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Angela's Blog

A blog by anglov

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My Lap Band Journey

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I write this as I sit here devouring a bowl of homemade guacamole!!

Since the surgery I have a new love of guacamole. I never did before and now I love the stuff. Crazy good! Well, I haven't been on here in almost a month. I am down 107 lbs as of today. I had my surgery almost a year ago. One year will be May 12th. I plan on that day posting a look back at the past. Today I thought I would share a VERY IMPORTANT TIP.............. DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF OR YOUR JOURNEY TO ANYONE ELSE'S. I know, it's easier said than done but it is so important. Everyone is different. Everyone's body responds differently. What works for me may not work for you. It doesn't hurt to try but it is very easy to get discouraged when things don't work out the same as others. It may not be that you are doing anything wrong it's just not in the cards for you at the same pace as others. I see others on here upset because they aren't advancing the same as others. I used to be one of them. I wasn't losing weight as fast in the beginning as others who had surgery around the same time. I compared myself all the time. I don't anymore. I am ME. I have tips and things that have worked for me and it is only as a suggestion to others. It may work for you too and it may not. Trial and error. Here are few differences I have. I don't drink protein shakes anymore unless I get a fill and I only drink one for that day. I don't eat a mere few ounces at a meal. I eat a salad plate size portion at each meal. This is my surgeon's and lap band's recommendation. Lap Band has even come out with a lap band plate showing the size portion you should have. I was beating myself up over vacation last year because I thought I was overeating. I came back from vacation and had lost 12 lbs. WOW. They told me it was because I was eating more. Okay so I took that advice and ran with it. I now eat that much when I can and I incorporate high protein foods. Life is good and it works for me. Find YOUR niche and you will be so much more happy than you are when you compare how you are doing to someone else. Much Love and Respect to everyone who is on or are about to embark on this journey!! Angie http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/

May 1, 2011

6

Words cut like a knife

Why is it that people think when you are doing something life altering that they have an automatic right to speak their mind? I just can't imagine opening my big trap and blurting out things that I know would hurt and then be shocked when it does. This morning my Dad said very hurtful things to me. Even when it was pointed out that it was mean and hurtful he argued, to the point of yelling, that it was not hurtful but true. At first I thought people at work were supportative but now those fake supporters have been talking about me behind my back. They say I am just lazy and taking the easy road out. They say I am going to fail again. The surgery won't help. They know people that it didn't work. Well did they know whether or not the person actually followed the many guidelines? I only ask that you don't assume anything about me because you obviously don't know me. I wonder, are you talking about me because you are jealous that I have the guts to say YES I NEED HELP and I am taking this giant leap forward? Don't judge me. I do this for me not you so stop making this about you and your obsessive negativity. :thumbup:

April 6, 2010

12

Back again...

