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Angela's Blog

A blog by anglov

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My Lap Band Journey

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WTF???

The new title of my blog. Same website new name. Why WTF?? It stands for Where's the Fat?? Please check it out and join to follow my blog. I was banded 14 months ago and have lost 115 lbs. I have good days and bad days. I am sure you can relate. See what can and can't happen 14 months post op. http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/

July 3, 2011

2

Words cut like a knife

Why is it that people think when you are doing something life altering that they have an automatic right to speak their mind? I just can't imagine opening my big trap and blurting out things that I know would hurt and then be shocked when it does. This morning my Dad said very hurtful things to me. Even when it was pointed out that it was mean and hurtful he argued, to the point of yelling, that it was not hurtful but true. At first I thought people at work were supportative but now those fake supporters have been talking about me behind my back. They say I am just lazy and taking the easy road out. They say I am going to fail again. The surgery won't help. They know people that it didn't work. Well did they know whether or not the person actually followed the many guidelines? I only ask that you don't assume anything about me because you obviously don't know me. I wonder, are you talking about me because you are jealous that I have the guts to say YES I NEED HELP and I am taking this giant leap forward? Don't judge me. I do this for me not you so stop making this about you and your obsessive negativity. :thumbup:

April 6, 2010

12

What a wild ride...

I had the most horrific sliming episode. It was more embarrassing than anything. I did what I had to do to "survive". Check out my blog for the gruesome details. http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/ I am hanging on steadily with virtually gaining and losing the same few pounds every week for the past few weeks. I am maybe down a pound this week. I truly need to step up my exercise or actually just step up to it period. I do nothing. I have done a little but easily get distracted. I absolutely hate it and I don't have time. I work four 10 hour days so I get home at 8pm. I only have the three day weekends to really catch up on everything I need to do. Somehow I need to find something somewhere that will motivate me to "move it". I am also a person who does not like to work out with others even my own family. I have a Wii and have tried the Wii fit, which by the way, is down right rude if you get off the board to take a rest. The problem is my kids or husband comes in and wants to "watch" and I can't do that so since they refuse to leave I just stop and then don't touch again. Any suggestions? I wanted to try the Wii Zumba but again if the family comes in the room they won't leave so I just quit.

February 5, 2011

3

Well Day 3...

Today has been uneventful. Yesterday I had some broth and it just sat in my chest. I have a lot of sinus drainage that has been causing me to cough. I worry about my band slipping before it heals. Today I had some broth and after 5 spoons I was full. I am drining water as much as possible but that even sits in my chest sometimes. Probably due to the swelling from the surgery. All I can say is...WALK WALK WALK! Keep moving around even if it is to walk down the hallway. The only pain I have is when I get up from a seated position and that is at my port and hernia repair site. Other than that no pain. I'm not on pain meds but they said I can't drive for 5 days. I am very excited to see where all of this leads me.

May 14, 2010

4

Vitamin difficient

Just yesterday I responded to a blog about someone who was potassium difficient with a great website with potassium rich foods. Ironically, today I go to the doctor and since I hadn't had a call about my labs from a month ago I asked. Turns out the lab never sent them over. My motto...no news is not good news, it just means they haven't gotten the results and I need to call about it. So she calls me back and said she knows why my joints and bones have been hurting. See I just thought it was because I lost weight and the tendons were stretching in a new direction, hence the pain. WRONG!! Anyway, the labs showed I am potassium and vitamin D difficient. The vitamin D is the worst. My doc said they have never seen it that low in many many years. We should be at "30" and mine was "8". So now I have to take presciption meds for both. The potassium pill is the size of a horse pill. Guess I am crushing that one and the vitamin D is 50,000 IU and is a tiny little thing. Crazy! Anyway, make sure you get your vitamin levels checked. Low potassium leaves you achy, tired and dizzy. Low vitamin D causes bone loss, joint pain. Explains a lot. She said I should be feeling spectacular soon after starting the meds. I will let everyone know. Now on to my visit. I lost 8.5 lbs in 3 weeks. I felt so guilty on vacation because I was eating a small (salad)size plate of food at each meal. I wasn't hungry for 5-6 hours after but I thought I was overeating and in desperate need of a fill. Turns out that is exactly how I should be eating and feeling. I am in the green zone and didn't even realize it. The green zone is not eating tiny amount of food and being satisfied. It is eating 1250 cals a day in the way of salad size plates of food and not being hungry for at least 4 hours. I was so glad to find out I need to eat more. She said "see you ate more food and lost more weight in 3 weeks." AND I am bloated if you know what I mean and that usually means weight gain for at least a week. I was thinking all wrong about my food intake. I was so happy. I go back in a month to see how this stage is going. Wish me luck! Oh my total loss now is 45.5 lbs.

