Debra M.
A new year and more victories in store for me!
Jan 02, 2009
Ok. Guess I'm not very good at updating these posts. Here's a summary of the past 12 months.
Surgery in December 2007 and recovery went very well. I'm grateful to have a surgery twin, Therese, to share all the experiences of our first fills, support groups, and clothes with. Weight loss for me was quite rapid those first few months, and thankfully Tanja gave me all of her "big" clothes so I could be stylish without spending much money.
In the spring and early summer I couldn't believe how much energy I had to ride my bike, take walks without my feet hurting, and play on playground equipment with my niece and nephew. Remember the summer of $4.00 gas? Well, I was on a mission to ride my bike everywhere in town from the library to the grocery store. It was actually quite fun.
You know all those "extremely rare" complications that can happen with the band? Well...
My band slipped in July 2008. Once I asked someone how to know if the band had slipped, and she said "Oh, you'll know." Well, she was right. I was in SO much pain and couldn't keep anything down. Unfortunately, I was up in Grand Forks, ND, when all this happened and stubbornly drove myself back to Minneapolis to see my surgeon. (Big mistake.) I am thankful for Lucy who sat up all night with me in the emergency room at HCMC. In the morning, my surgeon, Dr. Lederer, gave me a complete unfill, and the pain was gone. I was scheduled for a revision in August. In order to prevent gaining weight while I had no restriction, I exercised twice each day for an hour. In a way, it was good reinforcement that I am really benefitting from having my band "tool" because I was not able to control my portion sizes without it.
During the revision in August 2008, the old band was removed, and I was updated to the new AP band. So, recovery was just like the original surgery, except not as scary because I knew what to expect. Thank you to Lucy and Ann who took care of me on surgery day and after! Unfortunately, I developed a hematoma around the incision for the port. So, that meant having the incision re-opened and cleaned out. I pleaded to have a "MAC" instead of general anesthesia for this procedure, and I felt so much better after it was done. Thank you, Julie, for driving me down to HCMC at the last minute.
So, would I have weight loss surgery again if I know I would have all these complications? ABSOLUTELY! When I compare the energy I have now with how I felt last year at this time, I am amazed. I hadn't realized how much I had given up over the years while I was gaining all that weight. Now I can do things that are so much fun: sliding down a slide, swinging on a swing, climbing 105 steps to the top of a water slide too many times to count in one day, jogging 5K without stopping, having incredible lung capacity for playing flute, swimming a mile, waking up each morning without any aches or pains, sleeping soundly at night without sleep apnea or deafening snoring, running (literally) up to the copy machine between classes to make copies. Perhaps the most exciting things I've gained this past year has been confidence, self-respect, and a great appreciation for all my family and friends who encourage me with words and/or how they live their lives.
I am truly blessed and can't wait to see what 2009 has in store for me. I've lost over half of my excess weight. Who knows, maybe I'll have reached goal weight by 2010 and have tons of new activities to add to my "can do" list!
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Surgery in December 2007 and recovery went very well. I'm grateful to have a surgery twin, Therese, to share all the experiences of our first fills, support groups, and clothes with. Weight loss for me was quite rapid those first few months, and thankfully Tanja gave me all of her "big" clothes so I could be stylish without spending much money.
In the spring and early summer I couldn't believe how much energy I had to ride my bike, take walks without my feet hurting, and play on playground equipment with my niece and nephew. Remember the summer of $4.00 gas? Well, I was on a mission to ride my bike everywhere in town from the library to the grocery store. It was actually quite fun.
You know all those "extremely rare" complications that can happen with the band? Well...
My band slipped in July 2008. Once I asked someone how to know if the band had slipped, and she said "Oh, you'll know." Well, she was right. I was in SO much pain and couldn't keep anything down. Unfortunately, I was up in Grand Forks, ND, when all this happened and stubbornly drove myself back to Minneapolis to see my surgeon. (Big mistake.) I am thankful for Lucy who sat up all night with me in the emergency room at HCMC. In the morning, my surgeon, Dr. Lederer, gave me a complete unfill, and the pain was gone. I was scheduled for a revision in August. In order to prevent gaining weight while I had no restriction, I exercised twice each day for an hour. In a way, it was good reinforcement that I am really benefitting from having my band "tool" because I was not able to control my portion sizes without it.
During the revision in August 2008, the old band was removed, and I was updated to the new AP band. So, recovery was just like the original surgery, except not as scary because I knew what to expect. Thank you to Lucy and Ann who took care of me on surgery day and after! Unfortunately, I developed a hematoma around the incision for the port. So, that meant having the incision re-opened and cleaned out. I pleaded to have a "MAC" instead of general anesthesia for this procedure, and I felt so much better after it was done. Thank you, Julie, for driving me down to HCMC at the last minute.
So, would I have weight loss surgery again if I know I would have all these complications? ABSOLUTELY! When I compare the energy I have now with how I felt last year at this time, I am amazed. I hadn't realized how much I had given up over the years while I was gaining all that weight. Now I can do things that are so much fun: sliding down a slide, swinging on a swing, climbing 105 steps to the top of a water slide too many times to count in one day, jogging 5K without stopping, having incredible lung capacity for playing flute, swimming a mile, waking up each morning without any aches or pains, sleeping soundly at night without sleep apnea or deafening snoring, running (literally) up to the copy machine between classes to make copies. Perhaps the most exciting things I've gained this past year has been confidence, self-respect, and a great appreciation for all my family and friends who encourage me with words and/or how they live their lives.
I am truly blessed and can't wait to see what 2009 has in store for me. I've lost over half of my excess weight. Who knows, maybe I'll have reached goal weight by 2010 and have tons of new activities to add to my "can do" list!
Surgery is over!
Dec 19, 2007
It all happened so fast, but now I'm ready to join the loser bench. I had the lap band surgery on December 17, and now I'm home and on the road to recovery. I have a bit of discomfort, but no real pain. I took 2 Tylenol this morning and one at noon. I'm still planning to take a "real" pain pill before bed to help insure a good night's sleep. This is so much less painful than I had prepared myself for. Dr. Lederer and the HCMC staff were phenomenal!
Starting Out
Aug 23, 2007
It seems that I have been struggling with my weight for 35 of my 41 years, and it's been very freeing to begin the journey towards surgery and a wholenew life style. My main goal is to be healthy and active so I can: ride all the rides at an amusement park without worrying if I'll fit, enjoy a long walk without my knees hurting, keep up with my neices and nephew, and enjoy working out again.
• May 2007: I attended the first informational/nutritional meeting at HCMC in Minneapolis. After researching bypass vs. lap band, I have decided to opt for the lap band proceedure. My insurance company, BCBS, requires patients to be under the care of a dietician for at least 12 months before they'll approve surgery. Hmm..the waiting begins.
• June 2007: Met with dietician for the first time. Wonderfully helpful person! I need to focus on eliminating all calorie drinks and eating only 3 meals per day. Also took the MMPI test in preparation to meet with the psychologist.
• July 2007: Follow-up meeting with dietician. Said my progress was good and that I should continue with the changes I made last month and work on limiting the number of times I eat fast food.
• August 2007: Met with the psychologist, and she says I'm a good candidate for surgery. Yippy! Also met with dietician, who gave me the great news that BCBS has lowered it's "waiting period" from 12 months to 6 months. She also says she can clear me for surgery. So, I've scheduled follow-up appontments with the dietician for September, October, November, and December. The really cool thing about scheduling so far out is that I was able to get an appointment on the same afternoon/evening as the Lap Band support group offered at HCMC. I attended this group for the first time, and it was great! Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could get a surgery date for January or February?!
