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I was so very concerned about going to the cookout today, especially since I am feeling hungry now. I decided ahead of time to be premptive (sp?) by taking a bag with me that contained things I could eat. I packed myself a bag with yogurt, a sf jello, 2 packs crystal light powder mix, 3 bottles of water and I made myself a pureed chicken salad in my magic bullet, and I also made a small container of potato salad, I cooked the potatoes very soft, and used 1 T. of light mayo (it actually looked like mashed potato salad). When I got there of course smelling that food on the grill was a great challenge, but I prayed for God to give me the strength to do what I needed to do today. They had a little of everything there, but Praise God, I didn't touch anything, oh, except for 1 deviled egg (and I mashed that up). I sat there and watched everyone eat, then we I became hungry, I pulled out my potato salad, and my chicken salad, about 1/4 c. total, I was satisfied and then went on to play some board games!

I thank God that He gave me the wisdom to prepare my food in advance, even though I had the challenge with the hunger of wanting some of my favorite things, I survived! I give God all the glory for the things he is doing in my life, and how he is causing me to be successful!!!!!!

that I would spend my whole Friday evening at the emergency room!!!!!! That's right, Friday I called my surgeons office again abouthow tired I was feeling and that no matter how much I drank, my mouth was very dry and my lips were dry. She said that it sounded like I could be dehydrated! On Wednesday evening I had an issue with my bp dropping very low for me becasue up to that point, I was stil taking both of my bp meds., no one ever said to stop taking one, which I believe they both have some sort of diuretic in them, hence, the dehydration issues. My surgeon is on vacation, so the LPN in the office told me to call my primary, well, my primary told me on Thursday when I called to stop taking one of the bp meds. I called my primary drs. office to explain all that was going on to see if he wanted to adjust my meds, well, I find out that my primary is on vacation too! So they called the dr. that is covering for him and explain everything I was going through and I get a cb to go to the er, I said, Why? I didn't think it was anything like that. Well, the MA hung up with me and the dr called me back to say she would feel more comfortable with me going to the er because she didn't want to take any chances and that I could get the IV fluids while I was there. So, I decided to go (I really didn't want to at all), and boy, let me tell you. I left the hairdresser and came home to get my dh, and we arrived at the er at 5:30 p.m. and waited in the waiting room until about 11:30 p.m. before they finally called me back to be seen!!! The hospital where I had my surgery is a Trauma Center, so quite naturally, those took precedence over me (understandbly so) and I also went there because I was told that the dr that was covering for my surgeon was their on duty, so I thought it would be good to go there (even though I never saw this doc because it was so late), so they finally get me in the back and take my information again, they decided to go ahaed and start the IV fluids and do some bloodwork, then I guess about 2:30 a.m. the er doc comes in to tell me that my bloodwork was fine and didn't show any signs of dehydration! Praise God! But, he wanted me to stay until Saturday morning to go get the doppler test on my legs to make sure I didn't have any blood clots (because of the slight strain I was feeling in my calfs) and that they wouldn't open up until later on that morning. I was not a happy camper, first, because I was freezing, had been there since 5:30 p.m. and I just wanted to go home. I mean I was feelin fine, I just wanted my doc to adjust my meds! I was trying really hard to look at the positive side of everything, but it was a challenge, but I still gave thanks to God for just being able to know that I was ok. I must admit, after I had the IV fluids, I did feel a little better as far as my energy level. So, on Saturday morning, I woke up several times waiting to go get this doppler test, and no one came in my room, I finally paged the nurse at 7:55 and asked what was going on because the doc last night said it would be first thing in the morning, she went to go find out, and came back to say they opened at 8 and they had called and were ready for me. I went to have the doppler done and all was well, no blood clots, Praise God! So I guess you all know by now, I am like so ready to go home and when they finally wheeled me back to the room and the doc gave me thr green light, I was outa there!

So all in all, everything was fine. I'm not totally sure where the dry mouth and fatigue were coming from but, I am glad to be feeling a little better, I'm really not as tired as I was. Also, the LPN in my surgeons office thought it could also be a potassisium (sp?) deficiency, so I went to the store and bought some bananas and OJ. I really think all this had to do with my bp meds, but I have not taken either of them in the last few days. I have been monitoring my bp at home and it has been fine. I will continue to monitor it until Tuesday, and then I think I will begin taking half of the one med to see how I do with that until my primary comes back from vacation on the 10th. I am definitely going to follow up with my surgeons office on Tuesday.

So I guess this is my latest update to my journey, and I will keep you all posted.
Take care.

Well, I started on the pureed stage yesterday and that was very exciting. I can honestly say that yesterday and today were the first days that I actually felt hungry. So, last night I opened up my Magic Bullet and made myself some pureed tuna! I used 1 can of tuna with 2 T. of Hellmanns Light mayo, I had to really talk to myself about how it looked and really convince myself that I could do it, and guess what, I did it, and it wasn't bad at all! I just couldn't allow myself to look at it long. I also pureed some green beans, but was only able to eat about a tablespoon of that.
I am having some problems with constipation right now and I am still very tired, I have to call Dr. Katz back tomorrow so they can make sure I'm not dehydrated. Work has been great, I was suppose to be working half days, but got in there and couldn't leave.
Last night I wasn't feeling well and realized my blood pressure had dropped a great deal. When I woke up this morning, I still wasn't feeling the greatest and took my pressure and it was still very low. I have been still taking both of my blood pressure meds, but called my primary and he told me to stop taking one of them!!! Woohoo! I really wasn't expecting this so soon.
Today, I tried the egg beaters for breakfast with a slice of reduced fat cheese and it was ok, I'm really not a big fan of eggs anyway, but I need to get in about 50 grams of protein each day. Don't thik I made it today, they tell me to just use the protein shakes to supplement my meals, but to get most of my protein from foods. This is hard because I can only have about  1/4 c. of food right now and just three meals per day, so I'll take it one day at a time. For lunch I had 1/4 c. of the tuna and a sf pudding late afternoon. Then tonight for dinner I had half of a side of mashed potatoes from KFC, so I know I didn't get in the 50 g. today.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day. I will try to update here as much as I can because I am very busy right now with this wedding on 9/21.

Peace & Blessings,
Donna

Good Morning everyone,
Well, I am on my way back to work this morning. I will probably only be working half days, I never really considered that my energy level would be so low. I did read about how others that had WLS felt really tired in the beginning, I don't know why I didn't take that in consideration for myself.

Tomorrow, I am suppose to begin the pureed food stage, I am excited and nervous about that all at the same time. I'm excited to be finally have something a little thicker than liquids, but I'm nervous because I don't know how my body will tolerate the new stage. I really just want to follow the rules and be successful with my band.

Sunday was a very, very difficult day for me, but Praise God, I got through it. The wedding I am planning for 9/21, they had the shower for the bride on Sunday, it was difficult to see all the food there and not be able to touch or taste ANYTHING! One of the things I did in advance was tell myself that I wouldn't be able to eat anything no matter what, so I knew that going in. I keep in my thoughts that if I cheat or mess up it could be very detrimental (sp) to me and my health. Usually this helps me keep things in perspective, it really isn't like a diet that I have been on in the past because I would usually reason with myself about how having just a little bit won't hurt. But now, having just a little bit will hurt!

This is a journey for the rest of my life, and I know that I am going to need the grace of God to help get me through this. One thing I know for sure is that my God did not bring me this far to leave me!!!! 

I am an achiever, the spirit of achievement is on me! I am a success, the spirit of success is on me!!!!!!

Until the next time,

I thought that I would sit down this evening and share some of my thoughts and to update you all on my progress. Well, its been almost two weeks since surgery and I am feeling suprisingly good! I went to Dr. Katz on Thursday and everything is going well, he gave me the all clear, with no lifting still and bending is sometimes a challenge, but other than that I am fine. I am driving again, woo hoo! I haven't had to take any of the pain meds since leaving the hospital, woo hoo!

Every now and then I feel like a pulling from my inscision sights, mainly where the port is, but nothing unbearable. I get very exhausted easily just moving from one place to another, but I guess that will be getting better as I introduce food back into my system. I can honestly say that I have not been hungry, even though I am truly battling the head hunger thing. It is so difficult to see food & smell food and not be able to have any of it. I know that if I slip up it could cause me a whole lot of problems, so I keep telling myself that it is not worth it. I have been upgraded to full liquids now, so I can have my protein shakes again, so far I am tolerating them pretty well. I can also have sf pudding and light yogurt, the first day i was upgraded, I tried to eat some sf pudding and halfway through it really made me gassy and my stomach made all kinds of noises for the rest of the day. I tried it again today and no problem, now, I haven't tried the yogurt yet because I was a little nervous, see, I am lactose intolerant to begin with and my stomach may not like all these dairy products.

Oh, when I went to my appointment on Thursday, I had lost a total of 20 lbs. since my last pre op appointment on August 3rd!!!!! So that gives me a grand total of 38 lbs down since my surgical consult on May 29th!!!! This is so truly exciting for me and I just hope and pray that as I reintroduce food into my system that I can be as successful as now w/o the food. That is a big concern for me being a lapband patient, whatever calories I put in are calories in, so I do believe that I have my mind made up to have this tool work for me. I did receive the new AP band, so I am happy about that and I don't know when we will talk about my first fill, I guess they are just going to watch my progress and see how i do once I am on the solid food stage.

I am going back to work on Tuesday and hope I can make it through the entire day. I probably won't be posting a whole lot because I am in the home stretch of this wedding I am coordinating for September 21, the bride has a lot of my attention now. I am also planning the annual trip to Maine that our group attends every year in October and on top of that, I just agreed to coordinate another wedding on November 23, so you all can see I am very busy. The good thing is the wedding in November is a small intimate one, nothing like my September 21 wedding with 250 guest. I give God all the glory for the gifts he placed on the inside of me and I thank him for this wonderful opportunity to have the WLS. I am going to post some pics real soon. So keep looking out for them. Well, I guess that's it for now, and I will talk to you all soon.

Well, just wanted to say that I am home and all is well. My surgery went very well and I feel great overall. I am having some gas pains, but other than that I am fine. Not much pain at all from my incisions, Praise God! My surgeon said that my surgery was about one of the easiest ones he did, it only took 45 minutes total!!! I know that the prayers of the saints availed much! Thank you all for the very special words of encouragement and well wishes.

I am a little tired, but wanted to send some type of update to let you all know that I am fine. I will try to update as much as I can. I thank God for this wonderful group of people that really care and are concerned about each other, this is so refreshing! Well, I hope to talk with you all soon, and I will be uploading some pictures from surgery day as soon as I am able.

Well Everyone, 
I am just hours away from my surgery. Boy, do I have a flood of emotions tonight, from what in the world am I about to do to myself? to, I am so excited about embarking on this new chapter in my life! It is so comforting to know that others are praying for me! This process has been exciting, tedious and everything in between. I am confident that God is with me and he will keep me in his care. Well, I just wanted to stop by before I turned in for the night, so I will talk to you all soon, and I'll see you on the losers bench!

God Bless

Well today I had my final consult with the surgeon and signed all of my consent forms for surgery. They went over everything with me again and talked about all I can expect from surgery. They went over the post op requirements and everything. I will be getting the AP band as well, so that is good from what I've read about it. I was told that the surgeon really takes his time and that it could take anywhere from 2 - 6 hours depending on the make up of my anatomy. I'm praying for two hours. They also told me that my hospital stay could be either one night or two nights, so we'll see.Tomoorw morning I go for my pre admission testing and back to my pcp on next Wednesday for final medical clearance.

