Happy Thanksgiving

This Morning I got up early and went to the track to walk. Walked over 3 miles. I'm wondering what emotion will appear today as I watch everyone eat Thanksgiving Dinner. I'm hoping I can just be happy being with my family and good friends. Take Care All And Have A Great Thanksgiving Day!

Post Op Appointment

Hi All, My Post Op went real good. I had lost almost 12 pounds. I was very pleased with that. They made me an appointment for a fill on December 15. The Doctor said I will 5 in my fill.... not sure what that means. I'm feeling really good lately. My Doctor says it's due to me walking so much. The Gas pains in my shoulder are subsiding and I'm Very Happy about that. Last night I was making sweet potato pies from sweet potatoes we grew in our garden. I wanted SOOOOOO bad to just taste the pie filling but I didn't. It smelled so good I know it will taste good.

I want to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your families and the time you have with them.

Post Op Appointment Tomorrow

I have my post op appointment tomorrow. I'm still having pains in my shoulder. I'll be glad when they are gone. I have been walking for an hour a day since I got out of the hospital. Maybe I can make that an everyday thing. Today I attended my brother in law's birthday party. They had a 12 layer cake. It looked sooooooo good. I was very strong, I just smelled it. Also went to the movies with my son today and he got nachos. I have had Movie nachos before and I know they are gross. I sat there listening to my son munch on those nachos and I wanted one so bad! Then he had to go to the bathroom and I had to hold them. I wanted to cry. I just kept thinking "these are GROSS, U don't want one" and sure enough it passed. The movie was great, the party was fun and I didn't have to eat anything. WooHoo, A Milestone.... I'm proud of myself. I don't think I have ever not cheated on a diet for this long. The next HUGE mountain to climb will be Thanksgiving. Keep me in your prayers.

Day 2 At Home

Slept good again. Woke up once in a little pain so I took some more pain medication and went right back to sleep. Felt pretty good again this morning so I went for another hour long walk. At first seemed a little short of breath but after a while it passed. I have started having the gas pain in my shoulder. It Hurts! I thought it would be gone by now. Its been 3 days. Nothing seems to help. I thought the walking would take care of it. It got so bad today I took the pain medication and used an ice pack. Didn't really help that much. I have also started to have (sorry) diarrhea. It's ruthless and sneaky. My husband has gone to the store to get me some liquid Imodium. Not really sure I can take it. Also I got on the scales this morning and I hadn't lost any weight. I'm still the same weight I was at surgery. That was a little depressing :( I'm sure it's fluids.... I hope it's fluids. If anyone else are having the same problems I would greatly appreciate some advice. Have a good night, Band-It Girl

Oh I almost forgot. Hiccups are very painful!

Hi All.... I was banded yesterday.... WooHoo... I had no problems. The day I was suppose to go home I developed a fever. It wasn't high but was a concern nurse for the. Late yesterday she called the Dr. and he said it was ok for me to go home as long as my temperature didn't go over 100. It's still in the 90's so I'm guessing I'm ok. While I was in the hospital I was very antsy. I told the nurse I wanted to get up as soon as possible. At about 4:00 they finally let me get up and walk. I felt soooooo much better after I walked. So I decided to walk every chance I got. After the surgery I had a pain pump with Diloted (spelling). I used it a few times but really didn't need it. After I got home I just relaxed and chilled out. When I went to bed I couldn't get comfortable. I wanted to and usually do, sleep on my left side but that wasn't happening. I guess sometime durning the night I woke my husband up moaning and groaning. He woke me up and I was in some pain so I took the pain medication. Slept pretty good after that. When I woke up I was very stiff and had some pain. Some of it was at the port sight and I think some of it was gas. I decides to go for a walk in the neighborhood. I asked a neighbor if she wanted to go too. We were walking and I lost track of time. We ended up walking for 1 hour and and 10 minutes. I felt pretty good but the pain was coming back so I took some pain medication. Now It's time for a nap :)

Banded Tomorrow!

