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About this blog

...my adventure in lapband land.:biggrin:

Entries in this blog

 

I've been lazy...

I just realized I've gotten really lazy since it started getting hot. I've been blaming it on the heat and I'm really just being lame about it.   I hear others talking about being 5 pounds from goal and it makes me cringe. I'm at 9 months and barely at 65 pounds.   I better get on it!

Cassy

Cassy

 

8 months out...

I think this last fill brought me to the sweet spot. I am now at 8.3 in a 10 cc band and I have been losing steadily for a month without any exersize. (Bad...I know). I have been working at last 14 hour days and I really haven't had a few minutes to even think about it...plus it's already almost 100 degrees every day here which isn't particularly motivating for a nice sweaty walk at lunch time.   I have been watching my carb intake and am making sure I'm getting my protein although I was definitely slacking in March and April on the protein. I made a new mix which is almonds, shelled pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, white and dark chocolate chips, and a few other nuts and mixed up in a huge batch. Then split up into bags and put one every where I spend time so that I can snack on something high protein and fiber and relatively low in carbs. (keep the number of choc chips and dried fruit to about 1/4 to 1/5 of the total mix. This helps me stay away from the bad stuff.   I am 9 pounds away from wonderland and I can't wait. Just cleared out another 50 pounds of clothes that don't fit me from the closet. IT's crazy!   I find myself wanting to talk about my weight loss and most people just give me a crazy look. I realize that they don't care but I do!

Cassy

Cassy

 

8 months out...

I think this last fill brought me to the sweet spot. I am now at 8.3 in a 10 cc band and I have been losing steadily for a month without any exersize. (Bad...I know). I have been working at last 14 hour days and I really haven't had a few minutes to even think about it...plus it's already almost 100 degrees every day here which isn't particularly motivating for a nice sweaty walk at lunch time.   I have been watching my carb intake and am making sure I'm getting my protein although I was definitely slacking in March and April on the protein. I made a new mix which is almonds, shelled pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, white and dark chocolate chips, and a few other nuts and mixed up in a huge batch. Then split up into bags and put one every where I spend time so that I can snack on something high protein and fiber and relatively low in carbs. (keep the number of choc chips and dried fruit to about 1/4 to 1/5 of the total mix. This helps me stay away from the bad stuff.   I am 9 pounds away from wonderland and I can't wait. Just cleared out another 50 pounds of clothes that don't fit me from the closet. IT's crazy!   I find myself wanting to talk about my weight loss and most people just give me a crazy look. I realize that they don't care but I do!

Cassy

Cassy

 

6 months after and counting

I am now past the 6 month mark and I'm down close to 60 pounds. (55 to be exact)   I am starting to get comments from people about looking like I've lost weight and I'm down to a size 16 on bottom and a 14 on top.   I tend to struggle the most with stopping when I'm starting to feel full and also not drinking calories...must remember to stay away from high calorie alcoholic beverages and to keep my Starbucks drinks to a minimal amount of calories.   I tried eating more protein as my doctor suggested which prevented me from losing and stopped the hair loss...as soon as I stopped eating as much protein then I started loosing again and my hair started falling out again. It's a Catch-22...   I am looking at old photos to see the difference from now to then and I do see some but not as much as I'd like to see. I really don't think I'm going to be really pleased until I get below 200...17 more pounds. My goal is to lose this by my birthday...July 28th. I am a little concerned because I'm up to 8.3 cc's in a 10 cc band and I've barely just gotten to the point of restriction. I still can and have always been able to eat more than the 1/4 cup so...I am the proof that you have to use the tool correctly because it is only a tool and not a be all end all.   I also started going to a local support group so I can remind myself to stay on track and give back to other people who are just starting out. Aside from that...I'll check in next month.

Cassy

Cassy

 

3 months post-op and I learned...

