colorado_chick

First of all, thank you for your comments and support. You have no idea how much that means to me. It makes me feel that I'm not alone and that people are rooting for me! SO! I got my first fill today. I had to sneak out of work to get it. I was very nervous and sweaty when I was called in the fill room. The first thing they did was weigh me. I gained 2 pounds in 2 weeks. SIGH. I thought I was going to get my fill from my surgeon, but it ended up being the PA. She is probably better at them anyways, so I was fine with that. But I think she was a bit annoyed with some of my questions. I asked if there was any chance this fill could be too much and i wouldn't be able to swallow anything. She said there was no chance of that because I was going to drink water before I left to make sure liquids at least go down. Then I asked if it was possible that I'd reach the perfect restriction level with just this one fill and she said there was no chance of that! She poked me with a needle to numb the area, which really hurt. And then she took the fill needle and started doing weird things to me. It felt sooo incredibly disgusting. It totally reminded me of getting a pap done! How weird is that?!?! It was not painful ... but there was tons of pressure where I didn't want pressure. My eyes were squeezed shut and I kept thinking "is it over, is it over". I could feel the liquid moving through my body (or at least I imagined I could). The whole process lasted less than 7 minutes. I had 4 cc put in my 10 cc band. It was weird and uncomfortable. But if it makes me skinny, then I'll make the sacrifice! I'm on liquids for 2 days, then mushies for 2 days, then back to normal after that. Meh .. what's normal ... I don't even know anymore!

Checking in at 199. (Blah, the same as last week, but I got a fill yesterday, so I'm hoping for a loss this week!!)

So, banded a full month and feel like I'm all healed up (minus a weird really painful incision at port area that popped up all of a sudden) and this is so much harder than I thought! I think I really need a fill because I can eat anything I want. I try not to ... But I think after a full month of not eating some foods, it's hard to keep things reasonable. I try to eat like a normal person ... but this is just so hard!!! I do an excellent job of making sure I don't have junk food in my house ever, but yesterday at the store I bought some mini marshmallows. I don't know why I bought them. But I did. And then I ate too many. Way too many. I won't tell you how many. I gained a pound back. Which isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things. But I'm focused on right now - not the grand scheme! I want this weight gone and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I am desperately scared that I won't be able to make this work. But I haven't even gotten a fill yet, so it is way too soon for that kind of thinking. I wish I had a fill appointment set, so I have some hope. I'll make one on Monday. In the mean time I will try to keep it positive!!

199 today.

Week four... My band and I have been fighting all week. It has been horrible!!! Starting on Monday, which was the first week where I started eating "soft" food, I began to get heart burn. And when I say heart burn, I mean the most horrible, awful, painful heart burn I have ever had. Well, I had gotten heart burn just a few times before, and it is never fun ... but this was something truly miserable. One day I even resorted to taking a prescription pill for heart burn which was the size of a horse pill. Well, I should have known better than to swallow that monstrous thing, but I was desperate. And sure enough, it got stuck. It was painfully scary. It was the first time something got stuck, and I was so scared and in so much pain, and I hated my band so much. A few days I couldn't eat anything because I had absolutely no appetite and it just burned so much. I went to bed with heart burn and woke up with heart burn. I took prilosec and I took zantac, sometimes it worked, but mostly it didn't work at all. I had my first fill appointment on Friday, so I waited until then to see what was up. I went in for my fill and asked my doctor what was going on. He said it is very rare for people with lap band to get acid reflux because the acid from the stomach has a hard time going up to the esophagus because the band often prevents things from going up. He said that heart burn feeling I had was from the new foods I was eating - he said the food was probably resting on my esophagus and causing discomfort and irritation. He said I probably still had some swelling in my stomach, which is causing some restriction, and so I needed to eat extra slow and extra small bites, and wait an extra long time between bites. That all made sense to me. I felt like I was already taking small bites, small portions, and waiting between bites. But since then, I have been doubling my efforts to eat diligently, and so far ... NO HEART BURN!!! I'm so happy. It takes me 45 minutes to eat a half cup of food ... which is kind of insane, but I think it will get better from here. Right?!?!?! And ... 12 pounds down so far!!!! This has been a bleak week, but things are looking up!

Impressive and inspiring!

