Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!
$99 Yearly Supply Alert! 🌈 "1 per Day!" Bariatric Multivitamins
Sign in to follow this  
Followers 0
  • entries
    44
  • comments
    156
  • views
    8,786

Entries in this blog

 

I'm Moving!!

I got a call today at work offering me a promotion of sorts...in Minneapolis!!! I am SO excited!! I've been wanting to get up for so long because that's where my corporate office is and my dream job is to work in photographic development at the home office. This is a HUGE step closer to that dream!!   So, I have to talk to my doctor and see if I can get a referral to somewhere I can get fills in Minneapolis. I'm only sad about that. Because I LOVE my doc and my clinic. I will miss them terribly. I have to move by August first!! Yikes!   So, any bandsters in Minneapolis??? Any recommendations??   Thanks for reading my short little blog! I just had to announce this publicly--and I can't say anything on Facebook yet because my work colleagues don't know yet!!   xoxo   Maggs
maggs79

maggs79

8
 

I'm alive! ALIVE!!! *muwahahahaaa!!*

And officially a Bandster!!   This will be long, I apologize in advance. :tt1:   Surgery went REALLY well. I went to Day One Health in Chicago and everyone there is phenomenal!   I got there are 5:00am (half hour earlier than scheduled) and NO ONE was there! The place was dark! Ha! But not for long. We got let in a few minutes later and completed the rest of the paperwork, then went back to prep for surgery. Again, I cannot stress how awesome everyone is there! I think I am going to get them a thank you card and bring it Friday for my follow-up.   ANYWHO--once they wheeled me back into the O.R., another nurse came in singing a Michael Jackson song-- "You are not alone...I am here with you." I said, oh that's good! They started to "strap" my arms onto the boards and I said "and this the part when I'm asking myself 'what the heck am I doing here?'" My anesthesiologist (sp?) said "one time I actually had someone jump off the table and say 'forget this' and leave!" That made me laugh. Then he gave me something to "relax" and I woke up in recovery!   I was very sore, but asked for some pain meds and that was NICE. Once I got the thing out of my nose, I decided to walk--a LOT. And this really does help! I lapped the area countless times. Started very slowly, but was jogging a while late. J/K! Yeah right! But I was walking at nearly "normal" speed. Everytime I would pass the nurse's station they would ask if I was ok and if I was nauseous. I NEVER got nauseous (yay!) and haven't had any gas pains yet either. (Hopefully I can avoid the majority of that.)   Didn't get to leave until about 2:30 because I was waiting for the doctor to do my swallow test--which tastes like butt, by the way! Ha! They gave me a little can of apple juice to get the taste out of my mouth. That juice could have been a steak dinner! It was amazing!!   Got back home around 4 and had a little chicken broth, SF popsicle and liquid Vicadin. Called my parents and they were really surprised how good I sounded. I may have talked their ears off. LOL But my dad is considering the surgery as well, so I talked in depth about everything! Finally took a nap from about 6:30 till 9. Will go back to bed soon, but was able to have a jello cup and TWO cups of hot tea (no milk!) And some Vicadin for dessert!   Who knows how I will feel tomorrow, but I do not regret this so far! Even with the pain in the incisions. That will pass and I'll be on my way to a new life.   The name of the clinic is very fitting...Day One. I feel like it's my birthday!!   Thanks again for everyone's thoughts and well wishes! I will post again tomorrow--hopefully as upbeat as I am right now!   xoxo   Maggs
maggs79

maggs79

8
 

Holy Buckets, Batman!

