Today seems a little rougher for me. I feel very achy, but I think it's the gas inside. It hurts to take deep breaths some times
I've been trying to walk around the house to get things moving & I seem to be burping on & off. Trying not to take any pain meds today, if at all possible. I don't like the way they make me feel.
Anyone else post band removal w/ sleeve feeling the same?
So, I didn't get out until about 4pm. I was so ready to leave by then. Very glad to be home.
I'm supposed to stay on clear liquids for 1 more week. Basically, that means water, decaffenated tea / coffee, SF jello, SF popsicles, & low sodium broths. My awesome hubby made me homemade chicken soup that we strained & put in 12 containers. Pretty sure I"m set for the week, LOL.
I'm not really very hungry. Tummy feels achy, especially where the band was taken out. The Dr said that it was easy to remove my band so that made the surgery fairly easy to do. It took 2 hours.
If you're sensitive, please don't read this: My last bowel movement was on Monday. I went 3 times because I had "smooth move" organic tea (tea that helps you go) the night before & again in the morning. I started taking stool softners Tues & Wed & then at the hospital this afternoon. I told my Dr I was concerned about potential major constipation because of that & since I know pain meds can constipate you. She said that during surgery she didn't see my colon full but saw more gas than anything else. She told me to go ahead & use miralex with my water the next few days if I was concerned. If you're a lap band patient, you'll know that lap band patients typically aren't as "regular" as others are.
I'm feeling quite tired now as I type this because I took the liquid vicodin about 30 minutes ago. Gonna log off.
I hope my journey will help others know what to expect. While we're all different, I think it's therapeudic for me & hopefully helpful to others.
Good night!
So, surgery went well.
The nurses were great with pain management. I had to self medicate myself & unfortunately that meant I was awake every hour on the hour. Needless to say, I was exhausted this morning. I did a lot of walking last night because I knew how important it was. I started 2 hours after surgery & every 4 hours thereafter. I wasn't in pain or anything, just uncomfortable. They moved me to liquid vicodin this morning.
I'd been having ice chips all night & it felt good. No issues with it at all. It's 10:30am & they just brought me lemonade crystal lite powder, an ounce of SF jello & what looks like an ounce of broth. Just finished up the jello. I think I can actually feel it going down. Took me about 15 minutes, doing it it slowly to make sure it goes down ok. They said the broth can take up to 30 minutes to eat, so will do that slowly. They gave me little measuring cups so I know how much an ounce is.
I just took a quick shower. Didn't wash my hair since I did that yesterday before coming here. But I did put on a little makeup since I looked like a zombie, LOL. Felt good to just wash up a little. Overall, I feel like my side hurts, but I understand that's where my lap band was & that's going to be sore.
I was told that they will try to get me out by 2pm. It's almost 11am now. I may blog again later, depends how I feel. I'm definitely a little achy but more tired than anything right now. They just gave me my 2nd dose of liquid vicodin. I imagine my next does will be around 2pm, perhaps right before I leave
So, I'm sitting in the hospital bed, pre-surgery, should happen in about an hour or so. IV is in, and anesthesiologistshould be here soon. Getting a wee bit anxious / nervous, but it's all good.
I'm going to try to write again after the surgery. I guess it all depends how drugged up I am & if able o see what I'm doing to type easily
Wish me luck,
Well, surgery is tomorrow at 1:30pm; check-in at 11:30am. I had my physical & pre-op appointments today. Everything seemed to go well. I lost 3 pounds being on liquids the last 3 days. Wonder how much I'll lose after being on liquids next week... My husband made some deeelicious homemade chicken soup. He strained some out for me so I could eat a nice healthy meal & put some in containers for the following week. Homemade broth is always better than from an envelope or cube.
I've got my bag packed: pj's, robe, slippers, under-garments, comfy change of clothes for the ride home (Friday, I hope), magazine's, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, chap stick, pillow,.... I think that's about it ....
