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Original weight 303.5 Current weight 203.4
For updates on my profile, please see my blog (http://livinglavidalapband.blogspot.com/)
January 4, 2006
First I want to say Happy New Year to anyone who happens to read this. Thank you, Angie, for the note on my last entry. I appreciate it. I would have loved to have been able to respond to you through email.
I weighed in this morning and am down another 2 pounds for a total weight loss of 23.5 pounds so far. I am not breaking any speed records for weight loss but I am thrilled at what I have lost so far and how it is going.
I have a lot more energy since I remembered to start taking my iron supplements five days ago. For the last three days I have been able to do some exercise, either walking on the treadmill or riding on the stationary bike. Go me! If only I can keep it up.
I wish I could have had this surgery years ago. It is a shame I had to get this fat and this old first, not that I consider myself old but I think of all the opportuniteis I missed over the years because of my size or more because of how I felt about myself and my size.
In the years when I was thin or at the very least a normal weight I was so much more outgoing than in the years where I was fat. When I am fat I feel like hiding. I feel shame. Even when I told myself that I was ok and ok with who I am, deep down I felt shame and I didn't want to be judged by others when I am sure that my own judgement of myself was much harsher than that of most other people.
Well I am out of here for today. Time to go live some life even if that only entails doing some laundry and housework. Believe me I have about a years worth of housework to do right now.
love and peace to all
December 28, 2005
I weighed in this morning and am down an additional 4.6 pounds in the last week for a total loss of 21.5 pounds since I started the pre-surgery diet.
I am surprised because I really ate a lot more in the last week than I did the week before. Still I am sure I never got over 1700 and probably not even close to it except on two days and 1700 is what I should be taking in according to the BMR calculator.
I still can't eat much and had my first PB which was excruciatingly painful and lasted 20 minutes. Soft cornbread is obviously either not soft enough to be considered a soft food or it is a no-no entirely. Live and learn.
It is so good to only be able to eat a small amount at any time and to not feel constantly hungry. This is unheard of for me and I am liking it very much.
I have read that a lot of people at this point after surgery are already feeling like they can eat as much as they did before surgery. I am nowhere near that. Of course I have three weeks of healing time left and things could change before then. But I hope not. I wouldn't mind putting off getting a fill for a few months so that I can make some money first.
December 21, 2005
I have lost 6.2 pounds in the last week due to eating so little while preparing for surgery, going through surgery or recovering from surgery. Still I hope I can get my calorie intake up at least a bit more before I mess up my metabolism too much.
I will try to recall in some detail the events of the last week.
Thursday, December 8, 2005
Lon and I had to get up at 4:45 to get ready and get to the plane on time to board prior to our 6:10 takeoff. The flight from Greenville, SC to Cincinnati, OH was pretty miserable because I had been going through diarrhea for hours already due to nerves and apparently it wasn’t done yet. The captain never turned of the fasten seat belt sign so I held it for the short flight.
Obviously we hit the bathrooms first thing when we hit the Cincinnati airport, which incidentally is actually in Kentucky, and then we had a long trek across the airport from the terminal where we landed to the one where our connecting flight would take off from. UGH
I don’t remember exactly how many hours the flight to San Diego was but it wasn’t bad and my bath issues finally seemed to be cleared up.
We were met at the San Diego airport by Dr Kuri’s driver which is when I started to get nervous. For some reason the words Weight Loss Surgery on the side of his van just really made me think about what I was doing. Then there was an accident before the border and it took us an hour to cross into Mexico, which I was told is unusual.
First thing we did is go to the lab which is downstairs in the building with both Dr Kuri, the surgeon’s office and Dr Peterson, the internal medicine doctor’s office. The woman behind the desk shoves a cup at me without a word and points to the bathroom. So I go in to do the obvious thing. Now this is where my only complaint about having this done in Mexico starts. There were no wipes! So I peed a little into the toilet and then into the cup and assumed that would was good enough.
Then I was wisked down the hall where they drew my blood and kudos to them on this as it was the quickest that anyone has ever found my vein and taken blood.
Then we sent upstairs to Dr Kuri’s office to make payment. Then I was taken for my EKG and I was weighed.
Then to the hotel to get settled in and weight until 4:15 when we would be taken back to the doctors’ offices to meet with the doctors.
First Lon and I met with doctor Peterson who first thing tells me that there was some bacteria in my urine. It was all I could do to not say, “Well duh!” (Did I mention diarrhea and that their bathroom had no wipes?)
Apparently one of my liver enzymes was a smidge high too but no big deal as apparently this is normal with overweight people. My EKG was great and the were no contraindications to surgery. Not sure at that point if I was relieved or wishing there were and that I could have my money back and go home.
