Anna E.
4 wk post-op appt & first fill!
Mar 10, 2009
Well I went in today for them to check my fluid in the port area and ended up with a fill! That was a surprise! I weighed in at 271 so I'm down another 4 lbs, good for me! Brian, the PA, checked the port and said there was still a little fluid in there and he may drain it. But then he did the fill and said that no fluid came out when he did the fill so he was going to leave it alone.
He started with a numbing shot, which hurt a little, then put in this HUGE needle and I heard it pop when it went into the port. He gave me the fill while I was sitting up. He had me chug some water which got stuck and scared the heck out of me. He then decreased the fill a little and had me drink more water. We played with it until I could drink but felt it stop a little on the way down (Hard to explain until you've felt it).
I asked him on my way out how big a fill did I get and he said a big one, about 3-4cc in my 10 cc band. On the way home I stopped and got a smoothie to make sure it would go down because I live a ways from the doctor. It went down fine, maybe too well. I hope he gave me a big enough fill, but then I remember some people talking about their fills kicking in little ways after they were done so maybe that will happen with me. We will see. My next appt if all goes well is May 19th and hopefully I'll get another fill then. More later...
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He started with a numbing shot, which hurt a little, then put in this HUGE needle and I heard it pop when it went into the port. He gave me the fill while I was sitting up. He had me chug some water which got stuck and scared the heck out of me. He then decreased the fill a little and had me drink more water. We played with it until I could drink but felt it stop a little on the way down (Hard to explain until you've felt it).
I asked him on my way out how big a fill did I get and he said a big one, about 3-4cc in my 10 cc band. On the way home I stopped and got a smoothie to make sure it would go down because I live a ways from the doctor. It went down fine, maybe too well. I hope he gave me a big enough fill, but then I remember some people talking about their fills kicking in little ways after they were done so maybe that will happen with me. We will see. My next appt if all goes well is May 19th and hopefully I'll get another fill then. More later...
Port update and mushies!
Feb 27, 2009
Wow, time flies when you're having fun, ha ha. I haven't posted since coming home from my mom's and things are going OK. I went in to see the surgeon on Tuesday and he (PA Brian) said that my port looked alright but seemed to have a small amount of fluid pooled around it. He asked how many more antibiotics I have to take and I said about a week. He said to finish them and come back in two weeks to have him check it out again. He said if need be he can put in a needle and drain the fluid but they were hoping that my body would absorb the fluid on its own. We will see.
So far the incisions are healing well, and the itching has lessened by quite a bit, finally! I am a little frustrated with my weight loss so far as I am only down 2.5 lbs from surgery day and I was told to expect a dramatic loss during my liquid phase. I am sticking to 550 to 1000 calories a day with 70+ grams of protein so I don't know what the problem is. Oh well. Now as of today I am on mushies and I don't know what to do! I have been on a liquid diet for so long I don't remember how to eat, at least not in this way. I had two protein shakes today and some pintos & cheese and egg salad. I just made 80 grams of protein. Without those shakes I don't know what I would have done. I am very concerned about this and will probably post a note on the message board tomorrow if I am still concerned.
Anyway, I am healing and healthy and re-learning how to eat. Time will tell how my progress goes. More later...
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So far the incisions are healing well, and the itching has lessened by quite a bit, finally! I am a little frustrated with my weight loss so far as I am only down 2.5 lbs from surgery day and I was told to expect a dramatic loss during my liquid phase. I am sticking to 550 to 1000 calories a day with 70+ grams of protein so I don't know what the problem is. Oh well. Now as of today I am on mushies and I don't know what to do! I have been on a liquid diet for so long I don't remember how to eat, at least not in this way. I had two protein shakes today and some pintos & cheese and egg salad. I just made 80 grams of protein. Without those shakes I don't know what I would have done. I am very concerned about this and will probably post a note on the message board tomorrow if I am still concerned.
Anyway, I am healing and healthy and re-learning how to eat. Time will tell how my progress goes. More later...
Home from surgery
Feb 15, 2009
Well, it's Sunday Feb 15th and I am recouperating at my mom's house for a few days. Surgery on the 12th went well, no complications. They found a hiatal hernia and fixed it while they were in there so surgery took about an hour.
My mom and I went to a motel on Wed. night and got to the hospital at 6:30am for check-in. I got taken in for surgery at 11:30 and was done about 12:30pm. I spent the next couple of hours in recovery and then was taken up to my room. I was given ice chips to suck on and that went well. I got up to walk about 7pm and had my meal of broth, tea and lemonade. I took my meds with no problem as well. My mom went back to the motel and I napped and sipped broth throughout the night. I got up to walk again about 11:30pm.
