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Tracy's first hand experience

Here is what Tracy has to say about her experience.

Tracy

Tracy

Personal Comments
Jan 16 2005 I am 34 years old. I weigh 277 as of today. I was overweight as a child and was unhappy. When I got into high school, I lost weight and was thin for most of the 4 years. When I was 19, I joined the Navy. I was very physically fit during that time and even taught the base's aerobics classes. Then I got pregnant and everything I had learned, all the self dicipline I had, went out the window. I "ate for my child" and was 75lbs heavier by the time I had him. 2 years later, and still at the same weight, I had my second child and gained even more. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism after my second child. I have been overweight ever since, and that was 13 years ago. I have tried every diet under the sun, from medically supervised shake diets, herbalife, slim fast, atkins, you name it, I tried it. I would lose, and gain it back. I am sure it is the same for most obese people out there. The most success I had was on atkins. I maintained my weight loss for 2 years until a new doctor messed with my thyroid medicine and before I knew it, I was gaining like crazy. Still on atkins, I spiraled back up to my highest weight. I changed doctors, but by then I had given up. That was 3 years ago and I have been researching Lapband surgery ever since. I hope to have Surgery with Dr. Aceves in March this year (05). Wish me luck!

Here is a detailed account of my experience.

Feb 28th 2005 277lbs

Well, what an adventure! Hubby (Curtis) and I drove from Ranger Texas all the way to Calexico, Ca so I could have my lapband surgery on March 1st (just 1 day away!) with Dr. Aceves in Mexicali, Mexico. Here is a bad picture of the hotel in Calexico (the town just across the border). It is from the back end. It really is a nice hotel and looks better from the front.

After one night, we checked out of the hotel in Calexico and went straight into Mexico. What a culture shock I had!

I was driving, and Curtis was "navigating"-he was no help. Besides him telling me when someone was about to hit me, he was no help at all haha. Seriously, the minute you get to the border crossing, all the signs are in Spanish. Nothing in English. You don't know which lane to get in.

(Some lanes are for claiming fruits and other things). Luckily I was in the right lane to begin with.

Once crossing through, it is like you are in another world. If you have never been to another country, you are definitely in for a shock. When you are used to driving down the road, you naturally read signs, even if you think you don't. Once here, it is like you become illiterate.

Ninas directions were fantastic. (She is Dr. Aceves Patient Coordinator and she is SOO NICE!!) She gave us things to look for, a statue of a man on a horse, a shopping mall.

Note in the above picture, the statue of a man on a horse on the left hand side) The hotel ended up being on the left so I had to do some fancy maneuvering but I didnt do anything the other drivers didnt do! That is another thing. In Calexico they have "Mexican insurance¨. We decided to take a chance and not get it because our money was getting low. Now I wish we had! It seems like every car over here has a dent or two and no wonder! They drive like maniacs! I thought California drivers were bad haha!

We get to the hotel and it seems the receptionist speaks some English, but when I give her my name she cannot find me in the computer. This was the second time that my name was not in the hotel¡¦s computer. With the language barrier, it was tricky getting a room but we did it! They were very very nice and I could tell they were trying to be helpful.

I must admit, I was in such bad culture shock, that when we got up to the room I freaked out. For one thing, I gave the receptionist a hundred dollar bill to pay for the $91 hotel room. She gave me back change in Pesos. It was a 50 pesos bill, and 3 coins that had "10 pesos¨ on them. The bell boy helped us with our things and I didnt know what to tip him, so I tipped the $50 pesos bill. Now I realize I think I tipped him $8. So here is a tip! Learn the exchange rate and learn it well! Here at this hotel, a burger and fries cost 69 pesos.

So I am up in the room, and starting to cry because I realize Curtis will not be able to get along with out knowing someone that speaks English, and I started to panic because I couldnt call out using the hotel phone. I couldnt reach Nina, I tried the hospital, but I eventually was able to call my grandpa. I gave him the 800 number and asked him to call Nina and have her call me. So he did.

Nina called me and calmed me down. She talked to me calmly and I felt much better. So after that, we decided to get out and go back across to Calexico so we could go to walmart (something we should have done BEFORE leaving the US) and get something to eat. Even though Nina said it would be ok to eat at the restaurants in Mexicali, we still felt like a fish out of water and felt a lot more comfortable on the US side. So this is what we headed out to do but boy did we get lost! We headed back the way we had come but all of a sudden it dead ended!! We couldn't get back across the border and again panic struck me. What if I can't get back out? I had made the mistake of not turning RIGHT at the man on the horse. But I saw where other cars were heading so I followed them and figured out the road back out.

If you ever find yourself trying to get out of Mexicali, remember to go to the road to the right after the man on the horse statue, Then make a left and go straight until you reach the border.You will know the border because you will see all the cars going one direction (left)and a tall fence. When you do turn left, get over to the right as soon as you can. Believe me when I tell you if you dont, you will get even more lost than before! We did this the first time and ended up on the wrong road but we tried again and this time stayed to the right and got in the long traffic lanes to get out to the US. Be warned here:! There are several Mexicans that will try and get you to buy things, or donate money in these lanes! Try not to hit them as you are driving, there will also be small children here. The adults are sitting in the shade while the children work the cars. I thought this was totally outrageous but again, I tried not to judge these people.

Also, Nina told me not to drink the water, and even the residents of Mexicali do not drink the water. But our hotel, the Fiesta Inn, says the water is potable. I still didnt want to take any chances so we have bottled water and lots of it. But ice? The ice machines are on every floor and I still haven't found out if it is edible. I will ask later.

