I'm Back....

Greetings! I've had several people ask when or if I was going to update the blog! Well, here ya go!

It's been quite a year for us.  Brian is continuing to lose slow and steady!  He's down 108 lbs!  He weighs 268 lbs  down from 376!!  It's amazing the changes he's experienced! He feels so much better! And looks great!  He's down from a 48 pant size to a 38 comfortably. He's still wearing a 3x shirt but can wear 2x T-shirts.   He's doing really well. I think his band has been filled with 7 1/2 cc's so that's a fair amount of restriction considering the band at maximum fill capacity is 10 cc's. So he's eating small amounts very slowly and chewing for a long time :-) or he regrets every bite.  That's the good and the bad of this procedure. The good is that it's immediate consequences if you eat too quickly or too much it's not like you eat what you want an then at your weigh in your kicking yourself.   The bad is that when it gets stuck or can't go down it hurts.  But as soon as it's up you're good to go.

I've been doing fairly well.  I've had several ups and downs.  I got pregnant in February and had a miscarriage on March 21st.  The baby never had a heartbeat.  I measured 9 weeks pregnant but the baby never grew beyond 6 weeks.  I was able to have a complete natural miscarriage at home with out needing a D&C.  So with that I wasn't able to have any adjustments from January to April BUT I lost 13 lbs anyway! Unfortunately, I have since been pregnant again and miscarried just yesterday on August 22nd.   This time a baby never developed only the gestational sac was present. Yet again another very disappointing time but God has been faithful through it all. I again had a complete natural miscarriage at home.  And in a few weeks after the all clear from my OBGYN, I'm getting back on birth control!  Apparently losing 54 lbs results in me becoming fertile Myrtle!  We are going to give my body a break and just sort things out before trying to get pregnant again.  A lot of people have asked if the Lap-Band is the reason that I've had miscarriages. I can find no evidence to support that. The only thing that I have found is that some bariatric surgeons require you to wait 1-2 years before getting pregnant so your body can lose and balance out. Most surgeons report a LOT of successful, healthy post-lap-band pregnancies and babies! We still have hope and would like to have another child but it's not in our hands or our timing.

I did have a couple of adjustments between the pregnancies and continued to lose some weight. It's been slow going with me due to all of the ups and downs. I can admit that I've just eaten what I've wanted to and what I felt like eating.  As understood a lot of emotional eating has taken place. After everything settles down, I'm going to try to get back on the sugar busters menu plan to help shock my body back and get off the sugar. It's toxic to my body and detrimental to my weight loss.  I just crave sugar, sweet tea, brownies, sodas etc.

I participated in a Team Marathon in February. I did 5 miles....well, let me clarify...I walked 95% of it.  I ran if there were crowds in the streets or cameras!  It was so much fun and a great accomplishment!  We had a great time. That being said I don't think I've been back in the gym since! I do hope to start walking again as the weather cools off. I always feel so much better when I exercise it just takes making it a priority! I hate when that alarm goes off so early in the morning! They should've never created the snooze button!

We've learned a song in Choir called the Dessert Song.  The lyrics really speak to me and sum up the last 8 months in our life:
I will bring praise, I will bring praise, No weapon formed against me shall remain.
I will rejoice, I will declare, God is my Victory and He is here!

All of my life, in every season You are still God and I have a reason to Sing!
I have a reason to Worship!

I pray that those lyrics encourage you and lift you up as they did for me! I'm reminded that "The Joy of the Lord is my strength!"

Thanks for reading!  Stay tuned....

This is Brian on Father's Day

This is both of us on Father's Day

Finally, an update!

Well, I apologize for not blogging!  It's been crazy. I started working full time October 4th so blogging has not been a priority.  I'll start this one with an update about Brian.

He's done remarkable!  So far to date he's lost 61 lbs! His clothes are just hanging on him.  He had his first upset stomach about 2 weeks ago.  He made the mistake of taking a sip of tea right after he'd put food in his mouth. That's a major no-no.  When there's no room for the food and liquid something's going to come back up! And it did. He was sick 3 different times in about 30 minutes.  He learned his lesson and now doesn't even have a drink on the table when he's eating.  Waiters and Waitresses think he's crazy when he declines a drink when we're out to eat.  He waits and asks for a to-go water at the end of our meal. So far it's worked really well.  He had his first saline fill on October 12th and has done really well getting used to his new "full" feeling. For instance 2 chicken nuggets fill him up instead of 4.  All of his clothes are just hanging on him. His belts are on their last notch.  He's down to 312!!!

