86 days

So today I am 86 days out from surgery- a;most three months. I am doing okay. I have my good and bad days. I have been very tired lately and not sleeping well.  I am currently at 22 pounds lost. That is good but I wish It was more. I need to go see my gastroenterologist today for a problem that I believe to be unrelated to the band- alteast I hope so. It probably isnt anything but sometimes you can never be sure.

Not much else to say... More blogging later. Peace

I found a great source of protein!!!!

So this morning I stopped at the local gas station and picked up this bottle....Muscle Milk...but it has no milk at all in it...lol..

In a 14 fl oz bottle there is 240 calories and 25grams of protein. This is good because your calories/protein ratio should be 100/10.

After more research I saw that they also have a Muscle Milk-n-oats. A breakfast oatmeal with 35 grams of protein. I have yet to try it but will be getting some next pay day!!!


So.... TRY IT!! ITS GOOD... and I am picky... I should know  :-p

Sorry have not posted in awhile

So I went for my second lap band fill 10/20/2010... The surgeon poked around in there awhile before he found the port and now I am bruised... :(

Anyway.... I am apparently missing 1cc since my last fill. The surgeon said it could be hidden in the curves of the band. During my first fill I had 2 cc and he added 1cc. I did not feel much of a difference with that fill. This time when he aspirated the fluid he only pulled out 2cc....there is suppose to be 3cc...hmmmmmm

So he added 1cc in and only documented 3cc in my chart. I have another fill appt scheduled for 11/15/2010 and we will see if I have "lost" any more cc's. I sure hope not.... *fingers crossed*.

I have not felt a difference since the second addition of fluid to my band. I ate fine after. I am told however it can take up to two weeks to feel any difference from a fill. I hope it kicks in soon.

On another topic I got my weight this morning. I lost 2 pounds!! WOO HOO!!!!
So that is 22 pounds since a week before surgery. I lost 3 pounds between my first fill and the second fill.

I still have a very long way to go... 82 pounds more. I was hoping to be down to atleast 200 by Christmas.... so I guess we will see...

Banning the Scale

Today.... I am banning the scale. From this day forward I will NOT step foot on a scale unless my doctor requests it. It is soooo fustrating to see inches come off but the needle on the scale not budge at all. So to save myself the time and heartache...the scale is banned!!!!!

S/P Lap Band Surgery Tips and Tricks

My Lap Band Journey Tips- Post Surgical

-A pillow will be your best friend for at least 2 weeks after surgery. Hold it tight when sneezing, getting up, coughing, laughing etc

-Fart often- there is no way around it sometimes. Gas-x only works for so long

- Chicken dance baby!!- For stuck episodes or feelings of stuck place your left hand in your arm pit and flap like a chicken about 10 times. You look funny but it definitely makes a difference.

-Heating pad-helps relax things- it is wonderful!!!

-Left side- Lay on it!!! It helps move the food along and the gas!!!

- You will be lucky if you have a BM the first or second day. Third day seems to be the day. You are not constipated you just had surgery and haven’t eaten anything of substance.

-Expect diarrhea until you are a few days into your solid phase. Wet wipes will be your best friend.

-Anything with carbonation will blow you up- very uncomfortable

-Things that give you gas now will still give you gas then- but 10x worse

-Stress, emotions, anger, menstrual cycles and in the Morning your band may be tighter due to stomach swelling. Eat slower.

- Walk walk walk walk….It helps move things along

-Try not to drink when you eat- It really does push the food through, Defeats the purpose of the band.

-Chewable Tylenol tastes better then liquid. Children’s liquid Tylenol is also nice.

-Crockpot…greatest item ever, makes almost any meat very tender and easy to eat

-Blender- Great for blending anything

- Don’t expect dramatic weight loss after the band. You will be lucky if you loose at all until your first or second fill. That is just how it works.

-Burping is hard with the band- although it is a wonderful release of pressure. If you are sitting try standing and take a small walk. Helps moves things around and allows air to escape.