It has been awhile since I have been on here. My weightloss has slowed considerably. I am now down 115 lbs in 13 months. I have been struggling with getting stuck or really constricted when eating but I am supposing that it is mainly stress related. I am working on that. I don't give up and go back to mushies. I keep trying different foods to find what works. Things that worked before I have issues with now. The key is to eat slowly which I will admit I don't do. Sometimes I wait too long to eat and then I end up eating too fast and well it gets ugly from there. Other times I eat slow but because my kids are bickering at the table I get stuck and it might be something as simple as green beans. I am sitting here today re-evaluating what I am eating and how I am eating. I started a new job so I need to work that into the equation. My former boss ( I got a new job 3 weeks ago) and I used to eat lunch together a lot because I sat right next to her and we ate at our desks while chatting or working. The problem is I eat lunch out 4 days a week now. I don't eat bad foods persay just homemade you can control the food such as sodium and fat. Although I don't eat fat free I know that my home-made food is lesser in fat than the restaurants. I have a few new recipes on my blog: http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/ and updates on what has or has not been going on lately. Advice, it is perfectly natural to have times where you seriously wonder if the band was the right choice. To this day, I still have those moments when food gets stuck over and over. I get so frustrated (which only adds to the stress factor) and even depressed about it if it happens for several days continuously. I am 13 months post op and still deal with those feelings. It's normal. I truly don't regret it at all. I mean who would REALLY regret losing 115 lbs in 13 months? I would have never done that without the band. I am human though and at times I get so tired of fighting myself because of the band. I make it harder than it needs to be. So back to re-evaluting...My former boss and I still eat out. Well, we run out and grab food and bring it back to work. I go my way and she goes hers and we eat separately now. Weird, I know. I need to break that cycle. Monday is the only day that I eat my lunch brought from home. I need to start bringing it more often and just tell her no. I feel so bad though because she is struggling now that I am gone to my new job. She uses the drive to get food as her time to vent to me over her struggles. I know she needs to do that otherwise she will crack under the pressure. I have always been her sounding board. We worked together for 10 years. I will need to think on how to handle this delicate situation. I enjoy shopping now for clothes. I can buy off the rach at most any store. I still buy some larger sizes. I wear an 18 in pants. I wear an XL or XXL in shirts. The normal XXL not the plus size 2X. There is a difference. I have a lot of loose skin around my belly and my upper arms so that is the only reason why. I see plastic surgery in my future but not for a very long time. Well, check out my blog site. I have lots of more indepth info and recipes. As I have said before, I don't eat fat free. I usually try low fat or if it is high protein then I am not so picky. I have been successful so far so something is working for me. Best wishes everyone and if anyone needs to chat or talk about things then give me a holler.

June 26, 2011

1

101 lbs gone!!

I am definitely a success story in the making. I have reached a major milestone in my life and one that I would not have made without the lap band. Please see my blog about my journey so far and click to follow. http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/ I was banded 10 months ago and cannot believe where I stand today. I never dreamed I would hit this milestone in less than a year. My surgeon had a goal of 40 lbs a year with a total weight loss of 120 lbs over 3 years. I have always shopped at places like Lane Bryant and Woman Within (when I could no longer buy off the rack at Lane Bryant stores). I have gone from a very tight size 28/30 in pants to a size 18/20. I went from a size 4x/5x (30/32) top to a size 1x/2x (22/24) at a regular store not the specialty plus stores like Lane Bryant. I am shopping at Old Navy and saving tons of cash on clothes. I now shop at least 2-3 times a month for clothes. I am LOVING it!! That is definitely something I would never have thought I would do again. I still have a long ways to go but I know without a doubt I will get there. I am not eating bird-size portions. I don't eat fat free. I eat a salad plate size portion at each meal. I eat eggs every morning pretty much for breakfast. I don't exercise as much as a I should. Frankly hardly at all so I know that if I were to change that I would probably have been at my surgeon's goal already. The key here is I am happy. What I am doing is working for me. I don't obsess about food. I only recognize the foods I cannot eat. Other than that, all is fair game. I have come to realize my whole problem was portion control. I can choose healthier items if I want but I would eat really huge portions of everything. Now I don't. Another milestone for me is that I have not had a single soft drink in a year. March 25, 2010 was the day I stopped drinking soft drinks. I only drink Vitamin Water Zero, milk, juice. That's it. I have no caffeine at all. May 12th will be my 1 year bandaversary. I can't wait to see where I will be at that time.

March 26, 2011

5

Measuring Success

I have lost 44 lbs so far and I don't see a difference when I look in the mirror and I don't see a big difference when I put on clothes. Why? Because 44 lbs, while a huge loss, is only a drop in the bucket for what I NEED to lose so the clothes difference is not happening all that fast. It is a little discouraging when no one notices that I have lost weight too. I wonder if they don't notice or they feel since I had weight loss surgery I don't deserve to hear it since it was surgery and not dieting. That would be the ignorant ones who think this surgery is an automatic fix all. But that is another blog topic all together. To combat that, I take notice of small differences other than the scale or clothes. My blog at http://anglovato.blogspot.com/ gives my accounts of small differences I am noticing that, well, give me the boost I need when the scale or clothes aren't. Start keeping track and you will be surprised at just how well you are actually doing when other measuring means do show it. :mad:

