Well tomorrow I go for my pre-op testing: blood work, EKG and anastesiology clearance(not sure what that means). Also this weekend I'll go grocery shopping for my wonderful liquids i get to have for two weeks. It' kinda cool that i get sugar free fudgsicles...too bad it's not summer time though! I feel like this is becoming more and more real now that I'm going for the pre-op testing. I have a whirlwind of emotions, but none of them are regret or turning back. I am moving full steam ahead!!!!
Hi all! Nothing really new to blog about, just thought i'd check in. I think this restriction is great! The only frustrating thing is never knowing when or what i will be able to eat. I have given up on breakfast..just enough liquid to get down my medication. I have found i dont ever eat what is considered a full meal, therefore i try to make protein my first choice. I sat down and calculated that from my heaviest weight ever i have lost 51 pounds and 35 since being banded. WOW! it's amazing how i look back on old pics and i'm just embarassed actually. it's definelty a motivation to never go back! New goal is to hit that 14 by feb 14th! LOL! I think this weekend i'll buy something in a 14 to see how close i am to making it, hopefully it will be motivation and not make me cry if i'm too far off. LOL!
Just wanted to drop a quick note. I got my unfill last monday and so far so good. it takes me about 4-5 hours before i'm "hungry" and my portions are controlled. needless to say I still am figthing that 1-2 last pounds to get to onederland. however i went shopping yesterday because i needed an outfit in a specific color for a womens conference. well i went into a little cheapy store and asked where the size 12's were since i saw the plus sized section started at size 14. she told me in the junior/misses section. I JUST STOOD THERE FOR WHAT SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY. ME GET CLOTHES OUT OF THE JUNIOR.MISSES SECTION. my heart started racing. i know this sounds crazy but i was totally freaked out for a minute. I HAVE NEVER BOUGHT CLOTHES ANYWHERE OTHER THAN THE PLUS SIZE SECTION. so when i bought everything from that side of the store it was soooo weird. i was happy but it was so hard to wrap my mind around the fact that i could. i even bought a tank top in a medium from that side of the store. ok just wanted to share that experience right quick. hope all is well with everyone.
s/n from our conference. WHATEVER IT IS...LET IT GO!!!
peace and blessings
jennifer
OK i know some of you are waiting to see how I'm doing. The surgery was yesterday and I was a little nervous, but i prayed a lot and that helped calm my nerves. I'm gonna write my full story in the surgery day stories so I wont write it twice. I've gotten a lot of support from my friends and absoltuly none from my sister. I was in tears cuz she has not once called to check on my or shown any interest in if i'm alive or dead! I asked my mom why she's treating me like this and the only thing we can come up with is jealousy!
Anyhow. I'm in some discomfort more than pain. I have 3 incisions, one so small i thought it was a scratch till i touched it and felt the dermabond. Getting out of bed and back in is the worse!!!!!Can anyone offer any suggestions that will make it easier. I've been sleeping on/off since I got home. Still taking pain meds, just cuz i'm afraid if i stop i'll be in a lot of pain.
I'm so glad I did it. I gainded 4 pounds back after the surgery! Did this happen to anyone else? I'm guessing it's the gas. All in all I would do this again and I'm so excited to start my new life. My friend who took me to the surgery gave me a visa gift card to buy my first "skinny" shirt and I cant wait to so that!!!!
Does anyone know if we can video blog on here? I started that yesteday before I went to the surgery, not sure what i'm gonna do with it though.
Hope all is well with everyone. Feel free to PM me if you have further questions. I could not have made it without you guys, thanks for your support and concern!!!
OK i know some of you are waiting to see how I'm doing. The surgery was yesterday and I was a little nervous, but i prayed a lot and that helped calm my nerves. I'm gonna write my full story in the surgery day stories so I wont write it twice. I've gotten a lot of support from my friends and absoltuly none from my sister. I was in tears cuz she has not once called to check on my or shown any interest in if i'm alive or dead! I asked my mom why she's treating me like this and the only thing we can come up with is jealousy!
