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my 2 best tools are....

my band (obviously) and my Pokewalker!   yes, im talking about Pokemon. HeartGold and SoulSilver (for my Nintendo DS Lite) came with a Pokewalker....which is a pedometer. you can transfer a pokemon from your game into the Pokewalker and then walk around with it. each step you take gets counted and earns you points, levels for your pokemon and enough points unlocks new areas in the Pokewalker.   never before has walking been so fun! it hardly seems like exercise when you able to level your pokemon at the same time! heheh yeah im kind of a geek!
harliquinn

harliquinn

1
 

belly pic!

3 weeks post op. pic taken just before i removed the last 2 steri-strips. p.s. im not really yellow. its just bad lighting. :mad:   all the steri-strips were removed a week ago and 2 new ones were placed over the port incision. those are now gone. :eek:  
harliquinn

harliquinn

5
 

back vs side

im finally able to sleep on my side for short periods! 2 and a half weeks after surgery. its about damn time!   i cant stand sleeping on my back. most uncomfortable thing ever!   for the record, im a side/stomach sleeper.
harliquinn

harliquinn

2
 

hmmmmm i wonder....

im starting to wonder if people lose weight with the band because it becomes a hassle to eat anything. XD   it took me 20 minutes to eat two chicken nuggets. :thumbup:
harliquinn

harliquinn

3
 

AUGH! why am i getting stuck!?

im getting stuck on lean meats. i dont understand! im taking small bites and chewing really well and tho i have 2 ccs in a 10 cc band and not really any restriction, im getting my proteins stuck! how is this possible? i dont even know what to do anymore. lunch consisted of a tiny slice of ham. how am i supposed to get all the protein that i need? im not supposed to be consuming shakes anymore.   if theres one thing the band has done for me, its kill my appetite. i dont even feel like eating anymore. sure, food tastes good but its no longer enjoyable. i dont look forward to meals anymore.   *sigh* this is hard. anyone that says this is easy is wrong. :thumbup:
harliquinn

harliquinn

5
 

...so you didnt put a small fill in my band, eh? suuuuurrrre.

follow-up with Dr. Bui went very well. no sign of infection, minimal pain (and only occasionally), incisions are healing nicely. the port incision is healing a little more slowly but thats to be expected since its the largest. Dr. Bui says it looks good tho. steri-strips have been removed but he put 2 new ones over the port incision. i can take them off in a week. lol im sorta tempted to get a picture of my stomach. the scars arent anywhere near as bad as i thought they were going to be. but i doubt anyone wants to see my fat belly LOL! :bored:   we went over diet, exercise, wound care, portion control, etc. we also talked about fills. i have a 10 cc band and had 2 ccs in at the time of surgery (which would account for the crazy restriction i had at first. he said the band would be empty!). he is having his coordinator call me to schedule a fill for me in the first week of April.:glare:   im doing good tho! started solid foods last night. despite having 2 ccs in a 10 cc band, i no longer have restriction. so the hunger is back. and i dont feel full. :tt1: so itll be a struggle to make it to the first week of April without wanting to stuff myself but ill do it.:tt2:
harliquinn

harliquinn

2
 

an open letter to my stomach

dear stomach,   i just finished eating applesauce. so why in the hell are you growling at me? you JUST ate! please settle down. youre being really unpleasant and i dont appreciate it one bit. ill make a scrambled egg for you a bit later...with ketchup! youll love it, i promise.   Harli
harliquinn

harliquinn

1
 

randomness...2 weeks post-op

i will be meeting with my surgeon on friday. looking forward to that. maybe he will pull off these steri-strips!   tuna, turkey and gravy, and mashed potatoes are all that ive been eating his week. yummy tho! im going to try scrambled eggs for lunch tomorrow!   my husband says he can definitely tell im losing weight from the belly region. it makes me happy to hear but i wish i could see it.   anyway, im off to bed. just wanted to update so people know im still alive.
harliquinn