Then we met with Dr Kuri who showed us a demo with an actual band and a foam stomach how the procedure works. He went over some of the band rules (not all) and asked if I had any questions which thanks to all my research I didn’t have any. I didn’t appreciate his implication that I would have to stop eating junk food as that has never been my problem. I am so sick of everyone assuming that if you are fat that you live off of junk food. No, generally I eat quality food but a lot of it.
My only question was if I could take an Ambien to sleep that night and I was assured that I could. Then Dr Kuri encouraged us to go out for a meal but I was so tired after the long day all I wanted to do was go back to the hotel and rest and get to sleep. Plus I had commited myself to a day of only liquids before surgery and I was sticking to it. Thanks to those who recommended this to me because I had none of that shoulder pain that so many complain about.
Friday, December 9, 2005
We had to be at the hospital at 6:30 am. We got there and went to the nurses station. A nurse brought us to my room and gave me compression stocking and a gown to put on.
Soon my roommate arrived who was scheduled for surgery before me and that made me feel so much more at ease. I had read so much on Dr Kuri’s Yahoo message board about people meeting with other patients before surgery but I hadn’t seen anyone and that was making me very nervous.
My roommate, Rosemary was wonderful and we hit it off from the start. Her mother was there as well and she was terrific. Lon and I adored them both and are so glad to have met them.
Rosemary and I were given some drug to get us relaxed and eventually she was wheeled off for surgery. What seemed like only minutes later, but was probably and hour, they came for me. I don’t remember much past this point except getting wheeled into the O.R. and the anesthesiologist assuring me that I shouldn’t worry. Of course I wanted to say that only a crazy person wouldn’t worry but again, I held back.
I was miserable when I finally remember things again. I do remember that I was determined to be awake enough to watch my soap, which I did but it is a bit of a blur to me at this point.
I hurt terribly this day of surgery, mainly my back and even though I fought it with biofeedback techniques and deep breathing I had one small episode with terrible nausea and dry heaves. I didn’t have this as bad as my poor roomie though. I was so glad when the put the anti-nausea drug in my IV and the waves of nausea went away. I was able to get up and walk pretty quickly and got them to take the catheter out.
Due to my back pain, I spent most of my time lying on my right side, which is how I slept through the night. I can’t emphasize enough how miserable that day after surgery was and my roommate and I both agreed at that point that we wished we hadn’t done this.
I did make a bit of a fuss about one thing. The email paperwork and post-surgery rules that were sent to me by the doctor’s patient facilitators stated that Day Zero (day of surgery) Jello, half strength apple juice and tea would be allowed but I was only allowed ice chips. I made a big deal of this not because I wanted anything besides ice chips but simply because it shouldn’t say something on the rules one is given if that isn’t the case. Anyway Dr Kuri then tried to tell me that the day after surgery was day zero even though that totally wasn’t what the papers said. Anyway, I digress, Dr Kuri is the boss and I really didn’t want anything but ice chips anyway.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
I awake feeling pretty darn good. A little pain, certainly bloating and lower abdominal gas and feeling like I needed to burp, which inevitably ended up as a very painful hiccup instead but feeling really good considering that I had surgery the day before and how miserable I had felt the evening before.
The nurse came in and took off my compression stockings. I was given a tray of apple juice (yuck) Jello (usually yuck but I ate some and liked it) and hot tea.
Then my roommate and I got to leave.
NOW:
I will finish this up by saying that I have felt remarkably well. I haven’t felt dizzy despite the low amount of calories that I have taken in for the last week. I have progressed from clear liquids to full liquids and have 9 more days, including today, on said full liquids.
The worst I have felt was due to my “time O’ the month” showing up late Sunday evening which brought on more bloating and additionally cramps.
All in all, not counting those first 12 hours after surgery, a very positive experience and I am feeling very hopeful about the rest of my life. I am not feeling particularly hungry yet though I hear that for a while hunger will come back with a vengeance.
11/24/2005 I am scheduled to have lap-band surgery with Dr Pedro Kuri in TJ, Mexico on December 9th. I am nervous and I have had my share of bad dreams about it. I am also excited and have done so much research that I am confident that all will go well with the surgery.
I am more nervous that I won't do well, that I won't follow the rules even though I fully intend to. I am nervous about how I am going to manage to get fills.
Good news so far is that I have lost 6.8 pounds in the last week on the liver shrinking diet that I am am pre-surgery even though it isn't required at my BMI.
12/07/2005 293 pounds
Tomorrow I fly off to Mexico to have my pre-op testing done and then surgery is on Friday. So far I have lost 10.5 pounds since I started the pre-surgery liver shrinking diet.
I have had a lot of people supporting me and even told all of my family members who were all supportive.
Delta went and changed our flight on us so we have to fly from SC to Cincinnati now before flying to San Diego. I preferred the Atlanta itinerary but I can live with this. I am all packed, excited and ready to go!