Anyhow. I'm in some discomfort more than pain. I have 3 incisions, one so small i thought it was a scratch till i touched it and felt the dermabond. Getting out of bed and back in is the worse!!!!!Can anyone offer any suggestions that will make it easier. I've been sleeping on/off since I got home. Still taking pain meds, just cuz i'm afraid if i stop i'll be in a lot of pain.
I'm so glad I did it. I gainded 4 pounds back after the surgery! Did this happen to anyone else? I'm guessing it's the gas. All in all I would do this again and I'm so excited to start my new life. My friend who took me to the surgery gave me a visa gift card to buy my first "skinny" shirt and I cant wait to so that!!!!
Does anyone know if we can video blog on here? I started that yesteday before I went to the surgery, not sure what i'm gonna do with it though.
Hope all is well with everyone. Feel free to PM me if you have further questions. I could not have made it without you guys, thanks for your support and concern!!!
So I am almost 6 weeks out and i still have the dreaded shoulder pain sometimes. I've read in other threads that's how some people know they have eaten to much. Hmmmm today at work i had to rush through lunch, while making doctor's appointments, car appointments, writing a report and trying to talk to a doctor about her patient...needless to say it wasnt fun. I had made some chicken salad. I noticed shortly after eating that my shoulder was hurting. I'm starting to wonder if that's my sign for eating too fast or too much. I will have to pay close attention to that.
I had my first training session since April. I was so excited. then i told him i wanted to continue cuz the first year of training i had so many things going on....finding out i had hypothyroidism..trying to get my levels correct...some slacking off and then the lap band. I want to up my sessions to two per week and we've worked out a deal! I'm gonna do some laps in the pool tomorrow since i'm eyelash and weave free for a minute anyway! LOL!
Hope eveyone has a great holiday weekend.
Ok so it's almost been one year since i was banded and i have been video blogging on my phone. i was torn as to if i was going to ever post them. well i decided about a month ago that i would. then realized i had no idea how to post them from my phone to my computer.....lol. well duh! i finally realized yesterday that i have an app on my phone. LOL (yeah me and technology arent' the best of friends. ) anyhow i started posting yesterday. i have about 20 videos i think but i 've just started posting so i have about 8 up thus far.
feel free to check out my blog on there. my name is jennypoo6043....just wanted to share my experience with others and hopefully help someone along the way.
i cant believe the number of women that have reached out to me for support from this site that i talk to or text. i've found some friends all over the country that i would have never had the chance to meet had it not been for LBT! i would love to plan a reunion one day somewhere with everyone i've spoken with, but for now i'll settle for this.
thanks guys and feel free to leave comments on you tube.
jennifer
Well my pre-op testing was yesterday. Let me start off my saying I HATE DRIVING IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cabbies and biker's really irritate me and just the traffic and overall overcrowdedness!!! (is that even a word! my sister(the teacher would probably kringe if she saw that)! anywho! got to the doctors office and only 2 people were in the waiting room. I pay my deposit($$$$$$) and complete some more paper work. Once I get called back I go thru the norm of BP, temp, height and weight. Yep BP was high 147/98, which is high for me, but they dont seem concerned and feel it's "white coat syndrome". lol You can call it whatever you like as long as it doesnt stop me from getting banded!! Get blood taken(not that bad), and EKG , talk to the anastesiolgist(i can never spell that, but ya'll know what i mean..LOL), and I can say i'm not to thrilled about the intubated thing, but I know i have to have it. Went back out the to waiting room and there are close to 20 people waitng! WTH!!! are they giving away lap bands now,...sign me up! found out the doc was running late so i had to sit another 20 minutes for my barium swallow. he comes rushing through the door. i get called back and in like 2 minutes its over. I stand in front of the xray like machine. take 3 big gulps of this white stuff and bam that's it.
As I look over the papers I was given there is a 0 POUND WEIGHT GAIN CLAUSE! WTH is this. well apparently if you dont weigh the same you did on your pre-op testing(done 2 weeks before your surgery), there's a chance they wont do the surgery. i asked for clarity and it's like if you gain like 10+ pounds. Ok not sure how you would do that if you're on a liquid diet for 2 weeks, but apparently someone has done it or they wouldnt have to say it. Ok i've rambled enough! SMOOCHES!!!
