Bonray

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 Ok, so the summer has been great. My favorite time of year! After my unfill in June, I have felt wonderful. And unfortunately been able to eat more. I was so sick before that it was heaven to be able to eat. I continued to exercise and mantained my loss for quite awhile but did stop losing. After a couple of months i started gaining. Was eating some occasional bad choices but mostly not. Vacation and a couple of illnesses interfered with my exercise so that didn't help either.Finally I called in to get a fill.. Had to wait a month to get in! So I just went this past week on thursday. Because of me previously being overfilled they were cautious and only put in 1 cc. They want me to come back in 2 weeks for another fill of 1cc. I have to be honest I haven't really noticed any difference in how much I can consume so far, (been on liquids though) so I guess I will need that next 1 cc. Hopefully then I will be at my "sweet spot" and start losing regularly again. I haven't given up hope and know that I just need to start over and follow all the band rules strictly once again. My goal is to be 200lbs by Christmas. Wish me luck!!!

I've been having at least one major stuck episode a week for over a month now. Thought maybe it was something I was doing. Been trying to follow all the rules and get used to living with the band. Finally came to the conclusion that I've been doing everything right and that my band is still too tight. My "episodes" became very disabling and were interfering with my work. They would last way too long, and could only get relief from forcing myself to vomit. Finally got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore, so I called the doc's office and talked to the RN. They totally agreed that I was still too tight. So I went for an unfill on friday June 19th. I apparently had 6cc's instead of the 5.4 they previously thought I had in there. So they removed 3cc's. Let's just say things have been much better since then. I can finally eat. Still not alot, but at least i don't hurt everytime I eat! Hope everthing continues to go well now....

   Well after my first fill, I got progressively worse. I started out not able to get any meat down at all. I would get stuck every time. Threw up a couple of times. I first attributed the tightness to that "time of the month". I heard on here that some people tighten during that time. I was able to get in some roasted peanuts and soup. So I wasn't starving at first. Then later the next week I was unable to eat or drink anything without pain for about 4 days in a row. Felt horrible, I became dehydrated and lost 8lbs. So I finally had sense enough to call the docs office. They told me I was definitely too tight and to come in for an unfill.
   I saw the RN the next day. She discovered I had 8.2cc's in my band! She said no wonder I was in so much pain. That was alot for a first fill. I thought I had 6cc's. Anyway, she put back in 5.4cc's and what an instant relief! I could drink without pain. So now I feel restricted. I can't overeat, but I am able to eat enough to keep me alive! Thank goodness. Dense meats can still be a problem. I have to be careful with those. But no horrible stuck episodes since the unfill thank goodness.Geez, that was no fun.I have a follow-up appt. in few weeks.

  Well, I went for my first fill yesterday. It was a couple of weeks late due to a mix up at the office. I had it done under fluoro and it all went well. The P.A  Candace did it while Dr. Voellinger supervised. There was a little stick for the xylocaine to numb me up, but that wasn't bad at all. When she inserted the needle into the port I could feel alot of pressure and it felt really strange. I don't know how else to describe it. It was freaking me out for a little while there. It wasn't painful, just weird. They had me sip barium as she was filling me. She got me too tight on purpose so that i could know what that felt like, then she withdrew some saline til i was able to swallow without discomfort. I ended up with 6 cc's total (there was 2 in there from surgery already). So they actually put in 4cc's.  I 've been on liquids since yesterday , but will progress to pureed tomorrow for 2 days. Honestly , it has been rough to be back on liquids!  My  stomach is so pissed with me! It is growling almost constantly. Can't wait to get back on solids. At least I'm losing weight again! Well, i'm heading to the outer banks in the morning to do some kayaking, I hope, if the weather cooperates. Was beautiful all week down there, now they are calling for rain all weekend! Oh well, I will try and make the best of it whatever happens. Just glad to get away!

