7.75 ccs is the magical number for me!!
Can we all just have a 3 minute dance party for a second? I've been waiting for this since June 20th!
I went in today for a possible adjustment and weigh in. I was down 3.8 pounds since October 31st! After talking with the PA we decided that we shouldn't do a fill today because if it put me in the red zone, she would have to take out what she put in and a little extra to make up for swelling. So it's better to be safe than sorry. I'm a little disappointed but only because I've never not gotten a fill when I had the chance! But I know it's for the best and we set the next appointment for November 25th, so not far at all.
On another note, my working out is only happening about twice a week because I got a second job where I now work 40 hours a week but I still have my afternoon job where I work 24 hours a week, so I don't have much time for working out, let alone grocery shopping or laundry. I'm only keeping my afternoon job until January and then I'll only do the job that works me full time. It's less pay but better, dependable hours.
So, here is my quick update about me. Hope you all have a great Veteran's Day!
Monday, November 11, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Get yourself back up and dust yourself off
Okay, here it is...
As you can tell from my last few posts, I've been feeling discouraged and annoyed from not hitting my green zone yet. I have pretty much been told by everyone in my doctor's office that I am an anomaly. As of my last fill, I have 7.25ccs in my 10cc band. MOST average people hit the green zone between 5-7ccs. I apparently need more than that. I am fine with that and will go get a fill every week if that's what I need to do to hit this dang green zone. I am just SO very grateful for the PA who took me aside and told me I have the right mentality and am working hard to get there, so it WILL happen.
That being said, I am still not in the green zone. I'm hoping that my fill coming up on the 17th will put me there, but I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't. It seems to be very elusive. I may even call and see if I can move up my appointment to the 10th...
As far as weight loss goes, I had been steady loosing until my last appointment on the 26th of September where I was up .2 pounds. They didn't give me a hard time for it but I beat myself up for it pretty well. Even though, I wasn't in the green zone, I was always at least down and this was the first time since starting my pre op diet of being up in weight. Although, it sucked to hear I was up, it made me look at what exactly I have been eating. I ate about 80% healthy but every now and then that 20% of unhealthy food would come around and I found myself eating it. And my exercise was MAJORLY lacking. I had quit my last gym membership because I was paying almost $60 a month and there are so many cheap gyms near me that I thought it was silly to pay such a high price. But for about three weeks I didn't have a gym and it was still 90 degrees outside and so I justified sitting on my butt.
Well, that is over. Last week I signed up for Planet Fitness, $20 a month for the "deluxe" membership, which includes tanning, massage beds and other perks. And so yesterday and today, I've gone to work out and spent about 15 minutes on the elliptical and 20-30 minutes on the treadmill, depending on if I found a good show or not. Haha.
I just saw my family in late July and had only just started on this weight loss journey. I just went for a quick weekend trip in late September and a few noticed and commented on my weight loss but when I go home for Christmas in 12 weeks, I want to blow their socks off! If I work out diligently, cut down on diet pop, increase my water and watch my portions, then there is no reason that that can't happen.
So here are my promises to myself:
As you can tell from my last few posts, I've been feeling discouraged and annoyed from not hitting my green zone yet. I have pretty much been told by everyone in my doctor's office that I am an anomaly. As of my last fill, I have 7.25ccs in my 10cc band. MOST average people hit the green zone between 5-7ccs. I apparently need more than that. I am fine with that and will go get a fill every week if that's what I need to do to hit this dang green zone. I am just SO very grateful for the PA who took me aside and told me I have the right mentality and am working hard to get there, so it WILL happen.
That being said, I am still not in the green zone. I'm hoping that my fill coming up on the 17th will put me there, but I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't. It seems to be very elusive. I may even call and see if I can move up my appointment to the 10th...
As far as weight loss goes, I had been steady loosing until my last appointment on the 26th of September where I was up .2 pounds. They didn't give me a hard time for it but I beat myself up for it pretty well. Even though, I wasn't in the green zone, I was always at least down and this was the first time since starting my pre op diet of being up in weight. Although, it sucked to hear I was up, it made me look at what exactly I have been eating. I ate about 80% healthy but every now and then that 20% of unhealthy food would come around and I found myself eating it. And my exercise was MAJORLY lacking. I had quit my last gym membership because I was paying almost $60 a month and there are so many cheap gyms near me that I thought it was silly to pay such a high price. But for about three weeks I didn't have a gym and it was still 90 degrees outside and so I justified sitting on my butt.
Well, that is over. Last week I signed up for Planet Fitness, $20 a month for the "deluxe" membership, which includes tanning, massage beds and other perks. And so yesterday and today, I've gone to work out and spent about 15 minutes on the elliptical and 20-30 minutes on the treadmill, depending on if I found a good show or not. Haha.
I just saw my family in late July and had only just started on this weight loss journey. I just went for a quick weekend trip in late September and a few noticed and commented on my weight loss but when I go home for Christmas in 12 weeks, I want to blow their socks off! If I work out diligently, cut down on diet pop, increase my water and watch my portions, then there is no reason that that can't happen.
So here are my promises to myself:
- I am going to go to the gym at least 5 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes each time. After working out, I, then get to reward myself with a massage session. :)
- I am also done weighing myself at home. No more weekly weigh ins. I will only go off of my weight from True Results. (If my numbers aren't good when I weigh at home, I discourage myself.)
- I am going to cut the 20% of unhealthy eating down to 10%.
- I am going to drink at LEAST 64 ounces of water each day.
- Also I am going to get better at posting here more often. Call me out if you don't see me posting, folks!
I hope everyone has a great week!!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Feeling annoyed.
Well these last few weeks have been up and down, literally! On my last update, I had just gotten a fill and was 286.6. When I left for Kansas (August 2), I weighed myself and told myself that I'd like to come back the same weight which was 283.8. When I came back to Arizona (August 12) I weighed 280.2! I was amazed and super proud of myself for LOOSING three pounds on vacation. I did make it a point to stay on mostly healthy foods while in town and I never over ate. I also went walking with my Mom and stayed very active with my friends/family while in town.
This morning, I weighed-in and was 283. Ugh. Back up three pounds. My eating isn't different and if anything, it's healthier! But I haven't been very active this week, which I know isn't good and needs to be changed but three pounds seems like a big gain for someone that just had WLS! Feeling down and out after my weigh-in I called True Results to see if I could get in this Thursday (tomorrow) instead of waiting another week for my scheduled fill. Luckily I got in and am going at 11:15 tomorrow!
I need to make it a point to ask if I have a 10cc or 14cc band because last Tuesday was my LB support group and when I told them that I have 6ccs in my band and feel next to nothing, they were all shocked. I am 95% sure that I was told that I have a 10cc band so everyone was blown away that I could have 6ccs and not feel it. If I hadn't done a barium swallow and saw it in there myself, I'd be doubting if I even had anything in there at all and maybe this was all some sort of elaborate scheme to get $10,000 out of me. (Did anyone else have that fear? Maybe I'm just totally irrational and silly thinking this surgery was some get rich scheme and I was the target.... haha!) Anyway, back to my topic, I am going to be asking them to double check my chart and see if I have a 10cc or 14cc band just for my own knowledge.
Now on to the big stuff that has been pressing on me for a while now. As most of you know, I am a college student going for court reporting. I was supposed to start classes this last Monday but after coming back from vacation, I found out that my financial aid was not coming through this semester due to being capped for an undergrad student. My only choice was to pay out of pocket for this semester, which is about $800. Obviously, I don't just have that laying around so I had to drop my classes. Luckily, I have a TON of at-home-study material and am kind of home schooling myself this semester while I am DESPERATELY looking for a second job so I can start saving money up. My plan is, depending on how well I do with my home study program, either save up to pay out of pocket and finish one last semester at school and pass all my speeds, or save up and move back to Kansas to save on rent/utilities because student loans will be due by then and finish school online. I have amazing family and friends no matter where I decide to live, but for now, everything is kind of up in the air.
Speaking of finding a second job, I had a phone interview with Home Depot today and they scheduled an in-person interview for Friday. It is for a merchandise executive associate position, it would be part time (25 hours/week), in the early mornings M-F paying $10/hour. Please pray that I get this job! Sitting down and writing about this interview just made me realize that it will be on August 23rd, my niece that passed away's birthday. I'm going to need extra prayers if I'm going to pull off this interview.
That's all that I have going on right now. Let me know how you guys are doing! I feel like everyone on here has been quite lately!!
I need to make it a point to ask if I have a 10cc or 14cc band because last Tuesday was my LB support group and when I told them that I have 6ccs in my band and feel next to nothing, they were all shocked. I am 95% sure that I was told that I have a 10cc band so everyone was blown away that I could have 6ccs and not feel it. If I hadn't done a barium swallow and saw it in there myself, I'd be doubting if I even had anything in there at all and maybe this was all some sort of elaborate scheme to get $10,000 out of me. (Did anyone else have that fear? Maybe I'm just totally irrational and silly thinking this surgery was some get rich scheme and I was the target.... haha!) Anyway, back to my topic, I am going to be asking them to double check my chart and see if I have a 10cc or 14cc band just for my own knowledge.
Now on to the big stuff that has been pressing on me for a while now. As most of you know, I am a college student going for court reporting. I was supposed to start classes this last Monday but after coming back from vacation, I found out that my financial aid was not coming through this semester due to being capped for an undergrad student. My only choice was to pay out of pocket for this semester, which is about $800. Obviously, I don't just have that laying around so I had to drop my classes. Luckily, I have a TON of at-home-study material and am kind of home schooling myself this semester while I am DESPERATELY looking for a second job so I can start saving money up. My plan is, depending on how well I do with my home study program, either save up to pay out of pocket and finish one last semester at school and pass all my speeds, or save up and move back to Kansas to save on rent/utilities because student loans will be due by then and finish school online. I have amazing family and friends no matter where I decide to live, but for now, everything is kind of up in the air.