Ok so i went in for the unfill on Friday. Glad to know that I dont have a leak and everything is where it's supposed to be. As of this morning i am down 15 pounds since my fill 2 weeks ago(tomorrow). i still am just able to get in liquids, so i have been living off egg drop soup. i dont have an appetite, but every time i try something with more consistency i get stuck after a few(and i do mean few) bites.
My question is to those who like their band tight, how do you do it? I can barely get in my protein, but this is my focus..i'm praying that since the weather has cooled off some it will get better. HELP I NEED TO KNOW THIS IS GOING TO GET BETTER! i cant go in for another unfill as i am self pay and i just paid $250 2 weeks ago....is there a chance my band will loosen on it's on in the next few days?
Just wanted to update you guys that I was finally approved for surgery on Feb 10th! I had my pre-op appointment today and my surgery is scheduled for March 14th! To say Im excited is an understatement. I am so grateful for another shot at getting my health together!
Well today I started my pre-op all liquid diet. So far it's 6pm and i'm ok. I hear my stomach growling, but it's nothing I cant handle. I had a muscle milk shake for breakfast, chicken broth and SF jello for lunch, just ate a SF popcicle and will have a protein shake for dinner. I've been drinking crystal light as well. I even went to the gym and did 40 minutes of cardio. I'm totally shocked and hope that I can keep this up!
ok so i got my 5ht fill in dec. i was doing just fine, until 2 weeks ago. i got sick and was on antibiotics for a week, also TOM came around the same time. well my band got super tight and i'm guessing with both of those things happening at the same time caused this. well i thought once TOM left and my sickness left i would be ok. NOT! i was hoping it would loosen, but not so. i am used to not being able to get things down in the morning unless its' a liquid, but now lunch is hard and so is dinner. last night i was awaken by coughing and choking as if i had swallowed water and it went down the wrong pipe. i have an appointment to get a slight unfill and i know this is crazy but i'm soooo scared i will not be able to get to the green zone like i was before i got sick. i am one size away from making my goal by my one year anniversary! i just dont wanna get a slight unfill and be able to eat like i'm crazy! ugh! i lost 6 weeks once before with being too tight, too loose and not being able to see my doc. ugh! why now!
has anyone else had it where they got sick, band got tight and didnt get loose after the illness went away?
jennifer
Ok so in the past few weeks i have been back and forth between twoderville and onederland..ugh!!!! SO frustrating. i've talked with a few people and i have decided that i am not gettin enough protein..so i have decided to up my protein and change up my exercise routine. i'm praying this will jump start my losing again. i dont do well with counting calories or myfitness pal..i'm just being honest. so i pray this is what i need to kick this thing into high gear again.
Well i start my pre-op all liquid diet tomorrow. I will admit that i took this weekend to have the last of my favorite foods, one being pizza. This is the one food that I dont think i'll be able to have ever again cuz of the bread componet. And I'm ok with that (i think)! LOL! so I am going through the fridge tossing everything out that is isnt a liquid at this point or that wont keep(frozen) till i'm able to have it again. I'll have a moment of silence and i toss all my comfort foods in the trash! I tried to get my sister to come raid my fridge but she wont and i think it's cuz she doesnt want me to hae the surgery. Oh well! Not trying to be cold, but i'm doing this for me. So with that said I start the liquid diet tomorrow, so i'll check in if i havent passed out by the end of the day! LOL
Ok so i went in for my 2nd unfill(or so i thought it was my second one), long story short, my doctor was either zoning out, sleepy or suddenly went deaf! last friday instead of taking out .5cc he put 5cc in for a total of 1.5ccs!!! way too much for me. well he took out.8cc which gave me a fill of .2ccs, i have heard that when you are close to the green zone very small amount will get you back in the green zone. well i guess that is true! so needless to say i had loast 18 pounds in those 2 weeks and so far i've gained back 5, but TOM just got here too. i knew that was coming so i'm tryn not to be too upset. but i'm back in the green zone and back on my grind. i'm still in onederland and i dont ever plan on leaving!!!
