YES, It Was!

A very Happy Easter Indeed. I ate, I enjoyed Family, I participated in an Egg hunt! And the best of all... There was no PB'ing! YAHOOO!!! Real Food, Not sticking to liquids and No explaining why I was in the bathroom so much to a family that has no idea about my LB! Everyone even made comments about my 40 pound loss and that I look great! Even my Dad, This picture is he and I (greatest man in the world to me) Told me how proud he was of me! Since my mother passed away due to complications of Morbid Obesity, His statement today means more than any of you can ever imagine. You can't really see the weight loss in this picture as I still have a pudgie face BUT... you can see it more in this picture as I don't have the double (and Triple) chins any longer!!!

It Has been a Very Happy Easter indeed!  :-)

Happy Easter!

I just wanted to say that before I go off to family's house for what may be a very long and trying day!

I thought Eileen & I had come to an agreement the other day but it seems that yesterday she decided to shut communication down on me again. WTF? I got thru my morning breakfast of hot Tea and then a slice of toast. And got all the meds down. But then, for some reason I felt a lump in my throat. Didn't bother me except when I was trying to drink my water. I had to make Macaroni and Cheese by my father's request so I did that yesterday and yes I munched on the cheese as I was cutting it up and yeah you guessed it... Even tho I sucked on that cheese till it was mush, I slimed twice trying to have some chicken for lunch. Then, I got some soup down for dinner.

Today I woke up with what felt like a "swollen" throat. But I have gotten my coffee and meds down. No sliming yet. Also No breakfast yet. My throat isn't sore, it just feels "swollen" inside. Like I have a very tiny hole there to get things down thru. I want to have some eggs before heading out for the day but am so afraid to even try... And Then What am I going to say when I can't eat anything for Dinner this afternoon???

All I can do is Pray to God for a good day ahead... PLEASE, let me get thru this day without a slime!

Oh And HAPPY EASTER To all my Blog/bander buddies! Have a great Day!

Turning a Corner

I believe that Eileen and I have come to an understanding. FINALLY!!! I think!

I was so afraid that I was about to have more "unfill" until yesterday when I was able to eat a 1/2 slice of very toasted pumpernickel toast for breakfast... A 1 cup bowl of Healthy Choice vegetable soup, and a snack pack applesauce for lunch, AND a 1/2 sausage patty with peppers & onions for dinner, (no roll of course) and I am very, VERY happy to say that they all stayed down. nothing got stuck. I had NO sliming. AND I was very full after eating each meal!

I think my nurse that I spoke to when I called about getting another little amount out gave me the right idea for me. For my first few days after a fill, in order to eat (after the 24-48 hours of liquids) I'm going to have to have some very hot liquids to drink first. You see, as she explained to me on Thursday, hot restricts (or has the shrinking effect on) the saline in the band. Cold expands it (or can make it feel much tighter, therefore not allowing things to go thru). So I did an experiment... When I was about to eat anything, I would either eat a fruit Popsicle first or drink a cup of very hot tea/coffee/cider. And ya know what? When I had the popsicle... I could not eat without choking or feeling stuck, sliming and PB'ing, being in pain and/or throwing up. When I drank the hot liquid, I was fine... the soup??? I drank 2 or 3 sips of the broth first. And Of course the veggies were really mushy so that probably helped too

If this is the only way I can get 3 meals a day in and get them to stay in without any problems, then I guess we'll chalk it up to experience and another learning curve in my journey... Yeah, I now understand that Eileen really is in control right now and she isn't going to let me fail!

Just Not Sure, I'm afraid...

...that Eileen doesn't like me much right now! She seems so finicky. Mornings with my hot, hot coffee everything goes thru her fine. Lunches, not working so well right now... Dinners? small and nutritious are great! Then a big mug of hot hot tea before bed seems to just do the trick... I really am not sure if I am still a little to tight or if it's just WHAT I am eating.

You see I LOVE tomatoes, diced, stewed, sauce, juice, you name it, I really like my tomatoes. But it seems that ever since last Saturday night when I couldn't keep the wings down, I have a real problem with anything spicy or acidic. Never happened before my 2nd fill. I could eat anything I wanted within reason and portion size.

Yesterday I had left over homemade marinara sauce on some angel hair for lunch. Took one or 2 bites and found myself literally running to the bathroom to get rid of it. I put it back in the lunch bag and pulled out the vanilla pudding. That went down but not easily. And then I gave up! I went back to my desk and sipped on water. AND then to top it all off ended up being sick to my stomach all afternoon and evening. Couldn't get home for a good meal before I had to be at a choral rehearsal so I stopped at Mickey D's. (I know, I know, shoot me NOW, but I had to get SOMETHING in me!) I was good, I had the $3 fillet and fry deal. Ate ONLY the fillet, NO bread, and about 1/2 the fries. and it was fine! They went down, stayed down and my stomach felt almost, I said ALMOST 100% better. So I'm thinking ok... I am getting back on track here...

...NOT!!! I got up today, hot coffee vitamins, meds, and off to work with a piece of peanut butter covered flat-bread toast in hand. (Did I mention that I am not, nor have I ever been, much of a breakfast eater) No problem, get to work and I really wanted some juice... Tomato Juice. Got it, poured it... ya know those little 4 oz cans. Took a couple sips and BAMM, I'm off to the bathroom and sliming it up! Man this really sucks!

