I just wanted to pop on here and share my recent story in the hopes that it will help either someone going through what I went through OR to help guide anyone looking to get a lapband. Let me start by saying that the lap band is an amazing tool. I was banded 4 years ago at a well known clinic in downtown Toronto. The band helped me lose 97 pounds, I met a wonderful man who I married and gained a lot of confidence. Prior to making the decision to be banded I researched everything I could about the band. How it works, how the surgery works, sucess stories etc. What I failed to do was research the after care that is available at the clinic you choose. Clinics love sucess stories, but when things fail with the band, that's the true test if you chose the right place or not. I'll try to make this long story short: 6 weeks ago I began having upper abdominal pain. I knew it was the band as the pain felt similar to when I was healing from being banded. I contacted the clinic and tried to see the surgeon. This is when my nightmare began. I couldn't get a proper response from the clinic. I couldn't get assistance from the surgeon, 5 hospital visits to deal with the pain and find out what was going on with me, multiple pages to the surgeon from the ER docs at the hospitals and still assistance was very minimal. An endoscopy at the last hospital finally discovered my band had eroded into my stomach. The surgeon from the clinic would not remove the band until it was eroded 50% into my stomach (it was at 25%) so they could remove it using a new tool they had purchased. I begged and pleaded as I was in so much pain and constantly on pain killers (it was affecting my life, my work, pretty much everything). No dice. They sent me on my way. My family doc suggested I seek some other opinions as she was concerned about more critical risks to leaving the eroded band in place to erode even further. I went to see a surgeon she recommended and I also found Dr. Cobourn at the Plastic Surgery Clinic in Mississauga. Both surgeons recommended I have the band out immediately. I began working with Dr. Cobourn as he had a lot of experience placing, removing etc lap bands. He was so amazing! He explained everything to me, what would be done, healing time and confirmed that if I indeed wanted another band in 4-6 months I'd be able to get one. He checked me into the Mississauga hospital and within a few days of seeing him my band was out and I'm on the road to recovery. If I had seen Dr. Cobourn first, I would've had this dealt with in a week instead of being in pain for 6 weeks and not knowing what was going on with me. In my dealings with Dr. Cobourn and his clinic (which I was not a paying customer but they helped me anyways) I now know how critical it is to make sure the clinic you choose provides you with full support both for living with the band but also for when things don't always work out with the band. I was basically left in limbo for 6 weeks and had to go to another clinic to get treated. I'm just thankful I found Dr. Cobourn, thankful that he was a doctor that actually cared more about the person than the money and thankful that he helped me. I do not want to discourage anyone from getting a lap band. I'm an odd case and it's not that common to have the band erode. A lap band does work and I'm proof of that. What I do want to do is encourage you to choose the right clinic and make sure you know what aftercare is provided so you don't have to go through what i went through. It's a very scary thing to be in pain and be constantly turned away.
After my surgery on the 12th, I was pretty weak and in some pain for a few days. I took my pain meds the day of and the day after surgery only. I was a little less sore the next few days and have had little to no pain since. Woo hoo for a fast immune system and for vitamins!
I have been taking my One a Day Gummy vitamins with Immunity Support to help me out. (hint hint, awesome for the immune system). I was on to eating soft foods within a few days after surgery and I wanted to start walking the day after surgery. I rush things, I admit it. The moving on to soft foods was due to I was so tired of feeling hungry all the time and there was only so many sweet things I could handle consuming. No I'm not the model patient. I've learned how to make an omelet and that's what I have for breakfast. I've had to learn that I can't eat a 2 egg omelet anymore, so I moved down to a 1 egg omelet. Then I know I'm getting a protein packed start to my day. Tuna salad and Chicken salad have been helpful for lunch or dinner.
The walking I think has been the hardest part. Not because I'm lazy but because I was still pretty easily tired. My husband and I went on a walk Tuesday afternoon at a nearby park. We walked over a mile in 30 minutes and I was pushing hard the last about 10 minutes. I had to slow down a little too but I kept pushing myself to finish. Sadly, when we got home and were cooling off, I fell asleep for about an hour. Just tells me that I'm still getting used to what my body has to do. I went to the gym Saturday for nothing more than to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I got that done and was not as tired afterwards. I'm really into being healthy and fit, just frustrated that it's taking time to get back to my 100%.
Went to my post-op appointment on Thursday. I went dressed in what I would normally wear to work, slacks and a comfortable shirt. (I quit my job on July 5th and have been looking for other employment). My pants fit a little loose at the waist. That made me feel good. At the appointment, I found out I'd lost another pound since surgery. A small victory is still a victory. My nutritionist and I discussed the "soft foods" phase of the diet and I admitted to starting soft foods early but I've stuck with protein packed foods instead of not. Eggs, tuna, chicken, yogurt, and V8 V-fusion juice were helping me. I can now have anything that I can get through the tines of a fork. What's upseting to me is the lack of fruit that I can have. I really want fruit, especially cherries. The nurse was a bit disappointed that I wasn't feeling more active yet; I was disappointed too.
Since the appointment, I have been walking a few times and have had my cherries. A friend threatened to come hurt me because she explained to me, the skins of my cherries are not easily digested. So I gave the rest of the cherries to my friends.
Something I'm noticing is that I am unable to digest breads or carbs yet. Yes I've tried and I've gotten sick a few times. This is overly frustrating. I hate the feeling of pain that comes with it. I wish I could get myself under control. I feel hungry sometimes and I try to focus on if it's head hunger or real hunger. I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with it.
I have been dealing with multiple life changes all at once and it's tough. I have depression. I am medicated for it. Yeah, I quit my job a few weeks ago. It was best for me to do so to take care of myself and heal properly. I have been pseudo-actively looking for work this past week. Last week I was more focused on healing and getting back to feeling like my old, energetic, motivated self. It didn't work out that well. I'm trying to keep myself in check and positive right now regarding all the feelings from my depression and the surgery and lack of success with it. I'm glad I've done the surgery and I'm making some mini-goals for myself.
I think I will make my first goal of 25 lbs lost, I will get a new tattoo. Found out recently that a family member has throat cancer. I'm okay with it seeing as how they asked me to help them. I do crochet and they asked me to make them some hats. Fair enough. Now cancer is no stranger to my family. This member now makes at least the 4th person in my life that has been diagnosed with cancer. The awareness ribbon for cancer in general is the color purple, one of my favorite colors. I think my tattoo reward will be a tribal butterfly with a purple cancer ribbon.
Lots of things in my world, lots of small changes. The good thing, the nutrition is not that difficult for me. I was eating pretty healthy prior to surgery and my band is just going to help me be my ultimate, thinner, fitter self.
