KIKOman

Who would have thought that only after 4 months, I will be be under the knife again - but this time for an appendectomy. Monday - I started having this uncomfortable tummy ache, more of like an extreme gassy bloated feeling, that you know you can expel later on. This lasted for 3 days, and I tried all types of remedies -- antacids, tums, peptobismol, etc. Thursday - the pain started to feel like muscle pain - the same feeling you have post-workout after not going to the gym for a long time. This alarmed me, and the first thing that came into my mind was SLIPPAGE! I thought these were symptoms that my Lapband slipped! I immediately scheduled a meeting with my Lapband doctor, and he checked the position of my Lapband via Fluoroscope. He said everything is ok, and the band is in place. So he said this might be just minor muscle pain, and he gave me some paracetamol which I can take when needed. Saturday morning - The pain got worse, and now I feel the pain is more concentrated at the central and lower-right part of my abdomen. I also started to have low-grade fever, and i became really nauseated. My family brought me immediately to the ER. After some physical tests and a CT SCAN, they found out I have appendicitis. I was operated on Monday morning, and they did a laparoscopic appendectomy, which added 3 more holes on my abdomen. Recovery was longer than my lap-band operation, and I stayed at the hospital for 5 days. One thing to note was this appendectomy was done by another doctor, and in another hospital. But my lap-band doctor was very supportive all throughout, and he even offered to talk to my current doctor so they can properly plan the whole operation - without doing anything bad to the lapband. My current doctor was very careful not to hit the lapband, especially the port and the tube. I am slowly going back to normal day-to-day life, and this whole ordeal even fast-tracked my weight loss! I am now 2 lbs shy from my 1st BIG GOAL - 100 LB Weight Loss!!

It's been 7 months since my LAP-BAND surgery. And I must say - what a journey it has been!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WHOA, I'VE LOST WEIGHT! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Since I started my pre-op diet a few weeks before surgery, I have now lost a total of 111 lbs.!I'm really proud of myself that I have achieved this milestone. Take note, my weight loss has slowed down dramatically within the past few months. I've been losing 25-30 lbs monthly during the first 3 months, but it slowed down to 10 lbs or even 5 lbs a month after that. There were weeks that I wasn't losing any weight at all. But I noticed that I've been losing inches instead. From a size 60inch waist, I'm now down to 48 inches. A few more inches, and I can now buy pants at Target or Wal-Mart! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "DO YOU FEEL LIGHTER?" - OH YES I DO!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aside from "How many pounds have you lost?", that's the most common question I get each day. And I must say that I do feel lighter. I can walk longer distances now. No more knee or hip pains. I even joined my family in a trip to Hong Kong, where all we did was walk! I was surprised that I was able to last 3 whole days of walking without feeling sore. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MY OLD CLOTHES DON'T FIT ANYMORE......WOOHOO! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This was one of my favorite parts of my journey so far.....clothes! Because this is where I really see that I'm getting smaller each day. Like what I said before, I started with a 60 inch waist, wearing 6XL shirts. I'm now down to a size 48 inch waist, and I now wear 3XL shirts. I'm glad I can have my old clothes altered here in Manila for a cheap price (Alteration of pants cost only P100 each -- equivalent to $2 USD!!) Even our family tailor got surprised! He's been our family tailor since forever, and he has all the numbers to prove that I'm shrinking. Since I still can have my clothes altered, I resist the temptation to buy new ones. There's no point in buying new clothes that I wont be able to wear anymore in 2-3 months. OK, I lied. I bought one shirt a month ago, just so I can say I was able to buy a shirt in a "regular" store. And man, it felt good! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EVERYTHING FITS! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - I can now ride the plane without an extension seatbelt. - I can now fit in chairs with sides/armrests. - I can now comfortably watch a movie or a show in the theater. - I can now fit in the car seat and drive comfortably. - I can now go ride roller coasters and scream to my heart's content. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ IT'S NOT ALL ROSES FOR ME ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With all the achievements I have made the past few months, there were down moments as well. - I had an emergency appendectomy two months ago. - After 3 adjustments, I get "stuck" more than ever. It's still my fault though......I eat too fast, especially when I drive. No P.B. episodes yet, that I'm thankful for. - I get tummy aches once in a while, mostly gas pains. (Nothing that GAS-X can't cure.) - My weight loss has slowed down dramatically. I guess I'm in a plateau stage. I'm still losing inches though. - As you can see in my progress pic, my skin has been sagging fast. But hey, no complaints here! I'll take the sagging skin anytime. (By the way, I've been using products from Underworks.com so I can work around this problem. More about this on my next blog entry.) ----------------- The past 7 months have been great, and I'm looking forward to where my Lap-band Journey will bring me next.