Hey! I'm just newly banded and this is my first "challenge"! Thanks for doing this! Name, real or screen~ Colorado_chick Goal weight for August 31st~ 197 Weight on August 1st~ 202 Age~ 34 City/State~ Denver, Colorado Dietary goal for August~ logging my food Exercise goal for August~ gym minimum of 2 times per week. Personal goal for August~ survive going back to school Date banded~ July 8th, 2013 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 12 pounds Favorite End of Summer Activity~ last few lazy days at home before school starts

Hi. My instructions were the same as yours. I was told to count my protein grams and how much liquids I was drinking. I asked if there was a calorie goal or restriction, and my nutritionist told me not to count calories at all - she said to just worry about healing and getting protein. However, I did sometimes count calories, especially towards the end of the week when I was being more adventurous with food. I always aimed for less than 1000 calories, and more than 600. I just made up those random numbers, though, because they seemed right to me!

Hey, Yes, I will contact my surgeon on Monday, but until then ... Starting yesterday, after I eat anything (cottage cheese, fat free Soup, etc) I have mild to moderate heart burn. I have never had heartburn before (well, maybe a few times in my life, but nothing consistent like this). A few days ago I was eating pureed refried Beans and I ate 1/2 cup and I was very very full after (this was the first time where I have been "over full" since getting the band). Has anyone had anything like this before? Do you think I have an early slip? I am freaking out completely. I was banded 2 weeks ago, and my band is empty. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!!

Day 4 Best day so far. Was finally able to get out of bed, walk around without crying, and I actually went down stairs today. Yay me! My mom has been great coming over and getting things for me. It is so funny because she always wants to help me get out of bed, because that is the most difficult and painful part - I keep thinking that I will bust the stitches open. So she wants me to grab on to her arm, but she is 63 years old and probably 110 pounds and I am positive I will just break her if I put any weight on her to get up. So we keep fighting about how I should get out of bed. But today is day four and I don't need help anymore! Don't get me wrong - my incisions are still painful as hell. But today is doable. This is the first day I could say that. Surgery day and the following 2 days are a huge blur. I can't believe how much pain I was in. I knew it was normal, and I just tried to focus on sleeping, so the next would come and be easier. That must have been a good plan, because here I am! My biggest ah ha moment so far was the fact I had a haitial hernia. I had no idea I had one. I have always been 50 pounds over weight, but very active and I considered myself healthy and I would have said that I had 0 side effects from being obese. I was a "low BMI" patient and the 3 people who I did tell about my lap band all were very surprised because they didn't think I was that big. I know how shallow this sounds, but the reason I wanted to get lap band was because I wanted to look better. It had nothing to do with my health, because I thought I was healthy. But, I got a pretty huge reality check. A lot of people said they felt they regretted their lap band the first couple of days, but I have never once regretted my choice. All I can think about is the fact that I do have health problems because of my weight and I'm so glad I have made this life change. For me, the next four weeks are going to be totally about healing and nothing else. I won't worry about my weight (even though I did sneak check it a few times already). I will worry about getting enough protein (had 34 grams today), getting enough rest, and setting up a routine. Today I had a protein shake for breakfast, broth for lunch, and another protein shake, for dinner, and snacks of jell-o, popsicles, and gatorade. I am not hungry yet, which is a miracle. I hope this feeling stays for a few more days. Although, I do need to stop watching the Food Network because everything on there looks so good! I know a lot of people say that McDonalds made them fat, or high fructose corn syrup, but for me - I swear, Food Network made me fat! I am totally going to start cutting back! I truly can't believe I'm here. I'm scared to death of complications and having to go through surgery again. It was so stressful on my body and I really really don't want to do it again. But for now, I'm fine! Wow!

It's been 19 days. Down 10 ish pounds (still not weighing myself every day!) and I think I might be noticing small changes. So, I have these pair of jeans that I got from the Good Will last year. Size 16. Loved them, they fit like they were made for me. I wore them for about 3 months until I started gaining weight, then I put them in the back of my closet because they somehow shrunk. Well, I was getting dressed this morning and I thought to my self "Hmm, I wonder if it's time to re-own those jeans ..." I got them out of my closet ... put them on slowly while keeping my eyes closed ... AND THEY DIDN'T FIT!!!! After reading story after story after story on here about people getting back into their skinny clothes, or going shopping and being like 3 sizes smaller than what they thought ... I totally thought it was my turn to post a story ... But, no. Not yet. Sheesh, how tight must those jeans have been to still not fit!?!?!

