Making strides! :)

So I need to be better about posting. I have had so many milestones lately. First off my last fill went very well! No more fills in the procedure room anymore *crosses fingers*

I have been starting to lose again since my fill on April 28th and cloths are starting to get loose again. I tried on a couple shirts last week or so at Meijer. Sharon wanted to look at cloths so I thought “what the heck, what have I got to lose just trying on a top or 2” well I fell in love this really pretty top. They only had 1. Well I tried it on anyway over top of my shift I was wearing. The shirt I was wearing when I went into the store was a 5X and the shirt I tried on was only a 3X. It fits beautifully! I love it. I also tried on a 2X too. I figure I would just see. The 2X fit! It wasn’t anything I felt comfortable enough to wear in public but it felt good. It felt pretty good. I hugged my curves more than I liked but if it was not uncomfortable. Anyway back to awesome 3X, since Meijer had a rack of tops on sale buy one get one half off. Sharon and I each got a top and split the price. So we each saved like 5 bucks. Anyway, I wore it this last weekend to our Tops SRD (State Recognition Days) on Saturday even though at first I didn’t feel that comfortable in it. Then on Sunday I wore the 5X top (the shirt I am wearing in all my progress pics) and I felt so sloppy and just gross because it just didn’t feel comfortable anymore. So that shirt is going into my cloths bin to keep for a later time to see what I used to wear. Plus I will have that to keep for the “Before and After” parade next year at SRD. Each year, as long as you maintain a 50# weight loss you can walk across the stage and hold up what size you used to wear and then show how you look currently. What an inspiration seeing all those people come out from behind their own cloths so much trimmer and HEALTHIER.

Anyway, I guess my main point to this post tonight. (I apologize I am still not really awake yet from the weekend, lol.) I am more motivated than ever! After seeing those weight loss winners walk across stage was so inspiring. There was gal, our Michigan state Queen, she lost 179.25#. I would love to loose that much. It gives me a feeling that if she can loose that amount of weight on her own, without weight loss surgery, then there is no reason that I can’t loose that much with my lap band. Also, our motivation speaker, Jodi Davis (walkytalk.com) lost 162 lbs! Oh my goodness, how can a person, without having to be a tops member not being inspired by those numbers. Each day I get more and more motivated.

Every time I started to feel down or negative I take myself back to that Meijer store. Back to that moment when I tried on shirt 3 sizes smaller that actually fit.

Until then I am off to try to get some good sleep. I am hoping to make it to the park tomorrow for a nice long walk. HAHA. I’ll see how tom goes.

~Princess Jenn~

Here is a post I actually did last week but somehow got put off adding until now :)
I got a fill this past tuesday. (April 28th) Which is about time since I have spent most of time since surgery with what feels like no restriction. After I finally got a fill on March 3rd I thought things would start going in the right direction with my weight. The right direction being down. That did happen for 3 weeks. Only because I couldn't keep anything down! I tried staying on the graduated diet like right after surgery, but even then anything more than a 2 bites and it didnt stay down. Plus it hurt like hell. The pressure I felt after a bite went all way thru to my back. Felt like someone was pushing me earlly hard, or a I had a my 6 1/2 yr old nephew standing there. Even if food did stay down I was still starving all the time. Which defeats the purpose of having this band in the first place. Anyway, by week 3 I was still not keeping really anything down and dropped 16lbs. So back the doctor went. Then for an esophogram. My band was way too tight. A drinkof barium took 30-40 seconds from the time it got to where my band is located to actually pass thru it. Yes, it is supposed to take longer for food to go thru, that how you stay feeling full longer. However this was liquid. Water made feel sick and full too. Anyway, next thing I knew I was scheduled to go back to the procedure room to get an "unfill". So on march 27, I went in and got 2.5cc of my 5cc from my band taken out. I was so bummed that so much had to come out. I had only gotten a fill of 1.5cc when i went in on the 3rd. And I knew that my next fill would be a wait away again. Along with the the pain and discomfort of a band being too tight thre is a high risk of the band slipping. I'm not really sure about the reason behind this. I think one risk is constantly having to be sick can move band.

Needless to say, I put back on those 16lbs very easily. With only 2.5cc in my band I felt no restriction. Plus I managed to get my nephews during that time. Do you know what kind of foods kids eat? Yummy junk food of course! But now it's all gone. So no more temptations.

Now this last fill I got was in the procedure room but this time no fluoro! As usual Dr K. gave it a try without the xray on and it worked. He actually found the port and accessed it pretty quickly. I was so happy when he said "we're in. cancel xray" also that I should call and get my next fill scheduled in the office for 4 weeks. Then I even got a high five! I know both of us were so happy about that.

I am going to wrap this up for now. Wish me luck. It's been 2 days since my fill and so far so good. I feel pretty good.

Progress! Finally :)

Sept 23 - 2 Days before surgery// Mar 10 (-53lbs from highest!)

So tonight was tops as usual. Followed by dinner at our usual (Cracker Barrel). Last Tuesday I couldn't even keep down sips of coffee. I was able to keep down some tomato soup here and there since then. Well today at work I decided to try some mashed potatoes. It stayed down! What a good feeling. But it got even better at dinner. I shared a dinner with my dad. I had chicken & more taters. That stayed down. I feel pretty good even. I have a little bit of pain in my back but it is nothing like the pressure I have/had when I have tried before. This is more along the lines of being from being full. I realize that sounds ironic that I was happy to be able to eat and keep it down. Well, this is the first real food I have been able to eat and KEEP down since my fill on 3/3/09. After everything that has happened since my banding (flipped port, seroma, infected incision, blister on my incision, 2 failed attempts at fills since Dec surgery) I was very, very concerned that with my luck, that my band had slipped. The feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop. My luck has been lately, if something is going to happen it's going to happen to me.

