New Clothes

Well not rely new, but new from the depths of my closet. I had to retire two pairs of pants that are too big (insert happy dance here). They were already loose,and with the recent loss they were falling off loose. So I went diving into my closet to come up with replacements. I found two pairs of pants I haven't worn in a while an tried the on. Both fit great! So happy because a couple of months ago there was no way I was squeezing myself into those pants

Jut don't get me started on the messed up nature of women's clothing sizes. One pair is a 24 and the other is a 28. How can the both fit perfectly? Should the 28s be falling off is the 24s are the right size? So what size do I wear right now? So frustrating! I'm glad I'm just shopping in my closet and not out at a store.

Holy Scale Victory Batman!

Went to support group tonight, still loving it. Tonight there was a woman who is 2 years out from surgery. Shes done great, just wanted to make sure she stays on track during maintenance. Just a reminder that you always can use support no matter where you are at in your journey.

And now for the exciting news........

21 pounds down since surgery!

Can I get a whoo doggey?!?!?! I know this isn't sustainable, but I'll take it while I can get it.

Some NSVs

So it's been two weeks since I hopped on the bandwagon. This are going really well so far.

1. Went out to eat on Saturday with my husband and it worked out well We were going to a concert and had already planned on going out to dinner. It's a cafeteria style place, so it was easy to order what I wanted and not worry about waiters asking if everything was ok, or if I wanted something to drink. I got meatloaf and cut off my 2oz portion (guestimated) and put the rest in a to go container. Planned ahead and had a cooler in the car to keep the leftovers cool during the concert. So I've had meatloaf for dinner sat, sun, will have it today and there will still be some leftover.  I think 3 days is enough though.

2.  Tried on a pair of capris that were definitely too small before surgery (could barely get them zipped).  They were still a little tight in the waist, but I would wear them out of the house and not feel uncomfortable.

3.  I had taken off my wedding and engagement rings before surgery and hadn't put them back on yet.  I had to use lotion to get them off they were that tight.  Well, put them on this morning and could tell a difference, they're not falling off by any means, but they're looser.


I will confess it's not been all rainbows and kittens, it's gotten hard because I'm starting to feel hunger.  Not head hunger, but real hunger.  I ran to the store Friday and while I was there I was tempted by the baked goods and I gave into temptation and got a Boston Cream donut (my absolute fave!). I started eating it in the parking lot, teeny tiny little bites...I had about 6 of those (would have been less than 1 regular size bite) and guess what?  It didn't taste good, in fact it tasted bad, so I stopped.  Not sure why it tasted bad, if something was wrong with it.  I have noticed some things do taste different to me since the surgery, may that's it, or maybe my brain finally kicked in and said STOP EATING YOU IDIOT!!!

Overall Things are good, now that hunger has returned the hard part is really starting.  Will Power needs to be my best friend now.  How's everyone else doing with hunger?

Pictures

So I mentioned that I got my hair cut. Here's before:

And here's after:

So glad I did this before surgery.


Here are my before pics:

I organized my food/supplies so I wouldn't have to go into the other cabinets.

And lat but not least our puppies:

Millie, 11 year old GSP:

Missy: 3-4 year old Coon Hound (just got her this weekend):

ps can you tell I just figured out how to add pics?

Feeling Almost Normal

Tomorrow will be a week since surgery and I'm felling pretty good. Able to get in the fluids and protein required. I'll post about my surgery and hospital stay soon. I'm really glad I was able to stay over night. Since tomorrow is a holiday I don't have to go back to work until Tues, and even then I'm working from home :)

First couple of days I had to force myself to "eat" and drink. Now my appetite is starting to come back. I'm actually getting hungry sometimes. My diet is three 2oz "meals" (full liquids) plus protein shakes for supplementation. I'm supposed to get 75gm protein in each day, and 64-80oz fluids. So in between my "meals" I'm basically drinking shakes/water/isopure drinks. I can also have as much SF jello, broth and SF popsicles I want. Of course, can only eat/drink a couple of oz any one time, hence the continuous drinking.

Tues I can start in with real foods, and I can't wait. Will start with more mushy things tuna/chicken salad, eggs. I will still be restricted on some things, but there are a lot of options.

Burping and farting are my friends.

Never thought I'd be saying that,but its sooo true. Insition pain is ok, but its the gas pains that are the worst. I've been walking in my house'taking gas x and using a hearing pad. Thats helping but I just cant wait until it's gone. So I've been celebration every burp and fart. :)

How much were you able to get down the first couple of days after surgery? I'm drinking constantly but I'm can only get tiny sips in. I'm doing better today but still not getting as much as they wanted. So how was it for you
?