July 27, 2010

7

Very Nervous...scared really

Okay so now that I am in the final leg of my journey to banding, lots of things are running through my head. A lot of "what if". What if something goes wrong?HOw will I pay to fix it since I am self pay? What if they find something else wrong inside while they are in there? What if it doesn't work? And the ultimate...what if I die? I am finding myself dwelling on these most of the day. I don't let it show on the outside. On the outside, I am confident, calm, collected. I am so nervous on the inside that I am chewing up the inside of my cheeks. A nasty habit I do without even realizing it until it is all chewed up and hurting.

May 8, 2010

7

Very little weight loss this week...Still...GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I have hit my 1st week barely losing anything. Am I bummed? You know, I'm not really. I thought I would be. I look at it this way, a loss is a loss. I lost 1/2 lb this week. I know why I only lost a 1/2 lb. I have been swelling up this week which I haven't done in a long while. Why did I do this? I would say I have had too much sodium this week. I KNOW I had too much sodium this week. My plan is to change that up next week and increase my water intake. NOW THE GOOD NEWS!!!!! I am officially UNDER 300 lbs!!! YEAH ME! I in the elite group of TWOFERVILLE. LOSER LOSER LOSER...YES I AM A LOSER and proud of it:tt2::tt1:

June 17, 2010

4

Vegetable Rice Soup--Fabulous!

Easy vegetable-rice soup Serves 4 Of course, you may chop a fresh onion and a bell pepper or two to substitute for the frozen mixture but why? I prefer the convenience. Some frozen onion-bell pepper mixes contain celery or other seasoning vegetables. They work fine, as do larger quantities of the vegetables (if you should find a 1-pound bag, for instance, use that). 1 tablespoon canola oil 12 ounces smoked sausage, such as kielbasa or skinless turkey smokes sausage 12 ounces frozen onion-bell pepper mix 3 to 4 cups minced fresh green cabbage ( I will use a bag of cole slaw cabbage) 2 cloves garlic, minced, about 2 teaspoons 1 teaspoon thyme A 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional 1 quart reduced-sodium chicken broth 2/3 cup white or brown rice 15 ounces canned crushed tomatoes Put oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Chop sausage into A 1/4-inch (or so) pieces ( I cut the sausage in slices then quarter those so I get sausage in every bite), and add to saucepan as you do. When all the sausage is added, cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown. Add onion-bell pepper mix, and stir. Add cabbage, garlic and thyme (and cayenne pepper, if using) as you get them ready. Keeping the heat as high as you can, cook 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables are tender and have reduced quite a bit in size. Add chicken broth, 1 cup of water and rice. When the mixture boils, reduce heat, cover and cook 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in tomatoes, bring to a boil and serve. Serve with garlic bread. Nutrient data per serving: 368 calories, 20 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams fiber, 11 grams fat Courtesy of Sarah Fritschner, Courier Journal http://www.blogger.com/home

August 21, 2010

0

Tomorrow is my day

I both excited and nervous. My mind is racing right now. I have got so much to do yet I don't know where to start. What shall I do first? I have to be at the hospital to check in at 5:30 am. Dang that is early!! My surgery is at 7:30. My hubby is staying home with me tomorrow and Thursday and then I am on my own during the day. I am so glad I took off work until the 20th. Now I am wondering what I am going to do about sleeping. My bed sits very very high. I literally have to climb up to get in it and I am 5'6". I guess I can sleep in the reclining seat on the couch if I am too sore to make the trek into my high rise bed. Now back to my nervousness...I am getting jittery. I have a lot of nervous energy right now but all I can do is worry about tomorrow. Deep down I know it will all be okay but part of me is still really really scared.

May 11, 2010

4

This was a crappy day!

