Information is Power

I have been having conversations lately with a friend of mine who is about to undergo Lap Band surgery, and it has become glaringly obvious that not all surgical centers are created equally.  Perhaps I lucked out when my primary doctor suggested I go to the surgical group I did, because from what my friend tells me there is a major lack of information sharing occuring within her surgical group.  Not only does the Sugical Weight Control Center (SWCC) of LasVegas offer ongoing support groups, nutrition classes, and other levels of support post-surgery, but they truly try to prepare you for the life-changes you will be making.  For example, we not only had a two hour nutrition class before our surgeries, but a four hour class just before surgery in which the surgical procedure was explained, the recovery was described, and more information was presented on how and what you should eat and drink through each stage of recovery and throughout your weightloss experience!

While I was going through the process with SWCC I just assumed these lectures and information sessions were par for the course, but according to my friend, her surgical center has not provided anything beyond her office visits.  So, here she is, preparing to have surgery soon with very little information to sustain her.  Personally I would be freaked out!  I NEED information, I crave it, it comforts me, it makes me feel I am making informed decisions!  It also ensures you are not undergoing a painful and stressful surgical procedure merely to have your efforts at weightloss fail, becuase the plain fact of the matter is that you can still fail at weightloss after surgery.  Why?  Because you don't have all the information you need to succeed!

So, my advice to anyone thinking about having any type of gastric surgery?  See what types of support your chosen surgical center provides to help you make sure your surgery is a success!  If they don't provide you with support and information move on and find another surgeon.  You take the time to shop around for a car, a stereo, even the best produce, so why not put the same time and effort into shopping for your best possible future?

Interesting Side Effects

So, it appears there is an interesting side effect to losing weight (I am down almost 30 pounds now!).  I have not only the energy but also the motivation to do all those little things I have been putting off doing for months!  Yesterday I installed a new faux rock fountain in our back yard, today I am reorganizing our family room (which is really just the baby's play room with a big ass TV in the middle of it).  I also signed up for a painting class onWednesday, and am folding laundry!  This is a huge change for me, where weeks ago I would have been content to sink my ass into our comfy couches and veg out playing WarCraft ALL day.

Look out world, here I come!  Oh, and you should be expecting a new novel from me any time now...yeah, that's right, I am in the editing stages then I am getting myself an agent!  Anybody know an agent looking for a rising new star in women's horror fiction?

Quality over Quantity or Price

So, I had another appointment with my post-surgical doctor yesterday.  I have lost a total of about 25 pounds, but expressed some frustration with what I feel is slow progress and a new desire to eat any and every type of junk food that might have the misfortune of crossing my path.  Turns out I may have been sabotaging myself on numerous levels.  First it appears that not all proteins are created equally.  Apparently proteins have what is called a PDCAAS score (protein digestibility corrected amino acid score) which basically determines how much of the protein is actually usable by your body.  This is an important value for numerous reasons if you are losing weight rapidly and are trying to control appetite throughout the day.  A higher PDCAAS for your protein will not only make you feel fuller, it will keep you feeling fuller, will nix your crazy carb cravings, and will help prevent your skin from sagging as you lose pounds!  The problem, of course, is that there isn't a protein on the market that puts its PDCAAS on its label, and it is difficult to get companies to disclose this information.  My doctor's office, though, has apparently investigated the protein supplements on the market and has selected a group of products they recommend, and the one I am currently using is from Bariatric Advantage (the orange cream flavor, and it's YUMMY!).  So, I am hoping this change will help invigorate the weight loss again!  Not, I imagine, that I should really be complaining about "only" losing 25 pounds in two months...silly me...

UPS AND DOWNS OF THE ELECTION

Authored by Leandro Delgado
I have been using my harrisburg wireless internet to stay connection and in tune with the Republican primaries that have been occurring. I can’t remember a race that has had this many ups and downs and surprises as this year’s Republican primary has. I don’t consider myself a Republican or a Democrat, I would say that I lean both ways, but I do follow politics on both sides and decide at the last minute what I am going to vote. The Republican debates and primaries this year has really been a roller coaster ride! It is out of control. One week Romney is leading and the next week Santorum, who was at the bottom of the totum poll at the beginning of the race is on top. One week Cain was a head and the next week a scandal broke and he was out. I am just really interested to see how this turns out. It should be wrapping up here pretty quickly, but the election in November is sure to be a news story that I will want to follow!