I wish my doctors were able to tell me a little more about how hard it might be for you after the band in terms of knowing when you are filled correctly. They don't tell you that you really need to stay on top of them to get your fills to be effective.   I am still eating way more than I should and I can definitely eat more than a 1/4 cup of food at one time. Heck, I can still drink a Starbucks tall size (12 oz) latte without blinking. Yes, I've lost 40 pounds but a lot of that was lost before my surgery on low carb.   I'm a bit frustrated because I've had 5 fills and I've just finally started to have restriction. Up until now I have not felt anything and I've been feeling like I'm failing this process even though I'm following the rules.   I am also doing the alpha-lipoc acid shots along with the Vitamin B-12 shots to help me with energy and I'm still not feeling very energetic.   I know it's a learning process but I feel like I'm the one helping my doctors learn how to do this. I just didn't think it was going to be this difficult.   On the plus side I'm only down 40 pounds and I hit my mini goal of 235 this past week. This is the lowest weight I can remember in the past 10 years.   Next goal is to get below 200. I have been over 200 since I was 12 years old.

Cassy

Cassy

 

Chapter 2 - New Aftercare Doctor

ok, so I had my surgery with Dr. Kirshenbaum in Denver because my insurance would not pay for the surgery and I had to pay cash. I wanted someone with experience but not someone who was out to rob me blind. So... Dr. K was both and about $15K cheaper than anyone else I could find with his experience.   One thing I found at my first fill was that he wasn't so good at after care. He didn't know how to tell me to know that I was filled correctly...so frustrated and water logged, I left with only 1.5 ccs in a 10cc band. That was 10/31/08.   ON 11/07, I decided to call Fill Centers to find out what doctor they had available in Las Vegas for fills. They set me up with Dr Ricciardi a "Bariatric Physician", not to be confused with a "Bariatric Surgeon". I chose the annual plan with the promise that if I didn't like him that I could go to anyone else in the Fill Center network. Cool. Appt set for 11/20 at 9am.   I was very impressed by his staff and by him. Turns out he is experienced and young and he trains other doctors across the country to be "aftercare" providers for bariatric surgery. How Cool! He listened, talked for about 30 minutes about what I've been trying and told me that I come to his office now for all aftercare. Awesome!   So, he fills it 1.5 cc's and is amazed that I can chug a full water bottle with 3.0 ccs after only 8 weeks. I personally felt like he should put more but thought I should trust him and see how it goes.   Next day all is well and I am eating around 1/4 - 1/2 cup depending on how much water I've had that day already. I think I need a little more so I'll set up an appt to go back in another week. Let's see how much I can lose this week without much restriction.   I see many others who had surgery the same time as me are at 3.5 or 4.0 and have good restriction so I don't want to waste too much more time waiting for something to work... I'll give it til after Thanksgiving to see and then I'll make an appt.   All in all, I was very pleased with my fill center experience. They gave me a lifestyle guide, access to recipes and other things on their website and called me for a follow up to see how everything went. I am pretty impressed.

Cassy

Cassy

 

6 weeks postop...

ok, so I went for my fill on the 31st and my doc kept telling me that I would feel pressure and would know that it was a good fill level. Well...I couldn't feel any pressure at all and after filling and unfilling about 5 times and drinking no less than 2 quarts of water I felt water logged and finally gave in and said I felt pressure. I think my real stomach was water logged because now I can eat like a horse...and I have been.   Anyway, last week I went to a weight loss doctor thinking I would get the Vitamin B12 shots to help with my energy and such. I came out of that appt with some Topomax and 5-HTP/Carbodopa to help with my appetite along with the Vitamin D, B12, and amino acid shots. So far, I notice nothing. It's only been a week though so I'm holding out hope.   I've lost two pounds since my fill so I guess I should be happy. It just seems so frickin slow. It's weird how I thought it would just melt off. It really is a slow process and I wish they would better prepare you psychologically for it. Maybe they did and I was just so focused on the promise land that I failed to realize that I was going to have to do work after all.   Anyway, shamefully I must admit that I have been horrible. I haven't been drinking my protein, haven't been getting all my vegetables in, and haven't been getting in all my water. I haven't had much energy lately and I think it is the lack of protein.   I need to find my groove where I can settle into a pattern of eating and drinking where I am comfortable with the options and I feel happy doing it. I'm still looking for it...the protein is the hard part for me.   I also broke down this week and ordered a BodyBugg to see if it will serve as additional motivation. If it works for those guys on Biggest Loser then it can't hurt...right!?   I'm realizing that everything I've been ignoring while I obsessed over raising money to have my surgery is coming back to haunt me like my finances which I finegled in order to pay the $10K plus incidental expenses in order to get it done...but it has been totally worth it so far even if it is slow.   My scars are starting to even out and have turned a pretty dark pink like a bruise does right before it turns the corner so I'm pretty excited about that.   I started at a size 22/24 - leaning toward the 24 and I am now comfortably in a size 20 jean and a 18/20 top. I tried to squeeze into an 18 jean last night and I have about 5 more inches to lose on stomach/hips before that is possible but when it happens that will be the smallest I can remember being in terms of an actual size. I think the corresponding weight was 222 and I was 12 years old. Sad...   Anyway, I am starting over on Monday with my walking, BodyBugg in hand, protein shakes in the fridge, a plan for breakfast (that's my downfall), and something for energy. Suggestions anyone??   Until next time...

