Todays meal

Yeah, so here is a sample of the size of a meal I am having. This was a splurge.. I had made Jaron some steak and it looked so good. Im really not supposed to be doing red meats yet.. but yumm... I chew chew chewed my way through it.

Finally an adjustment

So I havent been keeping up very well, sorry. It's now December and I just got my first adjustment today. A few things had happened over the last few months to cause me to have to delay and reschedule my appointments....

Today wasnt too bad. I had to go to the regular office to get my vitals checked. And then I headed downstairs to the radiology department. There the nice lady gave me 2 regular size gowns and said.. here you can use these... I couldnt figure out how to make it work, so I stepped outside of my little cubby and luckily a nice gentleman was walking by and went to find me a larger size.

Then I went to the xray room... Their floroscopy table was actually made for larger people and I was able to get on it comfortably. They took a pic of my stomach with the xray... that was neat to see.. It looked just like the pictures from the book.

Then he came in and gave me a local anesthetic.... (those burn)..... Then inserted the needle for the saline to be put in.. that was a nice pinch (so much for anesthetics)..... All this was done with the xray on, so I got to watch it on the monitor.... It was very fascinating.... He put in 5 cc of saline. He said peoples stomach walls are all different thicknesses, so that number doesnt mean too much. Then they brought the table I was laying on up, to a diagonal position and I got to drink some wonderful Berillium (liquid chalk)...... so they could make sure it wasnt too tight and I could still swallow.... It was a bit tight so he took a little out (to total the 5 cc)..... after that, they brought the table back down..... and undid everything they had done.. it wasnt too bad at all.... Except then I kept burping up a yummy chalky taste.. ew..... I had some questions about... whether in the amount of time since my surgery I had stretched out my stomach from eating regularly.. He said I didnt that everything looked good........ so that is how it went today.

Now Im going to really get started... as Dr. Cunneen said this morning.. now the real dieting begins.....

Food portions are going way down. Ive already noticed a difference... I had lunch once we got home and definitely couldn't eat very much of it. So I need to get back on the walking and it will all come together.

Hope everyone has a wonderful and joyful Christmas!!!

Karla

One Month Later

Well its now been a month. All is going well as far as how I feel. I can pretty much each all types of foods. I just cant eat large amounts. I have found if I take too big of bites, it hurts. It seems to get stuck in my chest... ouch....

I have been trying to do my walking... Im not doing as good as I would like, but I am trying.

I go in for my first "fill" on Sept 22nd. Thats when the real stuff starts kicking in, as I wont be able to eat very much at all. Thats when they will be tightening my band. Right now its just on there, with a slight restriction.

Anyways.. Im doing ok... keep me in your thoughts, I need all the help I can get with will power. I go in for my first support group meeting tonight.. Hopefully that will help.

:-)

On my way

Well, its officially been 2 weeks since my surgery.

Things are going well... I only lost another 5 pounds this week, although she said I seem to be retaining water.

Saw the dietitian today. She said everything looks good. I gave her a copy of the meal plan I have been using and she approved it. Yay.

Im feeling good. My appetight is back, but I have been able to keep my portion sizes down, so that is really good. No more than a cup at a meal.

So Im still going on...

Till next time

10 days later

Hello.. I had my first Dr. Appt since surgery today.... It has been 10 days since surgery..

Get ready for this...

I have lost 20lbs since my las appt approx 2 weeks ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was so nice to see that all the effort and the surgery actually meant something.

I am soo happy.

The pic above is a current one. Several people were telling me that they can see a difference in my face.

Anyways, untill next time... Love ya'all

OK I hope I remember everything....

OK, so, its a little late, but I'm finally feeling well enough to sit here at the computer and not whimper. And Im sorry but its really long....

Sunday night, Gary, Jaron and I went down and stayed the night at the Hilton Garden Inn Valencia (Thats six flags for you Cali people). I had to arrive at the airport at 5am so we wanted to be as close as possible, but the prices in LA were rediculous. The hotel was awesome, the beds were the most comfortable ever, I totally recommend it to anyone (being that I used to work for that chain of hotels, I would anyways... lol)

Got up at 330am woohoo, after a night of not much sleep, (with Jaron being excited about the hotel, and my nerves) and headed to the hospital. It didnt take us very long since there was hardly any traffic. Got inside, took care of registering. I was very surprised at the price. With my insurance Im only responsible for up to $4000.00. And apparently I have already paid over $2000. I dont remember doing that but hey, I'll take it. