From the other side

Well its offical, after countless hours of research, consultation with family, friends and consultants, daydreaming and stressing, I am now bandit!

I do not in anyway want to make out that the procedure is not major surgery but it really was (from my point of view) straightforward.

I will try to explain the process a bit for any potential bandits (not that there is any shortage of information).

I was told I was second on the list for the day and the surgeon told me to be at the hospital by 6.30am. The day before surgery I went to the hospital for pre-admission and met with a nurse, she went through the procedure the next morning and gave me some anteseptic wash for me to use the next morning on my belly. I then had a few blood test and an ECG, they all went well.

Slept for a solid few hours the night before surgery. Showed up at hospital with my wife right on 6.30am on the morning of surgery, as I arrived the nurse called check in to chase me as I had been bumped to first on the list.

Said goodbye to my wife and went to pre-admissions, met a nurse who checked by blood pressure and gave me a gown, I stripped down to my jocks and put on the gown, then the nurse took me to a ward where i laid on a bed why he put on the blood clot sock things.

Then the sleep doctors nurse came in and had a chat with me for about 5 mins, I was then wheeled into another smaller ward, I was the only one in there. Then the sleep doctor came and saw me, he was awesome, put me at ease and had a good yarn with me.

After about 5 mins I was wheeled into surgery, it was a very sterile place, just like what you see on ER. There were people everywhere, I slid off my bed across to the chopping block and the sleep doctor nurse made sure I was comfy, I must admit i started shitting myself at about this moment, just got really nervous, she put me at ease, the sleep doctor put the drip in my arm and i started to settle down.

My surgeon then came over and said g.day to me and then proceeded to blast the beatles from a CD player which settled me right down for some reason, the sleep doctor said it was time and that i would start to feel like i had had a couple of beers, then that is all i remember.

I woke up in recovery with a nurse sitting beside me telling me that the surgery was over and asked me to rate the pain, I said i felt like i had been kicked in the guts by a horse and rated the pain at 7, she then gave me something that was great, I was as high as a kite. The pain disappeared and I drifted to sleep on and off for a while, after about half an hour I went to my room where my family was waiting.

I came home the next morning, most of the pain has gone except for the stab wounds, didnt surffer shoulder tip pain to bad and to date the only pain killers I have had was the stuff the nurse gave me when I came to and 4 pandaols over the last week.

The hardest part is dealing with the boredom, I am really ready to back to work now, but in saying that I would not go back today as I am still in a bit of pain. I think you need a full week to get over this surgery, and that is when it is straightforward.

I am on liquids for the next two weeks which I am starting to get over, the weirdest thing is that I dont feel hungry, sometimes my belly rumbles but I never feel head hungry, this is very weird for me, remember food is a real problem for me. I started this at around 240kgs, that is huge, you can read as much as you like about it but you wont understand until you have it done.

On my weigh in (a few days after surgery) I was 219kgs, I am today (a few days later again) about 216kgs, I am dropping about 1kg a day since the surgery but I assume a lot of that is simply due to my size, I have it to lose.

I am so excited about moving forward on this.

I will keep posting from time to time. BRING ON THE MUSHIES!!!!!!!