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About this blog

This is now the tale of how I have done in my world of Bandyland!

Entries in this blog

 

Banded For Three Years Now!

Hi There, It has been forever since I was here on Lapbandtalk. I see that a lot of my old friends also have not been around for over a year or more.   I just wanted to say that I know that a lot of banders loose weight really really fast and keep it off. Then there are some who really struggle to loose weight and feel the band was not worth all of the fuss. Well I am here to say that I am someone who is in the middle of all of it. I have done well over the last three years. I weigh 70 pounds less but I still am fat! I have not had a hard time keeping off the weight. My band still works great! I have been on an exercise program twice weekly but I am finding now that I want to jump start my weight loss again I am going to have to do cardio at least three times a week. I need to get back to no Carbs basics and increase the protein back to the original 60 - 80 per day. My trainer has asked me to start my program up with a little weight loss push of Green Apple, Pineapple and Watermelon snacks for a while. I will also start my walking up again. I am sure this will work.   Good luck to all of you out there who are stuck. We can do this and we will!
thetig

thetig

2
 

Episode 2 of "As The Band Turns"

I know that no one will believe this but ..............   My Realize band has to be totally replaced! I went to see Dr. Feiz yesterday for my first real fill after reconnection of my port (6-19-09) and low and behold....it still will not fill. I also had a very large hematoma which had to be drained but I was told these are normal.   There is a call into the Realize Representative to find out if this has ever happened before, it kinda looks like I have a faulty Band. There is still a leak somewhere in the line, but not knowing where, Dr. Feiz has pretty much decided to removed this band and put in a brand spanking new one! Yippy! The poor Dr. is so frustrated at this point. Me, I am not sure what I am! Here I go again 3 surgeries in less then 4 months. This one I am not really looking forward to because it will be a little bit bigger then the original surgery (3-26-09) by that I mean the old band has to be taken out and the new one put in, it will take a little more time I am sure.   I am still loosing weight but not much. I guess we could say then that I have never really had a good adjustment or fill. They last only a couple of days then not much restriction after that. I am amazed though that thru all of this 43 pounds are gone. This proves that without any restriction the band still helps to lose weight! This is very good!   Surgery could be tomorrow, Friday, or it will have to wait until next Friday. I will keep my Blog posted. If anyone has had this same thing happen please get in touch with me. I am not real sure as to what to do about the cost of all of this! I do not know if the manufacturer of the Realize Band should have to pay for all my extra surgeries. Please give me your thoughts. Thanks, Cheryl
thetig

thetig

6
 

I need a little help!

Hi There to all of you Bandsters!   I was banded March 26th, 2009. I have done well, but I am not at my goal weight yet. It is because I have not continued to try hard enough. I have gained about 10 pounds from my lowest loss of 80 pounds. I went to a fill about a month ago. All has been well but........ and here is now the problem.......   I am having what feels like heartburn but is not! It is almost like some of my food is getting stuck in my band and it will not come up nor will it go down! Very uncomfortable......especially at night! Maybe I am not chewing long enough? This is weird! Please if you have any experience with this I would like to hear about it! Thanks! Cheryl
thetig

thetig

2
 

"Restriction, Sweet Restriction"

I can not believe that is has been two weeks since I last Blogged! Time goes fast when your have RESTRICTION! Yep! I have it!   I went to see Dr. Feiz on 7/29, a week po and I was a wee bit nervous to say the least because I knew that I was going to have a fill! Everything went perfectly! It was such a great feeling to know that my band was working! I now know that I have an 11cc band and it is filled to 7cc now. I can eat pretty much everything that I allow myself to eat! I can feel the restriction but No BPing! Some times a wee bit nausea but it goes away really fast. I find all of this to be great since I really never had it before!!!!! The very very best part......I am down another 6 pounds making it now a total of 53 pounds! 12 more pounds and Onderland there I will be and over half way to my goal! Dr. Feiz would have given me another fill this last week but I opted out. He was really trying to get me to a goal that I had of wanting to be down to 199 by next weekend when we are going to Monterey for a Big Car Show weekend, BUT, when I get back I will go in and get another fill. Technically that will be my fourth fill then hopefully I will have found the "Sweet Spot". God this band is wonderful!   A side note to anyone out there who is having faulty Band problems....I am checking into having the Ethicon or Realize people be responsible for all my medical bills since the Port revision. I believe they have already made a deal with the hospital for this last surgery but I am going to try for the port revision also. So far the second surgery is totally 3500.00 more out of pocket! My DH is not happy! If anyone needs updates on that part of my journey please email me and I will be happy to let you know what is happening!   Life is so Very Very Good!
thetig

