Annie C.

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Tomorrow I will be  3 weeks out. I've lost 18 lbs. I am going back to my Slim Fast diet. I ordered lactose and gluten free easy to digest drinks. The Optimum drinks were killing me because I am lactose intolerant and my digestive system was not happy. Unfortunately, I haven't found a protein drink that my system can tolerate, so hopefully this will do it for me. It has alot of sugar but I did manage to lose 14 lbs pre-op drinking the Optimum Slim Fast and that included cheating. ALOT.  I need to start increasing my exercises. I walk during my lunch break and walk when I get home, if  I'm not playing taxi driver to my kids.

18 lbs gone, 97 more to go! My incisions are looking great!! The port incision is hard. I'm wondering if that's scar tissue building up or if it's the port. I'll have to ask my doctor on the 30th. My first fill!

I had my 2 week appointment yesterday. According to my doc's nurse, everything is going great. She looked at my incisions and said they were healing fine. I was worried about the port incision, but she said it was healing like it should. I think it looks horrible and hope that it shrinks in size. The only scar I have is from my tubal. It is in my belly button so you can barely see it. Now I have 5 incisions. 4 of them are healing great and with some Bio-oil, I'm sure they will get lighter and smaller in no time, but the port incision, wow! It looks awful. Oh well, I'm the only one that will see it so no biggie. I do not plan on wearing a bikini, so it's ok.

I confessed to my few bites of  food. She said that was fine. That I could start eating solids now.  Protiens first and no drinking with meals. My next appointment is on 1/30/09 for my first fill. I will be getting anywhere from 2 to 3 cc's. CAN'T WAIT!!! 

I took my son to the mall after my appointment. We stayed there for 6 hours. The time to shop is after Christmas. EVERYTHING was on sale. I was soooo tired from all of the walking that I slept until noon today.

I return to work on Monday. In a way, I'm glad, because it will be a lot easier sticking to my diet. Being at home was nice but it is too tempting to eat all the wrong foods.

I feel really good. I never had the gas pains or shoulder and back pains. The only pain I ever had was in my port area. Thank God I am healing. Everything is working out. Hopefully, once I get the fill, the weight will start melting off...........

A new year, a new ME!

I spent New Year's Eve all by myself. That's ok though. This year, it's all about me. I plan on taking better care of myself and my body. I have to get out of this depression and I know that once I start taking better care of myself, I can take better care of my kids.

I feel pretty good. The only pain I have is the port area.  My incisions are not too bad. The port incision is the worst and the biggest. The strip fell off after a week so I spray hydrogen peroxide everyday and keep it covered with gauze. It looks really bad but as long as it's not red, it should be ok. It is really hard sticking to the liquids but I know I have to so I can heal on the inside.  I've eaten a few bites of food here and there. I hope that I have not damaged anything. It's hard when there is no restriction. It would of been nice if the doc could of given me a couple of cc's in the band but it is completely empty. Can't wait for a fill!!!

I have my 2 week doctor's appt. tomorrow and I return to work on Monday. Hope everyone has a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Make it all about you!

I was at the hospital by 9:30. They took me straight back. I lost 14 lbs. on the pre-op diet. WooHoo. That's awesome considering I had a hard time sticking to the diet. I wasn't nervous until I saw my doctor. That is the  moment that hit me that I was really going through with the surgery. His nurse came in, then the OR nurse came in. The anesthesiologist came in and that is the last thing I remember. I was out.

