Surgery Tomorrw and Goals in Place

Revision surgery tomorrow. My fourteen year old daughter asked me today if I was looking forward to it. I raised my eyebrow at her and she said, "You know, at least you won't be in pain any more." She is right. :) Know that if you are in pain, something is not right.

I was inspired byMaria from Last Train out of Fatland who shared her goals. I'm trying to get myself pepped up before my surgery and thought a few goals would help keep my morale up. Kind of like a coach before the big game. :)

I'm just setting goals for six months out. I can't see further than that down the tunnel.

February - July 2012

Weight Goal July = 160 lbs.

That is aggressive, but only 12 lbs. less than I weighed before I became unplugged, so it is doable.

*Track my food daily using Calorie Counter

*Plan weekly meals and stick to daily plans.
*Eat out no more than 1x a week.

*Go to the gym 4x a week. Focus weights, bike, and swimming.

Steam room and jacuzzi are the reward. :)

*When weather gets better, take some bike rides on our local trail.

*When weather gets better, take my dog on a daily walk.

Back to finishing up odds and ends at work, so I can take it easy this week.

Happy sunshiney weekend!

One week until Revision

I feel like I'm being "edited" with my "revision" surgery. So my first 18 months has just been a rough draft. :) So what happened in September is that the tube became disconnected from my port and was just floating around in my abdomen. I didn't know that THIS was the case at the time; that is just when my lower abdominal pains began. I knew right away. I went to the OB/GYN three times, gastro dr (colonoscopy/barium swallow), neurologist...I told all of the drs. that I had lapband and none of them seemed to think there could be a correlation between the pain and the band.

September is also the month I slowly started gaining weight. All in all, I gained about 15 lbs. from September to January. I kept putting off my 18 mos. check up with my band dr. just because I was so focused on my abdominal pains and I was embarrassed by my weight gain. Hind sight is 20/20. It seems like such a "duh" moment looking back on it. I just hope if anyone else has similar concerns, no matter what their circumstances they make their band dr. their first stop. I would have saved a lot of money in unnecessary tests with the other drs.

I had my EKG and bloodwork done at the hospital lab on Sat. That is it before this surgery. No special diet, etc. beforehand. Just no food and drink after midnight the day before. My revision surgery is scheduled for a week from today. It will be good to be back on the bandwagon.

My questions for the dr:

1) Any idea why this might have happened?

2) What can we do so this doesn't happen again?

3) Approximately what percentage of patients does this happen to? I have not heard about this much. My googling on the Internet found a couple of people that had this happen. Both had revision surgery and all is fine.

From the dr. notes, it looks like I'm getting a new port and tube.

I feel more aware of what is happening before this surgery than I did initial surgery to get the band. It gives me more confidence in myself and the band...knowing what to expect.

I went to http://get.ziplist.com/ to get some menus for planning this week. I like it because it creates a shopping list when you click on a recipe you like. They had a good variety of recipes from http://www.skinnytaste.com/. It was nice because it gives calories, fat, etc.

I picked out:

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Baked Potato Soup
Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

Skinny Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

I figured I could eat a small portion of any of these dishes. They are all from Skinny Taste. :)

I'm sure next week will be a different story after the revision surgery.

Happy Monday everyone!

Surgery Date & BYOC

Going to have surgery on 2/20 to RECONNECT the tube, etc. I feel like I have been unplugged. :) I think I am getting new equipment. I will know more next week.

The biggest advice I can give is get to your dr. if you are gaining weight, don't be embarrassed. I could have figured all of this out back in the fall if I had not let my pride get in the way. All is well now that I know what the problem is and can get it fixed.

I'm committed to getting back to blogging regularly. That helped in the past to keep me mentally connected and focused on my goals.

This is the first time I have responded to a BYOC.

1. Name a Valentine gift you would NOT want to receive.

Definitely chocolate. My husband gives me a BIG box each year. Maybe I should have him start reading my blog. :) This year I asked for dinner and a movie. Want to see "This Means War" with Reese Witherspoon and "The Vow" with Rachel McAdams. Okay, I may have said no to chocolate, but I wouldn't be against a small bag of movie popcorn.

