iradi8fortheusa

Ladies and Gentleman, Boning is my sound right now. I am absolutely bouncing off the walls with energy. I feel like I am on speed or something. I can not sit still, my body is just like " come on lets go do something" constantly. I also noticed I am not waking up with my nemesis Mr. Severe back pain! I really have not noticed any back pain. I FEEL GREAT! Today will be my real test though. Today is the Daytona 500, and NASCAR is one of only two sports I am interested in. ( the other is PBR ) For me the Daytona 500 is the Superbowl, World series, and Stanley cup all rolled into one. The problem is during these races I grazed constantly, I was like a puppy....mmm popcorn, oh look chips and dip mmmm. oh look hot dogs mmmmm, oh look nuts mmmm, oh look cheese and crackers mmmm..... I think you get the point. Ladies and Gentleman today will be my first " food sober" Daytona 500. I feel that I am prepared, and acutally I am worried that with all the energy I have I may not be able to sit through the race. Well I am still on my weight loss high, and I weighed myself this morning and I am down another 2 pounds on the unoffical scale. So can I ride the weight loss high and be food sober for the whole race? Stay tuned.........

Eagle, You do not owe anything to anyone else but yourself. You had the surgery, you live with the band, no on else does that for you. Slow weight loss is permanent weight loss. I would speak with your surgeon about your concerns, maybe you just need a fill, or maybe some classes with a dietitian to help with your diet. Remember live for yourself not the people around you. Biker

Wow, I had a terrible night yesterday. I almost went to the hospital. I drank my protein shake at about 17:30 hours, and this time I mixed it with lemonade instead of milk since I have been having so many problems with the Unjury mixed in milk I though my problems might have been with the milk. Well around 21:30 I got very, very nauseous and broke out into a sweat. At about 22:00 I vomited part of my shake, and I thought my band was going to pop! I went and laid in my recliner after still very nauseated. At about midnight I vomited again. I was feeling awful! I was extremely nauseated, and sweating profusely and as a bonus, my band felt like it was being pulled through my belly button! I went to bed, but had a poor nights sleep do to nausea and spastic actions in my intestines. I called my surgeon first thing in the morning. He told me has seen this with the Unjury before, the gas, nausea, and vomiting. He told me to stop the Unjury immediately and go get Carnation Instant Breakfast. He said the pulling feeling on my band was due to extreme gas pressure and that it would pass, and that he was sure the Unjury was causing my issue there too. Well I have had one Instant Breakfast, and started sipping my water, and I am starting to feel much better. I am still very sore from the vomiting, but I am sure that it will take awhile to pass. My wife thinks that the high content of Aspartimine in the Unjury is what was causing the issues. She looked up Aspartimine and it can cause alot of the problems I have been having. Before my band I did not eat anything that had Aspartimine in it. Before my band I ate very well, just too much of good food. I am a firm beliver in eating only local meats and vegtables and I have stuck with that. I have to admit I was ready to rip the damm band out last night, I have not felt like that in a long long time. Biker

Larry, My whole journey lasted about 8 months up until my surgery date. I started the whole process at 345 pounds. I had to lose the 45 pounds before surgery for my insurance company and to get myself healthy enough for the surgery. I is a long journey, I had to go for the following testing; 1. Upper GI 2. Abdominal Ultrasound 3. Cardiac Stress Test 4. Psychiatric Testing 5. Lots of Blood Work 6. Regular Dietitian Visits 7. Physical Sign-off from my PCP A sleep study is also required by my Surgeon, but that requirement was waived for me since I already use a Bi-pap. At this point I will tell you it is definitely worth it. I think the 8 months was a good amount of time because it gives you time to start on your new road to wellness, plus it makes sure you are healthy enough to take this on. Biker

Well I just returned from my first post-op surgeons appointment and the official scale says ( drum role please) 277 pounds! My official weight loss since my surgery on 02/05/2009 is 24.3 pounds. I am in the surgeons top 5 weight losers post-op. Yes that's right I am a loser, and I am dam proud of it! Now that I have my protein drink straightened out I am feeling better than ever. My surgeon wants me to continue on my liquid diet till next Wednesday, then hello mushies. I did speak with him about the comments the Nurses were making about his patients, and he was very, very upset. My surgeon does not know why discrimination against obese people is tolerated even amongst the hospital staff and that it is considered acceptable. He admitted that this is not the first time he has heard about the Nurses bashing his patients, and he assured me he was going hunting for Nurse ass this afternoon. Well enough about that nonsense, I could not be happeir right now, and I am even proud of myself. ( something I have not felt in a long, long time) I am in this for the long haul and I have even scouted out a gym for myself yesterday. Well I will keep you posted Biker