July 25, 2010

5

Tomorrow is my day

I both excited and nervous. My mind is racing right now. I have got so much to do yet I don't know where to start. What shall I do first? I have to be at the hospital to check in at 5:30 am. Dang that is early!! My surgery is at 7:30. My hubby is staying home with me tomorrow and Thursday and then I am on my own during the day. I am so glad I took off work until the 20th. Now I am wondering what I am going to do about sleeping. My bed sits very very high. I literally have to climb up to get in it and I am 5'6". I guess I can sleep in the reclining seat on the couch if I am too sore to make the trek into my high rise bed. Now back to my nervousness...I am getting jittery. I have a lot of nervous energy right now but all I can do is worry about tomorrow. Deep down I know it will all be okay but part of me is still really really scared.

May 11, 2010

4

Down, Down she goes!

I went in Thursday for my 2nd fill. My 10cc band now has 4.5cc in it. I go back in 3 weeks again for another fill. I will be probably need two more tweaks she said. I am down 41.5 lbs! I feel great! I met with the nutritionist and she said I am a poster child for what to do right. That made me feel good. My lunch cooler is a great idea and is what keeps me on track all day long. I work four 10 hour days each week so I am there for dinner every day. I eat breakfast at home but take enough food to eat every four hours. It has been working great for me. I don't even think about eating out unless I want to. No vending machines. except when they have these cheese cubes/grapes cup. I do tend to buy those for a snack. My suggestion is to be prepared. I eat what I want when I want it. I just eat everything in moderation and yes my weight loss is not fast but it is steady and I am not suffering for it. I am not struggling at all because I am not putting too much pressure on myself and I don't set high expectations either. Be realistic in your goals otherwise you are setting yourself up for real disappointment and failure when you really didn't need to. Think about it. Did you gain all this weight overnight or even within a few months? No you didn't. This was over years and years. Why would you expect to lose it in a few months? You may WANT to lose it in a few months but that is not healthy or realistic. My doctor said I should aim to lose 40lbs a year to be within a goal range in 3 years which is right where the Lap Band should have me. I am already at the 40lb mark for this year and I am not reaching for the stars when setting my goals. Good Luck to everyone.

July 3, 2010

3

What a wild ride...

I had the most horrific sliming episode. It was more embarrassing than anything. I did what I had to do to "survive". Check out my blog for the gruesome details. http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/ I am hanging on steadily with virtually gaining and losing the same few pounds every week for the past few weeks. I am maybe down a pound this week. I truly need to step up my exercise or actually just step up to it period. I do nothing. I have done a little but easily get distracted. I absolutely hate it and I don't have time. I work four 10 hour days so I get home at 8pm. I only have the three day weekends to really catch up on everything I need to do. Somehow I need to find something somewhere that will motivate me to "move it". I am also a person who does not like to work out with others even my own family. I have a Wii and have tried the Wii fit, which by the way, is down right rude if you get off the board to take a rest. The problem is my kids or husband comes in and wants to "watch" and I can't do that so since they refuse to leave I just stop and then don't touch again. Any suggestions? I wanted to try the Wii Zumba but again if the family comes in the room they won't leave so I just quit.

February 5, 2011

3

It has been a long time...Update: Down 91 lbs in 8 months

It has been forever it seems since I was on here. So much has happened since then. My blog at http://anglovato.blogspot.com/ can fill you in on the ups and downs of my journey so far. I try to post there weekly at least. This was the best decision I have ever made in my life. This decision has made my life, literally. I have had struggles and made it through each one, learding a lesson along the ways. To those that have the band, CONGRATS, to those thinking about the band, stop thinking and just do it! I don't have a special diet. My band controls my food intake. My head controls the choices I make. I am so much happier with myself and my life and people are starting to take notice of me. They are now noticing my weight but I think my new attitude and the new way I carry myself with pride and self esteem has made them really step up and take notice. It's like all of sudden in the past month people are always taking note of my new look. Can't say I'm not enjoying it. I used to never want people to notice me and I still don't "want" them to but the difference is now I don't mind if they do. Before surgery it would bother me because if I was noticed it meant people saw my morbid obesity. I preferred to remain hidden. I am still obese but now I am more outgoing and enjoying life. I have a long way to go but still going strong.

