Angie's Lap Band Journey

100 Pounds Gone!

2013-07-30T12:32:00.004-05:00

It has been a long time since I have updated my blog. So much has happened since my last post! As of yesterday, I have officially hit the 100 pounds lost mark!! Woo Hoo!!! I still have about 50 pounds I would like to lose, but so far everything has gone great!

Before

Today

Update - October 22, 2012

2012-10-22T14:33:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been a long time since I've made any updates. As of today I have lost a total of 60 pounds. Yeah me! The past few months have been pretty rough. I have had 2 additional surgeries not related to the Lap Band. My gallbladder started acting up and I ended up having to have it removed in August. And last week I developed appendicitis and had to have my appendix removed. My belly looks like a connect-the-dots game now! I told the surgeon who did the appendectomy that if he saw anything else in there that he thought could go to just take it out while he was in there. He said I need to keep everything else that I have, so.... :) Hopefully I am done with surgeries now. Three since May is a little much! Anyway, so far so good with the Lap Band. I have not had another fill since I had to have some removed the last time, but I'm still losing weight so I'm not going to have another one unless I need it. So, here I am, 60 pounds and counting. I will really be celebrating when I hit the 100 pound mark, but that will be a little while yet.

Adjusting the Adjustment

2012-08-30T08:50:00.000-05:00

Well, my adjustment on Monday was not so great. I couldn't keep liquids down at all. Every time I would try to take a sip it hurt like a big air bubble and a few minutes later would come right back up. So, I called yesterday morning and they had me come right in and have .5 cc taken back out. I am really bummed to have had to have anything removed, but I am SO happy I can drink again! I had lost 5 pounds since Monday. The nurse reminded me that this was due to dehydration and not actual weight loss, so not to be discouraged when that 5 pounds comes right back. When they took the .5 cc out, the nurse said that this could mean that I'm getting close to my "sweet spot" where the band is tight enough. BUT, she said it doesn't mean I won't be able to have anymore fills. My body just did not tolerate a full cc this time and from now on they will only put in .5 at a time. Feeling much better today! Coffee tastes great this morning! :)

3 Months Post-Op

2012-08-28T12:54:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems like a long time since I have given any updates. As of right now I have lost 45 pounds. The last month has been too easy eating and a very little weight loss. I have been able to eat pretty "normal" meals and I guess I was enjoying that a little too much. So, yesterday I went for my second band adjustment. I have a 10cc band that is now filled with 4cc's of saline fluid. Boy, is there huge difference! It's 12:47 in the afternoon right now and I can hardly even drink. I have been working on the same cup of coffee since 8:30 this morning. I know that seems a little too tight, but I also know there is swelling after an adjustment. The nurse told me to only drink liquids last night and to progress to mushy food today. Well, I can pretty much guarantee there will be no mushy food for me today. It's a struggle just trying to get a little liquid down. Every sip feels like I have swallowed a massive air bubble. I'm just going to try to wait it out. After being on such a plateau for so long, I really want the weight loss to start again. I would sure hate to have any fluid taken out of the band at this point, but if I'm still having this much trouble in a couple of days, I'm going to call the doctor. Hopefully this is just swelling and I will feel better as soon as it goes down a bit.

2 Months Post-Op

2012-07-18T15:53:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been two months since I had the surgery and 3 1/2 weeks since my first band fill. So far so good! I have lost 42 pounds as of this morning. Woo Hoo! I have passed one of the mini milestones I have set for myself by getting below a certain weight that I have not been below in over 10 years and it feels great! I am starting to feel better and can really tell a difference in my knees. They don't ache as much and I can get up and down easier and go up and down steps MUCH easier. 42 pounds gone (hopefully) forever! Yeah!!

Vacation - Rode a Roller Coaster!