It's been a LONG time! Well, a month at least. I'm settled into my place in Minneapolis, just got back from vacation in Disney World last night and have one more day of vacation to rest at home before going back to work on Friday.   I got a second fill about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Haven't lost much weight since then, but I also was eating a lot of not-so-healthy foods while in Florida. At least I walked about 10 miles a day in the 90 degree heat! I can most certainly feel a difference in the amount of food I can eat. It has taken some getting used to, that's for sure. More than once I ate too fast and paid the price, but I've gotten the hang of it! Just have to make better choices now that vacation is over! Ha!!   I'm down another pants size! I will get new pics soon...I actually have an appointment for a photography shoot in about 3 weeks! My sister, whom I have not seen in 2 years, is coming into town for a few days and we're getting pics together!! I cannot wait! :smile2:   I've been volunteering at the theater here in Minneapolis. Got to see Wicked for free 4 times! Woo! I think I'm going to be a volunteer captain because I used to volunteer at the theater in Cincinnati as well. It's pretty fun and a great way to see shows without paying anything!   I'm going to Target House in Memphis next Thursday to photograph the kids and their families at St. Jude's hospital. I'm looking forward to it, but nervous at the same time. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle it emotionally. I'm a very emotional being, especially when it comes to sick kids. I'm positive I'll be excusing myself to the restroom several times to cry. :frown: But it's all going to be worth it to be able to give these families the gift of portraits. That is something they will have no matter what.   Well, I will try to get on here more often. :smile: How is everyone else doing out there??   xo   ~ M
maggs79

maggs79

4
 

Good morning!!

And it is!   Yesterday was my surgery and although there was some pain all day, it was manageable. I had a nice night's sleep and had some hot tea and more jello this morning. Took some Vicadin again too--not going to try to be a hero at this point in the game.   Good news, though--still no nausea or gas pains! I really hope this lasts! Seems too good to be true!   I'm a bit more swollen today, but the icepacks help with that. All in all, not feeling too bad! :tt1:   I'm going to take it easy today and for the next few days, but I'm very optimistic about my healing process!   There is this TINY irrational bit of me, though, that does worry this won't work for me. Has anyone else ever had those worries? I'll feel better when I see and feel some results down the road, I am sure.   Thanks for any advice and encouragement!   Have a great day everyone!   Maggs
maggs79

maggs79

4
 

General suckage.

Today was a bad day. Nothing to do with the band, though! But just not a good day. Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong I think. Which of course put me in a bad mood for most of the day. Ugh! Suckage.   I won't go into the details, but the stress and frustration didn't help my healing today, that's for sure. For the first day in 2 days, I had pain in my port incision. So I'll be using an ice pack a little bit tonight I think. PLUS I didn't get to work out today. Double ugh!!   But I bought myself a super cute red dress tonight! That made me feel better. It's 2 sizes smaller than I would have bought a month ago and it's only the tiniest bit too tight! Still fits ok though. :thumbup: I have a month to fit better into it! I know I can do it!   Tomorrow morning I'm going to Zumba for the first time ever. We'll see how I can handle it! I've heard a lot of good things about it, so we'll see. I'm going to try to make up for the lack of workout today.   Hoping for a happier tomorrow!   xo
maggs79

maggs79

3
 

Fourth Fill already?!

Tomorrow is my 4th fill...but to be honest, I'm not sure I need one! I've lost about 8 pounds (I think) since my last fill a month ago. I'm happy with that! At least the numbers are going DOWN!! Obviously I'd like to lose 100 lbs over night, but that's just not going to happen! Ha!!   I've had quite a bit of trouble at first with my last 2 fills. I had a hard time keeping things down and a lot of pain eating solids for the first meal of the day. But I've gotten used to eating slower and taking smaller bites and STOPPING when I'm full. (That last bit is sometimes the hardest when I'm out with friends!)   I have also found that if I don't eat very much in a day, I won't lose very much that day. I have to have a decent amount of calories or my body goes into starvation mode or something. Weird thing. So, 5 months with the band and I'm still learning. Eventually I'll get it figured out, I'm sure.   I have been going to the gym when I can, but we're extra busy at the studio now with everyone wanting holiday portraits, so my ME time is somewhat limited until January. I tell myself that I'm doing a LOT of extra running around at work, so that will help a bit. And there's little time for snacking! Ha!   Planning my trip to England for Christmas. I'm interested to see how that goes, food-wise. I'll just eat what I know I can eat--no matter how much his mother tries to put on my plate! :bored:   I will let you know if I get any extra in my band tomorrow...but I might be getting to a good place with it! Yay! :thumbup:   Blessings,   Maggs xo
maggs79

maggs79

1
 

First Fill...check!!