thetig

4
 

Total Revision is Done! Let's Hope It Works!

I had the total band revision done on Tuesday! I had to stay over night and have been home since Wednesday late morning. This surgery has not been so bad! I have already started my mushies! It is good to eat a little.   My Realize band was totally defected and by that I mean that it had again detached itself from the tubing. I am going to have a fill on Wednesday already, trying to get me back on track with the weight loss. I am a bit nervous with the bad experience I have had in the past with the fills not working, but I am hopeful. I had gained 7 pounds from the IV fluids and I have also now lost the same 7 pounds. So if you get on the scale after surgery please do not be surprised by the gain it will just come off fast.   Having now been through this surgery two full times and one port revision, I have to say this third time was very easy. Maybe because I knew what was coming next!   I also just heard from another LB friend that she also just had her entire band replaced this last week due to leakage. I am not sure what brand of band she has! This is very interesting. I have been told by a lawyer that we have no recourse as long as we are healthy and it has not changed any of our normal life. This was all due to some court case that happened in 1974. It is the chance that we are taking by having a device implanted in our tummy's I guess. oh well, I am thankful to be alive and healthy!   Three Cheers to Our LAP BANDS!!!! They do work well with loosing weight even though we may have to go through little glitches! :thumbup:
thetig

thetig

4
 

Episode 3 of "As The Band Turns"

I really appreciate all of the wonderful comments from my last blog. You are all very encouraging to me.   I have started a thread in the Realize Band thread section to see if anyone else out there has had a faulty band. We will not know the answer to the fault of the band until it is removed. I am not having any dye testing done due to the fact that the port has already been replaced and still the problem exists, the only answer is then to replace the entire band.   The big day is next Friday for the replacement! I am getting to know all of the pre and post surgical teams at Cedars quite well, I actually know their names! hehe   This time I am going to ask for a ZIPPER to be put in my belly button for easy access!:party:   I will update my blog next Saturday! I am not looking forward to the GAS pains!:cursing: but I am looking forward to the "Sweet Spot" :party:
thetig

thetig

5
 

Seven Months with my Band!

I realize that it has been months since I last Blogged. Shame on me but here I am at last with a moment to write. I sure have enjoyed keeping op with Band Groupie, what would all of us do without her! She is great! I also follow Julie Ann with her secret journey and she is such an inspiration! Thank you both for all the great encouragement from your blogs!   I am still plugging away with my band! I have been on a three week vacation to the East Coast and I was not able to eat what I like, but I managed to only gain 3 pounds. I got an adjustment (fill) as soon as I got home since it had been longer then 6 weeks. So this was my third adjustment since I had my band replaced. My band is getting pretty full now but I have still not reach the Sweet Spot! My band is a 11cc and I believe that I am now at 9cc. This adjustment so far is good! I still have a lot of restriction and I am not able to eat as much as before. I have lost the three pounds that I had gained but I am still stuck on my Plateau! I had a long talk with Dr. Feiz's new assistant Larry, who by the way is wonderful! (He is the one who does the adjustments now.) I am going to change a bit of what I eat and I am going to add a snack between lunch and dinner. I also need to make sure that I eat breakfast everyday which is hard for me. So a low fat yogurt or a protein shake will work. Protein for lunch and protein for dinner. and try to get more cardio exercise in. I will try!   Still all in all Tuesday will be my seven month Bandiversary and I am half way to my goal weight. I have lost 60 pounds. I am very very happy! :wink:
thetig

thetig

6
 

Episode 4 of "As the Band Turns"

