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My Journey

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From: Flying with a band - advice from my Doc

Hi,   I had an interesting conversation with my doc last night when I went in for my fill. I thought I'd share some advice she gave me.   When we were talking about my upcoming trip to LA, she immediately asked how soon I was going and said not to eat a big solid meal right before or during the flight.   Here's why - when she and her husband were flying to Mexico, her husband partially inflated a neck pillow. After takeoff, they noticed that the pillow was now extremely filled due to the change in air pressure. They let some air out of it and a few minutes later it was again filled to the max! She said it was an amazing visual and something she wanted to share with her patients. Basically, you're not at risk of bursting your band or anything, but it WILL tighten your band, and therefore eating while in flight could be a problem and make my tummy upset :thumbup: (she thought drinking would be okay).   Her advice was to just have a light soup or something for dinner before I fly, but then just have water while in flight, so I don't get uncomfortable from changes in the band while in the pressurized cabin.   Has anyone else heard this advice? My doc is pretty sharp, so I'm not taking any chances!!   Source: Flying with a band - advice from my Doc
genesishanna

genesishanna

5
 

Day 15 on my journey - Hello Mushies

Okay, I was seriously nervous about pureed foods b.k.a "mushies". I can honestly say that I went from barely able to sip 64 ounces slowly to getting hungry, wanting to lick everything, and thinking that I can eat the way I used to on Monday. I knew that I would be able to start mushies on Tuesday, but I was a bit scared not knowing what that meant. So at midnight I went to the supermarkets from some acceptable products and at 1 am, I was just a boiling and a blending fool at this point. In addition to seasoning the turkey wings for my families dinner the next night.   I made egg salad, which would be my breakfast and chicken salad for my lunch and it was so damn tasty. The next day I also brought some Maryland Crab Soup which is like having tasty vegetable soup with crab meat. I blended it and it lost no flavor...yum. Last night, I blended the turkey wings and string beans I prepared for my favor and it was so damn delicious.   Okay so I got all this tasty food and cant wait to eat, but imagine my surprise when I go to eat and after placing a few tips in my mouth I am full! WTF? I guess that is what the band does....right?! But no matter how much I read the message boards it didnt prepared me for this actual full feeling, its crazy. Its like you put a spoonful in your mouth and as soon as you get into it a switch goes off and your full in full effect. Its a bitter sweet feeling!
genesishanna

genesishanna

3
 

Days 6 and 7 on my journey- Its the little things...

This one is going to be short and sweet. I feel good and hopeful. After my trip to the hospital and my band was loosened, gas started moving and I am doing so much better. Thank you Jesus! I am down 12 pounds and I am starting to get a mild appetite back. Thankfully once I drink something I am satisfied. After following LBT for the past 2 weeks, I find it amazing that so many people in the world have gone through the same things (in different ways) we dont know one another, yet we can all relate to one another. The best part is that somehow someway we all wound up here together to meet at the same time. If this was a different time and place in our life, just imagine how different our journeys may have been if we didnt have information and support at our fingertips. Sometimes its just the little things that make us just sit back and thank God because he has a divine way of doing things. The reason I know its God, it because there is no one or nothing else that could have brought be through what I have been through and yet I came out smiling. Thank you Jesus!
genesishanna

