Howzit?

Well, it's going fine! I'm on to eating mushy foods, which is nice. I nosh on things like pasta, cottage cheese, beans, soup, minced meats, deli meat, cheese, etc. It's not bad at all, though occasionally I do crave a piece of bread or something. I have noticed that I have been feeling a little hungry lately, supposed because the swelling in my belly is going down. Had a phone appointment with the clinic nutritionist and she said everything was fine--asked what I was eating, if anything had been "stuck" (from not chewing or having it be too dry) and I had nothing exciting to report. My lady and I even went out for Mexican food and I was able to eat one enchilada with chicken...chicken can be tricky for banded folks because it is often dry. The solution to that is to always eat chicken ( or any meat, really) with some kind of sauce--salsa, ketchup, olive oil, just something to help it go down.

School has started again and I'm taking all infectious disease related classes. It isn't bad, but it is annoying that I have one class a day, each day...didn't get a compressed schedule at all. Luckily one of my classes has a video feed so if i realllllllllly don't want to go I can watch the video and take notes later that evening. Ah, the temptation. Hard to go to school for one 50 minute class--it takes me longer than that to get there and back on the bus!

Socially speaking, this whole band thing is odd. Hell, it is odd to see a tall woman such as myself eat so little, ya gotta wonder if I have some weird eating disorder or something. I had lunch on friday with some classmates and only a couple of them know about the surgery...she was like "Dude, that's your lunch now?", lol. No one else noticed, thankfully, that I hardly ate a thing. FYI, lunch right now is a slice of cheese, maybe two slices of deli turkey, and some canned fruit. Not much, but plenty for my stomach!

I guess that's all I have to report. I meet with the nutritionist in person on the 24th, then go down the street to Dr.Landerholm (my surgeon) who will put a little fluid in the band (called a "fill").

Happy in mushyfoodland,

Nurse Bandit (OH, and yes, I really did get my RN license! Last week!)

Day 16

Hey all, it has been 16 days since my surgery and I'm feeling..normal! Just a tiny bit of port pain every now and then, that's all. I made it through liquids/puree and I start mushies tomorrow (though I cheated and had a scrambled egg tonight, I couldn't face any more cream of wheat alone). I feel good but I've only lost 7.5 pounds since surgery which seems kind of lame compared to a lot of people on the OH board. But hell, I've lost 19.5 overall since my preop diet, so that's cool..haven't been hungry at bit. It has been super fun to wear clothes I haven't worn in years and actually look CUTE, and have them even be too big. I think I'm gonna spend all my time this year either pulling up my pants or buying new ones. Shirts are easier to wear big, but not pants. Other news--yesterday I got my RN license! I've been studying all month and got it, now I'm in a MN program for infectious disease nurse practitioner. Life is good. NB

Pureed meat, mmm.

Well, hell, time sure flies! Today is Day 11 already, phew. I've graduated to eating pureed things, and although things look nasty pureed, they taste the same. I've pureed pho, chili w/spaghetti sauce, steak and potato soup, etc. Don't look, just eat. Kind of how I felt while traveling in some foreign countries (no, no, that isn't supposed to sound all xenophobic...). Oh, yesterday I bought some tofu and mashed it with light mayo and mustard, made an eggless egg salad, it was surprisingly good. My lady even took some for lunch. I'm gonna check to see if she really ate it. She's been a champ with all this weird crap I've been eating!

Today I was tired of studying for my NCLEX (RN exam) test so I decided to go down to the gym. I walked for 20 minutes and I was whupped, that was it. Between having surgery not long ago and having a cold a twenty minute walk was plenty. Plus, when I move a lot, it makes my port area sore.

Had my follow up/postop appointment with Julie (RN) from the clinic (Puget Sound Surgical Center) yesterday. She's happy and I'm happy with how it is going...I asked her why the left side of my belly is more sore and she said that they go in through that side (with port and other tools)..it is odd, I have like a little bulge of swelling above the port (the port is slightly swollen too).

Other than having a cold I feel pretty much normal, hooray. But I sure could use a steak or somethin'...

Nurse Bandit

Movie time!

Just in case you're curious..here's a movie (cartoon) of how the band is placed.

And here is a movie of how it is filled (after your six week recovery).

Enjoy!

Nurse Bandit

Ice cream is bad...but good..but bad..but good!

