More pictures at Thanksgiving

My nephew and also I turned the big 50 November 28 th uggggggggg but I dont feel 50 I have a new leash on life

Thanksgiving 2008

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone and I think I did pretty well considering I could have gone back for 2nds and 3rds but I composed myself and used self control and the band helped too.

My wonderful lapband crew

Front row: Richard, Becka, me and LeeAnn,
Back row: Lachelle and Dawn

A wonderful day with my Lapband Friends

Becka and Richard are a couple that both had lapband and I met in support group., They host a fall fest every year and I and my husband where invited and it was wonderful I had so much fun.

Mental Note to self

Ok I have lost a lot of weight and have been feeling like I am in my 20's. I decided to change a light bulb instead of asking my hubby who is 6'5" to do it for me. I climb up on a chair to change no problem, decided to jump down off of chair, not a smart idea, I injured my left leg.

It was diagnosised as a hamstring pull, that was August 25th and still not getting better saw my Dr. yesterday and he seems to think I have some major problems going on may have injured my spine and the pain radiating down my leg. October 15 I will be having a MRI. so please keep me in your thoughts.

90 lbs gone gone gone

1year and 1 day post op 90 lbs gone for good

Here is my 1 yr out from lapband with one of my many grandkids on his 13th birthday Sept 1, 2008

1 year Anniversary from Lapband

Today is my sorta new birthday(bandiversary) I was given new life and outlook. I reflect back to where I was and where I am today. I no longer need oxygen 24/7 unless I have a real bad episode of shortness of breath which I am now because of a lung infection but that too will pass.

I no longer need a walker to assist me around the house, and out and about. I was hoping to be at a 100 lb loss but 90 lbs is a good start for the first year and hope another year another 90 lbs. I am still fat but not as fat but I will prevail and become lighter and hopefully more healthy

Its been a wonderful journey so far.

Things are fine

I saw my surgeon for my yearly check which is a few weeks shy of 1 year will be 1 year August 31, I have 10 lbs to go to achieve my 100 lbs lost, and I am struggling. I am losing inches right now but not weight grrrrrrrrrrrr.

I will take it though, I have gone from a size 30/32 to size 22/24 and that in itself is an accomplishment. I love going to stores and shop now and not be afraid to try on clothes. My breathing has improved and taken pressure of both heart and lungs. I still have to take breathing treatments 4 times a day but that is basically for the asthma and alpha 1 lung diease, but I am only on oxygen 12 hours vs 24 hours now. My lung capacity has not worsened thats a good thing, course I will never get the 30% loss back because this diease is a herditary diease but we have gotten it early and treating it thank the good lord for that miracle.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend

updated pics down 90 lbs

Its been a while I know

Things are hectic around my home these days and blogging has not been an option. I and hubby have been playing taxi cab driver back and forth to school taking the 2 older grandson's to football practice. I will have 1 playing Highschool football and 1 playing 8th grade football.

Well I saw the surgeon Monday August fourth and I am now down 90 lbs yippee I am 10 lbs away from my bandaversary and hoping to hit that 100 mark by August 31st.

Only Thing I hate about my lapband warning TMI

because are intake is lower and not as much fiber, lapband patients tend to have constipation. I hate this part of being banded. I will feel really good for 4 or 5 days and then oh no my tummy kills me. Yesterday I spent the better part of my day in the bathroom or laying on the bed with a heating pad on tummy I was doubled over with pain.

NOTE: dont forget to take stool softeners daily to keep this from happening.

Another satisfied individual

As I go on this journey I have committed myself to helping others get approved or fight appeals for weight loss surgery. I had an individual who was denied by Tri-care the active military insurance for servemen and their families. She was denied and I helped her write an appeal several weeks ago here is her message to me

" I want to thank you so much for all you have done for , if not for your letter I really don't think I would have been approved. You have been a blessing to me and I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

So if anyone needs my assistance do not hesitate to call on me

Wheezymom

Ok the journey continues

I am experiencing a little nausea today and not sure if its lapband related or not. I really haven't had any major pb'ing or etc. I know I ate things yesterday I should not have done, like a cupcake and ice cream but oh well, fell off the wagon, pick myself back up and get on the band wagon again

Have a good week everyone

Happy 4th of July

Today has been an eventful day for my family. We had our picnic, attended the George Clinton Concert and now I am tired. But I enjoyed my family, did not eat unhealthy food and me and my band did fine.