I just received an email from a good LB friend and it reminded me that there might be other friends waiting to see what is happening in my Band World.   Well, to my extreme Frustration, my revision surgery DID NOT take place yesterday as it was suppose to! My Doc had a family problem during the week and was not able to get back to Good Ole Blue Cross re: why was I needing another surgery! So because this question was not rectified Thursday day, at 9:30PM Thursday evening I finally got the word that my surgery was cancelled for the following morning at 7:30am. I must say I fell apart and just cried for a bit! I received a few good words of wisdom from my Mom and also DS1. DS1 had said that he had been having this need to tell me that I should not have the surgery on Friday it was eating at him but he did not say anything to me. Well, after taking all this in and not sleeping very well Thursday night, I came to the conclusion that I had not been being honest with myself and I too had had some reservations about Friday also. Sometimes you just can not understand why but there is a really good reason for everything that happens! On a side note.........I thought that I would weigh myself Friday AM. I had indulged the night before with a burrito and was sure that I had gained just because that was the way my luck seemed to be doing, so I just wanted to check add fuel to my frustration and disappointment! I got on first bathroom scale which is my friend and low and behold it was down into the 2 teens! First thought....this scale is really messing with me because it does have a real good sense of humor, so I went to bathroom number two, the BAD scale, jumped on that knowing what I would see....and it too was down 2 pounds. I just started laughing!   I was still loosing weight, Wow. This is just to let you all know who are struggling with loosing if you stick with the protein and away from the carbs even if you have NO RESTRICTION and are not exercising! Your band still does help! I did eat carbs but I could only eat half the burrito because my band knew it was not a very good idea to eat all of it!   I am scheduled for this next week Tuesday and next week Friday for my full revision of the Realize Band. Hopefully one of these days will work! Thanks for reading!
thetig

thetig

2
 

It Has Been A Long Time.....

Time really flies by....... I just wanted to put down a few of my thoughts.   First of all I am 18 months post op from First Banding and I am 14 months post op since last banding.....   I wanted to say to any and all of you who are out there and are not sure if you should get the LAP-BAND®.... All I can say is that this little band, even though I had to go thru three surgeries is the VERY BEST Thing I ever did for my self. My weight loss has been more or less slow, but I can not say that I work very hard at it either. As of a couple of weeks ago I am down 80 pounds. Yes, I am very proud to say that I now weigh 184 pounds. I also am proud to say that I only have 40 pounds to go to my goal weight. Unbelievable! I am 2 thirds of the way there. Two years ago I would have not believed this could happen but here I am to tell the tale....... I have had a lot of fills but the last one was in February of this year. So I have gone 8 months now and I am doing good. Still have BPings when I try to gobble my food instead of chewing. I am still going to the gym once a week or doing cardio at the house. I know that I need to increase my workouts if I am to get the last 40 pounds off. I am comfortable being me again which is cool!   Slow but gone!!!! That is my motto!
thetig

thetig

3
 

Revision Of Port Is Done!

