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About this blog

This blog will follow my personal experiences during my Lap Band journey. I do not run from anything, not even for my life, but I have been running from the truth. The truth is; I AM MORBIDLY OBESE and it is SLOWLY KILLING ME!

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A very good qestion

I was asked a question by a colege a couple of days ago that really had me thinking. I think the question and my answer will help some of you pre-op type people.   The question was; " After everything you have gone through over the past year with pre and post surgery tests and requirments would you do it all over again; especially now that you see how some simple diet modificatin and some exercsie would have given you the same results?"   Now I really thought about that question for some time, and in fact it weighed on my mind. And after some very deep thoughts I came up with the following points; 1. I have tried diet and exercising for many years and I have failed misiberally each time. I would actually gain any lost weight back plus an extra 10 or 20 pounds just to add insult to injury. The reasons were many, but mostly it came down to lack of will power. 2. My health was starting to fail quite rapidly, and the worse it got, the less I could do to exercise, and the more I ate. 3. My Wife was suffering becuase other than work I did not want to leave the house becuase of my weight. I was both too overweight to do anything, and I was embarrased. So I ate more to pass the time. 4. I was never full, when I am hungry I am a very tough person to be around becuase I get very cranky. I am embarrassed to even think about how much food I have consumed in one sitting. 5. This entrie battle was nothing new, I have been battling my weight for more that 20 years.   So after thinking about the five things above, and how I feel now. Now I have been losing weight at a pretty good pace, I have more energy than I know what to do with, my back and knees do not hurt at all anymore, I am going out of the house, wearing new clothes and getting unsolicited complements on my apperance on a daily basis. Yes it was a long road to Lap Band surgery, and taking time off from work for the never ending line of pre-op tests was a pain in the ass, having to loose 10% of my original body weight was a struggle, the meetings, the skinny miny dieticians tell me things I already knew, and all of the other BS that came along for the ride was all a huge PAIN IN THE ASS; however based on the way I feel now, the drastic improvement in my health after just a couple of weeks, and my over apperance have improved more than I would have hoped for. I am not hungry at all, and I no longer have to take most of my medicine. So the answer to the question for me is........... I WOULD DO IT ALL AGAIN IN A HEART BEAT!!!   Biker
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

4
 

My trainer is trying to kill me.

Hello, I am sorry I have been MIA, but between some financial problems, work problems, and trying to workout at the gym I have been wearing very thin. So I decided to hire a trainer. When I interviewed my trainer she was very nice, has more certifications that I even knew existed in sports medicine and rehabilitation, young, pretty, and very supportive. She was also very familiar with gastric surgeries and espeically the lap band. So in all of my wisdom not having worked out in years I have hired her for the next three months. Well the first two session were good, she was firm but somewhat forgiving. Now she is like a five foot tall termainator that I am scared too death of! I think I would perfer Marine boot camp! She loves to switch things up, promises me we are only going to do 10 reps, then when I get to 10 she spouts as only a drill instructor can "give me 5 more", and if I even so much as groan then it is "now its 10 more". When I am on cardio, she loves to push buttons, there are times I think I am going so fast I must be powering the whole gym! When it is time to work the AB's she tries to fold me up like a piece of oragami. By the end of each workout I feel like I need "the paddles". When I am totaly finished she smiles at me, and becomes that sweet little trianer I hired and tells me "good job, but I was easy on you today, next time I am going to have to beat the shit out of you"! GULP! What did I do? Now on the positive side, I can now run on the tread mill for an hour, do the eliptical for about an hour, and the cross trainer for fourty five minutes. I am starting to tone up, and I think my keg has collapsed. The down side to all of this is that I am losing size in my stomach, legs, face and neck, but I am holding steady on weight. I guess I will show up for my next training session, but if I totally disappear beware of the 5'0" trainer from hell, do not let her appearnce fool you!   Biker
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

2
 

5 weeks post-op and filler up!

