Hello,
My name is Jennifer. I am 36, live in the Chicago area, single with no kids. I work as an Occuapational Therapist on a traumatic brain injury unit. I have been reasearching the lap band for over 5 years. I've been obsessed with this site for 2 months and just found this whole blog thing! LOL! Well i'm scheduled for surgery on May 20th in chicago at Day One Health with Ddr. Elli. I start my pre-op diet on May 9th. I am sooooo happy I'm finally getting this done. It's so sad that my family doesnt support me, but my friends do. so between God, this site and my friends i think i can make it. I look forward to this new journey I am embarking on. come and follow me.
Well tomorrow I go for my pre-op testing: blood work, EKG and anastesiology clearance(not sure what that means). Also this weekend I'll go grocery shopping for my wonderful liquids i get to have for two weeks. It' kinda cool that i get sugar free fudgsicles...too bad it's not summer time though! I feel like this is becoming more and more real now that I'm going for the pre-op testing. I have a whirlwind of emotions, but none of them are regret or turning back. I am moving full steam ahead!!!!
Ok so i went in for the unfill on Friday. Glad to know that I dont have a leak and everything is where it's supposed to be. As of this morning i am down 15 pounds since my fill 2 weeks ago(tomorrow). i still am just able to get in liquids, so i have been living off egg drop soup. i dont have an appetite, but every time i try something with more consistency i get stuck after a few(and i do mean few) bites.
My question is to those who like their band tight, how do you do it? I can barely get in my protein, but this is my focus..i'm praying that since the weather has cooled off some it will get better. HELP I NEED TO KNOW THIS IS GOING TO GET BETTER! i cant go in for another unfill as i am self pay and i just paid $250 2 weeks ago....is there a chance my band will loosen on it's on in the next few days?
ok so i got my 5ht fill in dec. i was doing just fine, until 2 weeks ago. i got sick and was on antibiotics for a week, also TOM came around the same time. well my band got super tight and i'm guessing with both of those things happening at the same time caused this. well i thought once TOM left and my sickness left i would be ok. NOT! i was hoping it would loosen, but not so. i am used to not being able to get things down in the morning unless its' a liquid, but now lunch is hard and so is dinner. last night i was awaken by coughing and choking as if i had swallowed water and it went down the wrong pipe. i have an appointment to get a slight unfill and i know this is crazy but i'm soooo scared i will not be able to get to the green zone like i was before i got sick. i am one size away from making my goal by my one year anniversary! i just dont wanna get a slight unfill and be able to eat like i'm crazy! ugh! i lost 6 weeks once before with being too tight, too loose and not being able to see my doc. ugh! why now!
has anyone else had it where they got sick, band got tight and didnt get loose after the illness went away?
jennifer
I cant believe it's been one whole week since I've been banded. I returned to work on Thursday and it wasnt that bad. My doc says i'm doing fine. I've lost 15 pounds since May6th(the day of my pre-op testing). I'm really proud of that. I started mushes/pureed foods today. I cant explain how excited i was to have scrambled eggs for breakfast! LOL! I go back in 3 weeks for my first fill. i explained how fearful i was of the fill and he reassured me i wont feel it cuz he will numb the area. I'm so pissed cuz i forgot to ask about my hernia, where is was and how large was it and most importantly will i get another bill!!!!! LOL! Well hope everyon has a great weekend. i have to work but i'm off on monday!
OK OK OK OK so it finally happened. I got stuck( not the first time) but the sliming this was new! I'm a therapist and on mon. wed and fri we having staffings with the doctors. Well that means i'm running around to different conference rooms meeting with dotors and writing my documentation and eating lunch. Well today I had some string beans a turkey patty with no bun or anything. I was walking down the hallway and mindlessly eating. Well apparently the piece of turkey patty I bit off was to big and i didnt chew it well enough. Someone noticed I was walking funny and i told her I had some food stuck in my throat. ( i couldnt tell her really why i was stuck cuz only 3 people at work know i had the band and she wasnt one of them.) i've been stuck before but never like this. I was in the bathroom for 10 minutes hanging over the toilet praying i wouldnt throw up. I ended up sliming(yeah pretty gross) It was sooooo painful until it finally went through.
What lessons did I learn today!
1. no matter what i must cut my food into small pieces...i can no longer trust myself to take small bites if it's not already cut up
2. i can no longer rush and eat because then i'm not paying attention
Ok these may be lessons I should have learned a while ago, but after today!!!!!!! trust me i have learned them well!
ok so i finally hit onederland and then BAM..stupid TOM and i'm back in the 200's. I know it should go away when tom leaves, but i was so pissed. anyway. i went to the mall today to get a pair of size 12 jeans to prayerfully get in on may 20th my one year anniversary. i just wanted to try them on and see how close i was to puttn those suckers on. well once i got home i realized they were skinny jeans, which means they are even tighter. so i tried and tried and i layed across the bed, AND GOT THEM SUCKAS ZIPPED, now when i stood up i had this huge roll of fat sitting on top, but i got them zipped. now would i wear them like that. ummmm no, but i was just happy i got them zipped. it's gonna be a lot of hard work for about a month and a half to get in them comfortably, but we shall see. if i can find another pair of 12 jeans on sale that are not skinny jeans i'll be totally content with that.
