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.