2 Months Post-Op

Well, it has been two months since I had the surgery and 3 1/2 weeks since my first band fill.  So far so good!  I have lost 42 pounds as of this morning.  Woo Hoo! I have passed one of the mini milestones I have set for myself by getting below a certain weight that I have not been below in over 10 years and it feels great! I am starting to feel better and can really tell a difference in my knees.  They don't ache as much and I can get up and down easier and go up and down steps MUCH easier. 42 pounds gone (hopefully) forever!  Yeah!!

Vacation - Rode a Roller Coaster!

Just came back from a 5 day family vacation.  It was a lot of fun, but HOT.  The high temperatures ranged from 105 - 109 the entire trip.  Whew!  We all had a really good time, though in spite of the heat.  I have found that after having my band tightened a little it is very difficult to eat most things.  So, I didn't overeat by any stretch of the imagination and walked what felt like 1000 miles - all good for the diet.  We went to Six Flags and I was able to ride a roller coaster for the first time in years!  I was so excited when that bar latched in front of me!  It has been so many years since I even attempted to ride amusement park rides.  I had forgotten what they felt like.  So, that was fabulous.  We also took in a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game and for the first time in years didn't have any trouble fitting into the seats.  It's amazing how such small things become so big when you haven't been able to do them for awhile. :)

First Fill

I have finally had my first fill!  Yeah!!  I went to the doctor yesterday.  I have lost 11 pounds since having the surgery, and 31 all together.  The 11 pounds has been hard!  But the nurse was very happy with my progress.  She said she wasn't surprised that it has been hard because the band had not had any fill in it and that it has all been me so far, not the band.  She put in 3cc's of saline to tighten the band a little and I can really tell the difference!  My band holds a total of 10cc's and she said most people don't need it filled to more than 6 or 7.  So, I guess it's almost half as tight as it will eventually be.  We shall see how the next month goes!  I go back for another fill in 3 to 4 weeks.

Gastric Banding - How it works

I didn't realize until talking with a friend recently how little I've explained just what the Lap Band is or how it works.  So, I thought I would share a little about that. 

I have a silicone band that is placed around the upper part of my stomach which creates a very small stomach pouch.  The band restricts how fast food can flow into my stomach.  It kind of works like a funnel.  When I eat, the food goes into the pouch first, and then moves past the band into the rest of my stomach and digestive system.  Inside the band there is tubing that can be inflated.  The tubing is attached to a port under my skin that can be accessed with a needle.  Over the next year I will be going for an office visit to have saline solution added through the port to gradually tighten or "fill" the band and make the opening smaller, thereby slowing down how quickly the small stomach pouch empties.  There are 2 types or brands of bands used in the United States.  The Lap Band and the Realize Band.  I chose the Lap Band because it has been around the longest and I know people who have had success with it.

Here is a link that tells more about the Lap Band:  The LAP-BAND® Device & How It Works

So, right now the band has been attached to my upper stomach.  It has not been tightened yet, so it's just there and is giving some restriction, but not a whole lot yet.  I go for my first "fill" to have it tightened for the first time on June 25th.  I'm anxious to see how much difference it makes!

4 Weeks Post Op

The last week has gone a little better.  I have lost a total of 29 pounds since the very beginning of this journey.  Woo Hoo!  I think walking (almost) every day is helping a whole lot.  I have found myself thinking that I can just eat whatever I want and then getting some kinds of meat or bread "stuck".  It's pretty painful when that happens and you only have the options of waiting for it to go through the band or throw it back up.  Most of the time it goes through and luckily I have not been sick very many times.  When I have something that doesn't go through I stretch and/or walk around until it goes on past the band.  For the most part, though everything is going down pretty easy.  Too easy, I think.  My first band fill is on June 25th.  I can't wait to see what difference that makes!

3 Weeks Post-op

This has been a frustrating week.  I am able to eat just about anything I want to now.  I don't really feel any restriction at all.  I am still tracking my food intake and have started walking on my lunch breaks at work.  I am really anxious to have the first fill, because right now I am hungry a lot and just feel like I am on another diet.  I know the band is not some magical cure-all, but it is supposed to help and right now I don't feel like it's even there. May calorie range has been between 950 and 1200, I'm trying to keep the carbs below 100 and trying to get 60 grams or more of protien a day.  It has not been easy.  The scales are not moving, either.  I haven't lost anything this week.  I was told that from weeks 4 - 6 I would see progress stall, but I didn't expect to see it at week 3.  I am bummed, but still plugging along!

2 Weeks Post-op

The last week has gone OK.  Physically, I feel like I am completely back to normal.  I have no pain or discomfort whatsoever and my incisions are doing nicely and are just about healed.  I am able to eat increasingly more  at a time and do feel hungry between meals now.  I wasn't expecting to feel this way for a couple more weeks out.  I don't feel a whole lot of restriction; however, I still cannot eat much meat.  I lost 3 pounds last week, which is 23 overall, but the weight loss is not as rapid as I had anticipated.  I am tracking my food intake on a website called Spark People so that I can monitor the amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat I am taking in.  I have used this website before when dieting, and it really is useful to see exactly what you are eating.  For me it helps to see it in writing, all broken down throughout the day.  I am still drinking some protein shakes and trying to eat a high protein - low carb diet.  It's not that easy when the protein options are a little limited right now and mashed potatoes go down really easy.  I had way too much cheese last week and ended up needing laxatives this weekend.  So, I'm focusing more on having tuna, eggs, and cottage cheese for my protein and laying off the cheese now.  And I know that exercise is going to be the key to losing more weight as well as watching what I eat.  Today I start walking! Even if it's just a short distance at first. :)