harliquinn

1
 

liver herniation

im a bit concerned that i may have a liver herniation or something similar. one spot an inch or two above an incision, is very tender, swollen (not red), and quite painful. its only painful when i bend, laugh, cough, sneeze, move too quickly or touch it. when it *does* hurt, id rate the pain a 6 or a 7. when i lay down and press on the area, theres no pain.   i called my surgeon to see if i should come in or something and was told it was only the stitches inside healing. um. im not sure i believe that....   so i asked if there was any chance of it being a hernia or something and get this...   ...I GOT LAUGHED AT and told there was NO CHANCE of it being a hernia. well....correct me if im wrong, but after surgery penetrating the muscle wall, a hernia is indeed possible.   im so upset right now. im in a fair amount of pain that my liquid oxycodone isnt even touching. my surgeon had a free slot this afternoon to see me but would rather i wait until our appointment on friday. how hard is it for him to just check this spot and put my mind at ease so im not stressed and worried sick all week?   i just want to curl up in bed and cry.:thumbup:
harliquinn

harliquinn

1
 

questions about mushies!

my doc cleared me for mushies and im having difficulties!   super finely mashed tuna salad is tough to get down, i have to eat it in pea sized bites. mashed potatoes go down alright for the most part. im scared to try pudding. pureed turkey got stuck. that was awful! after several minutes it went down but that was scary.   is this normal? am i doing something wrong? im scared to try scrambled eggs. and im supposed to be eating solids in less than a week!:thumbup:
harliquinn

harliquinn

4
 

dinner

i had a Campbells soup at hand (creamy tomato) and 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes. im stuffed. i couldnt eat another molecule if my life depended on it.   are some people on mushies actually able to eat as much as they want? i get full really quick these days and i dont have much of an appetite.   its that time of the month too. is it just me or does the band feel tighter during this time of the month?
harliquinn

harliquinn

1
 

thank you

thank you so much to the people who comment here in my blog. i really appreciate your insight and soothing words as well as recipes. :thumbdown: im so glad that there are so many wonderful, friendly, supportive people here.:closedeyes:   you are all fantastic. we can kick butt on this journey together!:tt1:
harliquinn

harliquinn

1
 

not a good day. :(

i had to stop taking the Oxycodone that was given to me by my surgeon because im itching like crazy and breaking out in red rashes. this is an allergic side effect of the drug but thankfully not a severe one.   and since i went all night and morning without pain meds, im in a lot of pain. my port area hurts the most but a couple other parts of my abdomen are sore as well. sitting up on my own and laying down on my own need to be done VERY slowly or else BAM! pain city.   feeling very down. depressed. upset. hating my life.   my dog just slammed her paw into my side. she hit an incision, causing a sharp jab of pain. shes not a small dog, shes a boxer. thanks, dog. :closedeyes:   im going back to bed until tomorrow.:tt1:
harliquinn

harliquinn

6
 

oh...by the way....

im 7 days post op. i lost 16 pounds on the 2 week pre-op diet and lost another 7 pounds in the week since surgery. im down 23 pounds total. gas pains are gone, only slightly sore when bending or being active.   i feel great! :tt1:
harliquinn

harliquinn

3
 

i found a new love

oh mushies, how i love thee!     especially you, pureed low fat cottage cheese. oh baby. ive missed you. i promise, ill never leave you again.     love, Harli:wub:
harliquinn

harliquinn

2
 

day 6 post-op

i went to see my surgeon today for a surprise visit. one of my incisions had a bit of discharge and my post incision is a little red and starting to bruise. my surgeon looked it over, said its all normal, cleaned the weeping incision and put new tape on it.   on the ride home, i felt a sneeze coming on so i placed my hands on my belly and braced for it. unfortunately, it wasnt enough. because i felt an incredibly sharp pain followed by an all day long dull ache. i have no idea whats wrong. do i have a hernia now? did i flip my port? was the pain just caused by the port bouncing or something when i sneezed? i have no idea.   im worried but i dont want to bug my surgeon a second day in a row without an appointment. i hope the pain will be gone tomorrow. :tt2:   liquids are going own easy as anything. some mushies are going down fine as well. some mushies tend to stick a bit but they still go down after a minute or so. im making progress. im just worried about this pain. :smile2: i hope i didnt mess things up somehow! :thumbup:
harliquinn