My cousin was able to reach me on my cell phone which was a shock because I couldnt call out on it. I couldnt even figure out how to use the hotel phone to call out. (Even a mexico number). But my cousin from New York was able to reach me. (God I am going to hate it when I get that bill! The roaming!?)

So here I set, the night before my surgery, and I am typing to try and write down everything that happened to me so that I can share it with others that will be going through the same experience. What I would do different? I would definitely bring a English to Spanish dictionary, and these are some of the things I would have learned:

Can I drink the water here? Can I eat the ice here?
What is the exchange rate?
How much is that?
I need help with the luggage
Can you give me directions to a restaurant ( store, walmart, etc)?
Can you help me dial this telephone number?
How can I access the internet with my laptop?
Does this hotel have free high speed internet?
Is there anyone here that speaks good english?

That is all I can think of for now. I sure wish I was more fluent in Spanish! It would have made my time here go a lot easier and a lot less stress!

March 1, 2005 280lbs (on Dr. Aceves Scale! Ugh)

This is the day of my surgery. I am nervous, very nervous. Last night Curtis and I talked about what he should do if something went wrong. I hated to talk about it but we needed to, just in case. I called my two boys and talked to them. JJ (age 13) asked me why I had to have it done in Mexico. I think he must have looked it up or something. Zach was trying to tell me about having two biscuits(Age 11, Autistic). I don¡¦t know what he was trying to tell me. So here I am sitting in the hotel room at 6:13 AM typing this out. I cant have anything to drink or eat. I got up at 5:55 because Nina said that I could have something to drink until 6am and then nothing by mouth. So I got up to have some water.

This hotel bed is terrible. Very hard and flat. I snored all night and kept Curtis awake. He kept telling me to turn over. I can¡¦t wait to lose some of this weight and not snore any more. I started snoring when I hit 250lbs. Thats also when my back started hurting in the mornings. I am in a size 24-26 shirt and a size 22-24 pants. I weigh 277lbs. My short term goal is to reach 230lbs by July 1st. 4 months, 40 lbs, I think that is realistic. Of course after reading a lot of peoples profiles, I know that I might go through not feeling restricted, having to wait to afford a fill, and possibly the fills not working correctly too. So I know I must have patience if I dont reach my short term goal. But it sure would be nice if I was one of those people that lose without the fill and then need a fill, get one and it works, and continue losing. WOW that would be nice.

When I first started researching WLS I was not sure I wanted the Lapband because I didn¡¦t know if I wanted to mess with "Fills¨ and "unfills¨ and "Sweet spots¨. I just wanted to have the surgery, and start losing weight. But then I started reading all the complications of the RNY and the terrible things people were going through, and even the weight gain after 18 months. So I decided the lapband because the worse complication was the band slipping and having to have a revision, but nothing seriously life threatening. Also I liked the fact that if I started to gain back some weight, I could just have a fill! My aunt and my cousin both had the RNY. My aunt had hers back in the 80s and my Cousin had hers in the mid 90s. Both have gained back weight. My cousin went in for a revision and lost 40lbs but has not lost the rest. She also had another procedure because the first RNY was seriously messed up and they had to fix it just so she could have normal functioning. Anyway, I felt that I could deal with the "fills¨ and "unfills¨ after comparing the two.

Money wise, this surgery will be setting me back $8200 here in Mexico. If I lived closer, the fills are free for one year. It took me two years to figure out how I was going to afford this surgery. Finally I had a credit company offer me $4000. I turned them down for the first 2 months until I realized that with my Tax return of $4500, I could afford this surgery! So I accept the credit companies offer, they actually gave me $4500, so in all I had $9000 to work with. Which turns out I wish I had more. The drive down here, the gas, the hotel, the food. I have $300 to get back on. I was so excited about leaving that we left probably two days sooner then we should have. So that cost in hotel room and food. So if I were to tell someone else what to do? Bring at least an extra $1000. That way you should have enough for a fill when you get back home and you can set it aside until you are ready. I will have to recoup from this trip PLUS find the money for a fill in 3 or 4 weeks. Not cool.

I did not tell my job the truth about having WLS. I didnt want them to know I was having WLS because of the atmosphere I work in. Mostly men, and quite a few immature ones at that except my boss. I did tell them I was having a "surgery" and received 2 weeks paid vacation and this after only being full time for 3 months?! So it all has worked out so far. My friends and family knew I was coming to Mexico for WLS. Some I wish I would not have told, and some were more understanding or knowledgeable.

Here is a pic of me now!

Just look at that double chin! And see there in my right hand, a cigarette! That is a no no now. After 15 years I quit smoking so I could have this surgery. BTW, I am busting a move in that picture. See the grey shirt? One of my favorite over size shirts to hide all this fat. Here is a back shot:

See how even the oversize shirt catches on my ass and hangs there without my knowledge? It tucks into my back fat and I don¡¦t have a clue as I am walking down the street or anywhere. YUCK! I just cannot wait for that shirt or any shirt to hang straight down like God intended it!

Ok, I have passed 45 minutes of time, and I still have 2 hours before Nina comes to get me in the lobby. Is chewing gum against the rules? It's not like I am eating anything right?

March 7, 2005

Well, I finally had a minute to write about the “rest of the story” in Mexico

We met Nina around 9am in the morning in the hotel Lobby. We then followed her to the hospital. Once we got there, the nurses got right down to business. They weighed me and measured my height, and got me into the hospital gown. Then the blood work and IV began. To tell you about how much the nurses really care, the first nurse could not get my IV in and instead of trying and making it hurt worse, she got someone else right away. Unfortunately, they got it in my right hand so that made it difficult throughout my hospital stay for me to grab things, wipe my you-know-what, and all that.