ok well not totally crappy. I suppose it could be worse. I felt clogged today. I felt like something was trapped in the back of my throat. Like it was sitting there like nothing was going to pass by it. I didn't feel nauseated or anything but suddenly I just knew I needed ot get to the bathroom. I got in there and gagged. Again not nauseated it was just a feeling. I gagged three times and only spit but it dislodged whatever it was because I felt "free". Very weird. I sipped water for the next couple of hours. I am having a lot of sinus drainage that makes me cough day and night. I hope this doesn't cause any problems. All day long I was STARVING, okay not actually starving but you know what I mean. The hunger pains were there all day. I limited myself to 2 oz per meal like yesterday and felt I could have eaten 4 more. The pain was mostly gone today. I actually wore pants that button and I buttoned them so I would say the swelling once again is down. Maybe that is why I am so hungry? Dang if that is the case then I am a fast healer which could be problematic since I don't have the opportunity for a fill until June. I have realized today that even though I had surgery I have a habit of grazing. And if you think about it, if we are to eat every 3-4 hours anyway then that is essentially the same as grazing. I cooked again tonight and while I kept from scarffing the mac n cheese(by the way I AM ADDICTED TO) I was sooo hungry while cooking and it wasn't time for me to eat again. I prepared myself for how hard this would be but I guess I never thought that it would be like this. That's not true. I did I guess I just hoped it would cure some of my habits. Again a reminder this was surgery on my stomach not my brain. I have to be determined to make this my new life. I am really thankful my doctor does not require an extended liquid diet after surgery. Tomorrow I am going back to the foods I ate yesterday since that day was optimal for me.

May 17, 2010

0

This was a crappy day!

ok well not totally crappy. I suppose it could be worse. I felt clogged today. I felt like something was trapped in the back of my throat. Like it was sitting there like nothing was going to pass by it. I didn't feel nauseated or anything but suddenly I just knew I needed ot get to the bathroom. I got in there and gagged. Again not nauseated it was just a feeling. I gagged three times and only spit but it dislodged whatever it was because I felt "free". Very weird. I sipped water for the next couple of hours. I am having a lot of sinus drainage that makes me cough day and night. I hope this doesn't cause any problems. All day long I was STARVING, okay not actually starving but you know what I mean. The hunger pains were there all day. I limited myself to 2 oz per meal like yesterday and felt I could have eaten 4 more. The pain was mostly gone today. I actually wore pants that button and I buttoned them so I would say the swelling once again is down. Maybe that is why I am so hungry? Dang if that is the case then I am a fast healer which could be problematic since I don't have the opportunity for a fill until June. I have realized today that even though I had surgery I have a habit of grazing. And if you think about it, if we are to eat every 3-4 hours anyway then that is essentially the same as grazing. I cooked again tonight and while I kept from scarffing the mac n cheese(by the way I AM ADDICTED TO) I was sooo hungry while cooking and it wasn't time for me to eat again. I prepared myself for how hard this would be but I guess I never thought that it would be like this. That's not true. I did I guess I just hoped it would cure some of my habits. Again a reminder this was surgery on my stomach not my brain. I have to be determined to make this my new life. I am really thankful my doctor does not require an extended liquid diet after surgery. Tomorrow I am going back to the foods I ate yesterday since that day was optimal for me.

May 17, 2010

2

The Dreaded Taco Meat

Taco Meat is my enemy!! I love to make tacos at home. I usually put my taco meat on baked scoops. Well I have been craving the heck out of them for weeks so I made it the other night and proceeded to PIG OUT on it. I was miserable but my craving was gone. Or so I thought. There were these leftovers in the fridge...Day 2 of the Taco Meat invasion. And then I was miserable AGAIN! I guess I need to start of a list of NO NOs for food in the house. I'm not sure I can make that again and not try to pig out on it. Of course after the band that would not be a good thing but I don't want to even take the chance. I don't know what it is about this meal but all my other favs that I decided to have in moderation before surgery have been, just that, in moderation. All except for taco meat. Frankly, if I had some I would eat it now and it is 9:30 in the morning. Is it just me? Does everyone have this meal or food that just drives them to inhale the food like it is the air that we breathe?

April 10, 2010

2

Super Bowl Sunday eats and treats, do or don't?

Do, Definitely DO!! Why deprive yourself of certain treats and foods? I mean as long as they don't get stuck. The band is a tool and as I see it, I use my tool I don't work against it and I also don't work against my brain. My brain wants something and by golly I give it what it wants just in moderation. That's where the tool comes in. It helps me to eat less. My brain in return makes better choices or makes my regular recipes a little healthier, if possible. Today I have chicken breasts roasting in the oven for white chili and buffalo chicken dip. I am looking forward to both. I eat a lot of regular foods and not always low fat foods. The fact that I eat much less than before allows me to have what I want. If I am eating MORE of those not so good for your foods then I know it's time for a fill. So far its working for me. To each his or her own I guess. What are your favorite Super Bowl Foods or regular meal foods? Recipes? http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/p/recipe-collection.html

