When I woke up this morning, I had my iced coffee with Vanilla Unjury. About 30 minutes later I scrambled two eggs with a Kraft jalapeño cheese stick and ate that along with a couple of slices of tomato from my dad's garden.
I wanted to get in at as much protein as I could before I had to stop eating. My surgeon's rule is that you cannot eat any solid food two hours before a fill. You can drink right up until the fill, but no food. My appointment was not until 1:30, but I finished breakfast before 10:00am.
When I arrived at the clinic I waited just a few minutes before they took me back and weighed me. According to their scales, I've lost 29 pounds. I could have done a little dance of joy. My scales at home are still showing 27. They made me feel really great about my progress. Everyone at my clinic is just so nice and upbeat. If you are still in the planning stages of surgery, I really encourage you to search around until you find a clinic that makes you feel comfortable and welcome. Aftercare is so important, and if you can find a place you feel great about going to, all the better. You'll be going there a LOT.
After a few minutes, Greg (a nurse I have never met before) came in to give me my fill. He was really awesome. He also has a lap band, and has lost 150 pounds. Wow. Talk about real life inspiration. Everything was very relaxed, not rushed, and I felt like I had time to ask him any questions I wanted to. I asked him about the burping…the constant burping. Do any of you experience that? I guess I swallow a lot of air and don't realize it. He said it was pretty much par for the course with the band, but I hope it subsides a bit. I feel like a 15-year-old boy.
The fill itself was really no big deal. After I laid down on the table, he administered a little bit of a numbing agent. After that, he felt for my port and found it right away. He injected the solution and told me to tell him when I felt pressure. I felt it right away. Just pressure though, no pain. At that point he asked me to sit up on the table and he handed me a cup of cold water. He told me to take sips and to tell him when I could feel it passing through my band. As I was doing this, he was taking out fluid. I had read about this method before, but it was really interesting to feel the moment when the water passed through the band. I already had 1cc of fluid in the band from surgery and another 2cc's was added today for a total of 3cc's in my 10cc band. I go back on August 7th for fill #2.
I can definitely feel more restriction even though I'm not eating anything. I'll put it this way. I'm very aware of my band right now. Is this how I'm supposed to be feeling?
So for the rest of the day today, I'll be having chicken bouillon and hot tea. I have a feeling that I'm really going to enjoy those full liquids tomorrow!
Have a good evening and thanks for reading! :)
I think I remember being very aware of my band after my first fill or two as well. But now I never feel it, unless I'm overfilled.
ReplyDeleteGlad they gave you lidocaine! My clinic doesn't, and I had to ask for it once when they had trouble finding my port and it all POKE POKE POKE.
You're doing so well!
I'm still feeling the tightness this morning, but it's less than yesterday. As hungry as I was when I went to bed last night, I wasn't hungry when I got up and it didn't really set in until later this morning.
DeleteThank you so much! I was getting kind of nervous, because the number on the scale had not moved in a little while. But now it seems to be picking back up. I have to remember that at almost 41, it's not going to move as quickly as it used to. Dammit.:-)
I can't feel anything with the fill - and I'm up to 5cc! But I've been told that is fine - it is normal to feel it (like you do) or not feel it (like I don't..lol). I am finally feeling the benefit though, if that makes sense. I was relieved when another bandster, Sandy, posted on my blog it sometimes took her a couple of weeks to feel the benefit of a fill, because I think that might have been true for me. Although I'm not always sure when other factors contribute to it, too - my emotions, etc. I CAN see that I've eaten less food all along - so I credit that band for that! I'm ABLE to eat more (something I know Lap Band Gal always talks about) and I'm ABLE to eat anything - not everyone seems to have that - but my band helps keep me satisfied eating less, if I allow it to! I've just found it interesting that it wasn't exactly what I expected - I think I expected more of a clear cut feeling of fullness or almost "inability" to eat certain things, and that has NOT been my experience. (And although I had really strict rules post op - for about 6 weeks post op - I have no rules around fills! No rules right before the fill, or right after - I can eat normal food! Funny how different everyone is, huh?? I have been careful just in case..but have found I could eat "normally" even after a 3cc fill!) Oh, and I burp a lot, too. I did some googling on it, and read it is about swallowing air. I had a link at one point but I forget where now, I was concentrating for a while on something that suggested how to try not to - something about trying to be sure to exhale when you swallow?? It was pretty beyond my co-ordination, lol. :-D Exhale through your nose maybe? Oh..here it is.. http://www.justanswer.com/bariatrics/5ffvm-constantly-burp-went-gasto-dr-took-tests-found.html
ReplyDeleteHa! I don't think I am coordinated enough to do that either. All of my burping issues definitely tell me that I am a bander that needs to stay way from gum and straws for sure. I haven't tried either and I don't think I will test it. Gum is not that big a deal, but I do miss straws.
DeleteI go back for my second fill in 2 weeks and my third 2 weeks after that. If needed. My doctor likes to get everyone in the green zone as quickly as possible. I'm ready!
I really enjoy your blog too. I've been following it since way before surgery!
Exciting!!! So glad it's going well :) I get my first fill Saturday!!
ReplyDeleteYou are going to do great. I watched a few on YouTube...not sure if that was a good idea or not, but it let me know exactly what to expect. Let us know how it goes!
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