January 13, 2011

6

ONE YEAR BANDAVERSARY!!!!

Today is my one year bandaversary. I am so happy I decided to have this surgery. My grand total for 1 year is 112.5 lbs lost! Check out my blog http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/ for my anniversary post. Good luck to everyone out there banded or considering to be banded. It is a journey I am happy I am taking.

May 12, 2011

6

Vitamin difficient

Just yesterday I responded to a blog about someone who was potassium difficient with a great website with potassium rich foods. Ironically, today I go to the doctor and since I hadn't had a call about my labs from a month ago I asked. Turns out the lab never sent them over. My motto...no news is not good news, it just means they haven't gotten the results and I need to call about it. So she calls me back and said she knows why my joints and bones have been hurting. See I just thought it was because I lost weight and the tendons were stretching in a new direction, hence the pain. WRONG!! Anyway, the labs showed I am potassium and vitamin D difficient. The vitamin D is the worst. My doc said they have never seen it that low in many many years. We should be at "30" and mine was "8". So now I have to take presciption meds for both. The potassium pill is the size of a horse pill. Guess I am crushing that one and the vitamin D is 50,000 IU and is a tiny little thing. Crazy! Anyway, make sure you get your vitamin levels checked. Low potassium leaves you achy, tired and dizzy. Low vitamin D causes bone loss, joint pain. Explains a lot. She said I should be feeling spectacular soon after starting the meds. I will let everyone know. Now on to my visit. I lost 8.5 lbs in 3 weeks. I felt so guilty on vacation because I was eating a small (salad)size plate of food at each meal. I wasn't hungry for 5-6 hours after but I thought I was overeating and in desperate need of a fill. Turns out that is exactly how I should be eating and feeling. I am in the green zone and didn't even realize it. The green zone is not eating tiny amount of food and being satisfied. It is eating 1250 cals a day in the way of salad size plates of food and not being hungry for at least 4 hours. I was so glad to find out I need to eat more. She said "see you ate more food and lost more weight in 3 weeks." AND I am bloated if you know what I mean and that usually means weight gain for at least a week. I was thinking all wrong about my food intake. I was so happy. I go back in a month to see how this stage is going. Wish me luck! Oh my total loss now is 45.5 lbs.

July 27, 2010

7

Vegetable Rice Soup--Fabulous!

Easy vegetable-rice soup Serves 4 Of course, you may chop a fresh onion and a bell pepper or two to substitute for the frozen mixture but why? I prefer the convenience. Some frozen onion-bell pepper mixes contain celery or other seasoning vegetables. They work fine, as do larger quantities of the vegetables (if you should find a 1-pound bag, for instance, use that). 1 tablespoon canola oil 12 ounces smoked sausage, such as kielbasa or skinless turkey smokes sausage 12 ounces frozen onion-bell pepper mix 3 to 4 cups minced fresh green cabbage ( I will use a bag of cole slaw cabbage) 2 cloves garlic, minced, about 2 teaspoons 1 teaspoon thyme A 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional 1 quart reduced-sodium chicken broth 2/3 cup white or brown rice 15 ounces canned crushed tomatoes Put oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Chop sausage into A 1/4-inch (or so) pieces ( I cut the sausage in slices then quarter those so I get sausage in every bite), and add to saucepan as you do. When all the sausage is added, cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown. Add onion-bell pepper mix, and stir. Add cabbage, garlic and thyme (and cayenne pepper, if using) as you get them ready. Keeping the heat as high as you can, cook 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables are tender and have reduced quite a bit in size. Add chicken broth, 1 cup of water and rice. When the mixture boils, reduce heat, cover and cook 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in tomatoes, bring to a boil and serve. Serve with garlic bread. Nutrient data per serving: 368 calories, 20 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams fiber, 11 grams fat Courtesy of Sarah Fritschner, Courier Journal http://www.blogger.com/home

August 21, 2010

0

I've said it before, I will say it again...I AM A LOSER!!

But not in the bad sense of the words. Being a loser can be a good thing if you are obese. LOL! My weightloss has definitely slowed down and I am good with that. I have made tremendous headway in 11 months since my surgery. May 12th will be one year and I am currently down 103.5 lbs!! Something I NEVER would have thought was possible. My life is so much better and there is so much more to it now. My health has improved. If I was not to lose any more weight I couldn't be more proud of where I have come since that day nearly a year ago when I stepped into the outpatient center for my life changing LapBand surgery. I enjoy life. I don't worry about diet or food or calories for once in my life. I eat what I like. I eat what I feel like eating. I only avoid those foods that cause issues but sometimes I try them just to see if they still bother me. Yeah I am a sadist. My favorite food right now is Qdoba's three cheese nachos with chicken. I get the chips on the side. I put black beans, cheese, sour cream, lettuce and guacamole on it. I use probably 10 chips out of the huge bag they give me. Since I have started eating that most days for lunch my weight loss has upped a little. Here's the skinny on it...well not so skinny...1350 cal., 75g fat, 27g fiber, 55g protein. Yeah it is a lot of everything good and bad but that also includes all the chips which I don't eat. Here's the thing, I eat this for lunch 3-4 times a week. Since doing so, it has kick started my weight loss again. I mean that is a lot of protein in one meal and I am addicted to it!! Like I have said before I don't eat low fat intentionally. I eat what I like and try to choose lower fat options. I don't do fat free anything. I don't like it so I am not going to force myself to eat it. What's the point? I want to enjoy life, not struggle with it. Hey the point is, whatever works for you, GO FOR IT!! I found my niche. I can't say it would work for anyone else but you have to find what it is that makes it work for you. Check my blog out for my recipes and thoughts. http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/

April 7, 2011

2

Just don't have the time

Wow, I find now that I just don't have the time to be on this site as much as before the surgery. It may be because I now have my own "surgery life" to live and no longer need to research what may or may not happen. There's nothing exciting going on. Just day to day living. As I have said before I have no restriction so I can eat pretty much EVERYTHING and I am only 2 1/2 weeks post op. Kind of sad really. Occasionally I feel foods get a little stuck and that is probably the only clue I have a band right now. I am mainly watching what I eat and making a point to stop when I no longer have the hunger feeling. That is the hardest part for me. I am so used to equating no longer hungry with the full/bloated feeling. That is not what I have to listen for. Yesterday I did and ended up eating a 1/2 a burrito from Taco bell. It was delicious and I was satisfied but didn't have the full bloated feeling. I was comfortably not hungry any more. It was a good feeling. Well, I haven't lost a ton of weight. Not much really but I have noticed a difference in my clothes. Mainly in my hips, thighs and calfs so I will take that for sure. Just keep remembering that you can't measure your success but the scale alone. Other accomplishments are just as important. For instance, I am no longer taking reflux meds. I have been on them for 20 years. Not anymore! My blood sugar is coming down. As I said I notice the clothes fit differently. I got into shirts I haven't worn in over a year. There are other things for sure besides the scale. For the record my scale is down 9 lbs since surgery on May 12th. It's just the beginning...

May 30, 2010

0

I am SO DOWN right now

And I don't mean depressed. I was banded 5-12-10 and am DOWN 18.2 since surgery for a grand total of 36.5 since March. It has been a road full of bumps and ruts. Some of the potholes were HUGE. I am making it though. I am not discouraged and I am not looking at this through "rose-colored" glasses. I have seen some banders go into this thinking this is the miracle cure. We know better. I have seen some upset because they aren't dropping 10lbs a week. We know better. The point of WLS, well at least it should be, is to lose weight to be healthy. Now think about it, if we are told that with the lap band we should be losing about 2 lbs per week, why would we even imagine that 10lbs a week is normal? If you sent unrealistic goals or have unrealistic expectations then you are setting yourself up for a major disappointment. I have realistic goals and you know what? I AM HAPPY with my band and how I am doing and I am happy doing it. I am to the point that I don't think band first before I eat. It is now a habit and everything just falls in place. I don't project I AM BANDED anymore. I am just me. They see me, not the girl who had band surgery. We are all successful no matter what!!