Trouble down under

So the other morning I realized I had a lump located above my port. It hurts to touch and my port feels flipped. I called the surgeon and they didnt get back to me till a day later. This morning I went in and saw the nurse and she had another surgeon take a feel. He thinks its fluid and wants me to wait out the weekend... If by monday there is not change I need to go back in and see Dr. Monk..

So I was doing some research today and I read that 1-5 people who have the band develop a port leak. It is like a defective device. My surgeon didn’t do a barium or anything afterwards to look for a leak so it would be hard to notice before or during surgery or even right after surgery. If I go back on Monday he will likely do a injection under fluoroscopy. If the fluid has built up enough and my port has flipped and he can not access it then I will need to go in for surgery regardless. If there is a leak found under fluro then back into surgery for a new port. There is a possibility of a leak they can’t see. So if that is the case they will do a fill and see if I have any restriction in a week or two. Then go back and see how much fluid is in the band. If it is less then they put in and I have no restriction then I have a leak and into surgery I will go… Either way if it is a leak I will need to have surgery again…If it is neither of those then he may do an ultrasound or CT scan to see if something else is in there. I can tell you this.. my port does not feel the same as it did two weeks ago. Two weeks ago I could feel a flat surface…now it feels like the edge of something. A flipped port can be caused by two things… not enough stitching to keep it in place or I did too much too soon and ripped the stitching.

11 days post op

Ok everyone so today is 11 days post op. Since 7/30/2010 I have lost a total of 17 pounds which is 10% of my goal. Things are going okay. I still have slight pain when I breath deep breaths, cough, sneeze and laugh but it is almost 1000x better then a few days ago. I am current on a purree diet which has been okay. I think personally I am more on a mushie/soft food diet. Everything so far goes down easily. I can tell when I am getting full because the food tends to go down a lot slower and I get this tightness right behind my breast bone. It almost feels like you have take too big of a bite.So then I stop eating when I feel that. I can feel I need a fill because it is just to easy to eat foods. I do get fuller quicker but it doesnt stop me from eating more then I think I should with the bad. This is often a shared complaint amoungs the banded community.  I am finding is VERY hard not to drink 30 min before and after as well as during the eating process. I am not sure I can even break that habit but I will try. I also found out that pasta of any kind is a No-No. It makes me very gasy and BLOATED. Which in turn leads to me being very uncomfortable. I also found that my underwire bra is also hurting me too. My band is located just under the end of my breast bone and my underwire sits right there. Of course a 46D is going to add a lot of unwanted weight there. Another thing I am truely happy about is that I can now sleep and lay on both of my sides. After surgery I could only lay sitting up on my back. Now I can lay down with two pillows on my sides! YES! That is how I like to sleep! LOL..On the sad hand the other day as I was tending to my wounds I saw that the three smaller ones did not look that great. Red around the edge. One of them was not closing like I though it was. So yesterday evening I hit those things with anitbiotic cream and antibiotic band aids. I hope this works and they start closing up. I have a surgeons appt tomorrow in the AM. I will post after that to let you all know how things are going!

- Much Love,
T

Surgery is tomorrow!

So I had a really hard time falling asleep last night. I had some nasty nightmares and a slight headache this AM. This morning I got up and had to drink 2oz of castor oil- I am on clear liquids for the rest of the day today till midnight.  I think right now I am ready for tomorrow. Just to get this done and start my new life. I am ready to loose some weight. I am not 100% sure of how much I have lost already. I will get a official weight tomorrow. My heaviest is 254. So now the 24 hour count down till my band begins!!!!!

Almost Time....

Two more days of this stupid vanilla diet... Im so sick of vanilla right now. Three days till surgery. Im ready.....that is all..........

Food

Its evil, its lovely, its great, it was my best friend....It comforted me and never turned its back on me...Now I turn my back on it...

I hate you food...

