picardy3

Ok, I just need to let off some steam. :frusty: My past two weeks have been pretty crappy. It's 17 days from the end of the school year and the kids are going crazy. I teach in an inner city school, so some of the issues get really bad because they are used to solving their problems with yelling and fights. :boxing: :confused: I've pretty much come out of the band closet with most of my co-workers. If they ask questions, I answer. Because of this, two of them are looking into the band and one other is seriously considering it. This has been pretty much the only highlight of these two weeks. One person, our retired nurse's assistant, gave me her opinion of how much weight I should lose. :omg: HUH?!? She asked me what size did I want to be and I answered her a 10-12. She then proceeded to tell me that because I've been heavy for so long that I couldn't possibly get down to that size and besides, I would just look anorexic. :confused: Excuse me????? My mother is that size and I'm the spitting image of my mother, so I know that size will be great for me. I had a UIL contest with two teams of students and we've been practicing for 3 months. The Friday before the Monday contest, one team member gets suspended and one flakes out on me. The rest of the team performed crappy in the contest. I have no idea what they've been doing at home, but obviously nothing. :huggie: Since the contest was yesterday and we started giving a standardized test today, we naturally had a faculty meeting that discussed important information,which I missed. Seems that our principal has taken a new job:pout: (which is great for her) but we all really like her. She's one of the reasons I've stayed at this school for six years even though it's quite a long commute for me. :phanvan Nobody likes our Asst. Principal and the word is that she has thrown his name into the pool to go to a middle school. Pray that happens. If he stays at this school, I might have to quit my job and find some other way to support myself. :pray: And to top it all off, I've been having slight port pain since the weekend and my period should start any minute. Of course since I'm not getting my first fill for another two weeks I'm naturally getting HUNGRY. :hungry: In the past my favorite way to calm my nerves when this much crap was going on was to eat, but I'm not doing that this time, so that's a good thing. Most of the stuff going on, I'm used to, because we never really know what's going to happen at the end of a school year, but when you throw pain and other peoples opinions into the mix, it has driven me NUTS. I did tell my mother what the person said about looking anorexic if I dropped below a size 14, and she just laughed. There's not a snowballs chance in hell that I would look that way. I just hate that some people feel they need to tell me things like that. Ok, I feel much better now. Rant off. Time to go take a shower and let the hot Water do it's thing. Might even get the urge to curl my hair for work tomorrow. :grouphug: Thanks for listening! Audra

Ok, today has been a bit better. My period started and that was a big relief. For some reason, I get all tense and crazy waiting for it to start, and I've always been that way. Most of our faculty is staying put for next year and most are ready for the asst. principal to jump off a cliff. He's hoping he gets to stay on our campus and then he'll be able to influence the new principal into doing things "his" way. HA! I would see about transfering jobs, but I teach music and these jobs don't always open up. I could move into the regular classroom, but I think that will cause more stress in the long run. Since I'm working on my Master's, I would hate to have to learn a new curriculum at the same time. It's much easier to keep with what I'm doing and if I'm lucky, I won't be doing it too much longer. I'm hoping to move out of the classroom once I finish the Master's. K@t, my period started the day after my surgery, so I know exactly what you are talking about. Not fun. Pnut, I did get my shower, curled my hair, and had a much better day. And you are right, just when this all passes, some other damn thing will come along. Well, we are down to 16 days and I get to miss one of them for my first fill. YEA!!!!! And it's a Monday to boot! I really hate Monday's at school. The kids have had all weekend to go nuts and they tend to bring their family problems to school with them. Oh, I'm also ignoring what the nurse's asst. said to me. It just sat wrong with me for a few days. Mostly I couldn't believe that in one breath she was happy that I had surgery and then telling me that I wouldn't get very far with it. WTF? Some people really amaze me. Whew! I'm feeling better with every word I type. Audra

Sam, I'm in the same type pain you are in. Mine started this weekend. It's like a little stabbing pain if I turn the wrong way, get up too fast, or sleep in a funny position. Tomorrow will be a month since I had surgery and I'm getting my first fill in a couple of weeks. I haven't worried too much about the pain because I've read so much on here about others having the same type. But I'll definitely ask when I see the doctor. Audra

Our month is almost over, way to go April Bandits! It's hard to believe that almost a month has passed since I was banded. :faint: I found out today that my first fill will be May 15. That's seven weeks after surgery. Dr. Smith likes to do the first one around the sixth week, but this was the first available time. By golly I'll take it! Woo Hoo! I get to take a day off from work, and it's a Monday even. :biggrin1: I'm still doing ok with what I'm eating. It's usually 4-6 oz with hard protein first. About the only time I go above 4 oz is when I really want veggies with my meal and I add a bit extra. :hungry: But I'm finding that when I eat my protein first, I'm really not hungry for 4 hours. Wow! That is such a strange feeling. Congratulations to us all! Audra