Well I am 5 weeks post-op and I have lost 46 pounds on the "official" scale. The surgeon could not be happier with my progress, and I have to say, me neither. So I have not been having that nice full feeling in about a week and a half so in the office today I jumped onto the table and said "filler up". It was not bad at all, I did not feel a thing. I now have 4cc's total in a 10cc band. (4cc total in a 10cc band.........sounds like a 70's rock band) I had to do the old drink test to make sure "LB" (little bastard) did not throw the drink back at me. Well it did not; so the Surgeon patted me on my back and said "see you in six weeks" So I am back on two days of liquids....ahhhhh the good ole days.   Biker
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

2
 

Busy; lost track of time

Well, I am sorry if anyone missed my whining, but I am back, and 40 pounds lighter. I have been swamped at work, and my Wife and I have been getting hammered with family issues, home issues, and of course money issues so I really have not been my jolly self. ( I wonder if jolly leaves with the big belly?) I am doing pretty good, all of my clothes look terrible on me now, I am down from a size 52-54 to a 38-42. It is amazing how fast I am shrinking.   I have had a few battle with my band, and the band has won every time. I have to remember to chew, chew, chew, and slow way down. By the time I was feeling full, my band had already put my stomach in reverse. (the little bastard) That is what I am calling my band now or LB for short. The only thing that I can not control is that when I lay on my left side, i can feel my band, and it is uncomfortable. That is the only time I feel it though. Well I am back and full of something, I go for my first fill on Friday. I will let everyone know how I do.   Biker
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

7
 

Fine

Well I have not blogged in awhile because I really am doing fine. I went to Pennsylvania over the weekend to visit my brothers and that went well. Everyone has noticed I am losing weight, but to my relief not much fuss was made about it. I did have my first stuck feeling though on Friday. I either ate too fast, or too much. Either way it felt like my chest was going to burst open. I will not make that mistake again. God I hate learning curves. I am still losing weight steadily, but not as fast. I can fit into some of my old clothes already which is my own personal victory. I am do for a visit to my Surgeons for my first fill on 03/13/2009, and I do need it. My only real problem is my PCP is now trying to control the show, and is demanding that I see her before every Surgeons appointment so she can decide if I need a fill or not. Well sucks to be her because with my insurance I can see who I want, where I want and when I want. My PCP wanted nothing to do with me when she kept blaming all of my ailments and injuries on my weight, so she can find another way to collect a $15.00 copay from some other poor schmuck. Can you believe she actually has her Nurse calling me weekly now. Her Nurse said that the Doctor feels that she is the reason I did this. WHAT! No where on my list for getting my band does it mention for my PCP! Talking about ego. I am actually in the process of interviewing new PCP's and I think I may have found one. Well that is were I am now.   Biker
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

2
 

Dripping with energy

I do not know if it is me, the weight loss or something else but I am just dripping with energy, and have been for about a week now. I can not sleep for more than four hours and then I just spring right back. I will use today as an example. 03:30 Woke up and did my daily routine 04:15 left for work 05:00 started work 16:30 left work 17:30-20:30 did all of dishes and every piece of laundry I could find in the house. 21:00 -2200 went outside and plowed snow and shoveled front deck. 22:45 Blogging and wide awake!   Now keep in mind I only had a protein shake for breakfast, one for lunch, and for dinner I had some salmon mashed up with some light mayo and ricotta cheese. It is not that I am unhappy with my energy, it is just I have not felt this way for about 20 years. I am even drawing up plans to redo my kitchen with new cabinets and counter tops. Please let me know if anyone else has had these experiences after having been banded. hmmmmmmmmmmm............. I wonder if my wife is slipping something into my protein powder.........   Biker
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

4
 

First day back to work (and I feel like a trader)

