2 Days Post-Op

On Monday April 7, 2014 my wife drove me to the hospital for my revision surgery. The surgery was scheduled for 10AM. While in surgery my doctor removed my lap band, and performed the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. 
The portion of my stomach that was removed was the 2nd largest that my doctor had ever removed. It was almost the size of a 2 liter pop bottle. 
The morning after the surgery, I was taken down to the radiology department for a swallow test/leak check.
I'm still sore in the upper abdominal region.
I was fortunate to be allowed to come home the next day (April 8th). So I spent last night at home.
I'm moving around pretty well. Drinking my fluids. Not hungry at all.
Thank you Dr. Taddeucci for your excellent work.

Consultation

I met with Dr. Taddeucci, my bariatric surgeon last Friday to discuss my future options. He is recommending that if my insurance will approve it, I should have my Lap Band removed and have a revision to the Vertical Gastric Sleeve.  We discussed the gastric bypass, but he feels I am a better candidate for the sleeve.
Now we wait for another 2 months for a full healing from the band unbuckle and the gallbladder removal. Hopefully the insurance company will approve the revision.

Research

I've been doing a lot of research lately to determine my best course of action for the future of my weight loss road. I have found out that there are a lot of people that have had complications from the Lap Band, so my wife and I are not alone. Did I mention she had complications and had to have hers removed last winter?

I don't really know the answer for me. Do I get the band re-buckled, get it removed and get the vertical sleeve, or do I go all the way for a gastric bypass?  I just don't know. I do know, that I'm not excited to deal with future complications from the Lap Band. I also know there are risks and complications with any bariatric surgery.

By the way, my pre-surgery weight in March of 2010 was 350, the lowest post surgery weight was 250 and now I'm back to 275.  I am scared that I won't every get this under control. 

Doing more research and praying for guidance.

Band Complications

Just over two weeks ago I was having a lot of pain in my stomach area. I couldn't keep any food or liquid down. It started on Saturday night after I got done teaching a class. I just couldn't keep anything down and started feeling uncomfortable. The next morning, I thought I could "gut it out." (no pun intended.)
I went to work thinking that things would get better, but it actually got worse. I left work to go home, I was sure that my band was blocked. On the drive home, I called my doctor, and he met me at his office to remove the fluid from my band.
When he did the xrays, he noticed that it looked like my band had possibly slipped, but even after all the fluid was removed my stoma (whole which food travels thru) was very restricted. He told me to stick with liquids for a few days to see if it got better.  Well, the next morning I felt worse, and couldn't get anything through still.  The pain in my abdomen was worse. I called the doctors nurse and let her know what was going on.
She called me later in the morning to tell me that the doctor was ready to admit me to unbuckle my band, but I wasn't ready for that as I do not want to regain my weight. I've come too far with my weight loss to want to give it up now.
After a couple more hours of worsening pain, no fluids making it through, and my urine getting much darker, I knew I needed to do something.  I knew I was getting severely dehydrated, and it wasn't getting any better. I called the nurse again and told her what was going on.  The doctor told me that I should go to the hospital to be admitted for IV fluids.
Once in the hospital, the staff told me that I was scheduled for surgery the next morning to have my lap band unbuckled. The thought of having the band unbuckled was a little saddening for me. Not going to lie.
The next morning my doctor did the surgery to unbuckle my Lap Band, and while inside, found my gallbladder severely inflamed and decided that removal of that was the best course of action. Once I woke up, and was able to eat and drink I began feeling much better.

Yesterday I had my follow-up with my doctor. We talked about getting the Lap Band reconnected in a few months and about the gallbladder.  Since I have done some research on the Gastric Sleeve procedure, I asked if that could be possible. He said that it is possible, but it might be a fight with the insurance company, but he is willing to try and get it worked out. We will have to see what the future holds on this.

Re-Filled

I went in to see my Lap-Band Doctor today to get my band adjusted again. I really needed to get the band filled again. After I was having trouble, I had the band deflated a little bit. Well, I gained weight. I gained weight fast. I couldn't believe how fast the weight was coming back on. Ok, so here we go, time to lose the 17 pounds I gained. I'll keep you posted.

Frustrations

I went to see my doctor a couple of weeks ago to get my Lap-Band deflated since I was having problems keeping food down. Well, he removed some fluid from the band, which corrected the problem. It turns out that I have gained 12 pounds in three weeks. I am going back on Monday, Oct 29th to get my band re-adjusted so I can get back to where I was. Also, just a quick update on another issue. I had my appendix removed 5 weeks ago. That was a crazy experiance.

Stalled

I'm stalled.
I haven't been able to drop any weight for some time. As you have read in previous posts, I stretched the pouch above my Lap Band. My doctor told me that I needed to shrink my pouch so that I can loose the weight. I need to get back down to my goal of being below 250, which will get my body fat percentage back close to the 20% mark again.

So what is the plan? I did some research and found out that this isn't as uncommon as one might think. Further research pointed me to the 5 day pouch diet, which is an abreviated restart of the post surgery diet restrictions.