I'm a member of the band!

Surgery went well. Stayed overnight because I wanted to. Didn't get much sleep but I felt better having the nurses around. Home now pains not too bad. Will write more when I'm more withit.

Thanks for all the good thoughts

Tomorrow's the big band day!

Can't believe it's so close. I think I'm as prepared as I can be. Nerves are really starting to kick in. Just hope I can get some sleep tonight. Have to be at the hospital at 6 am and surgery at 8.

Will take some before pics tonight. Probably wont get them posted for awhile. Will post my hair cut pics as well, got 12 inches cut off. I weighed it and it was almost half a pound. Let the weight loss begin!

Ten Things Thursday

1.  Surgery is scheduled for Monday, and I'm starting to freak out.  It's getting really real, and I'm nervous, scared, excited. 

2.  Had my nutrition and pre-op nurse class today.  Got my post op diet, not as restrictive as I thought.  As I knew, no real pre-op diet, except light meals the day before (I'm planning on doing liquids for the day).  Post op is full liquids for the first week, then slowly move into "real" food.

3.  Getting a massage saturday morning and I can't wait.  I hold my stress in my shoulders and they are sooo tight right now.

4.  Getting my hair chopped off saturday afternoon.  I'll post pics after, but it should be about 11-12 inched that are taken off.

5.  Final weigh in before surgery was 326.1.  UGH, can't believe i weigh that much,  but it will be the last time I ever weigh that much.

6.  Class was supposed to be a full day, but since there was only 2 of us we were able to finish by 1pm. Instead of going into work I went shopping, did a little work around the house and am playing on the computer.

7.  We have found our newest member of the family.  I posted before about having to put down our boxer Emma.  Well originally we were going to get another boxer, but we someho ended up with a Coon Hound.  Her name is Mississippi, and she's about 3-4 years old.  She's a rescue so we don't know too much about her.  She's a sweety, and can't wait until she's with us.  I wanted to wait until after surgery to bring her home.

8.  We currently have an 11-12 year old German Shorthaired Pointer, and it was hard finding another dog she got along with.  She's a little neurotic.

9.  I still have so much I wanted to get done before surgery, not sure how much I'll actually get done.  One of the big projects is to go through my closests and arrange clothes by size.  I have everything from 26/28 down to 16/18.  Won't have to buy new clothes for a while...  won't have to but probably will.

10.  I want to thank everything who is following me and is helping me as I start my journey into bandland.  It means so much to have others who understand what I'm going through.

One Week to go!!

This time next week, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will be a member of the BAND. Can't believe it's this close, also can't believe I have to wait another week.  I'm so not going to be productive this week. I've got my class on Thursday, so right now I'm just focusing on making it until then. Then Saturday I'm getting my hair chopped off, should have about 12 inches to donate.  Can't wait for that either, so that's what I'll focus on after the class.  Short term goals are good for me. :)


Finished up strong with goals for last week:


Thursday:  AdvantEDGE® Carb Control Chocolate blended with banana and no soda.  The shake had a good chocolate flavor.


Friday:  Oh Yeah! Chocolate shake, blended with a banana and PB2. PB2 is basically dried peanut butter, it has a lot less fat and calories than regular peanut butter, and it tastes the same.  One caffeinated soda.


Took the weekend off from shakes, and had 2 caffeinated sodas. So overall not great, but not bad.  Today I gave into temptation and had a yummy apple strudel for breakfast (yeah I know not a great choice, but not beating myself up about it).  So shake for lunch:


Premier Protein Shake, Vanilla blended with some strawberries and raspberries...so yummy! Just got these from Costo this weekend (there's a coupon this week for $5 off a case, bought 2 cases, so glad I like them.)

Inside of two weeks

I've read a lot about peoples pre-op diet.  My doctor doesn't require any special diet, except the day before surgery.  I'm glad I don't have anything I HAVE to do, but I want to use these two weeks to ease myself into the new lifestyle.  Mind you I have already adopted some bandster rules : chew everything a lot, eat slowly, drink lots of water, don't drink with meals.

That being from what I've seen I'll be on liquids for almost a month post-op (clear for a week, then full).  I'm not certain though, I have my class to learn all that next week.  So my goal for this week is to replace breakfast with a protein shake, and to reduce soda.  I've already cut the soda down a lot, caffeinated is 1 per day (down from 3-4) and non-caffeinated is 1 (down from 2-3).

It's Wednesday to how am I doing...

