stept04

My surgery went very well I did not have any problems. The surgery itself only took 1 hour. I just did everything the doc said and all was well. The only problem I had was after my first fill I got stuck real bad and was slimming and vomiting but it was my fault. I had microwaved chicken and that is a no no, and for some reason it slipped my mind. Other than that everything is good. The waiting was the hardest part for me . It'll be here before you know it.
~~~Stephanie

Hello and welcome . Thought I'd introduce myself as a fellow Texan. I'm Stephanie I live in North Fort Worth I got banded May 28th and have lost 17 pounds. I so know what your talking about as far as exercising and this heat. I need a pool. I also spit-up a little when you mentioned house cleaning Lol. Good luck with your weight loss journey.
~~~Stephanie

i bet if you asked or told your dr, they could offer you better advice than you'd get here

Even though I am not there yet, I understand what you are saying. Hang in there, you got this!

We have all failed so many diets in the past, it is programmed into to us that this will just be another failure.It takes awhile for our minds to catch up and until it does, I tell that inner voice "to shut the hell up, I'm in control now".
Even now after losing over 90 lbs, every once in awhile that voice is telling me, "so you lost some weight, you've done that before and gained it all back,j/s" and I'm still saying "Shut the hell up ".
I didn't gain it over night and I'm not going to lose it over night. I'm just taking it, One day at a time. I screw up, I start all over.
We can and we will do this!

I knew when I started this whole venture/journey that it took years to get fat and I planned on it taking 1-2 years to get to a livable weight that I would be comfortable with for my age. I had chosen 170 for a goal and then thought maybe lighter than that and when I saw my doctor 1 week ago he said he is thrilled with me now, 60% of my BMI gone. When I got married 42 1/2 years ago I was 144 (with diet pills) and that was a nice size for me, I think. Take one day at a time and one pound at a time. It may take over 1 year to get to the magic number for you.

I don't mean to scare you but the color of your urine does not sound good. Can you call your surgeon? Do they have an after hours number? It could be nothing, but if you still have it i would check to be sure. It's the pinkish color that worry's me.
~~~Stephanie

I don't mean to scare you but the color of your urine does not sound good. Can you call your surgeon? Do they have an after hours number? It could be nothing, but if you still have it i would check to be sure. It's the pinkish color that worry's me.
~~~Stephanie

These are the tough days, but you can and will be successful. We will be here with you! TH9ink positive!

Thanks for that, I can use all the positive feedback I can get to fight this.
~~~Stephanie

I used an ice pack for the first week on my sore incisions. I still am having some sharp pains in my side, and I am almost 2 weeks out. But it has gotten a lot better than it was. It will for you too. If it's not gas it could be constipation? As long as it keeps getting better you should be fine if it does not or if it gets worse maybe you should call your Doc. Good luck
~~~Stephanie

Stephanie - you are in the most difficult part of the journey. The only way I can describe that part (for me), was a roller coaster ride, unlike any other. But I have to tell you.....now 11 weeks out, and back to most foods, it totally changes. No, the weight doesn't fall off (yeah, I wish it would, too), but it's coming off consistently, and now I look back on the last 11 weeks, and I'm 26 pounds lighter. Would this have happened without the band? NO - it wouldn't have!
When the negative ego rears its ugly face, try & remove yourself from it; listen to its unreasonable voice, but stay neutral. You can't really stop it from talking to you.....it's been with you forEVER. The "real you" knows what's best for Stephanie, and that is the voice that needs to intervene between all "head conversations". I refer to these as "the committee". The real you is the one in control.
I love the analogy of the baseball game! Hold on to that..... THAT Stephanie is the captain of the ship. You can and you WILL do this!! It was a good decision, and I believe that you will know that clearly in the weeks to come :-)

So sorry for your experience. Makes me kind of apprehensive to post when people do that. Have a good day today.
~~~Stephanie

Just wanted to thank you or sharing your story. Hearing that is a good way to start my day.
~~~Stephanie

Great post AJ we all battle the junk food demon inside especially during stressful times. Even at goal I have days when I battle my demons and old habits creep back in, the key is admitting and knowing when to ask for help. The old AJ and Love would continue to closet eat, the new us admits our flaws and moves forward. Great post!

I appreciate you sharing the reality of banded life. None of us are perfect and this is a great example of what we can do to help ourselves. We are human and having our own strength is great; however, we need that support system too. So glad you were able to open up and allow them to be a support system for you.

that is exactly what you are doing...

Congratulations on your wedding, and good luck with your weight loss. I'm sure will all be here to keep you encouraged. Sounds like your doing the right things. So keep it up. I don't know how much protein you get in, but it is suppose to really help with hunger and weight loss. My bariactric nurse said she sees about a 10% difference in weight loss with people who hit there protein goals.
~~~Stephanie

I just had my surgery yesterday. Will be sure to take it easy after reading your blog. But it does seem a little strange your incision would leak after 4 weeks. Keep an eye on that like Scorpio said.
~~~Stephanie

No good deed goes unpunished.
(hope I got that right)
Take care of yourself today.

I'm sorry but going to a couple of parties and carrying things to help out shouldn't cause your incisions to break open and "leak" at almost 4 weeks out. This sounds like a low grade infection that's been there all along. Taking it easy wouldn't make a difference. There shouldn't be any leaking of anything, normally. Keep an eye on your temp, if it goes up, get medical attention, ok? Best of luck to you!

I see a lot of posts from folks who want, or need, to get back to work within a few short days after surgery. I think your experience would be a good lesson to anyone who tries to push their healing time. You probably saved a few readers the same experience.

I could have written the yo-yo part. Since February's fill I am down about 10 lbs but that changes daily within 2-4 pounds, too. I see the doctor Friday, but I am down. I figured this weight loss would take about 1 1/2-2 years. I have as a goal 170 but may want to be less. When I got married 42 1/2 years ago I was 144 with diet pills. During high school I was around 160-175, I think. Too many years ago to remember that weight.
Sizes are weird. I wear a size 14 bottom and xl top at 191.6. In high school I was at least 20 pounds lighter and wore that size or a 16. The clothes manufacturers are playing mind games on us with sizes.
I know my face is thinner, being 62, I see more wrinkles and I hate them but hub says beats being fat, He's right, just need lots of money for face lift, body lift etc.
Great blog today, thanks.
Arlene

I'm sorry your having such a bad time and all. I hope it gets better soon. Good luck, and hold on.
~~~Stephanie

Even though we indulged in food we never indulged in are health and well being or what truly makes us happy. And we spent to much time worried about what other people thought of us. So I say if you have the means, and it will truly make YOU happy then go for it.
~~~Stephanie