jennilamb007

I haven't been on in awhile, but I am feeling pretty great except for my lower abdomen. It hurts. I am at work with an ice pack on my abdomen and I just took 2 Aleve. I have been told it is probably the stitches underneath and that the muscle was stitched. I did great all day, but a few trips up and down the stairs at work and then a few treks across the parking lot to my car was a bit more than I should have done. Bless them, they gave me the okay to use the elevator at work instead of dragging it up the stairs until the stitches have completely healed. I don't think I needed to ask if I could use it, but I did anyway. I noticed a lot of people have been struggling with gas. I have to say that I have been fortunate enough not to have had any issue with gas at all. I don't know why, but I don't. The only issue is this lower abdomen thing. I am still on lift restrictions. I end the 10 pound restriction this weekend and then go to 4 weeks of a 20 pound restriction. Anyone else have this too? I see my doctor on the 9th for my first post op visit. I am unsure of when I will get a fill. I am hardly eating as it is without a fill. I am simply full. I don't feel deprived or hungry at all. It is a nice feeling. However, I am not losing either. I am staying the same. It is frustrating. I think possibly my body might be in starvation mode and I need to add a Protein shake or something a few times a day to add some calories. I hope everyone is doing great. Take care, Jen

I took the chocolate ex-lax and that worked like a charm. However, it did decide to hit at 4am. Not so fun then. ; )

I was worried too that my eyes had changed and was blurry when reading close up. I am a little more than a week post op and everything is back to normal. It is just the anesthesia.

I was banded on December 22nd and I have lost 22 pounds so far (12 pounds since surgery). I feel pretty good, just getting past the post-op healing process. I have some pain in my lower abdomen that I am pretty sure is a pulled abdominal muscle. There is a hard bulge on my left side in my ribs that feels a lot like a baby's foot stuck there (pregnancy memories). There is zero pain around my incision sites (5 of them). I haven't been hungry. In fact, I get full pretty quickly. I know a lot of people were on liquids for a while after the surgery. I was allowed to advance as tolerated and was able to eat mashed potatoes for Christmas (2 tablespoons though). I usually start my day with a protein shake because that is about all I want. No nausea, no vomiting at all. I can't wait to see what 2012 brings.

Usually only about a tablespoon is produced so I think you are okay. ; )

Yesterday I had what Rhett Butler refers to as a crying jag. I bawled and bawled. Not because of my decision. No way, I am thrilled by my choice. I was crying because frankly anesthesia will do that to you. So, be warned. If you start crying for no reason that is probably why. This is why we give anti-anxiety meds to some post-surgery patients. I just sat and had a good cleansing cry and then I was fine. I am still having some pain on my left side near my ribs. Nothing in the shoulder as I have read some have. I am healing and I no longer require pain medications, but it is a bit uncomfortable sitting and standing at first and then it eases off. I hate that I can't hold my grandbabies for a few weeks, but it does get me out of diaper duty. hehehehe. So today, my daughters and I decided to weigh in. They did it in support of me. I hope I look as good as them someday. I stepped on and at 5 days post op I have dropped 9 pounds. I am thrilled. I am at 286. I hope this momentum keeps up. My oldest daughter, Kalila, said "wow that is like numbers you see on Biggest Loser". I thought that was funny. We did get The Biggest Loser for the Wii and as soon as I am allowed to exercise I am going to be all over it. I can't express how fantastic it feels to finally see the numbers going down. I do understand that some of that was water, but I am also not eating much either. I am perfectly satisfied with the portion allowed and it satisfies me for a long, long time. I actually heard my stomach growl the other day signaling hunger and I was pleased by the sound. I am waiting for cues and then fueling up properly. I will say this, I feel weak sometimes. I don't know if it is the small amount of calories or a reaction from the drugs leaving my body from the surgery. I figure a little of both. My body has been fueled on crap for so long that it isn't quite sure what whole foods are. All in all, even with the crying spell, I feel very good. I have support all around me and I plaster it on Facebook to keep me accountable. People want to cheer you on if you let them. I cheer each and every one of you on in your quest to be the best you. Take care, Jen

Not to be gross, but lucky me I started mine on the DAY of my Surgery right after they wheeled me back to my room. Yeah, never mind I was already a week late it couldn't hold off any longer I guess. I am 40 so I am not surprised it is off kilter. I agree with what someone said above about weight loss and gain and how it will affect your periods. Jen

I wanted to write right after surgery but the truth is, I just didn't feel up to it. On surgery day, I showed up with my mom as my driver/helper at the hospital at 6am. I was to be the second surgery of the day for Dr. Cardwell. I waited about 40 minutes in the Surgery Admitting area and they called us back to a room. I changed into a gown, had an IV started and lay there in the bed watching the Today show. My surgery was scheduled at 10:30am. The attendant came and wheeled me into the surgical holding room and it was ice cold. I couldn't believe how cold the room was but they covered me in blankets fresh from the warmer and that felt wonderful. My head was covered with a blue hat and I was given some medication in my IV to relax me. The anesthesologist came by to see me and he and the nurse took me into the OR. I slid over to the narrow OR bed and they continued to talk to me and tell me that everything was going to go well. I got another injection in my IV and by then I was really relaxed. The anesthesologist told me he was giving me oxygen and that the mask would smell like plastic. Whooo boy did it ever. I actually fought the mask because the smell was so strong, but I took a deep breath, heard "goodnight" from someone and then found myself waking up a moment later in my room. I had no problems during the surgery at all. The doctor thought I did great and told my mom that as well. I thought I would get to go home fairly quickly after, but I didn't leave until 8pm that evening. My issue was that I am very sensitive to anesthesia and I just wanted to sleep and sleep and my oxygen level kept dropping to 85 setting off alarms. They kept me on oxygen and finally after just sleeping the day away, I was able to do well without the oxygen. I went home and was happily surprised that climbing the steps into the house was nothing. I worried about the pain of taking steps but there was none. As the surgery pain meds wore off, I began to hurt. I had told mom not to worry about filling the pain script until the next morning. Bad move. I know better too. I didn't hurt much laying still, but getting up and down was horrible. Today, I am still very sore on the left side of my abdomen, but otherwise nothing. No gas and no traveling pain up to my shoulder. I have no appetite either. I am pretty content with my ice chips and SOBE Lifewater. I make myself drink a protein shake but otherwise I don't care for any food right now. I have made myself get up and walk often and turn every 2 hours when I lay down. I am doing deep breathing and coughing to prevent pneumonia. The percocet is causing me to itch so I take 2 childrens chewable Claritan to help with that. All in all, I am happy and looking forward to what comes next. Take care everyone. Merry Christmas and here is to a wonderful New Year. Jen

Well, it is just 12 hours before I go to the hospital. I have gotten past the bout of nerves that I had yesterday and I am now excited and looking forward to this new journey. I am drinking my final protein shakes that I have to drink. I will have some jello and broth. I wonder if I will even sleep tonight. I have an hour drive to the hospital so I will be getting up at 4 to get ready. I have decided to wear some slip on workout pants and a tee shirt to be comfortable. I am contemplating just wearing slip on crocs so I don't have to worry about ties or anything. Well, I am going to go for now but I will keep you updated tomorrow. Take care everyone, Jen

Well, after months of feeling confident and brave as can be, today the nerves hit like mad. I am happy and I am looking forward to the changes ahead but I got really nervous about the fact that the day after tomorrow I will be in surgery having a procedure I have dreamed about done. I feel like crying. In fact, it is right there on the cusp of happening. Maybe I am nervous that it won't work for me like it has for others, maybe I am scared to finally be the size I was in my 20's, maybe I am just a typical person who should be a bit nervous and I daresay scared of going into surgery. I am usually calm as can be about these things, but this is a life changer. I will be fine. I am just getting the pre-banding jitters I guess. I need to breathe and clear my head of negativity and know that I will be fine. My boss came by the office to tell me that if it was okay with me that he and a few others would like to pray with me for a great outcome and success. I was touched by the gesture. He told me that he felt that this surgery was going to be a major blessing that should be embraced and he never talks much. I think maybe that was just something I really needed to hear. I hope that it helps anyone who reads it here too. This is a blessing to be embraced. I wish everyone great success in getting healthy. I will check back in tomorrow and right before surgery. I will keep you posted. Take care, Jen

