Today I had a checkup after my first fill a week ago. I weighed in and lost another 2.4 lbs which puts my total weight loss at 39 lbs (current weight 322 lbs).
I had a fluoroscopy to check on the constriction of the band. There was good flow and the nurse said I didn't need another adjustment right now.
Since my fill I have been having problems eating my meals. The first couple bites of food seem to get stuck and are very uncomfortable. I have to wait a minute or two until the feeling goes away before I can eat. The nurse said the food is sitting on top of the band so my body may just need to get used to the band being there. I have been trying to make sure I eat small bites and chew my food really well, but that really hasn't helped.
I know I'll need another fill in the future because I think I am physically able to eat more than the small plate of food I should be eating -- but so far my self control has been good.
I am still using the silicon patches, although they are starting to get pretty nasty. I wash them daily and have tried to peal off the lint stuff that seems to get stuck to them. The patches seem to be doing a good job and the scars are fading slowly. I think it will take a while though before they are completely gone (if ever).
Monday, June 21, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Tattoed with scars
In the last two weeks I haven't had any noticeable problems. I did notice that recently I have been hungrier. I had been told that as you lose weight around your stomach the band will become loose and you'll be able to eat more (that's why you get adjustments to the band -- which I did today)
Since I had the lapband surgery I have been using vitamin E oil on the scars two times a day. I haven't noticed any change in the scars. Other people have reported that their scars are fading... but not mine. I have had several previous surgeries (gall bladder removed, hernias repaired, exploratory surgery for suspected cancer) and have the prominent scars to prove it.
So with this surgery I didn't want to have any additional prominent scars. After using the vitamin E oil and not seeing any changes I decided to try something else. Some people recommended mederma so I decided to ask the pharmacist at Bartell Drugs. The pharmacist said from what he has been told the best thing for scars is silicon patches. I decided to try this (it's cheaper than mederma... but still expensive). They have a guarantee on the package so if it doesn't work I'll get my money back.
I cut strips of the silicon patches to put over my scars and have left them on for about two weeks now... only taking them off to clean them or reposition them. I have noticed that the scars seem to be smoother and are no longer raised up. They seem to be fading a little bit. From the instructions on the package it can take a few months for the scars to fade. I'll keep you posted!
Since I had the lapband surgery I have been using vitamin E oil on the scars two times a day. I haven't noticed any change in the scars. Other people have reported that their scars are fading... but not mine. I have had several previous surgeries (gall bladder removed, hernias repaired, exploratory surgery for suspected cancer) and have the prominent scars to prove it.
So with this surgery I didn't want to have any additional prominent scars. After using the vitamin E oil and not seeing any changes I decided to try something else. Some people recommended mederma so I decided to ask the pharmacist at Bartell Drugs. The pharmacist said from what he has been told the best thing for scars is silicon patches. I decided to try this (it's cheaper than mederma... but still expensive). They have a guarantee on the package so if it doesn't work I'll get my money back.
I cut strips of the silicon patches to put over my scars and have left them on for about two weeks now... only taking them off to clean them or reposition them. I have noticed that the scars seem to be smoother and are no longer raised up. They seem to be fading a little bit. From the instructions on the package it can take a few months for the scars to fade. I'll keep you posted!
1st Adjustment
Today I had my first adjustment. I have lost 37 lbs so far. I am down to 324 lbs now (my original weight was 361). I haven't really been doing anything except taking daily walks for about a 1/2 hour and only eating 3 meals and not eating past being full.
The adjustment is done at the clinic, Northwest Weight Loss Surgery. I didn't meet with the doctor, the adjustment was done by a nurse, Bethany.
First she has to find the port. To do this she has you lift your legs so the stomach muscles will flex and force the port upward toward the skin. My band holds up to 14cc's and initially had 4cc's inserted into it by the surgeon.
Bethany took a small needle and poked it through my skin into the port. She extracted the existed 4cc's (to make sure how much was in there) and inserted an another 3cc's of liquid for a total of 7cc's. My band is now half way full.
She had me drink some water to make sure it went down fine. She also gave me some advice:
• Don't drink carbonated soft drinks. She's had problems with this before and
evidently the air can cause the stomach pouch to expand.
• Each small bites and chew your food well. Big chunks of food can get stuck
in the band and wreak all kinds of havoc.
• After an adjustment there might be some irritation so try eating soft foods
for a day or two.
There was no real pain except for the minor needle prick.
I'm supposed to see how I do at this level for a week and go back in a week if I need more of an adjustment. If I feel hungry, don't have a good weight loss, and can eat too much then I'll need another adjustment.
Once I got back to work after my appointment I had my lunch. I didn't really notice anything different other than feeling full after eating two/thirds of my lunch. Since I've read that some people throw up -- and I don't want to do that -- I stopped eating at that point. So far so good. :)
The adjustment is done at the clinic, Northwest Weight Loss Surgery. I didn't meet with the doctor, the adjustment was done by a nurse, Bethany.
