14 Days Post Surgery

Woo Hoo! I am 14 days post surgery and other than the shoulder pain, I'm feeling pretty good. I started back at work yesterday and I can feel it in my abs (and my legs for that matter!) as I did more walking around yesterday than I have in the last 2 weeks! But, I'm doing ok. I'm making sure to take rests during the day to give myself a break. I'm hoping being back at work will help with the pain as the Nurse mentioned to me that walking might ease it up a bit. I hope so. It's getting really annoying already!

I weighed myself this morning and was very pleased with what the scale said :) It read 269lbs!! Woo hoo again!! That's a total of 23lbs gone since the start of the pre-op diet 4 weeks ago today! I was pumped! I had had a rough night, both with the pain in my shoulder and thinking about my ex, I barely got any sleep. Seeing that loss on the scale changed my attitude immediately!

I also had my 2 week post op appointment today. I love, love love my Nurse Terri. She is absolutely awesome. Back when I went to the information seminar about lap band in April or May, she was one of the speakers. I immediately felt a connection with her and couldn't wait for her to be my Lapband nurse. She seemed so down to earth, tell it like it is, no nonsense kinda women that only wants to help you, and see you succeed and change your life. And I got that same feeling today when I spoke with her one on one during my 1 hour appointment. We chatted about food choices, exercise, and the band itself. She re-iterated the fact that the band is just a tool and that I am the one that has to make it work. It will be me that changes my lifestyle and makes the right choices to succeed. She asked if I had been weighing myself, I said yes and when I told her my weight loss so far, her face lit up! It made me so excited to see her so happy for me. She again told me that some people struggle with this time period and can gain weight during these first 6 weeks and to not get discouraged if this happens to me. She asked if I wanted to get on their scale. I said sure! I was a little worried as it was already mid-day and usually I am up in weight at that time. She also warned me that her scale is usually 2lbs heavier than most scales so she would account for that. Well, I get on her scale, and it actually read 267!!! WHOLY CRAP! That was 2 lbs LIGHTER than I was in the morning!!! I was beaming! That's a total of 25lbs lost!!! That was all the weight I gained during this passed year dealing with the stress of my breakup. Terri was super stoked too! I did a little cheer and Terri asked for a hug! She told me she loved me and my positive attitude! We hugged it out and I got super emotional and actually cried. I apologized and told her I didn't know why I was crying. She said it was ok and that's why she does this job. Not for the money, but to help people and see people change their lives. We chatted a bit more and she gave me so much praise and told me to keep up the good work. I left there feeling ridiculously good about myself and my accomplishment so far. It doesn't seem like I did much, cuz I wasn't even really hungry. But I've had to change my lifestyle so much already, and I did it. I've also done a lot of self realization as to when and why I eat. I discovered a lot of this during low times, but that's what I needed. I needed to deal with all these things now to help me cope in other ways, other than raiding the fridge. And now, I'm so totally focused on eating using all the guidelines.

I'm finally gonna do it. I'm really gonna do it. And I'm so excited. :)

Post Surgery, Day 9

Well, I'm feeling pretty good these days. I did not anticipate that the most painful part of this surgery was going to be shoulder pain from gas! My stomach is still sore and stiff but not too bad now. I do have some mild back pain too but that could be from lounging around for a week! All in all, I think I'm recovering well. I spoke to the Nurse at Maples in regards to the shoulder pain and not only is it completely normal, it can last up to a month! Oh man! I really hope it doesn't last that long! The intensity of the pain is still there but the frequency is getting less and less, which is fantastic! I can't wait to not have it anymore. I'm still taking the T3s, but its down to only about twice a day. I took the rest of this week off work to be able to fully recover before going back. I'm sure I will be good to go by Monday. I've attached a picture of my bruising and scars. I have some pretty significant swelling around them but it seems to be going down a little each day.

Now, on to the eating. I really haven't been hungry since the surgery. This past weekend was a little tough as I prepared ALL the food for my sister's big 30th bash. All the stuff I would want to see and eat at a party: Hotdogs, hamburgers, chili cheese dip, taco dip, crab dip, corn chip salad, kolbassa, cheese, pickles, crackers, chips and dip.......everything that is oh so bad for you.....but oh so good. Also, instead of cake, we got Pumpkin pie (thank goodness it's basically pureed pumpkin cuz you better believe I had 2 pieces of that!).