Speaking of finding a second job, I had a phone interview with Home Depot today and they scheduled an in-person interview for Friday. It is for a merchandise executive associate position, it would be part time (25 hours/week), in the early mornings M-F paying $10/hour. Please pray that I get this job! Sitting down and writing about this interview just made me realize that it will be on August 23rd, my niece that passed away's birthday. I'm going to need extra prayers if I'm going to pull off this interview.
That's all that I have going on right now. Let me know how you guys are doing! I feel like everyone on here has been quite lately!!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Checking in!
Okay, so I am two weeks past my last fill and I feel nothing. NOTHING. I can eat anything (everything). I eat larger portions than I should, I can eat bread like nothing, nothing in phasing me. Now, having said all that, I have gone ABOVE and BEYOND to stay eating healthy foods so that even though I'm eating bigger portions than what's ideal, I'm eating smart calories/protein.
Yesterday it hit me that my next fill appointment was a month from that day. I was SO discouraged that, here I've just paid close to $10,000 out of pocket for WLS, and I'm not feeling ANY effects of it. I decided to call and see if maybe there wasn't a cancellation and I could get squeezed in. I am pretty sure someone was looking out for me, or maybe the receptionist picked up on my discouragement and she got me in for the next day (which is today).
So, this morning I go in before work and I go fill out my little papers about how I'm still hungry and the basics of what I'm eating for meals and whatnot. I get called back and weigh in and found out I was down 3 pounds, which I am pleased with! So I give the NP a heads up that the last lady poked around a LOT and barely was able to get in the port and that she had mentioned needing a bigger needle. Today's NP said that the bigger needle is a lot bigger and that she would rather try with the normal one first. I trusted her instinct and to be honest a bigger needle didn't seem appealing!
I make it a point to only stare at the ceiling while they do these fills because seeing needles in my body make me faint. She numbed me and and poked around for a while and after a bit I hear, "Oh....umm. Okay. Ohhhhhhh, oh my, um, okay. Okay. Okay." By this time, I am freaking out a little. I'm trying to look at her to read her face while avoiding the needle sticking out of my stomach and I see her bring the needle up and it full of blood. Now, seeing the needle with blood wasn't even a red flag to me because it seems like a normal thing but she was freaked out by it, which made me start worrying. She starts talking about how she hit a pocket of blood and she pulled out 3ccs of it and now it was gone but to be safe, she wanted me to do a barium swallow. So about a minute later, her and, I'm guessing, her boss came in and took me to the imaging room. I did the swallow (which tasted and looked like chalky water) but it is only one gulp so not too bad. She let me watch it after and it was really cool to watch it come down and pass through the band and into the stomach. She also checked my port site, which was also good. They took me back to the exam room but now I was worried that I was going to turned away from a fill and was feeling sad. But the NP and her boss came in, said she would still give me a .5cc fill and wanted to check for more blood pockets. She checked and found another one and pulled out another 2ccs of blood and the boss didn't seem surprised by it at all. She said it's common in hiatal hernia patients but she was surprised when I told her I didn't have one... Haha! Anyway, she said everyone's body is different and it was nothing to worry about. Honestly though, I wasn't until I thought it was going to prevent a fill.
I am officially at 6ccs in my band now. The NP said the average person is in the green zone anywhere from 5-7ccs so since I'm right in the middle, I hope I'm there! :)
On Friday I'm flying to Kansas for 10 days so I'm not sure how much I'll be updating here, just an FYI.
Yesterday it hit me that my next fill appointment was a month from that day. I was SO discouraged that, here I've just paid close to $10,000 out of pocket for WLS, and I'm not feeling ANY effects of it. I decided to call and see if maybe there wasn't a cancellation and I could get squeezed in. I am pretty sure someone was looking out for me, or maybe the receptionist picked up on my discouragement and she got me in for the next day (which is today).
So, this morning I go in before work and I go fill out my little papers about how I'm still hungry and the basics of what I'm eating for meals and whatnot. I get called back and weigh in and found out I was down 3 pounds, which I am pleased with! So I give the NP a heads up that the last lady poked around a LOT and barely was able to get in the port and that she had mentioned needing a bigger needle. Today's NP said that the bigger needle is a lot bigger and that she would rather try with the normal one first. I trusted her instinct and to be honest a bigger needle didn't seem appealing!
I make it a point to only stare at the ceiling while they do these fills because seeing needles in my body make me faint. She numbed me and and poked around for a while and after a bit I hear, "Oh....umm. Okay. Ohhhhhhh, oh my, um, okay. Okay. Okay." By this time, I am freaking out a little. I'm trying to look at her to read her face while avoiding the needle sticking out of my stomach and I see her bring the needle up and it full of blood. Now, seeing the needle with blood wasn't even a red flag to me because it seems like a normal thing but she was freaked out by it, which made me start worrying. She starts talking about how she hit a pocket of blood and she pulled out 3ccs of it and now it was gone but to be safe, she wanted me to do a barium swallow. So about a minute later, her and, I'm guessing, her boss came in and took me to the imaging room. I did the swallow (which tasted and looked like chalky water) but it is only one gulp so not too bad. She let me watch it after and it was really cool to watch it come down and pass through the band and into the stomach. She also checked my port site, which was also good. They took me back to the exam room but now I was worried that I was going to turned away from a fill and was feeling sad. But the NP and her boss came in, said she would still give me a .5cc fill and wanted to check for more blood pockets. She checked and found another one and pulled out another 2ccs of blood and the boss didn't seem surprised by it at all. She said it's common in hiatal hernia patients but she was surprised when I told her I didn't have one... Haha! Anyway, she said everyone's body is different and it was nothing to worry about. Honestly though, I wasn't until I thought it was going to prevent a fill.
I am officially at 6ccs in my band now. The NP said the average person is in the green zone anywhere from 5-7ccs so since I'm right in the middle, I hope I'm there! :)
On Friday I'm flying to Kansas for 10 days so I'm not sure how much I'll be updating here, just an FYI.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Weigh in Wednesday and a little extra :)
June 20 (Day of surgery): 291
June 26: 286
July 3: 286.4
July 10: 287.8
July 17: 286.8 WHOOO!
I am glad to start seeing the numbers go in the right direction again. I was beginning to doubt myself. Not necessarily regretting the lap band, maybe disappointed is a better word. Either way, the numbers are going back down and I am stoked!!
In other news, I spent all day yesterday and most of today totally fan girling about Olan Rogers. He is a comedian/film maker. He has a YouTube channel where he posts quite a few different things but my favorite is when he tells stories. He is also a clean comedian, which is darn near impossible to find anymore. Go ahead, watch all his stuff, not a single cuss word or vulgar thing is said. I mean, and also, I just have to mention how he is probably one of the most handsome men, ever. (Okay, maybe I'm a little biased. haha!)
Anyways, he went on tour to do a free meet and greet with all of his fans. He hosted an Eat a Slice with Me tour, Jones Soda and pizza were donated to make this happen. My friend from school and I both really like him so we decided to go together to meet him! It started at 3 so we went around 2 and got in line. It was SUPER humid and still very hot and sunny. We got into the building by 3:45ish and to find another line but at this point we were inside in AC so we didn't care. Also we could see him! (haha, yes, I know how dorky I am.) Anyway, after almost two hours outside sweating like pig and on the brink of passing out from heat, we get inside, wait some more and then meet OLAN ROGERS! He hugged me three times and signed a poster for me. He is truly an amazing man and so humble. Also one girl in front of us literally passed out from the heat so her boyfriend started carrying her to the car but one of the crew went inside and came back with Olan and he came out, chased down the boyfriend carrying the girl passed out, and took them inside. We found out later that she ended up being okay and still got to meet Olan. Apparently he carried her princess style so she seemed fairly pleased with it... The whole time we were there they had water for everyone and told everyone to go get some (which I did, I think I ended up going to get like 4 cups worth.) But after that they went down the entire line with cups and water gallons. Everyone got water no matter what after that.
Here are some pictures, I look horrible and it's blurry but I don't care!! :)
If you ever feel the need for a laugh go to his YouTube channel and watch a little something, his laugh is contagious. This story is my favorite, though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZO9tMetxno&list=PL9237F46A2E68117A&index=1
June 26: 286
July 3: 286.4
July 10: 287.8
July 17: 286.8 WHOOO!
I am glad to start seeing the numbers go in the right direction again. I was beginning to doubt myself. Not necessarily regretting the lap band, maybe disappointed is a better word. Either way, the numbers are going back down and I am stoked!!
In other news, I spent all day yesterday and most of today totally fan girling about Olan Rogers. He is a comedian/film maker. He has a YouTube channel where he posts quite a few different things but my favorite is when he tells stories. He is also a clean comedian, which is darn near impossible to find anymore. Go ahead, watch all his stuff, not a single cuss word or vulgar thing is said. I mean, and also, I just have to mention how he is probably one of the most handsome men, ever. (Okay, maybe I'm a little biased. haha!)
Anyways, he went on tour to do a free meet and greet with all of his fans. He hosted an Eat a Slice with Me tour, Jones Soda and pizza were donated to make this happen. My friend from school and I both really like him so we decided to go together to meet him! It started at 3 so we went around 2 and got in line. It was SUPER humid and still very hot and sunny. We got into the building by 3:45ish and to find another line but at this point we were inside in AC so we didn't care. Also we could see him! (haha, yes, I know how dorky I am.) Anyway, after almost two hours outside sweating like pig and on the brink of passing out from heat, we get inside, wait some more and then meet OLAN ROGERS! He hugged me three times and signed a poster for me. He is truly an amazing man and so humble. Also one girl in front of us literally passed out from the heat so her boyfriend started carrying her to the car but one of the crew went inside and came back with Olan and he came out, chased down the boyfriend carrying the girl passed out, and took them inside. We found out later that she ended up being okay and still got to meet Olan. Apparently he carried her princess style so she seemed fairly pleased with it... The whole time we were there they had water for everyone and told everyone to go get some (which I did, I think I ended up going to get like 4 cups worth.) But after that they went down the entire line with cups and water gallons. Everyone got water no matter what after that.
