Lots of Updates

Hi guys! I have been gone a long time, but I was really waiting on answers to share with you.

I have not been felling well. It turns out my Gallbladder needs to come out it has been making my band tight. I am scheduled for surgery on 3/29/13 with a General Surgeon that also places Lap Bands. I have had so many medical test since last year to try an determine what was causing the pain under my rib cage my right side, what was making my hair fall out (low Iron levels), and what was causing me to be Anemic.

I have had an Ultrasound on my Gallbladder that showed nothing.
A CT with contrast on my stomach that showed nothing.
A Pipida scan that shows my Gallbladder is function at 87% which is not normal, but hyperactive.
I had an upper and lower scope, that showed my Lap Band is not eroding and I have no ulcers.
I had a small bowel x-ray that also showed nothing.

On the Gallbladder front I have no stones and I have no sludge. It hurts all of the time and it does not matter what I eat or drink. Sometimes the pain is worst when I am hungry. I met the General Surgeon the other day and he said that Lap Band corrosion or slippage can act similar to Gallbladder pain. However, we have ruled out my Lap Band, so he wants to take out my Gallbladder.

Turns out there is a high number of Bariactric Patients that need to have their Gallbladders removed within 18 months of their Bariactric surgery. 

My Lap Band Surgeon will not adjust me until after my Gallbladder is removed. So maybe in a few months I can have a fill.

I am Anemic but the doctors cannot figure out why. I have no ulcers and I have no obvious internal blood loss. So Now I am taking 325mg of Iron 3x a day and my hair stopped falling out.

I am holding at the same weight and I have 6.25ccs in my 10cc band and I'm down a total of 35lbs from 272 at the start of my pre-opt diet on 5/10/12.  I am almost a year post-opt and I really thought that I would be 75lbs down by now, but I did not expect to have this Gallbladder issues, so hopefully the organ being removed will relive my symptoms.

Hi kids!

I hit the Lap Band trifecta.... I may have mentioned that I work in Flood Insurance, so you might be able to imagine that my work has been BUSY!!!! The hurricane has put a small cramp in my FEMA project, so work has been stressing me out, it's that time of the month, and something irritated my stomach all of this equals stomach burning. I really thought that one of the supplements I have been taken just irritated my stomach, no big deal. So I took some Maloxx, still some burning the next day, and Tuesday I finally call my surgeons office, but they were closed, so I paged the the on call person and awesome NP Karen called me back. I told her about my burning sensation and she said it sounded like I was too tight, I told her that I haven't been getting stuck. She got me into the office first thing Wednesday (yesterday).

Lets recap, on 9/7/12 I had .4 cc removed from my band. A month later I went in for a fill and was told no, because I wasn't feeling well. On Wednesday, Karen had me do a barium swallow and stand in front of the x-ray machine, then she said "take another drink, hmmm." As I swallowed the barium you could see it going down and then stop way above my band. Weird, and then I took a 3rd drink..... So, it's not that my band was to tight, but that my stomach was irritated and that was causing the hang up. Karen still removed .5cc from my band due to the inflammation in my stomach. Good news is, I'm still down even after having fluid removed and my stomach stopped burning. I'm taking a round of Prilosec.

Such a Long Time Since I Blogged!!

Lets start off with the numbers. I have 6.75ccs in my 10cc band and I'm down a total of 35lbs from 272 at the start of my pre-opt diet on 5/10/12. 

I went to my surgeons office on 9/4/12 to get another fill, but I felt horrible that day and the NP Karen said no.... I'm really close to being in the Green Zone and when I was over filled she took out .4ccs, so I think I need .15-.2ccs to be there. Anyway she sent me for blood work to check my vitamin levels, thyroid levels, etc and everything came back as normal. I'm going to get a copy of my results and see if I'm on the low side. She thought I was going to be vitamin D deficient, so I upped my supplement intake on my own from 400iu to 2000iu and some of the symptoms I have been dealing with have subsided like my hands hurting, however my hair is still shedding, brain fog, etc.... I did read an article about Hypothyroidism II and the difficulty in diagnosing thyroid issues.

So on the weight loss front, yeah I'm losing weight!! Boooooo (says my brain... YEAHHHHHH says my tummy) Culver's Pumpkin Pecan Concrete is back and so yummy.

Talk Like a Pirate Day!!!