2. What's your vacation personality? Do you act/eat/talk/do things differently or completely opposite from when you are not on vacation?

I guess I would need to actually GO on a vacation to have a vacation personality. All of my trips seem to always be business related. I would want to veg/chill and not pay any attention to time and schedules. Read, do a little sightseeing, maybe even go ziplining, drink a glass of wine...

3. Describe yourself in 5 POSITIVE words.

Kind

Organized

Nurturing

Positive

Funny

4. Do you have any phobias or irrational fears or dislikes?

Heights, big spiders with fangs and snakes. There was a snake on the sidewalk downtown in our city. I refused to go on that side of the street. Ended up with 5 policemen tracking down the snake in a restaurant window. The 3 1/2 foot snake was tasered. We live in a small town...what can I say? :)

5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in blog land and in real life.

This is my coming back to blogland week. I have missed it. It had been over a year since I posted. People have gotten a LOT skinnier, had babies, etc. It was fun to read stories of fellow bloggers. Life goes on.

Real life is getting my revision surgery. I feel like a car with maintenance problems. I have been in pain the past five months and did not know why, so it is a BIG relief to solve that mystery. If I could have the surgery tomorrow I would. I am confident now I can get back on track after this surgery. Can't wait to exercise again and lose the 20 lbs. I gained since Sept.

Happy weekend everyone!

Janice

Tube Disconnected from Port

Wow...it has been over a year since I have posted. I realize how much of a help the support of the band community can be.

Anyways, long story short. I was banded in May 2010. All went well and I was losing weight, slowly and steadily. I only had a few fills that first year, because I wanted to be comfortable and not too tight. I left my teaching job in June this past year and changed jobs. My oldest daughter went off to college. I started gaining weight in the fall and chalked it up to "life-style" changes. Also, in September I started having abdominal pains/groin...all over the place. My ob/gyn did a pelvic ultrasound/blood work/urine tests...all good. Gastro dr. did colonoscopy/barium test...all ok. I thought I was going crazy. I kept mentioning other possibilities to the drs including asking if my lapband could have anything to do with it and we all thought, "nah, too far from that area...how could they be related." So tests, dollars spent and time later...

Finally, made it to my lapband dr. 18 month visit. I kept rescheduling it because of the other tests and plus I was embarrassed because I had gained weight. I told him that I thought it was about time I had a fill since I was gaining weight. When he went in to remove fluid, nothing came out which concerned him. Then he put fluid in and tried to pull that out and nothing came out.
He was concerned that I might have a leak in my band which would explain that I had no restriction and hence a weight gain.

I went to the hospital today and they were going to inject the die to see where there might be a leak. No need for the radiologist to do that. He could see on the XRay that my tube was disconnected from the port and hanging lose in my abdomen. That explained the pain in the abdomen that was moving around. Part of me feels relieved at least to understand where that pain was coming from and not feel like I was going crazy.

My dr. is supposed to call me back today or Monday and discuss the options.

I didn't know if anyone else has gone through this. At least I have an explanation for the weight gain and ab pain. Sometimes you learn as you go and I thought I was being as proactive as I could be.

Thanks for any input!!!

I promise to get back into the blog swing. I need it. Missed everyone!

Six months plus out

I have been down to 172.2 since this picture, but it still feels so great to be inching towards the 160's!!! Over 42 lbs. lost in six months! Not the fastest weight loss in history, but I'm losing. I really have not gained over that time, just had plateaus. I feel good that I have been pretty much able to eat anything I want, just small portions. The only food I have ever had a problem with is Chinese food. I don't know why, but anytime I have Chinese food I have sliming incidents. It has happened over a half dozen times, so it is not a fluke!

Six month update
42 lbs. lost
32+ inches lost
8" from hips (that does not seem possible)
5" waist
4" bust
4" thigh (my thighs are now 22")

It is interesting how my body proportions have changes with age and children. Most of my weight is in my upper body still. I wear a size 12 pant, but generally need a large for my tops.

I'm over half way to my weight goal. I hope to lose another 40 lbs. if possible. It is funny how very few people noticed when I lost the first 30 lbs, but when I reached 40+ I always seem to get comments. It is surreal to go shopping and try on smaller sizes. Sometimes I see myself in the mirror and I do a double take.


