One Year Post Surgery

Has it really been a year? Hard to believe it has only been a year. I am not where I want to be weight and health wise, but I am a lot closer than I was a year ago. Yes I have doubts at times about the surgery. I don't regret have it, no doubt I needed a push in the right direction. But is very frustrating seeing people who had the "other" types of bariatric surgery and see the drastic weight loss they have experienced. Some over 100 pounds makes my 50 or so a bit trivial.

Yes I should be proud of my accomplishment of losing 50 some pounds. But knowing that the first half was lost in the first two months post-surgery and the 2nd only with in the last 3 months it makes me wonder where I could or should be if I was able to lose it at a steady pace. Of course I know there were a lot of factors in my lack of weight loss in those middle seven months:

1) I was traveling 90% of the time

2) We moved into a new home

3) Had some major health issues (still no clue what I did to my back)

4) I had NO restriction from the band until my last fill which was the end of July. Boy did I feel it after that.

 Also during those months, I didn’t due a single 5k. I lost my motivation. Thankfully I found it again. I am on the right path again. I have three more 5k to do before I reach my goal of twelve in 2012. I really wanted to be able to run the last one. But still being over 200 pounds I just can’t do that to my body. I am doing what I can.  But once the last 5k is completed for my goal, it doesn’t mean it’s my last 5k. I will continue but restricting them to one a month.

The next challenge will be P90X.

 It is understandable how Lapband patients can get disheartened on their progress. But I keep reminding myself I chose this surgery for a reason. I had to change my habits, and I honestly don't think those habits would have changed had I done the other surgeries. It’s on me. My success or failure is on me. I had to learn to use the Lapband as it was intended, as a tool. As soon as I accepted that I started to lose weight and clothing sizes again.

 Looking at some past and present pictures and I  can actually see a difference. Even if its just a little. I  also need to remind myself that that a year ago I was a size 26, today I am a 16/18. Maybe I can be a size 8 on my 2nd anniversary of my surgery!

 Dec 2011

Dec 2011

 Nov 2010

July 2012 Nov 2012

 Dec 2012

 Dec 2012

Getting Momemtum Back

The band is doing what it’s supposed to, I am very restricted on what I eat, and how fast. I would like to avoid the episodes of the food getting stuck. No thank you. I can’t describe the pain other than someone taking a crowbar to my breastplate; yeah it’s that much pain. It’s still a bit of hit and misses on what foods I can and can’t eat, or combinations, for example I can eat peanut butter with apple slices but can’t do peanut butter and crackers. I can eat apples and peaches, but not watermelon (odd I know).

So now that I not only maintain my diet but take the needed protein drinks (hair is no longer falling out) and vitamins. I need to focus on exercise, so back to my year goal.  I am still determined to complete my goal of Twelve 5Ks in 2012.

I admit I lost momentum over the summer to exercise between travel for work and moving to a new home and the extreme heat. Yes I know excuses are not going to get me anywhere. Like I said I lost momentum.  I was prepared to fully take advantage of a four month project I was supposed to be on in Utah, even got a gym membership at 24 Hour fitness. Unfortunately that project was cut short and no 24 Hour Fitness near my home.

Bonus on the new home though, there are miles of walking paths around the subdivision. So the hubby and I started the couch to 5K training. I figured we need to still need to exercise and do the 5ks so why not do one every weekend for the next two months. And the ones we have found look to be a lot of fun.

Now contrary to what some may believe, running is not the greatest exercise for your body and even worse when you have more than a few extra pounds to haul around. There is a YMCA a few miles from our home in which I sign up the family up for a membership. The indoor pool is initiative enough. I love to swim, and the Y was too far away before so it is cost effective to join.  In addition to the 5k training a few days a week, I am joyfully anticipating the pool usage, and being indoors I am not hindered by weather.

