hmkies
Two Weeks Post-op
Jan 21, 2010
Good afternoon everyone, I was not going to write everyday, although my plan was to use this as a way of journals, but time has slipped past me once again.
So, I went to my first doctor's appointment yesterday - two weeks after surgery and was very nervous about getting on the scale. I had been weighing myself almost everyday and I did not see a significant change in size or "numbers." I knew what I weighed right before my surgery and also knew that my scale is about 4 to 5 lbs less than the physicians. The good news is, I am down 13 lbs (this is in combination of what I weighed the last time I was a the doctor's office until two weeks after my surgery) - 4 lbs are since my surgery.
When I spoke with the doctor I told him I wanted a little more off the scale, but he reminded me of the type of surgery I just had - Lap Band. As we all know, this is not a "quick drop of weight" by any means, so I am grateful for what I have lost and will continue to work hard until my next appointment. I did get in trouble because I had not started to exercise yet - I thought I needed to heal first and was told I should have started the day after I got home! Oops! So guess what? I am joining a gym tomorrow when I have some time off.
My journey the first two weeks have been hard for me, but anything we work for is hard - the weight did not come on over night and the weight is not going to leave the same way! It did not take long for the "swelling" to go away and at this point there is no restriction so I am HUNGRY! It is so hard to follow the 1 to 2 oz of protein and a tbsp of fruits or veggies. I eat approximately 4 oz of food at each meal. It is difficult to make that transition of eating whatever I wanted to 4 Oz's!
I am thankful I have a wonderful family who support me and my husband is totally awesome - when he eats something I am not allowed and I ask for a bite - he tells me NO! So if I am not allowed to eat it, neither is he! LOL It is a struggle every day to make the right choices in food. I am at the point now that I can have soft foods - I bought a Ninja from an info-mercial and it does a great job at chopping and pureeing foods! It is because there is NO restriction that anything will go down! I do notice though if something has more fat in it or sugar because I can now start to feel the effects of it, so this whole process keeps you on track if you listen to your body.
My journey continues and will get easier I feel as the weeks and then months come. I go back in four (4) weeks for my first fill and will definitely write about that! I am nervous just thinking about it because it involves needles. I will write also about my journey to the gym! Yeah, cannot wait to burn those calories that I keep putting in my body - even if it is only 4 Oz's a meal time!
For all of those who will read this, I wish you luck and even though I am just starting on my journey, feel free to contact me with any questions of pre-surgery matters or if you are struggling. I may not know it all, but I can lend an ear.
God Bless,
Heather
2 comments
So, I went to my first doctor's appointment yesterday - two weeks after surgery and was very nervous about getting on the scale. I had been weighing myself almost everyday and I did not see a significant change in size or "numbers." I knew what I weighed right before my surgery and also knew that my scale is about 4 to 5 lbs less than the physicians. The good news is, I am down 13 lbs (this is in combination of what I weighed the last time I was a the doctor's office until two weeks after my surgery) - 4 lbs are since my surgery.
When I spoke with the doctor I told him I wanted a little more off the scale, but he reminded me of the type of surgery I just had - Lap Band. As we all know, this is not a "quick drop of weight" by any means, so I am grateful for what I have lost and will continue to work hard until my next appointment. I did get in trouble because I had not started to exercise yet - I thought I needed to heal first and was told I should have started the day after I got home! Oops! So guess what? I am joining a gym tomorrow when I have some time off.
My journey the first two weeks have been hard for me, but anything we work for is hard - the weight did not come on over night and the weight is not going to leave the same way! It did not take long for the "swelling" to go away and at this point there is no restriction so I am HUNGRY! It is so hard to follow the 1 to 2 oz of protein and a tbsp of fruits or veggies. I eat approximately 4 oz of food at each meal. It is difficult to make that transition of eating whatever I wanted to 4 Oz's!
I am thankful I have a wonderful family who support me and my husband is totally awesome - when he eats something I am not allowed and I ask for a bite - he tells me NO! So if I am not allowed to eat it, neither is he! LOL It is a struggle every day to make the right choices in food. I am at the point now that I can have soft foods - I bought a Ninja from an info-mercial and it does a great job at chopping and pureeing foods! It is because there is NO restriction that anything will go down! I do notice though if something has more fat in it or sugar because I can now start to feel the effects of it, so this whole process keeps you on track if you listen to your body.
My journey continues and will get easier I feel as the weeks and then months come. I go back in four (4) weeks for my first fill and will definitely write about that! I am nervous just thinking about it because it involves needles. I will write also about my journey to the gym! Yeah, cannot wait to burn those calories that I keep putting in my body - even if it is only 4 Oz's a meal time!
For all of those who will read this, I wish you luck and even though I am just starting on my journey, feel free to contact me with any questions of pre-surgery matters or if you are struggling. I may not know it all, but I can lend an ear.
God Bless,
Heather
Starting my Journey of a new life!
Jan 08, 2010
Good morning!
I figured this was the best way for me to keep my thoughts and how I am doing. I tried starting a journal but find that I do not write in it like I should.