Here I am IV and all! I swear I really do look better with make up!

Here is the adorable hospital room I stayed in for 2 and ½ days.

A quick look down the VERY CLEAN hall.

Several people came in and out, like the anesthesiologist and some other guy that I can’t figure out who he was. They all asked me questions, and gave me answers to mine. They did the EKG which I think was the only thing I was embarrassed about since Nina and Curtis had to leave the room and I wasn’t sure what was about to happen but I guessed the machine they brought in was the EKG. The male nurse with a female nurse put all those suction cup thingy’s on me and my darn boobs were in the way (as usual) and the male nurse had to heft them up to get to a spot underneath. It was a little embarrassing but they handled themselves well and made sure to cover me up afterwards.

After a little more waiting, Dr. Aceves came in. I forgot to mention that he had met us in the parking lot of the hospital when we first arrived so I had already met him! My first impression of the doctor was a single “play boy” type. I think it was the gold chain and the little bit of chest hair showing. Once he began talking, that first impression was gone and he then reminded me of a very caring person. Anyway, when he came in the room, he proceeded to tell me all my tests were normal, he told me I had gained a little weight and joked with me about the “great road trip”. He told me my surgery would be at 1pm. So from then on it was just a waiting game.

Nina waited in the room with Curtis and I the WHOLE TIME!! I really gained a lot of respect for her as she told us about herself and her culture. Oh, and while we waited, Nina got the hospital staff to change out my bed because the first one was old fashioned with the crank handles and it was up to high and I knew I would have problems getting in and out. So she got them to give me a new “Fandangled” one with electric head and knees. I thought that was very nice of her.

Here is a “Surprise shot” as she walked in the room that Curtis snapped.

Well, before I knew it, they were coming in to get me around 1:45pm if I remember right (I won’t swear by the time, but I do know it was past 1pm). I was very nervous but I made it all right to the OR. Once in there, there was more bustle then in the US OR rooms I think. Or maybe I just noticed more. The anesthesiologist was there and was cracking jokes to make me feel better. Something about the nurse in there being his lover. He was quite funny. He then asked me to tell him when I felt like I had drank 2 margaritas, 3, 4 and so on. I forgot to tell him and finally said “I think I am full” lol. The last thing I remember was his kind eyes looking into mine and saying “I promise you will not feel a thing”.

The next thing I remember was noise and lots of it. I heard a lot of chatter coming from the women in the recovery room. TO be honest, I was not happy about waking up to all that. I am a light sleeper ya know! ;-) Honestly though, I think if I were to suggest anything to Nina and Dr. Aceves it would be to tell the people in the recovery room to PLEASEEEE be quiet and PLEASE turn off your cell phones. It was nerve wracking and I could tell they were text messaging each other back and forth and laughing and dropping things. Of course I was in and out of this drugged state but I was NOT asleep. I could hear everything and I wanted to sit up and say “HEY< someone is trying to sleep over here!!”. So yeah, that would have been my only negative experience as far as the staff at the hospital.

I could tell they were becoming concerned about me because I was not “recovering”. I wasn’t coming out of the anesthesia too well. I don’t think I made it back to my room until 6pm. I know that caused Curtis to worry. I think the anesthesiologist gave me too much go-go juice if you know what I mean.

From this point on I was very sick from the anesthesia and pain medicine. I don’t remember a bunch except that every time the nurse came in to give me the two shots into my IV, I watched to see which one it was causing me to throw up. She put one shot in, I felt nothing. Then here came the next and no sooner had she emptied the plunger did I get that watery mouth nauseous feeling and I would be gagging. I was so scared because the doctor had said that vomiting was a no-no but what could I do? And it felt weird because nothing was coming up and I had this knot/alien in the center of my chest. Every time I heaved I thought that knot/alien was going to jump out.

So throughout my first day and second day, I was totally out of it. I can remember trying to talk to the nurses and Dr. Aceves and my eyes would be rolling back in my head. They would think I was sleeping but I was in that dazed/dizzy/nauseous state. I was NOT getting any rest, believe me. Finally I was able to ask and see if they could change my pain meds and they did. That helped a lot and I could feel myself getting better. But let me tell you, something that I would probably never say to anyone :

That first night and the next day, I was in so much pain from the dry heaves that I thought I was dying. I regretted the whole thing. I worried that each time I tried to vomit that my band would slip and secretly I wished it would so they would have to go back in and then I would just tell them to take the whole damn thing out. Yes I did think that. I thought I was going to die so far from home and how stupid was I to do this just because of a little weight? Curtis loved me just the way I was, why oh why did I do this?

So there, you got to see/hear/read the honest feelings I had. But as you know, fear was talking. I was so afraid.

I guess I can throw in a cute pic of my hubby ! Here is Curtis at a rest stop on the way back home….somewhere in Arizona I think.

As I got to feeling better, I realized that Curtis was in a terrible state. He had slept the first night in a hard backed chair with very little cushioning. I wouldn’t let him leave my side even though the hotel room was paid for. I was so afraid because of the vomiting, I felt I needed him there in case I couldn’t get the nurses to understand what I wanted. (BTW< that never happened, they always figured out what I wanted by the look on my face lol). But anyway, Curtis was not in good shape. His back hurt, he was tired. And he was looking at spending the second night in the hospital on that chair. So we were able to get a different, more cushioned chair for him. But it turned out to not be too comfortable either . So my advice to anyone coming with a spouse is to bring a self inflatable twin air mattress to put down on the floor. It will be the difference between an irritable hubby and a uncomfortable one.