I was NPO after 6am until they took me in for my upper GI to check the band placement. Everything was fine. I saw Brian (the PA) and he checked the incisions and gave me the all-clear to go home and we left about 12:30pm to go back to my mom's. It was raining a lot and traffic was a bear but we finally got there. Later that evening I noticed that the port site was quite distended and swollen. Not red or hot and I wasn't running a temp or anything. I was quite upset thinking something was wrong but my mom (who's had a band) and sister looked at it and said it looked fine. I also posted a question about it and everyone said it was probably fine but to keep an eye on it. Today it's still quite swollen but doesn't seem to be getting any worse and I'm not running a fever so I'll keep an eye on it some more.
I got out of the house with my mom and went to Dollartree to walk around. I got out today as well and went toa meeting with my sister. We're going to try to go to Wal-Mart or the mall tomorrow for more walking. Depends on the weather so we'll see. My pain is getting better with each day, although I am still using the liquid Vicodin. On Saturday I was taking not as much as I have taken today but I am feeling better today so I'm not going to skimp on it. The pain is the worst first thing in the morning, definitely feeling like a truck hit me that's for sure.
I am doing the liquid phase of my diet now and doing all right. Staying hydrated and keeping up on my protein shakes. I am not really hungry but when I see food it interests me. All in all I am doing really well I think. I am not having any major discomfort in my stomach when I drink, but I notice it when I drink too fast for sure. I am scheduled for my post-op appt on Thursday the 19th but it depends on the weather if I can make it then or not, I may have to reschedule. We will see.
Anyway, I am doing well and will post more on my progress as I go along....
2 comments
My mom and I went to a motel on Wed. night and got to the hospital at 6:30am for check-in. I got taken in for surgery at 11:30 and was done about 12:30pm. I spent the next couple of hours in recovery and then was taken up to my room. I was given ice chips to suck on and that went well. I got up to walk about 7pm and had my meal of broth, tea and lemonade. I took my meds with no problem as well. My mom went back to the motel and I napped and sipped broth throughout the night. I got up to walk again about 11:30pm.
I was NPO after 6am until they took me in for my upper GI to check the band placement. Everything was fine. I saw Brian (the PA) and he checked the incisions and gave me the all-clear to go home and we left about 12:30pm to go back to my mom's. It was raining a lot and traffic was a bear but we finally got there. Later that evening I noticed that the port site was quite distended and swollen. Not red or hot and I wasn't running a temp or anything. I was quite upset thinking something was wrong but my mom (who's had a band) and sister looked at it and said it looked fine. I also posted a question about it and everyone said it was probably fine but to keep an eye on it. Today it's still quite swollen but doesn't seem to be getting any worse and I'm not running a fever so I'll keep an eye on it some more.
I got out of the house with my mom and went to Dollartree to walk around. I got out today as well and went toa meeting with my sister. We're going to try to go to Wal-Mart or the mall tomorrow for more walking. Depends on the weather so we'll see. My pain is getting better with each day, although I am still using the liquid Vicodin. On Saturday I was taking not as much as I have taken today but I am feeling better today so I'm not going to skimp on it. The pain is the worst first thing in the morning, definitely feeling like a truck hit me that's for sure.
I am doing the liquid phase of my diet now and doing all right. Staying hydrated and keeping up on my protein shakes. I am not really hungry but when I see food it interests me. All in all I am doing really well I think. I am not having any major discomfort in my stomach when I drink, but I notice it when I drink too fast for sure. I am scheduled for my post-op appt on Thursday the 19th but it depends on the weather if I can make it then or not, I may have to reschedule. We will see.
Anyway, I am doing well and will post more on my progress as I go along....
Pre-op Appt
Feb 05, 2009
Well Tuesday I had my pre-op appt. I met with nurse Tamara and then with her and PA Brian who checked my belly and went over the final questions. They weighed me in and I was 281lbs, down 46lbs since I first started with them!
I verified with PA Brian that I was going to be able to take my Neurontin capsules after surgery (I showed him one) and he said no problem. That was a relief. Then they sent me to the hospital to do the pre-admit, pre-op questions and training, chest xray, blood tests and EKG. All in all I was at the Dr/hospital from 9am to 3:30pm. It was a long day for sure!
Now it's a week to surgery and I have a busy few days ahead of me. I go on all clear liquids on Tuesday the 10th until surgery on Thursday. My mom is coming in to town to take me to surgery at 6:30am on Thursday in San Bernardino. We're getting a motel Wed night and she's going to stay there Thurs night and take me home with her on Friday. I'm going to stay with her for a couple of days after surgery and then they (my sister or mom) will be bringing me home. Then I have my post-op appt on the 19th which my friend is taking me to.