Well, I am four (4) days post-op from Lap-band surgery - surgery was January 5, 2010. It is a great way to start the new year and this is one resolution I will be able to keep. This surgery, I believe, will save my life! I have always struggled with my weight ever since I was a child. It was not until my early 20's that I joined the military and slimmed down to a weight I looked and felt good in. Well after an injury and the inability to exercise properly two things happened, the military honorably discharged me and I gained a ton of weight. Prior to my surgery I was the heaviest I have ever been in my life - I weighed in with the surgeon's office at 265. It really hits home when you see a definitive number like that and almost makes you want to cry and just give in the towel. That is where my journey began.
I went to a different surgeon first and found too many bad things were said about him and his team as well as too many of this physician's patients ended up back in the hospital for wound care. I found another surgeon who was recommended by one of my "many" physicians and that is where it started. It was only three (3) months of work prior to getting a surgical date. My insurance only said I had to due nutrition for three months before they would approve it. As most of you know who have had any type of bariatric surgery, there are many hoops to go through and many more physician's to see.
I was about a week before my surgery (7 days) and that yummy "liquid" diet started! Yahoo! It was not very exciting and believe me I tried to cheat, but thank goodness I have a wonderful husband who supported me and told me NO! OK, I can handle this for seven days. It just happened that on the day I started that diet I had my pre-op with my primary care physician - weighing in at 264 lbs. So now I have a starting point and of course the scale at home is not the same (says I was 256.5 lbs) so now not sure which one to go by. Well I started weighing myself everyday (probably a big mistake) and writing it down, along with the things I ate.
Surgery comes, that big day that I am terrified and praying to God to help me get through this. I get to the hospital and I am a big sissy when it comes to having an IV put in because no one can usually find my veins, so I ask for an IV nurse, well do they listen, NOPE! So, I figure she can not go wrong with the largest vein I have in my arm so I let her use it. Well time goes on and I am panicking because she missed and blew it! So now she has to check the other arm! In the meantime, after she did this to me, the CNA or PCA comes to take my vitals, ya, let me tell you those were off the wall! My blood pressure was 144/85 (usually 112/72) and my blood sugar (another STICK) was 119 (normally around 106) - all of this was with me having nothing to eat or drink since 9 pm the evening before. The best part though was when they weighed me (which they have a scale right in the bed - totally cool!) I was 253 lbs (that was an 11 lb drop from a week ago). So the nurse gets an IV into my left arm and it was small - 22 gauge needle.
It was like being back in the Army - Hurry up and wait! I get to the pre-op room right before they take me to the OR and I see my surgeon - man of few words! Then the Anesthesiologist comes in and looks at my IV and says - "yea, that IV is really too small for us in the OR, it will be enough to get you to sleep, but we will put a new one in when you are asleep. I also need to tell you that we may not get it on our first attempt, so we may have to try more than once." Thank goodness I will be asleep for this! I am in the OR and the cocktail is put into the IV and it feels wonderful! Things are spinning and I am fighting to stay awake - and I am laughing at everything that is being said!
Next thing I remember, I am in the recovery room trying very hard to wake up and figured the heck with it, just go back to sleep. The nurses asked me what happened to my left arm so what do I do? I raise my right arm to look and they laughed and said no your other left! I had two new bandages that I did not go in with and the IV was in my right hand. I guess they did have a hard time finding a vein on me!
Now the most interesting part was the overnight at the hospital. The staff was great, but you do not get any rest there - they are waking you every hour or so to do vitals or to give medicine, etc. I was thankful that I was able to get up that same day and walk, my butt was beginning to hurt from laying there that I had to get up, even if it hurt to walk. Once around the unit I was on and I felt so much better. After that I got up when I wanted and walked, my roommate even took a walk with me. The next day was discharge day - I was not able to be discharged until I had a fluoroscopy to ensure the band was in place and nothing was leaking. It was after that test that I was going to get something to drink! Yahoo! I was excited! I go to have the x-ray done and the stuff you drink is totally nasty - makes you want to gag if you could, but it was neat to watch on the screen and the radiologist said everything looked good. They offered me a swab to cleanse my mouth - a SWAB? I want H2O!
The results come back and I am free to go, the nurse brings me crystal-lite and vegetable broth, boy do they taste good going down. Now it is time to get dressed and go home to actually get some rest. That was the hard part - getting dressed. Everything hurt! My arms and my stomach.
Well it has been three days home and I am feeling pretty good, I am still sore, but each day it keeps getting easier to stand, sit, and lay down. I only take the pain medication at night because I tend to move while I sleep and work through any pain during the day. I may have overdone it yesterday though, I went for a ride with my husband to get his haircut (by his sister) and then later I went to choir practice and tried to sing - well it still hurts to take a deep breath! So, today I am a little more sore, but will take it easy today and try to take some more nourishment.
It's a journey - and sometimes it is not an easy one to go down. One thing I do know - I cannot do this without God in my life. He gives me the strength to continue on and when I am weary, it is God I need to lean on.
God Bless,
Heather
1 comment
I figured this was the best way for me to keep my thoughts and how I am doing. I tried starting a journal but find that I do not write in it like I should.
