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Matt Z's Blog
 

Week 3 Post-op Wrap Up

So today is the end of my 3rd week. Saw the doc on monday and her scale said I was 321.6. Not sure exactly how my medical scale (with weights and slide) compares to her digital one. The 321.6 was weighed with shoes and all, so I don't know. I haven't weighed myself today because I returned to work. So lets start the weekly break down.   Physical: I've noticed a very large increase in energy. To the point where my wife is getting very happy because I'm doing stuff around the house, not just sitting there tired. I've had the energy to move around and get stuff cleaned up and what not. I can take a flight of stairs with no issues whereas just 6 short months ago it would have winded me. I actually took the 2 flights of stairs to my appointment rather than take the elevator. I started to "feel" the stairs at the 1.5 flight mark. It slowed my pace down, but It didn't take all the wind out of me or put me into a sweat, which was a huge NSV for me. I used to be a VERY active person, always on the go and wanting to do stuff, I could walk forever. I'm happy to see that I'm getting back to that. My pants are not fitting anymore, I used to wear my pants under my gut, now I can't if I do that they fall down, so I've been resorting to wearing them around my actual waist up on my gut over my bellybutton. The only side effect is that now when I walk too far, my underwear falls off my butt! More funny than anything else, my own personal inside joke. My sex life has greatly increased as well, the energy and stamina I have now are getting noticed lol. The downs, I have to wait until the 28th to get my fill and I've been hungry often and if I chew properly I can get anything down in larger amounts than I would really like. I've been doing good with my calorie intake and burn, averaging a 3550 daily burn with a 1170 intake. So I'm tossing 2380 calories out the window each day on average or 1 pound of body fat every 1.4 days. Not too shabby, I guess we'll see how well I'm doing when I weigh in later today.   Emotional: I'm feeling SO much better emotionally for the most part. The being stuck in bandster hell has put a damper on my spirits a bit, but I've been keeping things in check with my food log and trackers. I just have to stay strong and tough it out. I'm glad to be back at work. My wife has been extremely happy lately and that is just making things so much better overall at home. I have felt slightly defeated when I stepped on the scale and saw a weight higher than what I had the week before, but when I checked at home, I was the same weight as the week before, so I'm not going to focus so much on the numbers right now, I'm going to keep things in perspective, I'm just starting out and even at a mere 2 lbs a week, that's 110 lbs in the year. I can deal with that. I've actually wanted to exercise more. I take the long way to the rest room at work and even started taking the stairs down a floor than back up on my way to or from the rest room. It's been a icky week weather wise, so I haven't been able to get out and do some walking but I'm finding other ways to make sure I keep my burn rate up.   Other: My boys are starting to show some weight loss, even though they are not specifically on a diet which is fantastic. My wife is smiling and happy both for me and about my overall increase in spirits and health. Things have been getting better each day and I love it.   Now I did get stuck the other day and I'm sort of glad I did. I was eating an orange (LOVE ORANGES!) at work and I went to bite a piece off a section of 3 lobes that were stuck together, I went to seperate 1 half of a lobe when the whole 3 lobe section broke in half in a way that sent it straight to the back of my throat and my bodies automatic response was to swallow. I freaked a bit, but when I didn't feel anything, I figured that it was small enough or soft enough to pass through my totally unrestricted stomach. I waited a few minutes knowing from reading that I might have to let it back up so I preped for the run to the rest room. Nothing. So I finished my orange. A good 10 -15 minutes AFTER finishing the orange I felt this odd sensation of food moving back upwards, not the contraction like a purge, just stuff trying to work it's way back up. I tried to burp, no burp. I sipped some water, stood up, put my hands on my head and walked around a bit, nothing, the feeling was still there. I sipped a bit more water and it was very hard to get down my throat, this triggered the feeling of needing to purge, still no contractions. I bolted to the rest room, took the handicapped stall and stood so that my stomach was above my mouth and I just let the food work it's way back up with no assistance on my part, it was very odd, I knew not to enduce a purge reaction for risk of causing damage to the only 2.5 week old surgery, I did have 2 instances of purge contractions, but I quickly forced them to stop, I got a good amount of orange, but not the piece that caused the problems. I was producing lots of saliva, but after the pieces came up, I didn't have the purge feeling or the uncomfortable "moving up" feeling, I still felt odd/sick the rest of the day, I drank a bit more water and it went down but slowly. So I kept it liquids for the rest of the day and was feeling fine the next day. Some have asked "why are you happy that it happened?" the answer is pretty easy, with any fears, you don't know what exactly is going to happen, now I know, I know why it happened, I know how to prevent it from happening again and I know that in the off chance it does happen again, exactly what to do. Plus, I really do not want to repeat that feeling ever again. So that little negative reinforcement is a good thing.   I will update my weight (good or bad) later when I can weigh in.   Until then, Thank you for reading, I look forwards to reading your replies and comments and STAY STRONG!   ***UPDATE*** Weighed in at 316. w00t!
Matt Z

