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Restriction

Hi All,   Could you please give me some tips on what adequate restriction feels like? I had my second fill on 5/9/10 at about 3cc in a 10cc band. I have a really hard time keeping food down, even a couple bites can cause me to slime everything right back up. I thought the band would allow you to eat small amounts and feel fuller longer. This has not been my experience thus far. I really want to be able to eat without throwing up. Also, I have a tendency to overeat at night when the band loosens up. I have only lost 20 pounds over the last 4 1/2 months. I had my surgery on 2/3/10. Is my band too tight? I have been able to eat a little more in the last week. I have to take really tiny bites. Please let me know what you are doing to loose weight.   Thanks,

KimHerman

KimHerman

 

13 weeks post op

I cannot believe how time flies! Since surgery i have lost 30 lbs. I am down to 213! I still think i eat alot on some days. I am kinda afraid to get another fill because some days i have good restriction. I have another doctor appointment on the 1st of july. Would like to know his opinion. I feel like i am getting my life back. My goal was to be at 200 before my vacation in july. I go to the gym 4 times a week on a good week. Hopefully that will be enough to get it done.

princesslaurie1

princesslaurie1

 

A little at the Time~Walkin the Walk just not with the SNAKES

:frown:Hey a loss is a loss! Down 1.3 lbs this morning! Yeah! When you have taken off over 80 bs, the losses slow down some, well lets face it, I have lost a great percentage of my excess body fat, so you have to realize things will slow down, that is why on EVERY DIET there is the last 20 lbs or so is soooooo harrrrrd to lose!:mad: Working hard for the next 10 lbs, hope for it in two months! That is the plan anyway. Was going to walk today, but it is 100 degrees and the lake I walk around is exactly 1 mile and perfectly round, just beautiful, but the Newspaper reported Snakes :mad2:(Moccosins) a lot of them crawling there, so me and snakes don't mix, here I come treadmill. Still Walkin the LapBand Walk! Here's to us Bandsters.:tt1:

janetsjourneytoslim

janetsjourneytoslim

 

The next stage of the journey...

So now that I have lost my first 50 pounds, I feel like myself again. I have been overweight all my life and well over 200 pounds my entire adult life. At 235, I weigh about 20 pounds less than I did when I graduated from college. I would say that the bulk of my adult life was spent weighing 225-255 lbs. Sometimes I would get a little lower and sometimes I would get higher, but that was my "normal range".   So right now, I look and feel like "me." As I lose these next 50 pounds, I will be making the journey to my high school graduation weight. This is an exciting time because anything more than 10 pounds and I will be "skinny" me. I got down to 200 pounds twice in my adult life but didn't stay there long. It will be such a pleasure to get there this time knowing that I'm going to blow right on past it! It is hard to believe that I am 5 months into a new lifestyle and I'm going strong! I would have never lasted 5 months on a "diet".   I have attached a head shot and a full body shot from the very beginning (mid-January) and from today. I'm so pleased!   Today I restart my exercise focus. This week my plan is to see my personal trainer twice, Jazzercise twice and do the treadmill work at least twice.   I have a support group meeting tonight and they always get me fired up! I have a couple of friends that I met through Group and I always look forward to seeing them.   Have a good week all!

LoseIt!

LoseIt!

 

Back to Work

Yep, it finally arrived. I got up at 4:30, got ready, packed up all the work I didn't do in the car, and drove 47 miles to work. I had a Slim Fast in the car because I just didn't feel like eating eggs. I actually enjoyed the drive -- kind of relaxing. I still have swelling and some site pain (one of the little lower ones I think it touches desks, seat belts etc). Its workable............   The biggest thing was putting on my favorite pair of grey pinstriped pants. They needed a SAFETY PIN!!! Yeah! That is probably the biggest difference I've personally seen.   I was reminded again how lucky I am to have gotten this procedure and how much I plan to be positive and take advantage of this wonderful tool. I know there will be lots of bumps in the road, but I feel relatively good, I have support, and I can look forward to a healthier life :-).      

sandradee0124

sandradee0124

 

Shiiiitttttttt!!!!