Well, tomorrow's the day! This time tomorrow I will be banded! My bag is packed, my legs are shaved, I think I'm ready. Again, the liquid diet hasn't been too bad. If the rest of this journey is like this, I think I have got it made. I'm sure there will be some ups and downs but I feel like I'm mentally prepared. Wish me luck. I'll try to post tomorrow night.

Liquid Diet Day 3

Planned Food In The Refrigerator!

Liquid Diet going great! Lost 7.5 pounds!!!! I really haven't been hungry. I have been planning my liquid diet the night before and putting everything together in the refrigerator and only drinking that. I feel like it makes me accountable. Also, I'm keeping a diary of everything I eat and I don't want to screw up because I'll see it every time I look at it. I could just not write it down if I cheated but I'm not like that. 2 more days until surgery! I'm ready and being successful on the liquid diet has been made me even more sure that this is the right thing to do.

Day 1 Liquid Diet

Started the liquid diet today. Hasn't been too bad. Have a head ache but not too hungry. 4 More Days Left!

7 Days Til I'm Banded!

This is a Picture of the toilet in the Bariatric Wing of the hospital! How cool is that? Tomorrow I have my pre op appointment with my Doctor. I'm very excited. Things I'm going to ask him: When can I go back to work? Can he give me something to keep me from throwing up after surgery? (usually puke for a couple of days after surgery) Can I have a pain pump because I can't take pain pills? I'll check back in tomorrow..... Nite Nite

Lap Band Teaching Class

This is me, saving lives at work... Ok, so it's a Sea Gull, but it was hurt.

Yesterday I had my Lap Band Teaching class. It was interesting. We walked on the Bariatractic Floor and saw the big beds, huge toilets, (my favorite), the walking hall way. The teacher said on the day of your surgery they want you walking at least 15 laps and on the day after the surgery 25 laps. She said the record was 127 laps.... So I have to beat that. 25 laps is a mile. We talked about the pre op diet which I start on Saturday. This is it: Apple, Grape, Cranberry Juices, Clear Broth, decaf coffee and tea, Gatorade, Crystal Light. Only one protein shake a day. The reason for all this is to shrink your liver. She said protein makes your liver swell up so for 4 days it can shrink. Then we talked about the surgery and the fills afterward. I don't think it's really going to be that bad. There was a nice lady there also getting a band and she is very sacred of nettles so she is Very Afraid to get the fills. Things like that don't scare me. I want to take a video of it to share with my friends.

Also, found out I can't have nothing to eat and drink for 24 hours after surgery. She said the next day after surgery I will have an upper GI to check for leaks. If no leaks I can start on my 2 weeks of clear liquids. Doesn't sound too bad. One thing she told me is to go buy some Chap Stick 100% Natural and bring it with me. Since nothing to drink your lips will get dried out.

Tomorrow I have Pre Admission appointment and the Pre Op with my Doctor. Should be fun. I'll keep you posted. Take Care All My Friends! Lap Ban-It Girl :)

Self Pay

As I have said before, I'm a self pay patient. I borrowed the money from my retirement (which I already have). The Doctor's office is working with me so I can use my Carnival Cruise Credit card which has turned out to be a Big PAIN in the butt. My Limit is about $5000 so I have to charge a little bit at a time and then pay it. The problem is the credit card company is holding the transaction for like 5 days. I have to be paid in full by the 10th but with them holding the transaction for 5 day and declining the next transaction doesn't look like I'm going to get the 17K points. Boo! My husband and I are still planning to go on a cruise on the 28th of January. That should be after my second fill, so I think it will be ok. I have to learn to control myself. Good Luck to all my new friends who are getting Banded this month. :)