February 6, 2011

1

Stuck like glue update

See my previous post for all the gory details but essentially I was SEVERELY stuck Thursday night. When I woke up Friday morning water still was not going down very easy so eating was not an option and since no one was in my doctor's office here in town I had to wait until Monday unless I wanted to drive to another city, which I didn't. Melissa, the nurse at my doctor's office, told me to sip hot as I can stand it liquids. So I went out and got me some apple cider and heated it up hot as can be and sipped on it. I was still afraid to eat at that point but my throat did feel better. I felt I could actually swallow my own spit again. WOO HOO!! I had put some pot roast in the crock pot that morning to cook and by late afternoon it was smelling fabulous and well my stomach started protesting my fast. I decided to cook some eggs. I took a few bites and at first it felt a little like it might get stuck but it went down. I breathed a sigh of relief and so did my stomach. I started sipping my water and eventually I was drinking fairly normal again. I decided to make some Carne Asado for next week and did a little cooking. Boy did that make me hungry given the little food I have had since my episode. Pot roast was done. Carne Asado was done. I was starving! I pulled out some cooked veggies from the pot roast. I ate them slowly and they were soooo good. Then I see it! A little peice of pot roast on my plate. Do I or don't I? I do'd it! Chew, chew, chew...AND.....NO PROBLEMS! So I got a little more and again no problems. I even ate a little Carne Asado, because I needed to make sure it tasted right and that too was no problem. I am back to normal, well band normal. A little hot hot cider and I was good as new, that and not eating anything for many hours. It gave my esophagus time to recover. I have no idea what caused me to get that stuck but I know I have bought a box of apple cider packets(near the hot chocolate in stores) and am keeping it with me at all times. I don't like tea or coffee and those are just as fine. I do like the hot cider so that is my hot beverage of choice. Just a little tidbit I thought I would share. Something to try if you are stuck in a restaurant, ask for super hot tea or coffee or hot water w/lemon.

August 28, 2010

3

Stuck like glue

OMG!! Last night was excruciating. I went in for a fill on Monday. I only got .5cc, so no biggie. I am up to 5cc now. Everything was fine. I was a little tight on and off during the day. Each night at dinner my food would get a little stuck. Each day it seemed to get worse. Wednesday night I was eating dinner and it got stuck. Really stuck! I was at work at the time which made this even worse. I walked around hoping gravity would help but no, nothing helped. I started sliming and well it had to come up. I felt better. Last night was the worst ever! I took one bite of a bean burrito and it was more bean than tortilla. It got stuck and it was painful. The sliming started and I expelled it. I call it expelling becuase it's not really throwing up. It comes from my throat not my stomach. Anyway, I was still stuck. Still sliming. Still expelling. Every 10-15 minutes from 8:30 until 2am. Completely stuck until 2am when it eased up. I called my doctor's office today and they said that once you get stuck your esophagus spasms. Drinking hot liquid, as hot as you can stand it, will relax your esophagus. Drinking cold or even room temperature liquids causes your esophagus to spasm. Good to know. I am to drink hot liquids right before eating to relax my esophagus to see if this helps my situation, if not then I have to come in and get some liquid taken out. No one is in my doctor's office that can take out fluid toda. They are in the other office which is too far away(as in another city) so I am trying this little trick until at least Monday. Wish me luck. Still all in all, I don't regret it. This is the 1st real problem I have had. I am sure there will be others but I wouldn't trade this for anything. The band is the best decision I ever made. I am down 53 lbs. The sliming sucks but this too shall pass.

August 27, 2010

1

Struggling with pre-op diet

I am really struggling with the all liquid diet. I only have to be on it a week but I am sooo hungry. I have had to eat something. It's smalll but it helps. I am having really bad headaches where everything is blurry so I ate a small sandwich. Being diabetic I think has something to do with it. I may just have to eat a little something every day. After I ate my headache went away. I don't know what to do. I guess I need to call the dr office tomorrow and see if it would be okay.

May 7, 2010

5

So my thinking has had a makeover...

No restriction is no reason to give in. I don't get a feeling of being full until sometimes up to an hour after I eat. That can be trouble if I overeat. It is hard to get the protein in. I crave vegetables so I try to have some when I can. I am also running out of protein ideas and getting bored with the ones I have. I went to bingo last night. This is my first outing since being banded on the 10th. My bingo allows you to bring your own food if you want or fast food. Whatever you want. I brought some food with me but I saw they had chili. I really wanted a bowl and knew if I couldn't eat it hubby would. It was delicious. I don't think I would have liked it normally but I guess I was starved for something different. I ate maybe a 1/2 c if that and chewed the meat really well. I did fine and was stuffed so maybe what I am eating is not filling enough or it is too mushy? I ate meat and was full. So should I eat more solid proteins to stay satisfied longer and to feel full while eating otherwise I just don't get that feeling until it is too late and I have eaten too much. I am so confused. I think that an appointment with a nutritionist should be the 1st appointment post op we have. I could really use some help. I met with one before surgery but when you haven't had this done yet you don't know what questions to ask. I need more protein ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and some things easy to take to work. I hate fish such as tuna. YUCK. I haven't been able to eat it since my 2nd pregancy.

