I need to rush home to lie down.

Thanks for all of those who have been coming to see me and also wishing me well. God Bless!

See some of you on Sunday!

Back at Work

Whew! Mind willing, body WEAK...... had to go in today - no work, no pay, make Jack a poor boy!

Welcomed back by all, great to be here (wish I could sleep). I will try and make it a full day.

My Stay at N1 City Hospital Resort

First Day, Thursday 31 Jan:-

11h00 – I arrived at the hospital and was escorted to the ward – Yahoo! Private room with its own bathroom. Bed is great – electrically operated. Moves legs and torso up and down.
Lisa unpacked and the nurses did all their checks. I am tagged with 3 coloured tags 1. My name and Doctor; 2. IMPORTANTLY – what operation I am having; 3. High Blood Pressure indicator. I ask for a pen to draw exactly where the operation will take place as a reminder. No Go!

11h30 – 13h00 Wait. Lisa and I have said all we need to say and I am ready

13h00 – I put on the HORRIBLE gown but hey it was my size so my b….m was covered at least.

13h15 – The porters come and fetch me. No tears, Lisa and I say goodbye, see you later…

13h30 – In the queue at Operating theatre. My escort hands me over to theatre sister and they CAREFULLY check what I am having done. I remind them again in theatre!!!

+- 13h45 – I am wheeled in to theatre proper. I check with the sisters that there are generators in the hospital so won’t be affected by load shedding!!! They move me to another bed put up a drip and put stickers on my chest - to connect me to an ECG monitor and a BP machine to monitor me throughout the operation. There are a lot of people:
- Pottie (My Doc)
- Another surgeon equally qualified to assist with the op
- Anaesthetist
- Sister to assist and hand stuff to the doctors
- Her assistant
- The anaesthetist assistant

+- 14h00 – Click, the lights go out.

+- 19h30 – OW OW OW My feet hurt. My tummy hurts. PRAISE GOD. I say a prayer of thanks before opening my eyes. Where’s my Lisa? The rooms spinning! Yahoo! The luckiest man alive - 3 Lisa’s are here…..Wait….. 3 Larry’s too – must be a nightmare! (Jokes Larry…). I am in ICU. Lots of people (patients) all around.

+- 20h00 Lisa and Larry (and Sam) go home. The pricking and prodding starts. I can’t swallow ‘cuse there’s a pipe1 down my nose and throat. EXTREMELY uncomfortable! I want to pee, the nurses say go ahead. I say No I don’t want to wet the bed, they say go ahead, you’re connected to a bag!!! EXTREMELY uncomfortable! Also there is a bag with a tube directly into my stomach area on the right side. Full of ghastly liquid! YUK! EXTREMELY uncomfortable too!

1 Naso gastric tube - small tube about 50mm in diameter which goes through one nostril into my stomach- to drain any fluids that might accumulate in the new pouch, it also prevents that I vomit as everything comes out

+- 20h15 - I ask for a pain jab – everything is now comfortable. What was uncomfortable? What are pipes? Everything is good……ZZZzzzzz

23h00 – Sister checks me out – BP, Oxygen level etc. More pain jabs….ZZZzzzzz

Day 2, Friday 1 Feb:-

04h00 – OW OW OW, still sore! Must wait until 06h00 for more! Mmm – sponge bath, full body – feel much better.

06h00 – More pain jabs…..ZZzzzzzz

07h00 – Get woken up! Breakfast time. Very angry! Why wake me when I cannot eat?

10h00 – Physio arrives for my breathing exercises. Has a pump that, as you inhale, pumps your lungs full of air! OW! Almost popped open! Tried to punch him but too weak to lift my arms!

11h00 – Get taken down to Radiology for GastroGaffin. Sambuca tasting stuff which shows leaks in operation areas. Nice, as I have had no water to drink since operation. Gagged a bit but it must go down… They try and move me from my bed to the radiography bed. Must basically do it by myself as too few helpers!!! OW OW OW! Doctor does scan, presses hard OW OW OW! Test checks out OK. Drink some Barium meal so Doctor can check for smaller leaks. All OK. Give me some water to rinse my mouth – yummy. Must move to own bed again! OW OW OW! I get taken back to ICU.

13h00 – More pain jabs. Can’t sleep.

13h30 - Complain as pain jabs are not working. Get top-up jab. Bed looks good from the ceiling…

15h00 – Get taken back to my Private room. Great as there is now peace and quiet.

15h15 – Lisa arrives with other guests

17h00 – Doctor arrives and checks me out. Ups pain medication – they were giving me levels for guy of 100kg. Words cannot describe relief.