Yesterday at the hospital, while waiting for Stick Man's surgery to be completed, I was a bit antsy so I thought I would walk around a bit. I stumbled on the Bariatric Surgery hallway. They had this billboard up showing employees that have been successful with weight loss surgery. I thought it was kind cool. I looked in the rooms and everything in there were bigger. The beds, toilets, shower and even the doorways. The bed even had a scale in it. I thought it was the neatest thing. Finally, someone accommodates overweight people! Later that afternoon I walked down there again and a few of the weight loss surgery patients were walking the hallway. I watched one lady and every time she made a lap she would stop at the nurses station and place a mark on the dry erase board. I'm thinking they keep up with how many laps you make. Well I decided to leave because I didn't want anyone to call security because I was acting like a stalker. I'm very excited to be a patient there and mark my mark on the dry erase board. 19 more days!!!

Hanging out at the Hospital today.

Stick Man is having surgery today on his shoulder. I will be spending the day with my Mother In Law who I found out that Stick Man told her of my surgery. Let's see if she mentions it. She is a very nice lady and I don't think she would say anything to hurt my feelings (she would wait and say it behind my back). Hopefully she won't tell anyone else. It's my business and if I want to tell it I will. I think after I start to lose weight I will probably tell everyone I know. It's hard for me to keep a secret. I didn't tell my son, ADHD Boy (13 years old) because I don't want him to tell his Dad, my ex. My son tells me he calls me fat to him which is hurtful, not to me but for my son. I don't care what he thinks about me. I'm sure he would have some nasty things to say about my surgery and my son doesn't need to hear that kind of stuff. Take Care My Friends, Band-It Girl.

To Tell Or Not To Tell

Had a nice dinner with the in-laws today. I decided not to tell them I'm having Lap Band Surgery. I didn't want to have to explain things to them. At this time I'm not going to tell many people. I have told some close friends at work because I may need their help when I go back to work, but for now not telling anyone else.

Getting closer!

Things are rocking on. I have my Lap Band Teaching class on Nov. 9th and my pre admission and appointment with my Doctor on the 10th. Still stressing about the pre operative diet. I also remember the Doctor saying something about some kind of bowel cleansing the night before the surgery. I've heard horror stories about these kinds of things. I've heard of people having to sit on the toilet for hours. Yuck... not going to be fun. 24 More Days!

Pre Operative Diet

I've been thinking lately, and worrying, about the pre operative diet. My pre operative diet consist of Apple, Grape, Cranberry Juices.... Clear broth.... Tea, Coffee, Sugar Free Jello, and one protein shake a day. To me this doesn't seem like much. I worrying that I'm going to be hungry and cheat. I only have to be on it four days before my surgery. I'm going to try to come up with things to divert my attention during these four days. The first two days I'll be working. That will be the hardest time. The last two I will be off. I'm planning on cleaning the house real good and maybe even painting the video game room. Anyway, wish me luck. if anyone has any ideas on how to keep me busy and not thinking about food, please send them my way.

EDG

Ok, Last week I went to get a EDG, which I don't even know what that stands for. I now know it is a procedure where you are put kind of asleep and the Doctor puts a camera down your throat into your stomach to see if you have any hernias or anything that would keep you from being a candidate for Lab Band Surgery. I had to be at the hospital at 10 am and the procedure was to be at 11 am. I couldn't have anything to eat or drink after midnight. The night before I went to bed about 11 pm and was awaken about 2 am with a cough. I never have a cough... I felt like all I needed was just a sip of water. It lasted for about and hour and I went back to sleep. Looking back it was probably in my head because I haven't had anymore middle of the night coughs. My sister, Roonie, took me to the hospital for the procedure. I signed in at the front desk and the receptionist asked me if I would like some coffee or something. DUH, I can't have any..... They took me back a short time later, put in a IV and left me laying there for a hour waiting. When it was my turn a very sweet, grandmother looking nurse came in with a little cup and instructed me to take the liquid that was in the cup and gargle with it for a minuet and a half and then swallow it. I thought it wouldn't be a very big deal until I turned the cup up and what was in it plopped in my mouth. It was disgusting! It felt like Vaseline in my mouth and I had no idea how to gargle with what was in my mouth. I was trying very hard to gargle with this stuff but it wasn't happening. My mouth started to water and I was about to puke when the water in my mouth mixed with the stuff in my mouth and became more liquified. While all this was happening the sweet little nurse left. I thought she was suppose to be the time keeper. I continued to gargle and my throat and mouth started to go numb which made it even harder to gargle. About 3 minutes later that sweet little nurse came back and said " Oh are you still gargling, swallow now". It was so gross! Then I was wheeled into a room where the Doctor and a couple of other nurses. I told the Doctor I was nervous and was afraid I was going to gag during the procedure. He smiled and that's the last thing I remember until I was driving home in the car. I'm guessing everything was ok because I'm still on the schedule for surgery for Nov.18..... WooHoo