Ok so i know i havent blogged in a while, just really havent been in the mood, but i knew i needed to post after today. Well today i got my first fill!!!YEAH!!! It took all of 2 minutes and wasw TOTALLY pain free! I stood in front of the xray machine and he made me drink the white chalky stuff to ensure that everything was in place. Next he used a needle to numb the area(it felt like a small mosquito bite) and 2 seconds later he inserted the needle to do the fill. He added some saline, had me drink, added some more and I drank again. He pulled the needle out(all i felt was pressure and i REFUSED to look at that needle in my stomach) and put on a bandaid. wham bam..done!!
WOW!!! i'm so glad that was pain free. Now i'm back on liquids for 2 days! BOOOO!!! but if i could survive 2 weeks on liquids surely i can do 2 days! so i have to make sure to eat some chicken before tues when i call back to let them know if everything is goin down and if i'm still hungry. If so I have to go back before 2 weeks to get it adjusted. I'm soooooooooooooo excited that I finally got a fill. I was told to really pay attention to my body these next 2 weeks so i will know what "full" feels like to me.
I'M ON MY WAY!
Oh yeah i gained 2 pounds since i started mushies 3 weeks ago, but i'm not even concerned now that i know that is normal.
I went to the gym again today and did an hour of cardio. I AM STILL PETRIFIED TO DO ANY AB WORK!!! I've been released to work with my trainer again.
Was anyone else afraid to do ab work or am I being a big baby? LOL
Ok i'm probably gonna be late for work but who cares. I FINALLY HIT ONEDERLAND!! i thought i did yesterday but wanted to make sure today and yep 199!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it was a long haul, but now i'm here. i believe i can make my goal in1.5 months!!!!! thanks for all the encourgement guys...ok gotta get to work!
Ok I havent blogged here in a while. There hasnt really been anything big to report. I now know my band does not like white meat chicken or egg yolks from boiled eggs! I must take small bites and chew chew chew. Yeah i know this is bandster 101 stuff but it bears repeating, well to me anyway. I got some not so good news at the dermatologist today about my hair loss(not band related) and I cant relax my hair, wear pony tails or any type of weave, only wigs. ok this may seem stupid to some but i was literally crying leaving the doctors' office. my hair is such an important part of me to me. i dont care if that sounds shallow, it's how i feel. any how, after i talked to my mom and another friend i got over it and decided to not focus on that.
While at walmart i decided to pick up a pair of XL scrub pants to see how close i was to squeezing into them. well i got home and they fit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN WEAR XL SCRUB BOTTOMS (and i'm a sista with a lotta junk in the trunk, so this is huge too me)!!!!! yeah me!!!!!
just wanted to share that with everyone!!!!!
i have been going back and forth on rather i was gonna blog this today, but i must own up to my failures as well as my successes. well i am going in for a fill today. i got on the scale and it has been slowly creeping up. today it said 210!!! i had gotten to 202..that was from february till now. to some that may seem like not a lot, but mentallu to see that second number as a 1 and not a zero just sent me into a mental place i dont need to be. i just cant believe i let it go this far. i take full responsibility for my weight gain. yes i still was in the gym but my eating habits have become less than desirable..ok let me not sugar coat it..i was down right wrong. now i know i need a fill, but i found myself in the past few weeks thinking..it didnt matter what i ate cuz i was gettn a fill and i would just get back on track then. this is the same thinking that held me captive at a size20!! now my 12's still fit, but i know it's only a matter of time before that changes.
i think i blogged this to show myself that even though i am one year post op i still have some mental changing to do when it comes to my weight loss journey. i thought that one year out it would be a walk in the park. i long for the day that i dont have to make a conscience effort to always think about what i am eating for the day. i long for the day that my weight is not always on my mind..but i dont think that day will ever come.
so i've come to accept that my way of life is to be constantly aware of my weight and food intake.
jennifer
Well today is day four post-op and I'm doing quite well. My friends cant believe how go i'm doing being up and mobile. I was going stir crazy in the house so i ran a few errands and i felt ok. Sometimes when i first get up after having sat for a long period of time my port site hurt and it feels like gravity is pulling it down. It only feels better if i support it with my hand and rub it. Spoke with the nurse yesterday and i'm right on track. I may return to work on Thurs, but i'm not rushing it.