I had my first fill yesterday! I wasn't too sure what to expect, but I was warned to not look! And that I would hear a "pop" noise at the needle went into the port. So, I stared at the wall and heard the pop, drank some barium and was out the door in a little under a minute! it did pinch a bit, but it wasn't too bad.   I have no idea how many CC's he put in, but they did tell me that if I am not feeling much restirction, get hungry between meals or am not losing weight, to come back within 2 weeks for another fill! I thought that was different from what I've read on here...and I like it! So, if this doesn't work as well as I want it to at first, I'll have another visit to the clinic before I move to Minnesota in two weeks!   I'm on liquids till tomorrow afternoon, so I'm thinking that's why I'm able to "eat" more than 4oz. Just taking my time drinking an 11oz protein shake. Last night, I hadn't eaten in like 8 or 9 hours and was SO hungry after the fill. So I had half a bowl of soup at Fridays and about 5 bites of mashed potatoes that I let get extra mushy before I swallowed. That satisfied my hunger, so I suppose that is some restriction. But I think I'll know more once I eat regular food. I know that all that was more than 4oz!   I've lost 17 pounds total so far. Can't tell much from looking at me, though. But a couple pairs of my jeans are starting to get really loose! So that's a good sign! (And good excuse to go shopping! Ha!)   Anyway, back to work! I'm just taking a quick break, but I hear a whining child in the camera room...better go see if she needs some help to photograph him!   Blessings! xo   ~ M
maggs79

maggs79

2
 

Final weekend without the band!

48 hours from now I will officially be a Bandster!! I'm nervous, but SO excited! I can't tell you how many times I have read and reread the instructions the doctor and dietician have given me about everything post-op.   Part of me has felt like I've "cheated" by deciding to get the Lap Band, but it's more work than so many think! And at the end of the day, I'm proud I finally took the steps to get this done! I'm changing my life for the better! And there is no greater choice I could have made when it comes to my health.   I realize I've been super positive going into this surgery--I'm just hoping these positive feelings continue AFTER I have the surgery! I know the first few days might be rough!! But it'll get better, I am sure.   Anyway!! I was going to go swimming tonight, but I think I might do some upper body workout instead since I won't be doing that for a while! Plus, I dyed my hair again yesterday--more red! So it looks like the profile pic I have posted once again. So I don't think chlorine and new hair color will mix TOO well...a nice workout will be fine instead.   OMG! Every time I get on here to write something "short" it turns out like this! If only I was this talkative in person!! Ha!   Ok, off for now! Thanks again for your support, everyone!!   Blessings! xo
maggs79

maggs79

1
 

Evil, Demented and Must be Stopped!

Liquids, that is.   Right, ok, I tried to go back to liquids only! Try to re-kickstart some more weightloss before my 1st fill. It worked till lunch. Ha!! I tried, I did! But then I was just too hungry. How on earth did I do this before the surgery for 2 weeks?? Crazy.   But anyway, I had some chicken from the Chinese restaurant in the mall and felt SO much better with actual food in me. I'll be walking a lot tonight and a LOT tomorrow in the heat, so that should also help me to lose a pound or too.   I have decided to eat till I'm not hungry--not stuffing myself, but just not starve myself! What a silly idea that was. I just have to make good choices.   I have unfortunately missed the chance to go to the gym the past few days, so after this weekend I am going to hit it hard! Then next weekend I'm driving up to Minneapolis to look for a place to live! No gym up there. But I am sure I'll be walking much more than 30 minutes per day! And in the evening I'll walk with my friend when she takes her dog out.   Every apartment I am looking at has a fitness center in the community! This has to be a MUST for me! I won't be able to do this without constantly working out!   Anyway, thank you for your support! I really needed to hear some encouragement today!   Have a great weekend all!   xo
maggs79

