Here's a protein question:

Is there any reason why I can't do two of my protein servings in one shot? As in, have 50g of protein in one snack?

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I'm going to steal Janelle's quote:

"I haven't been blogging because I haven't been doing anything."

Really. It's been 15 days since my first fill of 2.4cc. I've lost 2 lbs over those 15 days. I feel zero restriction. I can definitely eat more than when I went in for that fill.

My second fill is scheduled for next Monday, 6 days away. I'm going to tell Dr K to go ahead and be aggressive. Not, "need to get my fluids through an IV" aggressive, but aggressive nonetheless.

I just want to get this show on the road. I've been better about my protein and water, but not perfect, by any means. Right now, I just feel like I'm treading water, but I REALLY want to get somewhere. I know it takes a while, but, dammit, I want to get moving!

This fill is not what I expected.

Hey all. I've been absent from blogger for almost a week! I'm still reading yours, just not posting to mine.

Anway, I'm now 8 days out from my first fill. As of yesterday, I had lost a whopping 1.6 lbs from that fill. As of this morning (I gained), I'm down four-tenths of a pound.

Isn't that sort of pathetic?

I can honestly eat more than I could pre-fill. This literally did nothing for me. It's so frustrating.

I'm far from a model bandster, though. I'm not eating protein like I should. I'm having a terrible time with supplements. I just don't do them. I don't know why, pure lazyness, I guess.

Dr K wants me to be getting 60 grams of protein a day. I bet I'm lucky if I get 15-20.

Is protein my problem? I'm horrible, I know.

But volume-wise, I can eat a whole lot.

Hello new followers!

While I was traveling home yesterday (and thus not paying attention to blogland), I got three new followers! Welcome! I hope you learn something from my journey.

Regarding my two day old fill - it honestly doesn't feel any different whatsoever. I had 3 pieces of pizza (granted, they were thin crust) for supper tonight, and my tummy is starting to rumble again. However, I'm not going to complain, as I has started losing again before I went for my fill, so I'm good. I did lose some while out in Denver for my fill (for the newbies, I have to travel from Omaha to Denver for aftercare), so when I weighed myself this morning, I'm up to 16 lbs! Woot!

Also, I REALLY like Dr K. I had asked him if there was a certain amount of calories I was getting, and he said, "You got the band so you wouldn't have to worry about calories. Just do what feels right. If that doesn't work, then we can talk about calories." What a great answer, huh? That's SO what I wanted to hear.

Also, I'm following BOOBS! What an exciting adventure! I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it, as I travel like crazy for my fills in the first place, and lining up childcare for my kiddos is not an easy thing, but I'll try! I'd love to meet everyone, even though I don't "know" everyone all that well, and am sort of marginal in blogland. Either way, it's exciting!

First Fill is Done!

I ended up with 2.4 cc's in my 10 cc band.

Let me tell you, that was the strangest damn thing ever. I didn't know I'd have to sit up with a needle sticking out of my stomach. My heart was racing just because I thought I should be hurting, even though it didn't really hurt at all. And then, with my heart racing, I'm supposed to feel all these little differences when I swallow water? It was like 10 times worse than the eye doctor - you know, when you can't tell which set of letters looks better?

I really had a heard time verbalizing what I was feeling. The fill took a good half hour, at least, and I think I drank about a gallon of water. I feel so FULL right now, just from the water. It was weird, for sure.

But, here I am. Dr K said that because we went back and forth so many times, he wants me to stick to cold stuff for a day to minimize the risk of swelling. He also recommends that I go through the clear liquids-full liquids-soft food-regular food process over the next day. I stopped on the way back to the hotel and grabbed some yogurt and chocolate milk for tonight, and some string cheese for tomorrow.

We'll see how it goes. I feel really weird, but just in my head. There's nothing weird in my midsection, but I feel like I had just figured out what I can and cannot eat, and now I have to start over again. I'm almost too scared to put anything in my mouth, because I don't know what'll happen. Is this normal? I know as I have subsequent fills, I'll get better at this. But for now, it's a strange thing.

First Fill Today

I'm currently waiting at the airport, getting ready to head to my first fill. Nothing too exciting, except that I forgot to take my liquids out of my bag, so they gave me a funny look. Otherwise, no problems at all.

I'm not sure what to expect tonight. I don't plan on eating really, I just had a pretty big snack before I got to the airport. I was told not to have anything to eat 4 hours before the fill, so once I get on the plane, I'll won't have anything until my appointment.

I don't have any real restrictions after the fill, but I'm definitately not going big. I'm thinking maybe I'll just stop at a grocery store and grab some pudding or something. Thoughts? What do you guys eat immediately after your fills?

Hunger. It's a strange thing.

So, before the band, if I got hungry, and didn't deal with it immediately, I'd start to feel pretty crappy pretty quickly. My hands would shake, I'd feel a little dizzy, I'd get really hot, my ears would start ringing, etc.

Immediately after surgery, I had a few near fainting spells, but I felt so beat up that those spells didn't seem any worse than whatever else was going on with my body.

About two weeks after sugery, we had a family outing day with the kids. We had eaten breakfast in the morning maybe around 7:30 or 8:00, and then were so busy throughout the morning, that we didn't get to lunch until almost 2:00. I remember talking to my hubby about how nice it is that I could go so long without eating, and not start to feel faint.

Well, about a week after that, I let myself get too hungry, and the weak, faint feeling came back. It was strange, though, because I had gone for so long without feeling that.

Now, all little over 4 weeks past surgery, I can get hungry - my tummy will be REALLY growling - but I don't get the weak/faint feeling. These last several days, I've gone to bed hungry, but just didn't really seem to care. I know I shouldn't let myself get that hungry, but without the weak feeling, it just doesn't seem like a big deal.

Is this how skinny people work? They can get hungry, but not pass out from it, so therefore they don't need to scarf somthing down immediately? I've never been this way. I had always known that I felt crappy when I didn't eat, but it never occured to me to think about how the rest of the world feels hunger.

I don't really know how to conclude this. I know I need to not let myself get super hungry, mainly because I'm ask risk to take too big a bite when I do eat, and that goes down rough. But on the other hand, if all that's bothering me is a grumbly tummy, and I'm just too tired, finding something to eat isn't worth it to me.

Anyway. Hunger. It's a strange thing.

I'll answer Gen's question:

As of today, I am exactly 4 weeks out from surgery. Include my two week pre-op diet of low carbs, I am down just shy of 14 lbs. Not bad for 6 weeks!

Not much else to report on the band front, just getting ready for my first fill on Monday.

My brother and his wife are attending a George Strait/Reba concert (makes me want to vomit, I hate country music) this evening in Omaha, so I'll be watching their kids this afternoon/evening. That means, for a few hours this afternoon, I'll have 6 kids ages 5 and under. Their ages are 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, and 1. Yikes. The two year old will go home at 6:00 (he belongs to neither me or my brother, I just watch him a few days a week), so that'll leave me with 5 for the evening/night. Pray for me, please!

I took your advice!

And dug out a smaller pair of jeans! They fit!! Woo hoo!!

Thanks everyone for convincing me that I should! I would have missed out on them! I tried to take a pic of them this morning, but the lighting in my bedroom is too dim, so it didn't really turn out. I'll have to figure something out, though.

Also, my 3 lbs weight loss more or less stuck around for today. Here's hoping for tomorrow, too, and the days after that!

I also had a little discussion with Hubby just now, and told him that I want to think about staying at least one night for my fills. I told him I want to be able to take a day to myself, and just not feel guilty about it. Honestly, he agreed with me. We work well that way - I convince him that it's ok to go out and have a beer with his buddies, he completely understands that I wouldn't mind a little time to myself. I've already purchased my round trip tickets for a one day trip for my second fill, so that'll be a whirlwind, but after that, I think I'm going to try to stay. My biggest hurdle will be lining up childcare for TWO days (one day is hard enough), but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Bottom line - thanks so much for all your encouragement! I love you ladies!