2012-07-10T16:29:00.001-05:00

Just came back from a 5 day family vacation. It was a lot of fun, but HOT. The high temperatures ranged from 105 - 109 the entire trip. Whew! We all had a really good time, though in spite of the heat. I have found that after having my band tightened a little it is very difficult to eat most things. So, I didn't overeat by any stretch of the imagination and walked what felt like 1000 miles - all good for the diet. We went to Six Flags and I was able to ride a roller coaster for the first time in years! I was so excited when that bar latched in front of me! It has been so many years since I even attempted to ride amusement park rides. I had forgotten what they felt like. So, that was fabulous. We also took in a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game and for the first time in years didn't have any trouble fitting into the seats. It's amazing how such small things become so big when you haven't been able to do them for awhile. :)

First Fill

2012-06-26T12:36:00.003-05:00

I have finally had my first fill! Yeah!! I went to the doctor yesterday. I have lost 11 pounds since having the surgery, and 31 all together. The 11 pounds has been hard! But the nurse was very happy with my progress. She said she wasn't surprised that it has been hard because the band had not had any fill in it and that it has all been me so far, not the band. She put in 3cc's of saline to tighten the band a little and I can really tell the difference! My band holds a total of 10cc's and she said most people don't need it filled to more than 6 or 7. So, I guess it's almost half as tight as it will eventually be. We shall see how the next month goes! I go back for another fill in 3 to 4 weeks.

Gastric Banding - How it works

2012-06-15T09:15:00.001-05:00

I didn't realize until talking with a friend recently how little I've explained just what the Lap Band is or how it works. So, I thought I would share a little about that.

I have a silicone band that is placed around the upper part of my stomach which creates a very small stomach pouch. The band restricts how fast food can flow into my stomach. It kind of works like a funnel. When I eat, the food goes into the pouch first, and then moves past the band into the rest of my stomach and digestive system. Inside the band there is tubing that can be inflated. The tubing is attached to a port under my skin that can be accessed with a needle. Over the next year I will be going for an office visit to have saline solution added through the port to gradually tighten or "fill" the band and make the opening smaller, thereby slowing down how quickly the small stomach pouch empties. There are 2 types or brands of bands used in the United States. The Lap Band and the Realize Band. I chose the Lap Band because it has been around the longest and I know people who have had success with it.

Here is a link that tells more about the Lap Band: The LAP-BAND® Device & How It Works

So, right now the band has been attached to my upper stomach. It has not been tightened yet, so it's just there and is giving some restriction, but not a whole lot yet. I go for my first "fill" to have it tightened for the first time on June 25th. I'm anxious to see how much difference it makes!

4 Weeks Post Op

2012-06-12T14:34:00.001-05:00

The last week has gone a little better. I have lost a total of 29 pounds since the very beginning of this journey. Woo Hoo! I think walking (almost) every day is helping a whole lot. I have found myself thinking that I can just eat whatever I want and then getting some kinds of meat or bread "stuck". It's pretty painful when that happens and you only have the options of waiting for it to go through the band or throw it back up. Most of the time it goes through and luckily I have not been sick very many times. When I have something that doesn't go through I stretch and/or walk around until it goes on past the band. For the most part, though everything is going down pretty easy. Too easy, I think. My first band fill is on June 25th. I can't wait to see what difference that makes!

3 Weeks Post-op

2012-06-05T14:59:00.000-05:00

This has been a frustrating week. I am able to eat just about anything I want to now. I don't really feel any restriction at all. I am still tracking my food intake and have started walking on my lunch breaks at work. I am really anxious to have the first fill, because right now I am hungry a lot and just feel like I am on another diet. I know the band is not some magical cure-all, but it is supposed to help and right now I don't feel like it's even there. May calorie range has been between 950 and 1200, I'm trying to keep the carbs below 100 and trying to get 60 grams or more of protien a day. It has not been easy. The scales are not moving, either. I haven't lost anything this week. I was told that from weeks 4 - 6 I would see progress stall, but I didn't expect to see it at week 3. I am bummed, but still plugging along!

2 Weeks Post-op

2012-05-29T12:09:00.001-05:00

The last week has gone OK. Physically, I feel like I am completely back to normal. I have no pain or discomfort whatsoever and my incisions are doing nicely and are just about healed. I am able to eat increasingly more at a time and do feel hungry between meals now. I wasn't expecting to feel this way for a couple more weeks out. I don't feel a whole lot of restriction; however, I still cannot eat much meat. I lost 3 pounds last week, which is 23 overall, but the weight loss is not as rapid as I had anticipated. I am tracking my food intake on a website called Spark People so that I can monitor the amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat I am taking in. I have used this website before when dieting, and it really is useful to see exactly what you are eating. For me it helps to see it in writing, all broken down throughout the day. I am still drinking some protein shakes and trying to eat a high protein - low carb diet. It's not that easy when the protein options are a little limited right now and mashed potatoes go down really easy. I had way too much cheese last week and ended up needing laxatives this weekend. So, I'm focusing more on having tuna, eggs, and cottage cheese for my protein and laying off the cheese now. And I know that exercise is going to be the key to losing more weight as well as watching what I eat. Today I start walking! Even if it's just a short distance at first. :)