It's been 7 months since my LAP-BAND surgery. And I must say - what a journey it has been!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WHOA, I'VE LOST WEIGHT! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Since I started my pre-op diet a few weeks before surgery, I have now lost a total of 111 lbs.! I'm really proud of myself that I have achieved this milestone. Take note, my weight loss has slowed down dramatically within the past few months. I've been losing 25-30 lbs monthly during the first 3 months, but it slowed down to 10 lbs or even 5 lbs a month after that. There were weeks that I wasn't losing any weight at all. But I noticed that I've been losing inches instead. From a size 60inch waist, I'm now down to 48 inches. A few more inches, and I can now buy pants at Target or Wal-Mart! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "DO YOU FEEL LIGHTER?" - OH YES I DO!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aside from "How many pounds have you lost?", that's the most common question I get each day. And I must say that I do feel lighter. I can walk longer distances now. No more knee or hip pains. I even joined my family in a trip to Hong Kong, where all we did was walk! I was surprised that I was able to last 3 whole days of walking without feeling sore. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MY OLD CLOTHES DON'T FIT ANYMORE......WOOHOO! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This was one of my favorite parts of my journey so far.....clothes! Because this is where I really see that I'm getting smaller each day. Like what I said before, I started with a 60 inch waist, wearing 6XL shirts. I'm now down to a size 48 inch waist, and I now wear 3XL shirts. I'm glad I can have my old clothes altered here in Manila for a cheap price (Alteration of pants cost only P100 each -- equivalent to $2 USD!!) Even our family tailor got surprised! He's been our family tailor since forever, and he has all the numbers to prove that I'm shrinking. Since I still can have my clothes altered, I resist the temptation to buy new ones. There's no point in buying new clothes that I wont be able to wear anymore in 2-3 months. OK, I lied. I bought one shirt a month ago, just so I can say I was able to buy a shirt in a "regular" store. And man, it felt good! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EVERYTHING FITS! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - I can now ride the plane without an extension seatbelt. - I can now fit in chairs with sides/armrests. - I can now comfortably watch a movie or a show in the theater. - I can now fit in the car seat and drive comfortably. - I can now go ride roller coasters and scream to my heart's content. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ IT'S NOT ALL ROSES FOR ME ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With all the achievements I have made the past few months, there were down moments as well. - I had an emergency appendectomy two months ago. - After 3 adjustments, I get "stuck" more than ever. It's still my fault though......I eat too fast, especially when I drive. No P.B. episodes yet, that I'm thankful for. - I get tummy aches once in a while, mostly gas pains. (Nothing that GAS-X can't cure.) - My weight loss has slowed down dramatically. I guess I'm in a plateau stage. I'm still losing inches though. ----------------- The past 7 months have been great, and I'm looking forward to where my Lap-band Journey will bring me next.

Welcome Lizzie77! It's always good to see a fellow pinoy bandster here. Regarding what to expect on your first month, I think donnapie explained it well on her last post. Just remember that you will be experiencing lots of changes, and you will definitely need to do some adjustment in your lifestyle. But remember that Change is Good, and it will always be for the better. You are on the right track, and we are so excited for you!!! Do you mind if we ask where you are going to do your operation? And who is your lapband surgeon?