And it goes down so smoooooooooooothly. I finally ate the rest of the black bean soup and moved on to yummier things this evening---blended mint chip ice cream with milk! LOL. I never consume this much milk, I'm really not such a dairy fiend..but hell, it is soft. I need to drink more protein stuff, but other than kefir, protein shakes are disgusting. Today I tried "Nectar" made by Syntrax or some other techno-sounding company. It was so gross. I figured it couldn't be, since it wasn't milk based or anything, and blended well (and clear) into my VitaminWater. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Wasted a good bottle of water with that.....garbage.

I took my steristrips off today, thank god. They were itching like crazy and I called the clinic and the nurse just said to take 'em off. Getting the glue off is an all-day endeavor, however. The incisions look lovely, good ole' Dr.Landerholm did a swell job. And, thankfully, the itching is going away.

Tonight Kris and I had dinner with her mom, Marj, who was kind enough to stop by on her way home from her other daughter's house..and thank you Marj, for the card! Sneaky sneaky! Glad you could stop by.

Ok, back to work I go. The real reason I did this entry was because I'm getting bored listening to micro lectures about peptidoglycan. Snore.




Nurse Bandit

A Hint of Black Bean?

Ah, Saturday. I was gonna sleep in but hell, I just can't anymore. Perhaps this is because of my age? 27 never seemed old but some things just are different now than when I was 21, for example. Today my lady and I went out for tea/coffee and sat by Greenlake with our (rowdy) dogs, watching little boys play soccer. They were so so cute, such chutzpah they all have! And they come in so many varieties--the arrogant ones, shy ones, Mama's boys, tough ones, ones that really don't want to be there at all (that was me, I hated soccer..later in life I took up boxing..that's a different blog entry though...). I hated soccer because it involved running. On the other hand, boxing just involves getting hit...way better, obviously! Anyway...

Then we went shopping, woohoo. We needed new pillows and I wanted a santoku knife..go figure, everyone lusts for something.

But the cool thing I found today was "Hint" water. It is a flavored, non-sweetened, non-carbonated water that is SO SO SO good. I bought the pomegranate-tangerine and it was amazing, couldn't believe it was au naturel. It comes in other flavors like lime, tropical punch, peppermint (funky), pear, plain, apple, and cucumber (super funky). I bought it at QFC, for those of you in Seattle. It is more expensive than usual water, but it isn't something you'd just chug, you actually put it on ice and savor it.

Physically, I'm feeling better, although my incisions itch like crazy. I put some hydrocortisone around my port incision, that seems to have helped. My belly gas is getting better each day, and it is no longer as uncomfortable to sit..getting better. Appetite wise, it is back, but not NEAR as much as before...maybe 1/10 my pre-band appetite. I've been eating a lot of blended soups and such today, and I made a black bean soup (see below) which I think is pretty kick-ass. Very easy, very good for you..I was going to add some silken tofu to add protein but forgot to get it at the store. Oh me...

Funny, I see that over 400 people have seen this blog..who are you?! Tell me tell me, please leave comments, I'm curious who's readin' all this.

Happy day, folks.

Nurse Bandit

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Black Bean Soup ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2 cans black beans (3 if you want it thicker)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 heaping teaspoon chili powder
1 heaping teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup cream/milk
Tabasco and red pepper, to taste
Chopped green onions and/or cilantro (optional)
Sour Cream

Heat olive oil in heavy saucepan and saute onions, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally until tender, around 3-5 minutes. Stir in beans, chicken broth, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, about 30 minutes.

Cool slightly and puree the soup in in a blender. Return to pot and blend in cream. Season with hot sauce and red pepper to taste. Heat gently and serve in deep bowls sprinkled with onions/cilantro and sour cream

Tomato Soup and Ice Cream

Two staples of my diet right now. Oh, and Kefir is too, with protein powder mixed in. I know "they" say it should be low sugar/fat right now but ya know, I'm eating SO little quantitatively that I really don't think it matters right now. I think I'm packing in about 800 a day, if that, and I feel stuffed. Plus, ice cream has protein....lol...at least I bought the light kind.

Last night my lady and I went to a restaurant for some dinner. My oh my, there aren't many "full liquid"options around. I ordered a spicy chicken tomato soup, and hot damn, it sure was spicy. I picked out all of the chunks and drank the broth. I'm glad to report that it didn't burn a hole in me. I like spicy stuff, and it was all of 1/3 cup or something. It was pretty funny when I was taking all the chunks out though--the waitress came by at that moment to check on us, and saw me doing it...I think she was either offended or thought I was pretty crazy..cause it was a super chunky soup and I wasn't left with much.