June 24, 2010

5

A good day...down 2

I weighed myself today and I am down another 2 lbs. for a total of 10 lbs. I feel good about that. The biggest change has been no soft drinks. I drink flavored water only. I am making more healthy choices. Not always but mostly. I was really craving tacos. Well taco meat that I put on baked scoops. I finally made it tonight and it was ALOT. I am stuffed and miserable but my craving is gone. I had a protein shake for breakfast and smoked chicken for lunch. I still haven't gotten this whole eating without drinking. That I guess is my next task to master. It's hard to imagine not drinking while I eat. I get so thirsty. I try to have one protein shake per day instead of a meal. Breakfast is the easiest for me. I do trade off and occasionally have an egg for breakfast. Protein, protein, protein. Protein and low carb. Got to get into the habit now. I found a food journal on bariatriceating.com and a few good recipes but was confused. Some of the recipes had 12g of FAT per serving. I expected it to be less fattening. I started a binder for my food journals and recipes collections. Getting it together a little a time. BAND DATE 5-12-10:thumbup:

April 8, 2010

4

Need Help---Pre-Op Diet

Okay, I thought I would order a couple of flavors of the protein shakes my doctor's office sells to see which flavors I would like before I buy more. Can I just say...YUCK!! There is no way I can drink several of those a day for 2-3 weeks. I am supposed to have 70-100 grams of protein a day plus it must be a meal replacement and only 800-maybe 1000 calories a day. Most of the meal replacements that are palatable only have about 10 grams of protein and tons of sugar. I also have to have one without aspartame. I can tolerate other sweeteners but I cannot tolerate aspartame. Any suggestions would be helpful. I have to go on an all liquid diet for two weeks prior to surgery so I thought I would start now by replacing just one meal a day trying out different flavors and recipes.

March 13, 2010

7

Lordy Lordy I turned 40

Isn't it nifty? I've lost 50. 50 lbs that is! July 31 I turned 40. Today I hit the 50 lbs mark. 80 more to go and for the first time in my life it doesn't seem impossilble. Oh Happy Days!! Banded 5-12-10 Hit my 50 lb mark 8-06-10 I would love to have you follow my blog!:tt2: http://anglovato.blogspot.com/

August 7, 2010

0

Must make time to prepare and Pain is not my friend

I have found that if I don't prepare food and portion it out for the week for lunch I don't do so well. I end up having a long period of time between meals and feel sick. I am in training this week and didn't prepare my meals like I would normally. Don't get me wrong. I bring my food from home, I am just not bringing something satisfying. So then, I am hungry after a few hours and end up stretching that time out until dinner because I didn't bring a good protein snack with me. I do this it seems every other week. Next topic. Pain. My knees, hips, back, legs. For years I have felt twinges, dull aches, sharp stabbing pains. I was always told, LOSE WEIGHT. Well I have started to do that and well, it hurts even worse. Go figure. Turns out I have arthritis in my knee and I have been advised no treadmill or walking long distances. Stationary bike or water exercises until the knee is better then try the elliptical. Not a good prognosis.

July 8, 2010

2

WTF???

The new title of my blog. Same website new name. Why WTF?? It stands for Where's the Fat?? Please check it out and join to follow my blog. I was banded 14 months ago and have lost 115 lbs. I have good days and bad days. I am sure you can relate. See what can and can't happen 14 months post op. http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/

July 3, 2011

2

1 week until "B" DAY

Today I went to the hospital for Pre-OP testing. I am cleared for banding...paid my bills. I also started my pre-op diet today. Ran into a fella that was in my education class and is getting banded the same day. He is an hour after me. It was good seeing a friendly face. Isn't it funny how you can wake up and you aren't hungry at all but when you know all you can have is a protein shake suddenly your stomach is growling so hard it hurts? That was me today! I felt like I was starving. I had tomato basil soup for lunch with unflavored protein powder. It was pretty good but it would have been better if I had a grilled cheese to go with it.:thumbup: It was a struggle. My boss and a few others decided to order chinese. They asked me. I declined. They asked me again telling me I might want to get it out of my system. I declined. I went to my testing, came back and they had already eaten. Yeah, Me 1 them 0. Then they decided they needed milk shakes. Again they asked me. I declined several times before they left me alone. They know I am on the diet starting today. Geez, let me the flip alone. Yes I probably will be beyond foul and mean before this is over.