I'm still fine! And I'm down 10 pounds! Bad news? My appetite has come back. But I'm keeping it in check. It's been about 2 weeks since I've had anything sweet or starchy, and I am shocked to find that I'm not having any major cravings. Yes, when I watch tv and see food commercials, things look good, and I'd love to have them, but those are the only times! Once I start with those kinds of foods, I just can't stop, so I'm happy for now. I am eating about 800 - 1,000 calories a day. I have protein shakes blended with a banana and yogurt, cream soups, and runny mashed potatoes. Something delicious I discovered from reading the boards on here is peanut butter mixed with greek yogurt - I don't even like peanut butter that much, but that combination is really good and really high in protein. So that is what I have for "dessert" sometimes because I'm getting a little sick of sugar free popsicles! One more week of this kind of diet and then I will start adding "soft" real foods - like scrambled eggs! Hooray! I am still in a bit of pain, but it is more "sore" than "painful". All of my stitches look good and the little tape over them is still holding strong. I really want to feel around and see if I can feel my port, but I'm too scared! The idea that there is a little port inside of me where a needle can insert fluid is sooooo creepy to me, but I try not to think of it! I go to the doctor's next week for a check-up, and I'm sure he'll say that everything is A-OK so far. One thing I don't want right now is a fill. I know that I am not one of those lucky people who never need one because I'm so hungry and have to eat every 3 hours or so. I don't want anyone touching my stomach right now, even the physician's assistant doing the fill, so I will wait as long as I can. I went for a mile walk yesterday, which is the longest one since surgery. I totally thought I'd be tearing it up at the gym everyday by now, but I'm just not feeling it. My incisions hurt when my stomach moves, and I often hold my stomach when I move to lessen the pain. I might try walking on the treadmill today for 20 minutes or so at a slow pace. But I'm worried people will judge me for being at the gym for such a short amount of time. I wish I could say "Oh, eff what other people think!", which is the advice I would give someone who told me that, but I just can't!! I worry what people think of me. I just can't help it! Maybe I'll go to the gym during dinner time, which is a slow time (especially in summer). I really want to set up a routine of getting back to the gym, even if I do start at a snail's pace. Hooray me .... I'm actually doing this!!

Your story is really motivating to those of us who are just getting started. Thank you for sharing! Nicely done!

You are amazing! So inspiring!

Wow! Inspiring. Nicely done!

Hey, I was banded a week ago (hooray!!!) I don't have my appetite back yet, but I am worried that the diet I was told to follow is not giving me enough calories to heal properly. I can have clear liquids and protein shakes for 14 days. So basically, even if I can eat 3 protein shakes a day (which I can't) , I'm only getting, at most, 400 calories. I need to start walking more, but I just feel so weak and shaky and dizzy, like I have no energy. It's not like I think I need 1500 calories right now, but I'm worried that 200 or 300 just isn't enough. Is anyone else worried about not getting enough calories, or am I just crazy??!!

I can't believe that it is finally my turn to post on here! I have been reading these constantly over the past few weeks and they have been a huge help in preparing me for what to expect. I arrived at the hospital with my mom at 5:30 am and waited about a half hour. Someone came to get me and I checked in and they gave me a little tracking badge that tracks my location at all times and displays it on a screen. Then I waited about 30 more minutes and a nurse came to get me. This is when my mom said "bye, I'll pick you up later!" and ran out of there. So much for support ... They brought me to a place, I want to say room, but it was nothing like a room. It was a large common area that was divided into sections with very very very thin curtains that didn't close all the way. The nurse told me to pee in a cup and then put my gown on. I really didn't want to, b/c everyone could see me. But I guess that's a small price to pay to get skinny, so I just sucked it up and put the damn thing on. Then they put an IV in and asked me some questions, then wheeled me (while laying on the bed) up to the surgery floor. On the surgery floor the "rooms" were exactly the same. I really don't understand the whole curtain thing. But I'm over it. The anesthesiologist came in to meet with me. So embarrassing meeting him for the first time while I'm laying there in a hospital gown and 7:30 am. Oh well. He gave me an anti-nausea patch to put behind my ear because I said I get really motion sick. And he also put some stuff in my IV and I literally remember nothing from that point on. I don't remember being wheeled into surgery, changing beds, etc. I am sure I did/said 100 embarrassing things. So the scary things happened when I was in recovery. I woke up with this HUGE pressure on my chest, and I was so disoriented and I started screaming that I couldn't breathe, because I thought I couldn't. Someone came around and said "oh, yes you can' and then just left. Good thing i was extremely drowsy and was in and out and barely remember anything about recovering on that floor. After that, they wheeled me down to the second recovery area where I would rest up and be out shortly. Unfortunately I had a horrible reaction to the anesthesia and I was so nauseous. I threw up a few times and just felt like I couldn't move, but all I wanted to do was go home. Eventually the nurse must have gotten tired of me and my bad attitude b/c she told me I had to get up and use the restroom and then go home. I told her I didn't feel up to it, she insisted, so I sat up and then puked all over her shoes. Next the nurse brought me some diet coke and crackers and told me to eat and drink and I'll feel better. Good thing I was awake enough to tell her that I can't eat those! She then gave me some non-sugar-free jello, but it had an anti nausea pill mixed in with it, so I ate it. An hour or so later I was wheeled out to my mom's car and she brought me home. The best advice I got on here was to bring a pillow for the car ride home. Holding it against my stomach helped ease the pain. I was in really horrible pain that whole day and for the next 3 days. I could lay down, but I couldn't get up very well. I tried getting up several times to walk and go to the bathroom, but it felt like someone was stabbing me with 1000 knives, so I kept the moving to a minimum, even though I should have done it more. I did drink a lot of water and had no problem drinking large quantities of water. I poured some in a shot glass and just sipped my shot glass. Another odd side effect was that the anesthesia made me soooo incredibly itchy for 2 days. For the last few days I've been sipping water, gatorade, broth, and protein shakes. I'm not hungry, but I have no problem with anything coming back up, so I'm a little scared that I don't actually even have a lapband ... That is my long surgery story! I am so PRAYING this works for me. Good luck everyone!