That was fun!!!!!! I got to the hospital and they were all ready for me! This part was just like the banding surgery in March. This is the tale of what happened next!   First of all what is a Port Revision? Most of you already know but for the few who do not......it is when there is a leak in the port itself or the tubing going to the band! It is possible for the port to be damaged when the Doctor is doing a fill or adjustment. When there is a leak the doctor must go back in thru the belly button and fix the leak or replace the port. He finds the leak or problem with the port with a dye that is put into the port/tubing. This is all done with a local anesthesia so you are awake the whole time they are working on you and what ever is broken gets fixed, done, it was really quite fun......but then you hear the words of the Doctor, "Cheryl, The port has detached itself from the tubing and the tubing has gone up inside of you and I can not get it without doing it laparoscopically!", okay cool here we go on a nice trip to who knows where for a little while, I told them all night night and thanks for the great job and out I went! I woke up in the middle of a cartoon version of The Road Runner, it was really funny! I only had to stay at the hospital for a few hours, then I went home.   So now today, it is almost the same as when I came home from the initial banding! I have three cuts from the laparoscopic part and the belly button cut! A bit sore today, feels like a Mac truck rolled over me a couple of times. BEST OF ALL!!!!!!!!! even though I am only on liquids, RESTRICTION, SWEET RESTRICTION! Oh how great it feels to have my old friend back in my body! Doc Feiz gave me a fill yesterday also just a little one. I can not say this enough, This young Doctor Feiz is amazing, kind, caring and very very special. Even my husband thinks so!   So now back to loosing the tons and back to eating small portions. Just a side note! I was without any restriction for over 2 weeks, I ate a little more in portion size then with restriction and officially at the hospital yesterday I had only gained 2 pounds which I am sure is already gone with being on the liquids! This says to me that even with my band not being tight, I stayed in control of my hunger, the band was still doing its job, I still one night got food stuck eating too fast! I love my BAND!
thetig

thetig

4
 

Nine Weeks PO and All is Well???????

It has been thee weeks since I last wrote anything here on my Blog.....shame on me because I know that I will not remember the last few weeks if I do not write it down so here goes.   The last two weeks have been interesting! I have not lost much only a few pounds. I am down 30 pounds since my surgery and I thought I would have been closer to 40 by now, I am not complaining I am just disappointed in myself and let me tell you why.   I like a lot of bansters have tried going back to some of my old treats like the one in mind is Wine. I love to have a glass or two and it is a way of unwinding but those glasses or even at times a entire bottle is just so many empty calories and this makes me believe that I have been hindering my weight loss instead of helping! I am going to go on a no Alcohol regime for a while and see how that is. Also I have not been on my treadmill since last Sunday and that is also something that will help with the inches coming off. After my 2nd adjustment or fill I was hoping for more restriction which I did get for about 2 1/2 weeks but now I am ready again for adjustment number 3. I like so many other blogs that I read am not real sure what I am feeling at the time of the fill so I am not sure if I am getting the max fill or if I am just getting a so so fill after all it is Me who is letting the Doc know if it feels right or not. What or Where or When Is the Sweet Spot?:thumbup:   Now for any of you who might be reading this, I want you to know that this is not a BooHoo note to myself this is just a reminder that I, Cheryl, Need to be working a lot harder and to stop goofing around. I know what I need to do and I better start doing it. Also just a side note......I am still having trouble with the Free Air since surgery. It has now settled down near my bladder and makes me feel uncomfortable, the sharp pains have subsided and I am thankful for that.   All in All I am a very thankful girl for this procedure all the little weirdness are worth it in the long run. Heres to being down 40 pounds by my Birthday! :biggrin:
thetig

thetig

6
 

Two Days After Christmas and Not A Pound Gained

Hi To all! Well, here it is after Christmas and I did not gain a pound in fact I lost a pound. Pretty cool. I am still on a giant stall but I am not discouraged. I am going for a fill on Wednesday, which I am looking forward too. I still have my B-ping moments when I do not chew enough but I think that we all have that happen. My body shape feels different which is very cool. I go to the gym only twice a week to work with a trainer and do Cardio. I will be increasing the Cardio portion of my work out to at least three times a week starting next week. I still have yet to buy any new clothes, I guess I am still feeling too fat, LOL. I remember getting chubby and when I was at 170 things were not real bad but when I reached 200 I started feeling fat, so I am looking forward to getting under the 200 mark and geting more of my "really old" shape back! hehehe.   One thing I can say that is really great to feel, is that when I weighed 264 I would not go anywhere and I would not want to see anyone and that was just a year ago, now I am looking forward to going somewhere on New Years Eve! Yeah! I am still very shy but at least now I am not embarrassed about my extra girth! One thing really interesting on the note of Size. Yes, I have lost 60 pounds but not very many people have noticed that I have lost weight. It must be the big girl clothes I still wear! It really makes me laugh! I will be getting rid of all the old things and on to new and more fitting garments! Well here's to the next 60 pounds that I am going to loose! 2010 will be a great year! Happy New Year to all! I love my Band! :thumbdown::drool:
thetig

