Krysia

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Went back to Dr. Rohrer's (new) office for my first fill. They'd moved their practice to a much nicer location with a larger, more kid-friendly (although not really, LOL) waiting area. It took me 2 hours to drive from where I live now to Great Falls... for a 2-minute appointment... then another 2 hours to drive back home.

First things first... The dreaded weigh-in. Let me be the first to say that I like the Roher Office Scale. It is a much nicer and friendlier scale than the P.O.S. I have at home. According to the Dr.'s scale (which will now be my standard), I've managed to keep off 16 pounds since before surgery, which translates into, I only gained 1 pound since healing up after surgery. Phew! I wasn't sure there because I felt like I could eat whatever whenever.

As far as the actual fill... He only added 2 more mLs. The first injection of lidocaine burned (of course), but the second needle I didn't feel at all. That being said... I found the short experience to be squirm-inducing because I didn't like the sensation of the port being pressed against whatever tissue is beneath it. It felt like being tickled in an annoying way, and it irked my creepy-feeling factor. It didn't exactly hurt, but it was almost like... Borderline "this could be painful" kind of sensation. But my primary sensation was "annoying".

The "whoosh" of saline was super fast, and it was over before I knew it. I got a band-aid and sent on my merry way. (It wasn't until I got home much later that I realized I'd actually bled quite a bit on the band-aid, which surprised me.

I couldn't feel the restriction at all the first day. But I could --and still can-- after the second day. Yay! I have found that I eat less at a sitting, and that drinking during a meal (which is a "no-no" anyway) is uncomfortable. I also found out why (other than the obvious caloric issue) a lap-bander shouldn't be drinking carbonated beverages... It's like when one fills a funnel with a carbonated beverage: It just foams up at the top and hangs there a moment before draining. LOL! I also discovered last weekend, that one should not try to swallow a piece of say... chicken... and bend over at the waist at the same time. OUCH! OWIE OWIE OUCH!!!!! That "stuck" feeling sucks! And it's so weird that you no longer have the security blanket of merely washing the stuck item down with liquid --- that only makes it worse.

My P.O.S. scale says I haven't lost anything since I last weighed myself before going to the doctor's office for my fill (and then it said I weighed 10 pounds more than the doctor's office scale, the P.O.S. bastard scale)... I think it's stuck. I don't think I'll take it seriously though, because I can feel that I've lost since my first fill... My watch is looser around my wrist. My rings are looser on my fingers. So my scale can bite me.

T.T.F.N.!

~ Krysia

Surgery was on Monday, and was nice and uneventful, just how I like my surgeries to be. :-)

Dr. Rohrer placed me with the "VG" or Vanguard (largest) lapband. He said he'd primed it with 3 mLs of saline already, as it holds up to 11 mLs. I had my nasty-tasting Barium drink this morning, and it looked good. We got home around 2 hours ago.

I'd managed to lose 12 pounds during my pre-op liquid diet. :-)

My husband was more nervous than I was.

My first follow-up appointment is in 4 weeks, as he didn't feel it necessary for me to drive 5 hours for a 5 minute visit; I could call him with any questions/concerns. He said I'd have my first fill (adjustment) then... Unless, of course, I was still losing and was comfortable.

Pain isn't too bad. More than I'd expected, and I notice it more than I did my c-sections, but then again, there's no gorgeous newborn baby around to distract me this time. LOL!

For those interested, here's a good Lap-link with regard to placements and adjustments:
CLICK!

Off to take some pain med, and crash. :-D
Whooo hooo!

Maybe next week I'll buy a scale...

Remember when I said the liquid diet thing wasn't so bad?

Weeeeeelll...

It isn't. As long as I had my coffee in the morning.

I went the last 2 days without coffee, and all day long I was starving. And I cheated yesterday when making my kids sandwiches: I ate a slice of turkey and a slice of cheese.

I know, I know. Bad, Krysia! *smacks hand*

The first week, the first couple of days, I took about 19mg of Adipex (phentermine) in the mornings to help with the hunger. But stopped because I just don't like how that stuff makes me feel. I did fantastic the first week.

I try not to chew (pun intended) myself out about it too much, because 1 slice of turkey and 1 slice of cheese probably isn't going to end it all, and I'm fairly certain there's no carbs in either... And let's face it... for a person who used to make 2 big sandwiches of both and eat that for lunch... Not bad at all.

But now that my surgery date is coming up in ---as my kids would say--- 4 sleeps! *happpy dance* ...I'm not going to cheat anymore. And I'll make sure to have my coffee each morning!

I've been approved! Hooray!
*throws confetti*

This liquid diet thing isn't so bad, as long as I don't watch TV. I've never realized before that there's sooooo many food commercials peppered with television programming. It's shameful, really.

I've been approved! LOL!

My surgery is scheduled for February 5th, barring any difficulties from whom or what ever.

:-)

I'm on the liquid diet part now. Fun times.

And for those wondering about Dr. Rohrer:

He seems very competent and calm, and certainly very knowledgable about all the weight loss surgery options. He was very thorough in explaining and describing everything and what to expect about the band, having a sample band to show you (he puts it around your thumb and fills it with saline so you can feel it and see how it works). I had this booklet of questions I'd printed out to ask: I only wound up asking like 2 of the 20 or so questions.

The staff was friendly and supportive.

The wait time was what I'd expected (as I work with a busy physician myself... basically, I've learned not to plan to do anything else on a day with a doctor's appointment, LOL... That way, you're pleasantly surprised if you're seen on time, and leave early ;-) LOL...).

So far, so good. One thing that surprised me: Even though Dr. Rohrer is a (Fed) Blue Cross ~ Blue Shields provider, the office still expects the consultation fee of $250.00 up front, prior to your visit. It had stated as much in the paperwork they'd sent me, but I'd thought that because he was a provider on my insurance policy, I wouldn't have to worry about it. LMAO. Wrong.

At any rate, I got a good vibe off of him and his office, so that's good enough for me. :-)

And now I'm going to chew on some ice. LOL.

Did I say the 15th in the previous post? Der. I meant the 16th.

Anyway, I have my motel reservation confirmed. I'll be staying at The Great Falls Inn, which I found via the Benefis Healthcare website. There's a "medical rate" of $45/night, and since I don't have the time or energy at the moment to wade through the internet and/or phonebook online for Great Falls motels near the hospital...

Sold! One motel room at the inn!

I'm doing my labwork locally tomorrow morning, as well as my EKG. I was supposed to have that done with my annual physical on Monday, but I'd completely forgotten about that appointment and had to reschedule it. But the labwork (et al) I'll do tomorrow when I take my son in for his first year well-child. :-)

Other than that, not much to do but make sure records are faxed over, pack, and hope the roads won't be too bad.

I explained to my girls tonight at dinner what I'm going to have done. They seem really excited for me. (8 years old and 5 years old.) My 8-year old asked me if having the LapBand done would make me look younger. That girl's asking for it. ;-) Jeez, I'm 33 for heaven's sake, ya little ____. LOL.

That's it for now.
Later...

My first consult (and also the required nutritional class) is scheduled for January 15th. (364 miles from where I live.)