By Thursday morning I was ready to get out of the hospital and be more comfortable at the hotel. Not that I didn’t enjoy my stay—haha. But you know how it is, you feel better when you have more privacy. But I was still a little scared to be leaving in case something went wrong. So I told Dr. Aceves we would stay in the hotel and not going anywhere until the next day. He said ok, and said he would come see me in the hotel later in the afternoon. So hubby and I caught a taxi (oh my lord those drivers are nuts LOL!! But he was nice and charged us $40 pesos (4 dollars). We get back to the hotel only to find out that we are being kicked out! Yep, they are all booked and because hubby didn’t ask them for another night the day before, they booked our room! So there we set, the Dr. was in surgery, and so yep that’s right! We called Nina! Nina had already left for home which is a 3 hr drive for her. I think she was home when I reached her and told her our predicament. She got on the horn to the Dr.’s wife who happened to be in Calexico I think, and was able to get us a room across the border on the US side.

So we had to pack everything up and get it out of the room. We then headed back to the hospital so we could see Dr. Aceves one more time and have him officially discharge me. I am glad we did because he took one look at me and saw I needed something for pain and had the nurse give me a nice shot in the butt. Ahhh it was the kind I could tolerate and I loved the Dr. for that. So he drove to his office, typed up a discharge, and drove back all in 30 min time. He then gave me a hug, kissed the top of my head and said “I am sorry if you had a bad experience (endearing Spanish word). I can’t remember the word he used, but it was an endearment and that just melted my heart. Curtis saw I was falling in love and led me away LOL. J/K.

Well, we made it back across the border where Curtis promptly stopped at Church’s chicken for his first real meal since two days before. I just sipped my water. At this point, I didn’t want NOTHING to eat.

So this has been a long update but I tried to include everything for those that are pre-op and like to read like I did.

March 9 2005 269lbs Ok I am 9 days post op and even though I said I was not going to weigh so soon, curiousity got the better of me and I weighed this AM. I am down 8lbs! . Ok, I know OF COURSE I am going to lose weight on a all clear liquid diet. But it did feel good none the less to see the scales go down instead of up!

I am getting tired of the broths but to make it better, I went and bought 2 cases of Top Ramen noodles in all different flavors. I tear open the package, save the noodles for my sister in law, and use only the seasoning packet. Each seasoning packet makes 2 cups of broth. Basically I am saving ton's of money because a can of broth costs around.89 cents around here and is also about 2 cups. A packet of Top Ramen costs .10-.15 cents. Do da math! :) (I am always one for saving money). But mostly it is great because you get all the different flavors (oriental, shrimp, chicken, beef, pork, etc)which helps at this stage in the post op diet.

I put in an email to Nina about portions because the "Post op Nutritional Instruction" sheet is too confusing for me. I hope she write me back today. Basically I started out drinking 1 cup of broth every 2 hrs. In between I am drinking sips of water & gatorade. (oh and tea!). Here is where I made the mistake of not stocking up on the isopure (protein drink you can have at this stage) and I live in a small town that doesn't have a GNC. But Nina said I would be ok until the 15 when I can add CIB (Carnation Instant Breakfast) 3 times a day.

From what I have learned, I am supposed to have 65-80 grams of protein a day to keep me healthy and hopefully stop anything like hair falling out or fatigue from setting in. Obviously I am not getting that right now with no protein drinks and the top ramen packets I think are only 2 grams per cup. I will update when Nina let's me know how much of what I should be drinking

March 12 2005 266 -14lbs 12 days post op Yep that's right, I am down 14lbs! I have been reading the message boards that some people say you might gain some or all of your liquid diet pound loss back when you start on mushies. I sure hope not but I will prepare myself for that. I mean it makes sense. Right now I think I am only getting in 600 calories or less. I think that is why Dr. Aceves is so strict with his post op diet. Most people are only on liquids for 2 weeks, and then 2 weeks of mushies. According to my Post-operative instruction sheet, I will be on clear liquids only until 14 days post op, then I can add yogurt and fruit but still on mostly clear liquids. (I think I will ad CIB-carnation instant breakfast). At 21 days post op I can oatmeal and cream soups. Then finally at 28 days post op I can add one egg to my daily intake. So it is not until 35 days post op or going into my 6th week that I can add vegetables like zuchini, carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli and "pasta soup" which I take it to mean chicken noodle soup or minestroni (sp). I cannot add real food until 42 days post op or 7 weeks. Pretty strict eh?

But I will follow it to the best of my abilities, adding in that if I can have yogurt in the third week, I should also be able to add pudding. I think I will try and keep the calories down to 1000 a day which I don't think will be hard. Right now I get full on 1 cup of broth & 1 cup of tea. I know this will probably change as I heal. Oh, I was going to schedule to get a fill after 5 weeks post op but since I will still be on this post op diet, I am going to wait until the 7th week when I start real food. That is when I will be able to tell if I need a fill or not.

So right now honestly, I am sooooo tired of the liquids! Even though I am getting full or satisfied, I crave my favorite foods like chicken, rice, and peanut butter. Funny, I do not crave bad stuff like ice cream or snickers bars. NOT AT ALL. But I crave real food of any kind! This will probably be the hardest 8 weeks I have ever had to go through but I think as I get into week 4 it will get better.