Yes, I am trying to be more positive. Having my most recent fill has helped my morale.

Signing off, working on being more healthy and positive :)

~Jennifer~

Finally got a fill!

So my last post was hoping I was going to get a fill at my appt on 2/19. Well that didn't happen. I had to wait 2 more weeks before I could get it. After several (7-8) attempts in the office, I was scheduled for the procedure room at munson on 3/3 on my day off. I spend way too much time at that place.
I made it to my appt, and left with 1.5cc more in my band than I went in with. It was about time.
Unfortunately, it hasn't been all rosy and fun since then. I feel like I have been the same staged diet that I was on after surgery. At least now I can keep down clear and full liquids. For the day and a half that followed my fill I didn't keep anything down.
I was so freaked out that by thursday morning I had an appt scheduled with Dr K. To say I was more than a little worried that my band may have slipped is putting it mildly! I figured with my luck it was bound to happen. By the time my appt came I was able to keep down coffee, juice, milk and even a half a container of yogurt. We decided to hold off on trying to take anything out of my band. My next adjustment is scheduled for 3/31 in the procedure room again. I'm just trying to stay positive until then. I haven't eat, sorry, drank much of anything this last week. I'm sure I will have a loss tomorrow at tops. It better be worth it. Cuz man I would do just about anything at this point to be able to eat a steak! Well anything that is more filling than apple juice and Popsicles. Even a protein shake sounds good. Now that's bad. Maybe tomorrow will be easier. There's me trying to be positive. Are you convinced? Me either.
I am looking forward to scrapbooking thou. Less than 2 weeks to go. I am going to try to get another updated photo. I am so close to being officially down 50lbs. Now after all this I am ready to get back to work. Nothing worse than having too much time on your hands to know exactly how miserable you feel. See, I am really am a ray of sunshine!

Until next time
~Jennifer~

Wish me luck for my Dr K. appt (fill?) on 2/19

So just one last thought before I tuck myself into bed.

Wish me luck as I see Dr. K. tom. My last appt, he tried to do a "fill" but with all the swelling from seroma & the incision site being open we couldn't do it.

I have Jello made & packed with some juice for my lunch/dinner after my appt tom. Since after a fill, its clear liquids for the rest of the day.

I will say another pray before bed hope for the best. I'm ready to start on a long loosing streak!

~Princess Jenn~

So much to do, so little free time

So I admit I have not been as good about this blog as I intended to be. It’s been a long couple of weeks.
Well first things first. My incision is so close to being healed up. It’s only about the size of the tip of a q-tip. I’m getting anxious, ok, been there a while. I want to go to water aerobics so bad. I’ve had my enrollment & payment slip ready since Dec. I was about to start when I found out I had to have surgery in the first place.

My weight has been pretty much staying still. What I gained while I was sick, I took back off. It didn’t seem fair, I still felt like I was at my lower weight, but the scale said otherwise. All that coughing had to have burned some calories. But I’m moving on.

At tops, I got a new job. I am now the weight recorder. My very 1st night, I had 2 new ppl that joined. Talk about jumping in with both feets.

As far as everything else goes, aka my mental status, motivation, slips and like. I am doing okay. I have pretty much stay on an even stride with my motivation. I have a few of my before photo’s pinned, taped and hanging up in my home. On the bathroom mirror, on my nightstand, in my purse, by the tv and of course on on the fridge. This keeps me in check. Plus I have learned if I don’t deny myself. If I have “goodies” in the house, I can have a little and be satisfied. Where as, if I tell myself its off limits, it drives me nuts that I cannot have it.

Then last week a coworker from the hospital has lapband surgery too. Even though its a guy (and they naturally loose faster) I don’t feel like I am as alone in the journey. I have people of support at the tip of my fingers, it feels different now that its someone I have known for a while who is going thru this whole deal too. I will be able to see his success, where as I can’t always see mine. I feel how my cloths fit, and home much better I feel already.

My scrapbook keeps me motivated too. I can see my timeline, and the letter I wrote to myself that I have at the beginning of my book and see why I made the decision in the first place.

I will be seeing my sisters and niece and nephews soon. I have seen my oldest sister Michelle most recently in January. But my other sister, Amy, I am curious if she will be able to tell when she sees me. I haven’t seen her since the end of Nov. I am excited to see them regardless of whether or not they can tell. But I have lost like 25-30 more since I have seen Amy.

Now it’s getting to be past when I should have been in bed. So many things to do in such a short time, I don’t know how I get anything done during the work week. I like my long weekends, but these 12 hour days don’t leave much time for getting much done before you have to get ready to start the whole routine all over again the next day. I will be making exercise fit in there somehow. The warm pool for water aerobics sounds so good right about now.
Until then I am headed to bed! :)
As always,
~Princess Jenn~

Weekly weigh in: ( -7.75lbs )

I got my weight loss I wanted/needed so badly tonight. This has not been my best week at all. Unlike, last week when I was looking forward to weighing in at tops and then the meeting was cancelled. I was motivated, excited and ready for the new year as a bandster. Not so much this week. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy with my weight loss and having my band. I am just having issues.
It seems like if it isn't one thing, it is another. I am trying my best to take each day as it comes and make the best choices I can while trying and stay positive.
I know this is short but I really am not sure what I want to say and how to say it. I have had a migraine for a week & I'm ready for bed. I need to get myself into bed.
So until next time.
~ Jennifer ~