   Well, I'm one month out and doing great. My incisions have finally healed. It took the hiatal hernia incision longer than I expected to heal. I started back to work last weekend and surprisingly did well. I say this because I work 3rd shift over 13 hours for 3 days straight and do heavy lifting. I was afraid I would get tired fast, but I didn't. I guess after being on 3rd shift for 20years it would take more than 3 weeks off to mess me up!
   I haven't had any nausea or vomiting. I have had some constipation, but no other problems to speak of. I took milk of  magnesia for the constipation and that helped. I just started on soft foods this week. It's wonderful! I am chewing really well and not drinking 30mins before or after I eat. I am getting at least 60 grams of protein and 48-64ounces of water in daily. I take 2 multivitamins and 2 calcium plus D chewables (celebrate brand) a day. I am eating between 800-1000 calories. I usually eat every 4-5 hours and do not usually get hungry between meals.
   My weight was at a plateau for the last couple of weeks and finally broke this morning! When I weighed this morning I had lost 5 lbs. for a total of 6 this week. I was sooo happy! Was getting worried there for a while. The reason I finally broke the plateau was probably because I started working out seriously again this week. I walk 45mins-1 hour a day on the treadmill. I do a weight lifting routine 2-3 days. Occasionally , I also use the recumbent bicycle. I am trying to work this band! Hopefully I will get a fill in a couple of weeks and be able to lose even more!

    It's been a week now since my surgery. For those that haven't been through it yet, i will relate my experience.Also, i need to inform you that I was also having a hiatal hernia repaired at the same time as the band placement. It was a surprise that I only found out about at the pre-op meeting with Dr. Voellinger. He thought it was small and would be simple to repair. Just something else for me to worry about!! 
       I woke up at 3a.m that morning and took a long hot bath to try and help myself relax.( We had to be at the hospital by 5:30. ) I really wasn't too nervous yet. To be honest the hardest thing was not being able to wear any makeup at all! I very rarely leave the house without it!( You see, I am not blessed with that much "natural" beauty...at least in my mind. )It's a crutch of mine. So we arrived right on time(my husband was with me). We went to the same day surgery center and I was given an arm band and our parking was validated. Then I got to sit in the waiting room with about 15 other people. Boy did i feel naked without the makeup!! And we waited, which is nerve racking in itself. I guess it was only about 20mins. before I was called and escorted back  to get my vital signs taken (temp, blood pressure, weight). I was asked questions about any allergies and asked if all the info on my armband was correct, etc. I signed some papers.The nurse was very nice. Then I was taken to a room that had 2 beds and another patient was already there in one of them. There was a curtain between the beds. I was told to undress and put on a hospital gown. They left and I did. Another nurse came in and told me to clean my entire abdomen with hibiclens solution and then put on this sterile paper surgery gown. Another nurse came in and gave me a shot of blood thinner into my abdomen! I honestly did not feel it though ,because the needle was so small. After that they brought my husband in. I took out my contacts. And I waited. Finally the transport person came in and i was given a hair net to put on, then was put on a stretcher and taken to the O.R. holding area.
       Now this was when I started to get very nervous. A nurse put an angiocath in my arm and started an IV. Then I basically just sat there for what seemed like forever. And I was blind as a bat! I work at that hospital and if anybody I knew walked by, I wouldn't have recognized them! So I just sat there with this dumb smile on my face in case someone was looking at me. Believe me it got harder to keep that smile as time went by. Finally the anesthesiologist came by and quizzed me on everything again. (allergies, medications, etc.) I was glad they were being careful and thorough. And I just sat and got more nervous. I really thought they would have given me something for my nerves by this time. But they didn't. And I did tell them I was nervous, more than once. Well, at last they came to take me away to the operating room. My surgery was scheduled for 7:30 and I am pretty sure thats about when I went in. I was asked to move to the operating table and the anesthetist put something in my I.V. and thats all I remember until I woke up in the recovery room. It was about 9a.m at this point. I could just make out the hands on the clock in front of me. I was in serious pain. But only in my left shoulder/clavicle area. The recovery room nurse asked me on a scale of 1-10 how bad the pain was. I told her a 9. But i think it was more like a 10. Anyway, she gave me more pain meds and I felt much better. From reading on here on the lapband forums I was aware that other people had the same pain that apparently comes from the gas they pump up your abdomen with. It migrates up to the shoulders sometimes and causes pain. Anyway thats what I heard. 
      At about 11a.m. I was taken back to the room I was in before I went to surgery. My husband was there. It was soooo good to see him! He told me Dr. Voellinger had come to see him and told him my hiatal hernia was larger than they expected. But that everthing went well.  (I found out after I got home that i had a 4inch incision where he repaired the hernia!)I was very groggy.I was asked to drink a small amount of water.  I remember my husband helping me get dressed and POOF! just like that I was whisked out of there in a wheelchair and put into my car. It was only 11:30! So That was it...My surgery experience. Hope it is helpful to those of you wondering what it's like! Not a bad experience at all.