In less than 3 days I will be happy to add Portia to my family (that is going to be the name of my lap band/port system). Portia is Latin for gift and she will be a happy gift for yours truly. I have not felt scared or anxious, just excited. I am ready to get rid of all this excessive baggage that I have carried around like a badge of poor choices and regret. I just wish that I had been able to do this 15 years ago honestly. The pre-op liquid diet continues and with just two more days to go, I have lost 11 pounds. I am thrilled. More than that, I am thrilled that I wont be gaining it back. I understand that in the hospital you get loaded up on fluids from the IV and so forth, so I won't be upset if there is a gain because I know one good pee and it will be gone. LOL. I am not even anxious about the pain involved afterward either, because I know it is temporary and will pass with each day. I am happier than I have ever been about anything and I am ready to change my life and move forward. No more looking back and certainly no more wallowing in how bad I look and feel right now. Good things are ahead for me...and for you as well. Good luck to all of you having surgery this week and Congrats to those who have had it done. Take care, Jen

I don't know (I get banded on Thursday), but I hope that is how it is for me. ; )

We are all in this together. I am glad. It does me good to hear from people going through the same thing that I am. Vingotti33 we will be going in on the same day. Mine is at 6:15am Central Time. Also, glad I could make you laugh.

I like the Optifast 800 shakes. They are made by Nestle and they taste good (and I hate most Protein shakes too). They are expensive. Enough for 2 weeks will run almost $300. I like the EAS shakes too. I think they taste good. My dietician and surgeon told me that post op I could just drink Carnation Instant Breakfast and save myself some money. I like that. I hope that helps. I am sorry you are having a rough time with the liquid diet. Keep in mind that after you heal, you won't have to drink it. Take care, Jen

Portia - it is Latin for gift, and this lap band and port system is a major gift to myself. Jen

Just wanted to let everyone know that I found some fantastic silverware for lap banders. I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond yesterday and they pointed me to some appetizer spoons and forks. They are classy looking, silver, and come in a box of 12 for $15 each. The size of the utensils will help with keeping the bites small and the looks of them are nice for the dining table. If worse had come to worse I would have just eaten my food with a baby spoon that had Peter Rabbit on the end of it, but thankfully that won't be the case now. ; ) So, I wanted to let you know about my find. Also, they have adorable little tasting plates and bowls that are just right for our portions and they look fantastic. I bought a couple plates, but I plan to go back and get more. Hey, I am going to be eating like this forever and I want something nice to eat off of and with. Take care, Jen

I have been on the pre-surgery liquid diet (Optifast 800 and clear liquids) for a week now and have lost 7 pounds. I am happy with that and hope to lose another 7 in the second week leading up to surgery. That will be a nice start to this new life. I hope and pray that I am going to see great things happen with the lap band. I haven't cheated and don't plan to because the band is only as good as how I work it. Good luck to everyone having surgery soon (and Congrats to those who have had it). Take care, Jen

I went today to see my surgeon for our 2nd consultation. I absolutely love everyone at Dr. Cardwell's office. They are the greatest team. We discussed any concerns that I might have and went over what he expected post op. I didn't realize this, but he is putting a lift restriction on me for about 6 weeks post op to promote the best healing. I can't lift anything over 10 pounds for 2 weeks and then nothing over 20 pounds for 4 weeks after. He said he wanted the stitches and stomach to heal completely before I tried anything overly strenuous. After talking to him, I saw the financial advisor and paid my co-pay for the surgery. Then, I went to see the nurse to discuss pre-op diet and then some rules for post op. So, here it is, the completely liquid diet...Optifast. I am to drink 6 Optifast shakes a day...Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack. Along with the shakes I can have sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles, coffee, tea, broth, Crystal light, and ice tea (unsweetened). If I can see through it, I can have it (except alcohol of course) as long as it is also sugar free. After talking about everything at the surgeon's office, I went over to see the dietician, Jenny. She is fantastic. We went over the pre-op diet again, but then we focused on what could be eaten post op. I will be 3 days post op on Christmas day. She said that I should be on full liquids/soft diet by then. She told me for Christmas I could have a few tablespoons of mashed potato or potato soup. She also told me, and I really love this, that I could scrape off 1-2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie off of the crust and mix it with a teaspoon of Cool Whip and mix it up and have it for desert. Yum. So, I don't have to feel completely deprived. I was also told that if you really just have to have cream in your coffee, you can use a little vanilla Optifast to substitute. I drink mine black, but still it is a nice tip. The other ideas for Christmas (or anytime for that matter) that I thought was cool was pouring the vanilla Optifast in a glass, add a little nutmeg and cinnamon and voila, a substitute egg nog. Cool huh? The other thing, pour the Optifast in a freezer safe bowl, put it in the freezer and make an ice cream of sorts to change the consistency and make it feel like you are having a treat. I love how people get creative when faced with just a few things that are okay to eat/drink. So, bright and early in the morning, I get to start the countdown to my surgery day. December 22nd at 6am I will be changing my life. Take care, Jen

