mybarra4

I want to be under 200 lbs(currently 245). I want to be in ONEDERLAND!!!!! Im starting a hike every Tuesday with my cousin. She said it is a 3 mile hike. I need to get my butt into motion. I've lost 34 lbs since August 27, 2010(day of surgery). I got off track a little for the holidays. This last fill i got on December 15, 2010 was awesome! I think i have hit my "Sweet Spot" but i still eat things i shouldn't. I dont eat them often or nearly as much as i used to. I gave up smoking 2 years ago after smoking for 21 years so i know i can do this. I havent been obese as long as i smoked. My goal ultimately is to get to 120 lbs. I love it when people tell me they can tell i've lost weight & they ask me how i did it(they dont know about my surgery) and i just tell them i changed my eating habits and started working out, which isnt a lie. Im starting to like myself again too. Im able to wear clothes that i bought a couple of years ago & i love it. It really does make you feel good about yourself. I know i can do this & i will.

I hate to admit this but i am stuck in the 240 range. I've been there for awhile now. I keep going up and down. This will be the year for all of us! We can do this. I'm so ready to get all this crap off! I am also having the problem with my stomach. You can tell i've lost weight everywhere else but my stomach just doesnt wanna cooperate. I've noticed that it is getting smaller but then i noticed that it is starting to droop down & it looks like i've got all this extra skin there. I already had a droopy stomach with all that extra skin but now im getting more cuz of the weight loss. I always knew it wasnt gonna be easy and im not giving up. I made a promise to myself, my husband & my girls. We can all do this!

I had my lapband August 27, 2010 & i have not regretted it one bit! I like the others, only wish i would've done it sooner. I started out at 279 & now am 242. So i've only lost 37 pounds. Dont get me wrong, i'm so proud of myself cuz i NEVER would have been able to do it without the Lapband! I call it my Savior! I was on a downhill spiral going really fast. I haven't been able to get off any of my meds yet but i will find out at my next appt. in January. I would love to find out how GOLDNGRLL was able to lose 100 pounds in just 6 months. I do blame myself for not doing my workouts everyday like i promised i would. January 3, 2011 will start kicking my butt into gear! I'm gonna start a hike every Tuesday with my cousin that is 3 miles. The other days i will be at the gym. I am also planning on getting a Personal Trainer. I am gonna do this & be more serious about it. I have been very serious about it but not kicking it in the butt like i said i would. My eating habits have changed drastically. I no longer eat sweets, drink soda or eat all the snacks i used to. This last fill i got on December 15, 2010 was the one for me. I think i am at "My Sweet Spot!" If i drink even water too fast it comes right back up. My pills are harder to put down. I can no longer eat lunch meat of any kind. No bread, no ground meat-----it won't go down. That makes me so happy! Unfortunately I no longer am working. My job was a temporary job. That kept me so busy & kept my mind off of wanting to eat. I am so extremely happy i had this surgery done. Why did it take me so long to do it? I'm actually starting to love myself again!

Ok, i had my first fill on Tuesday but im not feeling anything different. Is it supposed to feel different right away or a few days later? I called my doc today & told him I didnt think the fill was enough & that i wanted more. He said that it will take 2-3 days for me to notice anything cuz my body has to get used to it & adjust to it. He also told me that i have to do clear liquids for the next 2-3 days. Apparently i have a 10cc bag & had .5 cc put in at surgery & yesterday i had 2cc put in. He told me that if i dont notice anything different by Monday that i can go back for more. Is this the norm? I mean does it usually work the first fill? I know everyone is different. I'm hungry!!!! Man i should've had that Busch's Fried Chicken, fried livers & gizzards before my surgery!lol My port area is still sore too. I'm fine laying on my side but sometimes i wake up & i'm sleeping on my belly & it feels so uncomfortable. So, im just curious how this is gonna do for me over the next couple of days. I'm hoping that this fill worked & i will feel some restriction!