At first, things were fine. I prepared all the food Friday with no thought of even having any of it. Then, as the night went on, I couldn't stop looking at it and everyone else enjoying it. I had to try some. Not cuz I was hungry, cuz I really wasn't, just cuz it was there. Up until this point, I had only eaten apple sauce, yogurt, and boost. So, first thing I tried was the pumpkin pie. I figured it is basically pureed pumpkin and I didn't eat the crust. It tasted super yummy and went down so easily. I followed all the guidelines and ate it in real small portions and ate it super slow. Success! It stayed down without a problem. So, a couple hours later, I pushed it and tried a spoonful of chili cheese dip. That also stayed down without problem. That was all I ate that night and I felt good that it all stayed down.

Then came Saturday night. There was more people, and a little bit more food, and I over did it and tried a lot. I made sure to chew everything up real good to make sure it would go down. But I tried a spoonful of each of the chili cheese dip, the taco dip, the crab dip, some cheese pieces and had another piece of pie. I again ate it all real slow and chewed to make it mush. It tasted good going in for sure! But I felt guilty afterward. I thought, hmmm...this isn't how I'm supposed to be eating. Especially right now, post surgery. I originally thought that the eating guidelines were there and you were to move on at your own pace. Well, I just skipped 2 of the 3 steps. That's probably not good. When I got home, I was able to access the Lap Band Connect Website (a website only accessible to "Banders") and I read a bit more about why you go through the stages. They are to let the band heal in the right place and re-introduce foods to your body without complication. I also had a ton of shoulder pain Monday morning and thought that was my warning to STOP IT! I know it probably had nothing to do with it, or maybe it did, but it made me say, Ok Shannon, stop being dumb. You have to remember that you are changing the way you eat forever. That is the old you. Eating when you don't need too, when your not hungry, just because it's there. I will be tempted with parties and such all the time and will need to be able to handle myself better and choose things more appropriately. Not saying I can never have those foods again, but maybe I won't want them, or will be able to make better choices. I laid a guilt trip onto myself and was mad at myself. Sure, I didn't over eat by any means, but I shouldn't have eaten those foods. My body needs to heal properly in order for this to work. So, I told myself I was getting back onto the "prescribed" diet.

So, here I am, day 9 post surgery, still on pureed type foods: soups, yogurts, apple sauce, and I tried mashed potatoes yesterday. I got more information on the website and they actually have meal plans for this stage. I'm slowly going to introduce more foods and start on the next stage, but I'm doing so slowly. I'm following the guidelines of roughly 0.5c of liquid per meal and can move up to 1c per meal. Again, I'm not even all that hungry to be honest. Sometimes I'm just eating cuz I know I have to in order to keep myself hydrated. I'm trying to drink lots of fluids for this reason too. I also found on the website that I shouldn't be using a straw to drink as it causes more gas! HELLO!! That's ALL I've been using!! A water bottle with a straw! No wonder I still have so much gas! Geez! All these things I'm finding out. I spent 2 hours exploring the website and reading up on different recipes (some of which I can't wait to try!), information and reading other people's stories. It really helped to get me back on track. :)

I weighed myself yesterday morning, 8 days post surgery, and I'm down to 276.4lbs. A total loss of 16lbs from the start of the Boost diet. I was super happy about that! I'm sure as I introduce more and more foods back into my diet, I will go up a bit (which I was warned about) but I'm happy with the progress so far.

That's it for now. Another party at the cabin this weekend. Wish me luck!

Day 2 of recovery is coming to an end, and Happy 30th Birthday to my sister!

Well, it's been 2.5 days since the surgery and so far so good. I have had a couple episodes of nausea but haven't thrown up yet. Which I'm excited about. To be completely honest, I'm not even hungry. However, I have gotten a little faint here and there so I've been trying to drink lots of water and have tried a few foods. My post op instructions say to stay hydrated and aim for 2-3L of fluid per day. So far, I have eaten a total of 2 individual low fat yogurts, 1 chocolate boost, 1 individual applesauce, and about 2 cups of chicken broth. I have to say though, the most pain I have is from the gas trying to work its way out of my body. I finally started releasing gas yesterday but it's still not enough. I have an excrutiating stabbing pain in my left shoulder that comes randomly throughout the day and night. I had a rough sleep again last night because of it. The T3's I'm taking help a little, but not much. It is seriously more uncomfortable than my stomach pain. I mean, the stomach is stiff and painful, but the shoulder is really bad. I can't wait for that to go away so I can concentrate on my stomach recovery.