Lets start off with the numbers. I have 6.75ccs in my 10cc band and I'm down a total of 31.5lbs since my pre-opt diet at 272 on 5/10/12.

Ok, so I had a .4cc unfill on 9/4/12. When I went for my unfil, I was up 2lbs, so now I'm down 3.5lbs.

For national Talk Like a Pirate Day, if you dressed like a pirate you got a free dozen glaze doughnuts from Krispy Kreme. So this morning we dress my 18 month old up as a pirate and collected the bounty plus 3 additional free doughnuts.

Here is what I learned today. Doughnuts in the morning (ya know, when your tighter than normal) is not a good idea. I did not get stuck but there was the ever so awesome slimming...... and since we were on the road to the babysitters, I decided to spit out of the window (I wasn't driving) which landed on the back sit window (yuck) at least I was nice enough to not spit in my husbands cup. 

It has been a rough few weeks. On the food front it could have been worse. I'm down, so that's awesome! I'm working out more. By the way, I didn't go through with my 2 mile walk. After the lose of my friend and some other things, I just wanted to stay home and clean. I'm looking at 5ks coming up in the area.

Unfill and Bad News

On Monday I was stuck and I knew I was too tight, but I was able to get into the surgeons office on Tuesday and get .4cc removed, so I have 6.75cc in my 10cc band. Funny thing, I was 2 lbs up even though I had been too tight to really eat for a few days. I also found out that when your too tight, when the needle is put into the port the saline that needs to be removed just comes out on it's own.


On Wednesday, my best friend's husband passed away unexpectedly. He was only 37 and had been battling weight problems and some of the health issues that go with being over weight for a long time. He had surgery to convert from the Lap Band to Gastric Bypass last April and was down 140lbs. His Sleep Apnea was gone and things were looking up.  At this point the cause of death is unknown and the full Autopsy will not be back for a few weeks.

I feel horrible for my friend and I just keep thinking that 32 is too young to be a widow. How would I handle it if this happened to me. I'm certain of one thing, we need to get a Will set up with a guardian named for out child. It's just scary to think about.

Vote for Paxton - A Shameless Plug

I entered my son in the Gerber Generation Photo Search contest on Facebook. We would apperciate all the votes we can get! See how cute he is.....

To Vote you have to have a Facebook page. Go to www.facebook.com/gerber (the "Website"), click on the Photo Search thumbnail, "Like" the page to become a Fan (if you are not already a Fan), allow the "Photo Search 2012" application when prompted to "Get App." You should be able to click on the "Vote Now" link at the top. At the bottom you will see the Find Your Favorite Face Seacrh Window, under the Baby info you can enter Paxton's ID 61343 to easliy find him and vote.

 Voting ends on 9/24/12.

Please let me know if your child has an entry or if there are any issues with the instructions.

TOO TIGHT!!

I was suppose to have another fill last week, but I called and told them I didn't need a fill and scheduled a just in case appointment for 9/19. Since I didn't get a fill, you'd think I would be OK, but I'm not. I'm pretty sure that I was close too or in the "green zone" before this week, but now I'm too tight. What happened? I'm not sure, but I have been on liquid antibiotics for an infection, so maybe that's is the culprit.

I have noticed that my band just keep getting tighter and today I got stuck for the first time eating protein in a restaurant.  I actually had to make myself throw up to relieve the pressure. Yep that sucked.  I'm going to call the surgeons office tomorrow and see if I can get a slight unfill ASAP, until then I'm going to have to be careful.

3 Months After Surgery

I'm a little late..... Lets start off with some numbers.

I started pre-opt diet at 272 on 5/10/12 and I'm now 242 as of 8/24/12, that's a 30 lb loss. 
I have had 3 fills and my 10cc band currently has 7.15CC in it. I go back in 1.5 weeks to see if I need an adjustment.

92 lbs to goal!

I went on a walk and pushed my son in a stroller to the park. The park near my home isn't very far maybe 4 blocks, but there is a gigantic hill to climb to get to the play area. I'm proud to say I made that hill my bitch!!!

Just a Quickie

OK, so my walking work out is not really working out. My knee hurts and my foot hurts... On the same leg and my rib is out again. Baha. I'm falling apart.

 Also, I think I need a fill. I'm not suppose to go back for 2 more weeks, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not in the green zone yet. My weight is holding steady, no gain at least.

I haven't been sleeping well for about a month. I tried ZZZZZQuil and it really helps, plus they have a liquid version. No big pills!