19h00 – Get more visitors – I think, can’t remember here from the ceiling…..

Day 3, Saturday 2 Feb

04h00 – Another sponge bath. Feels good. Watched TV most of the night as I could not sleep. Strange programs on SABC and etv!

06h30 – Got breakfast – soup & jelly. Soup has bits and pieces in it. Should be clear only. Sent it back. Jelly great, just too sweet.

08h30 – MUST GET UP! Sisters orders! OW OW OW! Walk 10 meters. Tired! Get in to bed and demand pain jab. Bump, damn this ceiling is getting awkward…

09h30 – Doctors comes and says catheter can come out.. Donner and Blitzen, was that sore! I can also start sipping water. 15 – 30ml only every 15 minutes. Thanks Doc!

10h30 - Physio arrives for my breathing exercises. OW! Tried to punch him again but still too weak to lift my arms!

13h00 – Must get up AGAIN. OW OW OW! Walk 10 meters again and go to Loo. Yippee I can weewee again. No damage from pipes! Oops what’s that? Yippee! Bowel moved too! Celebrated by getting double pain jab. Bump…

15h00 – Watched TV all day. Got visitors Lisa and Babies. Fantastic seeing them. Celeste, Keith and family thanks for coming too.

17h00 – Doctor called to see if I was OK.

19h00 – Lisa and Warren visited. Got supper. Yet again it arrived with pieces. Sent it back for clear broth. Brandon and Rhos popped in for a visit on their way to a romantic dinner. Thanks guys.

19h30 – Clear soup arrived. Had a spoonful – very oily, Oh No!

20h30 – Pain in stomach! Worried!

20h40 – Feeling nauseous! MAY NOT THROW UP! Will cause damage to internals! Called for help. I was told sister busy, will come soon…

20h50 – Feeling VERY nauseous! Called again. Was brought bucket to throw up into and cloth! Demanded to see sister!

21h10 – Cannot wait any longer! Called sister again. She came now and gave me anti-nausea jab.

22h30 – Nausea gone but pain is excruciating. Called Lisa to get Celeste to call me. Celeste said I must get up and walk. Pain caused by oily food!!!! Called for help and walked around for 5 min until air escaped and seemed food drained out of pouch. Feel a bit better.

(Celeste has same op as me in October last year)

23h00 – Got another pain jab. No ceiling but pain dulled!

Day 4, Sunday 3 Feb

06h00 – Good night. Not much sleep but TV was OK.

09h00 – Doctor visits. Checks me out and says I can go home. He is upset as wound drainage tube and pouch was supposed to be removed the day before!

09h30 – Sister arrives to remove wound drainage bag. Tugs on tube! Would have wet the bed if I wasn’t so dehydrated! Oops, forgot to remove stitch holding it in! The sister cuts the stitch and tugs again! OW! Oops another stitch, sorry…. The sister is a woman, cannot punch her, so I bite my lips instead….. She tugs on the tube again and it tears loose from scab! OW! It eventually comes out. Wound wide open but she covers it with plaster… Please come and take me home from the torture palace Lisa!!!

11h00 – Nurse arrives for sponge bath. She has to do it alone as the other nurse does not want to help! Had to turn myself over. OW!

+- 12h00 – Lisa comes to fetch me. My Angel has arrived! She packs my bags and we go out the room and wait for wheelchair.

12h30 – Wheelchair arrives. No arms on it but so narrow the wheels would burn my b….m! Oops no bigger wheelchair! Perhaps we can use the big chair in ward with wheels? Get in chair but takes 15 min to lift footrest before being able to push it!

12h45 – Wheeled into lift and go down to ground floor. On arrival, we cannot get out of the lift as the footrest has collapsed and stuck in the lift! Lisa goes and discharges me and gets the car ready in the meantime.

12h55 – After trying for 10 minutes to get me out of the lift, they take me back to original floor, get a bed with wheels and wheel me into the other lift for the journey back down to ground floor.

13h10 – Lisa waiting at lift on ground floor. Steam is escaping her ears! They push me to reception but stop at emergency exit and say this is the furthest they can take me on bed. Hospital rules! Lisa, in no uncertain terms, tells them what to do and they take me through reception and to car in the bed!!!

13h45 – Arrive at home! Walk to my bed! I thank God for delivering me safely and for looking after my family while I was away.

The Story So Far - February '08

10th:- Tired and in pain. Had to skip Church - missed you guys...

8th:- Saw Doc for follow-up. He's happy. Have lost 4kg since being discharged on Sunday. Must see him in 6 weeks again.