Matt Z

2
brendap's Blog
 

Day 1 Post Op

Banded day before yesterday, and yesterday the nurse said it was still considered day 0 since I was still in the hospital. So today is day one. Ooooo doggie, my tummie hurts this morning from my incision and its just a rumblin and grimblin in there. Still, I got up and cooked my husband breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs with ham and I am sipping on my hot apple cider. I know it has 80 calories in it, but it really goes down easy and help with my pain. I am going to try to walk a little at the gym today. Hope everyone has a great Friday!
brendap

brendap

1
Texasbandit's Blog
 

Hubby In Critical Condition

Hi everyone, just an update.   Hubby is in critical condition now. He is not breathing on his own and is intubated and has a feeding tube in his stomach. A few times his vitals dipped really low and we had to rush to the hospital asap cause they didnt think he wouldnt make it.   After installing another device, a tandem heart, he has improved, but still in a medically induced coma. It's so hard to see him like that. They are shooting for a LVAD next week. A LVAD is a mechanical pump attatched to his heart. This will bridge him to transplant. A new heart wont be available for a few months. I'm just so tired.
Texasbandit

Texasbandit

14
JoyceReal's Blog
 

To Fill Or Not To Fill

I have another appointment with my doctor, on the 14th, I thought I would not need another fill, I was feeling good restriction for about 2 weeks. But now I am reconsidering, I am able to eat more, I am trying not to. I was steadily losing pounds, but now I put one back on. I know about weight fluctuation, but gaining is not an option for me. lol (I am self pay) I am really not complaining, I have lost 22 pounds in 8 weeks and that is not a bad thing. But I think you have to give the band time to get comfortable with the fill before you can decide if you are in the green zone for sure. Yes I do believe I need another fill. I am only at 3 CC and I believe I have a 10 CC band.
Joyce Real

Joyce Real

1
crystalmcfatter's Blog
 

1st Band Fill Today

Well today was my first band fill 6 weeks post op. I did not hurt but felt really weird. The Dr. had a hard time finding my port. He said it happens. He put in 2 cc's so now I have a total of 4cc. I defiantly eat half of what I was able to eat yesterday. Wow it was like 5 bites and that was it. But it will be a good thing since I have been at 224 forever. Well we shall see what the scale says tomorrow.
crystalmcfatter

crystalmcfatter

2
Maddy's Blog
 

Oh The Stress Of Moving And Having The Sleeve

Well this week we moved the family to the new house. The last three weeks have been so hectic with getting the house packed up. Being sleeved just 5 months it was not too difficult to pack but to stay on my diet was. Eating out almost every night was hard. I'm so close to my 3rd goal but I got on the scale today and freaked out. Up 4 pounds I was so upset. Now that we have moved into the new house I am finding it hard to get back on track. I just feel so unglued. Any suggestions?
Maddy

Maddy

2
h0pefullh3art's Blog
 

5 Days Left...

So, i have 5 days left before the "big day", and i dont know why but the last two days i have just felt very discouraged. its not a very fun feeling. at first i was excited and couldnt wait and now all that keeps running through my head is what if this doesnt work, what if i dont loose any weight. I know positive attitude is key but i just cant seem to get outta this groove right now. Im still doing everything i was told to do pre-op and following my diet, no cheating, im just hoping that since i have been having finals this week that the added stress is what is causing this and it will go away before surgery.   I have a few questions for those who have already had their surgery... 1.) Did u get any sleep the night before? 2.) I know pain is different for everyone, but how much pain were you in and how long did it last? 3.) What is the most rewarding thing after surgery? (any time frame) 4.) Did anyone else have a purred diet 2 weeks after surgery, and how did that go? (any suggestions for food) 5.) What was your biggest struggle during the process?   -K
h0pefullh3art

h0pefullh3art

3
Cara K.'s Blog
 

Update

So I went to my 3rd appointment on Nov.30th. I thought from what I had been told at my first appointment that we would be scheduling my surgery, only to find out when I got there that I had another month to go. I was crushed! Most people would have said wait a minute and asked questions but I'm a "go with the flow" type a girl. As much as I was upset, I quickly got over it. I gave myself one day to sulk and then was like ok, its only one month. And its a good month to wait through cause everybody knows that December flies by. Then today True Results called and they are submitting my insurance paper work TOMORROW!!! With a tenative surgery date of December 28th!!!!! I start my pre-op diet on Sunday! I am trying not to be to overly excited because I know insurance could deny me but I can't help myself! Everybody please keep your fingers crossed that they approve me!
Cara K.