Here I am with 2 of my wonderful grandchildren that I love with all my heart.

Today started out bad

Well I got up at 9:30 AM and I was hungry and I should know better than try to eat that early but I did. Oh was I in pain. I had 2 eggs for the protein and tried to eat half of a toasted whole wheat muffin. Well it got stuck and boy the pain in the chest was terrible. I tried the papaya enzymes but they were not unclogging the clog.

Papaya enzymes are a lapband patients best friend sometimes to remove food that is stuck. You can get them really cheap at GNC or Walmart. I like the ones at GNC the best.


Have a wonderful weekend

Sorry I have been away for a while not blogging

My wonderful husband had a terrible accident or should I say a fight with the tiller in the garden and messed up his left leg. He is diabetic and it was not healing and had to be admitted to the hospital for IV therapy. So I have been back and forth from the hospital and no time to blog.

He is home now so I can continue my journey.

I went to see my lung specialist on Tuesday and she there was no change still the same 30% loss of lung capacity but thats a good thing at least it hasn't worsened. I also was weighed and I am now down to 268 yeah 85 lbs lost and I am 15 lbs from my first year lapband goal of 100lbs lost. I hope I can do it.

My surgeon saw me at the hospital when I was up with my husband and he said he was so proud of me and the amount of weight I have lost in this short 10 months so I am so happy that he thinks I am headed in the right direction.

How was your all's week

my weight progress

start of my journey at 353 lbs

down to 290 lbs.

Down to 286 lbs.

Down to 280 lbs.

Down to 271 lbs. this is the latest update

TODAY I CONFESS ALL REGARING MY WEIGHTLOSS JOURNEY

Ok, I should have started this blog back on 8-31-07 when I first started my weight loss journey but I know I am a little late but promise to blog daily about my journey and things that will helps others considering surgery, dieting or the actually had the surgeries and need some support or guidiance.

I have been in the medical field since 1977, started out as an Emergency room tech and worked in that compacity until 1985 when my second daughter was born. At that time I needed a more stable job and reasonable hours to raise my family so chose to try the other side of the fence and went into the health insurance industry.

Twenty of the 30 years experience I worked servicing the Federal Employees BCBS contracts started as a clinical intake coordinator and worked my way up to supervision over the call center of approx 30 individuals serving the states of IN/KY/OH. My last 5 years I worked serving the over 65 and under 65 Individual Polices offered by the insurance company BCBS.

2006 I became very ill with serveral lung infections and many many visits to specialist and findng that I had inherited a gene from my fathers side of the family Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency or, more simply, Alpha-1. Because of this diease and not to mention my obesity my lung specialist along with my primary care physician gave me about 5 years of life if I did not lose some of the weight to take pressure off my lungs and my enlarged heart. I had to be proactive and try what eve the cost to increase my life expectancy so my journey began for weight loss surgery after 1 year and 7 months fighting with the insurance company that I had been loyal to for 30 years and many appeals I was finally approved for the lapband surgery.

August 31, 2007 I was taken in to OR by a wonderful surgeon named Dr. Jorge Rodriquez and had the lapband AP large 14 cc band placed in my upper stomach. The day that I went into surgery my weight at 5'2" I weighed a whopping 353 lbs. approx 210 lbs overweight. My first visit after the surgery was and others were as followed

9-10-07 weight 323 lbs 30 lbs lost in approx 10 days after surgery
10-22-07 weight 313 lbs 10 lbs lost since last visit and had my first fill of 3cc's
12-3-07 weight 303 lbs another 10 lbs lost and 2 cc fill
1-14-08 weight 293 lbs another 10 lbs lost but no fill had fairly good restriction
2-25-08 weight 290 lbs another 3 lbs lost but still no fill
3-31-08 weight 286 lbs another 4 lbs lost and I got a fill of .50 cc's
4-28-08 weight 280 lbs another 6 lbs lost but no fill
6-9-08 weight 271 lbs another 9 lbs lost but no fill and he said lets go 2 months before I see you again and reassess whether we need to do a fill .

I am 18 lbs away from losing 100 lbs and hope that I get rid of the 18 lbs before 8-31-08 which my goal was to have 100 lbs off by my 1 year from lapband surgery
12-3-07