genesishanna

2
 

Day 5 on my journey - Your body is your forum

So, my day 5 ended in the Emergency Room. Every day I have been in these forums trying to get answers on how to relieve gas, and all things related to the land band. Well I am thankful for the many replies I've received from my fellow-banders based on their experience, but not everything is for everyone. I got up yesterday and said that I would go outside to the stripmall and do some much needed walking, since that was clearly the cure-all for the gas pain I was experiencing. However, when I came home my gas was not relieved at all, actually I came home and threw-up because I was so damn nauseous from all the gas. Regardless, of how much I hear of others complaining of the gas, I knew that there was something not normal about this, especially since the night before I woke up at 2 a.m. to bow-down before my porcelain thrown. In all my years of being a big-girl, I knew that being bulimic wasn't the way to shed the pounds, so the idea of getting to this point in life, doing a six month supervised weight-loss program, and undergoing surgery was not going to results in me all of a sudden losing weight by throwing up all my foods (or liquids) in this case. This is not the way. I have managed to lose 9 pounds in 5 days and under different circumstances that would be cause to celebrate, but this was not the way.   So about 4pm I called my Doctors office and they told me to come in and I did. He asked no real questions, he just had his needle ready to remove the fluid from my band. Remove the fluid from my band, WTF?! Okay, so when did he plan on telling me that I had fluid in my band? We talked about this before surgery and I knew that my first fill wasn't until 9/14/11.It may not seem to be that bad for some, but for me, I felt a bit violated. I am not that hard up for weight loss that you can just do anything with me without telling me, especially something that would make me sick. I knew something was wrong because I had no appetite at all, and drinking water made me full and nauseous. I mean don't get me wrong, I don't want to be able to go back to eating sandwiches and burgers, but if you tell me to drink 64 oz. of fluids, I want to be able to do it painlessly.   So after he removed all the fluid, he said that I should feel immediate relief, but I didn't. He advised me to go to the ER to make sure I am not having a HEART ATTACK! You know how they say that when your facing death your whole life flashes right before your eyes? Well in this case, my how big-girl existence and reasons for choosing this surgery flashed before me. I began to question whether all of this was worth it. I mean, okay... I've been a big girl all my life... yeah it has limited the places where I can shop, but overall I was not unhappy with myself. Honestly, I had no co-morbidity ( nor have I ever heard of it) until I started this program and that was obstructed sleep apnea. Which I am starting to believe every person at least 20 lbs overweight has it. I mean honestly- was it really worth it; a heart attack?   I immediately went to the emergency room. I was seem immediately and the did the whole million-dollar work-up on me; EKG, bloodwork, X-rays etc... they gave me a different kind of medicine for my nausea, and and IV. But guess what? They had nothing for the gas! I never had any regrets prior to this. I contemplated this surgery for 3 years before I committed to it, so in my opinion that was well thought out, unlike other things I jumped into without thinking about.   I can't say that I have regrets now, because I don't; however, I can say that while I sat on the hospital bed for about 10 hours, only 10 slimmer than when I started this journey, I began to rethink things. I am okay. I like myself. I love myself actually and there is nothing that has changed about me on the inside. Whenever I make any decision on my life, I have to remember that, because honestly, all the reasons for me doing this surgery were non-existent for those 10 hours. I am not saying that I made a mistake, I am not saying that I wouldn't do it again. I am just saying that I would re-evaluate my reasons and learn to be content where I am, because there is a high cost for the price of beauty.....   In conclusion, since the fluid is gone and the band is more loose, I am able to pass the horrid gas easier (Thank You Jesus)! I also learned that I do not want super restriction on my band because I do not want to be sick. I can deal with a slower weight-loss, its not worth my heath. I also learned that my body is my forum. It will tell me when something is not right, and that is who I should be listening to instead of these LBT forums. I am thankful this morning for the experience. I am especially thankful that since I had that IV last night I am well-hydrated . I am going to complete this journey, one step at a time.
genesishanna

genesishanna

12
 

Day 4 on my journey - This gas is a pain in my a**!

I want to start with the positive - the weight is coming off pound by pound. That is my primary objective; therefore, all else should be well, right? Wrong! This gas is no joke. The end of day three, which was when I was allowed to progress to full liquids, I wound up throwing up, which I hate to do. The positive thing is that gas came up with it, that sounded like something out of a horror film. Have you ever thought about the way gas sounds? Its abnormal! Anything that exist inside of you and sounds like a monster just can't be right. Okay, I'm rambling. So anyway, I went to sleep and woke up on day 4 which was okay except for...of course, that damn gas! I wish I had something spectacular to share, but I honestly don't. The pain had me in bed the majority of the day. I tried to walk around the house, but I was unsuccessful because my house is not that big and going around in circles would have made me depressed. I would have went outside, but unfortunately we were under the threat of rain so I did not want to chance it. Something great did happen, I made some very thin cream of wheat with 1% milk and 2 packets of splenda. Honestly, I thought it would be nasty because usually I use sweet condensed mik, whole milk, and a lot of sugar for my cream of wheat to make a fatty, tasty, creamy, lumpy treat. Having to modify it to fit my new way of life was a scary thought; however, after tasting it, I enjoyed it just the same. It tasted so good that I thought I would eat/sip too much of it, but I didn't. So I must say that I learned a small lesson here. We can enjoy the same things in life post-op as we did pre-op, just with a little modification. We conditioned ourselves to enjoy in fatty sweet treats, or platefuls of food for satisfaction. The funny thing is that we can condition ourselves to enjoy healthier, smaller portions, and receive satisfaction just the same. I am thankful for the small things now. Its amazing how a few spoonfuls of cream of wheat can do that to someone. I know there will be more to come, just taking it one step at a time.
genesishanna