So I guess that's all for now, more later...!
2 comments
I verified with PA Brian that I was going to be able to take my Neurontin capsules after surgery (I showed him one) and he said no problem. That was a relief. Then they sent me to the hospital to do the pre-admit, pre-op questions and training, chest xray, blood tests and EKG. All in all I was at the Dr/hospital from 9am to 3:30pm. It was a long day for sure!
Now it's a week to surgery and I have a busy few days ahead of me. I go on all clear liquids on Tuesday the 10th until surgery on Thursday. My mom is coming in to town to take me to surgery at 6:30am on Thursday in San Bernardino. We're getting a motel Wed night and she's going to stay there Thurs night and take me home with her on Friday. I'm going to stay with her for a couple of days after surgery and then they (my sister or mom) will be bringing me home. Then I have my post-op appt on the 19th which my friend is taking me to.
So I guess that's all for now, more later...!
I've got a date!!!
Jan 17, 2009
I went to my pre-op class yesterday and it went well. I am down to 287.5lbs so that's good. My pre-op with the surgeon is on Feb 3rd and my surgery is scheduled for Feb 12th!!! How awesome is that!?!
I have notified my mom of the date cause she wants to take me to the hospital for surgery and she is going to try to make arrangements to get that time off of work. Just for fun I weighed myself on my scale this morning and it read 282.6, but I don't know how that could be...anyway, I'll write more later...
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I have notified my mom of the date cause she wants to take me to the hospital for surgery and she is going to try to make arrangements to get that time off of work. Just for fun I weighed myself on my scale this morning and it read 282.6, but I don't know how that could be...anyway, I'll write more later...
Lap-Band class scheduled
Jan 12, 2009
My class for the lap-band is scheduled for this Friday the 16Th at 8:45am at the surgeon's office. I guess it is supposed to be about 2 hours long and they will supposedly give me my surgery date before I leave. They are going to call me if there are any changes in that plan. So yay for that!
On a second note, I bought a scale yesterday (my first one ever I think), and it goes up to 400lbs. I was worried because I was hovering around the 300lb mark so I wanted one that would hold my weight. I stepped on it today and was thrilled to find that I weighed 289.5! It's not the official doctor weigh-in but I'm down another 13 lbs on the pre-op diet, as hard as it has been trying to follow that! I haven't ever gotten fully back on track since Christmas with my family. Still doing the basic plan but have been eating out and following the Atkins plan for that. Oh well, guess it's still working so I won't fret too much about it.
Anyway, more later...
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On a second note, I bought a scale yesterday (my first one ever I think), and it goes up to 400lbs. I was worried because I was hovering around the 300lb mark so I wanted one that would hold my weight. I stepped on it today and was thrilled to find that I weighed 289.5! It's not the official doctor weigh-in but I'm down another 13 lbs on the pre-op diet, as hard as it has been trying to follow that! I haven't ever gotten fully back on track since Christmas with my family. Still doing the basic plan but have been eating out and following the Atkins plan for that. Oh well, guess it's still working so I won't fret too much about it.
Anyway, more later...
I've been approved!!
Dec 27, 2008
On Christmas Eve I got an early present...the surgeon's office called to tell me that my surgery had been approved!! This came as quite a shock since I still thought I had to have an angiogram and get my PCP's final approval, but I don't and I guess he did already! They had told me that once it went to the insurance company it would take up to a month but here it is approved already! Someone pinch me cause I've got to be dreaming!
It's funny how things happen, I was scheduled for my angiogram on the 18th I think but we had a freak snow storm and I was unable to make it for the procedure. Then that Friday they called and said they could squeeze me in if I could get there by 11am. I took one step outside my door and slipped on the ice and spent the afternoon in the ER with a sprained knee. We rescheduled the angiogram for Jan 8th but now I have confirmed with the surgeon's office that it's not necessary for my approval - yay!!
I am scared that someone is going to tell me there was a mistake but I guess I will deal with it if that happens. I am also kind of scared that I am now locked into a type of surgery. I have chosen the Lap Band mainly due to malabsorbtion issues with my meds and less invasive surgery, but there are things that I liked and didn't like about both surgeries. I hope that my decision proves to be right for me, guess we'll see.
