Leaderboard

Earlier I posted this post about being sick of the sleeve and desperate and doing the duodenal switch...blablabla...yada,yada,yada........ Then I went back to the gym to play a game of squash.We played hard and fast and my goodness it felt soooo good. This all made me decide that I will lose more weight.Even if I have to learn to run a hundred km at a time.I will do whatever I can to lose the last 38 pounds. My friend is a personal trainer and I will start train with him next week.I need to start doing some serious muscle building. My goodness,why would I not lose weight if I really work hard?Why do I feel that its not fair that my weight loss have stopped?Who said life was fair? No more chip on my shoulder about this.Yes,I might have terrible days where the scale might affect my mind but I will think positively about losing weight and getting to goal. Tomorrow morning before we go out with friends I will do some exercise and in the afternoon I will either go and swim in the sea or I will go walk while it is still 97 degrees!(swim sounds like fun!)

Tuesday evening: Doctor's wife picked us up from airport. Gave the doctor his cashier's check. He answered my questions about surgery. Doctor's wife took us to hospital. Signed permission docs. Answered medical questionnaire with on-call doctor and then again with nurses. Wednesday: Hooked up to IV. Visits and questions from various doctors: on-call hospital doctor, cardiologist, anesthesiologist. Pee in a cup. Blood draw. Chest x-ray. More doctor visits about the results and what to expect. Several hours later, I went to surgery, which took took 38 minutes. Woke up from anesthesia about one hour after return to room. Excruciating pain between my breasts; I didn't know there was an incision there. I jumped up and started walking, thinking it was gas pain. Asked for pain medicine but they thought it was too soon after surgery. Got a shot that lasted about an hour. Got a morphine shot that took the edge off the pain, but it still hurt too much too sleep. Got some sleeping medication and finally . . . relief. Thursday: Continue on IV. Turned out I had a bladder infection and they were treating that as well. My stomach is bruised and swollen. Looks like someone stabbed me several times. Except for the chest pain, which was much lessened, there wasn't any pain. I was getting regular pain medication thru IV and also on request. No nausea ( I was getting nausea medicine, too.) Walking. Spirometer. Nurses coming and going, putting stuff in the IV. More doctor visits. Long visit with the surgeon. Last night at the hospital. Friday: Checked out around noon Went to another facility to get "leak test." I could see the barium on the monitor passing through my tiny stomach. Pass. Now I can have clear liquids! Doctor's wife took us to hotel and gave us jellos, juices, waters, and Gatorades. Walked to restaurant and had fish soup broth. I couldn't believe how good I felt: not just physically but mentally. I wasn't hungry and I wasn't obsessing about food. My sister was afraid I was going to go manic on her because "it always starts" with my feeling good. Patient coordinator picked us up from hotel around 5:30 pm and we went shopping, to Caesar's restaurant (home of the famous salad, which "smelled" good lol,) then casino. Lost ten dollars on slots I couldn't understand. Went to Walmart. Saturday: Weather was fine. Sunny. Spent time by the pool! Coordinator picked us up and took us to restaurant that served excellent broth. Yum. Went to pharmacy to buy stuff I can't get without a Rx in the States. Got our legs waxed (Sister and me, not the coordinator!) More shopping, this time in a strip mall. People watching. Last night at the hotel. Had dinner in hotel with coordinator. Sunday: Check out. Doctor's wife picked us up. On US side we stopped at outlet mall where I found some good deals at Old Navy. Then to airport where I spent MONEY on some liquids. I didn't want to take a chance on not having nourishment. Long flight home. Husband and daughter picked us up at airport. So glad to be home!! Post-trip: feel great, no pain, only restrictions are no lifting & shower only. Wounds are already closed. Using triple antibiotic to keep them soft to lessen scarring. Walking ten minutes morning and evening. Looking forward to Wednesday when I can have a protein shake!

Hi Everyone, It has been a very long time since I posted. The last time was 8 days post op. I have been following a sleevers page on facebook but I miss this forum so I'm back to stay. It has been 4 1/2 months since my surgery. I have lost 70 pounds. It seems the weight loss is slowing down a LOT! It gets frustrating but I realize that I wouldn't have able to lose 70 pounds without this surgery. I'm so glad I did it even though I questioned myself right after. I am almost off all of my hypertensive medication which is so awesome because I was on two different ones and have had HBP since I was in my early 20's. I was also a borderline diabetic before the surgery and now my numbers are great! I can't thank God enough for this opportunity and blessing to have this surgery. I did have to pay for it because my insurance sucks and won't pay for hardly anything but I know it was so worth it. I'm a little concerned that my weight loss has slowed. I had hoped that the honeymoon phase would last at least 6 months but it seems for me it hasn't. It is really hard for me to lose 2 pounds a week now. I am eating well and getting in all of my protein first. I do have hypothyroidism due to ablation of my thyroid so that may have something to do with it. I do know that there is no way I would have been able to lose 70 pounds in 4 1/2 months without this surgery. I'm so thankful!! In the last two weeks I was able to walk 2 5k's! Before, that would have never been possible. I was close to 300 pounds. My pre op weight was 297 and now I'm 222! Can't wait to be in onederland! I hope to be there by Christmas! What a wonderful gift that would be. Ok... so everyone have a great day and I definitely am staying on this forum! God bless! Most recent pic with my daughter attached!