I'm not really whining, but it has been a stressful few days. I'm really stressing over going back to school. I was all set to go and then there was a snafu with my financial aid. It's really a small snafu, but it's thrown me into a tail spin. I think I need to withdrawal from school and just hold off for awhile.

Week 3 Training

Week 3-

Monday 8/13/12 - 20 Minute Walk.
Wednesday 8/15/12 - 25 Minute Walk
Friday 8/17/12 - 20 Minute Walk
Saturday 8/18/12 -1 Mile Walk

This weeks Cubicle Challenge is take the long way to the bathroom.

TTT

1. I just received my Celebrate Supplement order. I ordered a sample pack and a box Coromega Orange Omega3.

2. I tried the Coromega Orange Omega3 first. It's a gel in a squeeze tub. It's not too bad. There is no fishy taste or fishy burps and you don't have to swallow crazy big pills. Each packet is 20 calories, 2000 mg fish oil, 650 mg long chain omega3 fatty acids, EPA 350 mg, and DHA 230 mg. The orange is kind of Tang flavored.

3. I also tried a Chocolate Creamy Bite. The Creamy Bite contains 500mg of calcium and 400 IU of D3. This Creamy Bite was tasty, it was moist, and it taste like a creamy chocolate truffle. No after taste.

4. I haven't been sleeping very well for the last 3 weeks. I think 1 of the 3 allergy meds I take is the issue, but I cannot figure out which one.... Or I need my CPAP adjusted. I've lost 26 lbs so you would think I would be having less Sleep Apena issues. I'm trying out Melatonin to see if it helps.

5. I'm really tired.

6. I'm soooooo glad tomorrow is Friday.

7. We are going bowling after work tomorrow. It's a work group activity.

8. My child has been pushing my short limits today. He has figured out how to get on top of the side table next to the couch, so he climbs on top of the table, does a little dance (like a look at me mommy I'm on the table dance), and then dive bombs me. Then repeat.

9. What is with the price of gas?????

10. Our refinance went through, yeah!

3rd Fill

I started pre opt diet at 272 on5/10/12 and I'm now 246.5 on 8/6/12, that's a 25.5 lb loss. 
I have had 3 fills and my 10cc band currently has 7.15CC in it. I go back in 4 weeks to see if I need an adjustment.

96.5lbs to goal!

I still have to remind myself to eat small bites and chew chew chew before swallowing. I have to make sure that I get my protein in with some veggies. So I eat a few bites protein and then a bite of veggies (and repeat). I still need a balanced diet. You cannot just eat meat (you can, but you shouldn't). 

I have been losing hair (not big clumps, just more strands).... I know it's to be expected with WLS. I'm already taking prenatal vitamins (no I'm not prego,  I'm a woman of childbearing age and they have more of what I need) so I stopped at the Vitamin Shoppe and picked up some Biotin Dots (there tiny chew able pills) these for $5.99 for a 30 day supply. So we'll see if that helps.

In other news, I'm going back to school to earn a Master's in Training and Performance Improvement. It's all online and it starts on 9/10/12. I'm also working on starting a business with my hubby. I'm going to be busy.

Week Two Training.

Week 2-

Monday 8/6/12 - 15 Minute Walk (feel free to squeeze this walk in today).
Wednesday 8/8/12 - 20 Minute Walk
Friday 8/10/12 - 15 Minute Walk
Saturday 8/11/12 -.5 Mile Walk

This weeks Cubicle Challenge is taking the stairs.

Let the Training Began and Your Invited to Join!!

My friend N and I are training for a 2 mile walk. I know I told you it was a 5K, it turns out the 5K is a runners only 5K, no walkers allowed. They do have a walking part that is 2 miles. Our walk is on 9/15/12.

I came up with this training schedule for those of us that get winded walking to the car or up a flight of stairs. We started yesterday, but you can start now.  I'm going to give you one week at a time, posted on Sunday and through out the week I'm going to give you Cubicle Challenges.

A Cubicle Challenge (we work in an office) is an additional activity to do for the week (Mon-Sun), it could be getting your water in, taking the long route to the bathroom, etc.

We are staring out slow. You can walk where ever you like and at a speed that is comfortable for you. I don't want you to be so sore that you don't continue with the training.