On tuesday I move on to pureed foods, and I can't WAIT! One of my favorite foods is cottage cheese, I know, I'm rare. Most people hate cottage cheese, it seems...to me it is the perfect combination of cool, creamy, and salty. YUM! I'll eat it in any form--on potatoes, salad, fruit, crackers (yes, crackers), it's all good.

Today I'm feeling better physically..just took my dogs for a walk and I'm not walking quite as stiffly as before, though I can still tell something went on in my belly recently. I still feel large and bloated, it's quite sexy actually. I'm considering getting a shirt that says "Mom 2 be!", I swear it might really pay off.

Anyway, back to watching a movie. I'm watching 'Prozac Nation', a dramatic depressing teeny bopper tale.

Nurse Bandit

PS I weighed 282.5 this morning. My preop weight was 297. Booya!

Am I hungry?

I'm not sure if I'm hungry or not. This is the strangest feeling of all. It is as if Dr.Landerholm actually took my stomach OUT instead of placing a band around it; I know that this is due to the swelling of the stomach (poor thing) and that's why I feel "full". But it feels very weird, because I know I should eat and drink but I have no physiological drive to to do. Sounds funny, I know...like last night I was in bed, getting cozy with the electric heating pad, and my stomach was growling like crazy, but I didn't feel hungry, I just heard the noises! Very odd. Since my sense of hunger/thirst has been pretty much nil, I've been making myself eat three small (small, like would have been less than a snack a week ago) meals (all liquid at this point) plus sipping water in between meals. So basically, I'm getting to know this new body again..this body that is mine, I think.

nurse bandit

Nothing too exciting today, but please, read anyway!

Well, today is Thursday, so I guess it is postop day 3. I feel...less gassy. Thank god! I felt like a whale, waddling around with quadruplets in there, my belly felt so huge. Last night I actually ended up sleeping on my BELLY, probably not a good idea, but I just woke up and there I was. Last night I started using a heating pad on my belly, and oy vey, that felt amazing. Oh, then surprise of surprise, I was fortunate enough to get my period this morning! What a special gift!

I have some SUPER sexy belly pictures (complete with steri strips!) that I'll post soon, I know it is hard to wait...

Back to sipping water.

Nurse Bandit

Ready for some pudding?

Ah, glad it is day three already! So far, so good. Yes, the worst soreness I have ever experienced, that's for sure, but doable. I haven't been taking all of the pain meds I've been prescribed, I just hate feeling so groggy. Sleeping has been challenging, but easier on my side...I think the gas they pump you up with really hurts in there. Walking does help, but it doesn't feel very well. But yesterday I walked pretty far and felt a lot better last night, so it works.

Today I begin "full liquids" which sounds great but I'm a bit apprehensive. So basically I get to move on from clear liquids to pudding, jello, protein shakes, etc. So far it has taken me almost an hour to sip a mug of tea--if I drink it too quickly I either get a hiccup (ouch) or it feels like I'm having a heart attack, fun! I'm being retrained, like a Pavlovian (can you say that?) dog.

That's all for now, just getting better day by day. No gross things coming out of my belly button or anything. Hooray!

Nurse Bandit

Gross!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I got my band this morning, and this evening my partner and I were sitting at the table, with me just chatting and sipping some broth. I reached down to scratch my belly button and thought "weird, something sticky in there" so I grabbed a Kleenex, wet it well, and stuck it in there to clean. Well, when I pulled it out there was a chunk of SKIN on it! Keep in mind that I'm a nurse and NOT easily grossed out, but this was too much. I immediately started sweating, my ears were ringing, basically, I was going to faint. Then I started to dry heave (great, just got my band today!)...my partner grabbed ice bags, I took my shirt off because I was so hot, then when all was calm I called my surgeon to make sure it was ok and then I sacked out on the couch. Moral of the story? DON'T go looking in your belly button after surgery! Yuck!

Sammysue

I'm home!