Then I woke up gasping for air. I could not breathe. I felt like a fish out of water. My throat was so tight and no matter how deep of a breath I took, I just could not get enough. I really thought I was going to die. The nurse told me to take small breaths and blow out like if I was trying to whistle. I could not move my legs and could barely move my arms. It was horrible. I've never had an experience like this. As time went by, I was able to breathe better and able to move my legs. They took me to my recovery room and my daughter and sister-in-law came in to see me. The nurse had me drink some water and eat jello. She gave me some medication and asked me take a walk with her. We took a few steps, she took me back to the room and told me to get dressed. She came back in and released me. THAT WAS FAST! I decided to stay at my brother's house so my sister-in-law could take care of me. I was taking my medication every 4 hours. The rest of Monday and Tuesday is a blur to me. I called my doctor Wed afternoon because I could not urinate. The nurse was shocked that they let me out of the hospital without urinating first. I figured I had a catheter and that was the reason why I was having such a hard time but they did not have to use one.  I did not have a good experience with the hospital staff at all. I do not feel that they took good care of me and rushed me out too fast. Thank God I was finally able to use the  bathroom and I am ok. I do not have any restriction in my band so I can practically eat anything if I wanted to. I can drink an 11 oz. can of SlimFast with no problem.  Today is Saturday 12/27/08 and the only pain I feel is the port incision. Other than that I feel fine. I lost another 3 pounds. So all together, I am down 17 lbs. I hope they give me a fill on Friday (2 week appt), because I sure was wanting a bite of the pizza my kids were eating last night.......

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY. My surgery is scheduled at 11:00. I have to be there at 9:30. I hope the doc is not running behind. I am a little worried because I am not scared or nervous. I guess that's a good thing.

Last night my brother had a surprise party for my sister-in-law. I chose not to go because I did not want to blow my diet. They always have good food and good drinks. Instead, I stayed home, watched movies and ate broth and drank water. So much fun, ha! I'm not sure what I am going to do for Christmas eve and New Year's eve because we always get together and of course it always involves food and drinks.

Well, I need to get off my butt and do a few things around the house so I won't come home to a messy house tomorrow. WISH ME LUCK YA'LL. I can't wait to start loosing some of these pounds and start living a healthier life! I filled all my medications on Thursday. They will last me 90 days. I'm hoping once I start loosing weight, I will no longer need them. Wow, imagine that. No more meds!

My surgery is scheduled for 12/22/08. I am excited and nervous at the same time. My doctor put me on a 2 week pre-op diet and it has been tough sticking to it. What was I thinking doing this before Christmas? 

I hope he doesn't turn me away for not following the diet to a T. I plan on doing a clear liquid diet Saturday and Sunday, so hopefully that will make up for cheating. Trying to stick to the diet confirms that my eating is out of control and I need help before I gain another 50 lbs like I did in 1 year.

 I had a small crises last week and all I kept thinking of was what I wish I could eat once I got home. But.........all I could have was a Slimfast or 3 oz of lean meat with veggies. All I wanted was a pizza with extra cheese and a couple of glasses of wine. Nope, couldn't have that.  Well, I have to get used to this. I'm hoping that working out will feel as good as eating once did. Wish me luck!

I attended my 1st seminar in March 2008. I set up the consultation with the surgeon in April. A few days after the consultation, the insurance coordinator called to let me know that I was not eligible for WLS until September 2008 because of insurance lapse.

This left alot of time for me to research the different types of WLS surgeries available. I originally wanted the lap band, then the more I read about the gastric bypass, I started leaning more towards that. Then I read about the sleeve.  This surgery seemed like the perfect WLS because there is no cutting of the intestines and no foreign object in the body. Unfortunately, since my insurance considers the sleeve "experimental" it was not an option. So I kept going back and forth between the band and the RNY.

I found out in June that I am anemic. This pretty much helped me make up my mind since several people who have the RNY become anemic. SO! I am definetly going for the lap band. Now I have to make up my mind between 2 surgeons........ By the way, I am approved. I was approved in October but because I am anemic, my PCP recommended I take iron sulfate 3 times a day to bring my iron levels up. I chose the month of December to have the surgery. Over Christmas break. Only my family and friends know about my WLS. I have not and will not tell any of my co-workers. I feel that this is something personal and I do not want anyone judging me for my decision or watching what I eat every minute of the day.