Monday was hard, 8 am meeting at work, didn't plan for making the shake, so had usual breakfast of a muffin (probably the last one for a very long time).  and 2 sodas for the day, 1 caffeinated and 1 non.

Tues:  Unjury vanila protein powder with fresh strawberries blended with milk and NO soda :).  Not sure I liked the unjury it has an after taste to me.  I can do it, jut not my favorite.

Wed: AdvantEDGE® Carb Control Strawberry ready to drink shake blended with a banana.  I did pick up a Diet Pepsi, but that will be my only soda today (I promise).  I really liked the shake, didn't have any after taste to me.

small victory against negative thoughts

Today was busy at work and had to spend quality time chained to my desk. Needless to say I didn't get a lot of walking in most of the day. As I was leaving for the daylight I took a long walk around the buildings,but still I was only around 7,000. I told myself it was ok,cause I could take my dog for a walk when I got home. Problem was by the time I got home...

My head hurt,my foot hurt,I was tired, it was too hot out...so my plan was changing to curl up on the couch...

BUT...I changed my clothes,put on my sneakers, grabbed the Millie dog any headed out before I could change my mind...

It wasn't pretty, i was sweating up a storm i'm sure my face was bright read but i added almost 3,000 steps. Whoohoo!

So the moral of the story is don't let that negative Nellie that lives in your head to win.

Got My Date!!!

Got the call today from the surgeons office and I am officially on the schedule for May 21st at 8am.  I am so happy!! (and nervous). I had actually gotten a call from them yesterday that I missed. Of course when I called back I got their voicemail, so I had to wait for them to call again.  I didn't let the phone leave my sight all day today, just to make sure I didn't miss it again.

So, in just a little under three weeks I will officially be hopping on the Bandwagon.  I've got to start making my lists...I'm a big list person, got that from my mom.  I make lists of my lists and even add things to the list after I've done them just to be able to cross them off ;)

Seriously, I need to officially make my list of items to have on hand prior to surgery.  I've been gathering some things along the way, just so I don't have to get everything all at once.  Here's what I have so far:

•      Assortment of powdered proteins (I've been sampling to see which I like best, now I just need to buy  more)
•      Assortment of pre-made protein shakes
•      Gas X
•      Milk of Magnesia
•      Heating pad
•      small plates and bowls
•      small forks and spoons
•      chewable vitamins (although I don't really like them, I'll use us the bottle before I switch brands)
•      blender bottle
•      magic bullet (i've had this for years)  anyone know where I can get extra cups?
•      small dixie cups for sipping fluids the first couple of days

I have an all day nutrition class on the 17th, so I'll do a major shopping trip that weekend before surgery.  Anyone have suggestions about things that were/ are helpful for you?

blechy saturday

I wrote recently about getting to 10,000 steps every day... well yesterday was not one of those days. It was a rainy Saturday and I only got 4,292 steps in...BLECH!

So today I vowed to do better. So I got up early (for me on a weekend) and took my dog Millie for a nice long walk. Total steps for the walk...5,290. Not a bad start to the day.

Now only 4,710 more to go today.

Ten Things Thursday...yes I know it's Friday, see #1.

1. I’m a procrastinator…hence TTT on Friday.
2. I had my (hopefully) last appointment prior to surgery yesterday.  All pre-op testing was ok, except for low Vitamin D levels.
3. Still don’t have a surgery date.  I was told yesterday the office would call me in the next week or so to give me the date. They weren’t able to tell me if it would be in May or not.
4. I’m impatient… if you’ve been ready along you will already know this.
5. I had the second anniversary of my 38^th birthday in March. 
6. My hubby and I just celebrated our 7^th wedding anniversary this month.  However we celebrated the 13^th anniversary of our first date in February of this year.
7. We went to Ireland for our honeymoon, and I want to go back soon.  It’s such a beautiful country.
8. Coming up with 10 things is hard for me.
9. I’m currently obsessed with the Decorah Bald Eagles.  It’s amazing to see how much the eaglets change from day to day.
10. I’m involved in dog rescue, and will be helping with a transport of two dogs going from Missouri to New Hampshire. I’m only doing 1 leg of a multi-leg, and multi day journey.  It’s amazing what a group of volunteers can do when they put their minds to something.

The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step...

So one of the things I started even before making the final decision to get banded was to count my steps and try to get the recommended 10,000 steps a day.  When I started about 5 months ago I was only walking about 3,000.  I upped that slowly and when I went to my first consult in March I was doing about 6,000.  At that point I made the decision to try to increase again.  Now I'm trying to actually get to 10,000.  Most days I get close, sometimes even go over, weekends are actually harder than work days.