May 6, 2010

4

Well Day 3...

Today has been uneventful. Yesterday I had some broth and it just sat in my chest. I have a lot of sinus drainage that has been causing me to cough. I worry about my band slipping before it heals. Today I had some broth and after 5 spoons I was full. I am drining water as much as possible but that even sits in my chest sometimes. Probably due to the swelling from the surgery. All I can say is...WALK WALK WALK! Keep moving around even if it is to walk down the hallway. The only pain I have is when I get up from a seated position and that is at my port and hernia repair site. Other than that no pain. I'm not on pain meds but they said I can't drive for 5 days. I am very excited to see where all of this leads me.

May 14, 2010

4

Very Nervous...scared really

Okay so now that I am in the final leg of my journey to banding, lots of things are running through my head. A lot of "what if". What if something goes wrong?HOw will I pay to fix it since I am self pay? What if they find something else wrong inside while they are in there? What if it doesn't work? And the ultimate...what if I die? I am finding myself dwelling on these most of the day. I don't let it show on the outside. On the outside, I am confident, calm, collected. I am so nervous on the inside that I am chewing up the inside of my cheeks. A nasty habit I do without even realizing it until it is all chewed up and hurting.

May 8, 2010

7

Restriction or no restriction that is the question

I posted a question in the post op form on restriction. I received several replies with good reminders of what I need to be focused on. I have no restriction. I have read that it happens when the swelling goes down. I just didn't expect it one week after surgery. I guess unrealistically I expected to be a little "tight" for a while. So, now I am on a different path. I have to be more mindful of my eating since I obviously don't have the help of my band right now. I go to the doctor on June 10th so that is quite a while to be on my own. I have thought a lot of what would I do if I stretched my pouch. What if this lack of restriction was actually my pouch was stretched? Could that be it? What do I need to do if it is stretched and how would I even know? Anyone?

May 22, 2010

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Stuck like glue update

See my previous post for all the gory details but essentially I was SEVERELY stuck Thursday night. When I woke up Friday morning water still was not going down very easy so eating was not an option and since no one was in my doctor's office here in town I had to wait until Monday unless I wanted to drive to another city, which I didn't. Melissa, the nurse at my doctor's office, told me to sip hot as I can stand it liquids. So I went out and got me some apple cider and heated it up hot as can be and sipped on it. I was still afraid to eat at that point but my throat did feel better. I felt I could actually swallow my own spit again. WOO HOO!! I had put some pot roast in the crock pot that morning to cook and by late afternoon it was smelling fabulous and well my stomach started protesting my fast. I decided to cook some eggs. I took a few bites and at first it felt a little like it might get stuck but it went down. I breathed a sigh of relief and so did my stomach. I started sipping my water and eventually I was drinking fairly normal again. I decided to make some Carne Asado for next week and did a little cooking. Boy did that make me hungry given the little food I have had since my episode. Pot roast was done. Carne Asado was done. I was starving! I pulled out some cooked veggies from the pot roast. I ate them slowly and they were soooo good. Then I see it! A little peice of pot roast on my plate. Do I or don't I? I do'd it! Chew, chew, chew...AND.....NO PROBLEMS! So I got a little more and again no problems. I even ate a little Carne Asado, because I needed to make sure it tasted right and that too was no problem. I am back to normal, well band normal. A little hot hot cider and I was good as new, that and not eating anything for many hours. It gave my esophagus time to recover. I have no idea what caused me to get that stuck but I know I have bought a box of apple cider packets(near the hot chocolate in stores) and am keeping it with me at all times. I don't like tea or coffee and those are just as fine. I do like the hot cider so that is my hot beverage of choice. Just a little tidbit I thought I would share. Something to try if you are stuck in a restaurant, ask for super hot tea or coffee or hot water w/lemon.

August 28, 2010

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