Well today was my first day back to work. As expected my desk was doing its Mount St. Helen's impersonation buy being extremely tall with work, and ready to blow! My voice mail's message stated that I was out of the office till today, yet it was full to capacity with people asking me urgent questions. ( My voice mail message sounded like it was in English to me) My e-mail had my out of office assistant on, yet I had 237 emails. ( I type in English too) My secretary even scheduled me for two meetings, and one of them was on the day of my surgery? The gene pool in my department could use a real good chlorination. Then I had my employees running in and out of my office like small children on a play ground with a lot of this; while you were gone this person was mean to me, and while you were gone this person was talking about me, and my favorite I do not think so and so took a shower today. PEOPLE! Believe it or not my department is full of licensed professional people, yet to me the are my children and my office seems to be their playground. I think I am going to have to start giving time outs!   Now as for the trader part. I went to the canteen today to buy a half pint of milk for my protein shake, and there they were; dozens of pairs of eyes just staring at me as if I just defected to the other side. These eyes belonged to the people I used to stand in line with waiting for my double cheese burgers with fries, my sausage egg and cheese sandwich, my grilled roast beef sandwich, and my favorite my bacon double cheese double burger. They just stared as if I was trespassing on their dietary battle field. " How dare you waltz in here and just grab a simple half pint of milk and run back to your office!" I guess it is true I have defected to the other side, the side of healthy eating, weight loss, and dare I say the word "fitness". I have to bring my own milk tomorrow, for I heard grumblings of a firing squad with french fries!   Biker
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

4
 

Boning!!!!!!!!!!!

Ladies and Gentleman,   Boning is my sound right now. I am absolutely bouncing off the walls with energy. I feel like I am on speed or something. I can not sit still, my body is just like " come on lets go do something" constantly. I also noticed I am not waking up with my nemesis Mr. Severe back pain! I really have not noticed any back pain. I FEEL GREAT! Today will be my real test though. Today is the Daytona 500, and NASCAR is one of only two sports I am interested in. ( the other is PBR ) For me the Daytona 500 is the Superbowl, World series, and Stanley cup all rolled into one. The problem is during these races I grazed constantly, I was like a puppy....mmm popcorn, oh look chips and dip mmmm. oh look hot dogs mmmmm, oh look nuts mmmm, oh look cheese and crackers mmmm..... I think you get the point. Ladies and Gentleman today will be my first " food sober" Daytona 500. I feel that I am prepared, and acutally I am worried that with all the energy I have I may not be able to sit through the race. Well I am still on my weight loss high, and I weighed myself this morning and I am down another 2 pounds on the unoffical scale. So can I ride the weight loss high and be food sober for the whole race? Stay tuned.........
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

5
 

Two days post surgery

Well I am officially on the band wagon. I was at the hospital at 06:00 hrs, and was the first one there. I got the usual regiment of questions, IV and stylish gown. My anesthesiologists name was Jason Tranquil. How cool is that. Well he promised me a pain free journey and hung around till my surgeon showed up. I my surgeon played the usual q&a game and off to surgery I went. The last thing I remember is the staff was checking out my tattoo. I woke up very uncomfortable and I noticed a rather large incision over my liver. Hmmmm. The surgeon came in and told me my liver was much larger than he thought and had to make the larger incision and manhandle it a little because it was in the way. That was the reason for the extra pain. Well it turns out the Hospital does not have a bariatric x ray table, so I had to wait till Friday to go home because they did not want me standing long enough for the swallowing study because of the whole liver thing. I had a rough evening thanks to a drug addict room mate, I also heard some very nice conversations amongst the nursing staff; they were bitching about my doctor brining in all of the heffers and fat scum bags, and how they were tired of dealing with it. Nice huh? One nurse said we were a bunch of fat losers who are looking for a magic pill, but we will always be losers. Well needless to say getting to go home was a great feeling! Well after my family found every pot hole on the way home, I settled in with the battle of keeping my 120lb black lab from jumping on me. I doped myself up and went to bed. I am still sore, but feel much better today. I will keep you posted later.
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

8
 

24.3 pounds!!!!!!!

Well I just returned from my first post-op surgeons appointment and the official scale says ( drum role please) 277 pounds! My official weight loss since my surgery on 02/05/2009 is 24.3 pounds. I am in the surgeons top 5 weight losers post-op. Yes that's right I am a loser, and I am dam proud of it! Now that I have my protein drink straightened out I am feeling better than ever. My surgeon wants me to continue on my liquid diet till next Wednesday, then hello mushies. I did speak with him about the comments the Nurses were making about his patients, and he was very, very upset. My surgeon does not know why discrimination against obese people is tolerated even amongst the hospital staff and that it is considered acceptable. He admitted that this is not the first time he has heard about the Nurses bashing his patients, and he assured me he was going hunting for Nurse ass this afternoon. Well enough about that nonsense, I could not be happeir right now, and I am even proud of myself. ( something I have not felt in a long, long time) I am in this for the long haul and I have even scouted out a gym for myself yesterday. Well I will keep you posted   Biker
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

