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My Ordeal with Appendicitis

Who would have thought that only after 4 months, I will be be under the knife again - but this time for an appendectomy.   Monday - I started having this uncomfortable tummy ache, more of like an extreme gassy bloated feeling, that you know you can expel later on. This lasted for 3 days, and I tried all types of remedies -- antacids, tums, peptobismol, etc.   Thursday - the pain started to feel like muscle pain - the same feeling you have post-workout after not going to the gym for a long time. This alarmed me, and the first thing that came into my mind was SLIPPAGE! I thought these were symptoms that my Lapband slipped!   I immediately scheduled a meeting with my Lapband doctor, and he checked the position of my Lapband via Fluoroscope. He said everything is ok, and the band is in place. So he said this might be just minor muscle pain, and he gave me some paracetamol which I can take when needed.   Saturday morning - The pain got worse, and now I feel the pain is more concentrated at the central and lower-right part of my abdomen. I also started to have low-grade fever, and i became really nauseated.   My family brought me immediately to the ER. After some physical tests and a CT SCAN, they found out I have appendicitis. I was operated on Monday morning, and they did a laparoscopic appendectomy, which added 3 more holes on my abdomen.   Recovery was longer than my lap-band operation, and I stayed at the hospital for 5 days.   One thing to note was this appendectomy was done by another doctor, and in another hospital. But my lap-band doctor was very supportive all throughout, and he even offered to talk to my current doctor so they can properly plan the whole operation - without doing anything bad to the lapband. My current doctor was very careful not to hit the lapband, especially the port and the tube.   I am slowly going back to normal day-to-day life, and this whole ordeal even fast-tracked my weight loss! I am now 2 lbs shy from my 1st BIG GOAL - 100 LB Weight Loss!!    
KIKOman

KIKOman

1
 

PRE-OP DIET - Chewing Your Food / My Love for Glucerna shakes

I started my pre-op diet last Dec. 15, 2009. It is a 1200 calorie/day balanced diet + 1 serving of Glucerna shake before every meal. The diet itself is not that bad, but yes, the servings are very small compared to what I was eating before.   CHEW YOUR FOOD The one thing I learned to do lately was how to eat slowly and how to chew your food properly. I always follow this rule of thumb: if you can still determine what kind of food is in your mouth by texture alone (not taste), you haven't chewed it enough. Now, it takes me longer to eat my food, and yet I'm still enjoying every bite.   GLUCERNA SHAKES My doctor suggested also for me to take 1 serving of Glucerna Shake before every meal. I am enjoying this part!! I love the taste of Glucerna, and I'm having a blast concocting different kinds of shakes. It's like I have my own Jamba Juice shop.   After 3 days of doing this, guess what, I lost 2 lbs already!        
KIKOman

