Hi....

Well, it's still going great! I'm losing....ever so slowly, but at least I'm losing. I'm at my lowest point since the surgery. I can't believe April will make 2 years with the band. I can't imagine how miserable I would have been by now, if I hadn't had the surgery. Yes, it is a slow weightloss, but it is SO worth it. I don't have saggy skin. My skin is still firm, and in place! LOL

I could have lost this weight a lot faster, if my fills had been more aggressive in the beginning, but oh well. I'm happy to be where I am now. It's so much fun, looking into my closet, and pulling out clothes that I haven't been able to wear for 9 years, and they FIT. It is a wonderful feeling, even if they are outdated!

I really want to lose about 25 more pounds. That doesn't seem like such an impossible feat now! I remember how I felt BEFORE surgery. When I thought about how much weight I wanted to lose, it just seemed like the impossible dream! Now, I'm ALMOST there! Hallelujah!
OK, I'll talk more later....

Hey Everybody!

I haven't fallen off the wagon! I'm still here. Happy to say that I made it through the holiday season without gaining an ounce!! I had some problems with the band before Christmas, but God got me through it! I had stomach flu, which is the ABSOLUTE worst thing that can happen when you have a band. (As a side note...try to always keep some phenergan on hand, and in case of an emergency you can take a Benadryl. Works better than NOTHING...if you can keep it down.) I was in Tennessee when it hit. Got a phernergan from my cousin, but it really didn't help. I can't remember EVER being that sick!!! It was so bad!



Got back home to Iowa, and found out that about 80% of our church family had ALSO gotten it. Plus I had taken my girls (Missionettes) from church camping the weekend before we left, and ALL of them had it too!! Must had been some really contagious stuff!!



Anyway, throwing up caused irritation, which lead to more irritation, which lead to...I couldn't DRINK WATER!! OK, so I had no way to pull saline out, and I thought I was gonna DIE. I prayed and prayed that God would help me get through it. He did! I found a medical supply co, where I could get a needle to access my port. OK, now could I get the courage to stick myself??? AND, if so, could I hit the port without messing something up? I picked up the needle, and prayed "God PLEASE help me do this!" I hit the port on the very first stick!!! Pulled out a couple of cc's.



I was able to drink water again!!! I had to let everything heal in there, so I waited about a week, and with God's help, once again accessed my port, and put the 2cc's back in.



Now, I'm sure you are all thinking I'm NUTS for doing that. I am NOT encouraging anyone to do that! My cousin is an RN, and when I was in TN, she trained me to do it, if I ever ended up in an emergency type situation. I considered it an Emergency! Plus the nearest doctor that could help me was over 300 miles away, and wouldn't be back in office for a week! SOOOOO.....yep.

OK, so now things are awesome! Had a wonderful Christmas! Hubby bought me a DSLR for Christmas, and I'm doing my first wedding this July!!! I'm terrified. The wedding is in TN. The happy couple are coming up around Jan. 30th so I can do engagement photos. They want to go to Madison county and have some pics done on the bridge. Hope we still have some snow! That would be pretty. Hope they are prepared for the fierce Iowa winters. It was definitely an adjustment for me when we moved here!

OK, I'm rambling! So, I haven't been on here for so long, because I've been so busy with STUFF. I'm the drama director at church, and also have joined the choir, (which I LOVE) and I teach a class every Wednesday night, so it keeps me busy. God is really doing awesome things in our church, and I'm so happy to be a part of it!

Well, I've gotta go, but I will TRY to post again.......SOON.

Sorry, I haven't been on in awhile! Boy, do I have exciting news for you though!!!!! I'm SO thrilled!! I am now in ONDERLAND!! That's right! I now weigh 198! I was beginning to think I would NEVER see the 100's again, but I DID IT. I'm on cloud nine! Well, I gotta go, but I wanted to let you know that I'm still going!!

IT'S WORKING!