Hoping I can sleep tonight. Nurse told me I could take trazadone (sleeping pill) if I needed it & my liquid vicodin if needed as well. No water after midnight tonight. That's going to be tough because I always have water (with a few squirts of Crystal Lite Strawberry Lemonade). I can swish water in my mouth so I might do that to get me through the morning.
I may bring my laptop tomorrow to blog right after surgery, but I'm not sure how groggy I will feel. I guess we'll see how that goes.
Wish me luck!
T minus 2 days....
Wow, am I dragging ass right now & it's only 7:15pm. I've had nothing but liquids today: Crystal Lite Strawberry / Lemonade drink, SF jello, SF popsicles, and chicken broth. Mind over matter. Mind over matter. Mind over ... you get the idea...
So, tomorrow I have my pre-op & physical appointments. I'm guessing they'll take my weight, blood pressure, maybe EKG & blood work?, And, of course, I'll find out how much this is really going to cost me. The lap band should be covered, but I think only at 50%, whereas the revision will hardly be covered. I'm looking at something like $12 - $15K out of pocket. At this point, I don't even care. I know I'll be paying it off for years & years, but its ok.
Looking forward to a permanent healthy lifestyle.
5 days & and counting...
I started this journey at my highest weight of 245 pounds. I got my lap band in Aug of 2012 & have lost about 90-95 pounds since then. My current weight is about 155-156. It's gone up since my band only has 1cc in it right now.
I started experiencing discomfort with my band in April of last year. They took fluid out, then put it back in a month later. Then in August & October, same thing. The last straw was when I was on a mini vacation in NYC in Dec. I wound up in the ER for 15 hours. I'll spare you the details but it was confirmed that my band had a partial slip. They gave me morphine 3 times then dilaudid (something like that) for the pain. It finally worked many hours into my stay there.
I had my band placed by a reputable surgeon in Aug of 2012, but am now under a different insurance, Kaiser Permanente of CO, and will have my revision done through them. As it stands right now, since the sleeve is being considered "elective" I will be paying about $12K - $15K out of pocket. Don't get me started because my husband is unemployed & no longer receiving unemployment benefits. Not sure how we'll handle this, but we will.
No point in getting upset, though it does rather suck. Have to keep our head up & move forward staying positive.
So, after my appointment last week, I found out on Friday that my revision date will be Thursday, the 16th, done as a rush surgery because of the pain that I have with the slipped band. It's not severe but constant. Dr gave me liquid vicodin, which I take once or twice a day, only as needed.
My band will be removed at the same time as the sleeve is done. While I was anxious about getting the band back in 2012, I'm even more nervous about getting the revision to the sleeve.
Would appreciate any feedback from previous banders to sleevers. I'm trying to read up as much as possible on what to expect so I'm ready. I hope to post on here the day of surgery then a few days later. My goal is to document this journey & potentially help any way headed on the same path.
Talk to me people. How did your revision go? What did you drink the first few weeks? Sounds like I"ll be on liquids longer than I was with the band. Oh, I'm definitely anxious. Could use your support.
Thanks!
Fran
I was banded on August 17, 2013. A little over a year later, I've lost 95 pounds! I know, right. That's A LOT of weight! I'm 5 '3 and now weigh about 150 pounds. Aside from the BS I'm currently dealing with, it's been a pretty good ride. I've consistently lost weight with some stand still during these last 25 - 30 pounds here & there. Needless to say, I feel genuinely thankful & blessed for getting many, many compliments from co-workers & neighbors. No, I didn't tell any of them!
I had a very bad episode this past Friday, not sure as a result of what, where I vomited 12 times in a 4 - 5 hour time frame. WTH! It was God awful. I can't even pin point what started the whole thing. Had a stomach ache that got progressively worse hour by hour until I kept getting sick. Obviously, not a lot coming out because, as lap band patients, we don't eat much. Well, I considered going to the ER but since we recently converted insurance companies from Aetna to Kaiser, I had concerns about being properly treated (medically speaking, of course). My throat burned from vomitting, my neck was sore & my esophogus felt sore too. And yet, I still didn't go to the ER. I just prayed it would stop. It was a tough night, but... I tried to drink hot tea, which tends to soothe our tummies, but instead out it went too.
