CaramelT

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This week food has been EVERYWHERE  at my job. There was a retirement party for two people, a lunch and people just randomly bringing food to the office.

At the retirement party I ate a couple of nuts and a couple of mints. I didn't eat the strawberry cake, although it looked tempting. I did try the punch that was very good but promptly and discreetly spit it out when I realized it was carbonated. Carbonation can enlarge your pouch! NOT GOOD!

The next day, my supervisor decided we should all have lunch together. She knows about my surgery ,so I told her I would join everyone for lunch but might bring my own meal depending upon what was ordered. We ended up with subs and chips. For me crunchy things are better and easier to chew thoroughly so I had a few chips. For the sub I took off the top portion of bread and the lettuce. I then took the half of bread that was left and cut it in half and placed it on top of the meat. That way to other people it still looked like I was eating a regular sandwich but I only had 1/4 the bread.

Today (so far) I have successfully passed the table with banana walnut bread and blueberry bread. I can still smell it in my office but I will not breakdown (hopefully). It's so much easier when at home when food is out of sight, out of mind. Luckily, sweets aren't my biggest weakness - it's fried food.

It is amazing that people ask you the same old questions. They don't realize that you have answered this same question   probably 10 million times already that day.

Top three questions:
1. How much weight have you lost?
2. How much do you want to lose?
3. What does the band feel like?

READ THE BLOG! READ THE BLOG! It's here to share information and guarantee that I won't turn into  a raging lunatic when you ask these questions.

If I were constipated, people wouldn't ask me if I'd taken a dump that day. If I had a boob job, people wouldn't ask, so, how are the boobs today? But when it comes to weight loss, you are interrogated like a criminal.

If  a person is contemplating having the surgery and they ask questions, it's different.. They want info to help them make an informed decision about what is right for them and they SHOULD  be asking questions . . . lots of them.

But when people are asking just to be nosy, not because they care or are concerned, I'm really not obligated to tell you.

Answers to top three questions:
1. 27 lbs (got rid of the four from day of dr. visit)
2. I don't know. I don't have a set goal weight. Read previous blog entry for info on that.
3. Nothing, if you can feel your internal organs when there is no problem, see a doctor.

When I first got my band and had to be on liquids, it was no problem. I just wasn't hungry. I expected it to be the same way after a fill. IT'S NOT! I am so hungry right now and I'm starting to get a headache (which I never get). I can't wait until tomorrow when I can have some real food!

By the time I fill up on liquids I have to go to the bathroom and the fullness sensation leaves. I've had cream of chicken soup, yogurt, a tablespoon of hummus, and a protein shake. Still my stomach is saying, lady you need to feed me, PLEASE.

Oh well, I will survive.

Ok, so today was my first fill. When I went to the doctor and weighed in the scale showed I had gained 4 lbs.  I know the first six weeks is just bonus weight and that a lot of people gain weight during this period . .. but I didn't want to be one of them! Intellectually, I KNOW this but emotionally it almost seems like I'm failing at something I want to succeed in. Dr.Bilton and Beverly (his nurse) were both like, that's ok we know what to do about that. Those were comforting words when my mind was beating me up.

The fill wasn't so bad. It felt like a large mosquito bit me. I'm on liquids today and tomorrow, we'll see if I can feel a difference. Sometimes you don't feel good restriction until you have several fills. It just depends on the person.

I mentioned to Dr. Bilton that we never discussed a goal weight. He told me I didn't have to have one. It was up to me to determine what I wanted to weigh but that most people lose 50%-70% of their excess weight. In a sense, I was relieved. This way I am not hung up on three digits and letting the scale control my life.

My appointment was at 1:30 so I left from work and didn't each lunch. I thought after my fill I wouldn't be hungry. Boy, was I WRONG! My stomach started growling in the doctor's office but I thought the fill would take care of that. I came home HUNGRY so I drank a Light & Fit smoothie. Thought that would take care of my hunger. . .it didn't. After listening to my stomach growl for about two hours (wanted to make sure it wasn't just in my head!) I had to eat some Cream of Chicken Soup. I almost tore my pantry up looking for soup. I really wanted cheddar cheese soup but I still haven't found it and I know I bought a can. You know how excessive hunger can make you!

Looking in the pantry was interesting because I very rarely go into it now. I saw things that I used to eat that I haven't thought about or craved that I used to eat on a regular basis. I need to get rid of a lot of it, I'm sure a lot is past the expiration date. I'm sure a friend or my church would be willing to take it.

I hear this question a lot now. So, I think I need to explain some things.

1. You don't lose weight at a rapid pace with this procedure, which is one reason I chose it. I won't be losing 50 lbs in two weeks or anything like that. It will be more like 1-2 lbs a week. The slower it comes off the harder it is to come back is how I think. Plus I'm hoping my skin won't sag so badly that I look like an elephant or one of those dogs with all the wrinkles.

2. The band is equipped to work with a fill. I haven't had my first fill. The first fill isn't done until after the first 6 weeks. Right now, I am still considered to be in the healing phase not in active weight loss. The weight I've lost now is simply a bonus.

3. What is a fill? A fill is when the doctor inflates the band that is around your stomach with a saline solution. This is what gives you the restriction and helps you to lose weight. You can be unfilled, if you need to, if an illness or pregnancy occurs and you need more nutrients. So in a sense, it is flexible.

4. Sometimes the victories are not always on the scale. Scales don't show the inches that you have lost. If you're like me, you lose inches before you lose weight. The scale also doesn't show that you can get into your jeans again (like I did today ).

Everyone wants to know how I am doing. . . so I'll tell you!

I was in the hospital for 1.5 days. The day of surgery I actually called a few people to tell them I was ok. A couple of people were like, why are you calling me?! You just had surgery! I was up and felt well enough to talk. There was no pain really just soreness like I'd done too may sit ups or somethings.
 I got up and walked the same day. Walking is the best thing to do after surgery. If you lay in the bed, you have to wear the socks that help prevent you from having blood clots and it feels like you're a cow being milked! Because I did so well and had walked so much I was allowed to walk out of the hospital. Didn't even get to ride in a wheelchair!

Of course, when I got out of the hospital, I was on liquids for two weeks. This wasn't hard to do because I didn't get hungry. I lost 18 lbs on the liquid diet. Now, I've worked my way up from liquidss to mushiesto regular foods and have lost a total of about 25 lbs.

On May 1, that will be my six week mark. I will go to Dr. Bilton on this day and get a fill. We'll see how that goes!

It's funny how some people react to YOUR decision about YOUR body. Sure, I know most of it is care and concern but you have to wonder about some peoples reactions. Most people that I know have been supportive, thank God. I've found that most of the ones that aren't supportive have very little or no knowledge of the procedure. Others are  concerned for my safety and (I hate to say it)  some are just ignorant.

I still haven't told a lot of people I know about the surgery. I told the people I was closest to. Most of my co-workers don't know I had surgery because I had it during Spring Break and was back at work the following Monday. Some people I haven't told just because I haven't spoken them. Plus, I figure they'd hear through the grapevine.