thetig

3
 

Second Day of PO

I was home by 10:30 am Friday. It was good to be there. No problems with the ride home, still NO PAIN! First Day PO you really just feel tired and beat it was hard to get down the liquids not from the LB stand point just because you forget. I did start my walking around the back yard right away! It felt really good to be off my back and on my feet then it happened the biggest and longest FART I could imagine!!!!! boy did that feel good! hehehe! From that moment on I have been a little tooting fool! I still have the same Gas in the left shoulder and back and now it feels as though it is across my sternum area. It is very uncomfortable! I got down a protein shake and I felt less shaky, I am still going out and walking every chance I remember this really helps and I am drinking all that I can every hour. I used a lot of Tylenol the first and second days PO. I do feel as though someone has been on the inside of me having a boxing match, it is not pain but extreme soreness all over. I slept much better Saturday night.
thetig

thetig

2
 

The Night Before Banding and All Thru the House!

Well, here I am getting myself ready for tomorrow. Pain meds, check, copy of living trust, check, All jewelry off, check, copy of ID and Insurance card, check, Shower and wash my hair, check. There must be something that I am forgetting. Oh Well!   The hardest part of this so far is not knowing how I will feel after the procedure! I am sure hoping that I will be a lucky one and not have any complications. Only 24 hours will tell the tale! LOL!   I hope that my LB Buddy LighterLoad did well today! And I hope I will hear from her in the next few days. I am not afraid at all, what I am is ready to have this done and get on with life. I am so looking forward to the weight coming off! This is going to be really GOOD!   Here is to a good surgery tomorrow! I will write more just as soon as I can.
thetig

thetig

4
 

This is not hard to do at all!

I am hoping that if anyone reads my blog that you will see that this is really not hard at all. I see all sorts of blogs that really scare you to death and you have to wonder as I did if I was going to be doing the right thing. Well, I am here to tell you that You are going to be or have already done the right thing!   Being banded is great! I know what I can and can't eat and I do not even try to overeat! Why, then are we seeing so many blogs of people that are not succeeding! I want to make this work and my band wants to work with me!   I am 17 days PO and I was not on any pre op diet and I have lost 17 pounds to date! I have been on mushies and real food since day 9. Very very slowly have I added back foods and not all of my food is back yet. Weight loss has slowed down a little bit since adding but I am sure that is to be expected. I ALWAYS MEASURE out my food and I always eat my protein first! If I am full after the 3-4 oz of protein I stop and do not eat anything more. I have been remiss in walking this week so I will get that going today!   Please ask questions! Remember! PROTEIN PLUS WALKING EQUALS FAT LOSS! Happy Easter!
thetig

thetig

5
 

First Fill Three Weeks PO

Boy that was interesting how you get a fill. I was really surprised on how Dr. Feiz takes his time and makes it so your fill is just at a really good tightness. This Doctor really cares for all his patients. I felt no pain or discomfort. I had this done on Wednesday and I am still not really feeling super full but I have yet to feel really hungry either. I am very careful as to what I eat size wise and I am having trouble with the liquid intake. I must drink more. I am glad to have the fill! I can go back in another 4 weeks if I feel the need. I am now down 22 pounds. I am happy!
thetig

thetig

1
 

Bandyland Here I Come!