I am still amazed that i dont have an appeitite! where the hell did it go! believe me i'm not complaining, but i have no restriction cuz my band is empty, but i have no desire to eat whatsoever. I am still making myself drink my liquids as i can start mushies on sat. i want to go to the gym tomorrow and just walk on the treadmill. we'll see how that goes.
How is everyone else doing that was banded recently?
Sooooo i just looked at my blog and see it's been like 5 years since I posted!!!!! WOOOOOOWWWW!!! So if i wrote everything that has happened in those 5 years this would be like 8 pages long, so i will make it short as possible. I met my goal size of a 12 within 11 months of having my band. I was good at maintaining for like 2.5 years. And then my band and i started fighting more and more. Between life, band slippages, emergency unfills, relationship changes and the death of my mother i have basically gained all my weight back. I am back to a size 16 and my original size preband was a 20. I have changed jobs and now am in the process of getting my band removed and revised to a vertical sleeve. I have had many emotions about this from embarrassment, shame, anger, etc. I was self pay for the lap band, but my current insurance does pay for the surgery.
I was submitted for the removal of my lap band and revision to a sleeve and was DENIED!! To say I was devastated is putting it mildly. I am in the process of having my doctor submit further explanation of why it is medically necessary to remove my band.
This time will be different. I will be going to support groups and doing thing before that i hated like actually tracking food and gym times.
I'm pretty sure no one even follows this blog anymore, but i am keeping my youtube blog up to date!
Thanks for stopping by!
Ok I know i posted this yesterday, not sure what happened to it, but hear goes again.
I've been checking my cell phone like crazy waiting for my company to call me and tell me if I have a job in 2 weeks since my current contract ends in two weeks. I see that I have missed a call from the surgery center. I check the VM and they said they have to reschedule my surgery from Fri(20th) til Monday(23rd)! WTH!!!!OMG!! I went into my supervisor's office and balled my eyes out. Couldnt do that to long as my patient was waiting on me. I went and found a friend of mine and she said a quick prayer for me. Well minutes later I went back to my desk only to find another VM from the surgery center! MY SURGERY IS BACK ON FOR FRIDAY!!!! THANK YOU JESUS! God answers prayers and I needed this one answered quickly.
Secondly, I still hadnt heard from my company, finally they call and tell me the hospital has extended my contract till June 24th and possibly longer than that! THANK YOU JESUS!! Now I can go into my surgery with no worries about if i'll be employed in a week. Plus my supervisor know about my surgery and has agreed to manuever my patint caseload to accomodate my 10 pound weight lifiting restriction!!!!! I thank God for his favor, cuz technically she could say you cant do your job and we're ending you contract!
I'm still doin well on the pre-op diet! no cheats! but also no gym ...Tonight is my last night band free!!!! I will find out today the exact time of my proceudure today!
Hope all is well with everyone!!! MUAH!!!
Sooooo I finally got approved for my revision from lap band to VSG!!!! I am soooo excited! I have my pre op appointment this wed. and I will have to speak with the NUT, anesthesiologist and my surgeon. I am hoping my surgery date(which i wont know till wed) is in March!!!
well happy new year all. i hope everyone had safe holidays. well it's been almost a month since my 5th fill. it's kinda been crazy. so days i think i need a slight unfill and then with in that same day i think i'm fine. the scale is finally starting to move. i have upped my gym time from 4 days to 5 days a week. i dont know if this is normal, but like i said some day i can eat what i feel is good for a bandster and some days i can barely get in 2 teaspoons. i have decided that this is how my band is going to be. I'm content. I just never expected it to be so different from day to day. I wonder if others experience the same thing. I thought when i got goo restriction it would be the same all the time(well except in the am i cant eat anything solid till after 10am), but not to change so much even within a day. i mean one day i eat something and the next day it wont go down.
Are me and my band crazy or is this normal?
ok so i went in for my fill on monday (the 25th).. i had gained 8 pounds since my last unfill in march. i am really tight now. i can eat solid food, just very little..i mean like 4-5 bites(not sure how many ounces). my appetite is totally gone for the most part and i lost 10 pounds in the first week after the fill. my question is do you guys think i need a slight unfill cuz of my rapid weight loss or do you think my body has just been shocked back into loosing?