genesishanna

4
 

Day 3 on my journey - Do not pacify me

This is my third day after surgery. The gas is still an issue, but I have faced much worse in life so I am trying not to complain. I had my first protein shake this morning, I slipped slowly and it went down easy. I am thankful. At this point, I can not tell whether the feelings I have are me feeling full, but I know I am not hungry so I wont eat. According to the personalized plan I received from my Doctor's office, I am able to have strained cream soups and watered down cream of wheat or oatmeal. I love cream of wheat and oatmeal and just because I can have a watered down version of it, does not mean that I am going to take it in.   So let me get down to the nitty gritty. If there is ever a time where I decide to go back to my old eating habits, please DON'T PACIFY ME. I have a weight problem because I like to eat. I love eating what I want and if it were not for the fact that I dont like being overweight, limited to shopping at big girl stores, or suffering from health issues because of it, then I would still eat all that I want. I couldn't do this by myself because I made poor choices in food. Taste and instant gratification outweighed everything. So in saying all of that, if I start to deviate from the plan my doctor has for me, please don't pacify me. It just means that I am doing what I want to do. No excuses and I will suffer for it later!   I tried to put on kid gloves when it comes to this site, but it doesnt matter because if you are not pacifying someone or stroking their ego, then you are doing something wrong. So instead of me creating enemies on here, I will just express myself on my personal blog. We all have a weight problem and our journey is personal; however, I feel that we can support one another, but who is really in the position to give advice? We are all trying to find our way, some sooner than others, but this is like any addiction and have to be dealt with day by day, choice by choice for a lifetime.   The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If I decide to eat the way I did pre-op, I cant expect different results post-op, its just not going to happen. If I have to question if its wrong, its wrong and please don't be afraid to tell me that its wrong. If I start eating sandwiches and hamburgers within a few weeks. Dont be afraid to call me out on it, because I already know that those are not the right choices to loss the weight. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know that I have to take this thing one step at a time.
genesishanna

genesishanna

6
 

Day 2 on my journey

Yesterday I did so well. minus the gas, I was a on a great road to recovery with very minimal pain. I decided to go for a walk around the corner ( which is something that I never do) and felt so good that I walked all the way to "Subway" with my husband while he got something to eat. I was not enticed by the environment or the smell. I had a small cup of water just because I am so supposed to be sipping something at all times.   Last night the gas pains were a bit much, so I took the pain meds so that i can go to sleep in comfort. I slept well. This morning I woke up and finally the gas started moving from the rear. I felt like I made progress. I had to be graphic, but I even made a small loose BM that was pushed out by the gas. I am not giving you TMI, but this is something I was concerned about. The gas however, is still resting in my chest area and its uncomfortable. I know this will pass by in time so I don't allow that to consume me.   So I have not eaten anything since last Wednesday and I am okay with that. I cant not say whether I am hungry or full at this point. I am just okay and have no desire to eat, if that makes sense to anyone. I had a cup of hot tea with some splenda to try to move this gas, but it didn't work. Aside from that I am slowly sipping on some water. I may try some Jello tonight, but at this point I honestly don't have the desire for food and I don't want to eat just because the food is there.   My next step is the treadmill. It is raining outside so I cant go out there for a walk. I have to keep focus on this journey and take it one step at a time. There is no turning back now.
genesishanna

genesishanna

2
 

Day 1 on my journey

I was banded yesterday August 12, 2011 at 1pm. I can honestly say that it went more smoothly than I thought. I arrived at the hospital at 10:53 to register. After registration was completed they took me into the back where I had to undress and put on the gowns in the socks. During this time the took my vitals, my weight, gave me and IV, and a shot. My Doctor, Peter Liao came in to talk to me and confirm which procedure I was getting. We also discussed the different types of bands as well. The next person was the anesthesiologist, who came in to discuss the slim to none risk with anesthesia. He assured my husband that I would be fine and then he left. A few moments later I was being wheeled into the operating room. This all took about 2 hours, but didn't seem that long.   Once I arrived in the OR, I laid down they strapped my up and placed those pads on my legs to promote circulation. Honestly, the told me I would feel sleepy soon; however, I don't remember going to sleep, just waking up in the recovery room. I was in and out at that point and I remember them trying to wake me up about three times. Once they were ready for me in radiology I had to wake up fully, yet groggy so I can get off the bed into the wheelchair.   This was the worse part, (although not that bad ) I began to feel nauseous and was scared to throw up out of fear that it would damage something. Once they rolled me up to radiology, I began to gag so much that they sent me back because I wouldnt be able to hold down the barium. I went back down to recovery for 30 minutes where they gave me medication for the nausea, after the 30 minutes I went back up to radiology and swallowed the barium with no problem. The barium used for this one was not half as bad as the one used for the upper GI and I was so thankful for that.   After the Xrays were complete they rolled me down to recovery where I sat in a chair and my husband came to me. The nurse wanted me to drink a half of small cup of water and urinate before I was able to go home. It took me a while, especially since I would get really nauseous after I stood up. After going to the bathroom finally, I was able to go home.   The trip home was fine, but when I had to stand up again I was nauseated and had to sit down. I took some pain medication, although the pain never became unbearable. I also took some of the medicine for nausea they prescribed and it made me feel better. I was in and out of sleep all night, maybe due to me sleeping on a chair, and then my couch because they nurse advised that I not lay down so that the gas can pass through better.   Now I am at the next morning, I feel pretty good, no real pain, just pressure from the gas I guess. I took my gummy vitamins and gummy calcium. I have been sipping on the same 16 oz of water since last night; however, I will make some hot tea in a little while so that it can help with the gas moving. All around good experience, Thank you God!
genesishanna

genesishanna

5
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