I called what will be my new bariatric office on Monday. Since I was feeling better by Monday (just achy around the band area) along with lower back pain which to date, I don't know if it's stress or related some how. They had me call to schedule an upper GI, but the earliest they could fit me in, as non urgent, was this morning.
The technician "unofficially" told me that I had a partially slipped band. He said he had seen worse & that it didn't look 'bad.' He thought that maybe I would only need an unfill, but since he doesn't deal with patients after-the-fact, he wasn't sure.
I waited ALL day for my Dr's office to get the results. Finally, they called about an hour ago & confirmed I had a partially slipped band, facing down slope (which was allowing me to eat). I haven't eaten much the last few days & have stuck to liquids today & now through Friday morning, which is when my first available Dr apt is. All the office lady would say is that they would do an unfill (which beats surgery, right), but she wouldn't / couldn't say how much they would take out or for how long. She did say that I would need to talk with the Dr about "options" since obviously I wouldn't be eating the same way.
What does that mean? I'm a little anxious & nervous as I don't know if this means I may have to have a revision down the road? No more fills? My mind wonders...
I'm also a little hungry... Not sure what liquids I will take with me to keep me full at work tomorrow.
I'll provide an update on Friday. Wish me luck!
It's been a while since I last logged on. Many of you may recall my dad had colon cancer that back in Dec spread to his lungs. He had been doing pretty well, kicking it's butt for 2+ years, and at 87, it was quite impressive. All I will say is that, as we were told, it happened rather quickly. He was fine then suddenly he wasn't. It didn't take but a few days. It is with a heavy heart that I must share that my dad passed away on Wednesday, May 8th at 7:20am. I'm happy to say that he was there for my first breathe and I was there for his last. And so, our journey continues. He is at peace, and we must move on....
I can honestly say that I never thought I'd hear someone say that I'm actually "not eating enough!" Oh, the irony. Back to basics
While my progress has been consistent, it's not been in the most healthy fashion the last 6 - 8 weeks. I've lost about 63 or 64 pounds thus far, so that's good, and I'm only about 30 pounds from goal, so that's good too.
I had my 7 month up check up today, and after giving them a little back ground information on what's been going on in my life, including the severe light headedness, tiredness and waking up with headaches, it was easily determined that I had mild to moderate low blood sugar. Wait, what? I'm not a diabetic.
It all makes sense to me now. Since my focus hadn't been spot on lately due to some very serious stress, I wasn't eating enough. I was only eating like 3 meals a day but they just weren't enough to keep me going. I've been allowing my stress to get the best of me, and wasn't focused on eating enough protein. My stress prevents me from digesting foods very well, so I've been getting sick.
I'm back to basics here. It's all stuff I knew, but needed to get reacquainted with again. I have to eat much smaller portions & several times a day. No doubt this will be a bit of a struggle, but I'm confident with proper pre-planning I can do this.
My goal is to have at least 5 meals a day of no more than 1/2 cup of food per meal. I need to really try harder to include fruit & veggies. I don't like raw veggies, so steamed it is. Fruits are OK, but I could use ideas on what to have; like maybe apply slices with PB.
Back to basics so I'd appreciate any & all ideas on small, simple foods with good proteins & complex carbs.
BRING BACK THE IDEAS PLEASE!!
Oh joy. I've been experiencing some pain on & off for a few weeks now after I eat. It seems to be worse at night. It also includes back pain, but I'm unsure if it's related.
I saw my primary Dr this afternoon & he thought we should get an ultrasound to be sure. Of course,it was the end of the day so I had to leave a message for someone to call me back tomorrow.
I'm definitely uncomfortable right now. Does anyone have any experience with this?
I'm finding it harder & harder to stay 100% focused these days. I don't have that same "gusto" I used to have. I used to log on almost every day, and track my food daily. I logged my food for almost 105 days in a row... and no, nothing in the last week or so. I feel disappointed in myself, and out of sorts.