One Week Post-op

2012-05-22T21:55:00.000-05:00

Last night and tonight I have been able to eat some soft foods without any trouble. I am glad that I can finally have something that tastes good and that I can chew! Yesterday I had about 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes with gravy and some Banquet turkey chopped up into tiny tiny pieces. Had no trouble getting that down. Tonight I had a very small baked potato, just a little bit bigger than the size of a large egg, and a little bit of cheese. Later I had 2 scrambled eggs. The eggs were about the best thing I have tasted in a while! Everything is going down pretty easy. The potato was probably the most difficult, but it didn't hurt or make me feel sick. It just kind of felt stuck for a little bit. I hope it doesn't keep getting a lot easier, though. I certainly want to keep losing weight and it's a long time until I get a fill.

I will only be updating every week now for awhile, as I don't think there's going to be a lot to say daily. So, see you next week! :)

6th Day Post-op - Dr. Follow up

2012-05-21T11:48:00.000-05:00

I had my follow up appointment at Dr. Rohrscheib's office. I am happy to say that my scales at home do not match the doctor's scales. According to their scales I have lost a total of 20 pounds since beginning this journey (beginning being the first consultation). I lost 5 pounds before my pre-op visit on May 2nd and have lost 15 since then. I am so happy about that! I met with the dietitian again to go over what I can and can't have. She said I can go ahead and start some pureed / soft foods. So, I can start having things like applesauce, mashed bananas, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, and tuna now. She does want me to keep drinking 2 shakes a day and have one "food" meal of which 1/2 needs to be protein. One example she gave was 1/4 cup of cottage cheese and 1/4 cup of green beans for dinner. Anything that can be easily mashed with a fork doesn't actually have to be blended and she said meats like chicken, beef, and pork shouldn't really be tried just yet. I also need to be taking a daily multivitamin with iron and a calcium supplement. The nurse looked at my incisions and said they look really good and I can start pulling the steri-strips off tomorrow if I want to. Great visit!

5th Day Post-op

2012-05-20T18:08:00.000-05:00

Well, today has been a good day. I am feeling good and almost "back to normal." I've been off work since having the surgery and am ready to go back tomorrow. I have lost 16 pounds all together so far since beginning everything. Not 16 pounds since surgery, 16 since initially seeing Dr. Rohrscheib at the very beginning. I am happy with the progress I'm making but am still a little disappointed that the 2 week pre-op diet didn't yield more results, but if my scales are right I've lost 6 pounds since Tuesday. That is impressive! I don't feel hungry ever. But I am a little tired of shakes and soups. My daughter made a frozen pizza for lunch today and I really wanted to eat a piece! It looked and smelled so good! But it's still going to be a little while before I can have anything like that. I have a little over a week left of just liquids and then 2 weeks of eating blended foods (the consistency of baby food.) Compared to what I've already accomplished, this shouldn't be that hard. But it's weird how appealing even pureed food sounds right now.

4th Day Post-op

2012-05-19T14:36:00.000-05:00

Today I feel really good. The soreness is way less than it has been and I was able to sleep well last night. I can even lay on both sides now without any pain at all. I just have to be careful when I roll around, because then I feel a little pulling, but not too bad. I am going to get some housework done today and maybe go for a walk later. I have some energy, don't feel sick, and am not in any pain and have very little discomfort. I do have to work on getting more liquids in, because yesterday I did not do so well with that. But everything is going great so far. I am so happy I had this done!

3rd day post-op

2012-05-18T14:47:00.000-05:00

Today has been a pretty quiet day. I have had a little trouble sleeping at night, which makes me tired during the day. Today I took a pretty long afternoon nap. Boy, did that feel good! The bandages came off today, but the steri strips are still on. The nurse told me to let those come off on their own and not to pull them off. The incisions look pretty good. They still look a little bloody under the steri strips, but clean and there isn't any discharge. I have 4 small incisions that are about an inch to an inch and a half long and one larger one that is about 3 inches. The 3 inch incision is where the port is and is where I have most of my discomfort still. Overall I fell really good, though. I just have to be a little careful how I lay in bed and getting up is still a little bit sore. Almost all of the soreness is around where the port is now and the rest of my abodomin feels fine. I'm not having as much gas today, which also feels better. I do, however feel a little sickish. I haven't had the desire to eat or drink at all today. I know I need to get some fluids in so I'm going to work on that. Overall recovery is going well!