March 13th 2005
Well, yesterday I got so fed up with being tired that I added carnation instant breakfast to my diet. I am really three days early with that but I had to do something about protein!! I didn't have any isopure or anything else to get the protein in and i could tell I was really being dragged down. No sooner did I drink the CIB that I felt much much better. Well, it was about an hour and a half later that I could tell the difference. The CIB also kept me full for about 4 hours!

I was tallying up my caloric intake and boy was I surprised!! Up until yesterday, this was what my calories looked like:

3 Cups of broth -45 Calories 4 grams of protein
3 Cups of Gatorade -150 Calories 0 protein
3 Cups of Jello -0 Calories 0 protein
2 S/f popsicles -0 calories 0 protein
32-50 oz water

TOTAL OF ONLY 195 CALORIES a day!! And barely 4 grams of protein!! No wonder I was losing and feeling icky!! I couldn't drink juice as per my surgeon's orders because it was causing my diarrhea. But it was no wonder I was losing so fast!!

In adding in 3 CIB's, my caloric intake goes up to 795 and that is fine for me right now. The CIB's really make me feel full for longer periods of time and they add another 36 grams of protein to my daily need of 85. Did I write in here the formula for figuring out just how much protein you need? Well if so, here it is again "ideal weight" divided by 2.2, Multiply answer by 1.25 to get what your daily protein intake should be . Protein is very very important to help you lose weight, but also to keep your hair from falling out and to keep you from getting weak.

So I have felt much better today by adding the CIBs in. I have had more energy, and I have felt full longer. Basically this is what I do:

Breakfast
1 Cup hot tea
1 Cup Broth

Snack
CIB

Lunch
1 Cup Broth
1 Cup Jello

Snack CIB

Dinner
1 Cup Broth
1 Cup Jello

Snack
CIB

Of course in between breakfast and lunch is when I try to drink most of my water intake. Dr. A's instructions only say 34 oz at this point. But I am trying for more.

March 15 2005
Well today made my 2 week anniversary since being banded! I won't weigh again until tomorrow. I have made Wednesday's my weigh days. I have been back to work 2 days now. Yesterday was ok, today I got a little tired. My eating pattern has changed from above too. I am eating less, but trying to get in as much calories because I don't want to stall out. Today I went and talked with the lady at Curves . I haven't joined yet because they require $111 up front. A break down is half off the one time fee of $149 plus first months payment of $29.95 PLUS tax. Really $29.95 isn't much per month to get healthy. I believe these prices are nationwide but individual stores have the right to change promotional half off stuff.

Anyway, I will write more tomorrow with my weigh in and also talk more about what I am eating now I am at work. Oh, pain is barely there but I still feel a little "stiff" in the belly area and I am still avoiding bending too much. I am also very aware of anyone walking close by and maybe I am treating my belly a little too tenderly. I just realized that I AM ONLY 2 WEEKS post op and no wonder I am still tender. I swear I don't know how those people go back to work after only a day or two!! I guess I am just a light weight.

March 16 2005 262-18lbs 15 days post op

WOOOO HOOO!! Down 18lbs already and only 15 days post op!! I know I am too excited right? Well, I keep trying to tell myself that I might gain some of this back when I start eating solids but It is really hard NOT to get excited over watching the scales "go south"! I am not hungry, I am eating and feeling satisfied. Here is what my eating looks like now that I have started work:

B- 1 Cup CIB OR 1 Cup unjury
(if I feel like it, one small yogurt cup)
L- 1 Cup broth, 1 Cup Jello
3pm snack- 1 CIB (gotta get my protein in!)
D- 1 Cup broth, 1/2 Cup yogurt w/fruit

Snack before bedtime only if I feel like it - Jello or fruit

During the day I am still trying to get at least 50oz water (hard hard hard to do!!) and 20 oz gatorade (hydration,electrolytes, etc). Some days it is easier to get the water in then others. Eventually I will work up to 64oz.

I have also been feeling like I need to get a multivitamin since I know I am not getting my vitamins through food. Now they have a liquid Centrum at walmart but I am not too sure about that. They also have chewable for adults which sounds better tasting for some reason.

Work has bee fine, even though I am still having a hard time bending and reaching up. I don't try to lift at all. But if I drop my pen on the floor, it is hillarious watching me try to get it. I spread my feet really far apart, and bend at the waist straight over to get it. If I try bending my knees to get it, it feels like I am scrunching my port or probably more so my incisions. Thank God no one is around when I am picking up things lol.

Well, I am gonna end this for now. I am excited about the weight loss, and I think some of my clothes are slightly loose on me. I know my pants (24) fit me better. It will probably take another 20 lbs to change into size 22's or maybe 20-22's.

March 18 2005
Ok, I can't believe this, but my period started 2 weeks early!! OK, so I can believe it, surgery does that. It changes your whole body sometimes. But man I didn't need the extra pain in the belly if you know what I mean! Today I forgot to drink my protein shake at 3 and I could definately tell when I got home that I had no energy. But Curtis and I had started this walking program 3 days a week and once I started walking, I felt better and I could tell I was a little lighter on my feet. I think I am just now getting back to feeling like myself again. I think I am slower then most. Reading the message boards and there are people who had their surgery after me and they are like "Yeah, I went to work after 5 days and I am just so full of energy!". I feel like what the heck is wrong with me? But I know everyone is different. Well, I need to update my weight chart that I made in Excel. I am keeping the weight chart and measurements so I can see my progress.