maggs79

3
 

Early Sunday Morning

I'm not sure why I woke up so early on a Sunday, but I was wide awake by 6:30am.   AGH! In less than 24 hours I will be in surgery! :frown: Maybe that's why I woke up so early! My body knows I have a heck of a lot of stuff to do today! I want to make sure my place is really nice and clean before I go, plus I've had a lot of good suggestions from people on here that I want to do to beforehand.   First things first, maybe I'll head to church since I'm actually up in time today!   xo
maggs79

maggs79

6
 

Day 3 post op - Full Liquids!!

I am SO glad to be able to have a protein shake!! It makes me feel so much better than drinking water, V8 Splash and jello could ever do!   My swelling is going down too, I can tell. The pain is also I think reduced quite a bit. I woke up at 4 am a little thirsty. Had some V8 juice and some tylenol and that did the trick to let me get back to sleep.   Still using an icepack, but just for comfort alone. And STILL no gas pains! I think I may have gotten really lucky with that. We'll see!   I had gained 4 pounds from the swelling and water retention from surgery, but I've lost that now. Let's hope the weight continues to go DOWN. Though right now I'm not as concerned with that I am with just healing and feeling 100% again.   This hasn't been as bad as I had imagined it, to be honest. I only hope it continues to be a blessing and not a curse.   Thanks again for all the feedback! You have no idea (well, you probably do have an idea, actually) how much it means to me to hear from all of you. :tt1:   Have a great day everyone!   xo   Maggs
maggs79

maggs79

4
 

Busy busy--

I've been SO busy, that I haven't even been able to get on here. Looking for a new place to live while not in the city you're moving to is very difficult! And stressful!   And I'm only about 2 1/2 weeks post op and have stopped losing weight for now. I have heard that this happens, so I'm trying not to worry about it too much. But I keep going back and forth with one pound. Annoying. So I'm being very careful to watch what I'm eating and make good choices. Yesterday was not so good--I had some food from the Chinese take-away in the mall. It was SO tasty, but I'm sure not so healthy. At least I only ate the meat and tofu! (Odd combo, I know! Normally I would only get stuck eating tofu at my vegetarian friend's house!)   I'm trying to keep track of what I eat on dailyplate.com, but I have forgotten to track a couple days so far. I need to make that a priority in the evenings, I suppose. Anyway, that site is really not for Bandsters. I'm following my doctor/dietician's guidelines more than that site, but it is interesting to see how things work.   If I don't have as many calories as suggested, will I not lose weight? One would think if you had less than suggested you would lose even more. But maybe that's backwards thinking. Maybe your body needs the fuel from the calories to be able to burn more fat. Oh, I just don't know! I might have to ask my dietician about this.   Anyway, that's my update for the day: packing, plateauing, and a little panicking about finding a place to move to! It's a day full of P's for me.   Still not regretting this, just waiting for my first fill in about 2 1/2 weeks! Hopefully that helps a bit with the weightloss!   Blessings! xo
maggs79

maggs79

4
 

Better today!

Yesterday was just bad. Blah. I'm over it!   Anyway, today I got up super early (thanks in part to the crack of lightning and thunder just outside!) and went to the gym! I did about 30 minutes on the treadmill before the Zumba class started. Then joined the class for the first time. It was fun! Though I didn't pick up all the choreography, but maybe next time I will. It's DEFINITELY a workout! Took a shower at the gym because I just felt gross! Haha!   On the way home I got a call from my corporate office. They have my headshot on file from last year and wanted to know if they should use that one or a new one for the awards ceremony this year. I said use that one because I don't feel like getting a new portrait taken! Ha! Last year's was nice and I don't need another official headshot until I lose about 50 pounds. :thumbup: Besides, that one has already been retouched. LOL   I think I've already had my recommended protein for the day! I had a protein shake for breakfast before I ran out the door. Then a protein "shot" -grape flavor!- after I worked out. Then I had some greek yogurt. That's 57 grams of protein so far today. Can you have too much protein??? I really am wondering that.   Thankful for a better day today and hoping it continues!   xoxo
maggs79

maggs79

3
 

Back to work!

