I can’t believe I haven’t posted in 6 months! Time flies when you are having fun, and I’ve been having a great time! Life is really good right now. My weight has been pretty much at a standstill loss wise. I had another episode that caused me to be unfilled and have yet to regain good restriction so I’ve been practicing maintenance and doing fairly well. I tend to stay within a 10 pound range, but would be happier if I could maintain at a 5 pound +/- ratio. I’ve been working out, actually have started running a little bit and focusing on some weight training. I feel like I’m finally living the life I should have been living all these years ago. I may still be at the 200 pound mark, but life is truly good. I can’t wait to see what will happen when I shed the next 40 pounds.

Until Later
-Heather

After a wonderful and tumultuous year with my lap band I am happy to report that I weighed in this morning at 194.9! I haven’t seen this weight in decades and I feel like a new person. The compliments and shocked looks were flowing yesterday at my various Christmas celebrations and I enjoyed every bit of it!

After my last fill on 12/13 I have re-gained restriction and the loss has started again. Christmas was a little touchy because I ate a dry sausage ball on Christmas eve and didn’t chew well enough… it sent me into a night of stuck hell and after finally throwing it up 3 hours later I knew that I’d be spending Christmas on liquids. So not a bite to eat yesterday while attending two different Christmas dinners… this is the 2nd year in a row I’ve not eaten on Christmas. Surprisingly it bothered me much less this year than last. Maybe that’s because I knew that I’d be eating in a day or two and not in several weeks

This year has not been all easy and peachy. I’ve definitely had my ups and downs, but if I had the chance to do this again I would. I’d not hesitate. The Lap Band has saved my life and at the same time given me a new outlook on my new 38 years. I’ve wasted so much time fat, unhealthy and unhappy that I am determined to grab ahold of all that my future will offer.

I’ve joined a gym and will start going next week… it was not a New Years resolution… I joined in September but the gym wasn’t finished being built yet and will open this weekend. It’s right on my path to and from work so no excuses!!!!

2009 is going to be a great year for me health wise! I look forward to getting to my goal weight and moving into more of a maintenance phase of my life rather than the weightloss phase. I can’t wait until everyone forgets I was once fat and I just become “Heather”. It’s been such a long journey but I see that light at the end of the tunnel and I’m slowly working my way there.

Until Later
-Heather

I haven’t lost anything since the last time I posted and I’m still playing with 5 pounds. I went in last month and received a 2cc fill bringing me to 4cc but still no restriction. My doc had put me to 5cc in the office but I immediately knew it was too much so I had him back it down. We tried 4.5 and that seemed too much also so here I sit at 4cc and able to eat pretty much anything I want. I’ve really had to journal and keep myself in check just to maintain. I go up and down within a 5 pound range and I figure that will be my life when I get to maintenance. I’m proud that I have not given in and gone whole hog… because I know that my body gains at a rapid rate and I easily could be up 2o pounds after two months of no restriction. I go in Friday for another fill and I’m definitely looking forward to restriction again! I’m just so scared to get too tight again because I’ve not really missed the sliming, pb’ing and generally feeling miserable all the time.

Anyway, as I approach my year bandiversary I thought I’d share some pictures chronicling how far I’ve come this year…

This first picture is from Christmas 2006… it was when I saw this that I knew I had to do something more drastic than Weight Watchers.

This picture is from October 2007. I was pre-op at this time and weighed in at 282 pounds.Â

This is me last weekend… Christmas 2008. 85 pounds lost in 11.5 months. My bandiversary is December 18. I am wearing a size 14 jean in this picture, I was in a 24/26 last year. I feel like a new woman! I can’t wait to see where year two takes me on this journey.

AUGHHHHH - Just did my monthly weigh-in for the database on one of my mailing lists and I’m only down .3 of a pound for the entire month of October. I had hit a low of 199.4 a few weeks ago, but unfortunately had to have almost a full unfill which has caused me to gain almost 4 pounds as I re-hydrated and then realized I could eat almost normally for the first time in months.

I’m trying to control myself and focus on other things and have been staying off the scale for the most part. I am also reveling in my NSVs. Yesterday I hit the thrift store for jeans and left with 2 pairs of 16s and 1 pair of 14s. So this morning I tried them all on and I’m sitting here wearing the 14 LOW RISE jeans! LOL They all fit well, and I had to work the 14s a bit to get them on, but they look GOOD! LOL  The last time I was in 14 was when I was 18! So the moral of my story is that even though my weightloss has slowed to a crawl, my body is still shifting and changing and shrinking and I’m thrilled!