Now I am to wait for the call from my surgeon's office telling me when to come in for my class (a 2-3 hour mandatory class) and they will schedule me for my surgery that day. I am very excited! My grandmother was here for Christmas (she's the one who fronted me the money for the surgery) and we kept telling each other that the surgery's been approved - I think maybe she was as excited as me even!
Anyway, that's all for now, more later...
2 comments
It's funny how things happen, I was scheduled for my angiogram on the 18th I think but we had a freak snow storm and I was unable to make it for the procedure. Then that Friday they called and said they could squeeze me in if I could get there by 11am. I took one step outside my door and slipped on the ice and spent the afternoon in the ER with a sprained knee. We rescheduled the angiogram for Jan 8th but now I have confirmed with the surgeon's office that it's not necessary for my approval - yay!!
I am scared that someone is going to tell me there was a mistake but I guess I will deal with it if that happens. I am also kind of scared that I am now locked into a type of surgery. I have chosen the Lap Band mainly due to malabsorbtion issues with my meds and less invasive surgery, but there are things that I liked and didn't like about both surgeries. I hope that my decision proves to be right for me, guess we'll see.
Now I am to wait for the call from my surgeon's office telling me when to come in for my class (a 2-3 hour mandatory class) and they will schedule me for my surgery that day. I am very excited! My grandmother was here for Christmas (she's the one who fronted me the money for the surgery) and we kept telling each other that the surgery's been approved - I think maybe she was as excited as me even!
Anyway, that's all for now, more later...
Process update
Dec 11, 2008
So, let's see, the update...
Tuesday I went to see the surgeon and found that I weighed 302.5lbs, down 24.5lbs so far. Not bad, but not as much as I wanted, oh well. I discussed both of the surgeries with him and we decided on the Lap Band due mainly to the malabsorbtion issues of the RNY. He said that the weight I have lost on the pre-op diet and the fact that I am already off of my insulin helped him to feel I would be a good Lap Band candidate. I still have to get clearances from my cardiologist and PCP before they can submit to my insurance for approval, so I'm still working on that.
I am scheduled for my angiogram on the 18th so I will see how that turns out. My hope is that everything will be fine and I'll just get to go home, but we will see. I guess that's all the news for now, more later...
Tuesday I went to see the surgeon and found that I weighed 302.5lbs, down 24.5lbs so far. Not bad, but not as much as I wanted, oh well. I discussed both of the surgeries with him and we decided on the Lap Band due mainly to the malabsorbtion issues of the RNY. He said that the weight I have lost on the pre-op diet and the fact that I am already off of my insulin helped him to feel I would be a good Lap Band candidate. I still have to get clearances from my cardiologist and PCP before they can submit to my insurance for approval, so I'm still working on that.
I am scheduled for my angiogram on the 18th so I will see how that turns out. My hope is that everything will be fine and I'll just get to go home, but we will see. I guess that's all the news for now, more later...
Cardiologist update
Dec 03, 2008
So I finished up my stress test on Monday the 1st and went in to see the cardiologist on Tue for the results. Boy was I surprised when she told me that my heart was working at only 50% of capacity! She said it was probably due to my weight and my breasts being in the way of the tests (both the echo and the stress tests showed this). She said she was going to type up the results and send them to my PCP and the surgeon and would wait to see if they wanted to go ahead with the surgery or if they wanted a 100% go ahead from her. If that's the case then she says she has to do an angiogram to rule out a blockage before she'll give her blessing.
So tomorrow I see my PCP and see what he has to say (although I don't think he'll have the results yet). I see my surgeon on Tues the 9th to go over which surgery I want to do an come up with a final decision there. On a good note, when I weighed in at the Dr's office this week I was down 9lbs from last week - that means I lost over Thanksgiving! That's a first! So that's cool, the diet is working, guess I'll keep at it!
More later...
So tomorrow I see my PCP and see what he has to say (although I don't think he'll have the results yet). I see my surgeon on Tues the 9th to go over which surgery I want to do an come up with a final decision there. On a good note, when I weighed in at the Dr's office this week I was down 9lbs from last week - that means I lost over Thanksgiving! That's a first! So that's cool, the diet is working, guess I'll keep at it!
More later...
Thanksgiving
Nov 29, 2008
So it's now Saturday evening after Thanksgiving and all in all I don't think I did that bad. I kept a wide berth around sugar and kept the carbs to a minimum (no breads and a little no-sugar added pumpkin pie with sugar-free cool whip topping). I did eat more than my allotted 4oz of meat however but I kept it to proteins and my shakes so I guess I can't be too hard on myself. I will weigh in on Monday at my Dr's and see what the damage is, with luck I will still have lost and not gained any back.
More later...
More later...