The dry mouth/throat is normal, and I've had it for a few days after the surgery. It will definitely go away. Just drink lots of water. I had shoulder and neck pains for a few days after surgery. But since I started to move and walk around early, the pain went away pretty fast. In fact, I went back to work 3 days after surgery. Like what DUSTINB said, you'll be going through lots of changes and there will be lots of adjusting on your part, but that's all part of your lapband journey. No need to panic. =)

First of all, congrats on your72lb weight loss! I totally felt the same thing when I rode a plane this week and did not need an extension seatbelt anymore. I actually wanted to scream and shout, but I will look crazy then. haha As for the fills, I've had a total of 3, with a total of 6cc now. (See my fill info below). Haven't had an unfill yet, and I am scheduled for another fill in a month (hopefully my final fill before I achieve my sweet spot). Keep up the good work.

First of all, you are doing GREAT! Keep up the good work. We were in the same predicament when I was at that stage of my weightloss. Lost 30 lbs already, but I still don't see any effects.....I was still wearing the same clothes, and people still don't see that I am losing weight. I started seeing the effects of my weightloss when I reached 50 lbs. I moved from a 6x shirt to a 5x shirt. My pants became loose also, and I found that I had to add more holes on my belt. But at this stage, people still don't notice that I'm already getting smaller. They only started to notice the change when I lost around 80 lbs. I've lost 100 lbs already, and I'm now wearing a totally new set of clothes: my waist from 60 to 48 inches, and my shirt from a 6x to a 3x. It really feels good. You are doing great. You'll be wearing smaller clothes in no time. And like what Jack said....measure and photograph yourself once in a while. I take a photo of myself with and without a shirt every month, and I can definitely see the change!

Just wanted to do a follow-up to my blog entry. Lately, I've had several Sliming incidents again, and all of them involving one thing - WHITE BREAD (not toasted). With my first sliming incident involving fresh flour tortilla, I started avoiding white bread and flour tortilla all together (there go my burritos.....). Ifever I want to eat some, I always make sure that I toast the bread/tortilla well. For some reason, they go down way easier.

It's been almost 4 months since my LAP-BAND® surgery, and more than 3 months since my first (and only) fill. I haven't experienced what everyone calls SLIMING......until today. It was quite scary actually. I'm on my family vacation in Los Angeles. I was driving at freeway I-5, and bought some fresh tortilla fish tacos. I think I ate the tacos too fast, that I suddenly felt this choking feeling....well, more of a feeling that you swallowed a big chunk of food which a glass of water will usually remedy (pre-band). But I know drinking water while eating now is a no-no, so I just waited for the feeling to subside.Then suddenly I felt that I was "over-producing" saliva that I need to spit once in a while. It turned out that it wasn't saliva, but what they call slime. The slime looks and feels like....well...SLIME! A clear type of slime that is. At this point, I still have that choking feeling and spitting slime all over, while driving!! It was very scary, that I had to exit the freeway and stop for a while. After getting a good place to rest, it took me maybe 10 more minutes before everything went back to normal. I did not have a PB episode, just the sliming - lots of it. I think the culprit was the fresh tortilla. And of course this reminded me again to CHEW CHEW CHEW my food well. Hope this doesn't happen again anytime soon.

Hello DONNAPIE! Congrats on being a Bandster!! Have you tried different types of Jello? I asked my doctor about it, and he said this is allowed during the liquid diet phase. Try those boxed Sugar Free Jellos and make them in small cups. It's quite filling, considering that it's just liquid that you are eating. Of course be careful not to swallow a big chunk of jello. I've also enjoyed making different Glucerna Fruit shakes using a serving of Glucerna and FROZEN Fruits....This will make the shake extra creamy. My favorites were banana, Mango, and you won't believe this, Banana-Peanut Butter! hahaha (not too much on the Peanut Butter though). As for broths, try mixing in different herbs like Basil or Thyme. Like DUSTINB, I was on a liquid diet for only a week, and I started eating mushies on the 2nd week. It really depends on the doctor. I started eating "gerber-like" food during the mushies stage. Same thing happened to me. Because I was not eating too much solids, i wasn't able to do #2 for a long time. And it took weeks before I was able to establish a regular #2 schedule. But there were several things I've noticed after the operation: 1. My Acid Reflux was gone! Well, not completely, but from 6 antacids a day, I went down to 1 a day, or even none at all. It's a wonderful thing, because I've had reflux since I was young. My best friend before was a big bottle of TUMS. 2. I CAN BURP! REALLY LOUD! hahaha, and it really feels good afterwards. =) I was not a "burper" pre-op (if there's such a word as "burper") =) The next 4 weeks will be exciting. There will be lots of adjusting on your part for sure, but I'm sure you'll do great. Don't hesitate to ask us anything and everything about the LAP-BAND. Always glad to share our experiences.