I spent today with my sister and my mom as it was my sister's 30th birthday today. Mom took her for sushi, which I watched them eat and I drank water. The gas bubbles were so intense all day, causing the pain in my shoulder to be pretty bad. I took some T3s and became quite nauseated. We got home and I had to lay down for a bit wasting a good portion of the evening. Mom and I got stuff organized and we are just about ready to head to the cottage. My sister is having her birthday bash there this weekend. I won't be able to drink, but I'm going to watch every one else get drunk and act stupid! haha!

I probably won't post till after the weekend. Hopefully the shoulder pain goes away. Oh, and I weighed myself this morning and I'm at 281.6lbs. I was told that during this 6 week recovery, I have to be prepared as I may not lose and may even gain weight. I must say, when I saw 284lbs on the scale yesterday morning, I was distraught. I thought I was prepared, but I so was not. Then getting on this morning and seeing the loss made me happy!

Talk soon!

Twas the day after surgery....



Changed and ready to go!



So, yesterday was the surgery. The day my life will be forever changed. I weighed myself first thing in the morning, and I was down to 279.8lbs. A loss of 12 lbs from the day I started the pre-op diet 2 weeks ago. We (mom and me) got to the clinic at 7:30am, filled out some paperwork, and I changed into my gown. I got a little emotional but was super stoked! The doctor, then the anesthetist, then the nurse came in to see me and chat about what was about to take place. I said goodbye to mom around 8:10am and walked with the nurse to the surgery suite.

The walk over was so surreal. I mean, being an Animal Health Technologist, I've been around my fair share of surgical suites, but to know that it's me that is the patient was a little overwhelming. I looked around to take it all in. The suite was huge and so clean. The surgery table was smack in the middle, like something out of a movie. My name was up on their board with my stats, etc. I was all smiles when I got in there. I laid on the table and the anesthetist put in my IV (best IV placer EVER!) while the nurse hooked me up to the EKG, pulse ox, and heart rate monitor. Within 10-15 minutes of being in there, I was asleep. The last thing I remember was the anesthetist telling me he was going to be giving me some meds to help me go under and the nurse putting the oxygen over my face telling me to take a few really deep breathes. I remember taking 3 and I was out.

I woke up in recovery in not too much pain actually. My stomach felt like I had done a million situps, but the most painful part of me was my neck/shoulder (and its still the most painful today!). The nurse told me that it was common due to the gas they use to blow up the stomach with during surgery. As it is more my neck today, I'm thinking it was due to my neck being cranked in one position for the length of the surgery. It was about 10:30am when I was waking up and the nurse asked my pain level. Out of a 10, 10 being the most pain, I was sitting at a 3-4. She gave me 2 Oxycontins and I hung out there, slowly waking up. Around 11, she moved me to a chair so I could sit upright and my mom was going to be there at noon. I passed out in the chair for a bit and woke up to mom and Rylee (my almost 3 year old daughter) coming in to see me.

I was so happy to see Rylee in that moment. Over the last few months of getting things in order with my separation, I have had some aweful feelings that things would have been so much easier without her. That I wouldn't have to see my ex every week for the exchange of custody, etc. That we could have called it quits and went our separate ways. I hated that I felt that way because I love her, but things could have been so much easier. But, in that moment, when I woke up to see her big smiling face, I knew that she was meant to be here. In that short little moment, I knew that although I will have to see my ex every week, it is all worth it for her. I'm so not the type to think that way (all cheesey-like about my kid), but in that brief moment, I did. And it made me feel so much better :)


A little blurry, but I have 5 incisions.



I got home about 12:20pm. Able to walk, slowly, but able to. My phone was lit up with messages galore wishing me well and asking me how things went. That was overwhelming too. So many people caring about me. I spent the next hour or 2 responding, sitting on the chair in the living room. Rylee was given strict instructions that she couldn't jump on mom and had to be gentle. She was an angel. So gentle when I asked for a kiss. I was super tired so I went for a snooze in mom's bed. I was taking small sips of water, but if I walked right after I took a sip, I got super nauseaous. I gagged once and that hurt! Mom brought me a barf bag just in case, but as long as I was sitting or laying after I took a sip of water, I was ok. My throat was really sore from being intubated so I needed to take many, many sips of water as I was so pastey.



