303'sJourney

if you dont' mind me asking... when did you have surgery? How much have you lost so far? You look amazing and have so much to be proud of!!!

Hi angel face! Yes I was in a pretty bad accident on 8/18... I am in physical therapy 2 times a week for my back... but other than that I am fine. The BEST news is that my baby wasn't in the car. I would have been devastated and probably put in jail for killing the other woman if she had been and had gotten hurt! No worries! How are you? I hope you are doing better and that job hunting is getting better! GMAC is always hiring... they don't pay great and it's collections... but it's a job. We're over off of Old St. Augustine road and I-95... If you are interested. I hope you're doing well and look forward to catching up.

Hey girlie... how are you??? what's new?

I am SOOOOOO excited for you and your upcoming surgery date! If there is anything you need... I'm here! YEAH YOU!!!!

Hi... my name is Teresa. We were banded just a few days apart and I thought we could keep in touch and help support each other through this journey. I was banded on the 18th and have my first fill the day after you on the 19th. How is everything going? How are you feeling? I hope all is well and look forward to talking to you.

Hey darlin'. Well things are going great! I feel better every single day. I can eat like a champ and have much more energy now that I am on soft foods. The last piece of my surgical tape finally came off last night in the shower so now I can actually see where he cut. It's pretty clean. It will still take a while to completely heal but it looks tremendous! I am going to take pictures of it this evening and post them... How is everything progressing with you? Do you have a date for the nutritionist? I hope everythings is fantastic!! It's great to hear from you!

Thank you so much! It has been hard work that's for sure. I've been pretty darn hungry! The band effects everyone differently... some people afterward are not hungry from the getgo and then there's me. I wasn't hungry for the first week (while I was still extremely swollen internally) and then week two... BAM! I'm VERY hungry. I'm ready for the 19th to be here so I can get my first fill! I am working hard though. I have gained 1 lb this week... he said I would and I hoped he was wrong. LOL... he said that your body gets so excited to have real food it holds onto it but not to fret as it will come back off again soon. He wants me to lost between 3-6 lbs before my next appt on the 19th... I sure hope that is the case. I can't really "see" the loss but I feel it so that's great! I'll just keep working at it. I hope your appointment tomorrow goes great and I look forward to hearing all about it!! :) :)

I am down a total of 25 lbs from my pre-op until my 1 week post op check up... then in the last week I have gained 1 lbs back since adding soft foods which didn't impress me. My daughter is having a tough time not being able to be picked up and carried around all the time... but everyone is VERY excited for me. I am sorry to hear you have been in so much pain. I am glad to hear though that you are feeling better. When and where do you get your first fill? I am excited to hear your new job is going GREAT! It's great that you don't have to tell anyone about your surgery yet they can watch the weight fall off of you! How exciting!! I am glad all is well and look forward to seeing some of your progress pics and success along our journey! Have a wonderful and stress free week!!!

Happy belated anniversary!! How are you feeling? Do you love it or what!!! You are doing so great! Keep up the wonderful work!

Thank you so much for the sweet birthday wishes for my munchkin! How are yoU? My fill went ok... I ended up throwing up or PBing the water I drank... I didn't realize I was supposed to SIP the water and I was thirsty so I chugged it... BIG MISTAKE! I didn't ask (like a dummy) how much he put in. After the water came back up it has been fine since. I still have zero restriction and my weight loss has slowed to a crawl. Piper is SOOO ugly! Her temper tantrums and terrible twos are a bit out of control... she too seems to be enjoying that I play with her more and we walk or bike ride everyday! Wow... your dr took out a lot... when do you go for another fill? Mine was REALLY tight the day I was filled and then the next day I was fine.

I'm thankful he didn't take any out b/c I have zero restriction and 7/24 can't come fast enough. he wants me to be down 10 lbs before my next visit... hmmm... that's not going so well. What else is new? Are you eating low carb or just eating smaller portions? I hope that you are doing better since your unfill... I'm sorry he had to take some out. Are you feeling restriction? I hope you are doing fantastic and it is GREAT to hear from you!

Have you been banded yet? You don't look like you need it! What is your goal weight? You are soooo beautiful! The pictures of your wedding day are fantastic!

I am sorry it has taken me 5 days to reply... I think I was hoping I would find some perils of wisdom for you about your situation. As far as the weight loss goes, unfortunately you have just experienced one of the pitfalls you and I have spoken of in the past... where after surgery and each fill I too have gained weight back upon starting soft foods. The body is an amazing and frustrating thing! I can completely understand and sympathize with your stress/depression issue causing it hard to stay focused on your new way of life.

Surprisingly no I am not hungry at all... thank goodness! I am so glad to hear that you are home and that everything went well. When do you go for a follow up? Where do you go for that since your surgery was in Mexico? When are you going back to work/school?

OH my goodness! Hello. So my name is Teresa and I just read your reply to 2nd week post op and gaining... I have to ask... is your doctors name Dr. Cwyes? LMAO?? I hope you are doing well and if he is your doctor I am glad you didn't kill him right there in the office.

Just remember that you have gone through far too much to get to this point to let life's misfortunes and all around bad deal to get you down. Just continue to look into the faces of your beautiful babies and remember that you are on the right path, with this surgery you have changed your life for the better and that this has happened so that your career may suit the new you. In the meantime, I am so sorry for your recent loss and hardship and hope that you know that if there is ANYTHING I can do be of assistance, support or encourangement in this tough time I am here for you.

P.S. Don't stress not one ioda of a second over your appointment w/Dr. B... #1 he is a very sweet man & a wonderful surgeon #2 you are not going through any different a struggle (as far as your weight loss is concerned) than anyone else who has been banded and this is only a foot step toward where you will be in no time. The time since your sugery is when your body is to be healing and they (even Dr. C) are not looking for you to be losing huge chunks of weight. They are looking for you to heal and be healthy. The tough times as far as your weight loss will come after your body has healed, you have been filled and you begin to struggle with plateaus and failing motivation. He will be proud of how far you have come and the progress you and your body have made in recovering from this major surgery despite your personal difficulties! He will be far from disappointed!

I am SO excited for you about your fantastic and celebration worthy news! I can't wait to hear about your surgery date and subsequent appointments pre-surgery. I can sympathize with you about the panic of being put to sleep, I had never had any major surgery that required me to be put to sleep; I had an epidural w/my c-section (looking back I wish I had been put to sleep). However, it really was a non-event. You really don't even realize it happens and when you wake up... you have NO CLUE how long you've been out or what happened. I talked to Dr. C, the anesthologist and my fiance and have zero recollection. I was more concerned about the tube down my throat than the acutal being put to sleep part. I was so upset when I found out you have to communicate with the anesthologist before she will take it out (i.e.- make eye contact and squeeze her fingers)...

Hi and welcome to the journey! I went through the novis center up thru the consult part and when I found out what the charge was and that insurance did not cover it I started exploring other options. My insurance covered Dr. Webb's office and also subsequently the doctor I chose for my surgery. I am now seeing Dr. Cwyes and Baptista who also use Memorial Hosptial and they have a program fee of $200. They are fantastic! I will be banded on Monday May 18th! I really did not like the Novis center and feel they were very unprofessional in their approach but that is just my opinion! Good luck with your choice and this journey!

Well I found out just before my surgery that my companies short term disability pays 100% for the second week (the first week is PTO) so I decided to take some me time and not go back until June 1st. I'm feeling pretty good today. It finally stopped raining a bit and I walked around the neighborhood which was great for my lonely morale! I think you could safely return to work on that Monday. I could have gone back today... but I drive 48 miles to work everyday so that was really the part I was avoiding...

Hi sweets... you are doing SO GREAT!!! I understand about him not doing your third fill... my dr. didn't do mine either bc I was down 12 lbs since my last visit. I am down as of today 52.2 lbs and feeling great! I FINALLY got to see what 199 looks like it was magnificent even if it is only .2 under... I'll take it. It made me feel like a million dollars! How are you feeling? Are you exercising at all? I am glad to hear you are doing so spectacular and look forward to hearing more! KIT

I did it... but I sure as heck don't remember it. It is so much easier than I ever dreamt it to be and you will be fantastic and go through it in spectacular form. I'm doing pretty good. My weight loss has slowed which is a bit frustrating but I was in a pretty bad car accident 3 weeks ago and haven't exercised since the day before. I believe this has caused me to crave more carbs and allow myself to cheat more than usual. I am working on getting back in track as I'd like to be down at least 10 more pounds before my friends wedding on the 17th of Oct. I go back to see Dr. C on Tuesday and as far as I can tell... all is really going well. I hope you had a spectacular week and look forward to hearing more about your upcoming surgery date! :)

What time is your appt with Dr. Baptista today? I hope that he is able to help you feel at ease and comfortable with the process... after the appt he will set you up to meet an exercise dr, have blood work, x-rays, psych and nutritional counseling. All of these things can be accomplished at your earliest convenience and availability. Of course the sooner you get them done... the sooner you are off to appt #2 then scheduling surgery and appt #3 pre-op. I am so excited for you! I can't wait to hear how today went! I hope you are doing great!!!

If you don't mind me asking... was it hard to get certified to watch children in your home? What did you have to do? How are things going for your since being banded? Where abouts is Navarre?

I am so sorry to hear that you got sick! 5 bites of tuna isn't going to hurt you... It is still low carb and your liver will be fine! No worries! You are doing so great and I am so proud of how far you have come. Just think... it wasn't that long ago that you thought tomorrow would never come... BAM, it's here! I am so excited for you! I hope you sleep tight and have the sweetest of dreams. Tomorrow will be a fog for the most part but you will get through it in a fantastic fashion! I'll tt you on the flip side.