I once again wrote a frickin' book and can't find it now. I don't know where on this website it goes but Robert came in so I showed him what blogging was like and now I can't find the blog I was writing in the first place, it is probably a good thing because I just went on and on about how much I love him and how much we are in love and crap like that. I also told you about how I gained the 2 lbs that I had lost putting me back at 228 instead of 226 where I need to be before tomorrow's weigh in and fill. Not good but that is the way it is. I'll do my exercising today and watch what I eat. I have northern style ribs from PF Changs for lunch and will have my protein shake for breakfast. Depending on how that lasts me I'll have a protein bar for break. The shake sometimes lasts me and then other times I am so hungry I can't stand it. I should have an easy day today at work and then I'm off tomorrow. I want to go look at a Nissan Altima...that is the car of my dreams, I'm not sorry I bought a new Subaru but the Altima is what I wanted and should have gotten but I thought it was too expensive for me. I am throwing around the idea that maybe I just need to get a grip on having a slow car and putting tint on the windows and I already have the Sirius system in it and everything I could ask for like power windows and A/C. This is the first brand new car I have ever had. The ones I have had in the past are either hand me downs or given to me by a boyfriend. I guess getting a Porsche and Corvette weren't too bad of gifts. But I gave them back when we broke up so I miss the Porsche, the Corvette had too long of nose for me and I didn't like driving it too much. But it got me alot of attention and was fun. Now I have a Subaru Impreza, it was something that was practical and had what I needed and I have since put in a $700 Sirius system and want an amplifier now. So that should cost me another $500 with the new speakers and getting it installed but it will be so worth it when it is done. I want to get the windows tinted on it next so I think after we get back from vacation and I renew my plates I will have that done. My husband keeps every business card that has been handed to him and a tinting company that he used is one of them so that is who I will call. I also want to get my credit card paid off. I went on a shopping binge and spent $600 on Mac make up. An easy thing to do but since then I have expanded my collection to include Urban Decay, Sephora, and Lancome. All that I love just wish I could change make up 2-3 times a day depending on what mood I was in. I think every woman needs to have a big collection of make up to help make her feel pretty. Some women are just beautiful without the use of make up, I on the other hand am not one of these women. I have to have at least eye make up and lipstick to feel complete in the morning. That is how I end getting ready for my day is by putting on my make up before I do my hair. It really gives me the extra boost in self-esteem that I need. My husband turned our loft area into my make up station. I have a big desk, with lighted mirror, and computer chair to roll around in while doing my daily ritual. It's like being a little girl playing dress up. My husband had a hard time sleeping the night before and that keeps me awake because if I wake up and he is not in bed I can't sleep so it was good that I was off yesterday. Made for a long day getting up at 3:30 a.m. and getting him to come back to bed. I did make it to the gym and swam until someone asked if they could swim in my lane once I was done...that made me feel like I had to hurry. Well it is 8:00 a.m. and that means time to getting for my day at work. I will be back tomorrow morning to tell you about how my day was and what else is on my mind. Happy losing

khunt719

khunt719

 

weight not changing

GRRRRR.... I am on day 33 post op, I have been going to Curves, eating way less, being very active and have only lost 22lbs. It seems that the last week the scale is just hovering around the 22-24 lbs lost. Is this normal? I feel very little restriction. Hopefully when I go back in July he will do a fill.

Holtzclawk

Holtzclawk

 

06.14.10

Today I woke up after little sleep. I have to get to work with a positive attitude but all I really want to to do is go crawl back under the covers and escape the day.   I have been completely unfilled as of Thursday, and you would think that would help with the reflux. It is worse at night and I wake up several times coughing and hoarse in the am. I am wheezing in the AM as well.   Basically I am just miserable and tired all of the time... so I know I need to be proactive with my Dr visit and I have been researching this slippage and HH diagosis ... I trust my Dr but I am still apprehensive... My next appt was scheduled for the 16th but since I was still under w/ anthes. they didn't know I can't come that day due to work so now I have to reschedule my follow appt. I want answers right now.... I am not very patient at times.

MaggieDL

MaggieDL

 

How's my 2nd fill working?...