Ok so i know i havent blogged in a while, just really havent been in the mood, but i knew i needed to post after today. Well today i got my first fill!!!YEAH!!! It took all of 2 minutes and wasw TOTALLY pain free! I stood in front of the xray machine and he made me drink the white chalky stuff to ensure that everything was in place. Next he used a needle to numb the area(it felt like a small mosquito bite) and 2 seconds later he inserted the needle to do the fill. He added some saline, had me drink, added some more and I drank again. He pulled the needle out(all i felt was pressure and i REFUSED to look at that needle in my stomach) and put on a bandaid. wham bam..done!!
WOW!!! i'm so glad that was pain free. Now i'm back on liquids for 2 days! BOOOO!!! but if i could survive 2 weeks on liquids surely i can do 2 days! so i have to make sure to eat some chicken before tues when i call back to let them know if everything is goin down and if i'm still hungry. If so I have to go back before 2 weeks to get it adjusted. I'm soooooooooooooo excited that I finally got a fill. I was told to really pay attention to my body these next 2 weeks so i will know what "full" feels like to me.
I'M ON MY WAY!
Oh yeah i gained 2 pounds since i started mushies 3 weeks ago, but i'm not even concerned now that i know that is normal.
I went to the gym again today and did an hour of cardio. I AM STILL PETRIFIED TO DO ANY AB WORK!!! I've been released to work with my trainer again.
Was anyone else afraid to do ab work or am I being a big baby? LOL
Ok so my one year anniversary is quickly approaching and right now i'm hovering around a 42 pound lost. my goal was to be in a size 12 top and bottom..if you've been following my blog then you know where i stand with that. so i bought another size 12 jeans but they were petitie and i figured that just meant shorter, but i couldnt get them past my thighs either(but could put on a 12 skinny jeans..tight but got them on and buttoned) WTH!!! i am so frustrated with the whole jeans thing. when i started my journey, my doc told me most patients lose half of their desired weight in the first year, sooo if i go by that i am well ahead of schedule, but if i go by the goal I set for myself...doesnt look like i'm going to make it..ugh! so my question is if i decided to stop stressing about the jeans and be content with fitting 12 dresses and tops..and L scrubs and L tops..would i be a quitter. one one hand i feel like i am and on the other going by my doc's standards i've done great.
what do you guys think? HELP!!!
Ok today dec 12th i finally got my 5th fill. on oct 28th i got my second unfill and have had nooooo restriction since then. I gain 7 pounds in those 6 weeks, but i'm not complaining cuz it could have been much worse. My clothes are actually feeling looser. I dont get it and I dont care. as long as i'm not gaining! LOL! this band has been such an experience. I'm nowhere near where i thought i would be almost 7 months post, but i'm not where i was 7 months ago and for that i'm grateful. Now that my band is back where it needs to be, let's get this ball rolling.
Currenlty I go to the gym 4 days a week and my goal for next year is 5 days. I told my trainer that jogging on the treadmill isnt all that bad, and i'm no longer too embarrassed to do it. But now of course he's like it's not good for the knee joints. now me being a therapist i kinda already knew that, but i figured that moslty applied to running on concrete. oh well, he said not more than 2 times a week and i'm ok with that. well that's all for now.
Jennifer
Ok so it's almost been one year since i was banded and i have been video blogging on my phone. i was torn as to if i was going to ever post them. well i decided about a month ago that i would. then realized i had no idea how to post them from my phone to my computer.....lol. well duh! i finally realized yesterday that i have an app on my phone. LOL (yeah me and technology arent' the best of friends. ) anyhow i started posting yesterday. i have about 20 videos i think but i 've just started posting so i have about 8 up thus far.
feel free to check out my blog on there. my name is jennypoo6043....just wanted to share my experience with others and hopefully help someone along the way.
i cant believe the number of women that have reached out to me for support from this site that i talk to or text. i've found some friends all over the country that i would have never had the chance to meet had it not been for LBT! i would love to plan a reunion one day somewhere with everyone i've spoken with, but for now i'll settle for this.
thanks guys and feel free to leave comments on you tube.
jennifer
Ok since I found this site I am obsessed. I used to log on to Facebook whenever I got on my laptop, but now it's always here first. I'm not only obsessed with the site, but with the whole process period. I'm so excited to finally be getting my band and just wish the day would get here already. I cant seem to think of anything else. Right now i'm not sad about the food i'll be losing but the health i'll be gaining. It seems that all my friends that know wanna "eat with me one last time". they act like I'll never be able to eat again! LOL! i understand where they're coming from though! LOL! Just thought I'd shar my thoughts.