I FINALLY had my surgery on October 22!  What an experience that was.  I truly felt like I'd been hit by a mack truck when I "came to".  When Dr. Bagnato started my surgery he discovered that I had a Hiatal Hernia.  Apparently they're genetic...thank you mother!  My mother has one and apparently her mother had one as well.  Dr. Bagnato suggests that I was born with it. None the less, it is very common in obese people and it's equally as common for them to be completely unaware of it.  So his normal procedure is to repair the hernia and then place the band. He took a picture of it so we can see it as well as sends one to the insurance company.  I will try to scan it later and put it on the photos page if you care to see it.  It was about the size of a quarter I'd say but it's all stitched now.  I had 4 incisions; 2 on my upper tummy, 1 in my belly button, and one on my lower tummy. Of course I had 1 on my Upper Left Arm pit area for my port.  Being a woman, the port site has been the sorest.  Gravity on the "ta-ta's" makes this area a little more tender than for the men!  I've have very very little if any nausea at all.  I took pain meds until Sunday night and the managed with Children's Ibuprofen on Monday and none there after. I went back to work Wednesday only and did ok until I realized when I got home around 5:30 that I felt so crummy because I was HUNGRY! I think it was the first time that I'd felt true hunger and it took me a little while to figure it out.  So I now know that for the time being I should eat every 2 hours and that keeps me pretty stable.  I'm loving the way clothes fit me now. I'm already pulling things down from the top shelf in our closet! I fit back into the jeans that I wore on our rehearsal dinner night 7 years ago this November and they're big on me!!!  I've lost total 31 lbs since July 29th.  So that's 11 lbs since surgery.  I'm down to 230 from 261!  Love it!  This week I'm on "full liquids", protein shakes runny grits etc and so far so good.  I'm so looking forward to pureed chicken salad!! It's the small things in life you  know!  That's all for now! I'll try to keep up with the posts better in the near future! Thanks for reading!

He weighed...

This morning Brian finally weighed! Drum Roll please.........................324 lbs!!!  He's lost 51 lbs in 9 weeks!!!  32 lbs in 4 weeks since Surgery!! Unbelievable!! After his first fill on October 12th it's possible that he'll lose 20 lbs in about month or so we've heard! We shall see soon enough!!  Thank you all for your support, encouragement and prayers!!!

Life as we know it...now

Well, today I'll start with an update about me :-)  I am down to 245.4 lbs.  from 261 on July 29th! I'm happy about that! I haven't been faithful on sugar busters the entire time but for the last 2 weeks I have been pretty strict.  I also received word today that I've been approved to have the surgery and we're just waiting on the hospital financial information to proceed with scheduling my pre-op appointments and surgery dates!  That being said, some of you may not know that I've accepted a full time, four days a week, job at an incredible dental practice in Valdosta that I'm starting this coming Monday October 4th! So lots and lots of changes.  I'm hoping to be able to have my surgery on a Friday so I don't have to take any time off.  We shall see.  So that's the scoop on me for now. Stay tuned!

As far as Brian's concerned he's been a little frustrated lately.  He has seemed to camp out between 330 and 326 lbs.  He's not even weighing this week. He's going to wait and weigh this weekend.  Part of his hang up has been making smart choices with his food when we're eating out.  For example, thinking soft, mush foods has led him to have french fries with grilled chicken strips.  The chicken's great but the fries aren't. He orders off of the kids menu all the time and only eats 1/3 to 1/2 of the kids meal.  So portion control's not an issue but his choices are. So that's been one thing he's had to fix.  Also, he's not exercising yet but is planning on joining a gym this week.

In my last post I mentioned his 'saline fill'.  The Lap-Band is an adjustable band that has a saline band core if you will.  When they place the band it's simply slipped around the upper portion of our stomach. Then 6 weeks after surgery, you go and receive saline that is pushed into a port that is located by your pectoral muscle and is connected to the band which then constricts the band even more around your stomach thus restricting the amount of food consumed.  Brian has a 10 cc band so I'm assuming that each fill will be 1-2 cc's but we'll know more on October 12th when he goes for his first fill.

A lesson learned

Fortunately there haven't been any consequences from this lesson however the error of his ways has been revealed to him! I say all of that with a smile on my face. Let me explain.