May 23, 2010

4

Sliming...It's not just for Nickelodeon anymore. Ewww!

Well, my 1st fill was Thursday and since then I have had minor sliming a few times with a little frothing thrown in for good measure. What a feeling that is. I can say I wondered about it and now I that I know I am only thankful that it did not involve throwing up. I am lucky the food slid on dawn without further trouble. I am hungry about every 5 hours or so. That is pretty good. We'll see how long this lasts.

June 12, 2010

0

Restriction or no restriction that is the question

I posted a question in the post op form on restriction. I received several replies with good reminders of what I need to be focused on. I have no restriction. I have read that it happens when the swelling goes down. I just didn't expect it one week after surgery. I guess unrealistically I expected to be a little "tight" for a while. So, now I am on a different path. I have to be more mindful of my eating since I obviously don't have the help of my band right now. I go to the doctor on June 10th so that is quite a while to be on my own. I have thought a lot of what would I do if I stretched my pouch. What if this lack of restriction was actually my pouch was stretched? Could that be it? What do I need to do if it is stretched and how would I even know? Anyone?

May 22, 2010

4

Pre-op will probably have surgery mid April

I had my intake appt Jan 26. I have my PET scan/stress test March 10, EKG and chest xray March 12 and surgeon's consult March 25. They said surgery will be scheduled about 2 weeks later. I am hoping this surgery will be the beginning for me. I have HBP, type 2 diabetes, reflux and high cholesterol.

February 28, 2010

1

ONE YEAR BANDAVERSARY!!!!

Today is my one year bandaversary. I am so happy I decided to have this surgery. My grand total for 1 year is 112.5 lbs lost! Check out my blog http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/ for my anniversary post. Good luck to everyone out there banded or considering to be banded. It is a journey I am happy I am taking.

May 12, 2011

6

One Week until Surgeon's consult

Then we schedule surgery. I am both excited and nervous. I am most scared of gaining weight before the surgery. I have edema so me swelling up 10 lbs in a day is nothing and usually no apparent cause. This is day 4 without a soft drink and no caffeine. I don't really miss it but I notice I am more thirsty now that I am drinking the bottled water that I put a sugar free flavor packet in. I really don't understand why I am more thirsty. I haven't really lost any weight and frankly sometimes it is hard to tell when I swell up.

March 19, 2010

1

Not Sure what to do...

Ok, here is my problem. My boss decided to play musical desks and had several of us move around and I am now sitting right next to her. As her team leader it makes sense. What doesn't make sense is she has two food drawers. IN MY DESK!! Yes she has taken over 2 of my 5 drawers to put her food in because she doesn't have room at her desk. I am left with two skinny drawers and one that my file folders hang in. That is it. I have no room for the things I need to have on hand. I tried to move it but she got ticked off. When I start the all liquied diet I can't have that food in my desk. I have tried bringing it up but she doesn't want to hear it. Any advice?? I don't think it is fair to me when I am going through this but I also don't know how to get her to see it my way. Usually she is open to what I have to say.

March 16, 2010

3

New Group--Banded in Kentucky

I started a new group called "Banded in Kentucky." If you live in Kentucky please consider joining the group. Support is key. Sometimes hearing from those nearby that are going through the same experiences you are helps just a little more. Maybe find new friends who will be your lifelong friends. After all, we have a special "band" well bond.

April 4, 2010

6

Need Help---Pre-Op Diet

Okay, I thought I would order a couple of flavors of the protein shakes my doctor's office sells to see which flavors I would like before I buy more. Can I just say...YUCK!! There is no way I can drink several of those a day for 2-3 weeks. I am supposed to have 70-100 grams of protein a day plus it must be a meal replacement and only 800-maybe 1000 calories a day. Most of the meal replacements that are palatable only have about 10 grams of protein and tons of sugar. I also have to have one without aspartame. I can tolerate other sweeteners but I cannot tolerate aspartame. Any suggestions would be helpful. I have to go on an all liquid diet for two weeks prior to surgery so I thought I would start now by replacing just one meal a day trying out different flavors and recipes.

March 13, 2010

7

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