I go to my parents house almost every single day, check their mail, make sure Dad has his meds filled, do their grocery shopping, then take mom to get her hair done every Saturday. That part makes me smile. I don't mean to complain at all as I"m thankful to have them around. They will be 87 & 85 in a week. I have to admit it's a bit exhausting, and I don't have much in the way of energy left to focus where I need to : ME!
I know I talked about this during my last post & I thought I could re-focus, but I'm almost at a lost. It's not that I'm over-eating, but I may as well be because I'm not eating as healthy & therefore just maintaining. I'm not even 'regular' (TMI, sorry). I I know it's my own doing, but I'm having a hard time with things.
My dad's health affects my own mood. If he's doing well, I'm doing OK. If he's doing poorly, I get a little sad & don't focus. Why is it so stinkin; easy to go back to old habits? He has so many ups & downs. How do you deal with a parent dying of cancer? My dad's so strong too. The last few days he's been feeling better due to steroids he's on, in addition to all the other meds he's on. He still has energy so he's not bed-ridden. But my God, how do you stay focused with this **** going on?
I have my 6 month follow up apt on March 11th (a month late), so I think I will ask for a small fill. Again, I'm not over-eating, and I may have lost 3 or 4 ponds in the last 4-6 weeks, but I'm not eating healthy or even working out. I want my focus back.
One of the many definitions of focus: to concentrate attention or effort. Focus, something that LB patients need to have in order to be successful. It's simple. You need to be focused on whatever your personal goal is in order to be successful.
Focus, something I've been having trouble with lately. I know we all stray or struggle from time to time, but this time it's different. I've lost 58 pounds in 6 months, and for that, I am so very thankful. I currently weigh 186, and am hoping to one day get down to 150 - 160pds.
The problem is that I'm not focusing on eating enough protein, or even eating enough of the right foods anymore. How do I focus on myself while my dad struggles in Stage 4 colon cancer. It spread to his lungs back in late November. At the prime age of 86, he was originally diagnosed 2 years ago with a prognosis of living 6 to 9 months. Yup, he's exceeded everyone's expectations.
Now that the cancer has spread to his lungs, I see how its trying to take over. He gets out of breath now when he walks a short distance. He gets a cough he can't quite get rid of. In the last week, he's been getting angina, so they have him taking baby aspirin & may prescribe nitroglycerin. The reason for his sheer Will to live is because of my mom, his spouse, his friend, for over 60 years. You see, dad is mom's primary care-taker. My mom suffers from dementia & cant take her own meds. She can't walk around too far, or do stairs. When dad passes, what happens to mom. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'd have her live with me, except that all my bedrooms are upstairs, stairs she can't climb. Having someone move in with her to help watch her would cost a small fortune. Putting her in a nursing home is not an option, as she's always told us she never wanted that. So, I won't. I'm even trying to see if I can do a small addition to my home on my main level. I haven't pursued it yet, but it would allow her to live in my home. She wouldn't be alone.
The last few days I've been getting tension headaches. I don't even know what to take since all we (LB patients) should take is acetaminophen. I found Excedrin acetaminophen today at the store, so may give that a try. I'm even having a tough time focusing at work now. Wouldn't you know it, performance reviews are in full swing now too. Yes, my boss knows, but I don't find her very empathetic.
As you see, I digress. My focus isn't where it needs to be. I'm writing this, I suppose, to vent, to share my story, maybe even to see if others out there are also going through such difficult times & find out how you are handling it. I know I need to stay healthy moreso now, than ever, because I need to be there for both my parents. I'm at their house almost every day. I do their grocery shopping, I get their mail, I take mom to her weekly hair appointment, etc...
I feel like it's just not enough. My focus is on my parents right now, but I need it on myself right now too.
How do you do it guys?
What's the name of that website where you can donate clothes & hopefully find gently used clothes in your new size?
I have 2 bags of an assortment of size 20 clothing to donate. And, I could sure use some size 18 pants & shirts. I'm in the North Denver area if anyone is interested.