Well the 2nd fill has broken my plateau. Am I to my "sweet" spot? Don't think so, but feeling less hunger than ever.   Tonight I ate about 5ozs of good healthy food and felt satisfied. It's now 11pm and my belly is rumbling a bit, but seems that i always have a problem this time of night. Guess I should hurry and get this blog done so i can go sleep off the hunger?   I go July 1st for my next fill. So, in two weeks i think i will be where i want to be! Today is June 13, 2010 and I weighed in this morning at 178! Yippppeee!!!:mad2:   My first goal was to get to 179, so I just set my new short term goal today at 169.   Then, I have a family reunion coming up on July 22. So, that is five weeks for me to lose all I can. My original goal for family reunion week was 170. I think I am going to revise that to 165, this is just to push myself more at the gym. I am currently kickin' my own butt... I come home feeling good, but sore! I know I will be converting some of this blubber to muscle so I may even have issue with the scale moving the way i want it. But, oh well...it gives me something to work towards.   All in all today was long, but pretty good. No complaints...   I had a great day at the gym. 10 minutes on the rowing maching, 15 minutes on the stairmaster (my new love!) and then 30 minutes on the Elyptical on the cross training mode with intensity of 9 kept heart rate up in the cardo range the entire time. Everyday it gets easier!:frown:   Bad news, I am SO hungry! Think I'll have a little chuck of cheese:blush: then off to bed.

shrinkAdink_05/10

shrinkAdink_05/10

 

Overweight!!

I just wanted to scream out on my LBT blog about how I'm no longer Obese, I'm just plain old Overweight. wOOOhOOOO!!   Being 14 weeks pregnant, I havent gained weight, infact I've dropped a pound every 2 or 3 weeks. BUT, my clothes are getting tight, so I'm glad I didnt get a chance to throw my fat clothes away!! My skinny jeans are getting too tight around my tummy, so I have to go back to my bigger size, problem is the a$$ is so baggy, I look stupid. So, I bought a nice comfy skirt, and I'm thinking about buying some more....

amanda3t

amanda3t

 