First Fill Down

I had my first fill for my LapBand Monday afternoon.  I have to admit I was pretty full of apprehension and was not at all sure what to expect.  I think I got a little lucky, though, that I had to schedule my fill early as I got a doctor who actually believes in giving you a local of Lidocaine to numb the area first.  Other doctors told us they didn't give an anasthetic as the procedure simply involves injecting silicon into the port using a 22 guage needle, which at first didn't seem to bad, but after the procedure I am glad I had the local as there was a lot of pressure on the area, and I can imagine that it might hurt more than I really anticipated.

After the doctor injected an additional 2cc's of silicon into the band he had me drink a little water to make sure the fill hadn't tightened the Band down too far.  I have to say it felt a little strange, and at first I thought it had been overfilled, as it seemed to take a little while for the water to move through.  By that evening, though I was feeling pretty normal.  They do require that you go back on a liquids-only diet for 24 hours post-fill, and that you take it easy and chew carefully when you start eating normal food again as the last thing they want you to do is throw up because you can't get the food down.  For me, though, everything is back to normal.  I had solid food immediately after the 24 hour period was over, and was fine.  Granted, I do have to admit that I chew my food obsessively.  I have heard from other's who have had the LapBand that getting food stuck is truly unpleasant and am trying my best not to suffer through the experience!

Anyway, I feel back to normal, not hungry between meals or overnight.  Looking forward to losing more weight!

Filling

So, I was scheduled for my first fill on my Lap Band on February 28, a month after my first post surgery follow-up appointment.  This is the usual amount of time recommended for your first post-operative fill, but it turns out I am going to need to have my first fill done sooner.  This has turned out to be a source of frustration for me, as during all the pre-operative seminars the doctors and nurses stressed the importance of coming in right away for a fill if you start feeling hungry between meals or if you notice your weight loss slowing down.  I called on Monday of this week (Febraury 13) to try to reschedule, but had to leave a message for the scheduler (who didn't bother to call me back until the following day).  Luckily I am proactive, so I called her later in the day again on Monday but she told me there weren't any appointments available until the 24th.  Not satisfied with this answer, I told her I was frustrated, because we had been instructed to call and get fills as soon as we noticed any changes in our appetite otherwise the effectiveness of the surgery is nullified.  Somehow, miraculously a time opened up on the 20th.  Still not as immediate a response as we were promised during our orientations, but better than the 24th or the original 28th. 

In the meantime, my weightloss has slowed to a crawl, and I get hungry at night to the point that sometimes it keeps me awake.  I think this is an issue I will be addressing with the Doctor on the 20th.  If they don't have enough available appointments to take care of their patients post-op, then perhaps they need to extend their hours or hire more people who can do the fills.  Not, I imagine, they will be doing so, but I plan on being vocally aggressive in ensuring my success with this procedure.  I didn't go through surgery to have my goals sabotaged by their poor preparation.

Anyway...that's my vent for today...lol... 


Surgery date:  January 20, 2012
Pre-op weight: 271
Weight today: 250.8

Reality Bites

So, it's been a few weeks since my surgery now, and I am adjusting pretty well to the new lifestyle.  The toughest thing for me, honestly, has been facing the reality that this is a LIFE LONG commitment to change.  I was driving around town after one of my appointments with the Doctor, and was looking at all the places around town that offer food (and since I live in Las Vegas, there is a plethora of really good Foodie stuff to be had), and I realized that unlike diets I have tried in the past there is no having a Cheat-day after you've had gastric surgery.  You can't go off your "diet" for a day just because your friend is visiting from out of town, you can't binge on Ben and Jerry's when you've received some bad news, and you can't order dessert even though you know you are really full.

I find myself adopting a philosophy from the wicked food critic from the movie Ratatouille, Anton Ego, "I don't like food, I love it, and if I don't love it I don't swallow."  If you are only able to eat 4 ounces of food in a meal, why not make it delicious?  I realize our dieticians are telling us to alter our mindsets about food as a pleasurable experience, and that we should instead look at food merely as fuel.  This is a philosophy, however, that I will probably never be able to fully embrace.  I love to cook, and good tasting food is simply more satisfying.  While I do admit there are times when it is necessary to just get the meal in as we are on such strict eating restrictions, I really do feel that most of the time it will be possible to not only satisfy my new dietary requirements but to satisfy my tastebuds too. 