Here are some pictures, I look horrible and it's blurry but I don't care!! :)
If you ever feel the need for a laugh go to his YouTube channel and watch a little something, his laugh is contagious. This story is my favorite, though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZO9tMetxno&list=PL9237F46A2E68117A&index=1
Monday, July 15, 2013
Got my fill today!
I totally thought I sent a post while I was at True Results after my fill but I guess it didn't go through...
Anyway, I just updated that today with my official weight, I was actually one pound over my presurgery date but the nurse practitioner said to not worry. It's hard to maintain the weight loss from the pre op diet when eating normal portions which I have been.
She gave me something to numb the area and then started with the big needle. It wasn't painful but she had quite a bit of trouble locating my port. She poked around, a lot. I'm very glad I was numbed up. I had 4.5ccs in my band so she put in another 1cc and she was confident that that will put me in the green zone. She said most people are in the green zone anywhere from 5-7ccs.
I also got cleared to start hitting the gym. Basic walking, elliptical or bike things. No crunches yet :) I also got approved to go down the river with friends with this Saturday but apparently the weather might not work with our plan :(
That is really all I have to update for now! Hope everyone has an amazing week!
EDIT::: Does it sometimes take a while for the 'fill' feeling to take effect? I'm not noticing a lack of hunger and I have to finish the day on liquids.
Anyway, I just updated that today with my official weight, I was actually one pound over my presurgery date but the nurse practitioner said to not worry. It's hard to maintain the weight loss from the pre op diet when eating normal portions which I have been.
She gave me something to numb the area and then started with the big needle. It wasn't painful but she had quite a bit of trouble locating my port. She poked around, a lot. I'm very glad I was numbed up. I had 4.5ccs in my band so she put in another 1cc and she was confident that that will put me in the green zone. She said most people are in the green zone anywhere from 5-7ccs.
I also got cleared to start hitting the gym. Basic walking, elliptical or bike things. No crunches yet :) I also got approved to go down the river with friends with this Saturday but apparently the weather might not work with our plan :(
That is really all I have to update for now! Hope everyone has an amazing week!
EDIT::: Does it sometimes take a while for the 'fill' feeling to take effect? I'm not noticing a lack of hunger and I have to finish the day on liquids.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Update and Weigh in
Hey, guys, sorry I've been MIA. This week is a hard one for me. Monday marked two years since my niece passed away. It kind of taints the Fourth of July for me a little bit. I miss her. A lot. I try the majority of the time to keep an upbeat attitude about her passing, well, as much of an upbeat attitude as possible about a 13 year old passing away. She was beautiful, smart, musically talented, kind-hearted, loving and fiercely loved by her entire family.
She was also quite the goof ball.
Wednesday was my weigh in. I was up half a pound. I was quite annoyed about that but actually yesterday I started my "time of the month". So I'm discounting that gain. Hopefully it was just water weight and will be gone by next week. I am definitely eating pretty much normal food but I am eating healthy things. I am also eating small portions and am full for hours after so I think all the swelling in my stomach is gone and I am ready for a fill. I have that appointment set up for the 15th of this month. The biggest thing that I need to work on the most is getting back into the habit of drinking more water. And not with my meals... haha
That's about all that's going on for me right now. I have a ton of homework that I need to catch up and I need to do some cleaning around the house, so FUN weekend for me! Ha!
Maybe I'll talk my roommate into a movie this weekend, after we clean..
Thursday, June 27, 2013
The Banded Life
Life is good. Still sore but mainly when I bend down, looks like there is a mandatory pedicure in store for me this weekend. :) Eating is going well. I am enjoying being off of "smooshies" and on to soft foods. It's been a lot of scrambles eggs, hummus, greek yogurt, fruit smoothies and sugar-free Popsicles.
This morning I didn't really plan anything and I figured I'd be able to run home after class to have some lunch before going to work but that didn't happen. So I ended up in the dreaded drive-thru. Luckily I had just been texting my sister the day before (the one with gastric bypass) and she had told me that the pinto beans at Taco Bell was her go to fast food option. So I headed there and got the small cup of beans and the fiesta potatoes. I figured they would be soft enough that I'd be fine. I ate all the beans and half the potatoes before I was full. I spent $2.32!! I already had water so I didn't get a drink, which is good because I've been missing Diet Pepsi something fierce and I'm not sure I could have resisted. I am going to wait the 60 days after surgery before trying anything with carbonation. Anyway, I feel good about my choices for food today. Drive-thru was almost an every other day occurrence for me so getting rid of that demon is nice.
My Mom and family are back from Utah today and so tonight I am trying to finish up my homework and reports so I can go down and play this weekend before Mom flies back to Kansas on Monday.
15-20 pounds is always the range of weight that I loose and want people to notice and no one does and I end up getting frustrated and quit. Not this time. It's not even a passing thought in my mind. It it SOO nice to know that I have this awesome band making me not even hungry for the foods that I would cheat with. As long as when I'm hungry, I make the RIGHT food choice, then this is going to be easy peasy! Also I'm scared to eat most other foods right now because getting "stuck" sounds horrible and terrifying.
That's about all that's going on with me this week, I hope everyone has a great weekend!!
This morning I didn't really plan anything and I figured I'd be able to run home after class to have some lunch before going to work but that didn't happen. So I ended up in the dreaded drive-thru. Luckily I had just been texting my sister the day before (the one with gastric bypass) and she had told me that the pinto beans at Taco Bell was her go to fast food option. So I headed there and got the small cup of beans and the fiesta potatoes. I figured they would be soft enough that I'd be fine. I ate all the beans and half the potatoes before I was full. I spent $2.32!! I already had water so I didn't get a drink, which is good because I've been missing Diet Pepsi something fierce and I'm not sure I could have resisted. I am going to wait the 60 days after surgery before trying anything with carbonation. Anyway, I feel good about my choices for food today. Drive-thru was almost an every other day occurrence for me so getting rid of that demon is nice.
My Mom and family are back from Utah today and so tonight I am trying to finish up my homework and reports so I can go down and play this weekend before Mom flies back to Kansas on Monday.
15-20 pounds is always the range of weight that I loose and want people to notice and no one does and I end up getting frustrated and quit. Not this time. It's not even a passing thought in my mind. It it SOO nice to know that I have this awesome band making me not even hungry for the foods that I would cheat with. As long as when I'm hungry, I make the RIGHT food choice, then this is going to be easy peasy! Also I'm scared to eat most other foods right now because getting "stuck" sounds horrible and terrifying.
That's about all that's going on with me this week, I hope everyone has a great weekend!!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Weigh-in Wednesday
Prep op diet weight: 300.6
Day of surgery weight: 291
Today's weight: 286
I might still be sore as heck and trying to figure this band out but can I just say I LOVVVVE it?? It's a happy day!
Day of surgery weight: 291
Today's weight: 286
I might still be sore as heck and trying to figure this band out but can I just say I LOVVVVE it?? It's a happy day!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
OWWWW
I'll update tomorrow with my weigh in but I just wanted to update and say, OWWWW, these hiccups are not post op friendly and will NOT go away!!!!!
Meh.
:(
That's all.
Meh.
:(
That's all.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Surgery Story
Here is what I remember about the day of surgery:
My check in was at 9 a.m. We got there about 8:50. We sat in the waiting room for maybe 5 minutes and the receptionist had pulled out my file and had me signing paper after paper. Once all the paperwork was done, I was called back to the surgery prep area. It was the smallest, most cramped area I think I've ever been in. There were two beds separated by a curtain. There was someone on the other side that went back to surgery about 10 minutes after I got back there. They had me lay down and confirm all my information from the paperwork then they had me change into my gown, hair net and..... diaper. Weird. The nurse had me draw a line around where my bra hits so the surgeon didn't make incisions where they would be rubbed.
Once I was changed, they had me hop back into bed and started strapping me with all kinds of things. Blood pressure cuff, IV and leg massager things. I also got a shot in my stomach, I can't remember the name of it... something with an H but it was a blood thinner to prevent clots. I just looked it up, it was Heprin! Anyway, once the nurse had me all prepped and while I waited for the OR nurses, anesthesiologist and Dr. Nirmul to double check on me, she let my Mom come back and sit with me. We sat together for about 15 minutes and once Dr. Nirmul checked on me and the others introduced themselves to me, they rolled me back to the operation room. Luckily one of the OR nurses let me know that my anesthesiologist is very sneaky about giving the "relaxing" drugs before they start strapping my arms down because pretty much the second I got halfway scooted over to the OR bed, I felt the tingle of medicine in my IV. The last thing I remember was looking up at him and saying, "Wow, you are sneaky!" and laughing.
After surgery, I remember being woken up and the nurse starting to ask me questions. I remember not being able to stop chattering my teeth and shivering. I remember a HORRIBLE taste in my mouth, the world's sorest throat and cotton mouth galore. The nurse was very nice and worked with me to get me out of bed and into the bathroom to help me changed into my clothes and settled in the recliner. She then wrapped me in a warmed blanket and gave me a cup of water to sip on. I'm pretty sure, in that moment, I thought I knew that that was what heaven was like. Hahahah Oh, man, drugs mess with my head.
My Mom came back to check on me and after they gave us our post op instructions and about 10 minutes of sitting, they sent us on our way. Mom pulled my car around and they wheeled me out and buckled me in and off we went. Mom says I was very coherent on the drive home and I remember most of it. I remember the first thing I did when I got home was brush my teeth to get rid of the terrible taste in my mouth. I took lortab, a gas x strip and then napped for a while. By that evening I was feeling the gas pain something fierce and Mom and I went for a good 20 minute walk (stroll). It helped a lot with the pain. That night of sleeping I was up every four hours on the dot when the lortab wore off.
The next morning I felt like I got hit by a bus. I was very sore and very slow all day. I stayed right on the lortab all day and Mom and I went out a did some errands and grocery shopping, slowly. Then I came home and napped and watched Disney movies. Who knew that general anesthesia can make every single muscle in your body feel like you had the most intense workout of your life the day before??
Today, I am feeling pretty good. My muscles are still sore but better than yesterday. I am drinking a protein shake right now and am looking forward to some yogurt and smoothies later this afternoon.
Side note, I found out my sister is having her second girl in November!! :)
My check in was at 9 a.m. We got there about 8:50. We sat in the waiting room for maybe 5 minutes and the receptionist had pulled out my file and had me signing paper after paper. Once all the paperwork was done, I was called back to the surgery prep area. It was the smallest, most cramped area I think I've ever been in. There were two beds separated by a curtain. There was someone on the other side that went back to surgery about 10 minutes after I got back there. They had me lay down and confirm all my information from the paperwork then they had me change into my gown, hair net and..... diaper. Weird. The nurse had me draw a line around where my bra hits so the surgeon didn't make incisions where they would be rubbed.
Once I was changed, they had me hop back into bed and started strapping me with all kinds of things. Blood pressure cuff, IV and leg massager things. I also got a shot in my stomach, I can't remember the name of it... something with an H but it was a blood thinner to prevent clots. I just looked it up, it was Heprin! Anyway, once the nurse had me all prepped and while I waited for the OR nurses, anesthesiologist and Dr. Nirmul to double check on me, she let my Mom come back and sit with me. We sat together for about 15 minutes and once Dr. Nirmul checked on me and the others introduced themselves to me, they rolled me back to the operation room. Luckily one of the OR nurses let me know that my anesthesiologist is very sneaky about giving the "relaxing" drugs before they start strapping my arms down because pretty much the second I got halfway scooted over to the OR bed, I felt the tingle of medicine in my IV. The last thing I remember was looking up at him and saying, "Wow, you are sneaky!" and laughing.
After surgery, I remember being woken up and the nurse starting to ask me questions. I remember not being able to stop chattering my teeth and shivering. I remember a HORRIBLE taste in my mouth, the world's sorest throat and cotton mouth galore. The nurse was very nice and worked with me to get me out of bed and into the bathroom to help me changed into my clothes and settled in the recliner. She then wrapped me in a warmed blanket and gave me a cup of water to sip on. I'm pretty sure, in that moment, I thought I knew that that was what heaven was like. Hahahah Oh, man, drugs mess with my head.
My Mom came back to check on me and after they gave us our post op instructions and about 10 minutes of sitting, they sent us on our way. Mom pulled my car around and they wheeled me out and buckled me in and off we went. Mom says I was very coherent on the drive home and I remember most of it. I remember the first thing I did when I got home was brush my teeth to get rid of the terrible taste in my mouth. I took lortab, a gas x strip and then napped for a while. By that evening I was feeling the gas pain something fierce and Mom and I went for a good 20 minute walk (stroll). It helped a lot with the pain. That night of sleeping I was up every four hours on the dot when the lortab wore off.
The next morning I felt like I got hit by a bus. I was very sore and very slow all day. I stayed right on the lortab all day and Mom and I went out a did some errands and grocery shopping, slowly. Then I came home and napped and watched Disney movies. Who knew that general anesthesia can make every single muscle in your body feel like you had the most intense workout of your life the day before??
Today, I am feeling pretty good. My muscles are still sore but better than yesterday. I am drinking a protein shake right now and am looking forward to some yogurt and smoothies later this afternoon.
Side note, I found out my sister is having her second girl in November!! :)
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Surgery: check!
I am sitting in bed watching old episodes of The Office drinking water and chicken broth (in small amounts, of course). I am in relatively little to no pain. I slept a while when I got home and kept a bowl close by in case I got sick but didn't. Dr. Nirmul said surgery went perfectly. I vaguely remember waking up and getting dressed. The car ride home went well and quickly, thankfully. My Mom has been so helpful and I am very grateful for her.
I really am feeling great. I'm still taking the lortab and probably will today and tomorrow just so it doesn't wear off and am in a lot of pain but I don't think I will be. I only have a little discomfort from gas but the gas x strips have been great. The surgeon said to go walking for about 15 minutes later this evening so I'll be doing that tonight.
My sister/Mom got these for me along with a balloon and card and gift card. I'm blessed with a great family! :)
Sorry if this is a little scatterbrained, I'm blaming the drugs. :)
EDIT:: I am definitely experiencing the left shoulder gas pain. It's weird to feel pain in my shoulder from gas... Good thing I can take more gas x strips!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Day 10 of 14 of pre op
Whooo! In the double numbers of this diet being almost over!! It's hard to stick to this diet when I am still pre op because my stomach isn't telling me it's full. It's saying, "where is all the freakin' food I normally get??"This week went fairly quickly. Being busy helps distract me from how I want to anything and everything. It's gotten to the point where when a commercial comes on TV and it's for something I don't even necessarily like, I catch myself thinking and sometimes saying out loud, "Mmmm, (instert random food here)." My roommate has been getting quite the kick out of it. The other day we were watching TV and I mumbled something about wanting Red Lobster after a commercial and she started cracking up. She knows I don't eat seafood. She asked me if I have even eaten there and I told her only once and I protested the entire time. Hahaha, it's gotten out of control.
I went to my local lap band support group on Thursday. There was only like 6 of us there and the patient advocate said it's because everyone is on summer schedule and we should be up to 10-15 in September. It went really well though, we went around the room and gave our name and if we are pre or post op and any questions that we had. There were three of us there that were pre op and the other three were: 5 weeks, 2 months and like 1 year out. It was a nice group of women, I think I'm going to like going every month. :)
I got a call from the surgery center yesterday with my surgery time. For now my check-in is at 9 a.m. on Thursday, unless someone cancels, which will move me up. I like the 9 a.m. slot. It will be enough time to sleep in a little but not enough time to be starving before I get there.
Also, yesterday I got all my grocery shopping done for post op. I picked up my prescriptions. One liquid lortab in tropical fruit flavor, one liquid antibiotic in strawberry flavor and one oral dissolving tablet for nausea. Can I just tell you that somewhere around the age of 8-10 I decided that any and all medicine that I have to get will be in pill form and I will figure out how to take them even if I choke to death on it because I HATE liquid medicine that much. I have very vivid memories of massive fits being thrown when it came time for medicine when it was liquid. And I do mean MASSIVE fits. Soooo, this should be interesting... Haha!
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This coming week is going to be VERY busy. This weekend I am just kind of getting random things done around the house, cleaning up and what not and then Monday afternoon I am going to work and not leaving til Wednesday afternoon. Yup, that's right. My job is working with this little boy with autism and I've been working with him and his family for the last two, almost three years now. The Mom is a teacher and single Mother of four, (11, 10, 7, 18 months). She is paying me out of pocket to watch the kids for a few days while she goes to a training conference for her school. I am super comfortable with the kids and they listen to me really well so I'm not at all worried about that. In fact, I am a little appreciative because I will be so busy this week will fly by! Monday afternoon/evening we will just hang out and then Tuesday morning I have class so I'll pack the kids up and drop them off at their grandma's til I finish and then we are going to go down to my sister in law's so they can play/swim with my nephews (16, 13, 11, 10, 9) and I can see my Mom because she will have flown in on Monday. Wednesday will be the same of packing them up, dropping off at grandma's while I have class and them picking them up and just hanging out until their other-side grandpa gets off work and takes over because then I will be driving back down to my sister in laws to pick up Mom and come back to my house to spend the night and be ready for surgery the next morning! Whew, I'm worn out just explaining this week! Haha
I'm not sure I'll be updating again before surgery but I will definitely be updating as soon as I'm moving around after surgery! I will try to remember as much as I can to tell you all about it! Have a great coming week, everyone!!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Day 7 of 14 of pre op
So I had my pre op appointment yesterday. I was there for a surprisingly long time (About two hours). At first it was a group (9 of us) and we were taken back to hear a presentation and then we were taken back to the waiting room to wait for one on ones with the surgeon. I didn't have many questions and I feel like I am really prepped for surgery but it was nice to meet the surgeon before the actual day of surgery. They gave me a little goody bag with a diary/pen, measuring cup and a one minute timer to help with in-between bite timing. I'm think the timer will be getting the most use. The surgeon was hopeful that since I recovered so well and quickly from getting my gallbladder out a few years ago that this will be similar for me.
I got a note for school and took it in to my teacher and she immediately starting counting out how many days it was that I would miss and said "Well, it doesn't put you over the attendance policy, so that's good." I had a gut feeling that she wouldn't be excusing it. I bet if I make a big deal out of it and raise a little attention to it, she would excuse it but I just don't think it's worth my time. I will just have to be careful all semester to not go over.
This week I got the amazing news that I passed my first Literary test at 120 words per minute!! I have to pass three tests at 98% accuracy to move on to the next speed class. Passing the first test at any speed is always the hardest because of the mental "this is too fast, I can't get it" thought process. I have to get to 180 to pass out of my Literary class. I hope that even with surgery coming up and missing a few days, it won't set me back too much!
Monday and Tuesday I made a delicious snack that was all veggies.. so guilt free! I peeled and sliced squash, sliced orange bell peppers (my favorite) and about a third of an onion and sauteed it in EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). I just used a little seasoned salt and pepper and it was Mmm, mmm, good! I even made it again that night with my dinner.
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Today, I went to lunch with a couple of girls from my court reporting program. So tonight I'll be having a protein shake for dinner. I got a salad with chicken and when they both ordered dessert I opted out. I did however, take ONE bite of both of theirs (had to try both!) I don't feel bad because I could have ordered a whole one!
When we were at lunch my friend said, "A week from tomorrow is surgery, are you ready?" The floor dropped out from under me after hearing her say it that way. HOLY CRAP, that is soon!! Ugh. I have to get over these nerves! I get a little flutter of panic every time I think about it. Ugh.
Today I got a killer migraine. Thank goodness the family that I work for's Mom is a teacher and off work right now and she could take him to speech therapy for me. I pretty much have slept on and off since coming home from lunch with the girls. Maybe it's a result of the nerves? Maybe I need a Prozac? haha
I got a note for school and took it in to my teacher and she immediately starting counting out how many days it was that I would miss and said "Well, it doesn't put you over the attendance policy, so that's good." I had a gut feeling that she wouldn't be excusing it. I bet if I make a big deal out of it and raise a little attention to it, she would excuse it but I just don't think it's worth my time. I will just have to be careful all semester to not go over.
This week I got the amazing news that I passed my first Literary test at 120 words per minute!! I have to pass three tests at 98% accuracy to move on to the next speed class. Passing the first test at any speed is always the hardest because of the mental "this is too fast, I can't get it" thought process. I have to get to 180 to pass out of my Literary class. I hope that even with surgery coming up and missing a few days, it won't set me back too much!
Monday and Tuesday I made a delicious snack that was all veggies.. so guilt free! I peeled and sliced squash, sliced orange bell peppers (my favorite) and about a third of an onion and sauteed it in EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). I just used a little seasoned salt and pepper and it was Mmm, mmm, good! I even made it again that night with my dinner.
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Today, I went to lunch with a couple of girls from my court reporting program. So tonight I'll be having a protein shake for dinner. I got a salad with chicken and when they both ordered dessert I opted out. I did however, take ONE bite of both of theirs (had to try both!) I don't feel bad because I could have ordered a whole one!
When we were at lunch my friend said, "A week from tomorrow is surgery, are you ready?" The floor dropped out from under me after hearing her say it that way. HOLY CRAP, that is soon!! Ugh. I have to get over these nerves! I get a little flutter of panic every time I think about it. Ugh.
Today I got a killer migraine. Thank goodness the family that I work for's Mom is a teacher and off work right now and she could take him to speech therapy for me. I pretty much have slept on and off since coming home from lunch with the girls. Maybe it's a result of the nerves? Maybe I need a Prozac? haha
Monday, June 10, 2013
Day 5 of 14 of pre op
Things are going normal. Pretty boring weekend. I stuck to the diet will and I even found the V8 juice with caffeine. It doesn't taste amazing but it gives me the caffeine I need so I drink it.
Today is my sister in law's birthday so I went down to Queen Creek to make a birthday cake for her. I wasn't even tempted to cheat. I brought a shake and tomatoes and celery. If I felt the need to snack I had one of those. My sister in law and I like to make personalized birthday cakes for each member of the family. We have kind of played with fondant and other things to try and make them cool. They are obviously by no means professional, just something fun. She requested a scrabble board cake. Very challenging! Haha It definitely didn't come out how I pictured it, but she liked it.
Tomorrow is my pre op appointment and I was just called to be reminded of it about an hour ago. I had NO idea that my full payment was due tomorrow! I am scrambling. Mom and I were not prepared for that. I'm REALLY hoping that we don't have to push surgery back. Mom already has plane tickets bought... I'm sure it will work out fine. I'm just mildly freaking out.
I did something last night for the first time, I made and ate Tilapia! I DON'T eat fish but I was only on day 3 and already getting tired of chicken. To make it, I sprayed the skillet with non stick spray and heated it to medium heat. I rinse and patted dry the fish, salted and peppered both sides and threw it on. I cooked it for about 4 minutes on one side after squeezing lemon juice on it and flipped it and cooked it another three minutes. Only a few of the bites were really fishy tasting but all in all, I'd make it again.
Do you guys eat fish? How do you cook it?
Day 5 is almost over. Thank goodness this pre op diet is actually going fairly quickly!
Today is my sister in law's birthday so I went down to Queen Creek to make a birthday cake for her. I wasn't even tempted to cheat. I brought a shake and tomatoes and celery. If I felt the need to snack I had one of those. My sister in law and I like to make personalized birthday cakes for each member of the family. We have kind of played with fondant and other things to try and make them cool. They are obviously by no means professional, just something fun. She requested a scrabble board cake. Very challenging! Haha It definitely didn't come out how I pictured it, but she liked it.
Tomorrow is my pre op appointment and I was just called to be reminded of it about an hour ago. I had NO idea that my full payment was due tomorrow! I am scrambling. Mom and I were not prepared for that. I'm REALLY hoping that we don't have to push surgery back. Mom already has plane tickets bought... I'm sure it will work out fine. I'm just mildly freaking out.
I did something last night for the first time, I made and ate Tilapia! I DON'T eat fish but I was only on day 3 and already getting tired of chicken. To make it, I sprayed the skillet with non stick spray and heated it to medium heat. I rinse and patted dry the fish, salted and peppered both sides and threw it on. I cooked it for about 4 minutes on one side after squeezing lemon juice on it and flipped it and cooked it another three minutes. Only a few of the bites were really fishy tasting but all in all, I'd make it again.
Do you guys eat fish? How do you cook it?
Day 5 is almost over. Thank goodness this pre op diet is actually going fairly quickly!
Friday, June 7, 2013
Day 2 of 14 of pre op
Well yesterday wasn't fun. It wasn't terrible though. My protein shakes are really tasty so that helps. I drank three and a half smart waters yesterday. So about that's over 14 cups of water. I think all that water really helped me with the hunger. About 2pm I got slammed with a caffeine headache. I actually broke and had a Diet Pepsi. :( But I was texting with a friend and she told me that V8 makes a sugar-free drink with caffeine. She is so helpful and supportive, truly the best friend I could ever ask for. I've been in Arizona while she is in Kansas for the last three years and we haven't grown apart at all. Oops, back on topic.. Haha. Anyway, I am going to go look for it when I go grocery shopping today.
I am going to go to Sprouts, even though, I have kind of been boycotting them since they bought out my FAVORITE produce store, Sunflower. Spouts will have the biggest selection of veggies for me to pick from. I plan on buying quite a bit and cutting them all up and putting them in baggies for easy grabbing when I am hungry and need something.
I made yesterday a lot harder on myself than I needed to. I didn't have much produce and basically no veggies, which is unlimited on this diet. Stupid. Yesterday I was fairly busy, though. I spent most of the day with my new roommate who just moved to the area. We ran a couple errands and I showed her around the our immediate area. I remember what it was like when I moved here and didn't know a single person so I figured I could help her out. But we were so busy helping to get her furniture that I didn't get home to eat dinner until 8:30pm! This is where I got bad, instead of just cooking the chicken that I had defrosted and marinating in the fridge when my other roommate was going to get Applebee's-to-go and offered to get me the salad we always get, since it's two for twenty. I said yes and got the Oriental Salad but asked for grilled chicken instead of crispy. When we got the food home, we realized there wasn't a single drop of dressing in it or on the side. I guess that's karma for trying to cheat on my first day... Haha! So I ended up lightly drizzling it with my homemade low fat ranch and picked all the chicken out and then ate about a third of the salad while avoiding the low mien noodles. All in all it wasn't too bad, the dressing is the most unhealthy part of that salad. It's all romaine lettuce, cabbage and carrots with low mien noodles and almonds.
But today is a new start! It's only 10am and I've already had a whole smart water and a protein shake. I'm going to go grocery shopping once I finish homework and shower. Whooo!
I am going to go to Sprouts, even though, I have kind of been boycotting them since they bought out my FAVORITE produce store, Sunflower. Spouts will have the biggest selection of veggies for me to pick from. I plan on buying quite a bit and cutting them all up and putting them in baggies for easy grabbing when I am hungry and need something.
I made yesterday a lot harder on myself than I needed to. I didn't have much produce and basically no veggies, which is unlimited on this diet. Stupid. Yesterday I was fairly busy, though. I spent most of the day with my new roommate who just moved to the area. We ran a couple errands and I showed her around the our immediate area. I remember what it was like when I moved here and didn't know a single person so I figured I could help her out. But we were so busy helping to get her furniture that I didn't get home to eat dinner until 8:30pm! This is where I got bad, instead of just cooking the chicken that I had defrosted and marinating in the fridge when my other roommate was going to get Applebee's-to-go and offered to get me the salad we always get, since it's two for twenty. I said yes and got the Oriental Salad but asked for grilled chicken instead of crispy. When we got the food home, we realized there wasn't a single drop of dressing in it or on the side. I guess that's karma for trying to cheat on my first day... Haha! So I ended up lightly drizzling it with my homemade low fat ranch and picked all the chicken out and then ate about a third of the salad while avoiding the low mien noodles. All in all it wasn't too bad, the dressing is the most unhealthy part of that salad. It's all romaine lettuce, cabbage and carrots with low mien noodles and almonds.
But today is a new start! It's only 10am and I've already had a whole smart water and a protein shake. I'm going to go grocery shopping once I finish homework and shower. Whooo!
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Day 1 of 14 of pre-op
All right, folks.
Day one, numero uno, a fresh start, the new beginning. Finally.
I weighed in today. I was 300.6 this morning. It's not my highest (that was 312) but I think the last time I willingly got on my own scale I was 285. Last night I cleaned out my fridge and pantry. No point in keeping food around that I can't eat and will go bad without me noticing.
This was my fridge last night. I am going grocery shopping tomorrow for more produce. Right now I am sitting in class on break drinking my protein shake and water. I took my gummy daily vitamins this morning. (Which are delish, by the way.) I snapped a couple of before pictures this morning before I left for class. I rarely take pictures of anything more than my face. So looking at these picture, I realize that I am much bigger than I picture myself in my head.
Oh well, at least the numbers are only going to go down from here!!!
Day one, numero uno, a fresh start, the new beginning. Finally.
I weighed in today. I was 300.6 this morning. It's not my highest (that was 312) but I think the last time I willingly got on my own scale I was 285. Last night I cleaned out my fridge and pantry. No point in keeping food around that I can't eat and will go bad without me noticing.
This was my fridge last night. I am going grocery shopping tomorrow for more produce. Right now I am sitting in class on break drinking my protein shake and water. I took my gummy daily vitamins this morning. (Which are delish, by the way.) I snapped a couple of before pictures this morning before I left for class. I rarely take pictures of anything more than my face. So looking at these picture, I realize that I am much bigger than I picture myself in my head.
Oh well, at least the numbers are only going to go down from here!!!
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Nerves are kicking in!
On Thursday (6th) I start my pre-op diet. Next Tuesday (11th) I meet with the surgeon for my pre-op appointment. That next Thursday (14th) I go to a support group. On Monday (17th) Mom flies in to be my nurse and the 20th is surgery! This month is going to fly by. At any given moment I am either having a full on panic attack or I am completely at peace and ready to go! My panic isn't that I'm doubtful. I don't even have words to express my panic. I called Mom earlier to talk about it and I almost started bawling. I held it back just because I didn't want her to worry. And because I know I have no valid worries about the surgery. Well, no valid worries about the after effects of the surgery because I am ready for all those changes. It's just the surgery itself that is making me panic, which I know is silly because it is such a routine surgery and the risks are minimal but I have always been the kind of person that when I have a headache I go through a checklist before I reach for the Advil:
Am I hungry? Nope.
Do I need some caffeine? Nope.
Am I dehydrated? Nope.
Is it the environment/noise/smells giving me a headache? Nope.
Okay, take a couple Advil.
I guess I have kind of done a similar checklist of trying to loose weight without the band for the last 8 years of my life and now I am finally reaching for the Advil (surgery).
I'll update on Thursday with my pre-op diet weight!
Am I hungry? Nope.
Do I need some caffeine? Nope.
Am I dehydrated? Nope.
Is it the environment/noise/smells giving me a headache? Nope.
Okay, take a couple Advil.
I guess I have kind of done a similar checklist of trying to loose weight without the band for the last 8 years of my life and now I am finally reaching for the Advil (surgery).
I'll update on Thursday with my pre-op diet weight!
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Ten things for Thursday
1. I am so excited to finish school and become a court reporter. I think it's an interesting field and my days/cases can/will be interesting. Also, I feel special that I know this foreign "language" that blows everyone's minds.
2. My favorite color is red.
3. My favorite flower is Sunflower. Yes, I know my Kansas is showing.
4. I was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas and I moved to Tempe, Arizona almost three years ago.
5. I am the youngest of four. I have 6 nephews and 4 nieces (plus, one more to determined on June 21!)
6. One of my nieces passed away almost two years ago and I always told her that on her 18th birthday, I'd go sky diving with her so in August 2016, I'm going sky diving even though I am terrified of heights.
7. As a child I loved horses and bunnies but it turned out I was very allergic to them.
8. When I was young, I was setting the table for my Mom for Sunday dinner and I was carrying a stack of plates and stepped on our dog's tail and when he jumped, I dropped all the plates. I cut my finger so badly that if it was any deeper, I would have lost the top knuckle portion of my left pointer finger. Now, I have a scar in the shape of the christian fish symbol.
9. I always brush my teeth when I shower because I don't feel completely clean if I still have morning breath.
10. I am so happy to have started this blog and reached out to future and current lap-banders. I am grateful for the support and advice you guys give to me!
2. My favorite color is red.
3. My favorite flower is Sunflower. Yes, I know my Kansas is showing.
4. I was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas and I moved to Tempe, Arizona almost three years ago.
5. I am the youngest of four. I have 6 nephews and 4 nieces (plus, one more to determined on June 21!)
6. One of my nieces passed away almost two years ago and I always told her that on her 18th birthday, I'd go sky diving with her so in August 2016, I'm going sky diving even though I am terrified of heights.
7. As a child I loved horses and bunnies but it turned out I was very allergic to them.
8. When I was young, I was setting the table for my Mom for Sunday dinner and I was carrying a stack of plates and stepped on our dog's tail and when he jumped, I dropped all the plates. I cut my finger so badly that if it was any deeper, I would have lost the top knuckle portion of my left pointer finger. Now, I have a scar in the shape of the christian fish symbol.
9. I always brush my teeth when I shower because I don't feel completely clean if I still have morning breath.
10. I am so happy to have started this blog and reached out to future and current lap-banders. I am grateful for the support and advice you guys give to me!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Stress release
Can I just say, thank goodness for my AMAZING Mother?? She is my rock and has been supportive of me in everything that I've ever wanted to do with my life. She and I talked the other day and she gave me a little more insight into the process of the "financial things" that are going on. I'm not going to get into too many details about it here because it's boring but just knowing what the steps are and what is being done helps me to feel WAY less stressed about the surgery. She even has a plan B and C! Now, it's not so much of an 'IF' the money comes through but 'WHEN' the money comes through. Phew, that's a load of my shoulders.
So after that conversation with my Mom, I am definitely getting excited!! I even started stocking up on things that I am going to need.
Also, I have decided that I need straws for my after-surgery phase, I'm not entirely sure why I decided that they are very important but I have. So, this weekend while stocking up and running errands I checked stores for straws and only found the crappy bendy kind. I want straight ones. So now, everytime I go to QT for a pop, I grab a handful and stick them in my purse. I figure by the end of June, I'll be plenty stocked! :D
I really only have two main concerns about surgery
1. The pre-op diet: I have been instructed to replace two meals a day with protein shakes and to have one healthy meal a day. (4-6 oz of lean protein, veggies and 1 cup of fruit. Plus, of course, water.) I am worried that I am going to be hungry all the time. Two weeks is a long time to be hungry, but really it will be more like hanger (anger+hunger). How did you guys deal with the pre-op diet? I know that I will just buckle down and do it, but does anyone have tips or suggestions?? :)
2. I love Diet Pepsi. Like, a lot. I know, I know, it's terrible, and horrible, and addictive, and makes you crave more sweets, and has aspartame... I know. But I love it. I can't help it. I can and will cut it out for the two weeks prior to surgery and I've been told that I can have it after surgery (a few weeks) as long as I let it go flat (Ew!) because burping with the band doesn't really happen. So, my question is, who else in the banded community is a pop lover and have you given it up or just drink it flat?
And on a random note:
This is my niece, Brinkley. My sister sent me this video today and it melted my heart. I know I'm a little partial since she is family and all but it made my day.
So after that conversation with my Mom, I am definitely getting excited!! I even started stocking up on things that I am going to need.
I really only have two main concerns about surgery
1. The pre-op diet: I have been instructed to replace two meals a day with protein shakes and to have one healthy meal a day. (4-6 oz of lean protein, veggies and 1 cup of fruit. Plus, of course, water.) I am worried that I am going to be hungry all the time. Two weeks is a long time to be hungry, but really it will be more like hanger (anger+hunger). How did you guys deal with the pre-op diet? I know that I will just buckle down and do it, but does anyone have tips or suggestions?? :)
2. I love Diet Pepsi. Like, a lot. I know, I know, it's terrible, and horrible, and addictive, and makes you crave more sweets, and has aspartame... I know. But I love it. I can't help it. I can and will cut it out for the two weeks prior to surgery and I've been told that I can have it after surgery (a few weeks) as long as I let it go flat (Ew!) because burping with the band doesn't really happen. So, my question is, who else in the banded community is a pop lover and have you given it up or just drink it flat?
And on a random note:
This is my niece, Brinkley. My sister sent me this video today and it melted my heart. I know I'm a little partial since she is family and all but it made my day.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Another night gone.
Well, I have spent the entire night binge reading blogs about lap band surgery. I love reading about their successes and honesty when things weren't ideal or they might have cheated a little. It gives me hope that post-surgery I don't have to reform myself into this perfect eating/exercising machine. Do I need to make major changes and adjustments? Absolutely! But there is no reason to hold the pressure of perfection on myself. It seems silly even just thinking about it now.
We are playing the waiting game to hear from the bank about the loan. I'm praying it comes through.
I am so excited for this change in my life. I feel like I spend all of my free time thinking about the surgery, the changes that will happen after the surgery, wondering how fast the weight will come off after, if people will even notice, how much the liquid phase and mush phase post-surgery is going to suck, how much pain I'm going to be in and for how long... The list pretty much never ends. I've kind of stopped talking to my friends about it because I don't want to annoy them with all of these hypothetical questions about a surgery that I still have no money for. Gah, I wish the bank would come back with an answer already.
I don't really have too mush else to say. Summer school has officially started this week and I am already feeling buried in homework. Only 34 more days to go! And, yes, I started counting down the first week. It's that torturous.
We are playing the waiting game to hear from the bank about the loan. I'm praying it comes through.
I am so excited for this change in my life. I feel like I spend all of my free time thinking about the surgery, the changes that will happen after the surgery, wondering how fast the weight will come off after, if people will even notice, how much the liquid phase and mush phase post-surgery is going to suck, how much pain I'm going to be in and for how long... The list pretty much never ends. I've kind of stopped talking to my friends about it because I don't want to annoy them with all of these hypothetical questions about a surgery that I still have no money for. Gah, I wish the bank would come back with an answer already.
I don't really have too mush else to say. Summer school has officially started this week and I am already feeling buried in homework. Only 34 more days to go! And, yes, I started counting down the first week. It's that torturous.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
How to tell the world?
Do I just tell everyone? Do I shout it from the rooftops? Or do I keep it to myself because this is a personal journey? That is exactly the crossroads that I am at right now. I'm not necessarily a private person. I am very honest and truthful. It's not like if you look at me that you can't tell that I am unhealthy. I could definitely use any and all support and love that I receive from friends and family during this new chapter of my life.
Truly the only thing keeping me from mentioning this on Facebook yet is that when I talked to my teacher about missing a few classes, she didn't give me a definitive answer. She said, "Well let's take it week by week and see where we are in a month." How does that work? You get to decide if having surgery is a valid reason to miss class depending on your mood? I did not tell her what my surgery is for and because of hippa laws, she can't ask. If I bring in a note from a surgeon saying I am having surgery and need (blank) days to recover and she decides to excuse those absences then it doesn't matter what I was having surgery for. Yes, this is an elective surgery but it is to improve my health and I'm not arguing by any means that this is medically my only option for loosing weight. All I am saying is, if she is excusing the absences for surgery then it is none of her business what the surgery is for. I would feel 100% better about this if she gave a definitive answer either way. My plan is to just come to class every day until surgery and then only miss, hopefully, Thursday (day of surgery), and be able to be back at it on Monday.
Well, that turned into the quite the rant, sorry about that.
And I didn't even come up with an answer for my question.
I think I am going to post a link to this blog on my Facebook so that people that want to stay updated can read about it here and my Facebook page doesn't turn into a commercial for Lap-Band.. Hahaha.
I will post a link.
Eventually.
**EDIT: Mom booked her flight for the 17th so everything is set for surgery!!! Everything except for hearing back about the loan. I know Mom is anxious to hear back about it too.
Truly the only thing keeping me from mentioning this on Facebook yet is that when I talked to my teacher about missing a few classes, she didn't give me a definitive answer. She said, "Well let's take it week by week and see where we are in a month." How does that work? You get to decide if having surgery is a valid reason to miss class depending on your mood? I did not tell her what my surgery is for and because of hippa laws, she can't ask. If I bring in a note from a surgeon saying I am having surgery and need (blank) days to recover and she decides to excuse those absences then it doesn't matter what I was having surgery for. Yes, this is an elective surgery but it is to improve my health and I'm not arguing by any means that this is medically my only option for loosing weight. All I am saying is, if she is excusing the absences for surgery then it is none of her business what the surgery is for. I would feel 100% better about this if she gave a definitive answer either way. My plan is to just come to class every day until surgery and then only miss, hopefully, Thursday (day of surgery), and be able to be back at it on Monday.
Well, that turned into the quite the rant, sorry about that.
And I didn't even come up with an answer for my question.
I think I am going to post a link to this blog on my Facebook so that people that want to stay updated can read about it here and my Facebook page doesn't turn into a commercial for Lap-Band.. Hahaha.
I will post a link.
Eventually.
**EDIT: Mom booked her flight for the 17th so everything is set for surgery!!! Everything except for hearing back about the loan. I know Mom is anxious to hear back about it too.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Surgery Scheduled!
June 20th is the magical day. Although, I'm sure nothing about that day will be magical... Ha! Surgery is officially set and the pre-op appointment is set for June 11 at 1:30. The second Thursday of June is support group that the are encouraging me to go to, so I will. That's the 13th. My pre-op diet will start the 6th. It will consist of protein drinks for breakfast and dinner and a small serving of white meat with 2 cups veggies and 1 cup of fruit for lunch. The diet will help to get rid of as much fatty tissue around my liver as possible before surgery.
My summer semester started today and I mentioned that I am going to have to miss some days for surgery and they seemed to be understanding but I will see how it goes when it gets closer to the actual date of surgery. The teachers are so hot and cold about this kind of stuff.
My Mom tried to talk to Allegiant about changing her itinerary for her June trip so that she can be here for surgery and they wouldn't work with her in person. So she is going to call sometime this week to see what they can work out. She is thinking that she will come in on the 17th and spend some time with other family in the area and then be back in Tempe on Wednesday night before surgery!
I am weirdly not nervous at all. We are kind moving forward with all of this having faith that everything financially will come together because all of the kinks haven't been worked out of that yet. Here is to praying that everything works out. It will, if it's the right next step in my life.
My summer semester started today and I mentioned that I am going to have to miss some days for surgery and they seemed to be understanding but I will see how it goes when it gets closer to the actual date of surgery. The teachers are so hot and cold about this kind of stuff.
My Mom tried to talk to Allegiant about changing her itinerary for her June trip so that she can be here for surgery and they wouldn't work with her in person. So she is going to call sometime this week to see what they can work out. She is thinking that she will come in on the 17th and spend some time with other family in the area and then be back in Tempe on Wednesday night before surgery!
I am weirdly not nervous at all. We are kind moving forward with all of this having faith that everything financially will come together because all of the kinks haven't been worked out of that yet. Here is to praying that everything works out. It will, if it's the right next step in my life.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Quick Update
Financial things are still in the process. Talked to Mom a little bit about it and she expressed concern that it wasn't coming together as easily as she has initially hoped for. As it turns out, pulling out of her IRA account would make her pay taxes and fees of around $3000 so we are back to processing some new ideas to come up with the money up front on our own. With that being said, we have come up with a tentative date of surgery. June 20th. My Mom has round trip tickets to fly in June 21st to visit family and see my niece off on her mission. So we are thinking she could either pay the fee to change her itinerary or just buy a separate one-way flight for the 19th, whatever is cheapest. That way she can be here for surgery and a few days after for recovery and then she will road trip with the rest of the family to Utah to drop off my niece.
I think I have spent at least an hour or more everyday reading different forums and articles on the Internet about lap band, both the positive and negatives. The patient advocate at the Doctor's office wants me to start going to the support group. It's only once a month so I think I can manage that, I mean, this is only a life changing decision and all.
I feel a little nervous about telling the world about it. So far it's only been close friends and family that I've mentioned it to. I don't want to be told that this is going to make me sick and miserable or that I'm too lazy to the lose the weight on my own. I know everyone has their opinions about it but I only want people that can be supportive of my decision and trust that I have been researching and educating myself involved in this process. I've read about the bad side effects, the people who want it out because they feel it didn't help and everything else. I even read an article about a man whose wife went in to have lap band and died a few days later. I know the statistics. I know the risks. I also know what it's like to be morbidly obese, uncomfortable in my own skin and to get out of breath from cleaning their bathroom.
I'm nervous that people will be mean or rude. I suppose if they are, then they were no friend of mine.
Anyway, I guess those are my thoughts for the day. Off to work!
I think I have spent at least an hour or more everyday reading different forums and articles on the Internet about lap band, both the positive and negatives. The patient advocate at the Doctor's office wants me to start going to the support group. It's only once a month so I think I can manage that, I mean, this is only a life changing decision and all.
I feel a little nervous about telling the world about it. So far it's only been close friends and family that I've mentioned it to. I don't want to be told that this is going to make me sick and miserable or that I'm too lazy to the lose the weight on my own. I know everyone has their opinions about it but I only want people that can be supportive of my decision and trust that I have been researching and educating myself involved in this process. I've read about the bad side effects, the people who want it out because they feel it didn't help and everything else. I even read an article about a man whose wife went in to have lap band and died a few days later. I know the statistics. I know the risks. I also know what it's like to be morbidly obese, uncomfortable in my own skin and to get out of breath from cleaning their bathroom.
I'm nervous that people will be mean or rude. I suppose if they are, then they were no friend of mine.
Anyway, I guess those are my thoughts for the day. Off to work!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The next step
Well, things are progressing quickly! I talked to my sister (Kristy) today to find out the best next step to make. She assigned me several tasks to do because I was starting to feel overwhelmed by all the things that needed to happen. I knew I was at a stand still because I was not approved for the Care Credit card to pay for the surgery so I was stuck. I read the Lap-band book cover to cover. I've looked into all kinds of side effects, long term lasting effects and every other thing that I can think of. I knew I wanted to do the surgery, even though the idea of it scares the crap out of me (still).
Task one: Make a proposal to Mom. If the surgery was going to happen, I needed to get the help of my Mom. I sat down at the computer and typed it out, read it over, retyped, read it over again, realized that I was very nervous to send this email and sent it before I deleted it.
Task two: Make appointment to get blood work order completed. Easy enough. I went online, set it up for tomorrow and voila! Done.
Task three: Find out the next step financially from the patient advocate and how to get financing through the office. I attempted and ended up playing phone tag with her for the rest of the day and never did get a hold of her but I'm sure I will hear from her tomorrow morning.
After I got these finished up my Mom was calling me, time to find out. Mom and I had a long talk about how this is a huge commitment and that this was not a gift. It was a loan, a loan that would be paid back as soon as I had the money to do so. Both of which I knew and have already been processing. In the end, the conversation ended with her saying she needs tomorrow to talk to her financial guy and see what she can move around so we can avoid paying 14.9% interest on the loan from the doctor's office.
Once we get the money situation figured out and secured, the next step will be to schedule the surgery!! Whew, what a whirlwind the last week has been!
Task one: Make a proposal to Mom. If the surgery was going to happen, I needed to get the help of my Mom. I sat down at the computer and typed it out, read it over, retyped, read it over again, realized that I was very nervous to send this email and sent it before I deleted it.
Task two: Make appointment to get blood work order completed. Easy enough. I went online, set it up for tomorrow and voila! Done.
