Thanksgiving

Every year about this time I am still recovering from my over indulgence on Thanksgiving. I struggle with bouts of guilt for over eating, indigestion, and general over consumption discomfort. This year I did not gain ten pounds of Thanksgiving weight, I continued to lose weight. I still enjoyed the festive flavors, I savored each morsel of food I was able to consume. The turkey melted in my mouth, the mashed potatoes were exquisite, the stuffing out of this world, and I couldn't have asked for more from the pumpkin pie. There were times where it got hard. I was full too soon, even before every one sat down to eat. Sampling the food as I helped cook filled me up. I avoided sitting down and instead watched the kids and that helped. When I would feel hungry I would try something else of the table in a very small bite. Part of me wished I could sit down and eat with everyone else, without worrying which foods will hurt my new stomach, but seeing that the number on the scale dropped rather than increased made the difficulty of Thanksgiving worth it.

People say that having a weight loss surgery is taking the easy way out. Those people are wrong. It's not the easy way, it is just a different equally hard way. If I had not had this surgery I would have dieted and fought forever. But I would have still been able to eat whatever I wanted and never would have been able to lose the weight. I knew that I did not have the self control to keep from eating things that were bad for me unless it was medically necessary, I needed to not be physically able to consume the foods I crave so much, at least not in the quantities I used to. Sometimes it is so hard to resist the urge to eat foods I know are not healthy for me. Or to stop eating when I am full, because my brain wants to over eat. I still have to exercise and I fight a mental battle constantly. Re-learning what I can eat is difficult and if I make a mistake it can be painful. But I would make that decision a thousand more times. Its my rebirth.

Shout Out

When I was making my decision to have the lap band procedure one of the main things that really pushed me into a definite positive was having someone else who had a lap band to talk to. Someone who had made a success of their lap band. Someone who knew the in's and out's of the band from first hand knowledge and not just text books. One of the reasons I am doing this blog is to be that person to those of you out there thinking about having the surgery, or those who have just had the surgery. I am an open book, I will tell you the good, the bad and the ugly. If you have a question, or just need some advice. I am here for all of you. Comment on a post or shoot me an email. My email address is jucollins@csufresno.edu. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Julie

First Fill

I had my first fill earlier today. I was terrified. I knew that getting an adjustment meant having a hypodermic needle inserted through my skin and into the port. That needle scared me. I don't like needles, I try to avoid them and I knew this needle was going to be poking into my stomach. By the time I got Delano Regional Medical Center, and took the elevator up to Dr. Keshishian's office I was shaking. I had to wait since it was a busy morning, and the same urge I had pre-surgery to run tried to over take me.

I stuck it out and I am glad I did. Dr. Keshishian asked me some questions about how much I could eat, when I felt hungry, how soon after eating did I become hungry and after what I told him he confirmed that I needed an adjustment. He left and came back with a box from the company that makes the band, the box was even labeled adjustment kit.

After that he laid me down and wiped off the skin over my port. I tried not to look but couldn't help it, the needle wasn't as big as I expected it to be. When he finally inserted the needle into my stomach I didn't even feel it. I could feel it as he manipulated the needle around trying to hit the rubber stopper of the port. But the worst pain felt like a normal injection in your arm. Adjustments are no big deal. The fear and anxiety I felt was wasted. After the needle was in the doctor sat me up and gave me a drink of water. As I drank the water he asked me to tell him when I could feel the water in my chest, then he removed fluid and asked me to tell him when the water was no longer in my chest. After which he inserted more saline to give me some restriction.

When I went into the doctors appointment I was hungry. I had been too nervous to eat in the morning. By the time I walked out of Dr. Keshishian's office I was full and for the rest of the day all I consumed was less than half of a Kellogg's protein shake. Its fantastic. This is the kind of restriction I need to keep losing weight. It's hard sometimes, I want to eat, but knowing that I can't forces me to make the right decisions and that means that I am getting thinner, healthier and overall happier.

Tomorrow is My First Adjustment

Tomorrow is my first adjustment. I am pretty scared because I know that they use a needle and insert it through my skin and into my port and then fill my band with saline. The real first adjustment happened while I was still in surgery. Tomorrow will be the first time I am aware of the adjustment. I've talked to other people who have had the surgery and they have told me what to expect. The doctors use local anesthetic to numb the skin over the port area, and as they insert liquid they ask you to drink fluid until you can't and then they remove a small amount of the saline to allow you the ability to eat and drink small amounts. I was also told that after each adjustment it would take learning to eat again just like right after surgery.

I'm excited for my adjustment because I am hoping that because I will have more restriction again that the numbers on the scale will continue to fall. I would like to lose fifty pounds by Valentine's Day. So I really need to see those numbers drop continuously.

Reaching my Maximum Capacity

The thing about having a new part of my body, this band that is my savior, is that I am having to learn to eat all over again. People who have had the surgery before, and Dr. Keshishian, warned me that as I began to eat real food again I would have to learn what I can handle now. Eat things slowly, listen to your stomach and to the band. I was also told that it would probably take awhile before I would learn and I would most likely throw up a few times. I have tried to do this and I know what my body can handle in what quantities for the most part. When I am trying that first bite I am very careful. I take small bites and wait and feel the sensation that the food causes me. Ground beef is not my friend in any quantity in any meal. One bite and in seconds I can feel the discomfort, flour tortillas are also on the no no list. Today was the first time I let my hunger over ride my better judgement and made myself sick.

There have been days and meals where I have had discomfort. Even times where I felt like I was going to be sick to my stomach, but I avoid at all costs the need to vomit. Today I was unable to avoid that end. I made myself sick because I let the old me try to gulp my food without listening to my band and without thinking about the amount of food I was trying to eat. While I wish that I would have avoided having to throw up I am happy that I was able to experience the negative consequence of eating too much. Maybe this way I will be more careful and be sure to listen to my band and not try to eat too much.

Eating Out with the Lap Band

I've gotten to a point since my surgery that I am now able to eat solid foods. I just have to listen to my band and follow the pointers it gives me in the form of discomfort or fullness to make the decisions on what to eat. I've found so far that white meat is easier than red meat, but only in small bites. Me and ground beef, so not friends. Not in any form. Steamed and sauteed veggies are the best, and scrambled eggs are the perfect am meal especially when paired with half a white corn tortilla. My eating habits have changed since the surgery but not just in the amount of food that I am capable of consuming. I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat as much, but I didn't expect that having the surgery would make it easier to make the right decisions at meal times.

Eating is still something I enjoy, it has just become something that takes a little more effort. I find that instead of eating what ever is placed in front of me or sounds good I reply with: "I can't have that," "That doesn't settle well," and my favorite "I don't want that." Sometimes the band is what stops me from eating something but I am finding more and more that I am stopping me. Like today for Veterans Day I went to lunch with a friend recently back from Iraq. The waitress seemed determined to serve us dessert, and they looked fantastic. I was super craving sweets, and I wanted to go ahead and place an order for that dessert but I was resolved and tore my eyes from the menu. While my shrinking fat cells screamed for that dessert, I was resolved to make the right decision, plus I had enough left overs as it was.

I am thankful everyday to Dr. Keshishian and Delano Regional Medical Center. The surgery has changed my life. It has changed who I am and what I feel. I still have much more weight to lose but I am already to a point where I have more self-confidence and can stand up for myself. I feel so much more positive about who I am that I am striving to better myself even farther and not just in a physical sense I want to advance my education, refine my taste in music and entertainment. I don't want to hide behind the mask of a funny fat girl any more, and I won't.

Tennis

I played tennis today with an old friend from high school. I love tennis but I hasn't played much since high school. Playing tennis when you are heavy is hard on the knees. A couple of years ago I took up tennis for a few weeks with a co-worker and during that time I bought a tennis skirt that was too tight. I thought that since I was going to be playing tennis regularly I would lose weight and would need that smaller size. I stopped playing regularly and every once in a great long while I would put that skirt on to hit a few balls with a friend. The skirt was always too too tight but since my fat gut was covered with my t-shirt I still wore it.

This morning I dug that skirt out and was surprised to find that the skirt that had been perpetually tight, The one that I had given up on ever fitting was loose. Almost to the point of falling off. It was amazing. I wore that skirt this morning. I think it might be the last time. I'm happy to say goodbye to it.

Moving on. I felt so great when I played this morning. I just felt more full of energy, healthier and more capable of being active. I had more energy throughout the day, and well into the night. I think I may go play in the morning if my friend is up for it. Chasing all the bad hits is really good exercise. Plus its super fun.

Week 3

It's been a week since I last posted. In that time I have been able to start exercising. I still have to be careful not to over do it but its really nice to be able to start really pushing myself to burn the calories. I decided I would just go for long walks for the next few weeks and then after that I think I will start visiting the gym. I mostly walk around my neighborhood because I get tired easily and I don't want to get to far from home when I lose my energy. Aside from my walks though I have noticed that since I started to exercise regularly my energy has increased and I am able to stay awake later into the night.

I've also been able to add more foods to my diet. I made some mild chili early this week and mashed up the beans and added juice and it was really good. I've also got to the point where I can eat something in the morning and it settles fine. Occasionally before I would try to eat something before ten am and it would just sit there making me feel uncomfortable. I am still in the process of exploring the limits of my band. What I can eat, what makes me feel uncomfortable, and what is good for me to eat. Since I got the band, I've found that my self-control for what I can eat is a lot higher. I still want the foods that I know are bad for me but I have more will power to resist them. Perhaps one of the benefits of going under the knife to lose the weight is an increase in the personal responsibility and determination to make the right health choices.