I'd wake up every so often, turn my head and fall right back to sleep. I hate sleeping on my back! Haha! Rylee came in once to sit with me but was promptly taken away so as not to hurt me. She went for a nap shortly after too. I woke up around 4 I think, still tired but not passing out tired. I kept sipping my water and was doing ok with it now, no more nausea. By 5:30, my ex was here to get Rylee, a day earlier then usual to allow me to not have to take care of her while I was healing. I must admit, he has been super good when it comes to her and being pretty accomodating when I ask him for favors. Which is nice. Not too many ex's are like that. Anyway, she left and I spent the rest of the evening on the phone, facebook, and reading magazines. I finally took some T3s around 7pm, crushed in some applejuice. Yuck! Haha! I tried to go for another nap but spent most of that time reading. My neck/shoulder was killing me and my post op instructions said that laying down would help. It did a bit.

My sister showed up and we chatted until she had to leave for work at 10pm. I didn't go to bed till after midnight but had a heck of a time doing so. Again, my stomach was sore, but that wasn't keeping me from sleeping. It was my neck. It was the most uncomfortable thing. I took 2 more T3s crushed in apple juice (yuck again) but that wasn't helping the neck issue. My chest/ribs were also sore, I felt like I had been coughing for days which made it a little hard to breathe on my side. But I couldn't sleep on my back because that's when my neck hurt the most. And of course, I couldn't sleep on my stomach. Finally, I managed to get comfy sleeping on my side, using a pillow under my chest area, and 2 pillows under my head. Awkward, but it was the least uncomfortable. I woke up at 7am and have been up ever since and decided to try this blog thing again.

Here's to another day of recovery! Let's see what the day brings. I still have to stay on liquid type foods (basically anything that can fit through a straw) but it doesn't have to be clear liquids. We shall see how it goes! I will keep you posted!

Twas the night before surgery.....

Well, it's the night before my surgery. I got nothing but well wishes today at work which was nice.  But really, is anyone gonna say anything bad? No! Haha. Some people did make the extra effort to find me in the lab to wish me luck before they left for the day which was really nice. I do have some of the best, most understanding and supportive co-workers and bosses anyone could ask for. And I'm not just saying that cuz some of them will read this! ;) Haha!

Anyway, someone at work today suggested I post a blog about my journey. I was a little hesitant at first, but thought, meh. Why not?! I started a journal when I started the pre-op diet so I will copy and paste that into here to really start from the beginning. Please bare with me as I've never blogged before.

So, here goes, let's start at the beginning. I have been overweight most of my life. Never really obese, just had a few extra pounds. I went on my first diet when I was 13yrs old. My mom and I went on Richard Simmons deal a meal.  Can't remember if I lost any weight, but that was the start of my dieting journey. I was very active and played almost every sport offered during high school and I was good. Real good, winning Athelete of the Year in grades 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 plus other various MVP awards. Although I was always active, playing everything under the sun, I was always the biggest one on the team and it was always very evident to me. I weighed 173lbs all 4 years of high school (I got down to 166lbs when I graduated). My volleyball coach said to me once "you know Shannon, if you could just lose 10lbs you could jump so much higher". 10lbs hey? Well, here I am, 110lbs heavier than what I was that day.

I started putting on weight when I was in college. Going from sport after sport all year round to nothing but studying and eating greasy foods will do that. I graduated from college in 2001 and I think I weighed 185lbs, losing some within that first year of being an Animal Health Technologist and getting back down to 167lbs. Then the start of my uphill battle begun. I started living on my own, but was really lonely and depressed. The weight started to pack on. By June of 2002 I was at 220lbs. My highest weight at the time. And then I met my future husband to be. We had a great relationship at the beginning, and well, for the first 5 years of our relationship. He proposed, we got married, and things fell apart for the remaining 5. During our 10 year relationship, I packed on the pounds. I sit here today, 5 1/2 months into our separation, weighing 282lbs. And that wasn't even my highest weight. When I got pregnant with our daughter in 2009, I weighed 300lbs. Gained 15lbs with the pregnancy for a whopping highest weight of 315lbs. This wasn't the reason for our marriage crumbling, but I know it didnt help!

Last year, I lost 46lbs with the help of bootcamp and weight watchers. The issues surrounding my marriage and it coming to an end, helped me put back on 22 of the 46lbs I lost.