KIKOman

2
 

7 Months After (progress pic uploaded)

It's been 7 months since my LAP-BAND surgery. And I must say - what a journey it has been!!   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WHOA, I'VE LOST WEIGHT! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Since I started my pre-op diet a few weeks before surgery, I have now lost a total of 111 lbs.!I'm really proud of myself that I have achieved this milestone.   Take note, my weight loss has slowed down dramatically within the past few months. I've been losing 25-30 lbs monthly during the first 3 months, but it slowed down to 10 lbs or even 5 lbs a month after that. There were weeks that I wasn't losing any weight at all. But I noticed that I've been losing inches instead. From a size 60inch waist, I'm now down to 48 inches. A few more inches, and I can now buy pants at Target or Wal-Mart!   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "DO YOU FEEL LIGHTER?" - OH YES I DO!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aside from "How many pounds have you lost?", that's the most common question I get each day. And I must say that I do feel lighter. I can walk longer distances now. No more knee or hip pains. I even joined my family in a trip to Hong Kong, where all we did was walk! I was surprised that I was able to last 3 whole days of walking without feeling sore.   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MY OLD CLOTHES DON'T FIT ANYMORE......WOOHOO! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This was one of my favorite parts of my journey so far.....clothes! Because this is where I really see that I'm getting smaller each day. Like what I said before, I started with a 60 inch waist, wearing 6XL shirts. I'm now down to a size 48 inch waist, and I now wear 3XL shirts.   I'm glad I can have my old clothes altered here in Manila for a cheap price (Alteration of pants cost only P100 each -- equivalent to $2 USD!!) Even our family tailor got surprised! He's been our family tailor since forever, and he has all the numbers to prove that I'm shrinking.   Since I still can have my clothes altered, I resist the temptation to buy new ones. There's no point in buying new clothes that I wont be able to wear anymore in 2-3 months.   OK, I lied. I bought one shirt a month ago, just so I can say I was able to buy a shirt in a "regular" store. And man, it felt good!   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EVERYTHING FITS! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - I can now ride the plane without an extension seatbelt.   - I can now fit in chairs with sides/armrests.   - I can now comfortably watch a movie or a show in the theater.   - I can now fit in the car seat and drive comfortably.   - I can now go ride roller coasters and scream to my heart's content.   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ IT'S NOT ALL ROSES FOR ME ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With all the achievements I have made the past few months, there were down moments as well.   - I had an emergency appendectomy two months ago.   - After 3 adjustments, I get "stuck" more than ever. It's still my fault though......I eat too fast, especially when I drive. No P.B. episodes yet, that I'm thankful for.   - I get tummy aches once in a while, mostly gas pains. (Nothing that GAS-X can't cure.)   - My weight loss has slowed down dramatically. I guess I'm in a plateau stage. I'm still losing inches though.   - As you can see in my progress pic, my skin has been sagging fast. But hey, no complaints here! I'll take the sagging skin anytime. (By the way, I've been using products from Underworks.com so I can work around this problem. More about this on my next blog entry.)   -----------------   The past 7 months have been great, and I'm looking forward to where my Lap-band Journey will bring me next.  
KIKOman

KIKOman

7
 

Day 35 - Lost 60 pounds already!!

Just got back from my 1 month post-op follow-up with my doctor, and I got the best news since I started my lap-band journey - I lost a total of 60 lbs already (15 pre-op, 45 post-op). I can't believe how I lost this much weight in a month's time. From my starting weight of 471, I am now 411.   I can't wait to use a regular 400-lb capacity weighing scale to weigh myself!! (I've been going to the clinic just to use their uber-sized weighing scale.)   Since I am losing so much weight, my doctor delayed my second adjustment. He said he will do my second fill once my weight loss slows down or stops all together.   Again, he told me that the rate I am losing weight is quite normal for a guy with my starting weight (471 lbs).   I'm sooooooo happy. =)
KIKOman

KIKOman

5
 

Two small goals fulfilled!!

Just got back from a family vacation in California, and two of my small goals were 1) NOT to use the extension seat belt in the airplane, and 2) to be able to ride a roller coaster.   1) What do you know, I didn't need to use an extension seatbelt anymore!! The flight attendant even asked me if I needed to use one, and I replied "No thanks, I don't need to use that anymore." Boy did it feel good saying that!   2) I haven't been to a roller coaster in my life, and each time I attempted to do so, I keep on getting rejected because I won't fit. But hey, I was able to ride this time......not just once but twice!! One was the Boomerang ride at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, and the other one was the Mummy ride at Universal Studios Hollywood! I think I screamed my guts out on those rides, and almost cried afterward just because I was soooooo happy.   Two small goals fulfilled!!
KIKOman

KIKOman

4
 

My first SLIMING incident.....ewww

It's been almost 4 months since my LAP-BAND® surgery, and more than 3 months since my first (and only) fill. I haven't experienced what everyone calls SLIMING......until today. It was quite scary actually.   I'm on my family vacation in Los Angeles. I was driving at freeway I-5, and bought some fresh tortilla fish tacos. I think I ate the tacos too fast, that I suddenly felt this choking feeling....well, more of a feeling that you swallowed a big chunk of food which a glass of water will usually remedy (pre-band). But I know drinking water while eating now is a no-no, so I just waited for the feeling to subside.Then suddenly I felt that I was "over-producing" saliva that I need to spit once in a while. It turned out that it wasn't saliva, but what they call slime. The slime looks and feels like....well...SLIME! A clear type of slime that is. At this point, I still have that choking feeling and spitting slime all over, while driving!! It was very scary, that I had to exit the freeway and stop for a while. After getting a good place to rest, it took me maybe 10 more minutes before everything went back to normal. I did not have a PB episode, just the sliming - lots of it.   I think the culprit was the fresh tortilla. And of course this reminded me again to CHEW CHEW CHEW my food well. Hope this doesn't happen again anytime soon.
KIKOman