Pre-op Testing and Appointments Completed

Well, I have had such a busy week this past week getting prepared for surgery. I'm mentally and physically exhausted, but excited about having everything out of the way. Now, I just have to continue my pre-op diet and make a few last preparations before my surgery on the 22nd.   I thought it might be a good idea to post what I went through with pre-op appointments in case anyone out there is wondering about this aspect of things. I actually scheduled all of my own preop clearances. (The surgeon's office scheduled the preop appt I had with them and the hospital.) The surgeon's office has specific doctors they work with for the clearances and I went with those instead of trying to do something closer to home. I didn't want any delays with the results getting to my surgeon. This actually ended up being for the best because the surgeon's office and all of the doctors they use for clearances are tied into the hospital's computer network. They are all able to view most of the same info, reports, data, etc. about patients using the hospital's doctors. This should help prevent any delays if a piece of paper gets lost along the way.   I actually had my first preop clearance last week, which was pulmonary. This appointment was quick and to the point and a total breeze. I guess that's because I don't have any pulmonary isses, but it felt somewhat like a waste of time. I wish I had scheduled this one on the same day as one of the other appointments and that would have been one less day of driving 45 minutes each way to the hospital offices.   This past week, I had the Upper GI, cardiac clearance, phone intake with the hospital admissions department, pre-op appointment at the surgeon's office, and pre-op intake at the hospital. This was all done over 3 days.   Wednesday morning I went in for my Upper GI. This required that I have nothing by mouth after midnight. I was allowed to take my meds that A.M. with a sip of water. As others have said, this test is not pleasant. It's not the one where they put you to sleep and put the camera down your throat. This is the one where you drink a ton of nasty stuff and roll around on a table like a beached whale while the GI doc looks at live action xrays of your stomach handling all the nasty stuff you drink. I got a quick look at my GI system in action at one point during the test. It was pretty cool to see the liquid running through my system on the screen as I drank, but I was too queasy to stare at it much.   I managed to drink everything they threw at me, but I was SOOO sick to my stomach afterward. I had planned to run and eat immediately after, but I didn't feel like it. My stomach was full of chalky stuff! But, I decided that instead of walking around without any sustenance in my body, I would make myself eat something. I went and got a meat omelet from IHOP and immediately felt better. Lesson for me, go ahead and eat after the Upper GI even if you don't feel like it. The stuff seemed to move through my system fairly quickly after I ate. I learned a couple of days later that the results from this test were that I have significant GERD. Go figure. That explains all the recent burping - which I never did up until about 3 or 4 months ago.   I did my phone intake with hospital admissions after the GI appointment. This was basic info gathering, a review of my current medications, and somewhat of a test of my understanding of what I was about to do to myself.   Later that afternoon was my appointment for cardiac clearance. When I got to the back, I was given an EKG. Then, the cardiologist came in and reveiwed the EKG and my history information. He said that the EKG was normal and that I seemed to be in good health for my weight. He then said he wanted me to do the treadmill test. Now, I had thought this was automatically part of the cardiology clearance, but apparently it's not because they had not scheduled me for one. They couldn't fit me in that afternoon, so I had to come back the next day. GREAT! :cursing: But, I didn't balk because I am too determined to have this surgery to let an extra appointment get in the way.   For the treadmill test the next day (which was Thursday), I had to have nothing to eat or drink - except small sips of water - 4 hours before the test. I was instructed to wear or bring something comfortable to wear during the test. Since I had to go in to work that morning, I took a gym bag with me. I changed in the private exam area and the tech swabbed off my chest area with alcohol and hooked me up to an EKG machine. I was allowed to keep on my bra, a hospital gown, and my bottoms and tennis shoes. She took my vitals and then had me get on the treadmill. I started off at a moderate paced walk and then the speed picked up. I never had to actually run but I did get sweaty and exhausted toward the end. The point was to assess how much exertion it took to increase my heart rate and how my body responded during the phase with a high heart rate. I was able to do this at a fast walk. I think the whole thing took about 30 minutes from the time I entered the room. The actual treadmill time was about 5 to 8 minutes.   The next morning, Friday, I had my appointment with the surgeon. This went really well because my diligence with my preop diet paid off and I came in 1 pound under weight from my initial consultation.:thumbup1: Lord I was so worried about that because my weight had been up and down (mostly up) since that initial consult appointment and your surgery can be cancelled if you gain weight. I think I"m in the clear now because I don't expect to gain any weight on this low carb preop diet.   I turned in all of my surgical clearance forms to the insurance coordinator and she put together the packet for me to take to my hospital appointment later that am. She had to get the GI clearance from the computer network through the hospital because they hadn't given me anything after my GI appointment like the other two had.   I then spent some time with the nurse reviewing my preop and postop instructions and the progression of the diet. This was really interesting because my surgeon has changed his bariatric diet progression recently and it's much more liberal than it used to be. I plan to post it in another blog, but I'm thrilled to only have 2 days of clear liquids post op!! Yay!!! :thumbup: By day 7/8 postop, I'll be on pureed/soft foods. I'm really excited about that.   After talking quite a while with the nurse (she also took some measurements for reference points), I got to meet with the doctor. I think I surprised him with my list of about 20 questions, but he took a seat and answered every one of them. I'm going to try to post that as a separate blog also for anyone who needs ideas of questions to ask. I thought of a couple more as we talked, so it was very informative. I'm very comfortable with getting the procedure done after our Q&A session.   After that, I went over to the hospital and completed my preop admission. I met with the intake rep and handed over my ID and insurance card (for the umpteenth time) :scared0: and got a nice little armband for the remainder of my preop. Then, I went to the testing area to meet with the preop folks. First, I talked to the anesthesia nurse practitioner about my anesthesia history. Nothing significant there. Then, I met with the bariatric nurse specialist to review everything I would go through on the day of surgery, immediately post op, and long term post op issues. This aspect of the preop visit was unexpected and very helpful. I learned about the bariatric wing of the floor I would be on postop, some things to remember for the morning of testing (like to request an antinausea patch before surgery), got to review aspects of the diet progression, and got some tips and tricks for eating postop. The bariatric nurse specialist will be visiting me throughout my stay in the hospital and checking on me post op for quite awhile. It will be nice to have another point of contact when I have questions.   The last leg of my hospital preop appointment was the general surgical nurse. She took some vitals and reviewed my chart and history briefly. She made sure that all clearances were in order and on file and made sure that my chart was complete. She then took a few vials of blood and took that hospital bracelet off my arm. I was so glad of that because I once had to wear that thing around for almost a week before a surgery because "that" hospital had to know that I was the same person who had given the blood during the preop - STUPID. The nurse reviewed the procedures for the morning of surgery with me and that was it.   Anyway, I hope this "book" I just wrote about my preop tesitng helps someone get a better idea of what they might be in store for in the days before surgery. I'm sure it's done differently in many places, but I guess the overall point is the same - to make sure we're healthy and sane enough to go under the knife. If I had any advice, it would be to plan your appointments strategically and be clear about what's expected at each appointment. I'm not sure that I could have cut down on my driving any because there was so much to get done, but I might have been able to cut out at least one or two days of the back and forth with better planning.   Now that I'm done with that, it's on to week 2 of my preop diet and just trying to keep my head on straight until surgery day. I'm still getting a case of the nerves here and there, but I'm going to see it through. :thumbup:

educationrulz

educationrulz

 

Counting down to the day that will change my life....

I have 8 days to go until my VSG surgery. Yea!! And I am still not the least bit nervous! Just plain excited....I have made my trip to the store and bought what I think I will need for after my surgery....and then some I am sure! This week at work will be crazy busy as I am trying to take care of all of this week and next week's clients. I have been so blessed with such a great clientele and that is the price I pay for taking eight days off of work.   My husband is finally starting to come around to this whole surgery thing. I think, at least. His comments are starting to be that of a more positive nature. I am pretty sure that most of what he is feeling is just worry...   This week I will also be going to two places to eat that I will very likely not be able to eat at for a very long time to come, if ever....so I am getting it out of my system. LOL One of them is a Mexican restaurant that I have been wanting to go to and never have been. I will be meeting a new friend that I made thru obesityhelp.com She is about 6 weeks behind me with her surgery date. We are going thru this as surgery buddies. I am so excited to finally meet her in person. The other place I am going is to eat sushi with two of my very good friends. I have just recently found a love for sushi, and so I am gonna do it up one last time. However, I will say this...For the last few weeks I have been cutting my portions WAY back to prepare for the mental challenges I will be facing after my surgery. So that will hold true for this week to come....just a couple of my favorite things in smaller quantities.... Wish me luck! :thumbup1:

kalex21211

kalex21211

 

Insurance coverage and caps

Hello I have insurance coverage for the Lap-Band procedure for up to $10,000. I was wondering and I couldn't get a straight answer from my doctor about this:   As we all know, the $10,000 cap is not $10,000. If the provider accepts a lower pay for services, it is done by the insurance company at a "reasonable and customary amount". If the total cost of my surgery ends up being $15,000, would I have to pay for the balance of the discounted payment my insurance carrier gives my providers plus the extra $5,000? This may cost me close to the $15,000 price tag since these insurance carriers do not pay providers for too much. Has anyone out there run into this problem?

bearfur

bearfur

 

Liquid Diet

I start the pre op diet tomorrow. I hope i have the will power to be successful. I took my before pictures tonight and i was shocked. I knew i had been putting on weight but never realized how much until i took the photos. But on the up side, this is the start of my new life. I have been fighting my insurance company for a year till i finally got approval. I thank all of you out their for all the blogs i have read over the year. I know i have support here if no where else. My husband will not be here for the next couple weeks to be my support as the military has taken him, he returns the day before surgery. I think he planned that LOL so im hoping that ill get my support from you all. Thanks and have a great night .

cookertl

cookertl

 

Liquid Diet Begins

Well, tomorrow is the day I start with my full liquid diet. I am not all that excited about it, but I know it has to be done, so I will do it. My problem is that although I am a big girl, I don't really like most foods. With that said, my husband & I have been playing around with some protein shakes and found a couple I can tolerate. My favorite is the unflavored protein (2 scoops), 4 oz water and 4 oz low fat milk, a tablespoon Taster's Choice decaf coffee and an ice cube blended for about 30 seconds in the blender. YUMMY. I love coffee, so this is good. The other day we blended the vanilla cream protein (1 scoop), with some left over brewed decaf coffee and a little low fat milk and it was pretty good too.   I know this surgery is going to save my life and give me more years with my husband, family and friends and I couln't be more thankful. It would be nice if my insurance would pay for it, but that is not to be. I hope the insurance companies change the way they do thnigs so those of us with co-morbidities can get this life saving surgery without jumping through so many hoops, or worse yet not having the surgery covered at all. At least they paid for my nutritionist and saved me $250.00.   I hope anyone getting banded this week has an easy time of it. Good luck to all.