March 23 2005 256.5-23.5lbs 22 days post op

Ok, so I haven't updated in a few days. A lot has been happening. The main thing is, I forgot to mention a few things in my other updates. So here goes: In my second week post op, I ate a peach yoplait yogurt, and within 10 min, I got a rash or hives on my lower back. I have never in my life had hives or an allergy to something, so I didn't know what to think. But this rash went away within 20 min. (and just to test myself, I ate another one the next day and nothing happened). Ok, so then a couple days go by, and I start to notice a small spot in the middle of my forehead. And this spot starts to itching, and burning and over the next few days it is like I have been "marked" by hell. This "spot" turns into an area the size of a 50 cent piece and it is red and splotchy and just looks nasty. Thank God I have bangs but still. But the itching starts to spread to my scalp and I start thinking "Do I have lice or what?" and after hubby checks a million times, I feel pretty confident that I don't have lice. I mean I was waking up in the middle of the night just to scratch my damn head!! Ok so this brings us to today.

I wake up this morning and look in the mirror and litterally draw in a breath at what I see. My eyes have puffed up so bad, I look like "plastic surgery gone wrong". This makes me finally decide to go see the doc. I guess certain things have to happen to an uninsured person before they will actually break down and see the doc. My eyes looking like Joan Rivers on a good day did it to me. So I see the doc, and the doc takes one look and said "Eww you have shingles". Yeah, the doc actually said "Eww". Made me feel real good. :shrug:

So she tells me that it is too late to take the meds for it because I have been dealing with this for over a week and the meds only work if you catch it within 48-72 hrs. She gives me a prescription for some pain meds, neurotnin (sp) and off I go. Well the prescription was gonna cost me $130 and I simply don't have it. So I am back on liquid tyelenol for pain. But let me tell you what shingles are because I didn't have a clue. Basically if you had chickenpox when you were young, you will always carry the virus in your system until the day you die. In some people, when their immune systems are compromised, or they are under a lot of stress, this virus comes back out and "shows' it's bad self" as SHINGLES. It sorta looks like chicken pox but it doesn't spread like chicken pox. You can get it in a small area on your body, or it may spread in a line (follows nerve endings). For me, it started with this small spot on my forhead, but it is traveling under my skin, effecting my nerve endings under my scalp and my eyes. So THAT is why my scalp was/is so itchy. My nerve endings are being invaded!

So Why did this happen? I am thinking the surgery brought my immune system down, or maybe it was the stress, or maybe both? So this is to those newbies out there. If you start to get a small rash, and it itches and you don't know what it is. GO TO THE DOCTOR!! The rash can occur anywhere on the body. If you get to the doc soon enough, they can give you some medicine to get rid of the shingles and you wont have to suffer like I am right now. The bad news is , some people take weeks to get rid of shingles and even after the shingles are gone, you can still experience excruciating pain in the nerve endings!! I hope I get over my shingles soon!!

Ok, but on to my WEIGHT LOSS !! 23 lbs in 22 days!! WOO HOO! HUh? Huh? WOO HOO? Oh yeah!! LOL. Pretty good. I am feeling pretty confident now about keeping it off. I hope I am not being too confident. I know as I heel, and as I lose more weight, I am going to have to need a fill but I will tell you what. Right now I feel as if I am already restricted. I can drink one cup of cream of chicken soup, and I am satisfied. Not full, satisfied. I am getting used to that feeling. I wait about 20 min after I eat before I eat more. Like if I think I want some jello with lite whip cream (which is the bomb, by the way). I will wait. Because I heard from someone that it takes 20 min for your brain to catch up with your stomach and let you know you are satisfied or full. I don't know if that is true or not, but it makes sense to me.

So besides the shingles, I am doing great. Curtis and I are walking 3 X a week. I am waiting until my 6th week post op to join Curves so I can work out more. Well, until next weigh in day, ta ta for now!!

March 27 2005 254.5-25.5lbs 26 days post op

Today is Easter Sunday!! My two boys are spending it with their dad so I have a quite sunday. I had a dream last night which put things into perspective and knocked me down a notch. I have beend reading on these boards people being frustrated with their bands, either their fills not being tight enough, or being too tight. People complaining that they haven't lost weight and why didn't their fills work and I was...well I was getting upset at some of these people for not researching the band or not understanding that it took more than one fill. Well yesterday I realized that as I heal and as I lose weight, the unfilled band I have inside get's looser around my stomach and therefore I am able to eat more. Especially when I am at home on the weekends and don't have anything to occupy my time, I eat more. Yesterday I ate more and could tell I was getting hungry sooner. I had even commented to another bandster that they need not get frustrated, that perhaps the band would go back to being tight and they just had to be patient. (Yeah, kick me). I realized yesterday that I have lost 25lbs because I have felt restricted either by post surgery swelling or because the band was restricted enough around my fat stomach-but it wouldn't ALWAYS BE THIS WAY. Yesterday was a reminder for me because I could eat more.

So last night I had this dream and it really was like a documentary of my life starting last month before banding, to 3 months from now. It showed me now, excited about losing weight, almost gloating. Then it showed me after my first fill, and not feeling restricted. I was upset as I stepped on the scale and it showed I had gained because I could eat like before surgery. And in my dream I realized I had to wait another 6 weeks to get another fill just like so many people out there whose doctors want them to wait. I realized that I could gain all of this 25lbs back in 6 weeks time if I didn't feel any restriction. I woke up feeling sooo terrible about the band until I realized that I really felt terrible about myself.