First she has to find the port. To do this she has you lift your legs so the stomach muscles will flex and force the port upward toward the skin. My band holds up to 14cc's and initially had 4cc's inserted into it by the surgeon.
Bethany took a small needle and poked it through my skin into the port. She extracted the existed 4cc's (to make sure how much was in there) and inserted an another 3cc's of liquid for a total of 7cc's. My band is now half way full.
She had me drink some water to make sure it went down fine. She also gave me some advice:
• Don't drink carbonated soft drinks. She's had problems with this before and
evidently the air can cause the stomach pouch to expand.
• Each small bites and chew your food well. Big chunks of food can get stuck
in the band and wreak all kinds of havoc.
• After an adjustment there might be some irritation so try eating soft foods
for a day or two.
There was no real pain except for the minor needle prick.
I'm supposed to see how I do at this level for a week and go back in a week if I need more of an adjustment. If I feel hungry, don't have a good weight loss, and can eat too much then I'll need another adjustment.
Once I got back to work after my appointment I had my lunch. I didn't really notice anything different other than feeling full after eating two/thirds of my lunch. Since I've read that some people throw up -- and I don't want to do that -- I stopped eating at that point. So far so good. :)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Are you choking?
Yesterday, I got home from work and was in a hurry to leave to take my daughter to an appointment. Since I was hungry I grabbed a piece of smoked salmon (about 3 oz) I had been given on my birthday on Sunday. I ate that piece of salmon in about 2 minutes. The next thing I knew I was choking and couldn't get the food down. The salmon seemed very moist (oily), but I guess that is a different kind of moist. Eating it very quickly and not chewing it up properly didn't help I'm sure.
I stood by the kitchen sink trying to throw up and dislodge it from my throat. I sipped a few handfuls of water and finally was able to get it down.
That is definitely NOT a good feeling.
I highly recommend chewing your food thoroughly and not rushing. I don't know if smoked salmon is out or not but maybe a little piece would work. Frankly, as oily as it is, that is probably all one could tolerate at a time.
As an update, my incision sites are healing nicely and I am putting vitamin E oil on them twice a day. The scabs are coming off on a few of the sites. I'm careful not to pull them off because it heals better if you leave it alone. The biggest site, the port site, is still tender and it's hard to sleep on my stomach still. That site is healing slowly. I don't have any discomfort in my shoulder or my stomach area anymore. I also feel pretty energetic. So far I've lost a total of 28 lbs.
I stood by the kitchen sink trying to throw up and dislodge it from my throat. I sipped a few handfuls of water and finally was able to get it down.
That is definitely NOT a good feeling.
I highly recommend chewing your food thoroughly and not rushing. I don't know if smoked salmon is out or not but maybe a little piece would work. Frankly, as oily as it is, that is probably all one could tolerate at a time.
As an update, my incision sites are healing nicely and I am putting vitamin E oil on them twice a day. The scabs are coming off on a few of the sites. I'm careful not to pull them off because it heals better if you leave it alone. The biggest site, the port site, is still tender and it's hard to sleep on my stomach still. That site is healing slowly. I don't have any discomfort in my shoulder or my stomach area anymore. I also feel pretty energetic. So far I've lost a total of 28 lbs.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Wow, that was fast (and other questions)
I thought I'd answer several questions which people have asked. Hopefully this helps others considering getting a Lap Band.
Q.) How did you manage to have surgery the week after you saw the doctor.
A.) A lot of arm twisting. :) I had attended two seminars that the clinic, Northwest Weight Loss Surgery, had hosted and had met with the doctor and asked lots of questions there. Once I decided to get the Lap Band the clinic required me to have a meeting with a Psychologist (I guess to make sure I was committed to the program... or maybe to figure out whether I should be committed. ;) ). I also had a meeting with a nurse to go over the whole process including what to expect, what to eat before and after surgery, nutrition, etc. And finally I had the appointment with the doctor. He remembered me from the seminars. The doctor required me to have a sleep study which I really didn't want to do. The doctor's office actually called a sleep clinic for me and there was an opening so I could have that sleep study that night (Thursday, May 6th). I had the review of the test on the next Monday and walked out with a CPAP machine the same day. The doctor wanted me to bring the CPAP with me when I had the surgery just in case. The doctor, nurse, and psychologist took thorough health histories. The only other requirement was that the doctor wanted me to lose 10 lbs the week before surgery. After meeting with the doctor I was cleared to have the surgery and I told the scheduling people I wanted to do it as soon as possible (I'm going on vacation in July and wanted to be healed and have had a Lap Band adjustment before then.) They managed to juggle schedules and created an opening a week later for me to get the surgery. Since I was self paying I just had to whip out my credit card and put the charges on it and not have to worry about getting all the insurance approvals (my insurance has very clear wording that they don't cover weight loss surgery in any form.)
Q.) You didn't have to do any routine tests?
A.) Other than what I mentioned above there were no other tests. I'm in good health and don't have high blood pressure, diabetes, or anything else.
Q.) In 1 week you were able to get the money from your mortgage? How did you manage that?
A.) I took out a home equity line of credit from my credit union. It took about two weeks. It's a lot faster than refinancing a mortgage and still tax deductible too. The rate is 4.99% so it's very reasonable. Once I attended the first seminar the clinic held I decided I would get a Lap Band. After looking at all sorts of funding options I decided to contact my bank and apply for a HELOC. The value of my house has fallen so much that I only qualified for a little more than the costs of the Lap Band system. I called up the bank to apply for the HELOC and was approved the same day. Then, I had to go in and sign the papers then wait 3 days for the account to be available. I paid for the Lap Band system with my credit card but plan to use the money from the HELOC to pay my credit card off. That's one way to get lots of frequent flier miles. :)
Q.) How did you manage to have surgery the week after you saw the doctor.
A.) A lot of arm twisting. :) I had attended two seminars that the clinic, Northwest Weight Loss Surgery, had hosted and had met with the doctor and asked lots of questions there. Once I decided to get the Lap Band the clinic required me to have a meeting with a Psychologist (I guess to make sure I was committed to the program... or maybe to figure out whether I should be committed. ;) ). I also had a meeting with a nurse to go over the whole process including what to expect, what to eat before and after surgery, nutrition, etc. And finally I had the appointment with the doctor. He remembered me from the seminars. The doctor required me to have a sleep study which I really didn't want to do. The doctor's office actually called a sleep clinic for me and there was an opening so I could have that sleep study that night (Thursday, May 6th). I had the review of the test on the next Monday and walked out with a CPAP machine the same day. The doctor wanted me to bring the CPAP with me when I had the surgery just in case. The doctor, nurse, and psychologist took thorough health histories. The only other requirement was that the doctor wanted me to lose 10 lbs the week before surgery. After meeting with the doctor I was cleared to have the surgery and I told the scheduling people I wanted to do it as soon as possible (I'm going on vacation in July and wanted to be healed and have had a Lap Band adjustment before then.) They managed to juggle schedules and created an opening a week later for me to get the surgery. Since I was self paying I just had to whip out my credit card and put the charges on it and not have to worry about getting all the insurance approvals (my insurance has very clear wording that they don't cover weight loss surgery in any form.)
Q.) You didn't have to do any routine tests?
A.) Other than what I mentioned above there were no other tests. I'm in good health and don't have high blood pressure, diabetes, or anything else.
Q.) In 1 week you were able to get the money from your mortgage? How did you manage that?
A.) I took out a home equity line of credit from my credit union. It took about two weeks. It's a lot faster than refinancing a mortgage and still tax deductible too. The rate is 4.99% so it's very reasonable. Once I attended the first seminar the clinic held I decided I would get a Lap Band. After looking at all sorts of funding options I decided to contact my bank and apply for a HELOC. The value of my house has fallen so much that I only qualified for a little more than the costs of the Lap Band system. I called up the bank to apply for the HELOC and was approved the same day. Then, I had to go in and sign the papers then wait 3 days for the account to be available. I paid for the Lap Band system with my credit card but plan to use the money from the HELOC to pay my credit card off. That's one way to get lots of frequent flier miles. :)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Postop Checkup
Today I had my postop check up. I have lost 22 lbs since I first started this process, down from 361 to 339. That's 5 lbs since my surgery. Currently the lap band isn't inflated and I will have my first lap band adjustment on June 14th. This is all my own weightloss so far.
I explained to the doctor everything I have went through since the surgery. The doctor said I have a lot of swelling inside which is going down but which explains some of the strange sensations I have had. For instance, a couple days after my surgery the muscle from my neck to my left shoulder has been tight and aching. I thought I have just been sleeping on it wrong or my neck is out, but according to Dr. Michaelson the healing from the swelling in the stomach and diaphragm area radiates the pain through that nerver. I've been taking Ibuprofen for that.
The knot like feeling in my throat is still there. That's also from the swelling around the lap band and stomach according to the doctor.
The doctor told me a little about my surgery. During the surgery they tilt you up to make it easier to get to the organs and they put a board behind your feet and strap your ankles so you won't slide off the table. Towards the end of the surgery as the doctor was ready to close, evidently I became a wild man and started thrashing my left leg around and broke the strap holding it down. I kicked a lever to inflate an air mattress that is used to move you off the operating table. Oh my gosh! That would have been funny to have on video. I can imagine the look on the doctor's face as his patient is breaking loose!
My feet must have been flexed against that board and my calf muscles contracted for the time of the surgery. This could explain why my calf muscles burned and were sore for several days. It would be a good idea for the nurses to make sure the feet aren't flexed the whole time or to adjust the leg positions.
This week I will start eating soft foods per the clinic's original instructions for week two after the surgery. I think it's going to take a little getting used to portion sizes -- but I don't want to overdo it and feel terrible afterwards.
I explained to the doctor everything I have went through since the surgery. The doctor said I have a lot of swelling inside which is going down but which explains some of the strange sensations I have had. For instance, a couple days after my surgery the muscle from my neck to my left shoulder has been tight and aching. I thought I have just been sleeping on it wrong or my neck is out, but according to Dr. Michaelson the healing from the swelling in the stomach and diaphragm area radiates the pain through that nerver. I've been taking Ibuprofen for that.
The knot like feeling in my throat is still there. That's also from the swelling around the lap band and stomach according to the doctor.
The doctor told me a little about my surgery. During the surgery they tilt you up to make it easier to get to the organs and they put a board behind your feet and strap your ankles so you won't slide off the table. Towards the end of the surgery as the doctor was ready to close, evidently I became a wild man and started thrashing my left leg around and broke the strap holding it down. I kicked a lever to inflate an air mattress that is used to move you off the operating table. Oh my gosh! That would have been funny to have on video. I can imagine the look on the doctor's face as his patient is breaking loose!
My feet must have been flexed against that board and my calf muscles contracted for the time of the surgery. This could explain why my calf muscles burned and were sore for several days. It would be a good idea for the nurses to make sure the feet aren't flexed the whole time or to adjust the leg positions.
This week I will start eating soft foods per the clinic's original instructions for week two after the surgery. I think it's going to take a little getting used to portion sizes -- but I don't want to overdo it and feel terrible afterwards.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Ok, so why am I hungry?
This first week after my lap band surgery I have been following the doctor's advice and continuing on basically a liquid diet (no big chunks of food). I have been having protein shakes for breakfast and lunch, but I've noticed that I'm starved by lunchtime and dinnertime.
The week before my surgery when I had protein shakes I wasn't hungry at all.
I think I finally figured out why. To make the plain protein shakes tastes better I've been adding a couple scoops of unsweetened cocoa to the mix. Cocoa has caffeine in it and I think it is causing me to be hungry. Caffeine makes your system digest things faster and increases your metabolism. So I guess I'll have to cut out the cocoa -- it's too bad I couldn't find the protein powder mix I use in chocolate!
Tomorrow is my post op checkup. I've been taking walks everyday and I feel more energy than I have in a long time. It will be interesting to see how much weight I've lost -- on my own (the lap band isn't even inflated yet -- the doctor won't do that until a month after surgery to give my body time to heal.)
I decided not to tell anyone not even my parents or kids that I was having weight loss surgery. I wasn't sure how I'd do and didn't want anyone else's expectations. It was hard keeping it from the kids. I told them I was sick when they asked why I was home on last Thursday after I had my surgery. I want to show them that I can lose weight and so can they if we watch what we eat. All 3 of my kids are overweight. My two boys, 16 and 11 are extremely obese. My daughter has been losing weight and has been very conscientious about what she eats.
It's interesting that noone except my wife has noticed or mentioned my weight loss to date though. I look in the mirror and see that my face is thinner and I look healthier. I'm sure I look different to others. It's kind of odd.
The week before my surgery when I had protein shakes I wasn't hungry at all.
I think I finally figured out why. To make the plain protein shakes tastes better I've been adding a couple scoops of unsweetened cocoa to the mix. Cocoa has caffeine in it and I think it is causing me to be hungry. Caffeine makes your system digest things faster and increases your metabolism. So I guess I'll have to cut out the cocoa -- it's too bad I couldn't find the protein powder mix I use in chocolate!
Tomorrow is my post op checkup. I've been taking walks everyday and I feel more energy than I have in a long time. It will be interesting to see how much weight I've lost -- on my own (the lap band isn't even inflated yet -- the doctor won't do that until a month after surgery to give my body time to heal.)
I decided not to tell anyone not even my parents or kids that I was having weight loss surgery. I wasn't sure how I'd do and didn't want anyone else's expectations. It was hard keeping it from the kids. I told them I was sick when they asked why I was home on last Thursday after I had my surgery. I want to show them that I can lose weight and so can they if we watch what we eat. All 3 of my kids are overweight. My two boys, 16 and 11 are extremely obese. My daughter has been losing weight and has been very conscientious about what she eats.
It's interesting that noone except my wife has noticed or mentioned my weight loss to date though. I look in the mirror and see that my face is thinner and I look healthier. I'm sure I look different to others. It's kind of odd.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)