Today I went back to work! Only for about 4 hours, but I was photographing the whole time! It was a bit different today because it was really just for a model search. The girls were all older, so I didn't have to kneel and make funny noises! LOL But I was surprised, frankly, that I had the stamina to stand and shoot for 4 hours straight! It was a blast! :laugh:   So, still sore at the port incision, but better today than yesterday. Everyday gets a little better. :smile: Started to feel a bit hungry today. I haven't really felt hungry since last Sunday before my surgery! Luckily a protein shake hit the spot!   I'm gonna go test drive a car today. Not sure if I am going to buy it, but I need to start looking for a new car. Tired of driving around a little Chevy. :smile2:   Blessings, all!   Maggs xo
maggs79

maggs79

1
 

Back to Basics

Ok, It has been almost 3 weeks since my surgery. I lost a bit in the first week and a half (about 10 pounds post op), but then pretty much stopped. I keep going back and forth with 1 or 2 pounds. I'm eating protein first and definitely eating less than I would have had before! But 1/2 cup does not fill me up! Not since the swelling has gone, at least!   Anyway, I'm just going to have to conciously eat less, stay a little hungry I guess. I don't know what else to do at this point. So, I'm having a protein shake for breakfast. I'll have a cup of tea at work and a protein shake for lunch. And I might bring some light string cheese as well. Or maybe I should just do the full liquid diet again? I don't know. So many people have these amazing success stories...but not me so far!   I really hope things get better after my first fill in a couple weeks. I'm TRYING to stay positive here, knowing that my band is empty and I won't feel a whole lot of restriction yet. But there is always this little nagging part that says this won't even work for me.   Ugh! Gotta get out of my head sometimes.   I'm heading up to a friend's house for the 4th. I'm just hoping they have something I can eat. Maybe a burger or hotdog without the bun. I'll figure out something, I'm sure.   Oh well, sorry for being a Debbie Downer today! I'll get happy sooner or later!   Off to work!!   xo
maggs79

maggs79

4
 

6th Fill was an UNfill

I decided to get some fluid taken out of my band today. Just a 1/2 cc. The stress of the last 4-6 weeks has worked against me with losing weight. I didn't lose a single pound since my last visit.   Ok, well, I actually gained 4 or 5 pounds over Christmas, lost all that right away when I got back from vacation because I was sick! Then gained 3 and lost those too. But now I'm stuck where I was before my last fill...and I've been STUCK literally as well. Even throwing up sometimes. It's worst in the morning, but it can happen at any time. I think taking some fluid out of the band was the best plan I could have. Now, to see if it will work!   I have been working out about 3 times a week at the gym. I really need to ramp that up as well, but this week has been rough. It's negative 7 degrees outside with a windchill of negative 25. I don't feel like getting out of my PJ's except to go to work...and that takes some convincing. Plus, an old colleague is in town and we've been hanging out in the evenings. Soo, no gym so far this week...but Saturday evening for sure, if not sooner!   I will hopefully find out soon if this unfill has helped. I am close to what I was when I lost 9 pounds back in October. I hope this lets me move forward with my weight loss...another 20 pounds by May 26th (my birthday) is my goal...to bring into ONE-derland!!
maggs79

maggs79

0
 

4 more days till my "b" day!!