harliquinn

1
 

5 days post-op

i think the swelling is starting to go down a bit since i can eat applesauce without a problem. it just feels weird. can the rest of you feel food sitting in your chest/your pouch? im still staying away from jello.   my incisions itch like crazy and the steri-strips still havent fallen off. im not allowed to pull them off so i guess i just have to play the waiting game.   i meet with my surgeon in 9 days to see how things are going. i was 291 pounds before the 2 week pre-op diet, 275 pounds on surgery day and today im 271 pounds. :rolleyes2:   my husband has been the most amazing, supportive and helpful person in the world. im so thankful for him.:thumbup:
harliquinn

harliquinn

6
 

what the HELL

jello is on my doctors list of suggested foods for this whole post-op liquid stage. and even eating pea sized bites and squishing it around in my mouth until its in several hundred tiny pieces....doesnt cut it. it gets stuck. it hurts. and then after several minutes, it goes down. you know what? JELLO AINT WORTH IT. this is absolutely ridiculous. and painful.   im really starting to think that the swelling will never go down. i feel like ill be stuck with a super tight band forever and ill only ever be able to have liquids for the rest of my life. my doctor wants me to start mushies in 4 days. YEAH I DONT THINK THATS GONNA WORK OUT REAL WELL.     sorry. i just need to rant. im upset. and right now, i hate my life and especially my surgeon.
harliquinn

harliquinn

3
 

2 days post-op

i felt a little better after getting a shower today. back, shoulders, neck and upper arms are all sore as hell. i got to take the gauze and plastic stuff off of my incisions. theres just steri-strips holding everything together now. 5 incisions. my port is located just to the left of my belly button.   ive discovered that laughing SUCKS. it really hurts to laugh or chuckle at all. hiccups hurt too.   besides that, im alright. doing a little walking here and there. last night i slept on the couch...sitting upright because getting into bed was just NOT possible.
harliquinn

harliquinn

5
 

here goes

im a little less nervous now. not sure how well i will sleep tonight. i had a can of beef broth this afternoon (doctor has had me on sugar free, fat free liquids only for the last 2 weeks), but i cant really handle anything tonight. my stomach just isnt up for it. probably all for the best but i know ill be starving tomorrow.   for now, im sticking with water.   since my doctor is making me stay in the hospital overnight tomorrow, i guess i should go pack my overnight bag.   ill see you guys tomorrow when im on the band-wagon!
harliquinn

harliquinn

1
 

surgery tomorrow...scared to death!

well, its official!   im being banded tomorrow morning. ill be excited once its over im sure, but right now im a huge bundle of nerves and im scared to death! what if i have some sort of undiagnosed heart problem and something happens during anesthesia?:cursing:   is it normal to feel like this? i definitely dont have doubts about getting my band but the surgery itself scares me. :rolleyes2:
harliquinn

harliquinn

3
 

a bad day

tired. sleeping like shit. cant really get comfortable. easily annoyed by pretty much everything. animals making me crazy. stressed.   i feel like my life has been turned upside down by this whole thing. i didnt realize i was going to be so stressed out by it. i cant focus on anything lately. i can barely think, probably due to the lack of carbohydrates. ive been forgetting protein shakes. i missed one yesterday...and one today but ill play catch-up for todays shake. 5 days left. im nervous and having second thoughts but thats pretty normal before surgery or so im told.   i just feel like crap. also, i want food. *grumps* :redface:
harliquinn

harliquinn

4
 

one week to go!

i know its only a few pounds but i swear i can see a difference. ive easily lost a couple inches off my stomach. this makes me ridiculously happy.   also, apparently my stomach was making grumbly noises for an hour before i realized i was hungry. i was like, "what the hell is that sound? ooh that doesnt sound good. OH, im hungry!" LOL! time for another protein shake i guess.
harliquinn

harliquinn

1
 

Yes we can!

today was a fantastic day! ive finally got a date for my surgery! February 25th! i am ecstatic. :thumbup:   i have to meet with Dr. Bui on the 16th (10 am) for the pre-op consult, signing of papers, taking of vitals, weigh in, etc.   ill be meeting with the anesthesiologist on the 17th (7 am) to have blood drawn, consult, signing of papers, etc.   and then on the 25th...i am FINALLY getting my band! ive been working toward this goal since Nov 2008. im so happy. a little nervous since it seems its coming up so quickly but i am ready!   as of right now, im on the pre-op diet for 2 weeks. itll be a rough 2 weeks but well worth it!!:confused:
harliquinn

harliquinn

5
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