Brian started on real food last Friday....not even 2 full weeks post surgery!  While it was nearly a divine experience for him to have texture in his mouth we talked to the nutritionist today and she said it was a "no no"!  There is a rhyme and a reason for the diet plan that we gave him. He should be on phase 3 of the diet plan which includes runny grits, pureed eggs, pureed chicken or chicken salad or egg salad etc. NOT HAMBURGER AND FRENCH FRIES!!  Yes he ate 1/3 of a hamburger and 5 french fries at the Braves Game last Saturday. He's had chicken fingers, shrimp, mashed potatoes, even roasted Fillet Mignon!  He's had VERY small bites and very small amounts of food. For instance, he had one shrimp and made 5 bites out of it and the Fillet he only had 2 small small bites. It was velvety smooth and tender so it was very easy to eat.  Now, I'm not tattle tailing on him, just being honest. He's not had the first problem eating! No nausea, no cramping,  no food getting stuck etc. It's been great. A lot of people have difficulty with meat and chicken so it's been incredible the success he's had. He's really learned how to take very small bites and chew and chew and chew!

So, unfortunately, he's back on protein shakes and pureed foods for a couple more days and then we can progress to phase 4 on the plan.  So Phase 1 was clear liquids, Phase 2 was thick/creamy liquids, Phase 3 is pureed meats/eggs runny foods etc.  You live and learn or in this case EAT AND LEARN!!  He's not very happy about this but he'll survive.

He's down to 328...28 lbs lost in 2 weeks since surgery....47 lbs lost since Pre Op Appointment July 29th!!

First Plateau

Brian's had an interesting week. He got really frustrated earlier in the week because he didn't lose any weight from Tuesday to Thursday.  He stayed at 334 lbs.  It really had him discouraged.  We tried to go for a walk last night but the gnats were horrible and it was ridiculously still hot at 7:30! However as of this morning he'd lost another 2 lbs! He was thrilled!  He just couldn't understand why he was stalling out when he was hardly eating anything! He's still on thick liquids. This week he can "upgrade" to soft solids like pureed eggs, runny mashed potatoes, runny grits, pureed chicken or even egg salad finely mashed :-) However he's still only allowed 1-2 oz. That's 4 tablespoons of food!  Unbelievable but it truly satisfies him! He's come to LOVE applesauce and pureed brunswick stew!  We'll see what this coming week holds for him!  He knows now that his body has to balance out or equalize after such rapid weight loss and then it will kick back into gear.  The doctor told him at this check up on Tuesday that between week 5 & 6 just before he gets his first saline fill that it's possible that he'll gain a few pounds because he will be eating more regular solid foods.  He was beginning to think this week that he needed his fill early!  His first fill will be on October 12th, probably a day or two before my surgery! So much for doing this at the same time :-)  At least I have a good idea of what to expect!

I'm back...

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day.  We took it pretty easy.  Brian's feeling great and since he's been eating more protein the last several days, he has a lot more energy.  Believe it or not, we went to the Gator Game on Saturday and he did really well.  He made the mistake of not eating any protein for breakfast or lunch so he was dragging by the time we got home.  He's really been enjoying soup instead of broth!  We've even been able to get really creative when we eat out. For instance, at Cracker Barrell, he asked for a small cup of the broth/soup from Chicken and Dumplings. Today at The Smokin Pig Bar B Q he had brunswick stew and we brought home his left overs and he pureed them and it was delicious!  He wasn't able to eat a lot of it because it wasn't very soupy at lunch but he enjoyed it for dinner.  

One challenge he's had is staying hydrated. He's often been thirsty but isn't able to drink a lot. He has to take sips all day long and after being in the heat that's frustrating.  The other predicament is that he's to wait 30 minutes to an hour after eating before he can drink anything as well he's to stop drinking 30 minutes prior to his meal. So if it's salty or spicy he's out of luck. One sip won't hurt but as he starts eating real food, it's important that you not fill up on water as well as being important to not wash the food and nutrients through your stomach too fast and then risk eating too much because you're not feeling as full.  

He has had some emotional issues. For instance, one night last week, he said he was wishing he could just sit down and eat. He was actually missing eating. Today, he mentioned that at lunch he really wanted to order some ribs and wings. He then said, I can admit it, that 'person' has not left me yet.  He said he wasn't hungry but he could've eaten it!  That's part of the frustration early on in the life style change. It's a must! We can no longer physically eat like that.  So it's been interesting to listen to his perspective and struggles.

For those of you who don't know, my surgery was postponed due to insurance requirements. I won't go into all of the details but the bottom line is I will be able to have mine the first or second week of October! I'm very excited.  Watching Brian go through all of this has been good for me.  He's had a remarkable recovery!   He led worship yesterday and has pretty much returned to regular, routine activity.  No fever or nausea at all.  It's been incredible!! I uploaded a picture of us from Saturday.   

Ok now what everyone wants to know....he's down to 334 lbs!  41 lbs lost since July 29th.....22 lbs lost since surgery day last Tuesday August 31st!!! It's just falling off of him!!!