Larry, I am feeling a lot better. My whole problem was being caused by the Unjury protein powder I was using. I have been off that stuff for 24 hours now and I barely feel the band now. My gas problems have all but gone away. I am not sorry I have had the band done, I have lost 25lbs on my first week. I know that this much of a loss is not normal, but it has happened. Larry please feel free to follow my blog and you will be able to see how it goes for me another man. I have my first surgical follow up tomorrow and I will let eveyone know how it goes. I know how you feel, I had the same feeling right up to my surgery day. But to answer your question; yes I am gald I have gotten my band. You see I realize my weight was killing me very slowly, and I had to do something. Biker

What a difference a day, and a new protein drink makes. I woke up this morning feeling better than I have before the surgery. I am one week out, and with the Instant Breakfast my gas has decreased, the pulling feeling on my band has decreased significantly and I can now sit and stand up straight. That Unjury really did a number on me. This is something I will have to speak with my surgeon about tomorrow. My surgeon said he sees the same reaction I was having due to the Unjury quite often, "BUT" that is the stuff the dietitian his office uses recommends. I see a team that is not on the same page with their dietary plans. Well I have to admitt Tuesday night I was asking myself "what the hell did I do". I was really regreting my decsion. Today I feel much better, and I stepped on the scale and had a supprise; I now weigh 275 lbs. I do not know if losing 25 pounds in one week (Yes today is my one week aneversery) is normal, or due to my own personal war with my protein drink, but I am starting to like my band again. Biker

I am glad your date went well. As a guy I will tell you he does sound interested in you. Well also as I guy, I just have to ask, so what kind of car is it that you have? Sorry it is the testosterone in me asking. Biker

What a difference a day, and a new protein drink makes. I woke up this morning feeling better than I have before the surgery. I am one week out, and with the Instant Breakfast my gas has decreased, the pulling feeling on my band has decreased significantly and I can now sit and stand up straight. That Unjury really did a number on me. This is something I will have to speak with my surgeon about tomorrow. My surgeon said he sees the same reaction I was having due to the Unjury quite often, "BUT" that is the stuff the dietitian his office uses recommends. I see a team that is not on the same page with their dietary plans. Well I have to admitt Tuesday night I was asking myself "what the hell did I do". I was really regreting my decsion. Today I feel much better, and I stepped on the scale and had a supprise; I now weigh 275 lbs. I do not know if losing 25 pounds in one week (Yes today is my one week aneversery) is normal, or due to my own personal war with my protein drink, but I am starting to like my band again. Biker

I am glad you escaped the rubber band of death! Good luck at PT. Biker

Wow, I had a terrible night yesterday. I almost went to the hospital. I drank my protein shake at about 17:30 hours, and this time I mixed it with lemonade instead of milk since I have been having so many problems with the Unjury mixed in milk I though my problems might have been with the milk. Well around 21:30 I got very, very nauseous and broke out into a sweat. At about 22:00 I vomited part of my shake, and I thought my band was going to pop! I went and laid in my recliner after still very nauseated. At about midnight I vomited again. I was feeling awful! I was extremely nauseated, and sweating profusely and as a bonus, my band felt like it was being pulled through my belly button! I went to bed, but had a poor nights sleep do to nausea and spastic actions in my intestines. I called my surgeon first thing in the morning. He told me has seen this with the Unjury before, the gas, nausea, and vomiting. He told me to stop the Unjury immediately and go get Carnation Instant Breakfast. He said the pulling feeling on my band was due to extreme gas pressure and that it would pass, and that he was sure the Unjury was causing my issue there too. Well I have had one Instant Breakfast, and started sipping my water, and I am starting to feel much better. I am still very sore from the vomiting, but I am sure that it will take awhile to pass. My wife thinks that the high content of Aspartimine in the Unjury is what was causing the issues. She looked up Aspartimine and it can cause alot of the problems I have been having. Before my band I did not eat anything that had Aspartimine in it. Before my band I ate very well, just too much of good food. I am a firm beliver in eating only local meats and vegtables and I have stuck with that. I have to admit I was ready to rip the damm band out last night, I have not felt like that in a long long time. Biker