Task three: Find out the next step financially from the patient advocate and how to get financing through the office. I attempted and ended up playing phone tag with her for the rest of the day and never did get a hold of her but I'm sure I will hear from her tomorrow morning.
After I got these finished up my Mom was calling me, time to find out. Mom and I had a long talk about how this is a huge commitment and that this was not a gift. It was a loan, a loan that would be paid back as soon as I had the money to do so. Both of which I knew and have already been processing. In the end, the conversation ended with her saying she needs tomorrow to talk to her financial guy and see what she can move around so we can avoid paying 14.9% interest on the loan from the doctor's office.
Once we get the money situation figured out and secured, the next step will be to schedule the surgery!! Whew, what a whirlwind the last week has been!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Lap band surgery?
I don't always eat healthy and I don't exercise and I never, in the past, enjoyed exercising. Well, maybe not so much, "not enjoyed" but just haven't done. Yes, I know it's horrible and I ate every single pound onto my self. I have slowly gained weight ever since I can remember being image aware. By the time I was even aware of what other people looked like I was already bigger than most girls I knew. I was self-conscious and wanted to change it but could never commit to it. I have tried almost every diet out there. I have tried NutriSystem, HerbaLife, HealtheTrim, LA Weight Loss, Weight Watchers, Atkins and many others. I had success with most of these to an extent but then I would hit that 6th-7th week, start plateauing and quit. EVERY. TIME. At which point I would pity eat, then self-loathing eat and finally not-caring eat. This has been the pattern of my eating/health my entire life. At some point during high school I found a good group of friends, a boyfriend and had a normal life. I didn't get made fun of or teased about my weight, at least not to my face, and just adjusted the the fact that I was always going to be a little fat.
The past two years of my life had been the hardest years of my life. Before July 1, 2011, I had never had a death in the family as close as my niece My paternal grandparents both passed when I was still very young and adjusted fairly quickly. Whitney's death hit me like a ton of bricks, as well as most of my family, too. After her death I felt and harbored a lot of misplaced guilt and pain in my life. The simplest things in life, like showering or getting dressed, seemed like daunting tasks. I think it got to a point, however, that I realized that I needed to stop crying and I quickly found out that when I ate McDonald's or Taco Bell, I felt a little better. Of course, I only felt better for a moment and then the loathing would begin. Let's just say it was a forever cycle in a self-destructive fog and before I realized it and the fog finally lifted I found myself to be pushing 300 pounds. In the last 10 months, I again started the eat healthy campaign for myself and started with a diet called Xyngular, which I did for a few months and grew so tired of the food, I would go all day without eating just to avoid the stupid eye of round steak and veggies that I was allowed. After a few days of not eating much, I broke and ate almost anything that my fat kid heart desired. I also signed up for the Color Run which was a 5k that I did complete, mostly walking because I was not in the physical shape that I had been hoping to be in (because of my own slacking) and I did a few personal training sessions. Even with all of these efforts, I didn't get the results that I was hoping for.
I had a very long conversation with my sister and Mom about these issues and the topic of weight loss surgery came up. My sister had Gastric Bypass quite a while ago and had amazing results but I never thought it was really an option for me. However, there are many different types and many less invasive procedures now that did catch my attention. So about 4 months ago, the idea was planted in my head. After talking to Kristy (sister), the first thing we knew I would need to do was to get a check up and blood work panel from my doctor. The idea was kind of left at that and dropped by me because the idea of surgery terrifies me and the thought that I am fat enough to think of a weight loss surgery as a viable option made me hate myself more than before and also because I am a professional procrastinator and I wasn't looking forward to a doctor's appointment that was bound to end with being told how close to diabetes I am and that I had high blood pressure, or high cholesterol and that I needed to loose weight yesterday.
After a few months of pestering, Kristy (sister) got her way and I set up an appointment.
I was told that I was borderline diabetic with a little bit of high cholesterol but nothing that weight loss wouldn't fix right away. The most surprising thing that I left the doctor's office with that afternoon was a diagnosis of PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome) and a prescription for Metformin which I was told was this miracle hormone pill that will balance all of my issues, help me loose weight and fix all my other problems. Amazing, right? Wrong. I took it for about a week and then upped it to twice a day, like I was prescribed and all of the side effects kicked in. I felt jittery, foggy, tired, shaky and mood swings. If I didn't eat the second I felt myself getting hungry, I was sick to my stomach for hours. So, naturally, I quit taking it, making my hormones unbalanced again, making it very difficult to loose weight again. So here I am, in the cycle again of loosing 10 pounds, gaining 10 pounds. I swear, I have been loosing and gaining back the same 15-20 pounds for years now.
Now, skip ahead a little bit to last week. I am on break from school last week and this week so I had free time and have spent the majority of last week researching the lap band procedure. I set up an appointment with True Results in Scottsdale for Monday morning (today.)
So today I went to just find out more and see what insurance says about it. Insurance, of course, said no, which didn't surprise me so I was on to find out what kind on financing options I had. I was a little surprised to find out the total cost of surgery, anesthesia and 1 year of post op appointments is only $9,988. I had a much higher number in my head! The doctor's office has a credit care system that I can apply for and it will cover the cost completely and leave with me 60 payments of $234/month. If I get rejected from their credit program, which also wouldn't surprise me because I don't have a great history, they will finance me for $5,500 and then I am left to come up with the other $4,388 cash before surgery. Then I will have 36 payments of $190.39/month. They offered me to take the next step while there and since I had the time and it was covered by insurance, I went ahead and did it. I got an EKG and pulmonary function test. Both came back with good results and I am on to the next step which is taking all of this information in, thinking over finances/talking to parents, and getting a blood panel done.
If this ends up going through, I will use this blog to talk about my experiences and my thoughts as I experience them.
The past two years of my life had been the hardest years of my life. Before July 1, 2011, I had never had a death in the family as close as my niece My paternal grandparents both passed when I was still very young and adjusted fairly quickly. Whitney's death hit me like a ton of bricks, as well as most of my family, too. After her death I felt and harbored a lot of misplaced guilt and pain in my life. The simplest things in life, like showering or getting dressed, seemed like daunting tasks. I think it got to a point, however, that I realized that I needed to stop crying and I quickly found out that when I ate McDonald's or Taco Bell, I felt a little better. Of course, I only felt better for a moment and then the loathing would begin. Let's just say it was a forever cycle in a self-destructive fog and before I realized it and the fog finally lifted I found myself to be pushing 300 pounds. In the last 10 months, I again started the eat healthy campaign for myself and started with a diet called Xyngular, which I did for a few months and grew so tired of the food, I would go all day without eating just to avoid the stupid eye of round steak and veggies that I was allowed. After a few days of not eating much, I broke and ate almost anything that my fat kid heart desired. I also signed up for the Color Run which was a 5k that I did complete, mostly walking because I was not in the physical shape that I had been hoping to be in (because of my own slacking) and I did a few personal training sessions. Even with all of these efforts, I didn't get the results that I was hoping for.
I had a very long conversation with my sister and Mom about these issues and the topic of weight loss surgery came up. My sister had Gastric Bypass quite a while ago and had amazing results but I never thought it was really an option for me. However, there are many different types and many less invasive procedures now that did catch my attention. So about 4 months ago, the idea was planted in my head. After talking to Kristy (sister), the first thing we knew I would need to do was to get a check up and blood work panel from my doctor. The idea was kind of left at that and dropped by me because the idea of surgery terrifies me and the thought that I am fat enough to think of a weight loss surgery as a viable option made me hate myself more than before and also because I am a professional procrastinator and I wasn't looking forward to a doctor's appointment that was bound to end with being told how close to diabetes I am and that I had high blood pressure, or high cholesterol and that I needed to loose weight yesterday.
After a few months of pestering, Kristy (sister) got her way and I set up an appointment.
I was told that I was borderline diabetic with a little bit of high cholesterol but nothing that weight loss wouldn't fix right away. The most surprising thing that I left the doctor's office with that afternoon was a diagnosis of PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome) and a prescription for Metformin which I was told was this miracle hormone pill that will balance all of my issues, help me loose weight and fix all my other problems. Amazing, right? Wrong. I took it for about a week and then upped it to twice a day, like I was prescribed and all of the side effects kicked in. I felt jittery, foggy, tired, shaky and mood swings. If I didn't eat the second I felt myself getting hungry, I was sick to my stomach for hours. So, naturally, I quit taking it, making my hormones unbalanced again, making it very difficult to loose weight again. So here I am, in the cycle again of loosing 10 pounds, gaining 10 pounds. I swear, I have been loosing and gaining back the same 15-20 pounds for years now.
Now, skip ahead a little bit to last week. I am on break from school last week and this week so I had free time and have spent the majority of last week researching the lap band procedure. I set up an appointment with True Results in Scottsdale for Monday morning (today.)
So today I went to just find out more and see what insurance says about it. Insurance, of course, said no, which didn't surprise me so I was on to find out what kind on financing options I had. I was a little surprised to find out the total cost of surgery, anesthesia and 1 year of post op appointments is only $9,988. I had a much higher number in my head! The doctor's office has a credit care system that I can apply for and it will cover the cost completely and leave with me 60 payments of $234/month. If I get rejected from their credit program, which also wouldn't surprise me because I don't have a great history, they will finance me for $5,500 and then I am left to come up with the other $4,388 cash before surgery. Then I will have 36 payments of $190.39/month. They offered me to take the next step while there and since I had the time and it was covered by insurance, I went ahead and did it. I got an EKG and pulmonary function test. Both came back with good results and I am on to the next step which is taking all of this information in, thinking over finances/talking to parents, and getting a blood panel done.
If this ends up going through, I will use this blog to talk about my experiences and my thoughts as I experience them.
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