Just got back from a family vacation in California, and two of my small goals were 1) NOT to use the extension seat belt in the airplane, and 2) to be able to ride a roller coaster. 1) What do you know, I didn't need to use an extension seatbelt anymore!! The flight attendant even asked me if I needed to use one, and I replied "No thanks, I don't need to use that anymore." Boy did it feel good saying that! 2) I haven't been to a roller coaster in my life, and each time I attempted to do so, I keep on getting rejected because I won't fit. But hey, I was able to ride this time......not just once but twice!! One was the Boomerang ride at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, and the other one was the Mummy ride at Universal Studios Hollywood! I think I screamed my guts out on those rides, and almost cried afterward just because I was soooooo happy. Two small goals fulfilled!!

What I do know is if you don't chew your food well, the food will get stuck and sliming is your body's reaction to food being stuck. PB is just a nice way of saying "throwing up". I didn't have a PB episode, but there were lots of sliming.

Thanks for the tip.... I will definitely bring several plastic baggies in my car from now on.

Just got back from a family vacation in California, and two of my small goals were 1) NOT to use the extension seat belt in the airplane, and 2) to be able to ride a roller coaster. 1) What do you know, I didn't need to use an extension seatbelt anymore!! The flight attendant even asked me if I needed to use one, and I replied "No thanks, I don't need to use that anymore." Boy did it feel good saying that! 2) I haven't been to a roller coaster in my life, and each time I attempted to do so, I keep on getting rejected because I won't fit. But hey, I was able to ride this time......not just once but twice!! One was the Boomerang ride at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, and the other one was the Mummy ride at Universal Studios Hollywood! I think I screamed my guts out on those rides, and almost cried afterward just because I was soooooo happy. Two small goals fulfilled!!

It's been almost 4 months since my LAP-BAND® surgery, and more than 3 months since my first (and only) fill. I haven't experienced what everyone calls SLIMING......until today. It was quite scary actually. I'm on my family vacation in Los Angeles. I was driving at freeway I-5, and bought some fresh tortilla fish tacos. I think I ate the tacos too fast, that I suddenly felt this choking feeling....well, more of a feeling that you swallowed a big chunk of food which a glass of water will usually remedy (pre-band). But I know drinking water while eating now is a no-no, so I just waited for the feeling to subside.Then suddenly I felt that I was "over-producing" saliva that I need to spit once in a while. It turned out that it wasn't saliva, but what they call slime. The slime looks and feels like....well...SLIME! A clear type of slime that is. At this point, I still have that choking feeling and spitting slime all over, while driving!! It was very scary, that I had to exit the freeway and stop for a while. After getting a good place to rest, it took me maybe 10 more minutes before everything went back to normal. I did not have a PB episode, just the sliming - lots of it. I think the culprit was the fresh tortilla. And of course this reminded me again to CHEW CHEW CHEW my food well. Hope this doesn't happen again anytime soon.

I'm so happy you are doing well Wisconsin Jen! Congrats on the weight loss. My port pain also took time to subside, but yeah, after six weeks it went away. My weight loss like yours has definitely refreshed me physically and mentally that it gave me confidence to go out again and walk around. I've had 1 fill so far (3cc), and my restriction is not that tight. But I still get full easily, and the best thing is I don't get hungry in the middle of the day anymore. I'm also lovin how my clothes are getting looser each day. It's been a blast trying on clothes I haven't worn for years! Can't wait to hear how everyone is doing. Keep up the good work guys!!

