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My Lap Band Journey

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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?
anglov

anglov

4
 

1 month post op today AND 1st fill!

Well, I must say I learned a lot today at my post op. I wish it had been sooner so I could be privy to this info but I am glad just the same. I learned several things. 1st--my doc does not have us on a long liquid phase after surgery because he has found more success in his patients if they are re-introduced slowly to foods as soon as possible. Less cheating and damage to the band. Plus since he does not put any fluid in the band the healing time is less. 2nd--I should be eating a "salad plate" size portion at each meal. And here I thought I was eating too much. 3rd--I must eat 1200 cal a day. Eating low low calories can cause weight gain or I would stop losing weight.   As it was explained to me, I should not be struggling with my diet. The only thing I should have to be concerned with is healthy choices. The amount I eat should be dictated by my band. Hence the reason for follow ups and fills, of course we all know that. Got to get to the "green zone otherwise known as the "sweet spot".   Well I weight in and have lost a total of.....33 POUNDS!! 14.7 lbs since surgery. Not a lot but REALLY excited. My doctor is thrilled with it. He said slow is the way to go. As he put it, if you expected to lose a lot weight fast then you should have chosen one of the other surgeries. So true!!   My BP is down. It is normal so that thrills me. I am off the reflux meds now. I haven't had any since surgery.   Ok, so I had my 1st fill. I didn't have anything in the band and now I have 3 cc's. It was interesting. It didn't hurt one bit. We chatted as the nurse practitioner did my fill. It was tight and all day I sipped water and ate mushy foods. The swelling is down now because I am no longer burping when I swallow water.   Then...I get home today and a local hospital (not the one I went to) sends me an invitation to their weightloss surgery seminar. I had never even inquired there. Strange.
anglov

anglov

2
 

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.
anglov

anglov

1
 

Happy Band day to Me!!

I was banded this morning. So far so good. I am sore and my shoulder/back hurts a little. They found a hiatal hernia and repaired it while they were in there. The doctor said my liver looked good. Weird thing is they sent home before/after pictures of my hernia repair.   My throat is REALLY sore and I am very thirsty. I recommend walking around or just get up and move around every hour. It really helps. I also have a heating pad for my back/shoulder. I have an ice pack for my stomach. It is sore where the hernia was repaired. I have a Q-ball that delivers continuous pain meds to my port site for two days and a nausea patch.   Deep breaths are hard but I force it and coughing which hurts my stomach a little.   All in all, I feel okay considering. Can't wait to see what each day brings. :smile:
anglov

anglov

9
 

Got my band date 05/12/2010

:thumbup:I went to my surgeon's consult today and got my surgery date of May 12th. They had earlier dates, as early as April 12th but it didn't work with my husband's work schedule so May it is. I think I am happier it is in May. It gives me more time to get all my ducks in a row. I can make sure everything is ready. I did find out that I have to give myself injections of Lovenox in the stomach after surgery due to a blood clotting disorder I have. I REALLY am not looking forward to that. I just hope I can do it. My family is squeemish so I can't have them help me. They can't stand to see me test my blood sugar. The good news is I lost 6 pounds. I don't have to do a two week liquid diet. Only one week. Right now I am replacing one meal with a protein shake so I think I will continue that. I am getting excited. It is really happening now. :blushing:
anglov

anglov

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.
anglov

anglov

6
 

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
anglov

anglov

1
 

16 days until pre-op diet

I have 16 more days until my one week pre-op diet. I am getting so close and so nervous. I start pre-op diet on the 5th, I have pre-op testing on the 5th and band date is the 12th. I am officially down 10.5 pounds. I have slowed down quite a bit. At least I am not gaining. Of course all scales are different.   I found in the grocery store (Kroger) in the health food section a wide selection of pureed soups in cartons with screw on caps. There were I think about 10 different varieties. They are a little pricey since they are organic but I may have to give it a whirl. I plan on making homemade chicken noodle soup and puree it and then strain it. Nothing is better than homemade. I also thought about doing the same for vegetable.   I have designated a shelf in the fridge for just me. I have one whole cabinet that is just for my stuff so my mongrel family doesn't dip into it. I drank the Special K protein water, pink lemonade and it was pretty good. It has 5g of protein and 5g of fiber. Can't beat that. I am stocking up when they go on sale. They are a little pricey too. I think it was $4.29 for a box of 7 packets. That is 61 cents a bottle of water. Not bad if you think about it. Not any worse then a soft drink but certainly healthier.   I am one step closer to my new life...
anglov

anglov

3
 

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.
anglov

anglov

5
 

A couple of concerns...

:scared2:I really need to stop going on You Tube and looking up Lap band. I have come across a lot on complications and I can't help but check them out. I keep telling myself that the majority are patient error not the band itself but I am still very concerned. I am especially concerned because I have to pay for this surgery out of my pocket. I wonder if my insurance will cover any complications, other than actually have to do more surgery on me. I mean like if I get an infection or something like that. I am worried. I can't afford that. Another issue, is more being pissed off than a concern. I have seen postings where they say don't tell anyone. It is personal. Yes that is true that it is personal and it is your choice whether to tell people or not that you got banded but at the very least DON'T LIE about it. I know of someone who never let on that she had the band. She lost a lot of weight fast and when people asked her she said she was working out and dieting. They ooh'd and aah'd over her and bragged about her determination and success. Well then she ends up having plastic surgery for her arms because of all the hanging skin and a tummy tuck. Well it was weird because usually if you are dieting and working out then you would not lose weight so fast that your skin would hang to the point that you needed plastic surgery. Her closest friend spilled the beans last week during one of her usual ramblings that I tune out but this caught my ear and she suddenly was like well ummm she didn't want anyone to know. You LIAR!! After people started noticing her weight loss she started giving updates on her progress but all the while saying it was the workouts she did. We have a gym at work and she attended for a while but not after her plastic surgery. I am not saying who she is or repeating this to anyone else at work. I wasn't the only one there when she spilled the beans either. It is not my place to tell others her story but it just rubs me wrong that she pretended to be something she's not. There are several people at work that have either been banded or had gastric so it's not big news. Sorry just frustrated...
anglov

anglov

1
 

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?
anglov

anglov

2
 

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.
anglov

anglov

4
 

Calling all cooks!!!

CALLING ALL COOKS....I AM LOOKING FOR NEW RECIPES THAT ARE BAND FRIENDLY AND/OR JUST PLAIN EASY AND DELICIOUSLY LOW FAT/CALORIES. SEND ME AN EMAIL OR POST AS A COMMENT. I WILL COMPILE A NEW RECIPE LIST FROM ALL YOUR INPUT AND POST FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY:thumbup:!!   angela.lovato7@gmail.com or you can visit my blog and post a recipe...   http://anglovato.blogspot.com/
anglov

anglov

1
 

17 days until surgery May 12th

Time is winding down. So much is running through my mind these days. What will it be like? What does "restriction" feel like? Will I know when I need to get a fill? What will it feel like when I eat and supposed to be full? I hear all the terms and phrases and I understand them all but I don't "know" them. This has me feeling scared and nervous. I know I will be fine it's just the unknown that has me cautious. The good news is I am continuing to lose a little weight each week. I think the fact that surgery is close at hand is keeping me on track and making better choices. I am down 13.5 lbs so far and I haven't started the pre-op diet yet. I have just been choosing less starches than before. I don't drink soft drinks anymore. I never drank diets, just regular and it was nothing for me to have 4-6 a day. I have said it many times before, Vitamin water zero is my water of choice. I do drink water at restaurants. I choose a lot of salads and veggies w/out sauces, more than I used to. But, and a big BUT, if there is something I want, I will have it. I can't deny myself anything but can have everything in moderation. You have to learn to control the overeating but if you deny what you truly want then you up the chance of losing control. Control is the point of the surgery in my opinion. Taking control of my life and my eating can lead me to many new possibilities.
anglov

anglov

4
 

Each day is a new beginning

Right now each day is like a new beginning. I learn new things about my new "friend" every day and in turn new things about my new life. I learn what works and what doesn't. Everyone is different so what I may tolerate someone else may not and vice versa. I haven't added anything new the past few days. My "food" choices consists of: yogurt, egg salad, refried beans ( to be used sparingly), applesauce and mashed bananas. Oh and Chocolate cheesecake pudding if I need a sweet fix. Which isn't often. I am not much for sweets. I am more of a savory girl. Not much variety there. One tip to watch out for andyou may not have this problem but refried beans are delicious when thinned with taco sauce but after 2 teaspoons I start to get the full/bloated feeling. It lasts a pretty long time so all in all is a good protein choice and staying power in my pouch. Can be painful if too much is eaten.   I drove for the 1st time today. No problems. I have a van that sits a little high but I was still a little sore getting in and out. I only drove to the bookstore and back home. Which brings me to my find. I purchased the book "Eating Well after Weightloss Surgery". Intersting book/cookbook. It has 140 recipes that on each one indicates how much is a serving for Lapband, Gastric bypass etc. It breaks it down for each surgery type. It also indicates how to prepare your serving depending on how many weeks you have been banded or if not recommended in the first few weeks. I flipped through it first to make sure the recipes are something I would be interested in and found quite of few I liked and more that I could tweak to my liking. Some I thought were not worth the effort until I could eat them regular. Like an omelet. Why would I go through all the effort to make an omelet if I am going to just puree it as suggested for weeks 1-4 for lapband? Ummm....isn't that scrambled eggs? It is worth taking a look at. I haven't found many websites that have lapband friendly recipes. If anyone knows of any please share.
anglov