Had my 2nd fill today. My first fill was 2 weeks ago, and was 5 1/2 cc's. Mind you, my band is large, 14 cc's or something like that. Today, I was given an additional 2 1/2 cc's. I believe I was told not to take bites that are bigger than an M&M. Oh, how I would enjoy a peanut butter M&M... Im not a big chocolate fan, but chocolate & peanut butter. Sign me up LOL... I didn't really notice a decrease in appetite, or a more filling sensation with the 1st fill, and the NP told me I probably wouldn't notice anything yet. Somehow I managed to lose 6 pds in 2 weeks. Not bad I guess. Actually, I would LOVE to lose 6 pds every 2 weeks. Did you do the math yet? So, if I lose 6 pds in 2 weeks, that should come to 12 pds in 1 month, then 24 pds in 2 months, oh my gosh, 36 in 3, 48 in 4... eventually I'll disappear! OK, maybe not. Just trying to make a point at how quickly our mind starts calculating as we go through this weight loss journey. I had actually lost 2 more pounds, but found it again in the last week or so. Not sure how I did that, but I'm going to blame being constipated. What? I need an excuse. No wait, I'm doing this to avoid the excuses... I suppose if I worked out 5 times a week like I'm supposed to, the weight could come off alittle quicker. Damn, I have to make an effort. Lesson learned: You get out what you put into this. Some weeks you will lose 3 pds, another week (God help us when this happens), you won't lose anything. Stay focused Fran, stay focused! See the end result!

I recently purchase a pack of whole wheat pita pockets, they are round and if you slice them in half they make a little pocket. Once half is less calories than a slice of whole what toast and taste great. I have been making myself and my hubs sandwiches with these. My hubs like to put laughing cow chipolte cheese and ham in one and heat heat for a hot ham and cheese - low cal and high protein. I had an peanut butter and banana pita - got my protein and my fruit in. The pitas are so thin, it gives you just enough bread to feel like it's a sandwich, but not so much it gets stuck. These pita's are great for stuffing with deli slices and cheese, chicken or tuna salad, PB and banana or even a scrabled egg and cheese for morning breakfast. We are loving these things- if you have tried them but like a sandwhich or need an easy holder for chicken or tuna salad while you are on the go you gotta try them. What lapband friendly items have you found that are awesome?

Alright, I have decided to go ahead with the sleeve. As a matter of fact I am scheduling it today with Dr. Kemmerling. I didn't think you could pay me to go back into surgery after my band removal, but my future happiness is too important to me. I want to be happy, healthy, and want a baby! I need this surgery. I will update with my surgery date later on today! Today!