Here is a picture of my husband and I a few years before my surgery. Hard to miss that big old double chin! Argh! Notice how I tried to camouflage and distract with the scarf near my face. Hoping to pull the eye up and away from my body. :)

Picture of me today, six months after surgery! Life is good!

I got approval for my surgery right before Christmas last year. I remember how excited and nervous I felt. I didn't have surgery until the end of the school year and I have not regretted it for a moment!

Thank you to all of my band buddies for your love and support! It is fun to celebrate each other's successes!

I'm Still Here

I can't believe that it has almost been two months since I have last posted. My new job, while wonderful has kept me VERY BUSY with 12 - 16 hr. days...then I have the second job as well. Working on the balancing act. Plus I have the sr. in high school (college visits) and a 13 year old who is in traveling cheer. I should be skinny just from all of the running alone. I have been trying to peek in every few days and read a few blogs. Looked like the BOOBS event was a great time!!!

I'm now down to 175.8...almost at the 40 lb. lost mark. My dog in the picture weighs 33 lbs. It is hard to believe I have lost more than one dog. :) On Oct. 25 I will be at the five month mark for my surgery. It is coming off slowly, but all that matters is that it is coming off. :)
I now wear a size 12 in pants and a medium in tops. People regularly ask now if I have lost weight. It is kind of fun to hear their comments. :) I had to break down and buy some new pants because I could take them off without unbuttoning or unzipping them. I bought two pairs of skinny jeans. Who would have ever thought! Sometimes it seems surreal when I go to try on things or I do a double take in the mirror.

We joined a local health club at a wellness facility. It is more like a spa/resort. LOVE it! They did a health check when I joined and I'm not in too bad of shape. My cholesterol has come down about 25 points since I lost weight. I have a two hour round trip commute each day and have been using the time to do calisthenics in the car. (tummy squeezes and butt crunches). Who knows, I may even shoot for a tankini next summer! Maybe. :)

I do not feel like I'm on a diet at all. I eat anything I want, just not that often and in smaller portions. We had a cheer competition yesterday and I had nachos and cheese and popcorn later in the day. I did not feel guilty about it and stress like I would in the past that I was ruining my "diet." This is a much healthier relationship with food. Later in the evening we stopped at a family restaurant during our long drive home from the competition. I had roast beef, veggies and coconut cream and pumpkin pie (small bites). Such a better way to live when you are not thinking and obsessing about food all of the time.

I'm very thankful for Bogart the band and the positive changes he has brought into my life.

Promise to update, read and post more often. At least once a week, instead of once every two months. :) Good luck and congrats to all the new bandsters out there. It is a good journey!

Getting Close

My birthday is tomorrow and I was hoping to be in a new decade (weight wise:). My weight this morning was 181. I was hoping to be at 179.8 tomorrow. That would be a good present!

I got in the habit of weighing myself on Sundays and recording it during the Summer Melt Down challenge. I decided to continue and put it on a spreadsheet. It really helps to see that I'm making progress. I lose weight so slowly, that sometimes I know I lose sight of the BIG picture.

I've lost an average of 1.6 lbs a week. I have only had one week where I gained weight and that was .2 lbs. I can definitely see a pattern of loss right after that TOM. Generally it is a drop of 3 lbs for the week. At this rate it takes me about 6 - 7 weeks to lose 10 lbs. I'm very happy with that pace.

Yesterday was my husband's bday and I asked my 17 year old to take a quick picture of us together. She responded, "Oh my, is my mom actually asking to be in a picture????" :)

Also, I have posted a picture of my toes. I had outpatient surgery to remove ingrown toenails from both sides of my large toes two weeks ago. They cauterize the nerves in that part of the nail bed so that part of your nail will never grow back. I share this only to say that I think this little procedure has a longer and more painful recovery than lapband. :) The smiley faces on the toes were just because I was bored one day.

Another NSV...our school district had a team building game of Waffle ball (similar to baseball with a plastic bat and squishy ball). I actually played and even hit the ball each time I was up.
LIVING LIFE and not sitting on the sidelines, that is what lapband gives back to you.

Happy weekend everyone!