anglov

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.
anglov

anglov

3
 

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.
anglov

anglov

0
 

Had a bad food day

I was really on track when I thought that I would get an April band date. Now that it is in May I have fallen off the "band wagon". Today I just wanted to eat. I don't know why after nearly a month of eating well and replacing one meal with a high protein shake, that I didn't want any of that today. I don't want to get back into this habit. I lost a few pounds and now I am afraid I will put it back on. I think mentally I know I have more time before surgery so why start now?? I can feel my motivation slipping away. All evening all keep thinking about is taco meat. Just taco meat. Weird!:thumbup:
anglov

anglov

1
 

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.
anglov

anglov

2
 

46 Days and counting--Advice welcome

Ok, if I counted correct I am 46 days out from my day of destiny. I am looking for advice on how to prepare. I am getting together a list of "To Do". So here is what I have so far. 1. Get exercise room ready. I am painting a spare bedroom and turning it into my exercise room because let's face it, this bod is not going out to sweat in public. Treadmill and ellipitcal awaits me. 2. Trying different protein flavors and concoctions to find what I like and stock up. I already replace one meal a day with a protein shake. 3. Make and freeze homemade broth. 4. Stock up on Vitamin Water Zero   Please help me finish my list.
anglov

anglov

2
 

Beginning Journey...

Today I started going through my information received at intake to work on my diet. I figure I need to start making changes gradually so by the time I am forced to make changes I will be in the right frame of mind to do it. For me at this particular time I am cutting out caffeine and carbonated soft drinks. That is going to be so impossible for me. I LOVE my grape soda. Caffeine not so much of a big deal. I HATE drinking plain water, even the flavored is nasty unless it has sugar in it. That's a habit I need to work on now rather than later.   http://anglovato.blogspot.com/
anglov

anglov

1
 

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.
anglov

anglov

1
 

1 week post op

I am down 7.2 lbs since surgery. It isn't a whole lot by comparison to others but isn't that point? I should not compare myself to others. My weightloss is just that, MY WEIGHTLOSS. That doesn't include the 5 lbs I gained from swelling after surgery. I lost that 5 lbs of fluid(that counts right?) and then 7.2 lbs after that. Not too bad considering I am not on a liquid diet. I only had clear fluids 2 days and surgery day was considered day 1. Each day I add more foods as I tolerate them. I am down a total of 25. 5 lbs since March 25th. This is the most weight I have lost in years.   I am amazed at how well I am doing and I don't feel deprived really. I still miss my mac and cheese but I suppose I will one day get over that. I had breakfast casserole this morning. It was very tasty. It's funny how the little things are so much better now. I made it myself and it took a few minutes but tasted so good. I made ham salad that is wonderful and a change for lunch. I am not a tuna fan or any seafood for that matter. I think chicken, ham and egg salads will be my staples. It's best when you can make things yourself because you can control what goes into it but in reality since we are eating such small portions most foods are well within guidelines.   Ok, has anyone else noticed that your tastebuds aren't the same? I LOVE to put lots and lots of pepper on my food. I never use salt. I have realized that now I am super sensitive to pepper in my food. I made egg salad and put a very small amount on my food. I mean very little and it still seemed to overpower the dish. I actually was coughing as if I had poured a cup of pepper on it. Very weird.   I have to say I am so glad I found this site. I feel I have so much support and help on here and hopefully I can pass what I have gotten onto to someone else just joining us. Thanks to everyone I have met along the way and will continue to meet. Each one of you have touched my life in a way that is changing my life. At a time when I wasn't sure if this was the right decision I was reminded how successful I could be. Now that I am banded I know that no matter what I can get the help or encouragement I need right here.
anglov

anglov

2
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