Sunday, July 11, 2010

Don't take my fill away!!!

Okay, so the title of this post is a little dramatic...but you're here reading, right? :)

Last weekend, over the 4th of July holiday, I had three really bad stuck episodes. One on cottage cheese! Honestly, I've had quite a few semi-stuck/PB episodes since my last fill which was in April (which took me to 9.4cc in my 11cc realize band)
Allergies played a big part in being tight as did a couple overwhelm moments.
I knew when I got to the point where I was looking for slider foods to feel full it was time to go in.
I called first thing Tuesday morning (closed on Monday) and got an appointment for that afternoon. My NP removed 1.4 cc so I am now at 8cc. I was instructed to do 3 days of liquids, then some mushies before returning to solids. I was also given a Rx for Prilosec to keep any further irritation away.

I feel so much better.

I was hungry, I mean really hungry, not head hunger. I needed to fuel my body and I couldn't get down what I needed too. I sure hope I can write this in a way that is clear. I'm so all over the place most of the time.

Nobody likes to give up a fill. I, fortunately, have a surgery center and a great NP who doesn't hold back the fills. In fact my refill is already scheduled.
I think we get into this mindset that more is better. Now that I look back over the last month I was not getting proper protein so in turn I was hungry which led to snacking and sliders. I didn't gain which was nice but I did lose some muscle along with fat since April (I'm okay with that, I was laid up with my leg vein surgeries and hadn't done much working out) but some of it could have been due to lack of protein.
During the month prior to my unfill I was crossing off foods left and right that I couldn't manage anymore. Just yesterday was my first try at regular solids. Let me tell you, it was awesome! Did I mention I had been hungry?
Let me think what I had...
The Hub and I went to breakfast and I had two strips of bacon, four bites of egg and one potato pancake with sour cream.. (okay, not the best of choices.. anywho)
had a little watermelon during the afternoon and a cookie, a pinwheel (has marshmallow) which I thought I hated but turns out I can tolerate them. For dinner we went out again, the house was too hot to cook and I wanted sushi as it was one of the things I had given up...let me tell you, it went down so nicely. I felt full, no searching the kitchen that evening, no reaching for cottage cheese to stop my stomach from growling.
Even though I am able to consume more quantity now (at one sitting) I believe the calories will even out to when I was over-filled and snacking. In addition, the ability to fuel up on a small chicken breast or piece of fish will keep me full longer, meet my protein needs and keep the snacking to a minimum.
I do believe I need to be somewhere between my current 8cc's and where I was at 9.4 to be in my ultimate green zone so I think I will ask my NP to take me half way back and I will see how it goes.

Oh, these bands are a bit spastic sometimes, No?

The end of the month is my one year with my band (Claire) in talking with my NP she brought up that I was a band success. I guess so if you read the data. I am doing my one year labs so I can get the results when I see her again. That will be my marker for a success. Looking to have lowered my LDL and increase my HDL. My blood pressure has been great and in general I feel better than a year ago.

So that brings me to Goals. I only had a couple in my mind pre-banding and I've met them. That was to lose 80 lbs. Check! and wear a 14! Check! I can now wear a regular 14 pant from pretty much anywhere. This was a surprise to me, I figured I was maybe a 16 in misses and a 14W, but I can't wear anything in the plus section anymore.
Oh right I was taking about goals. My ticker has an additional 10 lbs as my ultimate goal and I will leave it for now. I will have to re-evaluate when I get there. I am also going to do more strength training to get a little muscle back . Remember, most of my loss has been w/o regular exercise, I don't suggest this as I feel better when I work out but I don't do well with planned workouts. I am WAY more active and look for opportunity to get in some calorie burning but in the grand scheme of things I give myself an F in this department.

Well, I'm going to get on the chores before it gets any warmer out there.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

6 comments:

  1. Hi Jen--welcome to kinda goal land...its is a weird and wacky place to be :)

    Tina

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  2. Wow! Amazing to hit all your goals and coast for a while. I am glad you are able to eat again too. Fantastic Job, Jen! *Maria*

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  3. Hello! We are so lucky to have an awesome NP like Reeger who will fill us up whenever... Congrats on reaching your goals!

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  4. It's so hard give up the fill, but sliders and hunger (which is what I get when I'm too tight)never equate to weight loss or healthy eating, it sounds like you did the right thing.
    Congrats on meeting your goals. The goal weight thing is a hard decision, I've been thinking about what my ultimate is now that I'm in the 180's and 14's. Who knows? Hopefully you just get a comfortable feeling at a certain weight.

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  5. Sorry you had to get an unfill, but glad you have the refill sch'd already. What a balancing act.

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  6. Jen, I went through my own unfill and although I didn't want to give it up, in end it was the right thing to do.

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