Cara K.

2
LilMissDiva's Corner
 

From: I Must Retract My Last Goal Thread... Omg You Won't Believe This...

So, I said I wouldn't try for those Size 0's after all... well... I took them out of my closet to possibly return them for a larger size, which I was going to go for a 4. For some crazy reason I though, what the heck - I'll try them on... why not? Who cares? It would just be interesting to see how far I can get them up.   Well... take a look:     For the record, I'm a little weirded out by this. I still have a lot of swelling to go down from my lipo. How small am I gonna get??? WOWWWW!!! Happy? ABSO FREAKIN LUTELY!!!! I fitted my Zero's without even trying!!!! I LOOOVE YOU SLEEVIE!!! I LOVE YOU LIPO SURGEON!!!! YOU'RE THE BEST!!!     Source: I Must Retract My Last Goal Thread... Omg You Won't Believe This...
LilMissDiva Irene

LilMissDiva Irene

13
TJ91's Blog
 

1st Fill...

So I am very excited and anxious as today I go to the doctor for my first fill!!! As of last week I was down a total of 25lbs and I can't wait to see my progress after the fill. Can anyone tell me what to expect? Well on my way...here I go .   <a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/w8kdki8/"> <img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/w8kdki8/weight.png"></a>
TJ91

TJ91

1
Cuteascanbelizzie's Blog
 

Ferocious Frustration!

My first VSG blog and it's going to be a vent session. I am truly frustrated! Admittedly the frustration is with me. I am struggling with getting in the protein in and I don't know what to do. I am in the pureed stage and I Yesterday I almost reached the goal (60 grams) and had one cup of refried beans to go. They were tasty but at my 2nd spoonful they got stuck. Guess I was eating too fast or not chewing them up enough but they were very stuck. Fortunately, I haven't vomited since coming home but last night I was very close. After about 30 minutes of pacing the floor I drank some hot water, which helped to get the beans down but not with the wave of nausea. Today I'm back on the liquid train just so I can try to manage this well.   Also, I'm wondering why some people volunteer to help during this time and they don't do anything but cause frustration. I asked a co-worker to take the lead on a project during my recovery but nothing has gotten done. I consider the co-worker a friend and this situation really made me angry. Now my students won’t get something I really wanted to give them before the break.   Lastly, is the basis of all of my frustration. I really want to be the old me because it was so much easier than actually having to take care of myself. I have never really been so concerned about eating to live. Eating is a part of life so I just did it. Now what I consume is even more important than ever and I'm frustrated with feeling so restricted by my own needs. I want to be able to cook a chicken breast, chew it, swallow and be done. No puree, no liquid protein, nothing! I want to be able to make sure I get to see my students before Christmas and be able to orchestrate everything I need to for them without having to worry about adult issues. I simply want to put my needs behind me and take care of everything else first. It's what I've always done and how I've never managed to lose enough weight to become healthy. I keep praying and asking God to help me deal with me. I know I have to take this one day at a time but I need a breakthrough!   If you read this cazy vent please say a prayer for me. I know that prayer works and I have faith that I’ll pull through this rut of frustration.
cuteascanbelizzie

cuteascanbelizzie

10
zil's Blog
 

Being Noticed

I am about 4 months post op...and down about 60 pounds since I started my prop diet. Amazing, I had 3 people come up to me yesterday and ask what is going on with me...I look different. One person even told me that some of the people that work at my company didn't recognize me and wanted to know if someone new was hired. All 3 people commented on how good I look and wanted the specifics. When I told them, they gave me plenty of compliments and "keep up the good work" comments. I tell you, it made my day. WOO HOO!!!     One guy eve told me this morning when I came in that I was looking exceptionally beautiful today. (I'm old enough to be his mama, but it still made me feel good.)
zil

zil

3
brendap's Blog
 

Final Countdown

well its here, surgery eve... sipping on a cup of hot apple cider. I had clear liquids all day today which really was not as hard as i thought it would be until now. I could really go for a snack. I sure hope the anesthesia doesnt make me sick. Last time I had surgery was 19 years ago and I was so ill when I woke up. I had to stay overnight because I could not stop dry heaving. So of course Im a little worried about that with the band. I bought chicken broth, beef broth, LOTS of jello, apple juice, white grape juice and hot apple cider. Hopefully that will get me thru the first week. Anyone has any suggestions on what else I can have that is clear liquids? Wish me luck!
brendap