Well, i am officially banded! Honestly it was ALOT more painful than i ever expected! Still in a bit of pain, but not too bad now. The gas is still there but not as bad either. The incision where my port is hurts the worst though. The doc said its because he had to go in deeper. Ive got 7 incisions. Some are small, some are bigger. Im on clear liquids for the next two weeks. So ive been living off of water, juice, broth & jello(sugar free only). I will go for my post op on September 8th & will find out what im allowed to eat then. It has actually been pretty hard not to eat food. My stomach feels so empty! It actually growls too!! I havent actually eaten anything since 5:30 thursday evening. Taking a shower was trying too. I dont really have any energy since no food in my system & I got weak before i even got through with the shower. Had to call my husband to help me. He's so awesome!! I stopped taking the pain meds Sunday cuz the pain wasnt bad enough to take meds & just sleep. The Gas X works pretty good. I got cinnamon flavor & it tastes like i just brushed my teeth each time i take it! I had to sleep in the recliner Saturday night but Sunday night i wanted to try the bed & my husband set it up for me so i wouldnt be laying flat & uncomfortable. It wasnt bad but still didnt get too much sleep. I get up & walk around as much as possible but i dont see myself going back to the gym for another week or so. This is all worth it yall! I do not regret this at all! My health was at stake & i refused to let it dwindle down anymore. Im ready to go to my daughter's Graduation next year & then to Disney World to celebrate! My husband & girls are so very proud of me. They hug me & tell me how much they love me. That makes me feel like a million bucks! I wonder though, can i eat applesauce or drink coffee? Im craving both of those! Good luck to everyone on their journey now & the ones going on their journey in the future. You will not regret it! Its gonna be a wonderful healthy life! I will keep in touch to let everyone know of my progress & defintely post some pictures.

Hey bnlluvr! I too am waiting for the bloating to go away. My stomach feels so much bigger now than when i went into surgery!!lol Once all this gas is out then its supposed to be better. I hope sooner than later! Good Luck to you!

Thats awesome Tommy! It doesnt matter if its water or anything else, it matters & it all counts! Good Luck. I hope everything is going great for you!

Hey Hawyn! So how are you feeling now? I know im only hungry because i dont have a fill yet. So what are you on right now as far as diet? I want some coffee so bad! They said i can have decafeneited tea so i figure why not decafeneited coffee too? Im gonna call the nurse tomorrow & see what she says. I hope you are feeling better! Lets keep in touch with each other to see how we're doing & for support too! Good Luck!!!!!

Hey! All you have to do is go to your the USERCP & click on your signature & just copy it on the big space there. Then you click save or apply, something like that.

Hey Kimmila! Glad to hear from you. You will do amazing on this journey! It's all gonna be worth it in the end. I was very nervous & anxious up until the day of the surgery. I kept getting worried that something was gonna come up to keep me from getting the surgery. Once your PCP gives you the ok & the Anasthesiologist checks you out you are good to go. Looking forward to seeing you on here & let us know how everything goes.

My surgery was August 27th & my follow up appt. is September 8th. He will do my first fill then. I dont know what size band i got. I'll find that out at my appt. He did tell me that i need to find out from BCBS if they will cover the first fill by Flouroscopy. Thats how he prefers to do the first one. But if not then he said thats not a problem. I also found out that my first year of fill is included in the surgery price unless i need/want additional fills not required during the first year. He is an absolutely wonderful doctor. He was very involved with the whole process with me from the very beginning.

So tomorrow is my day for surgery! Yay!! Im so excited its finally here but im really nervous too! I keep thinking about once i go under about not waking up. It scares me. I know this surgery has been done so many many times & i know im overreacting but Im praying & i have lots of family & friends praying for me. This is going to be an amazing journey im going on & im looking forward to a healthier & longer life. My husband asked me if i wanted to go to dinner tonight for a meal that i absolutely just had to have but i told him i didnt wanna go afterall because i need to get used to not eating all that yummy food anymore, or at least for awhile. He was so proud of me for turning it down. No food for me after midnight & i dont even have to be at the hospital till 10:30 which means i wont be eating anything for awhile so i know im gonna turn into a witch. I did my eating for the night already & am not planning on anything else. I guess i do have alot more willpower than i thought i did. I have done really good on preparing myself by not eating all the yummy foods i loved to eat. I look forward to hearing how everyone else went with their surgery this week & in the past as well. I will post as soon as im able to. I will share my surgery day story with all of yall too. God Bless!

Thank you ladies both so much! Amanda, you will do great on your surgery too. Thats good that your not nervous at all. Butterfly when is your surgery? I know you must be getting anxious for it to come already. It seems like this whole process took forever but its only been since June. Its all worth it in the end. Im ready for a whole new life change! Well ladies, good luck to you both. Lets keep in touch so we can let each other know how it all went.

Ok so i went to my appt. with the Anasthesiologist today & they gave me clearance for surgery. But before i left she told me that she needs to call the General Surgery dept. & talk to the lead nurse there & make sure that since i have a urinary tract infection i can still have the surgery. I got the clearance from my PCP(she has me on antibiotics for the UTI) & i got clearance from the Anasthesiologist. Now im worried that this infection will keep me from having surgery. Im worried now!! If anyone knows anything that can set my mind at ease please tell me what you think or if anyone experienced the same thing before surgery let me know what happened for you. Thank You! Happy & Safe Surgery Day for anyone having surgery! God Bless!