There is a woman where I live who started in about people who have weight loss surgery. It was ugly and negative and needless to say I kept my mouth shut that I was going to be one of "those people" who "take the easy way". I just had to understand that I was talking to a very ignorant person who had no grasp of the facts at all. It is hard when people are not supportive, especially when they are the ones who should be supportive. I have told nearly everyone what I am up to and have had a lot of support. Most are curious and ask a whole lot of questions and I think that because I can answer their questions they see that I have educated myself and am not going into this blind and they feel better about it. Most want to see what is going to happen and that motivates me to stay on course. You will do great, you did the research, you understand what you are getting involved with and I believe you will lose this weight and keep it off and be the healthiest version of you that you have ever been. Jen

Well, I am sitting here smelling the food from the office potluck and it is killer. Everything smells delicious. But, a very good friend of mine told me to remember "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels". I use it as a mantra to get through the holidays. I have attended 3 different Christmas potluck dinners and the food there is always wonderful, but I concentrated on the conversation and sipped coffee (I drank my protein shake prior to attending). I decided my best line of defense would be to tell people what is going on with me and everyone is supportive. No one comes up and says "aw come on, one bite" or anything like that. I also realize that people will always continue to eat and be festive and it is not for me to come in all ashes and sackcloth acting like I am dying because I can't eat from the buffet they have set out. I put on a smile, I dress up and I enjoy talking to my friends and family. Last night, however, about did me in. My kids just had to have Pizza Hut pasta and breadsticks. The pasta wasn't the killer it was the smell of the breadsticks. I wanted to climb the wall seriously. But I deeply inhaled, enjoyed the scent and then got away from it. I wish I had had the will to do all of this ages ago before my weight went out of control. I am learning the subtle differences between hunger and cravings. I crave things all the time, especially when I smell things (like right now I smell turkey and baked ham), but I have not once been hungry on this liquid diet. I keep flavored water next to me all the time, I sip on broth (adding a few flakes of dried onion for flavor) and sugar free hot apple cider to keep me satisfied. I know this is temporary and that after the band is placed I can have things I like, but not in the same way that I did. I will have to slow down and really enjoy each bite. One thing this liquid diet has taught me, it is how to taste things. I never knew beef broth could taste as good as it does. I didn't know apple cider could taste so wonderful. I think I was just scarfing everything down and not truly appreciating the flavors and textures. I will from now on. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone. Take care, Jen

I was told that to prevent or slow down the hair loss issue to make sure you are getting adequate protein and iron. I would take a multivitamin with extra iron (I like Flintstones myself ) and maybe implement a high protein shake for a meal.

That is fantastic. ; )

I have been on the pre-surgery Optifast 800 liquid diet for 3 days and so far I have lost 5 pounds. Being the third day today I have been struggling, but getting on the scale and seeing that drop has renewed me and I CAN DO THIS. So, while everyone at work is eating popcorn, chocolates and so forth, I am happily munching on my sugar free strawberry jello and thinking happy thoughts of this 5 pound loss and my surgery date on December 22nd. 2012 is going to be a great year. Take care, Jen

I have FEP Blue and I was approved literally in 24 hours. I was stunned...so was my surgeon's office. My surgery copay was $150. It is my understanding with the office that the fill co-pays will be $35. Even if it was $100 each time, it is a whole lot less than paying for the entire surgery out of pocket. Jen