During our relationship I thought of lap band surgery often. I brought it up once and my husband said if it was something I wanted to do, that I should do it. Problem is, we were never in a financial position to afford another loan, until now. This separation has given me the opportunity to "afford" to do it. My parents are awesome and are super supportive and are allowing me (and my daughter) to live at their place rent free so I can pay down the loan before going to get my own place. And now, here I sit, at 11pm the night before surgery, so excited for my "new " life :) 

It's been a few days......

Well, quite a few days have passed. Lotsa news. Well, one real big event. Came home from the cottage on Monday (left Rylee there with mom and dad) and found out that my ex has a girlfriend. I was devastated. I mean I know he has every right to date....I just didnt expect it to be so soon. I wanted it first. It also hurt me that it was with someone that I thought he was trying to get with already, that he denied. Just made me realize how long he was actually outta love with me for :(

Monday night was really, really tough. I thought of the fridge and food quite often. I was texting and emailing and phoning everyone I could think of that would support me and keep me from the fridge. I did realize that I wasn't actually hungry that I was just thinking about it cuz thats how I normally cope with stress...but not being able to do that made me deal with the emotions right there. It sucked.

Tuesday at work also sucked. I was a zombie. From not sleeping cuz of thinking of him and his new girlfriend (seriously, who gets into a relationship with someone so fresh out of a separation?). By Tuesday evening though, I  came to the realization that he is not the same man I married at all. Not the same man I fell in love with and he didn't love me for a long long time. So now, he is just Rylee's dad.

Going thru this though during my boost diet was so tough. So so tough. But I did it. Yesterday I was asked to play ball and spare on a team. I jumped at the opportunity and had a fantastic time. It's just what I needed to get outta the slump of thinking of my ex. Playing sports and laughing! It's who I am! So I've now realized a way to cope with my stress that really does help....sports and the comfort of friends and family (we discovered this in therapy today). No more eating my feelings away!

Now, back to my pre-op diet. Weighed myself tuesday morning, naked and I was 285lbs, for a loss of 7lbs.  Weighed myself this morning and I was 283 for a loss of 9lbs. Not gonna hit that 25lbs loss mark, but I'm happy I'm going down. Every number I see, I just keep thinkin...that is the last time I will see that number on the scale again. When I played ball on Thursday, my jersey fit just a little better! Yeah!

So that's it for today....it's been a crazy week that's for sure. I am so exhausted from lack of sleep I really need to go to bed. Only 3 more days of boost and 4 till surgery! Ahhhh! Nite nite!

Day 6!!

Rylee was a gem today. Definitely cannot let her skip her naps. She is such a terror when she doesn't sleep and such an angel when she does. We went for a 3hr nap together today. Definitely needed by both of us! It's now 2:15am and I'm only writing for a little bit and I gotta get to sleep! I can feel that I am more tired these days due to the lower calorie intake. Don't feel like I've lost all that much weight so I'm really curious to weigh myself. I do however get light headed, nauseous, dizzy sometimes so I know I'm not eating much! Had a few moments of extreme hunger today, but curbed it with a boost and thoughts of the future.

I thought of my ex today. We watched the fireworks at the cabin and I was remembering when he and I went to watch our first set of fireworks together. It was Canada day and we went to Assinaboine park. We used to really enjoy watching them. And I still do. But it was kinda lonely, even tho the family was there. I still miss having someone to hold hands and watch em with. And that wasn't even my ex in the last few years. He never wanted to do anything like that. I can't wait to find someone else that once again enjoys the same things that I do. I definitely had a sad moment today. But, I shook it off, looked at Rylee and smiled. I'll have it again soon enough. :)

Day 5!!

Today was a tough day. I was hungry a lot today. So much so, at times I felt really weak and sick to my stomach. My girlfriend, her hubby and her son all came out to the cabin today. It rained for a good portion of the afternoon so we were stuck inside which made for a cranky Rylee day. And when Rylee has a bad day, mommy has a bad day. I wanted to eat this place out of everything. It was a good thing I had company cuz I probably would have.

Mom, dad and their buddy showed up with my new bunk bed for my room so we had lots of people now to keep my mind off of food. However, I cooked all the meat for supper! Steak, a porkchop, and weiners for hot dogs! I made the steak perfect too! Haha! We also had a big pot of kraft dinner. It all looked so yummy. But I had my little carton of boost. Mmmm mmmm mmmm! Haha! Yup, today was a hard day for sure. But I made it thru. Only 9 more days to go!