Starting Monday, April 23rd, I start the pouch diet. I will post the results afterwards.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/522399-the-5-day-pouch-diet
http://www.5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html

Making Progress

I am making progress at re-losing the weight that was gained. I did quite a bit of reflecting on my situation since last seeing Dr. Taddeucci. It is amazing how a little slip here, a little cheat there can really add up to 40 pounds of gain. Anyway, I've lost almost 20 pounds of that gain, and have the goal of losing another 20 by sticking with the program.
Yesterday, my lovely bride went into have her bad reconnected after her band slipped last year. Dr. Taddeucci removed the old band, and replaced it last summer, but couldn't do all the work at the time due the swelling and scar tissue. She is home today, resting as you would imagine a person would after surgery.
I have taken some time to review all the instructions on eating so that I make sure we are both successful.

Finally an Update

Well, I am finally making an update to this blog about how my Lap Band weight loss is going. Every once in a while you just need to write things down for others to see.

I was stuck at a range of 270-275 for almost 2 months. I couldn't figure it out. I wasn't eating more food or large quantities, or so I thought. I started back to keeping track of everything again at www.fitday.com just to see what was going on. It is amazing how honest you keep yourself when you write down everything you eat. Anyway, I realized that I had been eating too much sugar and high carb foods.

I took in the previous 5 days of eating into the doctors office last Monday. The nurse, Jackie, looked everything over and started laughing when she saw the whiskey entry. I told her that they didn't have single malt scotch as a choice. Actually she was pleased to see the honesty. She told me I shouldn't be eating more than 50 grams of carbs per day, and I had many days close to or over 100.

We decided I needed a new fill on my lap band, just to help restrict the intake. So we added another .8 cc's to the band and on liquids for 48 hours. I thought to myself, no big deal. I of course was wrong. Eating soup was a challenge, as only 1/2 cup of soup was more than enough to satisfy me. Since then, I am really down on quantity, and my cards are staying low. I am focusing on making sure that I am getting high quality proteins.

As it normally goes after a fill, I am losing weight again. Yesterday morning I was down to 265. Only about 30 pounds to go to meet my goal weight.

Another Lap Band Fill

I went to the doctors office today to get my lap band filled again. The decision came when I noticed that I wasn't full after the usual 1/2 cup of meat and 1/2 cup of veggies. I also noticed that I maintain the full feeling for at least 3 hours. Anyway, I am making progress on the weight loss, which is the point isn't it.

I have been getting more exercise. Most of it has been on the Wii using Fit Plus and Wii Active. I know both are kinda lame, but I get a decent workout and get a good sweat. It seems that it is helping with the weight loss.

We started trying some recipes from the Lap Band cookbooks. There are some really good things in the book. The kids even like them.

I have been spending a lot of time working in the yard and garden. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so we can get more planted.

Anyway, it has been challenging adapting to the new life. We are still learning some of the do's and don'ts of the lap band.

First follow up appointment done!

Just got home from the surgeons office. You know, my Lap Band surgeon of course.

Everything is looking good. My wieght is down a bunch in just 3 weeks. My incisions have healed almost completely now. I don't need to food processor everything.

Scheduled my first fill appointment for next Monday. Looking forward to see how things change with a band fill.

Anyway, it has been a very interesting 3 weeks. I never imagined that only eating between 800 and 1500 calories a day would be satisfying. I never would have believed that my weight would slide off as easily as it has. Pretty soon I will need to buy new uniform pants and belt. Good thing it is getting to be shorts season, so I won't need to buy new jeans for a little while.

Don't break the rules!!!!!!!

Well today I did it. I broke one the important rules of the Lap Band. As soon as I did it, I knew it, but it was too late.

Our oldest daughter made some Amish cinnamon bread last night. It was sitting on the counter calling my name. Anyone who as ever had a weight issue knows that food will call your name. It had been doing it all morning, and I had been doing a pretty good job of ignoring it. Well, I got busy and let myself get hungry, so I took a very small bite (and I mean like a 1/4 teaspoon size). It went down well do I thought I would do it again with a slightly larger size. Stuck it in, didn't chew enough and wham pain in the stomach. I was afraid I would throw up, which is one of the worst things a band patient can do, especially in the beginning.

So much for Amish cinnamon bread. None of that for a very, very long time.

The good news is that my wife told me that I need to start wearing my suspenders because she is tired of seeing me "hitch" my pants all the time.

First day back to work.

It has been a crazy few days since my Lap Band surgery. I hope to have the picture of “Al” scanned in the next few days so I can post it on the blog.

Today is my first day back to work. It is nice to get back to work. Trying not to put myself in a position that I will strain myself. Straining could cause the Lap Band to slip, and nothing good comes from band slippage.

I am learning a lot about my new life every day. “Al” lets me know when I am not doing things right. I have learned what it really means to sip water. Al has taught me that it is OK not to eat the entire individual serving of Jello.

Easter dinner over at Mom’s was really difficult. It was nauseating sitting at the table smelling the food. It got worse after the meal.

Ever since the surgery, I have taken a lot of naps. I have never taken so many naps. I think I really like naps.