I'm so happy! It's working, it's working, it's working!!! Amazing what having the right fill amount can do!! I weighed 202 this morning!! I can't believe it! I stayed at 210-208 for what seemed like an ETERNITY. Those scales wouldn't budge. Now, I'm dropping really fast!! Like a pound or TWO a day. I know this won't last, but I'm SURE loving it right now!

I'm finally able to get some solid foods down. I think that is ONE big reason the scales are finally moving. My body doesn't think I'm starving it now! I'm looking for 199!! When I hit 199.5, I'm gonna do a happy dance like you've never seen!! Should be soon now!!!!! YIPPPPPPEEEEEE

It's WORKING!

Ok, so the past few days since my fill have been....well....how do I put this? EXCRUCIATING?!?!? LOL I have never experienced true restriction, so this is really taking some getting used to. Sometimes liquid will not go down. I can't take my Wellbutrin pills, because they get stuck EVERYTIME. I've never gotten a pill stuck until now, and let me tell you...it is NOT FUN. It HURTS BAD!

I did liquids only, for a few days to try to get things calmed down a bit, after the pill got stuck. I think I had major irritation. So, in the mornings, I have a hot cup of coffee to try to loosen it up a bit, then I attempt to take my SMALLEST pill. Then around lunch, I try to have something like soup, or some type of meat like a turkey hot dog or something. As long as I chew it like a food processor, and take TINY TINY bites, it will go down. But, one hot dog FILLS me up!! Then it's off to the treadmill or gazelle, for 45 minutes.

Then for supper, maybe a small salad, with bleu cheese dressing, and some veggie toppings, and croutons. CHEW CHEW CHEW like mad again, and I can get most of it down. About an hour later, I SIP Crystal Light, and then it's off to bed.

The scale is being VERY stubborn, but the inches are falling off!! I can really tell it in my clothes!
I'm down to my lowest weight since surgery, 207.5. I've lost 1.25" in my waist, 1.25" in my thighs, 0.5" in my calves, 0.25" in my arms, 1.75" in my tummy!!!! And 0.75" in my hips!
So, I'm excited! If you don't take your measurements, I would really encourage it!! Those scales can really discourage you, if you don't know what's going on with your measurements!

OK, so I've rattled on enough. I'm just really excited. I REALLY want to get down to 160 by Christmas. I don't know if that will be possible, but I'm definitley TRYING my best to achieve it! Total weightloss so far: 39.5lbs!

FINALLY RESTRICTION

Well, I went to Tennessee for a visit, and my cousin, (the RN) gave me a fill. She did better than anyone else who has attempted it!! She has a band, and does her own fills now, so she knows very well, how to do it. She hit the port the very first time, and I didn't feel a thing!!

So, anyway, I'm TIGHT. Really tight. She took a little out before I left, but I think I'm still pretty tight. About 3 bites of food is ALL I can eat! I decided to go on a liquid diet for about a week. Hopefully I will lose enough to loosen it up a bit.

I've also added exercise to my regimen, and that has helped a BUNCH! The pounds are being a bit stubborn, but I'm losing inches, and I can really tell it in my clothes. SO, I'm thinking THIS time, it's gonna work! Thanks to my cousin! I'll keep you posted!
I'm down to 208.5. That is the lowest weight I've reached since my surgery! :-)
I'd really like to be at 160 by Christmas, and I think I'll be able to reach that goal!! I hope!

OK, Here We Go Again!

OK, I'm back! I'm pretty happy actually. I am at 210.5 on the weightloss scale. I haven't had a fill since I was last on here. So, I'm guessing the Omnipaque actually worked! I still have restriction! I know I need another fill though. I'm gonna try to shoot for Sept. I want to lose a little more before I get another fill, so I can get a tighter fill.

So, anyway....now I'm not so upset with the band. In fact, I'm sure I would have already gained ALL this weight back, if I hadn't gotten it. I'm just ready to lose the rest of this weight. And, I'm pretty sure I can!
See ya soon!

I've been gone for awhile, huh?

"No news," isn't always "good news!" The truth is....the reason I haven't been here is because I have been SO depressed about this stupid band! I have gained 6 pounds! I have totally been feeling like I have wasted $10,000 on another failed DIET.