  Started my 2 week pre-op liquied diet yesterday. Let me just say that I was really surprised how hard it was to get in all my fluids and protein! I didn't even get that hungry, but of course it was only the first day. It consisted of Unjury chocolate protein drinks (2).Low fat Cream of chicken soup put in a blender, organic potato leek soup, unjury chicken soup and jello. The unjury products were actually pretty good. I had to add seasoning to the potato soup though. It was very bland. (less salt than the cream of chicken) I ended up getting about 70 grams of protein and 64ounces of fluids(water, diet snapple). I consumed a total of 880 calories. I am required to consume 60-80grams of protein and 1000 or less calories a day. 
  I also started back on the treadmill and weightlifting. I had stopped doing that for over a month now due to stress with a death in the family, etc. Always hard to start back once you quit. I don't recommend it, but we are human and sometimes life gets in the way. That is one of the main reasons for having the surgery...I can lose the weight but lose focus fast when other events take over in my life. Always gain it back. I had gained 10lbs back of the 36 I had lost. Hopefully with this liquid diet I will lose those again and more. We'll see.

  Got a call 3 days ago that I was approved for lap band surgery! My surgery date is Jan.6, 2009. I will be on my 2 week liquid diet starting Christmas week! Probably could have had it sooner, but I wasn't really in a hurry. So not really anybody's fault but my own for it taking so long. I didn't pressure the doctor's office to hurry, so they didn't! Due to a death in the family I got behind with my financial obligation and my discipline with exercising as well.. But finally I paid up and now everything is ready to go. I'm excited and afraid at the same time. I am ready though. Can't wait to see results! I just hope everything goes well in the OR and afterwards.

    Last week (May 6) I had my psych evaluation. I was more nervous about this more than anything i'd been through so far.I'm in the waiting room and out comes a man and a woman to greet me. Seems the woman was in training and the man named Jeff asked if it was ok if she sat in on my "interview". I said fine, why not. I sat down at a table with these two across from me. I could feel myself turning red as a beet , which i do when i get nervous. Many questions followed... kinda felt like an inquisition. But that's probably because i hate being the center of attention (most of the time). I was asked what I hated about being overweight the most. I said the stigma that is attached to it. The way you are perceived and looked at by the public. We are made to feel like second class citizens in my opinion. Who would like that? Anyway , lots of questions.. 25 mins worth. In the end, he said he would recommend to Dr. Voellinger that i have 18 months follow-up with the NUT, exercise physiologist and him...Probably because i do better when I have to answer to others. I am quite competitive, and if i know somebody is watching me, i do better. or maybe they just want to get more money out of  me!? who knows.....
    Still walking the treadmill 45mins. 5 days a week...For 4 weeks now. I've lost 17lbs!

   Started my pre-op process a little over a month ago. My first visit was with the exercise physiologist, Annie. She is so sweet and motivating.Very knowledgable too. She's been featured on one of the major networks as an expert in her field.  First thing she did(after the dreaded weigh-in) was an iDXA  (x-ray)scan of my body..It shows where the lean and fat is on your body. Basically what you're made of. Well....let me tell you, when I saw that I thought "lord have mercy"!.I told Annie that I looked like the Michelin Man. (not as many rolls/tires thank goodness, but  you get the idea)Then she said  "Bonnie, you actually have a very nice shape".. Not sure what she meant by that , but yeah, I probably do have one somewhere in there.She set me up with an exercise routine that let me tell ya, is pretty challenging. It includes a hand weight routine that is composed of 8 different exercises done 12-15 reps each and 2-3 circuits.Also, daily treadmill walking.  It's my fault though. I encouraged it! Only because i'm fairly active anyway and am ready to see RESULTS!. Especially if I know that they might last this time...wow, what a concept. So.... i'm following that plan(and pushing myself beyond it).
    A week after that visit , I met with the nutritionist. So precious, and really knows her stuff. I'm working on the "30" rule..Chewing my food thirty times is harder than I thought, but it's getting easier. The HARDEST part for me(and I knew it would be) is not drinking with my meal. What a hard habit to break, huh!? Well, what cha gonna do? Gotta do it sooner or later..The food part is fairly easy for me. Never been much of a sweet eater and have always watched the fat content of what I eat.(heart problems run in the family, don't need the cholesterol) Anyway...It's still a struggle changing old habits. 
   My next visit is with the Psychologist in a couple of weeks. That should be interesting and probably the hardest visit yet for me. Don't like to talk to strangers about my feelings(but once I get to know ya, watch out!) We'll see..Not sure what to expect. I'll update about it later hopefully...