Elisabeth, I am just now beginning to feel like myself again. I teach and though it's not 12 hour shifts, I do have to get up at 5:30 am and usually don't get home until 5:30 pm. I'm also working on my Master's online so I understand how you feel. It will get better. I went back to work after being out for 6 days and when I got home I couldn't keep my eyes open. Of course then I didn't sleep as well at night because I couldn't get comfortable. My second week back, one of my 6th grade teachers mentioned that I was looking much better and now they don't even remember that I was out. Audra

PNut, This is one of my favorite dishes at Chili's but I always ask them to make it with Grilled Chicken. I've done this at several different restaurants and they have no problem with it. I haven't had it since banding though. Audra

When I got home from school this afternoon, there was a package sitting outside my front door. I haven't ordered anything lately, so I really wasn't sure it was for me. When I opened the box, I had two dozen roses! :omg: I couldn't find the gift card fast enough! They were from my little sister just letting me know that she had been thinking about me and was hoping that I was doing well. It was so sweet! :love: No one has delivered flowers to me in ages and they are especially nice when you're not expecting them. Audra

I was just moved onto mushies today and I go back to work tomorrow. Does anybody have any ideas on what I can take for lunch for our "so-called" thirty minutes? I'm ok for this week as I'm still doing full liquids even though I can now eat mushies, but it will get difficult later. Just looking for ideas. Audra

Hi tipper! Things are going great here, once the gas pain subsided and I quit feeling naseaus. I went back to work on 4-11 and still had some pain, but today I only remember that I had surgery if I turn a certain way or bend over for too long (mostly my port area). I got to start my regular diet today, though I can still have my liquids and mushies. Boy, eating solid food sure makes a difference. I had fish sticks a little before 5 pm today and I'm just now beginning to feel a bit hungry. I know this will change once the swelling goes down more, but my first fill will be around wk. 5 and that's not too far away. I haven't PB'd yet, according the stories on here, but the day after surgery I made some gosh awful sounds like really, really big burps. Just the gas finding a new way out, but it HURT! As far as weight loss, my scales say I'm down about 15 lbs. since surgery, but I go more by how my clothes fit. My 26/28 capris are BIG, but they have a drawstring waist so I'm still wearing them until I can't wear them anymore. My 22/24 pants that I've been wearing all winter fit a bit looser, but they are all dark colors so I'm putting them away. My fitted 24's will go on, zip, and button, but I can't breathe comfortably yet. About 5 more pounds should accomplish that, so I'm hoping in the next week or so. At the moment I have a goal of 150 lbs. That will be approximately half of my body weight and should put me in a size 10/12. It will also put me about the same size as my mother. The last time we wore the same size I was in 6th grade. Audra PS: HI FIONA! Glad to hear you're doing better. You made it! Welcome to bandland!

Good Luck Jessiebear! :clap2: It sounds like a neat place to work and sooooo close to home. I wish I worked that close to home. :phanvan Audra

Kat, If you need a good internet source www.unjury.com is a nice place. I've been using their unflavored protein powder and have tried the chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry sorbet. They also have a sample package that you can order to try the different flavors. Audra

Kat, I wore a baggy pair of pajamas to the hospital with a slip on pair of tennis shoes. I didn't want to have change clothes again when I got home, so I wore what I wanted to wear at the house. I also wore my regular undergarments underneath, but didn't wear my bra home. My pre-op nurse made that suggestion and said I would be more comfortable without it. I changed into the big ol' hospital gown not too long after arrival, so it really didn't matter what I wore to the hospital. And of course you lose that for surgery. Audra

Good Luck Fiona! :whoo: It will be over before you know it. I'll be thinking of you. Audra

Poodles, Glad to hear that your surgery is still on. And I agree with the TAKS statement. Not only do I get to administer the test, I'll be helping with the SDAA version for our SPED students. All that means is that even though I'll be reading portions of it, they will still just look at me and mark whatever they want to. They'll be finished in about 30 minutes. Gee, I wish the powers that be would realize that testing this much really doesn't do a lick of good. Audra