Yes, I wanted this blog to be a happy story, from beginning to end, but it just doesn't always turn out that way does it? BUT, you need to know the truth in all it's gorey details. Don't worry, I haven't given up. I said I haven't been here because I have been depressed about the band, but obviously, Im back now. So here goes...

Either my band has a slow leak, or I'm just one of those crazy people that "absorbs" my fills!! Whatever...anyway, this time the doctor pulled out all the saline, and we replaced it with Omnipaque. This is a thicker fluid. It's radiopaque (contrast) so it can be seen under fluoro. There was no sign of any leaking out, so I don't have an "obvious" leak anyway.

Omnipaque can also work as "fix a flat" for bands. It also gives a MUCH tighter fill, and is much less forgiving! Which I am finding out DAILY.

I got this fill on Friday night. It is Tuesday, and I'm STILL VERY TIGHT. If I don't start losing weight now, then my body must be CRAZY. I'm having trouble with cream soup today, so I think I'll be going back to broth for a little while.
Long story short....omnipaque seems to be an answer to PRAYER. I now KNOW what restriction is, for the FIRST time since I've been banded. I believe this restriction will stick around for awhile. So, hopefully you'll be seeing a lot more of me....or should I say a lot "less of me!"

Anyway....my loss at this point is -31 pounds! Not 37....dangit!

It's working!

I'm REALLY happy. I lost the pounds I gained after having all my fill taken away, and I've even lost MORE! I'm down to 209.5 now. Yippee! I'm working at it a little. Not really though. I did 20 mins on my Gazelle yesterday, and today. But, I'm not really watching what I eat. I seem to have a problem with the word "diet" or "watching what I eat." Weird I know, but if I tell myself, "hey, I'm gonna start watching what I eat," It's like I go into starvation mode. I know it's mental, but I can't think about ANYTHING but food!

So, I have decided to just eat what I want, stop with one serving, and try to keep busy, so that I'm not thinkin about food 24/7. Seems to be working so far.
37.5 pounds lost!

Restriction....

I've FINALLY got it! It's not as much as I COULD have, but I do have some, which is GREAT!
We ordered take out Chinese this weekend, and I was only able to eat 3 or 4 bites of General Tso's chicken, a few bites of fried rice, and a couple of bites of an egg roll!! I've been doing really good at NOT drinking anything with my meals too. So, I'm hoping to see the pounds start dropping. We'll see. I'd really like to lose at LEAST 10 pounds before Christmas! Of course, I still need to lose the 3 pounds I GAINED while my band was empty!!! So, I would REALLY like to lose 15 pounds, that would put me at 199.

That would be QUITE a stretch before Christmas, especially with Thanksgiving, and all the holiday goodies! Oh well, I gotta TRY!

WHEWWWWW.....

Well, I'm THRILLED to say, my Lap-Band is FINE. No leaks, no damaged port, no slippage, erosion or stretched pouch! I'm SO relieved. I went to Chicago last night, and Dr. Vitello thoroughly checked the system. I saw it all through fluoroscopy, and was happy to see it working as it should.

However, my band WAS completely empty! That is exactly what I had suspected. The first time my "home doc" (we will refer to her as that from this point on) managed to access my port she pulled out 2cc's. Then she injected me with 2.6, which actually went into my flesh, and NOT my band. That's why as soon as I left her office, I had NO RESTRICTION at all. The short needle was not long enough to inject saline into the right place in the port.

The next time I went back she pulled out .5cc. That would have been the last of Dr. Vitello's fill. The WHOLE 2.5cc's. So, she didn't add anything at that point, and I've been completely empty for over a week!

Last night, my band was only able to hold 2.25c's. He first tried 3, and I almost threw up. Nothing would go down at ALL. Then at 2.75, STILL too tight. 2.25cc's seemed to be the magic number last night, so we'll see how that goes. I'm "thinking" that since ALL saline was removed, my stomach walls thickened up a bit, since they were not being squeezed anymore. So, I wasn't able to handle as much saline as before when my walls were thinner. Make sense??? It's the only logical thing I could think of...LOL Or it could just be the fact that I gained 4 pounds when my band was completely empty! Ooooops! *blushing*

Once again...if you CAN use fluoroscopy....DO IT. The peace of mind is worth the extra $$$.