brendap

5
crystalmcfatter's Blog
 

1st Band Fill//banded 10-25-11

So I get my first band fill on Thursday and I'm a little nervous but mostly excited. Just a little nervous of the unknown I guess not really the needles. I'm a pediatric nurse so I guess I have that to thank. Anyway still stuck at 26lbs hope this will help boost the wt loss again.
crystalmcfatter

crystalmcfatter

2
wannabeskinny
 

Will This Liquid Diet Ever End? :/

I started this liquid pre-op diet last week on Nov. 28th. It has been one of the hardest things I have ever done! To go from not counting calories and eating whatever I want... to barely 800 calories of just protein shakes and yogurt, seems kinda like torture if you think about it. It is like taking a drug addict's drug and saying too bad you can't have it... but the catch with a food addict is... you have to have some, and you can't cut it out completely.   So I just ate a baked chicken breast (I was about to lose my mind... my stomach was growling so bad)... this is something I would never have felt guilty about before. It is healthy and it is protein. I had a couple last week when I was first starting too. I wonder if my Doctor is gonna grill about that. The only other thing I've had is a spoon of peanut butter a couple of days last week.     Does anybody know if the Dr. will ask you if you ate anything other than what is on the list? I think my liver will still be smaller, and I've lost 8 pounds in 8 days. IDK... I guess I'm just worried. Making it the best I can, but this is killer!!
wantobeskinny

wantobeskinny

8
jennilamb007's Blog
 

2nd Consultation With Surgeon And Dietician

I went today to see my surgeon for our 2nd consultation. I absolutely love everyone at Dr. Cardwell's office. They are the greatest team. We discussed any concerns that I might have and went over what he expected post op. I didn't realize this, but he is putting a lift restriction on me for about 6 weeks post op to promote the best healing. I can't lift anything over 10 pounds for 2 weeks and then nothing over 20 pounds for 4 weeks after. He said he wanted the stitches and stomach to heal completely before I tried anything overly strenuous. After talking to him, I saw the financial advisor and paid my co-pay for the surgery. Then, I went to see the nurse to discuss pre-op diet and then some rules for post op. So, here it is, the completely liquid diet...Optifast. I am to drink 6 Optifast shakes a day...Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack. Along with the shakes I can have sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles, coffee, tea, broth, Crystal light, and ice tea (unsweetened). If I can see through it, I can have it (except alcohol of course) as long as it is also sugar free. After talking about everything at the surgeon's office, I went over to see the dietician, Jenny. She is fantastic. We went over the pre-op diet again, but then we focused on what could be eaten post op. I will be 3 days post op on Christmas day. She said that I should be on full liquids/soft diet by then. She told me for Christmas I could have a few tablespoons of mashed potato or potato soup. She also told me, and I really love this, that I could scrape off 1-2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie off of the crust and mix it with a teaspoon of Cool Whip and mix it up and have it for desert. Yum. So, I don't have to feel completely deprived. I was also told that if you really just have to have cream in your coffee, you can use a little vanilla Optifast to substitute. I drink mine black, but still it is a nice tip. The other ideas for Christmas (or anytime for that matter) that I thought was cool was pouring the vanilla Optifast in a glass, add a little nutmeg and cinnamon and voila, a substitute egg nog. Cool huh? The other thing, pour the Optifast in a freezer safe bowl, put it in the freezer and make an ice cream of sorts to change the consistency and make it feel like you are having a treat. I love how people get creative when faced with just a few things that are okay to eat/drink. So, bright and early in the morning, I get to start the countdown to my surgery day. December 22nd at 6am I will be changing my life. Take care, Jen
jennilamb007

jennilamb007

1
MsAnn6550's Blog
 

December 6, 2011

Don't know what's going on with my band. Went to supper with hubby this past Saturday night and ate very well. I finished all my meat and most of the onion rings and a small salad. Had no problems. Was thinking that I wished that my practioner had put in more fluid like I asked her to at my last fill. Went to Longhorn's with hubby tonight. Had 3 mushrooms, 3 bites of salad, 1/2 of a small lobster tail, and about 1/3 of a small filet and the rumble started. It felt like a volcano about to erupt. Made it out to the parking lot and had to puke a little. All I sould think of was "well,what a waste of an expensive meal". In all fairness, the meat was a little dry and this is the second time lobster has given me trouble. Shame too. I have had a love affair with lobster for a long time. Guess those day are over. Only trouble now is that it has only been 3 hours and I'm hungry again. Do I want to eat or have a protien shake or just try to weather it out. The more I think about it the more I want that sweet potatoe I brought home from the restaurant. It has been 6 months. I keep thinking it will get easiet but it hasn't. Do I need to get more in my band,or is that just going to make me get stuck more. I wish I had a magic wand and could just be skinny and be able to eat anything I want.
MsAnn6550