I spoke with Dr. Feiz's office yesterday and I now have a date! It will be on March 26th. No special diet before hand just have to see one more doctor for pre op blood work to be taken this Monday. I will be having my surgery at Cedars Sinai in LA. I will have to stay there for 24 hours. That should not be so bad. My DH will take me and stay till surgery is over then come back to get me the next day.   I was called by a nurse from BX saying that she would like to keep track of my progress and because she is a nurse, would be able to answer any questions or frustrations that I might have going thru this post op time. I do not have to do this but I said that I would. It does not cost me anything so I will see how it goes.   In reading other blogs I feel really lucky that it has only taken me two months from start to surgery! I am so ready for Bandyland!   I am so excited!!!!!!!!
thetig

thetig

2
 

"Houston We Have A Problem"

Just the other day I was reading a new entry by Band Groupie where she was saying that we all worry about if we are treating our bands right and not messing them up or if we will be one of the ones that has a problem, normal stuff that all bandsters worry about, I was agreeing with her every word....................   I went to get my third fill this past Wednesday and GUESS WHAT! As Dr. Feiz was injecting the saline and pulling it back out after I had drank water he noticed that the saline was not coming back out..............Oh My........so he tried a couple more times to see what was happening and needless to say he became a bit perplexed! Nothing had changed since my last fill I did feel the restriction for a week or so nothing great so we know that all was well in band land but still the problem with the saline now.........maybe there is a problem with my PORT! Still perplexed Dr. Feiz has decided to do a revision of my port. This will mean that I will have to have a small surgery thru the belly button and the existing port will have to be removed and a new port will have to be attached. He was very honest and stated that he has never had this happen before but it has been heard so................ I am being scheduled for my 20 to 30 minute procedure hopefully next week but there is a chance that it will not happen until the following week, something to do with my insurance we shall see.   I was very sad at first not showing my emotion to anyone but myself, I was on the verge of tears the rest of the day at work, then I had a very nice talk with myself and I have come to the conclusion that this is why I have not been seeing a larger weight loss. I was thinking it was me but if I have had a slow leak for awhile......no restriction no great weight loss. My DH took the news very poorly but that is how he is with everything, he is mostly worried about the cost that this might cause and I can sure understand, as we all know this is not a cheap surgery and I am one of the lucky ones in that my surgery is all paid for already I did not have to take out any loans. I will continue with my program just as if I have restriction.   My real concern that I am not talking about to anyone but my Blog is what if it is not my port and it is my Band that has a leak......I will just have to face that hurdle if it should arise.....here is to hoping it is only my port and I will be back in the band biz next week!   I will keep all informed as to the progress of this type of problem! Thanks everyone out there for listening!
thetig

thetig

3
 

Revision Takes Place Today!

I really did not think that getting this revision would take so long but like always the insurance holds things up!   In just an hour I will be leaving to go to Cedars again but this time it is just a very simple revision surgery. I will only be there for a couple of hours and then I will be back to home. Dr. Feiz said that he would make sure that my band was filled to the same place as it would have been after my third fill. I am really looking forward to the restriction. I have not had any for the last few weeks. I have made sure that I did not over eat but I have gained 3 pounds because I was able to eat larger amounts but that is okay, it will all come off in the next day or too cuz I am back to liquids and mushies!   I will write more later today or tomorrow about the revision.   Here I Gooooooooo! Back to restricted bandland!
thetig

thetig

2
 

Five Weeks PO and Some Bandster Hell

Well, five weeks have passed by so very very fast but here I am and so far so good.   I see by many of the total of pounds lost on different people that we all start counting from different starts, so I would just like for everyone to know that I am only using my weight loss from two days before surgery when I started my liquids only diet. My Doctor does not believe in all of the pre Liquid or pre anything diet. He even does not believe in checking your weight. It is all about getting healthy and eating small portions and eating slowly!   At my highest weight 16 months ago I weighed 263. I started So. Beach in January of 08 and I did pretty well with it until August of 08, I slacked off a bit but I kept off about 20 pounds. I decided to do the Lap Band in December of 08 and from that moment right up until my two days before surgery I tasted everything and drank everything I wanted and only gained 10 pounds. (I did this so that there would be nothing for me to really want from Head Hunger) Not bad, so having said all of that since my banding I have lost 25 pounds and in total I have lost 34 pounds. I now weigh 229 but I have seen 228 a day ago but that pound came back. As my doctor says that is the problem with weighing yourself all of the time. You really never get a perfect weight cuz every day, every minute you weigh a little different, you have to go by how your clothes fit to really know that you are loosing. Or getting the compliments on how different you start to look. Having lost 30 Plus pounds it still is hard to notice because I was so chubby but from here on in it will be showing I am sure.   My Bandster Hell is still the "FREE AIR" floating around inside of me. It has settled down in my right hip area and sometimes it doubles me over in pain. I am having acupuncture once a week and just starting to take Tylenol every day and it seems to be helping. This part of the healing is really not fun but......you can make it thru! I am looking forward to the day when there is no "Free Air" inside! That is funny I guess the reason it stays so long is because it is "FREE", HaHa. Other then the air there have been no problems. I am feeling the need for another fill so I will be calling my Doc on Monday to schedule one hopefully for Wednesday! I eat only protein and try to keep the Carbs at a minimum. I have the Protein first and then go back and make Vegies if I want them but so far the Protein fills me up. I unlike so many am really never hungry, I eat because I know I have to to lose.   Hey, guess what I can feel my hip bone again! I forgot it was there! :biggrin:
thetig