Last Thursday I was supposed to start a water aerobics class. With that said, my feet haven't felt the warm water of the local Boys and Girls pool yet. Why you may ask? Is it becasue I'm lazy? Is it becasue i just don't want to? The answer to those questions is, "NO!!!". If I had the body of a "normal" 38 year old, I would have been in that pool kicking and jogging with the best of them. The problem is, I don't. I have a back like a 90 year old woman. Now, before I really get started, this post is going to be a little bit of "OH, poor me" and "How unfair is this?" But, on the same note, I'm more venting than complaining....though they can sound very much the same. I need to say that I try really hard to be a positive person. I have been dealing with back pain that can make just getting out of bed feel like an Olympic event. But, I truly believe that ______ (fill in the higher being of your choice) doesn't give me more than I can handle. Even on days like today when I feel like there are three little men in my back doing construction and at the same time I feel as though I am giving birth out of my back. Yes, this is ON medication. People who don't deal with chronic pain can't understand the thought process that goes on when dealing with it. I'm a strong woman, and I fight through so much of the pain but believe it or not, the meds only help lessen it, not get rid of it. The scary thing is I know that one thing many people don't think about. I know the pain can get worse. Therefore, I have to be happy that I'm not at that point. I think my frustration with my back pain comes from a few places. 1. The weather is changing. When the weather gets colder, the pain gets worse. Also, I had a pool only a block away that I cold go to and do whatever activities I could. Now, I have to drive someplace and be there at a certain time and hope my back is cooperating with me on that day. 2. I have been going up and down within five pounds for a month now. I know I've eaten things I shouldn't, but there have only been a handful of times I have gone over my allotted calories for the day and when I did, it was no more than 100 calories. So, the fact that I'm on a HUGE stall (I've been the same weight (give or take) for two months. It sucks becasue I see other people who are five to six months out and they have lost so much more than I have. I KNOW, I KNOW....everyone losses at different rates. That's all fine and good unless you're the one who's not losing. Now that I've complained....wait, I mean vented. I will say that I've learned a few things in the past month and a half. First, Nutella is NOT MY FRIEND. I am not sure why I love it now. I hated before surgery. Second, I think I am one of those people who can not lose weight unless I'm active. This goes back to what my mother always said, "You were a thin child until you went to school and had to sit still all day." The issue with this is that I can't move much everyday. Even on the good days I have to fight tears and my negative thoughts to get through any activity. So, with my new awareness, I plan to take one day at a time. I plan to not work out when my body won't let me. I plan to not eat Nutella...well at least not during the NON-PMS times. I plan to try to not get on the scale every day. That just makes me feel worse. And last but not not least, I plan to be happy with who I am. I am a size 16/18 and I haven't been that size since H.S. I should be so happy that I'm bouncing off the walls. Of course, that may just hurt my back a little more....so, I think I'll stick to doing what I'm doing and only doing what I can. That's all we can do. I remember after surgery thinking that walking a mile would be an unattainable task. Now, on a good day, I can walk three. That's what keeps me going. Knowing that my body, no matter how broken it is, can still persevere. Now, if only it will persevere and lose another fifty pounds all would be good.

I made it through my first full anesthesia surgery and everything went well. the doctor performed a Single Incision placement of my band so I only really have one scar (currently healing very nicely) in my belly button. For some reason I was more worried about the anesthesia than the actual surgery, and boy did it seem like one second. The surgery lasted around 1 1/2 hours and my first recollection happened in recovery staring up at my mom in pain. Geez, did I not expect the gas pain. I felt like an elephant was trying to sit in my upper chest and boy did that hurt so badly. In the next few hours, I ended up in a recliner because lying down was too painful. My incision decided to bleed a lot so I had to get it redressed, and the pain meds had me in another planet so I couldn't even walk very much even though they wanted me to walk as much as possible. Luckily I was able to go home that night. But, what I did not expect was that I could not lie down flat, not even a little bit. The most i could muster was sitting in my couch with my feet raised. I stayed in that position for the most part for almost 3 days. The gas would move up and down between my chest and right shoulder and it was agony sometimes. When I was finally able to lie on my side I could have cried out in happiness. Today is day 5 and I feel a lot better, so much so that I made it to work, but taking it very easy and not pushing any limits. I'm not sure if its because I'm still in recovery or because of the lack of food, but I do feel sort of weak and a bit out of it. I can't wait to start my mushy/puree phase. I've lost 24 pounds since starting my pre-op liquid diet, have not had any nausea or issues with my liquids. They all go down very easily and took me two days to feel my first sense of hunger. Feeling the band is such an undescribable feeling, its tight first thing in the morning but once i've been up for an hour or so its ready to go. Now I am hungry but I want to heal right, so I have been making sure I have been hydrated and taking at least 2 protein shakes a day. All i need now is to get rid of the last bit of gas pain and I can continue this journey!!! Have a great day everyone!

I thought with me eating much less my grocery bill would go down, but it hasn't, but it hasn't gone up either. Instead of buying crap (little debbie / french fries) I buy healthy things - fruit and veggies. I no longer buy any soft drinks, just crystal light flavor packs for water. I am married so I do have to buy for the hubs, but while he isn't banded he opted to adopted the banded life. He eats the same healthy foods I do just in a large quantity, but hey that is a step. We have opted to oust junk foods all together. So I no longer go down the junk isles. I use to buy a lb of sugar monthly, I have purchased one in 4 months now - don't use it any more. I use to buy hamburger, chicken and pork. Now I still buy chicken, but opt for ground turkey instead of beef and still do a little pork sometimes and a lot more fish. We also use eggs instead of meat - I made an awesome veggie quiche last night and it gave us dinner last night and breaksfast for today and tomorrow- that is the way to stretch a buck. I have learned that Mrs. Dash makes fish better grilled and broiled than it was when we ate it fried. So while my bill hasn't gone down, I feel like the quality of food I purchase is better and I like that. Fresh veggies and fruit are great. My hubs has given up high cal yogurt for apple slices and likes it better. So I don't mind that the bill hasn't gone down quality means more than quantity so that is the aim these days. What has being banded done for your grocery bill?