I've been sick to my stomach and very careful of everything I have tried to put in my mouth/stomach all day... I'm thinking I need more "Unfill". I am afraid to have much more taken out because then won't it be to much out and I won't have any restriction again?  But wait I got home tonight and I actually ate AND Kept down 3 of the wings that were left over from Saturday. DH was saving them for me cuz he knows how much I love them! Maybe? Could it be? I've turned the corner and Eileen likes me again? Maybe, I just need to "work up" to my tomatoes!

OK, now it's... Unfill #1

Yes that's right I had to have an "unfill"! Well, I didn't HAVE to but I feel better now that I can get my water down without waiting for it to not feel like it was sitting in my throat for a minute before I could take another drink!


Thursday when I had my fill... It seemed like I might be tighter than I thought I should be BUT ya know this is all a learning experience, so I thought to myself... "I can deal with this, I can't have anything but liquids for 24 hours anyway". It was the next day when I couldn't get any of my BP or even the tiniest HRT pill down without feeling like it was stuck, or throwing it back up that scared me. I e-mailed a few of you to see what you thought and out of the answers, I got 2 wait and see's and 1 go back and get some out. I chose to wait and see... Shoulda listened to the go back and get some out! I had a concert to do on Saturday and time just wasn't on my side this weekend! I was ok Thursday night and Friday (didn't have anything to eat, just drinking) but then ate a little bit of baked potato and 3 cooked baby carrots for dinner Friday. I even managed a bite of steak that my friend made for me. It went down... slowly but it went, AND it stayed down with no urges to come back up! So I was thinking "I'm Good!"  WRONG... Saturday was a whole different story! I got up and could NOT get any of my meds down. I tried to eat and it came back up. I finally decided that any type of protein or vitamins was better than nothing at all. So I started drinking vitamin water. It really seemed to be the only thing going down and staying down. Went to the concert (It was great I might add) and then the chorus went out after wards for the normal after concert party!

I LOVE wings, and this place we always go, has the best in the area. DH & I decided to try sharing some, I figured if I was able to get any down it wouldn't be much! and I was right!!! one bite, ok, that went ok, I think, second bite nope not so well... yup you guessed it, I found myself running to the ladies room to get rid of it! Stupid me can't learn from those 2 bites not working... I come back to the table and tried a 3rd bite. AND Stole a french fry from my friends plate next to me! 2 minutes later only to be running to the ladies room again! That was the last straw. I had had enough! I told DH pay the bill I gotta get home before I have to "slime" again.

Our drive home from this restaurant is 25 minutes long and in those 25 minutes I slimed in the parking lot, and had to have DH pull over 3 times to do it again. UGH! Got home and sat up in bed till I fell asleep just praying that I wouldn't have to get up and run downstairs to the bathroom again! I Didn't. But What I did do was wake up at 4 am with such horrible cramps in my calves. BOTH of them! And when I tried to straighten them out that muscle in my shins would cramp. I got up to tried and walk them out and could barley walk at all! I managed to get rid of the cramps, but not until after I had to sit on the top of the landing because I felt as if I were about to pass out! I think my cats thought I was crazy. I was so afraid to eat or drink anything all day yesterday. But I did manage to get in and keep in about 40 oz of Vitamin water, 20 oz of very, very hot cider and some pretzels that I sucked on till they were about disintegrated before I dared swallow them. all of which stayed down. I only had a sliming episode once yesterday and that was long after dinner (that consisted of a bite size piece of hot dog cut into 4 little pieces and a tablespoon of sauerkraut, chewed till I couldn't chew it no more). Oh I got all my meds down yesterday too and it's a good thing too cuz without my potassium I would not have been able to stand another cramping episode, my muscles feel as if I have ran a marathon from the first one!

 I called my Dr.'s office yesterday afternoon just to see if anyone was on call and could/would be able to see me just incase I felt the need and all I could do was leave a message that they wouldn't get till this morning anyway. So I waited and called at 8 am hoping to chat with my surgeon or at the very least his nurse. I got both! I chatted with his nurse for about 15 minutes and she said that she would talk to him when he got in and call me back. She didn't call me back HE DID! (Wow, I was amazed) He basically said that he could do what ever I wanted him to do. It was totally up to me but if I wanted to have an unfill he wanted to do it asap. I said, let me see how things go here at work today and I'll call you back. He says ok, and we hang up!

I have taken all my meds. albeit very cautiously but they all went down, none got stuck, so maybe I have turned the corner. I start to drink my water for the day and realize that it seems to feel like it is sitting in my throat for a few minutes before it completely goes down... I don't think it is supposed to do that! I ate a snack pack pudding cup and it does the same thing. So I bite the bullet and call the office again! She says, "come in at 3. He is on call tonight and he wants to see you before he leaves for rounds." I say, "Ok, I'll be there" So I go in and he says "tell me what is happening" I do and we decide that the best thing is to back a little out and come back in 4 weeks to put that little bit (and maybe more) back in.

It's not good to be afraid to eat or drink and I really didn't like the thought of all that sliming I've done in 4 days! So, Now Eileen (Yes, incase you haven't read the previous blog, I have named my band Eileen) has .25cc's less fill but I can drink my water again!!! AND the best part... I know it was way to fast and not done the right way, but I'm down 11 lbs since I was in the office last Thursday and got the fill! 2 more pounds and I'll OFFICIALLY be in ONEDERLAND!!! Yahoo!!!!!!!!