The few days before my liquid diet started I was obsessed with eating everything I would miss after surgery. Pizza, fried chicken, soda, ice cream, pie...etc..etc...About two days before I started which would of been Wednesday I was done...I was so tired of obsessing over food. I almost started my diet one day early but I didn't.

This is my first day of my diet- honestly I am not hungry...I have the shakes a little and I can feel a headache starting up. Which I was told to expect.

I can smell the lunch the office is having...smells good but none of it is calling to me right now. I think I will chew a piece of gum- trick my brain...

For right now things a smooth.... lets see how tomorrow is....

This is the Lab-Band

The LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System is a simple yet advanced gastric banding system that helps you gradually lose and control your weight by reducing the amount of food that your stomach can hold at one time. Allergan is the pioneer of adjustable gastric banding in the United States - this is a constantly evolving technology, involving a great deal of research and development.


The name "LAP-BAND" comes from the minimally invasive surgical technique used (laparoscopy) and the silicone gastric band placed around the top of the upper part of your stomach. The LAP-BAND® System works by helping you control your food intake and supporting long term, sustainable weight loss.

The LAP-BAND® System Advantages at a Glance


Minimally Invasive Surgery
Minimally invasive surgical approach
No intestinal re-routing, cutting or stapling of the stomach wall or bowel as with gastric bypass
Often performed on an out-patient basis
Small incisions and minimal scarring
Reduced post-surgical pain, shorter hospital stay and recovery time
Return to work/normal activities typically within a week
Fewer Risks and Side Effects
Ten times lower short-term mortality rate than gastric bypass1
Low risk of post-surgical nutritional deficiencies associated with gastric bypass
Reduced risk of hair loss
No "dumping syndrome" (food passes through the system too fast resulting in severe cramping/digestive disruption) related to dietary intake restrictions
Adjustable
Allows for personalized steady, healthy rate of weight loss
No additional surgery for adjustments
Supports pregnancy by allowing for increased nutritional needs
Surgical weight loss option specifically designed for long term weight maintenance
Effective Long Term Weight Loss
More than 500,000 LAP-BAND® System devices distributed worldwide
#1 selling adjustable gastric band for weight loss worldwide
Over ten years of medical studies and academic publications follow-up
Sets the "gold standard" of care for obesity treatment for hundreds of surgeons world-wide
Reversible
While it is intended to be a long-term treatment, the LAP-BAND® System can be removed at any time, in some cases laparoscopically
Stomach and other anatomy typically return to their original state/functions

The Journey

What needs to be done:
-3 Surgeon consults
-6 Weight loss classes
-1 Psych consult
-1 Dietition consult - Will happen during 5th class
-1 Pulmonary consult
-1 Cardiology consult
-1 Support group meeting
-Testing and BW

What is done:
1- weight loss class
2- Surgeon consults
All BW
1- Pulmonary consult in progress

What is scheduled:
Cardiology in Jan 2010
2nd meeting Feb 2010
Psych Eval Feb 2010

The Begining

How did I decide? About a month ago after failing at many fad weight loss diets I decided that I need to make a change. My mother previously went through the gastric bypass and she had her ups and downs. The problem with her is that she has no control and is a chronic lier.  Most of her recovery she spent sick and depressed. After telling her what my plans were she seemed to become defensive about the whole issue. Often asking why I wanted to do it, and updating me on her weight loss/gain which she never did before. She out of the blue would say when you see my surgeon dont say anything about me (we have the same surgeon), then days later she said to tell him Im doing fine. It is rather weird so more often then not I do not talk to her about the subject. My main source of encouragment is my boyfriend. Although he hasnt come to an appt with me yet I have asked him to join me during my next support meeting. He agreed and I was surprised he would come with me but extremely happy.
Since I have made the decision to get this weight loss procedure done I seem to be eatting more. I am scared to loose all the food that I loved and loved me back in a sense. I know in the back of my head that I will eat I guess im just getting scared a little now.
In the end I knew I needed to be healthier, I needed to exercise and eat right. From past expreience I knew I couldnt do it alone. Hence my decision to get the lap-band