2nd Day Post-op

2012-05-17T09:21:00.001-05:00

Well, today is my second day after surgery! And I know each day is going to be a little better than the last one. Last night was a pretty rough night. I wasn't in pain, just really uncomfortable. I couldn't find a way to lay that felt right and every time I moved it hurt a little bit. So, I finally got up around midnight and took some of the nasty tasting Lortab Elixer that the doctor prescribed for me just so I could relax and fall asleep. I was finally able to go to sleep around 2:00. I think a lot of the discomfort has been gas pains because I am passing a little today and feel better. Not a lady-like thing to share, but it's the truth! Ha ha! Today I get to graduate from water and Popsicles to having the shakes again and some cream soups, yogurt, without fruit, and thicker liquids. And today is my birthday, so I'm going to try some ice cream tonight to celebrate! My daughters are going to get a Dairy Queen ice cream cake tonight and I'm just going to have a little of the plain ice cream off the top (no crumbles). My oldest daughter has been an amazing help to me! She has been cooking for the rest of the family and doing laundry. And both of my girls brought me beautiful cards this morning before I was even out of bed! I am so blessed! I have a lot of support from my family and friends who have kept tabs on me, too! Yes, I am a very blessed lady indeed!

Day After Surgery

2012-05-16T08:37:00.002-05:00

Well, I've made it to the other side! Surgery went well. Apparently I gave them a hard time waking up out of the anesthesia. I guess I told them I was leaving and kept trying to get up. Of course I don't remember any of that and my mom and daughters weren't in the room to witness it. LOL! I was in some pain right afterward, but the medicine they gave me worked quickly and I haven't had any real pain since then. I have a prescription for Lortab Elixir but have not needed to take any yet. I have to say my nurse, Julie was amazing! She was so kind and so helpful and even gave me a hug when I was getting in the car. When I got home I was incredibly nauseous, so I laid down and fell asleep for a couple of hours. My daughters were great, letting me sleep and offering to bring me drinks. I felt pretty good, just sore when I woke up and tried drinking some water and then had a little chicken broth. Apparently I drank too much (about 1 cup), because I actually got a little sick. So, today I'm just having sips of water and Popsicles. My orders are to get 80 oz. of fluid today, so I'm just going to have small amounts at a time. I am not hungry whatsoever today. Even the little bit of water I've had this morning has made me feel full. I know that will change over the next couple of weeks, but after being so hungry getting ready for surgery it feels strange to not want any food at all. I'm still a little sore mostly where the port is, but it just feels like I've done a lot of sit-ups or something. So, over all, I think this is a good after surgery morning ! My goal today is to get my liquids in - slowly - and move around as much as possible. So far, so good!

Surgery Day!

2012-05-15T08:57:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of the rest of my life! Kind of a trite quote, but with oh so much meaning for me today! Surgery day is finally here. I still can't quite believe it! I have to be at the surgery center at 11:30 in Champaign, IL. I am now a little nervous about the surgery. But, I have all of the confidence in the world in my surgeon, Dr. Sidney Rohrscheib. He is one of most experienced band surgeons in Illinois. He has done over 1200 gastric band surgeries and I have no doubt he will do an excellent job with mine.

Well, it's time to get ready to go, so I'm off to see the wizard! :)

Pre-op Day 15

2012-05-14T10:43:00.003-05:00

Last day before surgery! I am excited! I am not nervous about the surgery, just a little worried about how I will behave coming out of the anesthesia. I have never had surgery of any kind or been under general anesthesia before, and I've heard that some people act strangely and I'm hoping I won't be one of those people. Everyone says not to worry about it and that even if I do act foolish I won't remember it anyway. I just hope I don't start mouthing off to the nurses or cussing or anything like that. That would be embarrassing! But, even if I do, I'm sure I won't be the first or the last person they've seen act strangely. Anyway, last day of waiting!! Knowing that the majority of weight I lose from here on out will be permanent is still a bit surreal to me. There have been so many times I have lost weight and said to myself, "I will never let myself go over _____ pounds again", but obviously that never worked for me. Now it will, and I think it will take a little while for me to really grasp that. But I am so ready to get started!