thetig

1
 

Third Day of PO and Start of Fourth Day

Day Three......I slept better last night. I found that in my sleep I had turned onto my side I hope that is not a bad thing I just can't stay on my back and my butt is very sore. Protein shake is good! I am crushing my normal pills up and mixing them in 2 tsp of applesauce it is really good to have something a little solid in my mouth. No problems with the bad either. I tried Cream of Chicken Soup today, yummy! This is the kind you mix with water not milk. I had a 1/2 cup for lunch then a whole cup for dinner. I felt really full. Still no pain at all. By the way I went to the market with DH Sunday also it was not problem. I came home put the groceries away and then I was pooped so I sat and watched movies the rest of the day.   Well here it is day four, DH is back to work so I am on my own which I really do not mind at all. I have lost over 10 pounds already but who wouldn't when you have not had anything to eat! LOL. My incisions are starting to itch this is good. Oh by the way I forgot to tell you that I am glued not stitched up. No dressing at all I was showering already on Day one home from Hospital, just no washing of the tummy area! Today the shoulder, back gas is still there. I have to say that I do believe that this is the worse part of this whole experience and have been told it will last for at least a week.   I am not sure if Dr. Michael Feiz is just magical or what, but I have not had any problems thru this surgical & PO time at all. It is quite amazing. I will not be seeing him this week since I am doing so well, my first appointment will be April 14th unless I feel I need to see him before then. I think I will call to see if I might be able to start mushies at the end of this week.   Please if you have any questions to anyone who reads this blog please contact me. We are all here to share our experiences with each other and to help if we can! I hope all of you will do as well as I have! Cheryl
thetig

thetig

1
 

Six Weeks PO and Second Adjustment

I just want to say that I am so very very lucky to have the Doctor that I do here in So. California! His name is Michael Feiz and he loves what he does and be believes in each one of us that he does surgery on. It does not make any difference what type of bariatric surgery you have he is your greatest Cheerleader!   I have read so many blogs and comments on all the different ways that Doctors have each one of us do before and after surgery, I am not sure why some LBers have to go on liquid diets 6 weeks or more before surgery and I am really not sure why other Doctors keep certain people on only Liquids for who knows how long after LB. I really hope that for those after LB who still are not taking in at least 60 mg of protein a day and are only on clear liquids that your body does not starve itself and go into the starvation mode which will cause you to not loose any weight or inches. When I spoke to my nutritionist, she really pushed the fact that after one week of PO or less I needed to get those protein shakes in me regularly it was really important to my weight loss. I was able to start eating mushies after 8 days PO then I was able to start eating food as I could tolerate but eating very slowly. I am very in touch with my body and I was able to tell after 3 weeks that I needed an adjustment. No problem I had one and now after six weeks PO I have had my second adjustment because again I was able to eat more then I should. My Doc told me that I would more then likely be back in another 3 weeks for the third adjustment and this is how it will be until I get to the place where I am not eating more then I should be. I have tried drinking a soda and I really did not like the feeling it gave me so back to Ice Tea for my caffeine! I always eat protein first if I am full then nothing more will pass my lips. I have allowed myself to have a glass or two of wine a couple of times and one of those times I drank the whole bottle, but I am not making a habit of that because I do realize that those are truly empty calories which I do not need. I do have to walk more and I am going to start that today. My Doc again says to not focus on the pounds gone, focus on the inches lost and the way my clothes are starting to just fall off me! I LIKE IT!   Here is to all of our success! No Failures!
thetig