As for the almost complete unfil… I had 5ccs taken out  on October 21 due to another episode of tightness that had me so swollen I could not even swallow my own spit. My doctor tells me that my esophogas was most likely dialated and that it’s possible my problems have been caused by a slip. So I am waiting until November 13 to have any more fluid added to my band to give my stomach time to recover and hopefully correct the slip. I’m really hoping to go in and be at the same weight I was at when I had my fluid taken out, but it’s very hard without any restriction. I miss it, but I don’t miss the side effects of being too tight such as sliming and throwing up all the time. It’s weird how the band can do it’s own thing and tighten up on you without any user intervention. We’re going to be more conservative with my fluid level now, as my doctor feels I’ve done so well and have lost so much this year. So we’ll see what happens

Until Later
-Heather

Two things… today is the fashion show at Macys! Wish me luck

Randomness… during the first episode of this season of “The Biggest Loser” I realized that I, for the first time, weighed LESS than ALL of the contestants at their starting weight! This was a major thing for me as I’ve religiously watched every season (including the Australian version) and have NEVER weighed less than all of the contestants. I was just so pleased to be watching and not feeling as if I was still at the starting gate as they galloped down the track and shed their weight. Go Heather!!

I love my lap-band. Love it, love it, love it, love it, love it. Do you get that point? Good! Because, even as much as I love it it drives me freaking insane! One day I can eat nearly anything I set my mind to eating and the next day I can’t even drink Crystal Light. What the heck? Normally I chalk it up to stress, but this week it’s happening again and I don’t think I’m stressed out. Wednesday I could barely eat anything without getting stuck… my day started with some cheese and that ended up being the only thing solid I could get down. Thursday I was fine and ate my normal way. Friday I tried to have a smoothie for breakfast at Panera knowing I would have trouble with most of the foods they offer there and after 3 sips knew I was in trouble. I chalked it up to being so early in the morning and went on with my day. Later a sip of diet coke (a rare indulgence) made me miserable and the day went on like that. By evening I couldn’t even drink my Crystal Light. I was so tight and aggravated last night that I was having reflux all night and had to sleep on the couch. I’ve yet to try anything today but plan to stay on clear water until this afternoon at least. Not much pain this time, mostly just discomfort but it kills me because I am so HUNGRY! It’s just so strange, it’s not like I’m so tight that I can’t eat anything and I know I have to get an unfill again. It’s like it can’t make up its mind whether I’m tight or not. I have not had a fill since April, I had that slight unfill in August and was fine for several weeks. I just don’t know what to do. I don’t want to get an unfill again, at least not yet, but days like these just drive me insane.

Venting over!

Until Later
-Heather

Here I go again… long breaks between posts. I’m not sure why I do that, my only excuse is that I’m terribly busy these days now that I’m working nearly full time. By the time I get home at night I don’t want to spend much time on my computer so I don’t and my blog gets pushed to the back of the line.

Regardless, I’m slowly trudging along with my band. My weightloss has slowed down quite a bit as I round the curve, into the last few months, of my first year with the band.  After my big scare in August I quickly gained back the weight I had lost in that horrible week and then spent the next month re-losing it. Finally toward the end of September things started happening for me again and I’ve now moved into virgin fat territory. This morning the scale weighed me at 203.9! That’s 80.1 pounds less than I weighed one year ago exactly! I am very pleased. My immediate goal is to lose 4 pounds this month to get me below the 200 mark. I want to be comfortably below it before my bandiversary in December so I can start off 2009 (and my 39th year) differently than I’ve ever started any other year… not focusing on how fat I am

That said, let me catch you up on my last few months. August wasn’t terribly exciting. After my slight unfill I’ve still had decent restriction so I’m not sure why my weightloss stalled as it did, but my body has been changing so it may have been just taking time to catch up with my weight loss.

On August 31st my daughter was in a terrible car accident. She had just dropped her brother off at a friend’s going away party and sent me a text message telling me she was on her way home. The party was only 10 minutes away and I started to worry when she was 20 minutes late coming home. I was just on my way out to look for her when I got the call all parents dread… it was the hospital telling me she had been in an accident. Thankfully she escaped with just a concussion, seven staples in her head and a broken collar bone. Her car was not so lucky and it sits now in the totaled car graveyard.  The other couple involved had only minor injuries, from what we are told, and I don’t know the status of their car. This happend just 3 weeks before she was to start college, so we have spent the last month car shopping and driving her to and from work, and now school. Thankfully, after weeks of car shopping, we have found her a new car, she’s had it for just a week, but I won’t let her drive alone until she’s had some in-car driving lessons. Since she waited until 18 for her license she was not required to take drivers-ed and I feel that might have been a factor in her accident. Until she has in-cars we are her chauffeurs to and from school.

I tell you this, so that I can also brag that through all of that trauma, fear, worry and stress I did not eat to soothe myself! In the past I would have spent that month eating myself into a stupor and most likely would have gained 10-20 pounds in the process. I was amazed with myself. I did not even have the URGE to do such a thing. Simply amazing what this band has done to change my life.

Add to all of that fun, I’ve also signed up (and been chosen) to model in a fashion show for my bariatric program! I will be walking the runway at Macy’s in just a few weeks and strutting my stuff for all to see! LOL It’s hard to believe that I am doing this, but several of my friends are also in the show so I know it will be quite the experience. In addition to that I’m going to be walking in the “Walk FROM Obesity” walk tomorrow. This is the first time I’ve ever signed up to do a walk, but I want to do what I can to help raise awareness of this problem and help find a cure so that others do not have to suffer as I have my entire life. So many people die each year from obesity related illness… it’s just not a good thing. If you want to find out more about walks that might be in your area, or just the “Walk FROM Obesity” program you can visit http://walkfromobesity.com.