KIKOman

9
 

The importance of drinking water --- and my bout with dehydration

"8 GLASSES OF WATER A DAY" "DRINK LOTS OF WATER" "WATER IS IMPORTANT" -------------------------------------------------------------   These are the some of the phrases that we hear often regarding water. In fact, we hear them so much that we ignore them already.   One of the rules of having this lap-band is this: DO NOT DRINK WATER DURING MEALS. My doctor said that it will push the food through the lap-band and it will hurt.   I love drinking water.....but I usually do it during meals. I was so used to using water to push my food so I can eat more......and I often get my 8-glass daily requirement during meals.   But now, because of this rule, I stopped drinking water all together. I am not a water-drinker in between meals. I found out that I only drank 2 glasses a day for 3-4 days! I got really high fever (101+) and headaches, and I wasn't able to work for 3 straight days.   My doctor gave me some Paracetamol round the clock, and just advised me to do one simple thing: DRINK LOTS OF WATER!   Having this lap-band entails much more than just "having the lap-band". It really requires a lifestyle change. I learned the hard way, but the important thing is that "I learned".   So excuse me while I drink some water.
KIKOman

KIKOman

1
 

Goodbye 400s.....I now weigh 398!! (progress pic uploaded)

I can't believe it, I am now 398 lbs!   I started my pre-op diet last Dec. 26 at 471 lbs, got banded Jan. 11, and since then i have lost 73 lbs.   I definitely feel the change. I'm now wearing a completely different set of clothes as compared to what I was wearing last January. Good thing I didn't throw away all my old clothes. I'm now wearing shirts and pants which I last wore 9 years ago. From wearing 6XL shirts, I now wear 4XL.   Here are my progress pix so far:     I've got a looooong way to go, but I'm very happy with what I have accomplished so far.
KIKOman

KIKOman

10
 

Day 14 - My First Day of Solid food / My First Adjustment

MY FIRST DAY OF SOLID FOOD Wow, Day 14.....exactly two weeks after my surgery. And today is the day I am allowed to eat solids. Here's what I prepared for breakfast:   2 egg omelet with strips of ham, onions and tomatoes 2 slices of whole wheat bread   I was sooo excited to take that first bite, well, maybe too excited that I forgot to chew my food well! 2-3 seconds after I swallowed my food, I felt this piercing chest pain near the LAP-BAND area. It hurt like crazy for 30 seconds, then dissipated at once. The egg was a bit dry, and of course the whole wheat bread was dry as heck....so that's why I had a hard time swallowing. I skipped the bread, and then tried chewing the omelet VERY WELL on my second bite. I had no problems whatsoever, and was able to swallow with no pain at all.   KIKOman's lesson for the day: CHEW YOUR FOOD VERY WELL!   MY FIRST ADJUSTMENT Had my first adjustment with my LAP-BAND doctor this morning, 2 hours after breakfast. He did it under the fluoroscope to make things easier. He used some local anesthesia to numb the area a bit, and then pulled out the longest syringe needle i have ever seen! HAHA. He then proceeded with the adjustment, and placed 3cc inside. It wasn't really painful, just similar to a flu shot. The whole procedure lasted 5 minutes! Very quick.   I wasn't given any special diet the first few days after adjustment. My doc said I can eat whatever I want, but I would need to follow the usual guidelines.   I was then weighed in the clinic, and what do you know, I already lost 34 pounds! WOOHOO! :sad:
KIKOman

KIKOman

4
 

I am now a bandster!