Hi Lap Band-It Girl Here

I'm so excited to start a blog. This is a first for me. I'm a 44 year old "Girl" and I'm having "Lap-Band Surgery" on Nov. 18. I can't wait! I'm 5'2, 218lbs (BMI 39.9). My Dr. says I should weigh 110lbs (Yeah Right, My Bones Weigh More Than That). If I weighed 110lbs my BMI would be 20.1. Ok, Whatever.... My goal is 125 to 130 lbs. I think I'm going to set short term goals for myself in the beginning. The first one being to be under 200lbs by Christmas. I CAN DO IT!

I decided to have Lap-Band Surgery about 2 Months ago and was disappointed to find out that my insurance doesn't cover the cost of the surgery. I was upset for about a minute then started looking for ways to come up with 17K to pay for the surgery. I discovered I could borrow against my retirement at 4.5% interest. I called Nationwide Retirement Solutions and they were way to eager to lend me MY money. (haha) Any Who! I got that all squared away before I told my husband (we will call him Stick Man). I approached Stick Man with my plan and he didn't match my enthusiasm, which I didn't expect him to, as he doesn't have a weight problem and doesn't understand why people just can't stop eating. Anyway, told Stick Man that I was thinking of having the surgery and he said "I think you should give the gym a try (like I haven't already done that a million times). I explained to Stick Man that I wasn't asking for his permission, I was advising him of my plans. In the long run he has come around. He love me and wants me to be happy. Stick Man is the best husband in the world. Love Him, Love Him.

A little more about me. I have two children 22 year old daughter and 13 year old son. I live in sunny Florida and have been a Police Officer for 15 years. I have alway had a weight problem. Here are some of the excuses I have used over the years: My Mother always made me clean my plate, I came from a broken home, My Father was an alcoholic, I was home alone a lot as a child and not supervised, My first job was at KFC, My first husband was killed when I was 25 years old, My Wonderful Mother died a short time after that, I married a DEVIL (Stayed Married To The DEVIL for 10 Years), Became a Police Officer, had another baby, Hurricane Destroyed my Home, Got DIVORCED (YEAH), Married Stick Man (Having a great life), Back in Court with the DEVIL over Child Custody Issues, Have Had To Deal With Many Many Cuttings, Stabbing, Beatings, Drownings, Murders, Car Crashes, Suicides (hanging, cut wrists, over dose, driving over cliffs, shot gun to the head and chest, drinking self to death), Domestic Violence's, Child Abuse, Dope Dealers, Sexual Abuse Of Children, Violent Sexual Batteries, and writing countless tickets to speeders who tell me "Don't you have REAL crime to go fight! All in all, I Love my job, my family, and my life..... Except I'm tired of being FAT!

Hopefully I'll have some subscribers on this journey. If not, I know I can count on my best friend and sister to read my blogs and post something supportive ( Love U Roonie, that's my sister). Other than Stick Man, and Roonie, I'm sure I will refer to my daughter, Drama Trauma Queen, and my son, ADHD Boy in my blogs as they are all sources of much comedy.

In my next post I will chat a little about what I have been doing to prepare for my big day! 34 days and counting!