I am on day four of the 14 day pre op diet, its been very challenging, but I continue to pray for God to give me the strength to get through each day and eat only what I am suppose to eat. My pre op diet consists of replacing protein shakes for two of my meals and the third meal is 4 ozs. of protein and steamed vegetables and a small salad if needed, that is it! Thank you Lord for helping me do this.

Oh yes, I almost forgot, I lost 5 more lbs for a total of 19 all together! That is a wonderful thing and now I am under the surgeons weight restriction requirement!! Praise God! I will continue on the pre op diet to help my liver to continue to shrink. I have so many things to do to get ready, I need to do my marketing, need to figure out what I should take to the hospital, need to do laundry, clean the house , whew, so much to do, but I will take it one day at a time.

I am so excited, just got a call from my surgeons office to tell me that I was approved!!!!! My surgery will be on Monday, August 13th, yippee!
I can not believe that my approval was so quick, I spoke with Maureen at Dr. Katz's office on Thursday and she said that she would submit my paperwork on Friday after my Nut appt., and I got a call from her today saying I was approved!

I know that it is nothing but the favor of God that this happened so quickly, I have read many horror stories from people who had difficulties getting approval from Aetna, but that isn't my story. Each step of this process, I continue to trust God and believe that whatever he has for me is for me. That is the attitude I had throughout this process. I am so grateful that God loves me enought to give me this wonderful opportunity for a healthier life, I am not going to say a better life because my life is good, I have a loving husband, beautiful children and so much to be thankful for, I just see this as a door for me to live a healthier life!

I am going through so many emotions right now, because I really do want to be successful, I don't want to have any complications. I have to silence that voice that tells me that I won't be successful, that voice that says I am not going to lose the weight, the voice that says I will have regrets. The only way I know to silence that voice is with the Word of God! I have to continually speak those things over me and this surgery that God says, my thoughts have to be on those things that are good, true, and pure. My attention must be to draw closer to God and to cast every one of my cares and concerns over to him because I know that he caares for me!

Lord, I thank you for continuing to prove yourself to me. I thank you for your faithfulness, your love, your grace and your mercy and your forgiveness. I love you Lord and I give you all the Glory, Honor and Praise!!

Hello Everyone,

Well, I know I haven't been on here in a little bit, but I was very busy this last week or so. I must tell you though that I had my Nut appt. on Thurs. 7/12 and everything went really well, I was so nervous about my appoint. because I wasn't the best on my eating plan, there were a few days that I blew it, I just said God this weight loss thing is in your hands, the Nut wanted me to lose 5 lbs., when it was time for me to get on the scale, I thought to myself, oh well, whatever it says, I just have to be willing to OWN the number.  Well, let me tell you how faithful my God is, I had lost 14 lbs. !!!, Yup, 14 whole pounds!!!!!! Praise God, Praise God! I give all glory to God for this victory, because I know it was not in my own strength that this was possible!

Now, I am only 4 lbs. away from my surgeons weight restriction limit!!
Also, I was given a tentative surgery date of August 13th!!!!, but that is contingent upon cardio clearance and insurance approval, but I believe that God will work that out as well. I did my stress test on Friday and have to go back tomorrow for the other part.

I really have a peace from God about my decision to have this WLS, and I am excited and nervous about this new chapter in my life that I am about to embark on. I keep asking myself am I really ready to make the lifestlye changes that go along with having the band? Am, I really okay with the slower pace of the weight loss with the band vs. the bypass? Well, I do believe all of these feelings and questions are a natural part of the process. I haven't posted anything on the boards yet about my tentative surgery date because I want to wait for the official word, Maureen at Dr. Katz's office will be submitting my paperwork to the insurance company the week of the 23rd when she returns from vacation, and by then I should have my Card. clearance.

So until then, I will still keep you all posted on my progress.

Peace & Blessings,