6th:- Tired, sleeping a lot. Yesterday was worst pain day yet. Painkillers good tho'

4th:- AT HOME! I made it back thanks to GOD!!!

The Story So Far - January '08

31st:- D-Day. Off to hospital for 11am. Op at 14h00 and should last 3 - 6 hours. See ya! See pre-op photo on left @ 223kg, down 10kg since 7 Jan!

30th:- Day before operation. Feeling good (still hungry - day 7 of liquid diet!) and Peaceful, no nerves - God's grace is with me.I will be online as soon as I can next week. Cheers for now.

28th:- God is GOOD. Lisa called Doc directly and he says no need for R29K, he will go ahead without it.

25th:- Doctor's assistant called - we need to pay in R29,000 before she will confirm theater booking. Sherbert! Must Pray...

24th:- 1 week to go. Struggling with diet. Woke up with a killer headache - probably detoxing!

23rd:- Started liquid diet today. Challenging! Everybody around you seems to be eating fantastic food... Anyway not so bad:Lots of water with everything...

Basic Menu

Brekkie -

Cerelac (baby cereal)

Fruit smoothie

Lunch-

250ml yoghurt

250ml apple sauce

250 ml nutri shake

Supper-

250 ml soup

125 ml pureed fruit

2 scrambled eggs

11th:-Saw the Endocrinologist today. Prognosis - I am a very good candidate for GP operation... Whooppeeeee. Now we wait for the medical aid to issue auth number!

5th:-Gastroscopy done yesterday. Yuckie spray in throat but wow, quick working aneasthetic. Sore throat after. Stomach slightly inflamed but that is probably all the peri-peri and tabasco... Abdominal Sonar done yesterday. Checked spleen, gall bladder, liver and bladder. Liver OK - shows you red wine does flush out liver. Gall bladder has a large stone - accounts for some of the pain I experience. It will be removed during operation. Other organs OK. Just need to see Endocrinologist and lose 10kgs by end Jan. GO GO GO!

3rd:-Operation booked for 31 Jan!I have seen the Psychiatrist and Dietician.

Psych report - although loopy and have some maternal issues, the operation is medically indicated in his opinion. Great!

Dietician report - liquid diet for 1 week prior and 2 weeks post operation. Pureed food for another 2 weeks and then on to .....soft food for 2 weeks yay! Operation is indicated. Great!

Blood tests done!Have worked out that by my birthday on 9 April I should be down by 30kgs! Praise the Lord.....

The Story So Far - November & December '07

Dec 2007:- Gastric Bypass SurgeryI saw the Bariatric surgeon (Dr JA Potgieter) on Thursday 29/11 and he did an evaluation with the following results:

1. Weight 233kg

2. Body mass index (BMI): 66+

3. Category: Super Obese

4. Morbidity factors: Pre diabetic, high blood pressure, hip problems, breathing problems, reflux, sleep apnoea (all are cured by op!)

5. Minimum requirements to qualify for surgery: BMI >45 with no morbidity factors (As you see I am almost overqualified!!!)

Other factors:

1. Success rate of operation: 99%

2. Size of weight loss=77% of excess weight in 1 year (for me = 97kg!)

3. Fatality rate: SA = 1% (worldwide = 4%)

4. Morbidity rate: SA = 4% (worldwide = 10%) (Morbidity rate = number of people who have serious complications after surgery)

5. Cost of operation=R 90,000+. My medical aid covers most of it, thanks to God....

6. Options for bypass = 4 options but best is Roux and Y method.

Roux en Y Gastric Bypass Surgery: How it Works

Gastric bypass surgery involves three main steps:

1. Creating a new, smaller stomach (gastric pouch) from the existing stomach.

2. Bypassing 3 to 4 ft. of the small intestine (normally 20 ft. long).

3. Connecting the bypassed digestive section to the lower section of the small intestine, where necessary digestive juices mix with food.

Still to do:

1. Have a gastroscopy

2. Have a liver scope

3. Have a whole panel of blood tests

4. See a psychiatrist (Certify what a large impact being overweight has on me and to check that I am not bi-polar or downs or schizophrenic)

5. See a dietician (I must move from solids to soft food and then to liquids before the operation and reverse the process afterwards. About 6 weeks to 2 months). The surgeon would like to see me lose 10kg before surgery

7. See an endocrinologist (thyroid doc)

BUT these are really just formalities UNLESS something major turns up.

Welcome

Hello Friends

Welcome to my blog, set up for you all to track my progress while I move from Thick to Thin and to see the changes God has and is making in my life.

Enjoy the journey with me.

Anton "Shrinking" D