Today I calculated how much I've walked in the last month and a half. Amazingly it was...wait for it... 141 miles!!!  Can you believe it?  I didn't, I had to do the calculations a couple of times before I was sure it was right.

When I went to my first support group I had lost about 6 pounds since my initial consultation.  I can't wait to see what the scale says says when I go back next week. Every little bit helps. and the more I can take off before surgery the better.

Pre-Op testing done...now more waiting

So I went in for all my pre-op testing this morning.  Bright and early, had to be there at 7.  On the drive in all I could think about was soon I would be driving there one morning for my surgery and I was so nervous/excited.

So here's the list of everything I had today:

• Vital signs
• 10 tubes of blood drawn 
• chest x-rays
• Upper GI (aka barium swallow)
• EKG
• Pulmonary function tests
• met with the nurse to review my med history

Nothing too horrible,  except the barium.  BLECH!  Taste wasn't so bad, but the consistency was horrible.  Felt like I was drinking chalk mixed with liquid paste.  I also felt like I was on an amusement ride. They have you stand upright on the machine   First they give you what looks and feels like pop-rocks, and drink that down with a tiny bit of water.( I read about this on another blog, so I was prepared)   Then the thick barium, a big glass full.  The they tip back the table while you are on it until you are lying flat.  The you have to roll over a couple of times to get the barium to get coated on your stomach. OF course the pop rocks release gas and makes you want to belch, but you aren't supposed to, they want to keep all that gas in the stomach for the pics.

The they start taking the pictures, on your back, on your side, half way between back and side.  Then had to drink the thin barium, luckily just to large sips.  More pics and then it was done.  YIPPEE.  I asked the tech how many people vomit during all that moving and she just laughed.

I have an appointment with the hospitalist (MD) next week.  They'll have reviewed all the test and Ill find out if there's any reason why I can't have the surgery.  If everything is ok, then I'll get put on the surgery schedule.  The nurse today said it could be up to 2 weeks until I hear back from the office to schedule.  She thinks my dr is still scheduling in May, but isn't sure.  She said one of the other drs in the practice is already booked into June!

PLEASE, PLEASE don't be that far away!!!!!!

Frustration

Have I mentioned that I am impatient? I hate waiting. Once I make a decision I want to get going. I'm the type of person who doesn't cut her hair for years then one day just decides it's time and helds to the nearest salon and takes whoever is available(not the smartest idea, trust me...)

Yes, I have my pre-op testing scheduled, so why am I frustrated? I don't have a surgery date...argh. They won't schedule surgery until after all the testing is done, and I have a physical exam. The exam is schedule for the 26th, so I won't get a date until after that. As part of the process I also have to go to an all day nutrition class, I just called the center and they won't schedule that until I have a surgery date. I asked how long is it usually is between when people take the class and there surgery and she said 2-3 weeks... double argh.

So I won't even know the date of surgery until May, and then it may not be till the end of may or june. How can I have pre-op testing in April and surgery a month or more later? If you are reading along can you tell me how long was it between your pre-op testing and surgery?

I know it really isn't that long to wait, but have I mentioned I'm impatient?  I just want a date.  Ok pity party over for today.

Updates

On the band front things are going well. I have pre-op testing on 4/18 and a pre-surgery physical on 4/26. Still don't have a surgery date yet, but I'm planning for May. I still haven't told my boss yet, need to do that soon. I'm sure she'll be fine with me taking time off. My company has great time off policies. What I would like to do it take 1 week off and then work 1 week from home.

I also went to my first lap band support group. It was great! There were two other people there (plus the dietitian). One guy was banded in January and has lost 40 pounds and one woman was banded in Feb and has lost 30 pounds. It was great to hear their stories, the good the bad and the ugly. One of the reasons I chose the center I did was all of the support groups they have. I found out they even have an exercise group and a water aerobics group, just for bariatric patients. I want to work out, but going to the gym is hard for me at this size.

On a not so great note, we had to put down our 14 year old boxer Emma. She's been sick for awhile and it was time. She was the best dog, and I'm devastated that she is gone.

This is Emma a few weeks ago enjoying her frozen custard.

Pre-op testing scheduled

I love these two week waits that turn into less than a week! The scheduler called today and my pre-op testing will be April 18th. They wont give me a surgery date until after the doctor reviews all the results. She did say there's a chance the Dr will review that day. Fingers crossed that everything goes ok with the testing.