I've still been doing pretty well with the liquid diet, praise God! I wasn't sure how I was going to get through the two weeks of liquids only!! But it hasn't been horrible.   I'm going to the gym today again. Going to kick my butt for another hour this afternoon! the other day I went swimming afterwards and somehow I think that helped to avoid any muscle aches the next day! (Might be a good idea to try that today as well if I have time.)   I've been working on this project for work--writing a photography guide for on-location work. I have set my goal to have it DONE by tomorrow even though it's technically not due till next week. Frankly, I don't want to have to worry about work stuff right away after surgery! As it is, next Thursday I've been asked to shoot a lady in a bunch of vintage dresses. We'll see if I'm up to it...I'm really not sure how I will feel next week.   Thankfully I am able to stay with a friend the night of the procedure and then come home the next day. I've also gotten some EXCELLENT advice from some people that have gone thru the procedure.   So back to work...I have to get this guide done before the weekend so I can relax (and clean my place more) before Monday--my "b" day!   Blessings!   xo :bored:
maggs79

maggs79

5
 

1st follow up--and great news! (not band related)

I had my follow up with my surgeon today. He said everything looks great! I've lost 4 pounds since Monday, not including the 4 pounds I gained in swelling and lost by Wednesday. So, yay for that! He said everything looks good and that my surgery was very straight forward and easy.   My first fill is scheduled for July 12th and I get to start on mushies on Monday! Woo!!   On to my "great news!"   K, so I am a photographer--mainly children, seniors and families--and every year my company has a contest for what they call the "Chairman's Award." Basically that's a fancy title for photographer of the year. The prize is $25,000!! That's right, 25k! Last year I was a finalist and placed 4th. Still really cool to have been a finalist. This year the competition is a LOT tougher!! We've moved from in-studio sessions only to on-location photography as well. About 1,300 people entered this year (as opposed to the 460 last year) and......I'm one of the 8 finalists again!!! PLUS one of my images is up for top prize in its category!! :confused: (And I'm the only finalist that has been a finalist before! If I don't win, I'm going to call myself Susan Lucci! LOL)   I am just SO excited and I had to share this news!! I got the call as I was driving to my doctor's appointment today. It made for a very good visit to the doctor! LOL   So that leads me to a question. I am scheduled to have my fill on July 12th. The meeting/awards ceremony is July 15th and they always serve dinner and drinks, etc. Should I just wait an extra week for my fill since I'll have to be on liquids during my time up there if I don't wait?   What do you think?
maggs79

maggs79

7
 

10 Months Post Op.

Well, I hoped I'd have a MEGA success story about some ridiculous weight loss, but I have lost about 40 pounds in 10 months. (I had to stop myself from saying "only" 40 pounds. 40 pounds is still great, right?)   I AM down 4 pants sizes...I think it's because I work out fairly regularly. I have to tell myself that that is why my weight hasn't shifted as quickly as I'd like...muscle weighs more than fat. And I've been doing a lot of weight training to build those muscles. I can at least SEE a difference. Even on a month to month basis for the most part.   I have an appointment tomorrow for a fill...I had .5cc removed from the band 2 months ago. I think I might only have .25cc put in tomorrow and see how that goes for me. Kinda dreading the appointment, to be honest. I've only lost a couple of pounds since that last appointment. Yuck. But I'm trying to figure out this whole thing. Even 10 months on, I'm still learning every single day!   Today I bought a Fitbit from Best Buy to track my activity and sleep, etc. I hope it works for me. If it does, I will sing its praises on here for sure. Let you know in a month or so!   Anyway, GOOD LUCK to everyone who is about to be banded. I do not regret it one bit! I just wish I was a fast loser...but a loser is a loser! Ha! Who'd have thought I would WANT to be a "loser?"   Blessings all!   xo   ~M
maggs79

maggs79

1
Sign in to follow this  
Followers 0

PatchAid Vitamin Patches

Bariatric Forums

For Patients

Health Professionals

Search Surgeons

Bariatric Surgeons: Want to research a weight loss surgery surgeon? Enter their last name below to start!

×