PS - Thinking about Robin and her gallbladder (or lack thereof, I'm not sure where's she's at at this very moment). Hope all is well!

I love my followers!

You guys sure know how to make a lady feel good about herself!

I'll answer a couple of questions from some previous posts:

Robin - I'm trying Priceline for a car, but haven't had a bid accepted yet. I started lowballing, so I'll have to give it a few days. I'm going for fill #2 on May 3. I'm flying there and back home on the same day.

Kristin - I do need to make my fills solo adventures! I'm definitely going to do some shopping! Maybe I should consider staying a night for every fill. I really don't get alone time at home! I'll take a long time of staying at the same weight, with a huge loss all in one day. At least it's happening.

Gen - Your time away for fills sounds awesome. I really need to follow your lead. And as long as the overnight weight loss fairy doesn't forget about me, I'll send him your way!

Jacqie and Heather - thanks for you uplifting comments! I'm glad you like my underthings. Makes it easier to post such pics!

A loss! And underthings! And a pic!

So, completely out of the blue this morning, I loose a full 3 lbs! What the h? Where did that come from? I have done nothing different! Whatev, I'll take it, though. Here's just hoping that it sticks around.

Also, completely out of the blue, a favorite pair of undies showed up in my drawer this morning. Does that ever happen to you? A really great pair of panties or a really great bra just disappears? That happens to me way too frequently. Well, out of nowhere, this pair of underwear shows up in my drawer this morning like it's been there forever. It's just a basic black pair, but it's from Vicki's. I don't generally buy much from Vicki's (even when I fit into their stuff - remember, extreme bargain shopper here), but for some reason I had this pair, and they fit really well and feel really great. What a nice surprise after my lovely time with the scale this morning!

As I was on a roll, I figured I'd try out a bra that I haven't worn in a while because it was starting to pinch. Well, guess what? It fits perfectly again! It's comfortable! Woot! What a fantastic morning!

So, while I'm on a roll, I'm going to post my first not-fully-clothed pic. Here goes nuthin'



This is my "new" bra that I found this morning. And these are also my jeans that are getting WAY too saggy in the crotch area. I'm a little nervous about digging out a smaller pair of jeans, though. What if they're still too tight, and then I'm discouraged? I might wait another 10 lbs or so.

I have 5 incisions, 4 little ones and one larger one. The big one is about 1 1/2 inches, and the little ones vary from 1/2 and inch to about 3/4 of an inch. One small one and the larger one are centered right under my bra line, and then I have two small incisions on my left side, and one on my right side. I know at surgery time Dr K told me which incision served what purpose, but I can't remember that now. I just know that the large one is for the port.

Also, I just picked up Mederma this weekend. Has anyone had good luck with that? It seems almost too good to be true. My goodness, though, that little tube was expensive! I'm hoping it works, escecially because I more or less don't have stretch marks above my panty line. I'm still hoping for a chance to show off my tummy some day in the future!

Happy Tuesday to all!

More about travel . . .and boobs.

Sorry, the only band related topic I have right now is about travel! I'm about 3.5 weeks post surgery, and feeling basically like a regular human being. I'm not eating as much as I did preband, but definitely more than I should be able to, post band. That's showing in my weightloss. I'm not losing, but I'm not gaining, either, so I guess I'll just have to live with that for now. My first fill is a week from today.

Anyway, my travel is all booked for my first fill. Fly out next Monday morning, do my fill in the afternoon, hang out for the evening and the following morning, then fly back Tuesday afternoon. Hubby will stay in NE and go to work both days, as I was able to line up childcare for the whole time. Honestly, this is sort of worrisome to me. What the heck am I going to do with myself? I'm a mom of small children, I don't get an hour to myself. What am I going to do for a full day? I need to get a good book, and hopefully my hubby won't need our laptop for those days, so I can take that along. I'm sure I'll figure out something to occupy my time.