Just got banded this morning, and I'm now relaxing in my hospital room. Just want to share my experience today: 6AM A Skin test was done to check if I have allergic reactions to the meds I will be given. Man, this one hurt! 7AM I was given a muscle relaxant, after which they brought me to the operating room. 8AM I was put to sleep by my anesthesiologist. The effect was quite fast. 11AM Woke up at the recovery room, with a bloated feeling in my belly. It's like it's full of gas. I think they really had to put gas inside to make the surgery easier. The incisions didn't hurt at all. I also realized that they used compression stockings on my legs. I was told that they did the operation in a semi-seated position, so they had to put the compression stockings to prevent my blood from all going to my legs. The stockings hurt a lot, but they removed it as soon I woke up. I was also told by my anesthesiologist that the operation only took 45 mins, which was really fast. 12PM I was brought back to the hospital room, and slept for another 3 hours. 3PM Started walking around the room. I was light-headed for a few minutes, but the walking really helped alleviate the bloated belly feeling. I even was able to burp and pass gas while walking. 7PM The tummy aches are almost gone. But now I feel hungry and really thirsty. No intake allowed yet, so I just used a moist towel for my dried lips. All in all, the pain was really much tolerable that what I expected. I'll be discharged from the hospital tomorrow morning. I will also start my liquid diet tomorrow.Can't wait for that first sip of water. I feel reallly dry now. But one thing is for sure, I AM NOW A BANDSTER!  
KIKOman

KIKOman

4
 

Back at work today

I returned back to work this morning, 48 hours after my surgery. I am not light-headed anymore. But now, the pain I'm feeling is like someone beat me up in the stomach. I also have this pain in the neck / shoulder area that I feel whenever I try to lie down. The doctor gave me some pain meds, so it helps ease the pain. I am still on the soup diet, but my doctor did not limit me to just clear soups. I can also take creamy soups and also smoothies, as long as they don't have big chunks of veggies or meats. Tomorrow is my first follow-up with my doctor after the surgery, and he willl discuss with me my diet for the next few weeks.
KIKOman

KIKOman

2
 

My 2-week Adjustment Phase After My First Fill

It's now two (2) weeks since my first fill, and I must say it has been a very interesting adjustment phase for me.   DRINKING LOTS OF WATER Like what I said in my previous blog entry, I had to change my water-drinking habits. No more drinking during meals, and I had to amp-up my water intake in between meals. I now have a big bottle of water wherever I go.   REGULAR MEAL SCHEDULE I don't have a regular meal schedule. I take my breakfast anytime between 7-9AM, lunch between 12PM-1PM, and dinner round 7PM-9PM. During the ten days after my first fill, I started having these really bad stomach aches and cramps, and I get it late afternoon to early evening, all of them before I take my dinner. I figured these are the hunger pangs everyone was talking about. So I tried to make a regular meal schedule to see if the stomach aches will go away:   BREAKFAST - 7AM LUNCH - 12PM DINNER - 6PM   This experiment proved successful, and I don't get stomach aches anymore. I have been doing this regular schedule for a few days now, and so far so good!   BREAKFAST IS HARD WITHOUT WARM WATER I had a hard time eating my first breakfast after my fill. Had 1 pc of wheat bread and 1 scrambled egg. Swallowing my first bite was really painful, and you can really feel it go down slowly, with the pain radiating on your chest and upper back. My succeeding bites were nonetheless painful.   I read here in Lapbandtalk that drinking warm water before eating breakfast can loosen and prepare your system, making it easy to swallow. That advice was great, because eating breakfast now is a breeze. I still get that occasional pain, but that is because I did not chew my food well.
KIKOman

KIKOman

1
 

PRE-OP DIET and TESTS

My doctor suggested that I do a Pre-Op diet 2 weeks before the operation. This diet will shrink my liver if I understand correctly, making it easier for them to put the lap-band®.   He gave me a sample meal plan for a 1200 calorie a day diet, and I would have to take 1 serving of Glucerna before every meal.   He suggested I start 2 weeks before operation, but that it would be better If I start earlier. So hence I decided to start almost a month before operation - Dec. 15.   I was also instructed to do a series of tests - Blood Work, Ultrasound, ECG, etc. I will start these tests on the 21st of December.   And lastly, he said there is a mandatory PSYCH Evaluation. Actually, this is what's scaring me, because I don't know what to expect. I haven't been to a Psych Clinic yet. When I hear the word Psych, I think of "crazy". HAHAHA! Oh well, I think it's just a way to check if I am mentally and emotionally ready for this operation.    
KIKOman

KIKOman

1
 

Day 13 - I am hungry!!!!!!! I think I'm in Bandster Hell!!!!