Week 1-

Monday 7/30/12 - 10 Minute Walk (feel free to squeeze this walk in today).
Wednesday 8/1/12 - 15 Minute Walk
Friday 8/3/12 - 10 Minute Walk
Saturday 8/4/12 -18 Minute Walk

This weeks Cubicle Challenge is to drink your water. Try to get at least 80oz a day. **If your doctor wants you to drink less, follow their instructions.

Let me know if your following along and feel free to check in with me during the week.

2 Month Bandiversary

My 2 Month Bandiversary was yesterday. 

• I started pre opt diet at 272 and I'm now 248, that's a 24 lb loss. 
• I have had 2 fills and my 10cc band currently has 6.75CC in it. I go for another fill next week.
• I'm wearing shirts/pants that I wore 2 years ago.
• I didn't take any "before" photos, but I did upload a few after baby, but before surgery. The front facing one is from 2011 and the back facing one is form 2012.
• I need to buy smaller underwear and bras. 
• I haven't had any stuck of PBs yest (not that I want too) and I think the issues with my chest burning, may be me eating too fast. So I'm slowing it down and not having any more issues.
• I'm making a training schedule for my first 5K. Everyone says I should look at the Couch to 5K method, and I did and it's not going to work for me and my friend. We need to start off slower... So I'm making my Couch Potato to 5K version.
• I'm going to revamp my blog over the next month. I'm going to include more product reviews and a few guest posts. I'm thinking that I change the layout too.

WTF Wednesday - Is This What Too Tight Feels Like????

I had my fill on Monday, so I was on liquids Monday and liquids/mushies yesterday. Last night I had some pain in my chest where my band is (kind of under my rib cage on the left) after I took 1 small pill (it was a Benadryl), it didn't feel stuck, but my band wasn't happy lot of burning sensations and I needed a heating pad too help with the pain. Today I've been trying to eat soft foods and my chest hurts with the food going down. Does this mean I'm too tight or that I need to eat smaller bites? WTF?

SO far this week has felt like a whole week of Mondays. I'm on the 3rd Monday in a row WTF?

WTF? -This week I had the 1st comment that pissed me off. I'm an adult and I do not need a blog mom. I feel that I censor my comments and stories enough before I post. I do not need another adult to tell me that I should not be posting something. I'm not telling stories with peoples names and I'm not saying anything that I haven't' said to my girlfriends not in the blog world.  I'm not even using my real name on my blog, I'm smart enough to realize that my blog is not completely anonymous and that is fine by me. I'm here for support and that includes support for things that I need to get off of my chest and ranting releases stress, and that helps with stress eating.
So I added this disclaimer-


The thoughts, opinions, and stories shared on this site are my own, you may not like them and you may not find them useful. I’m probably going to upset someone at some point with what I choose to blog about. You have the option to not follow me or read my blog if you are offended or dislike what you are reading, just like I may choose to delete comments that I find rude or inappropriate.

On a happier note, I have decided to do a 5K. I plan on walking the first in September and then running the second in October. I'm thinking that my first motivation reward to myself will be going to Orlando and participating in the Disney Princess Half Marathon which is 13 miles and you have to be able to pace a 16 min or better mile to participate!!!!!!! It's in February. I cannot even imagine walking a 5K at this moment, so this is kind of a scary for me to plan on running 13 miles!! WTF am I thinking and did you see that I'm calling it a reward. Yep, I'm kind of crazy. I have to follow through with the training for the 5K before I register for the Half Marathon.

Fill Number 2

I got my 2nd fill this morning. Karen the NP at my surgeons office added 1.5cc to the 5.25cc in my band for a total of 6.75cc in my 10cc band. I'm feeling the restriction today and I'm on liquids for today and maybe tomorrow and then 1 day of mushies.

Here is me getting my fill today, notice the purple/pink sparkly shoes. I posted this pic on Facebook today with a comments about getting my lap band adjusted and got mixed reviews and comments. Someone commented "I hopped they fix it." The person that left that comment has had gastric bypass and lap band (not in that order), no wonder the band didn't work for her, she did understand how it worked.

We had my son's 1 year old photos taken. I'm going to leave you with a few photos from the photo shoot.