My odessy began with a conversation with Lynda Mayes. She was looking into lap band surgery herself and suggested that I do the same. It started me thinking, so I decided "Why not?" I went to an information seminar on Nov. 22, 2005, where I met Dr. Adam Smith. He was extremely knowledgable about the lap band and has had the procedure done himself. I would find out later that his wife was also banded. He had a no-nonsense straight forward approach. I liked that. He was open to questions and even though he was called away for an emergancy (he was on-call for the hospital that evening) I received plenty of answers to my questions. A plastic surgeon was also there that night to answer any questions that we might have. At the end of the evening, consultation appointments were made and I chose to see him on Dec. 7? I'll have to check. Turns out we had an ice storm blow in so all appointments were cancelled and I was rescheduled for Dec. 29, 2005. When I met Dr. Smith for my consultation I had already begun my research into the procedure, so I was very aware of the complications and the rules that would need to be followed. He gave me a physical and said that based on the information provided, I would be an excellent candidate for lapband surgery. He did tell me to be careful about what I read on the Internet, but I already knew that you can't believe everything that you read. I consulted with my PCP Dr. James Hinton on Dec. 30, 2005, who agreed with Dr. Smith that I would be a good candidate for this surgery. I also requested the 5 years of my medical history be sent to Dr. Smith per insurance requirements. I met with the Nutritionist on Jan. 16, 2006, who proceeded to go over what I currently was eating and how that would change after the surgery. Due to having been through my Diabetes education courses, I was already quite aware of changing how I eat. She asked if that would be a problem and I told her I've been changing the way I eat for the past two years, this would not be a problem. I had my psychology evaluation on Jan. 17, 2006, that evening. I was looking for a day appointment, but Dr. Klinefelter had an evening cancellation that was much better for both of us. It was interesting visit. I had to take a battery of tests to see if I was mentally ready for the change and then we had an interview to see if there was anything in my past, such as abuse, that would prevent me from not being able to follow the bandster rules. He did ask if I'd ever been diagnosed with OCD and said not officially, but I do have it. He told me that I most likely would be a good candidate for the surgery. That was the last of the official appointments I had to keep. Now all I needed was for my file to be completed and sent in to Blue Cross Blue Shield TRS of Texas. The waiting had begun. Once I found out that my information had been submitted, I decided that I would call the insurance company once a week to check on the approval status. Thursday would be the day. The first time that I called I was told that the nurse had reviewed my file, everything looked to be in order, and that it was sent on to the Dr. for review. The second time that I called I was told that I was being denied due to the fact that I had not had a psych evaluation. WRONG! I told them I looking at the claim that says you've already paid for it, so I know that I've done that. Well, they couldn't find his notes giving his recomendation, so I would need to get them to them. I emailed Nancy at forthworthlapband.com and told her the situation and she promptly resent the information that BCBS had so conventiently "lost". The third time that I called in I got a verbal approval and was told that my letter of approval would be in the mail to me and my surgeon. I couldn't wait! When the letter finally arrived, I carried it around in my purse for a week. This was the end of February. Now all I needed was a date.

My odessy began with a conversation with Lynda Mayes. She was looking into lap band surgery herself and suggested that I do the same. It started me thinking, so I decided "Why not?" I went to an information seminar on Nov. 22, 2005, where I met Dr. Adam Smith. He was extremely knowledgable about the lap band and has had the procedure done himself. I would find out later that his wife was also banded. He had a no-nonsense straight forward approach. I liked that. He was open to questions and even though he was called away for an emergancy (he was on-call for the hospital that evening) I received plenty of answers to my questions. A plastic surgeon was also there that night to answer any questions that we might have. At the end of the evening, consultation appointments were made and I chose to see him on Dec. 7? I'll have to check. Turns out we had an ice storm blow in so all appointments were cancelled and I was rescheduled for Dec. 29, 2005. When I met Dr. Smith for my consultation I had already begun my research into the procedure, so I was very aware of the complications and the rules that would need to be followed. He gave me a physical and said that based on the information provided, I would be an excellent candidate for lapband surgery. He did tell me to be careful about what I read on the Internet, but I already knew that you can't believe everything that you read. I consulted with my PCP Dr. James Hinton on Dec. 30, 2005, who agreed with Dr. Smith that I would be a good candidate for this surgery. I also requested the 5 years of my medical history be sent to Dr. Smith per insurance requirements. I met with the Nutritionist on Jan. 16, 2006, who proceeded to go over what I currently was eating and how that would change after the surgery. Due to having been through my Diabetes education courses, I was already quite aware of changing how I eat. She asked if that would be a problem and I told her I've been changing the way I eat for the past two years, this would not be a problem. I had my psychology evaluation on Jan. 17, 2006, that evening. I was looking for a day appointment, but Dr. Klinefelter had an evening cancellation that was much better for both of us. It was interesting visit. I had to take a battery of tests to see if I was mentally ready for the change and then we had an interview to see if there was anything in my past, such as abuse, that would prevent me from not being able to follow the bandster rules. He did ask if I'd ever been diagnosed with OCD and said not officially, but I do have it. He told me that I most likely would be a good candidate for the surgery. That was the last of the official appointments I had to keep. Now all I needed was for my file to be completed and sent in to Blue Cross Blue Shield TRS of Texas. The waiting had begun. Once I found out that my information had been submitted, I decided that I would call the insurance company once a week to check on the approval status. Thursday would be the day. The first time that I called I was told that the nurse had reviewed my file, everything looked to be in order, and that it was sent on to the Dr. for review. The second time that I called I was told that I was being denied due to the fact that I had not had a psych evaluation. WRONG! I told them I looking at the claim that says you've already paid for it, so I know that I've done that. Well, they couldn't find his notes giving his recomendation, so I would need to get them to them. I emailed Nancy at forthworthlapband.com and told her the situation and she promptly resent the information that BCBS had so conventiently "lost". The third time that I called in I got a verbal approval and was told that my letter of approval would be in the mail to me and my surgeon. I couldn't wait! When the letter finally arrived, I carried it around in my purse for a week. This was the end of February. Now all I needed was a date.