Bklynike

Bklynike

 

All I get is a voice mail....

OK so since i had my 4 th fill on MAy 20th i can officially say that i dont feel my Band. I still have zero restriction and can eat well over 10-12 oz of food at a meal. In 3 weeks i have lost 2-3 lbs..... so i called my Dr office to ask to come in for my 5 th fill...but all i get is a recording!!! Last friday i called 3 times..... thank goodness it is not a real emergency. I will keep on calling this week till i get a human on the phone. I do not want to wait till july 24th for my fill.   I am fustrated..... but still happy i have lost a total of 40lbs. I have realistic goals. Unfortunally in the last 7 days i have overdone it with the food. Tomorrow is weigh in I am thinking of skipping it cuz i am not going to like what i see,,, Ofcourse i am sure my husband will step on that scale and see another 3 lbs gone.   have a great week everyone

Gorda123

Gorda123

 

06/13/10 Venting

Been a while since I blogged....   This is just venting of where I am at these days... First, since dropping a total of 61 pounds in 2.5 months the scale is frustrating the hell outta me...I am fighting the same damn 3 pounds for a week and a half now...I am so upset about this. It seems that all the work I have done is just now starting to not work. I am getting a bit depressed. The depression is leading to less exercising....and loss of motivation. I am trying really hard to keep my eating in check and so far I have but I'm losing interest in exercise. I wish I had a work out buddy or someone to talk too....   Usually I am a very positive person and one who people ask me questions and look at me as being successful so far....I don't feel it anymore. Part of the lack of exercise has come from having major dental work done the last few weeks...I am trying to get a healthier mouth and a pretty smile that years of soda ruined. So, i have dental work done, I'm in pain for 4-5 days and on pain meds, I don't exercise as much and I'm fighting 3 pounds over and over. I dont know if I need a fill or not. I'm not scheduled for my second fill til July 25th. I am feeling pretty lonely and I have no one to talk with...I don't want to call my surgeon office and tell them that I'm losing my motivation because they look at me as a success so far...I guess I don't want to let them down....   I also just got done with my menstrual cycle and I do have PMDD so maybe theres a bit of that going on as well...I'm just not feeling the groove anymore...I don't feel the excitement of having the band anymore....I don't view it as a problem, I'm just not as excited as I was... I had major dental work on Thursday, and today I tried to not take any main meds...I made it til 6pm this evening and I took some...I also had a migraine today...my first in months. What is wrong with me...I wish I had an in person friend to talk to....I really am so lonely....   Meg:crying:

Megg40

Megg40

 

starting over...

Thursday Morning... drove to the hospital for a barium swallow test. Was a bit apprehensive about doing so but I knew it wouldn't hurt just taste something awful. Basically I was more concerned about being completely unfilled during the process. They took pictures before unfill and then lots afterwards. They gave me a disk to take with me for my follow up visit w/ Dr. Bagnato to get my results. So next step turned out to be another trip to the hospital on Friday morning... Endoscopy. The procedure went well. Dr Bagnato has told me that basically I have a slipped band and HH. I won't know for sure but I fear another surgery is in my future. I also fear that my band could be removed permantly. So yep basically no fluid in my band, possible surgery... starting over I beleive is my future ... wishing myself luck.

MaggieDL

MaggieDL

 

So close

It's almost time... the big day is on the 15th and I've been super overwhelmed with last minute stuff. Didn't exercise today or yesterday. What's wrong with. I'm too anxious to do anything but eat. LOL!! Tomorrow it's all business. Can anyone tell me if the gas x strips really helped post op?

Bit of a Diva

Bit of a Diva

 

One Step At A Time...set my first mini-goal !

I attended my second coffee mtg. Friday night. I really connect with one of the ladies there and after describing my insatiable eating from 7-9 pm, she suggested I set a behavioral goal for myself - just one mind you so it is not too overwhelming and I can truly focus on it. So my behavioral goal for this month is not to eat after 7pm every night! I can have tea, water etc. but no food. This will be interesting. The weight goal I have for myself is to lose 8 lbs by the end of June. I have an 8 day business trip coming up so not sure if that will help or hinder but here goes...wish me luck!

PatchAid Vitamin Patches

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