Ten Things Thursday- Late

1. It rained today in KC! It's been awhile.
2. My husband and I are refinancing our home and cutting the interest in half!! It's exciting to me (this is how you know you have crossed over into adulthood, I'm not sure I would have been excited about something like this when I was 21).
3. I came across Bariatric Foodie Blog the other day and then I found this great post Bariatric Foodie Fitting It All In Jen the blogger of this post had RNY, so Bandsters like myself are probably not taking the same amount of vitamins that she is, but we are all trying to get the right amount of water and protein in everyday. I like how she walks through her day and tells you how she is meeting her goals. I also learned that I should count my protein shake as breakfast. There are also a lot of fun recipes on Bariatric Foodie, so check them out!
4. I got my first spammer comment the other day.... and then I deleted the comment.
5. Julie at The Dandy Bandy was banded yesterday, so stop by and say hi to her if you haven't already done so.
6. I'm sooooo full right now. I need to go back to eating my turkey rollups with cheese at lunch.
7. I'm getting my 2nd fill on Monday. Yeah!!
8. I really need to find some motivation to work out. I find motivation to do lots of stuff like putting on sunscreen to avoid wrinkles and using eye cream everyday to hold off the crows feet. I'm also using firming lotion everyday to help stuff go back into place (I need all the help I can get!) and I'm so freaked out by how my Mom's hands look (she has the hands of an 70 year old and shes a lot younger), that I bought this awesome Avon hand cream that helps refresh how your hands look over night..... and it's helping. So why can I not find the motivation to move my body??? Maybe if I thought the girls were falling I'd at east do some push ups.
9. Rant Time -I have a brother that is 29 and I cannot understand how we are related. He has been  mooching off of my parents for years. He lives with my parents, he cannot hold a job, he has 2 kids that live with his wife (the cannot afford to get divorced, she is just like him), he doesn't pay child support, he ruined his car (well it's my Dad's car, cause he actually bought it) he ran the car out of oil, he keeps losing his driver's license because of a stupid seat belt ticket (a $10 ticket) that he didn't pay, and he keeps dragging is girlfriend's animals home to my parents house (don't get me started on the GF, she is also just like my brother). The GF's female dog got pregnant, the kicker is that my brother and his GF say that the did this on purpose. Yesterday, when my husband and I went to pick up our child, my brother brought down one of the 3 week old puppies (I'm not sure why the puppies and mom are at my parent, they have been at the GF apartment) to show me (the one that my brother wants to keep) and I'm like, you have no money, why did you need to keep a dog that you cannot take care of? And why the hell did your GF not get the dog fixed (better question is why does she have the dog in the first place? She cannot take care of her own kids and they live with other people, but I digress)? The dog is a mutt, so it's not like they breed her and could sell the puppies (I'm not really cool with that either). Anyway my brother hears that I'm not ok with this situation and storms out and my mom goes "just leave him alone."  Really? That attitude is exactly the reason that he is the way he is, because he can get away with it. All of his friends are exactly the same way.
10. In other news, I got the first check with my raise on it and my husbands insurance..... Yep adding the hubbs to my insurance eats up almost all of my raise, I got a whopping  $1.13 more than the last check.

New Scale Victory

So I had a fill on July 2nd. I didn't know this but my band had 3cc in it already. After my fill, I now have 5.25cc. I had a day of liquids and then a day of mushies. It was weird to finally feel some tightness, I noticed it when I was eating some applesauce. It wasn't uncomfortable or anything, but it was moving slowly through my band. Fast forward a few days and I'm noticing that I'm not getting hungry as soon after meals and that I'm full.

The fill itself was strange. My weekly allergy shots hurt worse then getting the fill and I wasn't numbed up or anything. The Nurse Practitioner Karen found my port by touch, removed all of the saline that was in my band to figure out how much I already had, she put it back in, and then added more. I was lying down on a table the whole time with a need sticking out of my stomach. I did bleed a little and I did end up with a bruise over my port.

OK so now on to the scale. So I weighed in yesterday at 250.5. That means I'm down 22.5lbs. YEAH ME!!

First Fill!!

The scale seemed to be stuck for a few weeks, but I can now report that I'm down another 1.5lbs. I have lost 19.5 lbs since 5/10/12, when I started my Pre-Op diet. I'm going to have to look for another swim suit, mine is a little big and bad things happen when big suits get wet!!

Anyway, I'm going to get my first fill today at 3pm. I'm seeing the nurse practitioner and not the surgeon. I do have some silly questions to ask her.... Like where is my port? I guess that will be easy to answer, because she has to find it to fill it. How big many CC is my band? This weird twinge I feel on my left side sometimes, is that my band??