 Now back to the 5ks, I said I would complete 12 5ks in 2012 and I will.  Just can’t remember if I did two or three in the spring before Life got in the way.  But now that the hubby and I are doing the Couch to 5k maybe I will actually being able to run a full 5k by either the last November 5k or the December 5k, but my goal was to do 5ks this year, walking them are just as much of an accomplishment as running them.

The hubby and I participated in The Color Run Richmond and it was a lot of fun. But I felt the after effects for a good week.  At first it was my shoulders and lower back hurting, which may have had something to do with the color angels on the ground...getting up was a bit more difficult than expected and my body was not too happy with me. That and my shins really hurt and my legs were pretty swollen. It means I need to get a little more conditioned. I am able to run for a few minutes without getting winded, much better then where I was this time last year, but my body has to actually carry me the distance and a year from now I would still like to be able to walk. Not meaning to put a in a pun but it’s going to be one step at a time. Thank goodness for the YMCA membership!

 What is my point in all this? Simple: I have my momentum back and I plan on completing this goal and a few more afterwards. Who knows I might actually be less than 200lbs by the one year anniversary of my surgery.  That would mean just 40 pounds or so in the next 11 weeks (approximately 3 months). That is completely achievable right?

The current tally of 5ks: 4 down 8 to go.

 

 

 

Getting Back On Track

It has been a while since I have made a post. Life has a way of taking over, and mine has been chaotic the last few months. But honestly I have been avoiding making posts because I have not made any progress and I really have begun to think I was a failure and maybe I had chosen the wrong surgery. The dietitians warned us that the “band” patients may start to get depressed or discouraged since their weight loss is at a much slower rate than patients from the other types of weight lot surgery. I didn’t think or want to believe it would apply to me. I mean common sense yes I know my weight loss would be slower. I chose this surgery because I wanted more control in the process and was just using the Band as a tool. But it hit hard.

I have not lost any weight since February, in fact according to the scales from my visit to the clinic today I have gained a few pounds back. I could contribute to a few things. But I fear it will be sounding like I am just making excuses. Bottom line I lost my momentum and suffered from a bit of depression. But after my visit today, I have come to realize that some of it may not have been completely in my control. Though a good amount of it is:

·        I have not done a 5k in the past two months, but that is being rectified I have already selected two I will be participating in for May and June. I will still do twelve 5ks in 2012

·        I am able to eat things I should not be able to eat such as breads, but after this current fill I don’t think I will be consuming too much of it (not that I do a lot anyway)

·        I am supposed to eat 4-5 small meals a day. Honestly I eat 1-2. Yes I know this is not good for me I know this effects my metabolism and I should remind myself of the effects of doing this during middle school and high school got me to my current dilemma. So even if I have to package my meals daily this is a habit I seriously need to modify.

·        I stopped drinking my protein drinks, and while I was going to my work site I had been purchasing commercial smoothies. Well they didn’t have enough protein and too much sugar. About a month ago I started to lose a large amount of hair. As in chunks. I spoke to a friend who had the band and also did a bit of WebMD Google research. The hair loss is directly related to lack of protein. So I am back to drinking my protein drinks. I still have hair and the amount I am losing has changed drastically since my protein intake has improved.

·        Multivitamins: let’s face it I have not been taking them consistently.  My lab work showed that I was ok with iron and various other levels but my vitamin D was extremely low, in the teens. I was a bit low prior to surgery. But even lower now. I just found out some interesting things about vitamin D.  Being vitamin D deficient increases chances of diabetes, cancer and impairs the immune system.  It can also cause fatigue, bone weakness and muscle pain. Being vitamin D deficient can also cause depression and……affect weight loss. Needless to say I need to get my vitamin D levels up. Due to this I was given a prescription for Vitamin D that I have to take once a week, its 50,000 units. Now that’s a lot of vitamin D.

·        Good news from the lab work I not anemic and I no longer need to take my pre-diabetic medication. My blood sugar is very much under control.