11
 

My worst night since surgery

Wow, I had a terrible night yesterday. I almost went to the hospital. I drank my protein shake at about 17:30 hours, and this time I mixed it with lemonade instead of milk since I have been having so many problems with the Unjury mixed in milk I though my problems might have been with the milk. Well around 21:30 I got very, very nauseous and broke out into a sweat. At about 22:00 I vomited part of my shake, and I thought my band was going to pop! I went and laid in my recliner after still very nauseated. At about midnight I vomited again. I was feeling awful! I was extremely nauseated, and sweating profusely and as a bonus, my band felt like it was being pulled through my belly button! I went to bed, but had a poor nights sleep do to nausea and spastic actions in my intestines. I called my surgeon first thing in the morning. He told me has seen this with the Unjury before, the gas, nausea, and vomiting. He told me to stop the Unjury immediately and go get Carnation Instant Breakfast. He said the pulling feeling on my band was due to extreme gas pressure and that it would pass, and that he was sure the Unjury was causing my issue there too. Well I have had one Instant Breakfast, and started sipping my water, and I am starting to feel much better. I am still very sore from the vomiting, but I am sure that it will take awhile to pass. My wife thinks that the high content of Aspartimine in the Unjury is what was causing the issues. She looked up Aspartimine and it can cause alot of the problems I have been having. Before my band I did not eat anything that had Aspartimine in it. Before my band I ate very well, just too much of good food. I am a firm beliver in eating only local meats and vegtables and I have stuck with that. I have to admit I was ready to rip the damm band out last night, I have not felt like that in a long long time.   Biker
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

6
 

What a difference

What a difference a day, and a new protein drink makes. I woke up this morning feeling better than I have before the surgery. I am one week out, and with the Instant Breakfast my gas has decreased, the pulling feeling on my band has decreased significantly and I can now sit and stand up straight. That Unjury really did a number on me. This is something I will have to speak with my surgeon about tomorrow. My surgeon said he sees the same reaction I was having due to the Unjury quite often, "BUT" that is the stuff the dietitian his office uses recommends. I see a team that is not on the same page with their dietary plans. Well I have to admitt Tuesday night I was asking myself "what the hell did I do". I was really regreting my decsion. Today I feel much better, and I stepped on the scale and had a supprise; I now weigh 275 lbs. I do not know if losing 25 pounds in one week (Yes today is my one week aneversery) is normal, or due to my own personal war with my protein drink, but I am starting to like my band again.   Biker
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

3
 

My worst night since surgery

Wow, I had a terrible night last evening. I almost went to the hospital. I drank my protein shake at about 17:30 hours, and this time I mixed it with lemonade instead of milk since I have been having so many problems with the Unjury mixed in milk I though my problems might have be with the milk. Well around 21:30 I got very, very nauseous and broke out into a sweat. At about 22:00 I vomited part of my shake, and I thought my band was going to pop! I went and laid in my recliner after still very nauseated. At about midnight I vomited again. I was feeling awful! I was extremely nauseated, and sweating profusely and as a bonus, my band felt like it was being pulled through my belly button! I went to bed, but had a poor nights sleep do to nausea and spastic actions in my intestines. I called my surgeon first thing in the morning. He told me has se
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

1
 

Lap band eve

Twas the night before Lap banding and all through the house; not a treat was being eaten, not even a mousse. The protein shakes are lined on the counter and stacked with care, in hopes that surgery will go without despair. Then from my stomach arose such a clatter......ok it was really more like a large growl. Well if you have not guessed it is my Lap band eve. I am a little nervous, a little excited, and a little hungry. I would like to thank everyone for their support. Without all of the information you have shared, I think that this would be a lot harder for me. I will let everyone know how it goes tomorrow.   Biker
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