I weighed myself this morning & it said 190.4. Did you hear me? I said 190.4. That mean's that I've lost approximately 55 pounds Yes, I said 55 pounds!!! Holy shi*, that's a lot of weight. My God, I've lost a 2nd or 3rd grader in weight. Wow, just sit back & think about that....
Now that I'm under 200 pounds, I'm finding these numbers to sound so surreal. They keep doing down, which is the goal, but it almost feels like a dream. It's been such a looong, looong time since I've seen under 200. This might sound crazy, but it just seems so unreal to me. I almost have to ask myself if this is really happening.
Does anyone else feel like they're living a dream while they continue to lose weight? Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy. Quite the opposite, I'm just dumb-founded. It's hard to believe that after only 5 months I'm starting to feel more confident & better about myself just by losing weight.... Can't imagine how GREAT I will feel with another 40 off.
Does anyone else find they can no longer eat / digest bread, or that you just don't enjoy it anymore?
I bought a package of Jimmy Dean's Delight Honey wheat english muffin with canadian bacon, egg whites & cheese . Sounds kinda yummy, no? It had everything I like & what I perceived would be a tasty muffin. Well, while I managed to eat it, but I think it was more because I was challenging myself to see if I could eat the whole thing or not. Hey, I never said I was a genius.
I learned that I would have been just as satisfied with half, or better yet, without eating the bread all together & only eating the inside.
I learned that it was basically a waste of money, for me.
I learned that it would have been even more healthy without the muffin.
I learned that my stomach doesn't have a great time processing bread, regardless the type. I had a stomach 'ache' the rest of the day.
I learned that I should challenge myself with better challenges.. LOL ...
And there you have it... yet another lesson learned..
It's my 5 month bandiversary, and I have lost almost 52 pounds so far !!!
I'm feeling good about my weight loss thus far, and look forward to losing more. It's been quite the journey & learning experience. I'm making better choices, and defnitely eating less. More importantly, I'm actually making time to work out (exercise bike). I'm looking forward to the Summer where I might actually be able to go on hikes without losing my breath, and enjoying the outdoors! I feel that my weight gain kept me in hybernation for way too long. Well, it's time to get out & enjoy life again!
Congrats to all of you that have lost & continue to lose. Every day you become a healthier you!
We have our yearly dealer meeting coming up in a few days. It's going to start off with a Staff Dinner this Saturday at Maggiano's http://www.maggianos.com/en/Pages/Menu.aspx . I'm a little concerned what I'll be able to eat there. I've been playing around looking on the website, but am unsure what to select. I enjoy seafood, but can no longer eat shrimp since I've been banded. I just can't chew it well enough to let it digest. I also don't like the taste of salmon I see several chicken options, but they don't sound "light." I'm not worried about the pasta because I won't have any.
Wait, it gets better! We're going to the Cheesecake Factory Monday night. My BIGGEST challenge will be not eating a slice of the vanilla bean cheesecake, my all time, absolute favorite. Heck, I don't have to eat anything else while I"m there, just that.. OMG, I just saw a SINGLE slice is like 869 calories & a HUGE amount of carbs. How do I stay away from that after hearing that ridiculous "nutrition" value?
Need help from my fellow bandsters....
I went to my primary Dr today because I'd been feeling light headed lately. I hadn't seen him since before my surgery last August.
I walked toward the private waiting room, and his nurse says to me, "Wow, you look great. I almost didn't even recognize you!" I thought to myself, are you talking to me? Yea, you ARE talking to ME!!! YIPEE YAHOOOO!!!
She proceeded to weigh me & I'm down "49" pounds!!!!
The Dr. walked in, smiled & said "you look great!" All I could do was nod & smile!!
This Dr. has known me for about 8+ years, so he knows my crazy yo-yo weight history (up,down, up, down, up, up). And, aren't we all familiar with that concept? He also knows the depression I spiraled into as a result of my being over-weight. I didn't want to go out, or even be seen in public, not even by my own brother & his family! I digress.