Wow, I had a terrible night last evening. I almost went to the hospital. I drank my protein shake at about 17:30 hours, and this time I mixed it with lemonade instead of milk since I have been having so many problems with the Unjury mixed in milk I though my problems might have be with the milk. Well around 21:30 I got very, very nauseous and broke out into a sweat. At about 22:00 I vomited part of my shake, and I thought my band was going to pop! I went and laid in my recliner after still very nauseated. At about midnight I vomited again. I was feeling awful! I was extremely nauseated, and sweating profusely and as a bonus, my band felt like it was being pulled through my belly button! I went to bed, but had a poor nights sleep do to nausea and spastic actions in my intestines. I called my surgeon first thing in the morning. He told me has se

Wow, I had a terrible night last evening. I almost went to the hospital. I drank my protein shake at about 17:30 hours, and this time I mixed it with lemonade instead of milk since I have been having so many problems with the Unjury mixed in milk I though my problems might have be with the milk. Well around 21:30 I got very, very nauseous and broke out into a sweat. At about 22:00 I vomited part of my shake, and I thought my band was going to pop! I went and laid in my recliner after still very nauseated. At about midnight I vomited again. I was feeling awful! I was extremely nauseated, and sweating profusely and as a bonus, my band felt like it was being pulled through my belly button! I went to bed, but had a poor nights sleep do to nausea and spastic actions in my intestines. I called my surgeon first thing in the morning. He told me has se

Twas the night before Lap banding and all through the house; not a treat was being eaten, not even a mousse. The protein shakes are lined on the counter and stacked with care, in hopes that surgery will go without despair. Then from my stomach arose such a clatter......ok it was really more like a large growl. Well if you have not guessed it is my Lap band eve. I am a little nervous, a little excited, and a little hungry. I would like to thank everyone for their support. Without all of the information you have shared, I think that this would be a lot harder for me. I will let everyone know how it goes tomorrow. Biker

Well I said I would post the good, the bad, and the ugly. Well here is the ugly.:w00t: If my gas gets any worse I am going to have to put a 4 point seat belt on my toilet to keep me from shooting off of the bowel!:smile: My gut sounds like a large boiling calderon constantly gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, and bubble, bubble, bubble. I have tried gas-ex and yogurt, and walking but the PSI in my gastrointestinal track continues to build! Did you ever see the movie Alien where the little baby alien pops out of the guys stomach? Well I am waiting, I think mine will be out anytime now. That is the only explanation I can come up with! I am seeing the surgeon on Friday, I might just be able to float there if I continue to inflate! Maybe I will wear a lap band t-shirt and become my own parade float. Well this is were I stand today. Biker

Well I said I would post the good, the bad, and the ugly. Well here is the ugly.:thumbup: If my gas gets any worse I am going to have to put a 4 point seat belt on my toilet to keep me from shooting off of the bowel!:tt1: My gut sounds like a large boiling calderon constantly gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, and bubble, bubble, bubble. I have tried gas-ex and yogurt, and walking but the PSI in my gastrointestinal track continues to build! Did you ever see the movie Alien where the little baby alien pops out of the guys stomach? Well I am waiting, I think mine will be out anytime now. That is the only explanation I can come up with! I am seeing the surgeon on Friday, I might just be able to float there if I continue to inflate! Maybe I will wear a lap band t-shirt and become my own parade float. Well this is were I stand today. Biker

Oh sure, tell me this after I have been banded!:scared2:

I am sure you will be fine! Consider it the surgery a minor inconvenience on your road to weight loss. I am glad to hear you are excited, I kept asking myself "what am I doing". Good Luck Biker

Well I was going to go back to work tomorrow, but I decided to give myself the rest of the week off. I am still having a lot of pain under my left rib cage around where my stomach should be. I am not sure if it is gas, or if it is the band itself. I am using gas-ex and activia yogurt to help. I took a 1/2 mile walk down to the lake and back today to help work out my kinks. Right now I think it has caused a few more, but no pain no gain (not sure that is an appropriate saying for this website.) I should take a moment to thank my Wife Tina and my father for their support and help over the past couple of days! Sorry about cursing you over the potholes on the way home. You guys are great! I do have a tremendous support network and I know I can count on all of them, but Tina is who I live for. She knows how to keep me going, and just when I need that kick in the ass. It is funny to see us in public becuause I am a 6 foot tall biker complete with full beard and frame, and she is a 5 foot 2 inch dynamo who has no problem setting me straight, and I love her for it! Well enough of the mush, boy I can not wait for the mushy foods though. I would also like to thank everyone here for their support also. I have my first surgeons follow up on Friday. I will keep you posted! Biker

