Cheryl C.
May 4, 2006 I start my journey today. I have been divorced 8 months and have made many changes. I have moved (closer to family), changed into a job and took a large cut in pay but got me working and able to make the move. I have gone back to school to obtain my degree (since I spent 9 of my 28 years of marriage putting my ex-husband through veterinary school) and left my daugher (22 years old now) in Mobile, AL going to school at The University of South Alabama. 4 years ago when my husband started having this mid-life crisis I lost 75 lbs in about 4 months. No dieting, just pure stress. I kept it off for 3 years and during the divorce I gained it all back in 4 months. So I decided it was time to do something about it and along comes and advertisement for the LapBand. It sounded too good to be true. So, I went to a seminar by Dr. Adam Smith in Midland this past week. I am so excited and can't wait to make this journey. I know that my insurance will not pay for any WLS so it will be a cash option for me. I'm hoping since it is coming out of my pocket that will give me even more incentive to really work at this. Today I go an have my yearly checkup and get all the necessary lab work done to send for my evaluation for surgery.
May 8, 2006 Lab work is back and faxed to Dr. Smith's office. Now it is just a waiting game.
May 10, 2006 Dr. Smith's office called and I am scheduled for my final exam by the doctor on 5/23, then I see the nutritionist and the psychologist on 5/24 and if all goes well I am scheduled for surgery on 5/25. I am to start my pre-op diet on 5/11.
May 11, 2006 I start my diet today it will be interesting to see how it goes. I am real excited.
May 22, 2006 I leave for Fort Worth when I get off work today. I have lost 11 lbs on the pre-diet and am real excited. It has not been has hard as I thought it was going to be. We (my mom and myself) will drive 3 hours or so tonight and the rest of the way in the morning. My first appointment is at 2pm so we can have a leasurely morning since it will only take us about 2 hours to get there. We have to leave "Tinker" (out 3lb Yorkie) at home and have a friend coming in to tend to him 2 or 3 times a day.
May 28, 2006 Well everything went great with my appointments but I did not have surgery. I woke up the morning of surgery around 4am and was deathly ill. I had vertigo. I was so sick that I could not move with throwing up. My mother went up to the Surgi Center to speak with the doctor at 8am and he told her to have me use some of my nausea meds that I had for post op. That did not help and when we was out of surgery around noon he came to the AmeriSuite and saw me. He brought me a shop and meds and rescheduled me for next week. I was so disappointed. The next day I was so much better we decided to drive back and spend the weekend so that Tinker did not have to be by himself. We will take him with us this time. AmeriSuites allows pets and he will do so much better with us. He is a very nervous little dog.
May 29, 2006 I am off again for Fort Worth for surgery tomorrow. Hope all goes well I will update when I get back.
June 1, 2006 I had surgery on Tuesday 5/30 and all went great. The next morning I had to see the doctor's nurse before I could make the trip back to Odessa. They give a little pillow when you have surgery and it was a great help traveling back for 5 hours. I guess the most difficulty that I am having is getting in and out of bed. I have not had to take any pain meds but have them here just in case. I start my summer classes today luckily they are both online. I think that maybe I have pressed my luck this time.
June 5, 2006 I went back to work today. I think that I have rushed things. I started feeling constipated about 1pm and was terribly miserable the rest of the day. I work in Midland so I had a 20 minute drive to Odessa to get home. I was so uncomfortable I had an enema. I would never of been able to wait for Milk of Mag to work. Afterwards I was so much better. I have been having a hard time getting in enough fluid. I am literally exhausted but hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.
June 6, 2006 I am schedule to go back for my first fill on July 11th.
June 15, 2006 I am not having any trouble with limiting my intake. I really feel no restriction but am satisfied with the amount of food (4oz). I have been good and have not cheated through this whole process. If it wasn't on my list I did not eat it.
July 12, 2006 I had my first fill yesterday and have done ok. Doesn't seem to be overfilled.
July 14, 2006 Ok today I was supposed to be able to eat solid food. I have my small piece of chicken and a few vegies for lunch. I had only eaten a few bites and OH MY GOSH. I though I was going to die. I was so bad that I had to go home. I did not throw up but had pain and lot and lots of foamies. I called the doctor and his nurse told me to sip something hot. It made all the difference and it was over. I don't want to ever do that again. So it is back on fluids for a couple of meals to let the swelling go down.