The point is that it felt good (damn good) to hear compliments about my progress so far. I swear I felt myself getting taller as we spoke about my lap band journey. Heck, I'm actually even starting to like the way I look now that I bought a few new outfits. My closets are much emptier now, but I'm OK with that. I know I'll be in this size for several months because I don't go down in size until I lose 20-25 pds. I still need to lose another 40 pds or so, but it's all good! I'm already feeling more confident about myself & that's whats important.
I was banded almost 4 1/2 months ago & have lost 45 pds so far. I haven't lost any weight in the last 2 1/2 weeks, but I didn't really exercise as much or eat as healthy as I had been. I'm not thrilled about it, but I'm not stressing about it either because I"m much more aware of what I eat these days. I still struggle with getting enough protein in, but I'm working on it...
So, with that said, I've done quite a bit of closet cleaning the last few weeks. I'm happy to say that I've donated A LOT of clothes to Good Will. Time to put all the over-sized clothes to rest.
I went to Dress Barn, and found myself, comfortably, in size 18 pants, and 1X shirts. Well I'll be damned if they didn't look pretty good on me. Hum... go figure. Since it takes me around 20 - 25 pds before I go down a size in clothes, I figure these clothes will last me a while.
My goals are now limited to 10 pounds at a time. I think this is much more manageable & it'll make me feel better about myself. I still have another 50 pds to go to make my goal, but it's OK. I'm enjoying the journey!
I'm not sure what's going on, but lately I've been having trouble drinking water. I mean, of all things. Tomorrow I'll be banded 4 months, and this "issue" has been only coming up the last few days. My chest starts to hurt a little when I take several sips. I don't think I'm drinking any faster than I have been...?
My food intake hasn't been doing too well either. I'm not necessarily eating "bad" stuff (hum, those veggie chips can't be "that" good), but I am keeping track of everything. I'm actually not really eating enough overall. I get busy & don't eat. Then, at the end of the day (afternoon), I start to drag a$$ & get really tired. Sometimes even light-headed. Yea, I know guys. I know better.
I think I've just been so busy taking care of my parents (dad), running their errands, taking mom to get hair done (she's been going every week for YEARS), grocery shopping & now I even cook a little extra & drop it off.
I digress...
So, why am I having this discomfort when drinking water? What's this all about? I've always loved water!
Why is it when I'm highly stressed, I go towards junk food. I did great all day until this afternoon when I got home from my parents house, for the 2nd time today.
As you may know, my dad is in stage 4 cancer, and while he's been one helluva trooper beating this cancer shi*, it's finally starting to take it's toll. He's starting to feel pain more often so the pain meds are getting stronger & given more often. He still looks strong, but we know the inevitable.
Anyway, I had to call Hospice, his Dr, then check on him, then go back when the Hospice Nurse got there, and make an apt for him to go to his regular Dr tomorrow. Mind you, many emails & texts with my husband & brother in between. You get the picture?
With all these "excuses" said, I ate 2 (not just one) sugar cookies AND a few chips (which I NEVER eat)!
I was on a roll not eating "junk" food then I hit major stress & BAM.. back to the horrible habits!
Can anyone tell me.....Why, oh why do old habits die hard?
Yippee, yahoo!
I weighed myself this morning & there it was just starting at me. The scale actually started with the number "1". Let's forget the fact that the other #'s were 99.6. Who cares? It actually started with a "1"
It's probably been 10+ years since I've seen that. It felt so good that I even put on my size 18 jeans & they fit. A little snug in the tummy area, but you could actually tell that I'd lost 45 pds with them on. I actually had a male co-worker (who knows me well) tell me that he could tell I lost weight!!!!!
I'm excited & looking forward to hitting 190 in the next 6 weeks :-)
Ok, perhaps I'm being just an itty, bitty over dramatic BUT I'm literally kocking on onederland's door!!!
I weighed in at 200.4 this morning. Oh my gosh, I can almost taste onederland's. It's been years since I've been here.
I'm so excited. If I stand on my tippy toes I can see 199!!!