6
 

This post might not be for the weak stomached

Well I said I would post the good, the bad, and the ugly. Well here is the ugly.:w00t: If my gas gets any worse I am going to have to put a 4 point seat belt on my toilet to keep me from shooting off of the bowel!:smile: My gut sounds like a large boiling calderon constantly gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, and bubble, bubble, bubble. I have tried gas-ex and yogurt, and walking but the PSI in my gastrointestinal track continues to build! Did you ever see the movie Alien where the little baby alien pops out of the guys stomach? Well I am waiting, I think mine will be out anytime now. That is the only explanation I can come up with! I am seeing the surgeon on Friday, I might just be able to float there if I continue to inflate! Maybe I will wear a lap band t-shirt and become my own parade float. Well this is were I stand today.   Biker
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

5
 

Gift to myself

Well I was going to go back to work tomorrow, but I decided to give myself the rest of the week off. I am still having a lot of pain under my left rib cage around where my stomach should be. I am not sure if it is gas, or if it is the band itself. I am using gas-ex and activia yogurt to help. I took a 1/2 mile walk down to the lake and back today to help work out my kinks. Right now I think it has caused a few more, but no pain no gain (not sure that is an appropriate saying for this website.) I should take a moment to thank my Wife Tina and my father for their support and help over the past couple of days! Sorry about cursing you over the potholes on the way home. You guys are great! I do have a tremendous support network and I know I can count on all of them, but Tina is who I live for. She knows how to keep me going, and just when I need that kick in the ass. It is funny to see us in public becuause I am a 6 foot tall biker complete with full beard and frame, and she is a 5 foot 2 inch dynamo who has no problem setting me straight, and I love her for it! Well enough of the mush, boy I can not wait for the mushy foods though. I would also like to thank everyone here for their support also. I have my first surgeons follow up on Friday. I will keep you posted!   Biker
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

1
 

Three days post op and full of gas

Well here I am 3 days post op and I am still kind of sore, but the worst feeling is the gas. I feel like I have enough gas to lift off the space shuttle. I want to burp, I try to burp, but I just can not burp. Well other than that I am doing ok. I changed my dressings today, and the one incision made for my liver was about 5 inches long with external sutures. The rest of my incisions are only about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. I weighed myself and I am down to 285lbs from 300; WOW! Well it is protein shake time. I will keep you posted.
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

5
 

Day 1 of protien liquid diet 2 days before surgery...BLAAAA

Well today was day 1 of my liquid diet and exercise before surgery. After reading countless blogs I decided to try the Unjury product line. For Breakfast I had chocolate in milk, and that was pretty good. For lunch I had the strawberry sorbet mixed with water, and that tasted like feet! Blaaaa, it gave me a stomach ache for the rest of the afternoon. For dinner I had vanilla in milk, and that was as good as the chocolate. So lesson 1 strawberry bad; very very bad. Chocolate and vanilla good; very very good.   Now for the exercise part. I work as a Supervisor for a hospital in the VA system, and my department is on the third floor. I decided to use only stairs from now on. Do you now how embarrsing it is to be passed by an 80 year old couple on the steps? Then to have them turn around and ask if I am ok? I am going to need work on this exercise thing. I felt like Rocky when I acutally made it to my floor. Hey I will take any victory I can right now. Tick Tick Tick my surgery clock is counting down. Thursday is stalking me.
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

4
 

Night before the start of the rest of my life!

Well here I go on the eve of the start of the rest of my life. I start my liquid protein diet tomorrow before my Banding on Thursday 02/05/2009. Well I had my "last supper", which consisted of an appetizer of Irish egg rolls, a 10 oz sirloin steak, Tully's chicken tenders, vodka lemonade, beer, potatoes, and peanut butter pie for dessert. Wow, I am short of breath just typing it. Now it is time to get down to the dirty business of changing my life and breaking all of my very bad habits. I am still very nervous about the surgery, and keep asking myself what the hell are you doing? Down deep inside myself I know I need to do this, my health has been in a downward spiral for the last couple of years.   I have read countless blogs and they more than anything have convinced me that I can do this, and that it is the right decision. So I made a promise to myself that I would blog about my journey to help others. I am a 6 foot tall man who started at 345 pounds 8 months ago. Now I am down to 300 pounds and ready to go. So sit back and hold on, because HERE I GO!
iradi8fortheusa

iradi8fortheusa

10
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