Adjustment update...and letting the cat out of the bag!

One of the direct results of being overfilled for the last week was me going home early on Friday. Since I have moved up to NJ I've missed quite a few days of work due to "having a stomach virus."

I decided yesterday that I would tell my two supervisors what has truly been wrong with me. These are 2 guys. One is a mid 60's retired Colonel from the Army. The other is a guy about 10 years older than me. They both took the news really well and were happy I told them what the root of my "sickness" was because, apparently, they were beginning to get concerned for my health. So, not so bad telling them! However, I'm still not willing to tell people outside of my "circle of trust" about my band.

This morning I had the adjustment to remove fluid. Luckily, it only cost the flat $200 instead of $550. The surgeon didn't do it under floroscopy, he just did it in one of the patient rooms. Why can't they always do this???? I don't understand practices that refuse to do non-floroscopy fills!

Anyway, he took out .3 cc so now I'm at 5.9 cc. He almost only took out .2 cc, but I asked him to take out another .1 just to be safe.

I'm so happy to be drinking fluids and re-hydrating myself. This morning I weighed in at 197...that's 10lb down from exactly one week ago. I realize that some of that is from being dehydrated. So, I'm anxious to see what the scale does within the next few days.

I spoke too soon.

Getting an unfill tomorrow. SO FRUSTRATING!!!! But it has to be done.

I had the fill last Tuesday and he put in the .2 cc that he removed 2 months before (that puts me at 6.2 cc in a 10 cc band). The thing is, I think he should have only put in .1 cc because when he did it under floroscopy, only a little trickle of barium was going through. It looked too tight on the film, but he's the doctor / surgeon and I would hope he'd know what to look for. Obviously not.

I felt okay Tuesday - Thursday (was tight, but thought it was like how I am with every other adjustment...sensitive), but on Friday I was in Hell. I started having reflux in the night. I would sleep for 15 min then would wake up hacking and coughing with a mouth full of acid. Horrible. I can barely get any liquids down. The only way I get any liquid in is by sucking on ice chips. Hello, it's been SIX DAYS since my adjustment!!! I'm miserable, pure miserable.

So now I have to pay an additional $400 to fix this doctor's mistake. I am SO not made of money and this cannot become a habit.

I hate my employer for not electing bariatric coverage, I hate being self pay, I hate not being in ATL where MY DOCTOR is and where my adjustments are free.

I'm so frustrated. Really trying not to flip out on someone.

Not doing well...Violent Vomiting & ER Visit

I arrived in NJ for good yesterday. It took me two days to drive it, but I'm up here! The movers won't get here until Wednesday; at least that's the plan right now. So, for now, Manolo & I are shacked up in a Residence Inn.

This morning, I decided to get some eggs from the buffet and take them in a container to work and eat them when I got hungry. So, around 9 I ate some...maybe 2 or 3 bites?...and I was immediately stuck. This was no normal stuck...I was PBing over and over. It got to the point where I couldn't even swallow my saliva.

Now, you might be saying to yourself, "Cody, why didn't you just go to your surgeon and get fluid taken out??" Well, my friends, my surgeon is in ATL and I'm now in NJ. A few weeks ago, I found a Lap-Band Office up here who would do my fills and unfills and I called them today when this issue was happening. They said the NP couldn't see me until I had seen a surgeon and Mondays are surgery days for surgeons. GRRRR! This was not a good situation. I was running to the bathroom every 5 min (I'm sure everyone at my client now thinks I'm pregnant, thank you). So, I made the executive decision to go to the ER.

The ER sucks here. I've never seen a room full of so many sickly people. I got to the point where they took my bp and temp and all that and had to go out in the waiting room before being admitted. Well, before I could even get admitted, I started puking SO HARD and so repetitively that food that was in my stomach (had already passed through the band) was coming up along with the burning, nasty bile. However, after that, I felt like a million bucks compared to before! So, I got out of the ER and came back to the hotel.

