Protein Drink...Blah, Blah, Blah

I'm getting so bored with liquids...I'm counting the days until Puree stage (June 10th). Anything with a little more substance sounds delish! I don't need to see pix for food porn, just the word conjures up delight. I saw the word "tomato" in a blog the other day and was in a frenzy. I imagine eating a quarter of a tuna salad sandwich, with light mayo, tomato and lettuce. I don't ask for much...just food with a little substance. I know this phase will pass, but still I had to be honest and say I'm hungry. :)

My bills for the hospital and dr. arrived.

Hospital was $18,738. The most expensive part was the implant $7,000. My recovery room (which I think is a generous description of a curtain covering a space was $1900); a lot more expensive than the Ritz.

Dr.'s bill seemed pretty reasonable at $7290 and that included preop visit and 2nd dr. assist.

All in all, still less expensive than my knee surgery ten years ago.

Overall, feeling great...just a tad grouchy due to hunger. I told my husband that he needs to drink liquids with me tomorrow to empathize. I know, I'm a mean wife right now and I have no shame. :)

Happy weekend everyone!

One Week Post Check Up

I got this pillow when I was "skinny" and thought I was fat/fluffy. It made me feel good about myself. Silly me for not appreciating when I was healthy...still a cute pillow!

One week post op check with dr. today. He checked my incisions and said they look great. I'm now permitted to take my weekly bath. He was pleased with my weight loss (which was 14 lbs. from his office). I like his scale much better. In general, he said the next 5 wks. weight loss is up to me, since there is no fill in the band. My personal goal is to lose 10 lbs. in 5 wks (my next visit) and then I will be that much further ahead in the game. My dr. told me so. :) He commented on the port site, how it is still expected to have some swelling, but looks fine. If I was going to have any problems with the initial placement, etc. of the band it would have shown up the first week, so I should be in good shape.

I met with one of the two nurses; they both are such sweeties and one has had gastric bypass and the other a lapband. She checked my blood pressure, temp, incisions and also gave me info on the "Realize My Success" website.

Finally, I met with one of the two dietitians to discuss how my "liquid lifestyle" is progressing and to talk about the next stage. We have hotline numbers to our dietitians. Then I booked my appt for 5 wks and was on the road in about 45 min.

It was also good to see fellow lapbanders who I attended pre-0p class with, that had surgery the same day I did.

My weight loss seems to have stopped the last two days. Maybe my body is holding onto everything it has. :) I'm not too worried, I figure it will slow down and kick back in eventually.
What I miss eating more than anything is MEAT! I'm a true carnivore! My youngest daughter is a vegetarian, and I have no idea how she does it.

If you are a follower and I'm not following you, please send me your blog link in a post and I will add you the my list. I have a crazy few days (I committed to a end of the school year party for 20 teenagers, 1/2 of which are going to spend the night. What was I thinking, I need to be committed right?! :) I have a curriculum meeting at school tomorrow and then house cleaning for weekend party. Should have some time Sat and Sun. to catch up on blogging.

Happy Hump Day everyone!

ONEderland

Okay, I know the pedicure could stand a touch up, but the scale number looks good! I've lost 12 lbs. in three weeks. I lost about 6 lbs. during the 10 day pre-op diet, and since surgery on Tues., I have lost about a pound a day. I know that this won't go on forever, but it is still nice to be under the 200 mark. Not going back there ever again!

Now I'm just a few pounds away from my husband and we are having a bet to see how long it will take before I weigh less than him. :)

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

True Confessions

I chewed, but I did not swallow; kind of like, Bill Clinton saying he did not inhale. :) My husband grilled chicken tonight and I thought what would be the harm of chewing, not swallowing and spitting out the remains. I had about 8 chewed (not swallowed bites). It was the most DELICIOUS chewing I have ever experienced. :) Am I the only one that has ever done that? :)

So far feeling good...still lots of r&r, but getting about an hour walking in total each day. The local library had a book sale $5 for a bag, so I stocked up on lots of junk romantic reading that is keeping me highly entertained. We have been renting a movie a night and having a few rounds of family games. The 17 year old is great at whomping our butts at penny poker.

Example diet so far:
1/2 cup Cream of Wheat (lot of skim milk and 2 tbsp nonfat milk added)

1/2 cup SF Carnation breakfast (1 tbsp nonfat milk added)
1/2 cup yogurt

1/2 cup creamed, strained soup (I add sprinkles of shredded Mozzarella cheese and let it melt in...this is over the top delish) - Soup 2 x a day

1/3 cup of SF pudding with skim milk added and 1 tbsp non fat milk)

Then about 32 - 40 oz of water. My tummy can't hold more than that yet.

I did have a summer school teaching position that was supposed to start June 7 (10 teachers) and they called on Friday and said they finalized enrollments and they were down and therefore were cutting 2 positions. Since I was the lowest one on the totem pole (we just moved to the area last year), I was one of the first cuts. They said I would be on standby in case there were surprise enrollments the first day. I was disappointed at first, less spending money with kids this summer, but we will make do and have more time to chill.