Cassy

Cassy

 

The month after...

ok, so I haven't lost a pound since day 3 after surgery but I did lose ten pounds in those first few days and they have stayed off so I guess I should be happy about that.   I think I must have lost water weight and it has not been replaced with loss of muscle or fat. I've lost a total of 8 inches since I came home from surgery which was already after the ten pounds was off so I think the water must have settled out with the muscle and fat.   I have been walking at least twice a week starting last week. My energy levels are still pretty low and I think it's just the post-surgery euphoria wearing off. I really need to get a fill so I can get back on track again with feeling good.   Went to the Chiropractor for the first time in my life this week and found out I have quite a bit of spine damage. My lower back has compression in one of hte vertebrae and my neck looks like a whiplash victim.   I went for three adjustments this week and it feels great already. Who knew you didn't have to have back pain and neck stiffness. What a relief!   Also, I go back to my psychiatrist on Monday to get him to give me either smaller pills or liquid for my Wellbutrin and Lamictal because I haven't been taking it reliably since surgery and I am irritable as hell and lashing out at people. No patience and no focus at all. I pray that all works out with that because my fill is this coming Friday and I plan to tell Dr. K to fill it up. I don't care if I have to stay on liquids for weeks. I was suppose to only be able to drink for weeks after the surgery but that only lasted a few days for me and I've been eating regular food since day 7. Oh well, I"m sure we'll find my sweet spot.   I'm under some additional stress right now too which is probably bumming me out. My boss's boss is a douchebag and just promoted my boss who has only been with the company for 2 months so I want to know where I can buy a penis since that seems to be the pre-requisite to getting promoted these days.   Anyway, I am going to Denver this coming Thursday evening to get a fill on Friday morning and I'm staying at the hotel until Sunday so that I can study in peace and quiet for my PMP examination which will hopefully pump up my resume and earn me some more $$.   Measurements as of today are as follows:   Waist 45" - loss of 2 inches since 9/27 Arm 16.5" - loss of 1 inch since 9/27 Neck 17" - no loss Hip 50" - loss of 4 inches since 9/27 Thigh 27" - loss of 1 inch since 9/27 Wrist 7.5" - no loss   New measurements...just for kicks and grins   Calf 17.75" Ankle 10.5" BraBand (under boobs) 43"   ON the plus side people are noticing that I've lost weight and I found a really horrible picture of me at work so I can post that as my before. My God I do look sick.   I am fitting into my skinny side of the closet 18/20 although I don't fit into the size 20 jeans yet. I think I need to be down to around 230-235 before they will fit.   Hopefully in the next few weeks.   Ta ta for now.

Cassy

Cassy

 