I've been told to not drink until 1 hour after my meals. So when does the timer start, when I take the first bite (like I do when I have to check my glucose) or after the last bite? It didn't matter last night or after lunch today as I totally forgot what time it was, but this is just something that has me wondering. Audra:confused:

Thanks Mary! I don't think they ever said if was from the time you started or after the last bite. Audra

Our list sure has grown. This is soooooo exciting! :clap2: For those of you on your pre-op diet and you're thinking about cheating, let me share a word of advice they gave me, (I think it scared me into staying on plan more than anything.) My pre-op nurse told us that if we don't follow the pre-op diet and Dr. Smith gets in there and your fatty liver is in the way and he can't work around it, then he'll just sew you up and send you on your way. You will get all of the pain of surgery and NOT have a band in the end. The first question I had in recovery was "Did he do it? Am I banded?" because I just KNEW that even though I had not cheated, my liver would still be as big as ever and everything I had been through would have been for nought. Needless to say, that comment kept me on the straight and narrow, even when I was tempted with PIZZA :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: one day at work. Hang in there! You can do anything for two weeks to get the prize at the end! Come here and vent if you need to, but hold on, your time is coming. Audra

Hi Boo! I'm just a couple of days ahead of you and today was my first day back to work as well. My Dr. let me start full liquids 48 hours after surgery and then yesterday I was moved to mushies. I did alright this morning, but was a bit tired with my afternoon classes, so we took it a whole lot slower. The full liquids should help with the tiredness, at least it did with mine. Getting in my Protein helped as well. I also had mini excursions just about everyday after surgery to build up my stamina. I was tired after each one, but I stayed out a little longer each day to see how I did. Hang in there, it gets easier. Audra

Glad to hear your feeling better. I'm doing great! My belly is a rainbow of colors but the incisions are doing fine. My steri strips all came off this morning (with a little bit of help :kiss ). Two had already come off on their own. I also got moved to mushies today and get to go back to work tomorrow. Hmmmmm, I guess that means I have to go to bed at a decent hour tonight? :notagree Audra

Wow! I can't believe that TODAY is one week post-op. This time last week I was sitting on my sofa wondering what the heck I had just done.:faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: I had my post-op appt today at the Dr.'s office. We ended up having a group meeting. There were six of us who had been banded the same day and all of us are still in varying stages of recovery. My recovery is following all of the predictable stages, so I know just about what to expect. Now if the port pain will start to subside. :rolleyes I haven't a clue to how much weight I have lost so far. It depends on which scale you go by. According the scale at home: 10 lbs, the hospital: 16 lbs, the dr.'s office: 3 1/2 lbs. Of course they told me I get to go by the dr.'s scale, but I don't care, my clothes are getting roomier and that feels pretty good. Also, I GOT TO START MUSHIES TODAY!!!!!! And they were good! :hungry: I had 4 oz FF Refried Beans with Salsa. YUMMMMMMM! It's almost time to drink again. YEA!! So to all my fellow Bandits who have yet to be banded or are at home wondering when the pain will end and you can eat again: There is light at the end of the tunnel. Hang in there! I'm with you all the way! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: Good luck to us all! Audra

I've told people on a need to know basis. I needed a small support group at work so I told a few friends there who have all been very supportive and most of my family knows. There's one aunt that my mom doesn't want to tell until absolutely necessary because she's so negative. It really depends on how you feel about telling people. After awhile more of my co-workers will begin to notice and I will most likely come out of the bandster closet to them then. I've decided to not worry about what they think. Between the diabetes and the high blood pressure, my health is much more important than what they think, and if they can't be happy that I found a way to help my health situation, then they aren't worth hanging around with. Audra

Ellymay, I am so sorry to read that your employer does not cover wls. That sucks big time! :angry PM me if you need to blow off steam. I'm hear to listen. Audra

Lynn, I know how you feel. I'm five days post-op and the gas pain is just now beginning to subside a bit. All I've been able to do is walk, walk, walk, chew gas-x (I've gone through a pack and a half), walk a bit more, use the heating pad, walk some more, and complain to anyone who would listen. I had to see my dermatologist a couple of days after surgery and even he said the gas pain could last up to two weeks. Gee, thanks. Audra