A Word of Advice...

OK, so I'm still here. Shocked?? I'm just not real happy right now! I'm at 211, and I can't drop a pound. There IS a reason behind that. Just a tiny tip...TRY TO HAVE ALL YOUR FILLS DONE WITH FLUOROSCOPY!!! Unless you have a really good doc or PA who has done PLENTY of blind fills, and knows EXACTLY what they are doing!!

This is what has been going on with me. OK, I had 3 fills in Chicago, with fluoro. Everything seemed to be fine, except that I just haven't been able to get to my "sweet spot" (the right fill amount, where the weight falls off)! It was costing me over $300 a trip, not to mention it is a 7 hour drive round trip! So, I asked my family doctor if she would consider doing my fills. First of all, she knew NOTHING at all about what a FILL was. I explained the lap band to her, and even gave her my PRIZED copy of "Lap Band for Life" by Dr. Ortiz, plus many internet sites that explained the surgery/fill procedure etc. Not to mention, sites that even had VIDEO to SHOW how to do fills!

She told me she would have NO problem doing this for me, because she had accessed chemo ports, blah, blah, blah, and they are the same thing! OK, I can feel my port real well, so I'm assuming she can also locate it pretty easily.

Well, my first visit, I found she had ordered the wrong size Huber needles. They are supposed to be 2" needles. She had ordered 1" needles, and they were way too short. But she TRIED to access my port anyway. Well, I was "supposed" to have 2.5cc's in there. She pulled it all out, and I had 2cc's. (this is normal to have a .5cc difference in fill volume, some stays in the tube) She had to hold the needle in the port the whole time, because it was BARELY able to reach. I told her I had NO restriction, and to add .6cc to what was already there. So, I'm thinking that would have been around 3cc's or a little more depending on how much was left in the band.

I left, and had NO RESTRICTION at all. I was in TN for a week, but made an appointment as soon as I got home on Monday. I went in paid the $15 co-pay, was seated in her office, and she comes in long enough to tell me that she doesn't have time to do the fill, but for me to come back tomorrow at 9:00am, and she will do it then. Could she have told me this BEFORE I showed up?? I tell the receptionist to just keep the co-pay and use it for tomorrows visit. The next day, my doc tells me I WILL have to pay another co-pay. ??????? I paid for her to tell me she didn't have TIME for me yesterday??? What is up with that? I pay the 2nd co-pay, no questions asked.

She attempts to access my port with the smaller needle, because she forgot to order the longer ones since my last visit. GREAT. She "thinks" she accessed the port, but can only pull out .5cc. OK, now I'm PANICKING. Do I have a LEAK?????
Please Lord, do not let me have a leak!! She attempts to move the needle around, and around, and around to TRY to find the port again. It feels like she has accessed it. She said it felt like she was in the port. But, she isn't sure, so she says, "come back on Friday, and we'll try with the longer needle."

Anyway, I now have NO RESTRICTION AT ALL, and I'm totally flipping out thinking, what if she stabbed my TUBE, and now I have a leak?????? OK, so I go back Friday. She attempts to access my port with the longer needle, (which is STILL not the size she was supposed to order, it is 1.5") and still can't find it??? She moves the needle around like she's looking for a vein, you KNOW how painful that is!! And, I also might add that she is pressing so hard on my stomach at the port site, I thought my eyes were going to pop out! She does this EVERY TIME, trying to get the short little needle to reach the port.

OK, she "thinks" she is in the port, but can't pull out ANY saline!!???? She tries to inject saline, and says that the port will not accept it!!!! WHAT???? How can it NOT accept it???? It's a PORT. She pulls the needle out, and says "I'm sorry, I can't do this." Looks totally flustered, and starts putting things away. She says, "I think you may need to go back and have fluoro done, something is wrong with your port!" WHAT???? So, now I'm terrified! Has she punctured something in there, and KNOWS she has just destroyed my band??? I also had asked her to look at my daughter Haley, because she is sick. As soon as she threw the needle away, she says, "I don't have time to check her out right now, go to the front desk and make an appointment for later this afternoon." She then rushes out of the room! Well, I did make her an appointment, but not with her.

I know I shouldn't have come on here, and bad mouthed her, but I didn't mention any names! LOL Just be careful of you trust with your band! I have an appointment to go back to Chicago next week, so hopefully I will find out if I have a leaking, damaged port, flipped port, from all the pushing, punctured tube whatever. I'm so scared. Why on earth was I so stupid???? I went all the way to Mexico, to get the BEST surgeon, spent $8,000 out of pocket, and then tried to save a little money by going to my family doctor, and totally jeopardized my band. That was just CRAZY.
Well, I had to vent, I'm sorry! Please, pray that when I go back next week, my band checks out OK. I have no restriction at all now. I can eat ANYTHING, and I don't LIKE IT. I LOVE RESTRICTION. I LOVE MY BAND. Please, dear Lord, don't let it be ruined.

GRRRRRRRR, I HATE PLATEAUS!

I know you already know how bad I hate plateaus, because I've complained enough! I know that I'm settling out at a new setpoint, blah, blah, blah, but it still makes me mad when that scale won't MOVE! Anyway, I'm still stuck at 37 pounds gone!

I'm honestly thinking about doing something to jumpstart my loss! My birthday is Sept. 28th, and I was really HOPING to be below 200 by then! That was my FIRST BIG goal! So, I'm thinking of doing Cambridge for a week or two. That will probably take at least 11 pounds off me. Then I should be sitting at 199!!! HOPEFULLY the weight won't come back after I get off Cambridge. I'm counting on the band preventing me to take in enough calories to GAIN.

We'll see how it goes! HAPPY BIRHTDAY TO ME!! 199!!....haven't been below 200 in almost 7 years now!

OOOOOOOH, I'm so exasperated!!! I guess I need a fill! I'm scheduled to go Sept. 7th for my next fill. Yesterday, I ate like a PIG. I don't know why! Well, I was hungry, and I ate ALL DAY! I wouldn't have been able to do that a couple of weeks ago, nor would I have wanted to, because the band really DOES curb your appetite. So, I need to hurry up and get back to my fill doctor! My weight is creeping back up, and I'm not surprised...the way I've been eating! This has GOT to STOP. I want my restriction back!

Back Home

Well, I'm back from Tennessee. I had a good trip. I'm down to 210. A total loss of 37 pounds so far. I really feel bloated though, and I actually felt SMALLER when I was in Tennessee. So, I'm thinking Aunt Flo is probably playing a trick on me! In a couple of days, hopefully, I'll be down a couple more pounds.

I decided while I was in Tennessee, that no matter how BAD I hate it, I've got to start exercising! I'm really hoping that exercise will make me firmer. I really don't want a lot of excess skin hanging around. It may be hard to avoid after losing 100 pounds, but if I can do ANYTHING to help out, I'm gonna try!

So, I did a mile and a half on the treadmill, and Gazelle last night. It was a start! Gotta keep it up!

Plateau Broken!

Finally, I'm losing again. I'm in Tennessee right now, so I'm not near any scales, but I feel smaller. I was down to 211 before I left home, so I'm hoping to be below 210 when I get back home. I walked 2 miles with my "lapbanded cousin" this morning. I was shoocked to see how TINY she was! I haven't seen her in a few months, and she has REALLY lost a lot. The last few pounds really made a difference. I told her I was going to take a picture of her for motivation! She's really small, and I could tell she really feels good about herself.

So, now I'm excited once again about my lapband. Everyone here (in Tennessee)said, "Wow, you've REALLY lost a lot of weight!" I was like...."Really????" Doesn't seem that way to me, but I guess it's because it's a slow loss.

OK, so nothing major going on here. I'm stuck at 212. I'm not too happy about that, but hey it happens! Atleast I know I'll never weigh MORE than 212 ever again, other than water fluctuations! Anyway, just stopping in to make sure you know I'm NOT gone. I'm still here. Just staring at my scale, and gripping a hammer tight in my fist. I'm tempted, boy am I tempted!


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The dreaded plateau!

Well, I'm back to plateau status! I hate this part, and I know...this too shall pass! It just get's terribly frustrating when those scales don't move! It makes me want to physically move them, out across the yard! But, hey I'd go crazy if I couldn't weigh EVERYDAY, and that is probably part of the problem! I shouldn't be doing that. I just can't STOP IT.

Anyway, for those of you who have been reading along, and haven't been able to post comments...sorry! That is now fixed! I forgot to enable anonymous users to post on this new blog. But, it's fixed now, so post away!
I'll chat more later!

Well, I decided it was time to take a picture! I have avoided the camera for SO long! But, how was I gonna track my progress, if I don't have any pictures to compare to?? So, there it is!
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Down 35 pounds, and I THINK I might be able to see a little change from before. Anyway, my clothes are falling off, I guess that's a good sign! Everything is still going great. I have days that I feel tighter than others, and I can eat very little, and then some days I feel like I can eat much more. Strange, but as long as I'm losing, I'm OK with it!
We will be going on vacation in another week. I'd like to lose a couple more pounds before then, but I'll have to work on it! We are going to Point Beach State Forrest, on Lake Michigan. We're gonna have some fun in the sun, on the beach, and see some lighthouses. Who knows, I may even let someone take my picture while we are there!

WOW!
I can't believe it's been so long since I posted to my blog! Shame on me!

Where to start????

I had my first lap band fill on May 25th. That was a very interesting experience. I went to Dr. Vitello in Chicago. He is WONDERFUL. I got to see my band, (through flouroscopy) and I saw the barium go down. Then he put in 2cc's of saline. NOTHING went down then! He took out a little more, and finally the barium began to go down slowly. This is how he wanted it to be. I left with 1.2cc's in a 4cc band. I was happy! I lost more weight, but then I began to feel like I needed more! This is quite common after the first fill. Usually there is a little bit of air left in the band, and when you get that first fill, the air kinda seeps out over the next 2 weeks, so you dont feel as tight as you did!

So, I scheduled an appointment to see him again on June 22nd. I got .08cc's. So, now I have a total of 1.28cc's. But, the restriction is back, and I can feel it! I generally feel my restriction the MOST in the morning when I get out of bed. No eating breakfast for me! I never was a breakfast person anyway. The band is ALWAYS tighter in the morning. If you drink something hot, like coffee, or tea it will loosen up a bit. Or you can drink a protein shake to get in "something" for breakfast. (For my Cambridge buddies, this is where my Cambridge shakes come into play!)

OK, OK, I know you are wondering... "HOW MUCH HAVE YOU LOST?" Drumroll...........

I have lost a total of 33.5 pounds! Yippee. The funny thing is, and this is really odd. When I was on Cambridge, I KNEW I had lost weight, I "felt" really small, (even though I was still weighing in at more than 200 lbs.). I guess since I'm losing slowly now, I just don't notice it as much. Other people notice, and my clothes are falling off, but it's still like NOTHING is really going on. Weird.

But, even though the weightloss sometimes drags to a complete stop, I know it will start again, and NEXT year at this time I will be really happy with my weight.

I know if I would eat better foods I would lose faster, and I'm going to start working on that, PLUS, I have not done ANY kind of exercise. That would help a lot too. Lap Band works! It is a great way to lose weight, but it is NOT a cure all. You still have to work at it. Not NEARLY as much as before, but you have to pay attention, and I think that is the biggest part. You eat slower, so you eat less, and you chew much more, so you get tired of eating before you can finish off a 9 course meal with HUGE dessert.

Well, I guess I've written enough! I promise to come back sooner next time!

I'll see you then!