Hooray, all done with the surgery! I'm at home, camped out on the couch with laptop and ice water. The port incision is uncomfortable for sure, but I wouldn't call it painful exactly. I feel like I drank a whole 2-liter of Coke (gas pain) and got punched in the stomach. Ok, so not fun, but not hell either. My surgery was quick, I did a couple of laps at the hospital then decided I was ready to go. Glad to be done.

More when I'm more alive.

Sammysue

Do you mind if I stop to pick up some meat?

Well, here I am with less than a day to go. This time tomorrow I'll be higher than a kite on Versed, awesome! I had a funny experience last night...

My partner and I went out with some friends to have dinner/drinks and I ordered a burger for dinner, since I'm still on the low carb preop diet. So of course I didn't eat the bun, just the burger, which one of my friends noticed (she doesn't know about my surgery, the other one there did). It was a funny moment, 'cause hell....it was a really nice bun, not a cheap Safeway one or anything (no offense to those of you that have a weakness for cheap Safeway buns, to each her own). Later we were going to give Friend #1 (the unknowing) a ride home and I wanted to step into the grocery store to buy some ground beef (and yes, I'm totally sick of eating meat). And that's all I needed. Friend #1 seemed perplexed as to why I'd stop at the store on a saturday night solely to buy meat, so I just told her that I'm having surgery on Monday and had to do a low carb thing.

Anyway, it was very funny to me. She looked pretty confused when I said I had to pick up some meat, especially since I'd just had a hamburger..she probably thought I was on some weird diet or something. And I am, but not of my own choosing!

My Knees?!

Well, monday is my day. At the crack of dawn (ok, not the crack per se, but earlier than I'd like) I have to be at Stevens Hospital in Edmonds. I am excited, though it was challenging to have spent $16000 in a mere two days, oh yikes! The other night I had a very strange dream that instead of having my band placed, I had a DOUBLE knee replacement..the whole dream was hell! I dreamt that my partner and I had to climb SO many stairs immediately after the surgery...it was so weird. And no, I don't have any knee issues at all. Very strange.

I'm not looking forward to the liquid diet at all, but I've been assured that people aren't hungry right after anyway so I won't be starving to death or anything.

Already I've noticed that lot of my pants are starting to get loose...I'm excited but also bummed to have to buy all new clothes...I think it'll get expensive. Here's hoping I'll get that TA job I applied for yesterday..that'll lighten my load a bit.

That's all for now...

Nurse Bandit

In the midst of preop

Well, this is officially Day 12 of my preop diet. The first few days SUCKED, lemme tell you. EVERYTHING has carbs in it, even things you don't think of as particularly carb-heavy. So, it was challenging. I do enjoy eating meat, but not every day...but I've been eating a lot of it in this phase of my journey. A typical breakfast is eggs, sausage, maybe 1 slice of bread, some cottage cheese, a small amount of fruit...maybe not all of that, it just depends. I can have 40 grams a day, which really isn't much, especially if you want bread products. But, miracle of miracles, I've stuck to it 99% of the time, and so far I have lost 9.5 pounds or so (hard to know if the surgery center's scale is the same as mine). I know a lot of it is water, but hell, I don't care...I think some was body fat, when you eat such rich protein-filled foods, you just can't eat that much. Today I had fish and rice (weird, I know) and cottage cheese for breakfast, some turkey jerky for snack, and some tofu veggie stirfry for lunch. It is slowly getting easier.

My surgery date is a week from tomorrow...I'm not excited yet nor am I dreading it, perhaps it isn't real or something, I dunno. I read the OH (Obesity Help) website a lot, but it seems like a lot of people on there are a lot older than me so...there are just different issues I think. I'm not concerned with my kids, my husband, etc....I'm young, no kids, and I have a female partner..so it can be a bit different.

I have a meeting (final preop) with my surgeon on Wednesday then Monday is my day.

More later...

NurseBandit

Welcome, welcome to my first blog about my upcoming "band" experience. Band as in LapBand. Band as in not the kind you join and plug in your guitar. Band, not the kind for your hair. Band as in the kind you put around your stomach to help you with weight loss. My date for surgery, you ask? September 11. Lame, I know, that day has permanent history now. But, it'll be a good day and a bad day from now on. Sad for the memory but happy for making my body healthier! Check in soon for more thoughts. I have a meeting with the nutritionist in the morning and starting next week I'm on the DREADED pre-op diet. The THOUGHT of a protein shake makes me a little queasy, and I have to exist pretty much on those alone for two weeks. Can't wait! SCD