Pre-op Day 14

2012-05-13T12:54:00.001-05:00

Happy Mother's Day! Today has started on good note. I weighed myself again (I see the obsessive weighing starting now that I have working scales). Today I weigh 5 pounds less than the scales said yesterday, which makes it a 10 pound total. That seems more reasonable! Maybe I have been retaining water since I am just starting with my monthly visitor. (Ladies who are reading this, I'm sure you know what that means!) So, I feel a lot less discouraged than I have the past 2 days. I just have today and tomorrow to get through and then I have my surgery. Tuesday will be here before I know it!

Pre-op Day 13

2012-05-12T22:11:00.001-05:00

Today has been pretty uneventful. Staying on my diet, but still really bummed about not losing very much weight. I just keep telling myself that the purpose of the diet is to shrink the liver and if what shrinks it is the low carb / calorie combination, then it should be shrinking like its supposed to. I guess I'll find out in a few days. Just have tomorrow and Monday to get through and then surgery day is finally here! Still can't believe this goal I have striven for for 7 years if finally about to be realized. :)

Shakes

2012-05-11T19:36:00.002-05:00

So far I have tried regular Slim Fast (which has too many carbs and not enough protein) in vanilla, strawberry, chocolate and cappuccino flavors, Adkins Advantage vanilla and strawberry, and Muscle Milk vanilla cream. The Adkins shakes are not my favorite at all. They don't taste all that great and leave a strange metallic after taste in my mouth. They also don't stay with me very long. I'm still hungry after drinking one of those shakes. The Slim Fast taste really good and fill me up, but they aren't the best shakes to have if you're trying to stay on a high protein / low carb diet. The Muscle Milk tastes great and is filling! I have only tried the vanilla cream so far, but it is by far my favorite. It also has the most protein with 20 grams per serving. I wish I would have tried those sooner. They are a little more expensive than the others, but worth it. They have 170 calories and 7 carbs. I also bought EAS high protein shakes (17 grams per serving) in strawberry and chocolate, but I haven't tried those yet. After drinking the first Muscle Milk, I wish I had bought nothing but those! :) If anyone else is reading this who might be preparing for surgery or is on a high protein / low carb diet, I highly recommend the Muscle Milk!

Pre-op Day 12

2012-05-11T19:26:00.001-05:00

Just a few more days and I will be having surgery. I have been feeling really good about how I have stayed on my diet so far. But, I went ahead and bought some new scales today and weighed when I got home. I was really, really disappointed with the number that popped up. I really haven't lost much at all so far. I am a little discouraged because I don't understand how being on this diet for 12 days hasn't produced some noticeable results! I know before starting this I was eating WAY more than 800 - 1000 calories per day and tons of carbs. I have not been exercising, but I honestly thought that just the reduction in food would have had more effect. Wow. I'm a little sad about this, but, I'm going to keep following the guidelines I was given and hope that at least my liver is shrinking some like its supposed to. Surely something good has to come out of these last several days! If I had just been dieting like this without the surgery being the first goal, I would be ready to just give up. But, surgery is the first goal and I want it to go as smoothly as possible.

Pre-op Day 11

2012-05-10T15:07:00.002-05:00

Today is the 11th day of the preoperative diet. I have almost made it through 11 days! 11! Wow! Yeah Me! Ha ha! I went off and forgot my shake that I typically have for lunch this morning. So, I'm just having coffee, water, and just one Diet Mountain Dew. I hope me liking this soda goes away because I can't have anything carbonated after the surgery for awhile. Normally this would not be a problem as I am not that big of a soda pop drinker anyway. Maybe it just feels like a treat right now. Anyway, even though I forgot the shake I'm still doing OK with hunger. My stomach isn't even growling today like it has during the afternoons recently. I'm sure I will be ready for a shake by the time I get home, though. And I foresee lots of Jello this evening after dinner. I'm planning on having a bowl of soup beans in place of the Lean Cuisine tonight. I'm still having trouble reaching my goal for protein intake and great northern beans have 209 calories and 15 grams of protein per cup, so I'm having a cup of beans tonight. Sounds so good! OK, I'm making myself hungry just thinking about it now.

Another day almost done and another day closer to surgery! I'm getting excited!