I think that’s got you caught up now. I will try my hardest not to take two months to post again.

Until Later
-Heather

Well I’m home. My doctor doesn’t think I have slipped but he was concerned about esophageal issues such as a possible esophageal stretching. He said we can only find that out through a test (I’m blanking on the name right now). However, he did go ahead and take out .25cc to see how I do with that and wants to see me in a month if things improve, otherwise I’m supposed to call him.

I am already feeling better today. I’ve been able to drink (sip early in the day, larger swallows later in the day after the unfill) I am actually working on a medium smoothie from Smoothie Planet right now and having no problems.

After two-three days of not eating I was not in good shape today, so I’m glad things are going down a bit easier. I will stay on liquids today and tomorrow and then work my way back to mushies and soft. I’m not taking any chances

I just hope this .25 is enough to do the trick and get me back to eating throughout the day rather than just at night. I also hope that there is nothing more serious to worry about.

I’m scared! I have not had a fill since April. However, in the last several weeks my restriction has been getting more and more pronounced and lately it’s been to where I can’t eat much, if anything, until nearly 8pm. I’ve been sliming and getting stuck quite a bit…especially if I attempt to eat anything earlier in the day. That said, I have even been having discomfort, at times, when drinking Crystal Light or protein drinks early in the day.

So yesterday my hubby made everyone breakfast and I decided to try a little bit around 11:30. The day before I was ok food wise so I thought if I took itty bitty bites I’d be ok. Well unfortunately I think some potato got stuck on about bite 3 so I quit eating immediately and waited it out. Unfortunately it took 3 hours and a major (TMI alert) retching vomit episode to get any relief. This was a true from the gut flu like vomit. No food of course except little teeny bits of potato skin (why I think this was the culprit). After this I tried to stay on soft foods the rest of the day, but nothing would truly go down and I was in agonizing pain in my stomach and my back and each episode lasted for 2-3 hours. I ended up vomiting again late last evening… big time deep retching vomit again and lots of mucus and slime came up (no food of course). After this last one I was feeling much better, but just thirsty so I had a few small sips of water and I was back to being miserable again and in major pain.  I ended up sleeping most of the night on the couch. Putting a cold pack on my stomach soothed it somewhat so I was able to sleep, but it was not good.

I woke up this morning feeling better, thirsty, and determined I would only drink liquids today. I made a big cup of Poweraid Zero and took it to work with me. At lunch time I decided to try to settle my growling tummy with an Atkins shake and three sips in I was heading back into misery. It took 3 hours at work for me to get through this one. I spent at least an hour of that locked in the bathroom spitting into a cup. Thank goodness I work for my parents because I’d surely have been in bad shape if I was unable to leave my desk and suffer through this.

I did call my doctor’s office and scheduled an appointment for tomorrow at 3:30… but then it got so bad my mother called to try to get me in today. I was given my Dr.’s cell and left him a message… it’s now nearly 10 so I’m sure he’s not calling me back tonight. I’m cool with that cause I’m feeling “ok”. I’m still working on the Powerade from this morning very slowly and telling my grumbling tummy to hush up. I’ve only had one small episode this evening so I should be good to go through tomorrow if I just stay this course.

Here’s my big fear… the pain is bad when I’m having an episode. I should not be having an episode with just liquids so I’m fearful that I’ve slipped my band with all of my slimming and vomiting the last several weeks.

I’m going to have him completely remove all of my liquid tomorrow and let my band and stomach rest for a few weeks before starting through the journey again.

As of tonight I’ve lost 74 pounds. This is not the way I want to do it!

Please pray for me. I love my band and do not want to lose it. I want to keep losing and working with it. I just feel so stupid… like I should have seen the signs that I was too tight before it got here, but I figured if I was still able to eat 1200+ calories a day that I just couldn’t be “too” tight.

*sigh

Until Later
-Heather

I did it! Finally hit the 70 pound mark today!!! Whoo Hoo!!! Over the last couple of months my weightloss has slowed from 2+ pounds a week (average) to 1 pound a week (average) so it took me longer than I expected to hit this milestone.

I think part of the reason is that I’m a bit too tight. I haven’t had a fill since April, but I’m at the point now where I can not comfortably eat until about 7-8pm. At that point I can eat just about anything so I end up having most of my calories at that time of day. My poor body must be so confused.

Anyway, I’m thrilled with how far I’ve come, my body feels so different and I’m very happy with where I am now compared to this time last year when I first started thinking about going forward with the surgery.

I figure there’s about 20 weeks left in the year. If I keep going at this pace I’m set to be at 90+ pounds lost near my 1 year surgiversary. That is quite a nice number for me, and one I expected more with RNY than with the band. That would be such a terrific way to start the new year.

Until Later
-Heather