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Wow! Woke up this morning with so much energy. Had my post op appt yesterday and to date have lost 18 pounds. I feel fabulous! My first fill (under fluoro) is scheduled for the 22nd and am kind of looking forward to it. I've had absolutely no issues and am so pleased with my decision to do this. My clothes are fitting better and I actually see a little difference. I'm just so excited! My Dr. said I should lose another 20 pounds by the end of summer which is pretty slow, but I'm okay with that. In my head, as he said that, I'm thinking....omg when I lose 20 more pounds I will weight what I did in college....holy cow!!!!!!!

Capital Regional Medical Center in Tallahassee has a new senoir leadership member. We had a welcoming celebration for him today in the cafeteria. A favorite local BBQ joint catered the event, and since I am on the activities committee, I helped dish the food out to everyone for an hour or so. I had fun doing it, and it was a great event overall. I am excited for our facility! The future looks bright for CRMC and the Bariatric Center. That being said (and working in Bariatrics) I couldn't help but think (from an outsiders point of view) how hard event's like these could potentially be on a Lap-Band patient, especially a new Lap-Band patient. We have 2 lines of BBQ being served out as a form of celebration. What if you can't have BBQ? Or, even worse, what if you REALLY like BBQ, BUT you shouldn't have it, but want to be involved in the event? I mean, I try to eat healthy, but I fell weak to the temptation and grabbed a plate. Would it be cheating to a Lap-Band patient, even though the environmental pressures are so elevated it's almost considered "anti-social" not to participate? Society doesn't make it easy to come to terms with obesity, and it makes it even harder to fight. It helps me remember how much hard work, dedication, and attention goes into pre/post opp lifetstyles of a Lap-Band patient. I don't claim to fully understand because I do not have a band inside of me. But I've struggled with weight loss and know it's trials. I am amazed at the strength and tenacity of those individuals fighting to improve in any way, and I tip my hat to you all. In my eyes, you are all warriors, surrounded on all sides, fighting back the masses, and winning!!! As my Grandpa used to tell me, "Go get 'em tiger!" Grrr...

Back tracking a bit—I was approved on February 10, 2012 which made it a one week wait to hear back from my insurance company. I have scheduled my surgery date for March 15, 2012! Equally excited and nervous. Now, I am preparing myself and my home for post-surgery.

A little over 24 hours since Fill #1, so anything I say here is speculative at best and ridiculous at worst. Good thing ridiculous has never stopped me. My surgeon instructed me to stick to liquids for my first meal after the fill, but said that I could progress to mushies after that and back up to soft solids and then solids as soon as it felt comfortable. I'm assuming I still have some swelling, but no discomfort at all. Having liquids yesterday was touch and go. I felt full quickly at lunch (my liquid 1st meal), but it didn't last more than a couple of hours. I went to mushies for dinner and had no problem getting anything down, but I did notice that the more substantial meal stuck with me a loooong time. I ate at about 4 PM (because I was starving after my liquid lunch) and was still not hungry when I went to bed at 10 PM (yes, I live like an old woman at 36. Sue me ) That was great! Today, I had a poached egg for breakfast and was good for about 4 hours. My lunch was tuna salad and it really filled me up! I ate about the same amount I was eating before the fill (about 1/2 cup) and I can totally notice the difference in satiety. Before the fill, that amount would end my hunger, but the reason I stopped eating was because the food was gone, not because I felt physically full or satisfied. After the fill, I feel full off the same amount of food. Not stuffed or uncomfortable but full, as if I would choose to turn down more food if it were offered (and free of calories!). It's a delightful feeling, because it tells me my band is really there! And it's working! I wouldn't call what I feel "restriction" per se, because I don't feel anything unusual going down, and nothing is having any trouble sliding through, but like I said, I feel full off smaller amounts of food. Maybe that's what restriction is supposed to be? It could be that I've been misunderstanding the term all along. And it could also be that it's not really my band making me full but that residual swelling from the fill. Doesn't really matter to me at the moment, because either way, it's working. If this feeling fades in a couple of days or a couple of weeks as the swelling goes down, I can go back for a second fill in 3 weeks. Yay! I'm on my way, kids, and nothing can stop me now!

Greetings with love, my Sleeve family, Are we ready for our Spiritual Vitamins? Today's Vitamins are T & H: TRUE HAPPINESS Ecclesiastes 3: 12 "I know that there is nothing better for people, than to be happy and go good while they live." Happiness is a wonderful feeling! When we are happy, we just want to share it with everyone. Many of us are experiencing alot of this while we are losing the weight. Some are feeling happy as we get our letters approving surgery. We are getting happiness from our little non sleeve victories. As we are enjoying these accomplishments, let us not confuse them with "true happiness." True happiness is not shallow or external. It should never be based on how we look, our material possessions, our financial status, or how many people like us. This kind of true happiness, if we believe, should be solely based on our "internal spiritual" relationship with God. When we have a deep, personal bond with the Lord, we are so blessed with a "sense of happiness" that no other part of our lives can give us. We should never forget, that our transformations are blessings, courteousy of our Father and we should show all who are watching us change, how grateful we are by first, taking care of ourselves spiritually, and then physically. God is moving in our lives, we need to move with him! So, my fellow sleevers, as we "lose" these pounds and start to see all the changes in our faces and bodies, let us "gain" a better personal relationship with God so He can help us not to be "full of ourselves", now that there will be "less of us!" Godspeed on your journey.