I was finally able to speak to the NP at the new surgeon's office and the earliest they can get me in is on Friday. I am fo' sho' getting fluid taken out. Until then, pure liquids.

I'm affraid I may have slipped my band, though. Can one violent episode like this flip it? I sure hope not. I've never had a fill done under floro, but I'm actually hoping they do the unfill under floro on Friday just to calm my fears!

Anyone else ever puked over and over so violently??? I'm slightly scared...

4th Fill

Today I had my fourth fill. Prior to today, I was at 6cc in a 10cc band. I wasn't sure I should even get a fill. I've lost 10lb since my fill about 2.5 weeks ago. I really didn't even think they'd give me one, but wanted to go in, anyway, to get my weight recorded and just see if they would be so kind.

So, the NP did give me a fill. She gave me .4cc. As I was drinking my water afterward, it was not going down. So I hopped back up on the table and she took out half (.2cc) and it went down okay! I was even able to drink a protein drink about an hour later and have some mashed potatoes around 1.

However, I did PB last night. Since I'm moving, I'm trying to see all my friends as many times as possible. So, Richard is in town and we went to Roaster's (think: really nice Boston Market). I ordered the veggie (ha!) plate and got broccoli & cauliflower, mashed potatoes, and green beans. It was going okaaaaay until I took too big of a bite of broccoli. I immediately knew I was in trouble and ran to the bathroom. Up it came! After that, I just asked for a to-go box and socialized :)

Today will probably be my last post before I get to NJ. The movers are coming tomorrow to load the truck! The packers were there today. Saturday I'll be on the road to NJ, but won't arrive until Sunday. Hopefully my stuff gets there around the 9th or else it will have no place to go! I don't sign the lease until then!

1st Fill + I'm a Moron

Yesterday I got my first fill. They added 4cc's. I won't go into too much detail b/c I'm sure most of you know what it's like to get a fill. If you don't, leave a comment and I'll get back to you!

Afterward, I was sitting in the waiting room drinking my water (which took forever) and this lady came up to the front from the back. I guess she had her initial consultation. She asked me if I'd had the procedure and wanted to know about my experience. I told her about being self-pay, my surgery day, the post-surgery agony, the gas, my weight loss, the process of restriction, etc. I think it really helped her. I know I would have loved to have spoken w/ someone face-to-face prior to having my surgery. Sure, I read LBT and went to 2 seminars, but nothing beats picking someone's mind who has had it done and hearing what they liked and didn't like. Before I left she asked me if I would do it again. I said "absolutely! but ask me again in 11 months!" I still have so much to go through before I can truly say if I would do it again or not...but more than likely I think I'll be happy with my decision :)

So, after slooooooooowly drinking my water, I left to run errands. Let me tell you, that fill made me tight. I know it won't last and it is just inflamation, but all day I felt like something was stuck in the back of my throat. Not a pleasant feeling. So, about 2 I ate half a cup of lf cottage cheese. It took me over an hour to eat. No joke.

That night, realizing I couldn't eat any of the food in my house, I went to the grocery store and bought pudding and soup. I had half a cup of broccoli soup, but was CRAVING something sweet. So, I snuck one of my roomie's dog turd cookies (they are the pecan sandies w/ powdered sugar, but my family calls them dog turds). I ate a bite, went down okay. Took another bite, chewed, swallowed, and immediately knew I was stuck. Tried drinking water, but that was stupid b/c when you are stuck nothing can go through the band, not even water. So I hung out with my head over the kitchen sink for about twenty minutes with spit pouring out of my mouth. It felt like my chest would explode. Finally, I was in so much pain I jumped up and down throwing a fit at myself and BOOP! up it came! So, now, I can say I've had my first PB and PBing is different than puking b/c it tastes the same going out as it did going in. No bile to burn your esophagus or horrible taste in your mouth.

So, I have learned my lesson(s): 1. no more dog turds EVER 2. listen to your dr. when they say mushies only for a day or two after a fill 3. just b/c you crave it doesn't mean you can eat it.