For those of you reading this. I know you keep reading about the band being a tool. Well it really is. You still have to do your part, as hard as that sounds, yes you still have to watch what you eat. I mean you can have restriction yet still be slurping down chocolate shakes. Of course you can't drink a WHOLE milk shake because you will feel full after 3 or 4 oz but you are still putting 300-500 calories in you that you don't need to be. For the lucky ones who feel restriction after your first fill, please realize how lucky you are!! And I will too if I am one. I won't be getting a fill until April 12th or around there. (I haven't made the appointment yet but that is my 6 weeks bandiversary). I havne't talked to my fill doctor yet. I have only emailed the secretary. I want to ask what type of fill doctor is he? Does he only give .5 cc each time? Or is he one of the great ones that will fill you completely up, have you sip some barium, then remove a little saline at a time until he can see it pass through the pouch? I HOPE he is the second type!! It seems logical to do a fill that way, and not go by numbers of ".5cc at a time". I will ask that question when I call to make an appointment.

I just wanted to say that I am sorry to anyone if I came across as gloating on my weight loss. I certainly did not mean to make anyone feel bad who hasn't lost weight. I no longer think I can't gain some or all of this weight back. I must remember to go back to basics and realize I am still healing during this time and to only worry about weight loss after I get to my "sweet spot".

March 31 2005 253-27lbs 31 days post op

I wanted to do a quick update here. I am not supposed to weigh as much as I have been, I know I know, I am bad. But I weighed yesterday and it said 253.5 and today it said 253 so I know my weight loss is slowing, which was to be expected. But hey, a half a pound a day is great too!! 3 lbs a week.

I MISSED walking on wednesday night too, and hubby and I are only walking 3 days a week. I want to join curves SOO bad but I need to save up the $110 to join. PLUS I need to save up for my first fill. I am going to see Dr. Dobson in Arlington, Tx. That is just about an hour and a half drive for me. He costs $250 for fills under fleuro which is what I want. I need him to tell me everything is ok with my band.

I have to admit something. I have been reading so much on this board about band slippage, flipped ports, and erosion, that I have worried myself to death over it.

Last night Curtis and I.... well we were getting frisky (which by the way, we were able to do 2 weeks after surgery)and well I think we got too frisky and my port area hurt. I immediatly thought "OMG, did it flip?". I need to know how it is possible for the port to flip. What causes it? Poor placement in the abdomen? Oh I have to run I am chatting LIVE with Dr. Aceves!!

***Continued April 2 2004****
Sorry I had to run off like that. It was my first time chatting with Dr. Aceves!! He was great, he said "Tracy, don't worry...." and then proceeded to reasure me. Did I tell you I loved Dr. Aceves? He made me feel better right away. It is one thing to hear it from others, but to feel reassured by your surgeon, it just makes you feel better. Us Mexico bandsters sometimes have a hard time because we don't get to see our surgeons on a regular basis. So to actually get to chat with the doctor was FANTASTIC!! Nina told me to stop worrying so much and stop reading so much!! It is hard for me to stop reading these boards because there is such valuable information out there. But I might need to cut down on reading if it is going to make me worry.

Ok, let's talk about my band. Today I cheated on my post op diet. (BTW, I am 4 weeks and 4 days post op and still on full liquids and some mushies like cottage cheese, yogurt, and mushed veggies.) We left the house early on a mission. A town about 30 minutes from here was having a city wide garage sell and we had to get there early!! So needless to say we left without grabbing my soup or jello or anything. So when it came time for lunch, we stopped at sonic. I looked at the menu and the only thing I saw that I could eat was chili pie without the corn chips. So that is what I ordered. I got about a 1/2 cup of chili and cheese. LET ME TELL YOU I WAS IN HEAVEN!! I chewed and chewed and chewed...it was the first time I was eating any real food since before the surgery. I knew I wasn't supposed to have meat or chili yet, but I didn't really feel like I was cheating because it was still a soft food. (denial? LOL). It took me forever to get it all down but it was worth it. And guess what? I stayed full for 4 hrs!!! That is a record since being banded. So I started thinking I will definately NOT schedule a fill until I am on solids for a while. That makes sense, I mean how can you tell if you are restricted if you are still on mushies?

So for dinner just now I had about a cup of mushed cauliflower which is on my post op diet. It tasted pretty good with butter. Reminds me of the days I was on atkins and used to eat mushed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes. I have been thinking of going back on atkins and seeing how I do when I start back on solids in 2 weeks. I did well on atkins, losing 50lbs in 4 months and keeping it off for 2 years. I didn't lose any more, but that was because of me, not the diet. I stopped exercising-which I believe to be the KEY to weight loss.

I even figured out what my target heart rate is for maximum fat burning. It is 140. I am thinking about buying one of those heart rate watches that will beep an alarm while you are exersising if you go below or above your target heart rate. I mean who wants to be working out and waisting time if you aren't burning fat? Catch ya all at my next update! I will add a picture soon for my one month bandiversary!!

April 04 2005 249-31lbs 35 days post op

Down 31lbs!! Whoo hooo!! Ok I am excited about that but I came here to update because I had a really bad day. Something went wrong at work and it was my fault and I tell you what, besides my FIRST EVER THOUGHT of wanting a cigarette since I quit, I wanted TO EAT EAT EAT!! I couldn't believe the strong urges I had the minute I couldn't take the stress! I wanted to eat eat and eat some more! Pile on the meat and potatoes!! Give me some bread, cheesecake, etc. But I went and grabbed my fruit jello. And I proceeded to WOLF IT DOWN LIKE A STARVING DOG...the proceeded to want to die as my band said "HELLO!! I AM STILL DOWN HERE!!". OK the pain wasn't so bad, it is more like before banding when you eat to fast and have to chase it down with a drink? That is what it feels like.