MsAnn6550

3
Msfotobug's Blog
 

Down 14 Pounds On Pre Op Diet

So excited when I stepped on the dr. scale and it read 269lbs. That's down 14 pounds since my last visit. I'm on my liquid pre op diet right now which has not been easy! I still have a week to go before surgery. I'm nervous and excited at the same time.
Msfotobug

Msfotobug

6
Smaller Sox Girl 4 Next Season
 

Ughhhh Bad Day

Not a bad day for food so much as a bad day for a)weather and b)my bank account is screwed up. Not a happy Sara!   I've been carrying water with me everywhere to drink, so thats a good thing. I had a banana for breakfast, some saltines for a snack, a small piece of bertucci's pizza with veggies on it (Matt gave it to me) and a couple waffle fries. Yah, ok, not perfect. But I was out all afternoon taking my mom to her dr.'s appt in the rain; driving here and there.   *sigh* and the week goes on, still busy too.   I'm going to be full time living at my parent's house in a week. Sooo much to do there to get it organized; and when I'm stressed out like that, its just a matter of time before my brain sneaks up and me and says "YOU WANT FOOD! YOU WANT IT NOW!" And I eat something I shouldn't to relieve my stress. But I'm going to be smarter than that....   Xmas shopping coming up too! Oh goody! Spending money on other people!! *gag*   Road trip to Pittsburgh for Xmas, that is where Matt's parents and daughter live. *stress*
SaraRedSoxRN

SaraRedSoxRN

2
stacy_sydlar's Blog
 

Is This Normal?

So I was banded 10-25-11 and I have lost 30pds but now, my weight has stop its been 2 weeks and nothing no change and I am always tired, I get these pains which the doc says is gas, It hurts so bad its hard to walk, anyone have that problem? Its in my right thigh close to the hip. Also I am unsure of the solid food diet all my notes are from the gastric bypass not the lapband so is there a difference? just gotta know sometimes. ps I had my first fill 3cc. on 11-28-11 so I am not gonna give up, but if anyone can help, Let me know, and good luck everyone!
stacy_sydlar

stacy_sydlar

2
JoyceReal's Blog
 

All Is Well

I was banded on October 14, 2011. I am down 20 pounds. I was not given a bunch of rules, of what to eat or not eat, but my band is teaching me more than reading the rules has. I have had two fills and am at 3 CC in my band. I feel pretty good restriction. My doctor has moved me through the steps faster than most I have read on here. But so far so good. I am well and happy. I am going to try and post pics 1 per month of my progress. I have lost one clothing size. So I can finally wear the clothes I bought last diet I tried. I have been buying the next size down at yard sales. When I hit goal, I will buy a whole new wardrobe, but until then I am hitting the second hand stores and yard sales. I love reading the blogs here and the forums. I am thankful to have a site to teach me the in's and out's. Do any of you belong to a support group? We have one near my home and I am thinking about joining.
Joyce Real

Joyce Real

2
new chapter in life's Blog
 

Today Is My Day!!

Well, in about 1 hour I am due to check in at the hospital. My surgery is set for 8:15. I havent really allowed myself to get nervous---up till now! Yesterday I was in a cleaning frenzy & it kept the thoughts at bay. I did tell my husband the following: I will be telling the anesthiologist that he cant let my face start on fire, cant let me wake up during surgery. If I contract some weird bacterial illness, I will not wake up in 6 mos w/out any limbs & be happy that Im alive!! (I obviously read too many weird stories & obsess on strange things!! LOL) I also told him that if something went wrong, he was not allowed to date for at least 2 years & couldnt even think of re-marrying before 5 years. He has to focus on the cats & the dog!! LOL Im not really worried about those things--they just kinda make me laugh & maybe not focus on the things that I could worry about. I do worry about what if even this type of extreme weight loss attempt Im not successful at? I've not done well at the other attempts, and I have heard of some who arent. But then I tell myself if I follow the diet & do the exercise, it'll take care of itself. Im looking forward to horseback riding, having my picture taken w/out thinking twice about it, exercising at a higher level than now, wearing summer clothes, going shopping for clothes in a normal store/normal section, riding a roller coaster, fitting in an airplane seat----the list goes on & on for me! And not to be too TMI, but a better sex life!! lol Im looking forward to the improved me!! Good Luck to all my fellow December Bandsters!
new chapter in life

new chapter in life

7

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