Ok i know this may sound crazy, but since i know my band is tight in the morning i dont try to eat. Some times i can eat 2 pieces of bacon and i can always do a protein shake or slim fast if i'm being lazy. but later in the evening i can never tell if i will be able to eat. or what i will be able to eat. i dont need an unfill cuz it changes on a daily basis and i can eat. if i'm going out with friends i find myself literally praying LORD PLEASE LET ME BE ABLE TO EAT! lol am i the only one who prays they will be able to eat..LOL ijs!
Just wanted to drop a quick note. I got my unfill last monday and so far so good. it takes me about 4-5 hours before i'm "hungry" and my portions are controlled. needless to say I still am figthing that 1-2 last pounds to get to onederland. however i went shopping yesterday because i needed an outfit in a specific color for a womens conference. well i went into a little cheapy store and asked where the size 12's were since i saw the plus sized section started at size 14. she told me in the junior/misses section. I JUST STOOD THERE FOR WHAT SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY. ME GET CLOTHES OUT OF THE JUNIOR.MISSES SECTION. my heart started racing. i know this sounds crazy but i was totally freaked out for a minute. I HAVE NEVER BOUGHT CLOTHES ANYWHERE OTHER THAN THE PLUS SIZE SECTION. so when i bought everything from that side of the store it was soooo weird. i was happy but it was so hard to wrap my mind around the fact that i could. i even bought a tank top in a medium from that side of the store. ok just wanted to share that experience right quick. hope all is well with everyone.
s/n from our conference. WHATEVER IT IS...LET IT GO!!!
peace and blessings
jennifer
Went shoe shopping...I normally wear a 9 1/2...today I was able to buy 8 and 8 1/2!!!!!!! Totally forgot the feet would shrink..and wasn't expecting that much:-)
Well today is day four post-op and I'm doing quite well. My friends cant believe how go i'm doing being up and mobile. I was going stir crazy in the house so i ran a few errands and i felt ok. Sometimes when i first get up after having sat for a long period of time my port site hurt and it feels like gravity is pulling it down. It only feels better if i support it with my hand and rub it. Spoke with the nurse yesterday and i'm right on track. I may return to work on Thurs, but i'm not rushing it.
I am still amazed that i dont have an appeitite! where the hell did it go! believe me i'm not complaining, but i have no restriction cuz my band is empty, but i have no desire to eat whatsoever. I am still making myself drink my liquids as i can start mushies on sat. i want to go to the gym tomorrow and just walk on the treadmill. we'll see how that goes.
How is everyone else doing that was banded recently?
Hi all! Nothing really new to blog about, just thought i'd check in. I think this restriction is great! The only frustrating thing is never knowing when or what i will be able to eat. I have given up on breakfast..just enough liquid to get down my medication. I have found i dont ever eat what is considered a full meal, therefore i try to make protein my first choice. I sat down and calculated that from my heaviest weight ever i have lost 51 pounds and 35 since being banded. WOW! it's amazing how i look back on old pics and i'm just embarassed actually. it's definelty a motivation to never go back! New goal is to hit that 14 by feb 14th! LOL! I think this weekend i'll buy something in a 14 to see how close i am to making it, hopefully it will be motivation and not make me cry if i'm too far off. LOL!
So I am almost 6 weeks out and i still have the dreaded shoulder pain sometimes. I've read in other threads that's how some people know they have eaten to much. Hmmmm today at work i had to rush through lunch, while making doctor's appointments, car appointments, writing a report and trying to talk to a doctor about her patient...needless to say it wasnt fun. I had made some chicken salad. I noticed shortly after eating that my shoulder was hurting. I'm starting to wonder if that's my sign for eating too fast or too much. I will have to pay close attention to that.
I had my first training session since April. I was so excited. then i told him i wanted to continue cuz the first year of training i had so many things going on....finding out i had hypothyroidism..trying to get my levels correct...some slacking off and then the lap band. I want to up my sessions to two per week and we've worked out a deal! I'm gonna do some laps in the pool tomorrow since i'm eyelash and weave free for a minute anyway! LOL!
Hope eveyone has a great holiday weekend.