I started working on my travel for my second fill last week. You'll recall that I was super stoked because I found a flight for $114. Well, I didn't buy soon enough, and it went up to $138. Bummer, but not that bad. But, my rental car went from $36 to $86! That's crazy! I can't pay $86 for a car that I'll only use for 11 hours!

What are your suggestions? I don't think I can do Super Shuttle, because I'll get into Denver at 7:30 am, have my appointment at 2:15, and the fly back around 6:30. I'm going to need a car to bum around, right? I'm so mad at myself for not buying this stuff last Thursday when everything had great prices.

Anyway, moving on to my boobs.

They are so shrinking. I've lost about 10-11 lbs total, and I swear about 4 of those have come from my boobs. It's shocking, really. I can't believe how much easier I can fold my arms. But I know that's how it goes. I'll just have to start saving now for a tune up in a year or two!

Scheduled 2nd Fill

Hey all, I just want to answer some questions from my previous post, and garner any further advice!

Amanda and Holl - It's not that the doc can't get me in for a fill on short notice, but I have to fly from Omaha to Denver to get said fill. For illustration purposes, if I were to fly to Denver on short notice (within the next two weeks or so) and buy my ticket right now, it's about $300. However, if I can sort of take an educated guess about when I'll need my next fill, and plan about a month ahead, I can get my ticket for around $115. Big difference! While I would like to wait around until I feel like I need a fill, by the time that happened and I went to buy my ticket, it's looking like I'd either have to pay out the nose to go quickly, or I'd have to wait 2-3 weeks to get a decent ticket price. And that would be AFTER I started to feel the need for a fill. It seems like that might kind of stink - that is, waiting around for several weeks desparately needing a fill.

Kristin - so you had two weeks between fill #1, and fill #2, during which, not much happened, right? And then #2 got you going? So how long was it between #2 and #3?

Ali - I haven't even had my first fill yet. I go in for that on April 12th. But, like I mentioned above, if I can make a good guess on when I'll need to go in for my second fill, I can save boatloads on my plane ticket. Basically, I'm guessing on when I'll need #2 based on what everyone on blogger has told me, and also on some personal advice from the banded patient coordinator at my Doc's office.

Also, Ali, you're in GI, right? Frankly, I never knew there was a band doc in mid NE. I looked into aftercare in Lincoln and Omaha - both ended up being good options for an emergency situation, but WAY too pricey for regular aftercare. After those cities, I thought there was a doc in N. Platte. What's the situationn w/ your doc? Do you know what they charge for self pay?

Honestly, even if your doc was affordable, I don't know what is easier. In my current situation, I can drive about 45 minutes to the east, fly for an hour to Denver, drive for 20 mins or so to the office, and return. His visits are free, so I'm only paying for the plane ticket and the rental car. But even if your doc was reasonable, it's about a 2 hour drive each way from where I live, so it's still not convenient. Either way, I have to find child care for the whole day, because my kids could never handle that much time in the car! Plus, in my current situation, there's the intangible of seeing my original surgeon, whom I like very much. AND, my hubby works about 5 mins from the Omaha airport, so I can go with him if the timing works out right.

Hmm. Decisions, decisions.

Anyway, based on what you guys have said, I actually just scheduled my second fill (remember, still haven't had the first one) for May 3rd. That'll be exactly 3 weeks after my second fill. Thoughts?

Second Fill **UPDATED**

I emailed my Doc's office yesterday about setting up my second fill appointment. She said that I do not have to wait 4 weeks, I could do it earlier if I wanted.

When should I set up my second fill? Three weeks from the first? Two weeks?

Am I trying to plan too early, or should I just wait until I feel like I need it?

I need your advice, experienced bandsters!

UPDATE:
It sounds like I can go in on any Monday or Tuesday afternoon for a fill. I don't think it's really much of a problem getting an appointment to get in for a fill. The only reason I'm trying to plan early is for the flight. I don't want to get stuck without a ticket or nothing reasonable to buy for 2 weeks or something.