Week 2

I think I"m going to start posting on a weekly basis just so I don't get repetitive. My weight loss has slowed now as I've figured out that I can eat real food and I've been eating anything I want (in small portions of course) out of need to eat something good. I did low carb for two weeks prior to the band and then the week after surgery I didn't eat or drink much so I guess I overdid it a bit.   I've tried everything I've felt like eating and now I need to go back to behaving myself.   Friday night I took my first bite of food which was Miso soup and two pieces of Ebi (shrimp roll with rice and wasabi soy). It was a great meal coming off of the juice and protein diet!)   Saturday morning I decided to take off my opsite bandages and my incisions turned pink within an hour or so. I've been putting neosporin on at night and mederma during the day to keep it clean and to help the scar heal. The smaller incisions are barely noticable at all. They look like a little scratch.   I am struggling with taking my Wellbutrin because I can't swallow it and it is the most bitter thing I've ever tasted. I've tried crushing it up in pudding, smoothies, juices, applesauce...bleck! It is nasty. Any suggestions? I think I might try Lemon Sorbet tomorrow because I'm starting the feel the effects of missing it for too many days.   Today I decided that I will focus on starting my own business because I'm tired of being someone else's bitch. I found out that my boss did something behind my back and I really wanted to kick him in the nads today. Definitely need my Wellbutrin   As for everything else, everyone at work welcomed me back and it felt nice that they thought about me. Several were nice enough to comment on how they could tell that I was losing. I can get into my size 20 jeans which is nice although they are still tight. If I recall correctly they fit nicely around 235 which is still about 10 pounds from now so we'll see. My fill is 10/31 so I'll see what I can lose between now and then.

Cassy

Cassy

 

All in a few days work...

Thursday, 09.25.08   Thursday morning I got up and got ready to go into Dr. K's office for a checkup. Once there I ran into Tangeray who was having surgery the following Monday. She was surprised that I had jeans on but I guess I didn't think anything of it. It wasn't pushing up against anything so I was fine. Dr. checked in to see how I was and also gave me my lap band registration packet and all of his contact information as well as recommendations for the next fill and I was done. Natalie also gave me some tips on eating and winding down off of the pain meds. She also gave me the paperwork I needed to turn into my flexible spending account company so they would approve my expenses for the surgery. I tried to go shopping afterward but was still in too much pain.   Went back and went to bed. Got up a few times for meds, to get a small drink, and to refill my ice pack.   Slept most of the day and watched a few shows in the evening.   Friday, 09.26.08   Was suppose to remove the nausea patch today but decided to leave it on just inc ase. Got up and went with my mom and husband for breakfast. Had about a half cup of mochaccino smoothie which was awesome! I felt so full. We went shopping for an hour or two just after that and then I went back to the hotel to take a little nap. After sleeping for a while we went out to dinner (I have some tomato bisque) and then to a movie. I felt so full that it felt like something was sitting on my chest. ...definitely shouldn't have eaten so much soup. Note I ate about 6 spoonfuls of pure tomato soup. Had a really tight feeling that was really uncomfortable. I looked online and saw that several people noted that eating too much causes the sensation and they said it would pass with walking and movement so I tried that but it didn't work. I figured I would wait until the next day and would see if it got better.   After the movie I went straight to bed.   Saturday, 09.26.08   Got up packed, moved around quite a bit. I still had that tight golf ball feeling in my chest so I got a little concerned and checked online. Other people reporting this said they would chew up the papaya enzymes and it would help to unstick whatever was sitting on top of the stoma. My mom pressured me to drink water anyway to avoid dehydration so I did and it made it worse. We checked out of the hotel to head to the airport and swung by a GNC to pick up some papaya enzyme tabs. Chewed 3 of them and headed for the airport. At the airport I broke down and called Dr. K to make sure I was doing whatever I should. He basically said stick to liquids and it would wash itself out. He reminded me to not rush the diet. We have plenty of fuel to burn for a few weeks if we can't get food in...water is most important. Also, he said if it was blocked then I would have thrown up any water that I tried to drink so I was fine. He told me to focus on ice chips to reduce the swelling inside. I had ice chips on the plane and half way home I felt relief.   Had a sugar free fudge pop before bed and went to sleep without pain meds and slept on my stomach with no issues.   Saturday, 09.26.08   Weight 249   Woke up with the first feeling of hunger. Have only been peeing with the exception of one bowel movement on Friday which I decided was my steak dinner from the night before surgery. I decided to weigh myself. 249. Wow, down 7 pounds from surgery day. It has to all be water but it's still weight I guess. I do sense a yeast infection coming on...good thing I planned ahead and have a one day treatment on hand. I think I'll wait another day or two to see if I'm right.   I sip a half cup of Atkins protein shake at 8am then have a half a packet of cream of wheat with vanilla flavoring and a dash of splenda at 11am and I feel great. Getting use to the sipping of water though.   At 4:45pm I am hungry again so I think I'll find something to eat. Maybe grits or tomato soup.