Anyway, I realized today that I really do have some deep down eating issues and I am going to have to get past them some how. I will have to figure it out because I don't want to sabatoge myself.

One month Bandiversary picture 31lbs gone for good!

April 10 2005 250-30lbs 41 days post op
Well I guess I haven't updated like I was supposed to on last wednesday. I have been a little dissapointed that I have not lost weight and have actually gained a pound. But I thinking I am close to my period...sooooo. It is weird because I have not changed my eating besides adding more solids. Oh yeah, I am on solids and mushies still. I love cottage cheese, and I started adding chicken to the cottage cheese. I boiled some chicken and took the meat off the bone. Sometimes I also open a can of tuna, put a couple spoons of mayo, and have that for a meal. But I am no longer on soups...even though I must say I am not opposed to drinking soup like I thought I would be. I thought that I wouldnt want to ever see a can of soup again.

So after I eat a cup of meat I am stuffed and I stay full for at least 3 hrs if not more. I think my body is justadjusting to all the weight loss in so little time. I mean 30-31lbs is a lot to lose in so little time. So I am not going to be too dissapointed that I have not lost this week. I will be scheduling a fill however because my fill doc (I was told) can sometimes be busy and I might have to wait 3 weeks to get in. If the time comes and I don't think I need it, I will just reschedule. I have a feeling the lbs will start coming off again once my body adjusts. So far I have been really good and I have NOT eaten any foods that I had eaten PRE banding. No icecream, burgers, french fries, nothing! I have stuck to my post op diet for the most part and I am now going to be on atkins.

I lost weight with atkins in the past and I also FELT better on atkins. I want to tell those who are reading this, maybe you have not been banded yet and you read the words "Atkins diet" and you think "I don't think the band is for me because if I could diet, why would i need wls?". Well the best I can explain why I am choosing to do atkins is because I know I have a problem with carbs and I have for a long time. Carbs make me hungry 1 hr after eating them. Sugar, bread, starch...all of that makes me SOOO hungry. Now the band helps with that hunger so if i were to eat a cup of rice, I probably would get hungry in 2 hrs instead of 1 but why do that when I can eat some meat and veggies and stay satisfied for 4 hrs or more!? Ok, so this is just me and my philosophy : Even though you get the band you still have to CHOOSE what you put down your throat. The band doesn't differentiate between chocolate and meat. All it knows is one is easier going down then the other and that is all you know too! So If you so decide to eat nothing but chocolate and icecream you are NOT going to lose weight. Therefore you must CHOOSE what to eat. If going on a specific diet helps you do that, then by all means. If just eating smaller portions of meat, veggies, cheese and maybe having a bit of chocolate is your thing, then by all means do that too! You are going to lose slower then those not eating the chocolate, but that is up to you or the individual. Me, well I want to lose this weight as fast as I can (and I don't mean I am impatient and want to lose 10 lbs a week) but i mean I don't want to sabotage my weight loss...I don't want it to be "my fault" that I am not losing.

With that said, I am not drinking the right amounts of water that I should and here is why: I am still having a tough time with my "water schedule". See, if you are banded you will understand this part. You CANNOT DRINK WITH YOUR MEALS!! I prefer to not drink anything 30 min before eating and 1 hr to 1 1/2 hrs after eating. So what happens if you are doing this correctly? WEll I get up in the morning and have my bowl of oatmeal or whatever right? Well this means I cannot drink any water until about 8:30 or 9am. Well I get to work at 8:30 and I am so busy I forget to drink my water! I feel I must get in at least 60 oz in a day. So I feel if I drank 24 oz before lunch, I am good. BUT if I forget to drink as much, then before I know it is 11:30 and I have to stop drinking before lunch. Then the cycle hits all over after I eat, I can't drink again until 1:30. If I am doing really well in one day, I get in 24 oz before lunch, and another 24 before dinner and another 12 or even 24 after dinner. On average however I think I have only been getting in 48. Which is definately NOT helping me lose the pounds. So my new goal for next week is to REMEMBER my water. (In the past, before banding, I never had a problem getting my water in so I think it is just the scheduling that is throwing me off).

My next weight loss goal is to lose another 30 lbs by the end of June. I should weigh 220 then and I should be in a size 18 like 3 yrs ago when I weighed that. Speaking of clothes, I had to go to walmart and pick up some cheap size 22 jeans. I had gone to goodwill, but I could only found 20w-which I did buy for the future :). So I have this weird thought. I started in a size 24 but you know what? THEY WERE SO TIGHT and I can't believe I wore my pants that tight but i know why I did. I DID NOT want to be in a size 26. I would have mentally died inside if I were wearing 26 jeans. I was ok with wearing 26w shirts. So I do think I should have been in 26 pants and now I am in 22's! I measured the other day and I have lost a total of 12.5 inches!!

Chest -2 (49)
Arms -1.5 (17)
Waist -5.5 (45)
Hips -2 (50)
Thigh -1 (31)
wrist -.5 (7.5)

Yahoo!! I love looking at those inches lost!! My rings are lose, I can wear watches again!! I can wipe my butt!! LOL Yes it was hard for me to twist and wipe and now I can wipe and wash with ease!! I can't wait until that waist size reads 32!!