Surgery date: January 20, 2012
Beginning weight: 271 lbs.
Current weight: 251 lbs
Goal weight: 150 lbs

Making homemade Valentines this year

Guest post written by Chelsea Rooper
One of my resolutions for this year was to make some more crafts. I look at craft blogs a lot but never took the time out to actually make any of those crafts. I would say that I'm doing pretty well with it so far already. I also thought that I'd take advantage of Valentine's Day and make some really cute cards!
I've bookmarked so many craft blogs by now, that I decided to browse through some of them to get some ideas for cards. When I was doing that I ran across information on debtcounseling and decided that it's something I need to check out because i need to straighten out my finances.
I've made a homemade Valentine for each of my family members and can't wait to see what each of them think of them! It's just a little something that I thought would be nice and because they're homemade they might treasure them a little more! I know that I would treasure some homemade cards a little bit more! I even made one just for myself because I loved the way that they were turning out so much!

Post-Op

I had my surgery Friday, and was planning on getting to come home the same day, but apparently my insurance requires an overnight stay at the hospital if you have a hiatal hernia repaired during the surgery.  Sooo...yeah, I had to stay overnight.  The upside is I had a night away from home!  Would have been like a mini-vacation if not for the pain and bad food. 

Anyway, the surgery went well, and I am on my way to recovery!  I have already lost over 10 pounds from my preoperative weight.  Granted that rapid loss probably has a lot to do with the fact that I was on a liquids only diet for the first day and a half, then moved on to soft-solids, but still could only get an ounce or two down at a time.  I have to say, the only thing that really helped is knowing I am getting plenty of protein from protein powder and some Bariatric specific hot beverages.  By the way, warm beverages go down best!  So, I have started drinking a lot of decaffeinated tea to get my daily water requirements in.

Anyway, I am up to 4 ounces a meal, and feeling great! 

Pregnant Move

The Author of this post is Rory Reilly

It's hard moving into a new house when you're pregnant. I definitely didn't plan it this way but things were already in motion when my husband and I realized we were going to have a baby. I couldn't believe it when I first found out, but I immediately started packing anything I could that wasn't going to be too heavy for me to lift. I absolutely love that we're going to have a little one to put in the spare bedroom when we moved in but it's been really tough being confined to all the logistical things about the move instead of the fun stuff like painting and packing. For example, I went to http://www.direc4u.com/ the other day and researched TV plans for us which I guess was helpful but at the end of the day I feel like I'm not pulling my weight because I can't get up and pick up a heavy box. My husband would kill me if he saw me doing something like that so I have to sit back.

Surgery Approved!

Ok, so it might sound strange, but one of the most anxiety producing aspects of this process has been worrying about whether or not my insurance company would approve my surgery!  Now, don't for a moment think that the idea of surgery hasn't kept me awake at night, or worries over the drastic change in lifestyle have me biting my fingernails.  It's just that beaurocracy is such a finicky beast, and one never knows what strange whim will skew your results in a direction you would rather it not go. 

I am pleased to announce that my insurance company has approved me for Lap-Band surgery!  So, now I have an actual surgery date and have begun the process of finding childcare for the recovery period (I am between interviews as I write).  Now that the stress of wondering whether or not my insurance company would think the cost of the surgery was worth it I am starting a whole new bout of worrying. 

What if I overreat?  What if I don't chew my food enough?  What if I am out to dinner at a nice restaurant when I discover some food no longer agrees with my uber-sensitive stomach?  What if?  What if?  What if...

Luckily my surgeon's office provides a support group specific to Lap-Band patients, and I have a 4 hour pre-operation class to discuss these very issues and prepare for a whole new life.  This is at once the most exciting and most anxiety ridden experience I have ever signed up for.  I will be posting a pre-op photo by the end of the week, and will try to post in-progress photos as the new lifestyle progresses.  Wish me luck, surgery is on Friday...phew...