All in know right now is the pounds are melting away. I know that at some point the weight loss will slow down, but right now I am enjoying the loss. Goodbye weight. I bought a scale that measures body fat, water hydration along with weight. My hydration is staying high while the weight and body fat is dropping.

72 Hour update

It has been 72 hours since the Lap Band surgery. I feel real strong part of the time and not so strong others.
My wife and I split the troops and tackled different tasks today. She took care of the laundry up in Wahoo, because our fancy front loading washer went "tango uniform" last Monday. I took the oldest son and went to Lincoln for groceries.

You know it really sucks doing grocery shopping with 99% of the items in the basket will not be feeding you. I know that I am doing what is right for my family, but I really didn't enjoy shopping. Especially for those that know how much I love to cook.

Anyway, Jake and I got started on the garden transplanting some of the cabbage and broccoli. Also planted some of the seeds that need planting this time of year. I was really aware that my abdomen is sore when doing some of the light work I was doing.

Well it is time for me to take a little nap.

24 hours Post Op

I am 24 hours post operative. Pretty sore on the abdomen, which is expected considering. Couldn't urinate last night and the bladder was very, very full. So, long story short, a catheter was used to drain over 900 cc's from the bladder. Thank goodness, I was able to go on my own overnight and this morning. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

This morning I went down to radiology for a swallow study, to make sure that the stoma is open and there are no problems. it is very important that the lap band is allowing food and drink to flow. Everything went well. Had about a cup of chicken broth, 1/2 cup apple juice and a little jello. Then a nice shower.

Still waiting for the doctor to come in to visit. We will be meeting with a dietitan again, and then with the bariatric coordinator. should be able to leave the hospital around 1:30 or 2.

I am looking forward to getting home this afternoon.

Thanks for all the support.

Todya is the day....

Yep, today I made the biggest change I could make to take control of my body. I had the Lap Band surgery this morning. I am felling pretty good, just sore. I will post a picture of my Lap Band once I get it scanned.

My weight will not be an issue for my ever again.

Another Day Closer

Here it is, March 25, 2010. Just a few more days until the surgery. I have been on the Lap Band pre-op liquid diet and it really isn't that much fun. I am sure that I am not following it correctly, as I don't think I am losing much weight.

I started liquid vitamins and liquid calcium supplements that were recommended by my surgeons office. They aren't bad tasting.

I have some time off from work scheduled for after the surgery. When I go back to work, I will need to take it easy for a few weeks, which might be hard considering I am a firefighter.

Pre-Op Surgery appointment yesterday

Yesterday we had our pre-op surgery appointment for the Lap Band with the doctor. He described how the surgery day would go, and the procedure again. I told him that I am excited and nervous at the same time. He let me know that he would be worried if I wasn't.

The before pictures were taken. A profile and front on shot. I will post some of these later.

I will be released the next day after a swallow study is completed in the morning, and then I prove that I can hold down liquids. Sometime around noon.

Anyway, he told me that I would be catheterized during the surgery and through the next morning. I asked why he couldn't remove it while I was still under anesthesia? He told me that they need to monitor my urine output for possible problems, and that it really isn't any big deal. I asked him if he was ever catheterized. He smiled and said no. I told him that I will pee in whatever container that he wants, that I want it removed before I wake up. I just smiled. I told him I'm serious, and that until he has a tube stuck in his junk not to tell me it's no big deal.

Anyway, today is the fourth day of the liquid diet. It got a little easier today, but being hungry pretty much sucks.

Until next time....

Pre-Op Physical

Tomorrow morning is my pre-op physical. Chest x-ray, EKG, Lab work, typical stuff for a physical. Just 16 days until the lap band surgery.

Tomorrow begins the Pre-op diet.

First Step

Hello,
This is the first blog post of what will be many more as I log and follow my progress on changing my life forever. You are probably asking how is he changing his life? Well, on March 31, 2010, I will be undergoing surgery to have the Lap Band applied to my stomach.

After having spent most of my adult life overweight, I feel like it is time. I have tried just about every diet out there, with success. The problem is that I could never maintain the weight loss. At 48 years old, it is time.

I have spent the last year researching weightloss surgery, and decided that the lap band was the safest choice for me. The exciting part of all of this is that my lovely wife is also going to have the surgery also, just about a month after me.

I was not always over weight. When I was in high school I played several sports, including football and basketball. I worked two jobs at a time. I even mowed lawns around the neighborhood. I was the picture of fitness. I played football and basketball my first year of college also. I decided I would rather travel and make money so I joined the U.S. Air Force when I was 20 years old. Believe it or not, that is when I started gaining weight. After just 1 1/2 years in the Air Force, I actually gained 80 pounds. I lost 60 punds of that weight with hours of hard work and exercise. After my honorable discharge from the military, I slowly started to gain weight. That is when I started to "Yo-Yo" diet.

Anyway, last year I injured my knee and proceeded to gain 50 pounds. It took me less than a year to gain the weight, but it is here none the less. The pain in my knee following the surgery makes any form of exercise extrememly uncomfortable.

Anyway, March 31st is the magic day the change starts. I will be posting to keep others informed and hopefully provide inspiration.