July 30, 2006 OK I finally made it - I'm down 40 lbs. I have my next fill on 8/21 and am hoping to be down 50lbs by then. I just can't seem to get the exercising in there. Between work and coming home and studying all night. I know I need to make time but 2 summer courses are murder.
August 2, 2006 Today is my birthday - YAHOOOOOOOO!! I wish Shauna (my daughter) could of come but she is trying to work extra to put back some for school that will start in a month. Down 40.5.
August 4, 2006 Down another 1.5 pounds for a total of 43. Every day there is excitement with only 1/2 pound lost. It has been a stressful full of days. My daugher (Shauna, 22) is living in Mobile, Al and very unhappy since her breakup with the boyfriend. She wants to move to Texas but just is scared to make the committment. I have told her I will move her and get her set up but Mobile is home for her. She has never had to move or leave the comfort of the home zone. It is hard being in Texas knowing that she is so unhappy. On other fronts my spotting has subsided a little - but I still have an appointment at the end of the month with GYN. Tomorrow I will have been divorced one year. Boy this past year has flown. But it has been a good year. Wednesday was my birthday and I got an e-mail from my ex wishing me a Happy Birthday and he said "You may be an oldie now but you are still a goodie." I would just as soon not hear from him. I am trying to get on with my life I wish he would do the same. All for today.
August 7, 2006 I have to vent a little somewhere today. My just got my daugher (who lives in Mobile, AL) a new 3lb Pomeranian. She called me at 5:45 am to tell me that he jumped off the couch and hit his head on her camera on the floor and was not very responsive. I just panick when I calls early out of the norm. She took it to the Emergency Clinic and we seemed just fine. Luckily they did not charge her. Then I got on the scales and had gained the 2 pounds that I had just loss. What a bummer of a morning.
August 20, 2006 -I fly to Dallas today for my 2nd fill. Kind of excited and a little anxious. The first couple of weeks after my first fill I had trouble being able to eat meat one day and not the next. I decided it was not slow enough, not small enough, and not chewing enough. The last 3 weeks have gone well. We'll see. I have upped my protein and after a slow down over a two week period the scale is starting to move a little faster.
August 23, 2006 - My trip to Dallas for my second fill was very uneventful. Everything seems to be going OK. I have been on liquids for 2 days and will get to go back on food tonight. I am ready. I have not lost any in the last couple of days - but haven't gained. I'm following all the rules and really can't complain about my loss. I feel like I am right on track and keeping on keeping on.
September 1, 2006 - I made 50 lbs today. This is one of my mini goals. I have not been able to post much lately. I started classes this semester and I am working full time and taking 15 hours. I have to attend classes on campus 4 nights a week until 9pm. I just couldn't get these classes on line. Hopefully next semester I won't have to go on campus. Later ----
September 22, 2006 Well I finally got past the 55lbs mark. I am down 56lbs today. This month has been slower - disappointing - but that is OK on average it is a great loss. School is all right but could be better. Just get a little stressed some times over exams etc. Not much going on except work, school, study - I know there is going to be a light at the end of this tunnel - just right now it is very very dim.
October 2, 2006 As of today I am down 62lbs. Everything just seems to be going fairly well. I have trouble with some foods (chicken particularly). Fish is my best bet. That makes eating out more difficult. But there is not much time for eating out when I work from 8-5 and then 4 nights a week I am in class till 9pm. Some people think my problem with some foods could be a flair up of a sliding hiatal hernia that I developed during chemotherapy for breast cancer back in 98. I can pretty well attribute my problems to things like not slow enough and not small enough bites. I am excited about my loss and hope that it will continue. I have another goal for the end of the year of 80-90 total lbs. I would really like 100 lbs but I know that is unrealistic. Even another 20 lbs may be unrealistic but oh what the hey - I'm going to try. I have not really exercised much due to work/school schedule but am going to make a concerted effort to do so. I imagine that will be the only way that I will make that goal. I can tell that the loss has started to slow some. I have only had 2 fills and don't feel like I need another yet. Especially until I get past the problem with size/chew things. Loving my band!!
October 12, 2006 - Well today I made 65 lbs. Everythings seems to be going OK. I have my ups and down. One day I am REALLY tight and some days not. I am real excited about the loss and being able to get into another set of clothes. Needs pans though. I am just to tight (penny pincher) to let go of the money and get a few things. "If he could only see me now." HA HA!!