I could beat myself up on things I should have been doing, but I can’t dwell on it. I just need to improve things and go forward with using this band as tool it is supposed to be. It’s up to me from here on out.

Weight loss surgery 101

Over the past few days I have had a number of people ask what a "fill" is. Honestly I find myself over the past few months trying to explain the different types of weight lost surgery otherwise known as bariatric surgery

First you need to be candidate for weight loss surgery the basic requirement is to have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40.  Individuals who also have the following may be candidate if their BMI is as low as 35: sleep apnea; high cholesterol; heart disease, diabetes.

 Depending on your insurance there are other factors or requirements as well such as being on an unsuccessful weight loss program(s) with a 2 year history of obesity. You should also be required to have a psychological evaluation as well. (Yep had the exam. No I am not crazy but it was a very interesting 600 question exam.)

Also depending on your insurance and the clinic you go to, only some of these procedures may be available to you.

 Below are videos on the types of surgeries. Youtube and WebMD can describe them better then I can.

Types of surgery:

Gastric Bypass:

Gastric Sleeve

Gastric Banding

Duodenal Switch

Incision free

At the clinical group that performed my surgery the Duodenal Switch and the Incision Free procedures were not presented as options, not that they would have interested me. Gastric bypass was not an option for me 1) it was too invasive with too long of recovery 2) with my heart condition my primary doctor would not have approved the surgery. I debated on doing the sleeve, but the recovery time was too long.

Even though I have not lost weight in the past two weeks, I still believe the band was the right choice.You will notice I call it a Lap Band, that is actually the name of the manufacture of device.

A patient may have up to 8 CCs of saline in the band but not all at once! The adjustments will be done over a number of months (since the average between appointments is 6 weeks). I know its hard to imagine without knowing what the device actually looks like;

Above is what a basic band device looks like. You have the ring that attaches around the stomach and the port, that is stapled to the muscle wall, used to insert or remove saline.

Above are two brand of the banding device, shown with or without saline added.
Now the final video is a band fill. Yes they still a needle in your side (if that is where your port is, I have a friend who's port in in her chest).

I hope these videos and images have answered a lot your questions and I am sure they have generated even more.

As always I want to thank everyone for their support in the last few months and now as I make more and more changes in my health towards the better. Having such a great support network has been more help then any of you could imagine.

 

 

First Fill.......

I had my first saline fill to my lap band on Friday. For what ever reason I was set up to see the NP (Nurse Practitioner) as well as the nutritionist, I since it has only bee 6 weeks since my surgery apparently it was suppose to be only the nutritionist...oops. Well it worked in my favor.

Apparently after this appointment I was to be cleared to eat foods such as nuts, hard fruit, salads, popcorn, and meats. Guess I misunderstood, thought I was already cleared to eat meat. While speaking to the nutritionist I voiced my concerns about being able to eat well over a 1/4 or 1/2 of food. It concerned me since hello I had the surgery for a reason.

I also told her I have had no normal complications and had not lost weight in 2 weeks (granted being down 35 pounds is still good). She said she would talk to the NP about actually doing the fill since I was accidentally scheduled for one anyway. Oh I got cleared for all exercise and all foods but bread or some pasta.

The NP was not going to do the fill at first but after talking with me for a bit she decided to give me 3 CCs of saline.  She was only able to give me 2 CCs, apparently the reset backed out the port meaning the opening was too tight. She kept me around for a few minutes after. Made sure I could drink water with no issue. I didn't have any issues, but it did feel weird. Then I got the news that I would have to be on a liquid diet for 24-48 hrs...well that was unexpected.

So I had my liquid diet, and informed my husband of it. I could have strangled him since he made lobster tails and shrimp for dinner later that night! Well anyway I was feeling fine until about 5pm that night. Boy did I get nauseated. Other then a few hours after my surgery I have not really been nauseated and apparently this is rare since most people get sick and may have issues keeping things down. Not me.

I was hurting pretty bad, then I realized something. It was hunger pains...really? WTH? One of my daughters went and got me some ice cream (hey it helped settle the tummy) and a little while later I made some tomato soup. All better.  The rest of the night went pretty smooth. The next day I was able to nibble a little here and there on a few things. But no real appetite. Granted as soon as I feel queasy now I have to eat something. Even if its just a tablespoon of yogurt or cottage cheese.

I have been lucky thus far not to have some of the regular complications that come with the lap band. But I also do not have "benefit" of the gastric bypass. In other words I am a lot more accountable of staying on a good program. I can still have sugar (as well as wine and sangria) so I just need to be aware of the intake. But I keep saying over and over this is one of the reasons I had this particular surgery. Its still rest on me to do the work.

With the chaos called my life in the past two weeks I have neglected working out. That needs to be rectified and it is. I  need to use this tool to it's full capabilities.

One month post op!

Really? It was only a month ago? OK so a month and 2 days ago. But it seems that it was so long ago. I feel great and I forget that I still have restrictions on my diet and physical activities. The last month has  definite been a journey.  I just wonder what the year is going to bring.

I have hit my plateau, up and down 5 pounds this week. I am counting down the the days (12 to be exact) to when will get my first fill. I need it. Each day its getting harder and harder to resist the portions I know should not consume. Sadly its not out of boredom or addiction, just simply not paying attention to what I am eating and not setting a limit.

This is why I had the surgery, not something I can do  on own yet. I have to use this tool to its full extent. Granted exercising helps. I am getting ready for the next 5k, just not looking forward to the cold February weather.

At least there is not shortage of support for me on this journey.  I wish I could accept everyone's offers of being a "work out buddy" but my schedule is so hectic I hate to commit to people and then have to bail on them. Doesn't mean I don't want to work out, I am doing that at home now. But before I commit to anyone else I have to fulfil my first commitment to my youngest daughter. The 12 5ks in 2012 was suppose to be a way for me to find a way to not only get back into health, but also to bond more with my 15 year old daughter.

When I actually start doing the "Couch to 5k" program in a few weeks (have to wait for Dr clearance), those work outs will be with her. Having everyone join us for the 5ks will be great. Its amazing that so many people have offered to work out with me since they want to get healthy again too and join me on my journey. I hope you all realize your verbal  (and written) encouragement is just as motivating for me as if you were running (or walking) along side me. Its nice to know I am not really doing this alone.

On that note THANK YOU all for your support!

First of Twelve Down & Creating a Support Group

I DID IT! I completed the Resolution 5K in Fredericksburg, VA on Jan 1, 2012.  The goal was to actually do it, and just walk. I had some great friends that joined me as well as my youngest daughter and husband. I even ran the last bit of the 5k (so not planned).

The weather was perfect, only 54 degrees. Nice and sunny, not what I was expecting for New Years Day 2012. I am even completed in under and hour. My official time was 00:56:48 and placed 222 of 229 runners. Yep I was NOT last!!! Hey I was just amazed I did it. Not looking to break any records...right now.

It could not have been so successfully if my friends were not motivating me on and off the course. It is great to have your own cheerleaders. Something interesting is happening. More people are planning to join us. By getting myself motivated I am motivating other... I have one word to describe that feeling...AWESOME!!!

Through a mutual friend (who is a "Bander")I recently became friends with another woman who had the Lap Band done over a year and half ago. She looks great! I think she said she lost 70+ pounds. She looks great and is gorgeous (not that she wasn't before the band mind you).  But having another person who has been successful with the band really is helpful.

There are so many support groups for patients that have gastric bypass, not so much for us Banders. That is sad because honestly we need the support a little more at times and our issues may be different the gastric patients. Its amazing how things are falling into place and I kinda created my own little support group. By others being motivated to join me on my 5k challenge this year, they are keeping me motivated.

So one down and twelve to go!