Well my dietician emailed me back and it seems that I am on the right track and everything i'm experiencing(small weight gain, increased appetite) is perfectly normal. WHEW!!! I was about to lose it this weekend. so the dastardly scale now lives in the basement in a box is only allowed out on friday morning. I went to the gym for the first time today and i did one mile on the treadmill and one mile on the cross trainer. i'm tryn to work my way back up to a full hour of cardio. It actually felt good to be back in the gym. It seems that walking on the treadmill helps get rid of this gas i'm still struggling with as well. i know TMI! TMI! so i'm hoping it gets out of my shoulder for good! my incisions are healing very nicely, starting to itch a little, but i've started scar massage with mederma. well let me stop rambling. smooches!!!
ok so i went in to te get a small unfill on monday. i feel sooo much better. my doctor is very pleased with my progress so far..that was nice to hear cuz at one point he said "we need to get this moving.". i'm so glad he listens when i tell him what i feel i need. it was sooooo crazy after the unfill as soon as i got to the car my stomach was growling. WTH! i havent heard that noise in months. it was so weird. so far right now i think mentally i still think i cant eat and might get stuck, but i have tried like a salmon burger(just the burger) and it went down fine. i am happy that right now my appetite is staying at bay adn i'm wondering if after an unfill is there swelling since he takes the fluid out and puts it back in to make sure it's all still there. i made sure i had no slippage as that was my biggest fear. so now i'm trucking back along and i'm hoping that once TOM leaves I will be in onederland. KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED.
jennifer
I can't believe it has been a month since my revision surgery. What a month it has been. This recovery was so much harder than when I got my lap band. I lost 9 inches and 26 pounds since my pre op liquid diet. I got sick 2.5 weeks post op! OMG that was so horrible! To have to cough with my stomach still recovering was really bad. I had a burning sensation over my largest incision that would bring me to tears. My surgeon told me that the burning was most likely do to a nerve that was caught in a suture and that it would go away once my sutures dissolved, which could take 3 months. If I couldnt take it he said we could do a nerve block! ummmm no! Literally the day after that appointment the burning stopped and has never returned!!!!! I started back in the gym per his orders. I was only released to do cardio so i'll do that the first week and slowly add in weight training. All in all this has been a kinda rough recovery, but I dont regret it!!!
Went shoe shopping...I normally wear a 9 1/2...today I was able to buy 8 and 8 1/2!!!!!!! Totally forgot the feet would shrink..and wasn't expecting that much:-)
OK i know some of you are waiting to see how I'm doing. The surgery was yesterday and I was a little nervous, but i prayed a lot and that helped calm my nerves. I'm gonna write my full story in the surgery day stories so I wont write it twice. I've gotten a lot of support from my friends and absoltuly none from my sister. I was in tears cuz she has not once called to check on my or shown any interest in if i'm alive or dead! I asked my mom why she's treating me like this and the only thing we can come up with is jealousy!
Anyhow. I'm in some discomfort more than pain. I have 3 incisions, one so small i thought it was a scratch till i touched it and felt the dermabond. Getting out of bed and back in is the worse!!!!!Can anyone offer any suggestions that will make it easier. I've been sleeping on/off since I got home. Still taking pain meds, just cuz i'm afraid if i stop i'll be in a lot of pain.
I'm so glad I did it. I gainded 4 pounds back after the surgery! Did this happen to anyone else? I'm guessing it's the gas. All in all I would do this again and I'm so excited to start my new life. My friend who took me to the surgery gave me a visa gift card to buy my first "skinny" shirt and I cant wait to so that!!!!
Does anyone know if we can video blog on here? I started that yesteday before I went to the surgery, not sure what i'm gonna do with it though.
Hope all is well with everyone. Feel free to PM me if you have further questions. I could not have made it without you guys, thanks for your support and concern!!!
Ok so i went in for my 2nd unfill(or so i thought it was my second one), long story short, my doctor was either zoning out, sleepy or suddenly went deaf! last friday instead of taking out .5cc he put 5cc in for a total of 1.5ccs!!! way too much for me. well he took out.8cc which gave me a fill of .2ccs, i have heard that when you are close to the green zone very small amount will get you back in the green zone. well i guess that is true! so needless to say i had loast 18 pounds in those 2 weeks and so far i've gained back 5, but TOM just got here too. i knew that was coming so i'm tryn not to be too upset. but i'm back in the green zone and back on my grind. i'm still in onederland and i dont ever plan on leaving!!!
Ok me and my band are at odds right now. For the longest time i was too tight in the morning to eat anyting other than liquids, which i hear is pretty normal. and i was cool with that. then i was barely able to get anything down(even some sliders) at lunch and dinner was iffy. (all this was 2 weeks after being sick)..ok so starting this sunday i have been able to get a half way descent lunch down and a reasonable dinner. but now later in the evening my band is tight again WTH! i have gained like 3 pounds in the past week and i dont get it. i have an appointment to see my surgeon on monday and i'm gonna talk to him about a small tiny unfill. i just dont get how the band can be so inconsistent. UGH!!!!! plus i'm like super paranoid that i have damaged something with the recent/frequent bouts of throwing up.
Can anyone tell me who had a band slip, what were your symptoms? I'm tryn not to drive myself crazy. i would think if my band had slipped or i had a pouch that i couldnt keep anything down, right?