Well I was going to go back to work tomorrow, but I decided to give myself the rest of the week off. I am still having a lot of pain under my left rib cage around where my stomach should be. I am not sure if it is gas, or if it is the band itself. I am using gas-ex and activia yogurt to help. I took a 1/2 mile walk down to the lake and back today to help work out my kinks. Right now I think it has caused a few more, but no pain no gain (not sure that is an appropriate saying for this website.) I should take a moment to thank my Wife Tina and my father for their support and help over the past couple of days! Sorry about cursing you over the potholes on the way home. You guys are great! I do have a tremendous support network and I know I can count on all of them, but Tina is who I live for. She knows how to keep me going, and just when I need that kick in the ass. It is funny to see us in public becuause I am a 6 foot tall biker complete with full beard and frame, and she is a 5 foot 2 inch dynamo who has no problem setting me straight, and I love her for it! Well enough of the mush, boy I can not wait for the mushy foods though. I would also like to thank everyone here for their support also. I have my first surgeons follow up on Friday. I will keep you posted! Biker

Well here I am 3 days post op and I am still kind of sore, but the worst feeling is the gas. I feel like I have enough gas to lift off the space shuttle. I want to burp, I try to burp, but I just can not burp. Well other than that I am doing ok. I changed my dressings today, and the one incision made for my liver was about 5 inches long with external sutures. The rest of my incisions are only about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. I weighed myself and I am down to 285lbs from 300; WOW! Well it is protein shake time. I will keep you posted.

I am glad to see you are feeling better. I am lucky I have not been hungry at all. Stay with your plan, and congratulations. Biker

Well here I am 3 days post op and I am still kind of sore, but the worst feeling is the gas. I feel like I have enough gas to lift off the space shuttle. I want to burp, I try to burp, but I just can not burp. Well other than that I am doing ok. I changed my dressings today, and the one incision made for my liver was about 5 inches long with external sutures. The rest of my incisions are only about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. I weighed myself and I am down to 285lbs from 300; WOW! Well it is protein shake time. I will keep you posted.

Well I am officially on the band wagon. I was at the hospital at 06:00 hrs, and was the first one there. I got the usual regiment of questions, IV and stylish gown. My anesthesiologists name was Jason Tranquil. How cool is that. Well he promised me a pain free journey and hung around till my surgeon showed up. I my surgeon played the usual q&a game and off to surgery I went. The last thing I remember is the staff was checking out my tattoo. I woke up very uncomfortable and I noticed a rather large incision over my liver. Hmmmm. The surgeon came in and told me my liver was much larger than he thought and had to make the larger incision and manhandle it a little because it was in the way. That was the reason for the extra pain. Well it turns out the Hospital does not have a bariatric x ray table, so I had to wait till Friday to go home because they did not want me standing long enough for the swallowing study because of the whole liver thing. I had a rough evening thanks to a drug addict room mate, I also heard some very nice conversations amongst the nursing staff; they were bitching about my doctor brining in all of the heffers and fat scum bags, and how they were tired of dealing with it. Nice huh? One nurse said we were a bunch of fat losers who are looking for a magic pill, but we will always be losers. Well needless to say getting to go home was a great feeling! Well after my family found every pot hole on the way home, I settled in with the battle of keeping my 120lb black lab from jumping on me. I doped myself up and went to bed. I am still sore, but feel much better today. I will keep you posted later.

Twas the night before Lap banding and all through the house; not a treat was being eaten, not even a mousse. The protein shakes are lined on the counter and stacked with care, in hopes that surgery will go without despair. Then from my stomach arose such a clatter......ok it was really more like a large growl. Well if you have not guessed it is my Lap band eve. I am a little nervous, a little excited, and a little hungry. I would like to thank everyone for their support. Without all of the information you have shared, I think that this would be a lot harder for me. I will let everyone know how it goes tomorrow. Biker