Cassy

Cassy

 

The day after...

ok, so it's a few days after but today is the first day I've really had the energy to sit down and catch up.   My last post was on the 21st so I'll fill in what has happened since then...   Sunday, 09.21.08   The 21st was Sunday and I was eagerly awaiting surgery. I was also emailing some of the ladies that were having surgery during the week of the 23rd so that we could all meet up on Tuesday.   Monday, 09.22.08   I was a zombie at work today just waiting out the time to go to Denver for surgery. Luckily I was able to get all of my important client requests done so I wouldn't have to worry about anything while I'm out this week. Doctor says I should be able to have surgery on Wednesday and be back to work on Monday. I hope he's right because I really don't want to have to take any more time off from work. I guess we'll see. I'm gathering instant cereal, mederma, gas x strips, pepto, liquid Tylenol (rapid blast), hygeine items, loose fitting clothing, my Burt's Bees chapstick, Atkins shakes, throat lozenges, and a heating pad because someone said it will come in handy.   Tuesday, 09.23.08   Steve(hubby) and I go to the airport at 4am to catch a flight to Denver from Las Vegas. I'm feeling really excited and relieved to finally be on my way. I saved $6,500 since April for this and my loving husband paid the rest from his savings. It's been a long road but I'm finally made it. The flight went quick and we were there in about an hour. My mom flew in from Idaho to take care of me because Steve is a full time student and will need to spend most of the week doing his work. So, we meet up with mom and go to pick up the rental car I reserved which was Avis...and please don't rent a car from Avis in Denver. They didn't have what I reserved and instead offered me a Dodge piece of crap minivan with a 25 gallon tank. It smelled like smoke so bad that I went back in to ask for a new car. They obliged and I was on my way. What do ya know... the second van was worse. IT smelled like the Marlboro man smoked non-stop in the car from Michigan to Denver with the heat on. It was definitely ingrained into the seats and carpet and it was totally gross. We promptly went to Walmart to pick up some odor eliminator so we could stand to drive around in it...   Anyway, we drove from the airport to Dr. K's office in Aurora for my pre-op appointment. It was pretty non-eventful. The nurse checked my height, weight, temperature, and asked me how much weight I lost on the pre-op diet. The answer was 16 pounds. Ten from practicing how to eat with the band (i.e. sips of water and not with food, as well as, chewing each bite 30 times and putting the fork down in between bites), then I lost another 8 with the low carb diet eating mostly beef and fish with 3-4 ounces of cheese a day, an occasional egg or two with cheese for breakfast, Starbucks latte's made with half and half and sugar free vanilla, and Atkins shakes and bars.   Dr. K came in with some of his residents that were on rotation and he did a few checks to make sure that all was well and asked me how much weight I lost and said great. He didn't check my liver , just assumed that if I lost weight then I was fine for surgery. Funny thing, I asked his residents if they knew he was famous on the chat boards and they had no idea. Dr. K was obviously uncomfortable with anyone saying that he was a great doc. He totally downplayed every good thing I said to him which I thought was interesting. He explained the procedure for the next morning, gave me the prescriptions (Keflex is the antibiotic and tastes NASTY, liquid Hydrocodone which is the Lortab painkiller, anti nausea medicine, a suppository for hte night before-use it!, and that was it.)   I went downstairs to the community pharmacy and got my prescription filled and was on my way in 15 minutes. I got everything in generic form via my insurance and paid $45.   At 6:30pm I met up with the girls who were having surgery the same week at Ruby Tuesday's and we swapped stories of where we work, what Dr. K, Natalie, and Mary had told us on the phone prior to our deciding to have surgery and we talked about who was nervous about surgery. Strangely I was calm for the whole thing.   After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and I went to bed around 10pm ready for the next day.   Wednesday, 09.24.08   Weight 256 lbs.   My mom, husband, and I headed to the Crown Point Surgery Center in parker for surgery. Arrived at 7:30am by the receptionist who assisted me in getting my paperwork in place. Within 5 minutes of completing paperwork, I was called back by the nurse to get ready for surgery. Everyone at the surgery center was really nice, my nurse especially. I think her name was Kris. She had me remove everything and gave me some nice warm slippers and a very roomy gown. I was on my period and was completely fine to wear the tampon which was a relief because I hate wearing pads and I was worried about that. Kris took my vitals, wrapped me in a warmed blanket, put on the mini compression stockings and began the anti-nausea medicine. She asked me to take a pepcid and another nausea medicine as well. She also put in my IV and then the OR nurse Carolyn and the Anesthesiologist came in to ask a few questions about history and allergies and to explain the process and then finally Dr. K came in and my husband and mom were able to come in and talk for a few minutes. He said he would call my mom or my husband when the surgery was over and would let them know they could come back in to see me. They wheeled me into the OR and said here we are and that is the last I remembered until some time later when I could tell I was in recovery but I couldn't move, speak, or open my eyes.   I could hear the nurses buzzing around having conversations but I couldn't quite wake up. I was basically coming in and out of consciousness. After a half hour or forty five minutes I heard the nurse ask me if I was in pain and I said yes, a 6...take it from me you should say an 8 ..she gave me something stronger than morphine but it barely covered the pain. She gave me some ice chips and then she moved me over to the recliner area to finish waking up. As soon as I was in the recliner my husband and mom came in to sit with me and I was really glad because I couldn't do anything for myself. I was so thirsty and the ice chips were amazing. The nurse also gave me a popsicle as well. After I was fully awake, Dr. K came in to check on me just to make sure everything was fine. Once he stopped by I was wheeled out by the nurse and we were on our way back to the hotel room. I checked the incisions and I had a one inch incision about an inch and half below my bra line with another one that is longer (about an inch and a half) just below that one. Also, one on the right and left side of my stomach parallel with my belly button with one extra one on the left side for the liver retractor. Dr. used clear surgical adhesive and placed see thru dressings on so that you can see the incisions as they heal. Pretty cool.   Once back to the hotel room, I went to bed and didn't get up until around 9pm. At that point I did a quick post to make sure everyone knew I was still alive and took some more painkiller and nausea medicine and went to bed. Had to sleep on my back to avoid pain from pushing on the incision sites. I kept the ice pack on all day and night also.