Well, I am four (4) days post-op from Lap-band surgery - surgery was January 5, 2010. It is a great way to start the new year and this is one resolution I will be able to keep. This surgery, I believe, will save my life! I have always struggled with my weight ever since I was a child. It was not until my early 20's that I joined the military and slimmed down to a weight I looked and felt good in. Well after an injury and the inability to exercise properly two things happened, the military honorably discharged me and I gained a ton of weight. Prior to my surgery I was the heaviest I have ever been in my life - I weighed in with the surgeon's office at 265. It really hits home when you see a definitive number like that and almost makes you want to cry and just give in the towel. That is where my journey began.
I went to a different surgeon first and found too many bad things were said about him and his team as well as too many of this physician's patients ended up back in the hospital for wound care. I found another surgeon who was recommended by one of my "many" physicians and that is where it started. It was only three (3) months of work prior to getting a surgical date. My insurance only said I had to due nutrition for three months before they would approve it. As most of you know who have had any type of bariatric surgery, there are many hoops to go through and many more physician's to see.
I was about a week before my surgery (7 days) and that yummy "liquid" diet started! Yahoo! It was not very exciting and believe me I tried to cheat, but thank goodness I have a wonderful husband who supported me and told me NO! OK, I can handle this for seven days. It just happened that on the day I started that diet I had my pre-op with my primary care physician - weighing in at 264 lbs. So now I have a starting point and of course the scale at home is not the same (says I was 256.5 lbs) so now not sure which one to go by. Well I started weighing myself everyday (probably a big mistake) and writing it down, along with the things I ate.
Surgery comes, that big day that I am terrified and praying to God to help me get through this. I get to the hospital and I am a big sissy when it comes to having an IV put in because no one can usually find my veins, so I ask for an IV nurse, well do they listen, NOPE! So, I figure she can not go wrong with the largest vein I have in my arm so I let her use it. Well time goes on and I am panicking because she missed and blew it! So now she has to check the other arm! In the meantime, after she did this to me, the CNA or PCA comes to take my vitals, ya, let me tell you those were off the wall! My blood pressure was 144/85 (usually 112/72) and my blood sugar (another STICK) was 119 (normally around 106) - all of this was with me having nothing to eat or drink since 9 pm the evening before. The best part though was when they weighed me (which they have a scale right in the bed - totally cool!) I was 253 lbs (that was an 11 lb drop from a week ago). So the nurse gets an IV into my left arm and it was small - 22 gauge needle.
It was like being back in the Army - Hurry up and wait! I get to the pre-op room right before they take me to the OR and I see my surgeon - man of few words! Then the Anesthesiologist comes in and looks at my IV and says - "yea, that IV is really too small for us in the OR, it will be enough to get you to sleep, but we will put a new one in when you are asleep. I also need to tell you that we may not get it on our first attempt, so we may have to try more than once." Thank goodness I will be asleep for this! I am in the OR and the cocktail is put into the IV and it feels wonderful! Things are spinning and I am fighting to stay awake - and I am laughing at everything that is being said!
Next thing I remember, I am in the recovery room trying very hard to wake up and figured the heck with it, just go back to sleep. The nurses asked me what happened to my left arm so what do I do? I raise my right arm to look and they laughed and said no your other left! I had two new bandages that I did not go in with and the IV was in my right hand. I guess they did have a hard time finding a vein on me!
Now the most interesting part was the overnight at the hospital. The staff was great, but you do not get any rest there - they are waking you every hour or so to do vitals or to give medicine, etc. I was thankful that I was able to get up that same day and walk, my butt was beginning to hurt from laying there that I had to get up, even if it hurt to walk. Once around the unit I was on and I felt so much better. After that I got up when I wanted and walked, my roommate even took a walk with me. The next day was discharge day - I was not able to be discharged until I had a fluoroscopy to ensure the band was in place and nothing was leaking. It was after that test that I was going to get something to drink! Yahoo! I was excited! I go to have the x-ray done and the stuff you drink is totally nasty - makes you want to gag if you could, but it was neat to watch on the screen and the radiologist said everything looked good. They offered me a swab to cleanse my mouth - a SWAB? I want H2O!
The results come back and I am free to go, the nurse brings me crystal-lite and vegetable broth, boy do they taste good going down. Now it is time to get dressed and go home to actually get some rest. That was the hard part - getting dressed. Everything hurt! My arms and my stomach.
Well it has been three days home and I am feeling pretty good, I am still sore, but each day it keeps getting easier to stand, sit, and lay down. I only take the pain medication at night because I tend to move while I sleep and work through any pain during the day. I may have overdone it yesterday though, I went for a ride with my husband to get his haircut (by his sister) and then later I went to choir practice and tried to sing - well it still hurts to take a deep breath! So, today I am a little more sore, but will take it easy today and try to take some more nourishment.
It's a journey - and sometimes it is not an easy one to go down. One thing I do know - I cannot do this without God in my life. He gives me the strength to continue on and when I am weary, it is God I need to lean on.
God Bless,
Heather