I can't believe it, I am now 398 lbs! I started my pre-op diet last Dec. 26 at 471 lbs, got banded Jan. 11, and since then i have lost 73 lbs. I definitely feel the change. I'm now wearing a completely different set of clothes as compared to what I was wearing last January. Good thing I didn't throw away all my old clothes. I'm now wearing shirts and pants which I last wore 9 years ago. From wearing 6XL shirts, I now wear 4XL. Here are my progress pix so far: I've got a looooong way to go, but I'm very happy with what I have accomplished so far.

I can't believe it, I am now 398 lbs! I started my pre-op diet last Dec. 26 at 471 lbs, got banded Jan. 11, and since then i have lost 73 lbs. I definitely feel the change. I'm now wearing a completely different set of clothes as compared to what I was wearing last January. Good thing I didn't throw away all my old clothes. I'm now wearing shirts and pants which I last wore 9 years ago. From wearing 6XL shirts, I now wear 4XL. Here are my progress pix so far: I've got a looooong way to go, but I'm very happy with what I have accomplished so far.

Just got back from my 1 month post-op follow-up with my doctor, and I got the best news since I started my lap-band journey - I lost a total of 60 lbs already (15 pre-op, 45 post-op). I can't believe how I lost this much weight in a month's time. From my starting weight of 471, I am now 411. I can't wait to use a regular 400-lb capacity weighing scale to weigh myself!! (I've been going to the clinic just to use their uber-sized weighing scale.) Since I am losing so much weight, my doctor delayed my second adjustment. He said he will do my second fill once my weight loss slows down or stops all together. Again, he told me that the rate I am losing weight is quite normal for a guy with my starting weight (471 lbs). I'm sooooooo happy. =)

Just got back from my 1 month post-op follow-up with my doctor, and I got the best news since I started my lap-band journey - I lost a total of 60 lbs already (15 pre-op, 45 post-op). I can't believe how I lost this much weight in a month's time. From my starting weight of 471, I am now 411. I can't wait to use a regular 400-lb capacity weighing scale to weigh myself!! (I've been going to the clinic just to use their uber-sized weighing scale.) Since I am losing so much weight, my doctor delayed my second adjustment. He said he will do my second fill once my weight loss slows down or stops all together. Again, he told me that the rate I am losing weight is quite normal for a guy with my starting weight (471 lbs). I'm sooooooo happy. =)

It's now two (2) weeks since my first fill, and I must say it has been a very interesting adjustment phase for me. DRINKING LOTS OF WATER Like what I said in my previous blog entry, I had to change my water-drinking habits. No more drinking during meals, and I had to amp-up my water intake in between meals. I now have a big bottle of water wherever I go. REGULAR MEAL SCHEDULE I don't have a regular meal schedule. I take my breakfast anytime between 7-9AM, lunch between 12PM-1PM, and dinner round 7PM-9PM. During the ten days after my first fill, I started having these really bad stomach aches and cramps, and I get it late afternoon to early evening, all of them before I take my dinner. I figured these are the hunger pangs everyone was talking about. So I tried to make a regular meal schedule to see if the stomach aches will go away: BREAKFAST - 7AM LUNCH - 12PM DINNER - 6PM This experiment proved successful, and I don't get stomach aches anymore. I have been doing this regular schedule for a few days now, and so far so good! BREAKFAST IS HARD WITHOUT WARM WATER I had a hard time eating my first breakfast after my fill. Had 1 pc of wheat bread and 1 scrambled egg. Swallowing my first bite was really painful, and you can really feel it go down slowly, with the pain radiating on your chest and upper back. My succeeding bites were nonetheless painful. I read here in Lapbandtalk that drinking warm water before eating breakfast can loosen and prepare your system, making it easy to swallow. That advice was great, because eating breakfast now is a breeze. I still get that occasional pain, but that is because I did not chew my food well.