She-She

I had my surgery 7/3/2008. I weighed 238 lbs when I started and was thrilled with my surgery.  It seems like I immediately had energy and I was walking up to 4 miles 3 times a week during the first 5 weeks. At first I was obedient and ate as prescibed. Then I found myself able to eat more and so I did. At first I dropped 20lbs quickly, then 10lbs , the 9lbs more.  That last nine lbs.. well I lost and gain those 9lbs more than I care to admit. When I was able to eat 1/2 rack of ribs, months after my surgery...I was thrilled, but not really concious of the fact that I should not have been able to.  I didn't have a "regular" doctor visit schedule, because I didn't know I needed that.  I though that I was to make an appointment only if I thought I was eatting too much.  As a result.. for about a year, I hovered between 209lbs - 203lbs.  In the meantime, people I work with were having the surgery and losing weight at a much greater rate than I was.  That was pretty frustrating to experience.. I was stagnate and I didn't even want people to know I had the surgey because after that first 5-6 months immediately following the sugery, I did not look like I should have.  They say about 100lbs that first year and yet in my second year.. I was still hovering at the same place.   I decided to talk to one of the newer lap-banders at my job and she told me about her doctor who really didn't let you get away with anything... Dr. Attia. For me..  well I needed that.  I needed a dr. who would reminded me of why I took this drastic step of undergoing lapband surgery. So although I liked Dr. Patel, I changed physicians for my ultimate benefit.  My first visit with Dr. Attia was at the end of May 2010. We had a good chat and her reminded me of what my stomach looked like today and how much I should only be able to eat.  I was shocked!  It's not that I hadn't heard it before, but I don't even remember hearing it in that same way. I looked at the lapband stomach model in his office and it clicked.. that's what  my stomached looked like.. no wonder I'd been feeling nausea.  I'd been over-filling that tiny stomach and it was backing up into my esophagus.. and my esophagus wasn't having any of it.  When I left his office after getting an 1/4 cc bump.. I was on my way.  That tiny fill, made all the difference.. as well as my renewed vision of my stomach.  I came there weighing 209lbs and her a little over 30 days, I'm at 190.  Now that's whay I'm talking about.  I can't wait to go in for my office visit on the July 15th.