thetig

2
 

Less Than A Week To Banded

This last week before banding is a busy one. I had to get the Taxes finished and spend an afternoon with DH at the accountant. I have to get my work to a place where someone else can take over for me at the office which will probably never happen, LOL. I also had to have now Pre op blood work done and of course the H&P which again the girls at my Cardiologist office made happen for me. I should be able to pick up everything on Monday and fax to Rebecca at Dr.Feiz's office.   I was wondering in past blogs about the begining of the liquid diet, well now I know. It all starts on Tuesday. Two full days of liquids before surgery. I will have to be at Cedars at 10:45 on Thursday and my surgery if on time will be at 12:45. Then a 24 hour stay at the hospital and Home Sweet Home, back to peace and quite. If this is anything like my Hysterectomy I will be uncomfortable for a few days and a bit sore but then back to it in a week. Walking was the key for me to get thru all of this. Hope it works this time.   Well,Dear Blog, next time you hear from me I will be BANDED!
thetig

thetig

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"The Waiting Is The Hardest Part"

"The Waiting Is The Hardest Part", Great words by Tom Petty and how true they are. This week has been full of Echos, Chest Xray, Fasting blood work, EKG and the most precious "Letter of Clearance" from my Cardiologist. I am really amazed as to how fast you get the results from all the test but now I have to wait for Blue Cross to fininsh their part so that I can be approved for the Band! I am so very very ready for all of this to happen. I read other blogs and find out the weight loss of these bandsters and I just want to be a part of them. I am still pretty much eating whatever I want but I must say I am really getting tired of it. I know that a lot of you might think that I am crazy of getting tired of eating, but I am. I am really use to being on a "Diet" all the time this seems weird to me. I have not gone totally off the boards with the food just eating like a normal person, but since I had been on a strict South Beach for a year and had lost 32 pounds by eating nothing really I have now gained back 16 of those pounds and I am feeling gross again. I have my protein shake powder with different flavorings as well as different broths and of course my favorite the sugar free popsicle all ready for the banding.   In the mean time I have found a great new business to be a part of. I have just started but the potential for making money in this economy is really great. I will keep my blog posted on my progress with this as well as my weight. Until the next entry......when I am hoping for my A Okay for Surgery!!!!!!
thetig

thetig

2
 

One Week After the First Doctors Visit

:thumbup:Well, a week has now passed since my first appointment with Dr. Nazarian. Nicole has been great with information and keeping in touch with me. I have spoken to the Nutritionist, she was really great, and I have made my appointment for my visit for the Endoscopy for next week. As soon as I am able to have the Endoscopy and it shows normal I will be ready for surgery.   I am having a hard time sleeping at night wondering if I am making the right decision. The cost involved is a lot but I do realize that my health and welfare is worth more. I almost fell out of my chair when I heard about the cost with insurance. I new that the doctor I chose was a non participating doc so I knew then that Blue Cross would only go 50%. Not bad but....... $7,500.00 is going to be the total cost which will include 5 or more fills. I was hoping for around $4,000.00 , Oh Well! My DH is great and he said that if I really want to do this we will find a way to pay for it. It sure is great to have the support!   Looks like I will be banded the end of February or the first of March! I will be glad to have it done. I have a question that keeps going around and around in my mind: Is this just another one of my crazy ideas for loosing weight that will work for awhile and then Stop! Then I will be chubby again! I guess when you have tried all of the FADS for so many years this is a normal way to think! I just keep saying to myself, "Self, I Can Do This! I Can Be Thin Again and Stay That Way!" This will be a good thing. Cheryl :smile:
thetig

thetig

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