Day 13 since my surgery, and I am starting to feel the hunger pangs. I think this is what everyone is calling BANDSTER HELL. Woke up several times last night because of the hunger, and I can really feel my stomach grumbling. Started to feel this a few days ago, in the middle of my mushies diet.   Good thing my doctor is a bit conservative about my diet, and that tomorrow I am already allowed to eat anything. He also scheduled my first adjustment tomorrow, to maximize the weight loss.   One more day of BANDSTER HELL. I can do this!!    
KIKOman

KIKOman

4
 

Surgery day tomorrow -- 01-11-10

In a few hours, I will be checking in the hospital for my early morning surgery tomorrow at 7AM. The doctor wanted me to stay 2 nights so he can monitor me very well. I'll keep you guys posted on my pre-op and post-op experiences.
KIKOman

KIKOman

3
 

2010 - THE YEAR OF KIKOman

NOV. 25, 2009 During my regular doctor's checkup, it was suggested by my doctor for me to consider getting a gastric bypass or LAP-BAND Surgery. Having studied all options, I finally considered getting the Lap-Band.   NOV. 26, 2009 - My Lap-Band Info Session Just had my first meeting with the Head of Obesity Solutions of BIB & LAP-BAND CENTER in Makati, Philippines - Mr. Bom Chan. I was presented with everything that is to know about the procedure. Then the time came, I was told that I would be weighing myself on their big scale. My eyes almost popped when I saw my current weight - 470 lbs!! Geez! I think that sealed the deal for me - I'm going to get banded!!   I was then told to schedule an appointment with Dr. Ferdinand Samonte of De Los Santos Medical Center.   DEC. 3, 2009 - My First Meeting with the Surgeon Together with my parents, I finally met my surgeon at De Los Santos Medical Center. It was a pleasant meeting, and Dr. Samonte explained everything in detail - the details of the surgery, what to expect before and after the surgery, and he even showed me some Before-and-After pix of his patients.   At the end of the meeting, we already finalized our schedule for the surgery - 01-11-10. The date cannot get any nicer than that! Talk about a DATE TO REMEMBER!   THIS IS IT! No turning back. After years of helping and taking care of other people, I think it's about time I take care of myself.   I'm declaring 2010 as the YEAR OF KIKOman.   I CAN'T WAIT! :wink2:
KIKOman

KIKOman

2
 

PRE-OP TESTS and CLEARANCES

PRE-OP TESTS Last Dec. 23, I woke up very early for my pre-op tests, which consisted of the following:   BLOOD TEST ULTRASOUND CHEST X-RAY EKG   I just got my results this week, and thank God I passed all tests with flying colors! Blood Sugar and Cholesterol levels are normal, size of heart and liver are normal, and no problem whatsoever with my EKG Test.   CLEARANCES FROM DOCTORS Last January 8, my Lap-Band® surgeon helped me set appointments with three doctors: ENDOCRINOLOGIST, CARDIOLOGIST, and --- a PSYCHIATRIST! My surgeon wanted me to get clearances from these three to make sure everything is ok.   My meeting with the first two doctors were quite fast.....just the usual check-up procedures. And it helped also that all my test results are great.   My third appointment though - the PSYCHIATRIST - man, I'm was quite nervous for this one! I've never met one before, and my first thought was - "I'm not CRAZY, why should I go see the psychiatrist?" But surprisingly, the meeting went well. We got to talk for maybe an hour, and she made sure that I know what I was getting into. She also helped me determine why I was eating this much. I got to ask questions also on how to handle things before and after the operation, and how to live my life on a day to day basis.   At the end of that day, I got my clearances from the three doctors. Glad my lap-band® surgeon (and his secretary) helped me set these appointments.
KIKOman

KIKOman

1
 

25 lbs down!! WOOHOO!

Went to see my doctor last Thursday for my first follow-up after the surgery. It was also my first weigh-in since I started my diet 3 weeks ago. And man, was I shocked! I'm already down 25 lbs! WOOHOO!!! I'm sooooo happy. =)   It is almost a week after my surgery, and the doctor already allowed me to take soups with small bits of veggies, meat and some crystal noodles (here we call it Sotanghon). I am also allowed to take jello (sugar free).   Recovery has been great. No more muscle pains. But I still get tired easily, so I try to take things slowly.   One day at a time. So far so good.    
KIKOman

KIKOman

1
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