Now that I'm an official bandster, I need to look into attending the BOOBS event in September if it is not too late. I just live about an hour north of Chicago, so it would be easy to attend. Who do I need to contact and what do I need to do for now? It will be fun to meet everyone in person!

Hope everyone is having a safe and happy weekend with family and friends!

Happy Anniversary

5 incisions 2 days post op (one at belly band hard to see)

Pix: Wedding 21 years ago

Pix: 2 Days post op

Today is my 21st wedding anniversary. We are not celebrating by going out to dinner, but we had dinner at home instead. I fixed my husband and oldest daughter steak, the youngest is a vegetarian and had soy nuggets and I had a few sips of tomato soup. Next year we will have dinner out. :) Husband and I are going to see "Sex and the City." He is a trooper, because I know this is not his kind of movie, but he knows it is good to get me out of the house.

Day 2 after Surgery: Did not take any pain meds today and seem just fine. Finally, bit the bullet and took a shower. They had put bandaids over my incisions because (just in case) I did not want to get blood on my shirt. :) I was kind of scared to see what they looked like, but they were not too bad. Even my daughters weren't squeamish and they were the ones that took the pix.

Still am not that hungry, but I did eat more than yesterday. I'm now down eight pounds since my pre-surgery diet.

Did not sleep as well thru the night as I would have liked last night, so I'm going to try some liquid Unisom tonight. Just kept waking up every couple of hours to go to the bathroom. Again, bad bladder. Hopefully, that will get better with weight loss.

I have had more energy today which makes me feel good. Knock on wood, still no gas pains. Hope it stays that way.

Also, I had a bit of good news today that I got a new full time teaching position in the fall at a new school that is opening. We just moved to the area last year and I had to start all over in the teaching field. This is not a good time with all of the budget cuts to be getting into a new position, so I feel very happy to have landed this one. I worked part time as a reading tutor last year to get my foot in the door. Yes, life is good. Now I can afford cheerleading, car for teenager and college. All of the "c" words for teenagers.

Happy almost weekend everyone!

It's Offical - I'm Banded

This is not the best pic of me, but it shows evidence that I made it to the hospital. First thing to go with the weight loss is my UNINECK (neck and chin in one). Not an attractive angle for a photo, especially with no makeup.

My surgery was scheduled for 7 am yesterday, and I was waking up in recovery about 9 amish. I was able to leave for home about 3 pm. All went smoothly and everyone was very nice. I received an injection in my belly to prevent blood clotting. They put the massaging socks on my legs to prevent clotting, as well as the pads that inflate like a blood pressure cuff. The nurse Bari (truly, that was her name) did an excellent job on my IV. She numbed it first and I did not feel a thing. My dr. said my liver looked fine and he gave me several pix of my stomach, liver and band (Bogart :).

Knock on wood, I have not had any gas pains. My stomach feels sore, like I have done 1,000 push-ups and my incisions are a bit sore. They gave me a prescription for liquid Lortabs for pain. I wouldn't say I have a lot of pain, but more discomfort. I slept on my back great last night. Only had to get up for my bad bladder as usual. Woke up about 5 am with a little energy and read the paper.

I drove this morning to take a car to the shop. Think it was a bit soon for driving, because it did not feel good to turn sideways, etc., and I didn't want to drive and take pain medication. Afterwards my dh and I went grocery shopping. Figured that got in one of my walking times for the day. I pushed an empty cart and he pushed the grocery cart. Great bonding time. DH took two days off work, goes back tomorrow and then he has a four day weekend. He has been great waiting on me hand and foot.

Food wise, I'm not eating a lot, taking it slow. So far today, about 10 oz. of water, 3-4 oz protein shake and a few spoonfuls of strained soup. I figure it will take a few days to get my appetite back.

The dr. put a Realize band in. I have five incisions that are glued shut. I will share pix later. Just not feeling like taking a shower yet today. They said we could shower and just blot the incisions.

I have little bursts of energy (I read, get on computer, watch a little TV-American Idol, DWTS and Glee) and then I nap for a couple of hours and that seems to work for now. Bending over is not pleasant, so I avoid that. A couple of times I have felt nauseous, and I had a belch/burp and felt much better.

You do not lose weight after surgery; I gained about 3-4 lbs. I figure that will be gone before long with my mini meals.

That is it for the update. Time for my next nap and when I wake up I will do some blog reading to catch up. :) Thanks again to everyone for your support!!!

Band Day - Taking the Plunge

Great horoscope today..."You have people in your corner who love you no matter what. This is the stuff happy lives are made of. You'll be supported in the new adventure ahead of you." Nothing like a horoscope to make you feel better.

Thank you again to everyone for your reassurances! Blog land is really the best!

I lost 5 pounds during my 10 day liquid diet. Off to a good start! I was so nervous yesterday, I didn't even think about eating. :)

See everyone on the other side of bandland!