Dear Self, Congratulations! You just went through a major life changing event. I know you are ready for the challenges that will come, and you are definitely ready for the successes and victories you will be making soon. Do you think you're ready for your new life? The one where food doesn't control your life. The one where you can walk into a room and stop wondering if you're the biggest person there. The one where you can stop asking yourself "am I bigger or smaller than her?" about every female you see. The one that you deserve and that you have waited 20 years for. Good luck. I'm your number one fan!

Hey guys, I am officially banded! I'm on day 3 post op. This recovery is really kicking my butt! I have no gas pain but the incision pain is horrible, but slowly getting better. Hooray for pain meds! I had a horrible reaction to the anesthesia and it made me so sick, but once all of that got out of my system, I feel tons better. But i'm still basically in bed, and trying to get up and move every few hours. The funniest thing that happened to me post op was when I was in the recovery room and all loppy, the nurse brings me a diet coke and some crackers and says 'here, eat this, you'll feel better". Thank goodness I was coherent enough to say "no thanks, I can't have either of those right now". I would have thought the nurses would know a LITTLE bit about the operation I just went through!! Good luck everyone! This is so exciting and scary!

My surgery is July 8th ... I can't believe how nervous and excited I am! My pre-op diet starts July 5th, thankfully! Three days of clear liquids. Glad to "meet" others who are having surgery around the same time as me. I need all the support I can get!

My doctor is Dr. Tom Brown from CBSI.

I have my pre-op appointment in 10 days. I'm self pay, so I am fairly sure that I will be approved. My BMI is 34. I hope to have my surgery in July. I am very worried about the actual surgery. I have never had any type of surgery and have never been in the hospital. I am also worried about the long term success rate of the lap band, and I am so so so scared that this won't work and I will have spent $10,000 and still be fat. But here are some very dumb and very basic questions that hopefully some people have the answer to. 1. In the hospital, how many people will be in the operating room? Can my mom be there with me? 2. When I'm "put under" is there a chance that I could wake up and feel something? 3. What do I wear when I have the surgery? Can I just wear regular clothes and just lift my shirt up a bit? 4. How does it feel to "wake up" after being put under? 5. Is it hard to walk to the car after the surgery? 6. What if the pain pills are too big? 7. I heard that the medicine they give you for the surgery cause vomiting, but I heard that vomiting while still in recovering can cause the lap band to slip or my stomach to rupture or tear???? Well, okay, that's only 7 questions, but I'm sure I'll have more. Thank you in advance to anyone who can shed some light on these questions and alleviate some of my fears.

Oh, I like the idea of starting to replace one meal a day with a protein shake. Thanks for the tip! I don't have a pre-op diet, but I know I will drinking a lot of them after the surgery!! I went for my consult today, and I'm having my surgery on July 8th. So about a 5 week time frame. I'm self-pay.