Cassy

Cassy

 

Stircrazy!

I am getting all of my stuff together for my trip tomorrow night to Denver to see Dr. Kirshenbaum for my surgery on Wednesday te 24th of 2008.   I've lost almost 20 pounds in the last two months heading into surgery and I think that has all been stress except the last 8 pounds which probably had something to do with the low carb diet that Dr. K has us go on 10 days prior to surgery. It was harder than I thought to come up with $10,000 in cash for the surgery but I did it.   Funny...I've never been able to stick to the low carb thing until someone told me that my money depended on it. Basically if he opens you up and your liver hasn't shrunk enough then he will not do it...apparently low carb shrinks your liver by reducing glycogen which is caused by your body using the stored glycogen for fuel and then beginning to use fat for fuel thus the low carb diet is good because it builds muscle while the body is burning fat. Not good for the long term but just what the doctor ordered for surgery.   I'm pretty sure I"m ready to go...I've read all the posts, I've got my "to pack" list ready for shoving all my stuff into my suitcase tomorrow when I get home from work and then I'll be ready to go.   My husband doesn't seem too phased by it all. He thinks I'll get skinny and then not want him any more. I told him I already have my doubts....hahaha...just a joke there for all of you who have been married for ten years or more. I love him but he sure does get on my nerves sometimes.   Anyway, my mom is meeting me in Denver to help take care of me. We rented a two bedroom suite at the Marriott Towneplace Suites so that she has a bedroom and then Steve and I have one that is all in the same suite. Steve will work on his homework while I wonder what I've done to myself. (at least I'm planning for that based on what everyone else on here has to say about the day or two after surgery   ...I am ready to go and happily I can say that I've gotten all my important items done at work so nothing will be haunting me while I'm out. I hope to be back to normal by this coming Monday so that I can go back to work, otherwise I'll have to work from home. I guess we'll see how it goes.   I'll post my measurements and final weight in weight just before surgery on Wednesday.   On Tuesday night, the night before surgery I'm planning a get together for the other ladies who are having surgery on the same day with Dr. K. That should be fun.   Until next time...

Cassy

Cassy

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