Thank you so much! What stage are you on with the surgery? I hope everything works out for you! I will say a prayer for you! We are going on an amazing journey. Take care! Let us know how everything goes for you. It all goes by quicker than you think.

Ok so ive had my bloodwork done last week but now i hear when i go in for surgery they have to take blood again. Why would they have to do that? What are they looking for when they take blood the day of surgery? Do they get the results back before the surgery?

Hey everybody! Well i went to my appt. with my PCP today & she gave me the clearance to get the surgery!! Tomorrow is the appt. with the Anasthesiologist. What will they be doing at that appt.? Also, im wondering..when i go in for the surgery what will they do to get me prepared for surgery? Will they take blood, do xrays, do heart exams? I just wanna be prepared. Im still nervous. Just worried that the Anasthesiologis will give me some reason not the do the surgery due to tests or something. My PCP assures me that it will all be fine since she gave me the clearance letter. Also, good luck to everyone having surgery this week. And Congratulations to everyone who has had the surgery already. I hope everyone is doing well. :tongue2:

Hey Tally23 where did you get the powder from? Yummy flavors! How do they taste?

Did anyone have the bloodwork done that came back with elevated WBC? If so how did the Anasthesiologist take it? Did they say you may not be able to have the surgery? Has anyone been told they cant have surgery or the date pushed back from elevated WBC?

Well i talked to the Anasteliogist Nurse today & she said my WBC count was elevated pretty high. She asked if i was sick or have been sick & i told her i had a little runny nose, but thats it. I did also inform her that in April i had to have a Bone Marrow Biopsy due to elevated WBC. But everything came out negative & he said i was fine. He said to him he figured it was Arthritis. When i told the nurse this she said that was good to know & she wants me to get a letter from my doctor saying that my WBC are always elevated, and each test they run comes back negative. She also wants me to bring her a copy of my Biopsy with the doctors notes stating that everything is fine. She also wants the doctor to write a letter stating that i will do just fine for surgery & not to cancel it. So what do yall think? Is this possibly gonna cancel my surgery? I understand the anastheseologist will decide if they will be able to do this or not. Help!! Oh she also told me that my A1C was high too but thats due to me not taking Metformin for 2 months because my previous appt showed that my bloodwork for my kidneys came back elevated too. So my doctor told me not to take my Metformin until further notice. So now my kidney is good but my A1C is high!:smile2::crying::smile::biggrin:

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Hello everyone! I just got a call from my doctor & she told me that all my tests came back fine except the WBC came back a little high. She said it may be due to having a Urinary Tract Infection. Does anyone know if this is gonna keep me from being able to have my surgery? My surgery is scheduled for August 27th. I cant stop worrying about it cuz ive waited for this & now that everything else is ok i cant imagine that a UTI would keep me from having the surgery! Can someone please set my mind at ease? Thank you!:thumbup:

Hey Tally. Im glad everything is going great for you after the surgery. Apparently my WBC was @ 18,000. My A1C was elevated too @ 8.2 but that was because i havent taken my Metformin for 2 months due to at that time my blood work for my kidneys came back elevated too! My doc said not to take it until further notice so they can see what my blood work came out to after 2 months. Well my kidneys & liver are fine now but now my A1C is elevated! I told the nurse that in April i had a Bone Marrow Biopsy done & everything came back negative. So she told me that when i go to see the Anesthesiologist on Thursday to make sure & bring with me a letter from my doctor stating that my WBC is always elevated & tests come back negative & also to state that he sees no problem with me having the surgery. Im so worried that they are gonna cancel it. She did tell me that it will help to get that information from my PCP & the doctor that performed the Biopsy. I just hate for this to be cancelled since ive waited so long for this to happen.

Thank you Zeniada! I know theres nothing i can do about it now until next week for my PCP appt. I know what you say about not worrying about it cuz something else, God forbid, could come back negative. I have my follow up blood work on Wednesday with my PCP. On Thursday i have my appt. with the Anasthesiologist & they will go over everything with me. I just tell myself as long as i get all the info needed from the doctors then it should be okay. I know your surgery date is only a couple days away. I know you are excited. Good luck! Im looking forward to hearing from you on here how it all went!

Thank you so much Kob0630 & Tally23! Yall have definitely set my mind at ease! I have been so worried about that. I was waiting on my doctor to call me back but i guess they got so busy at the office. I do have an appointment with my PCP next Wednesday to do follow up blood work. How are you both doing now since yalls surgery? Hope to hear from yall soon! Thank you both!!:thumbup: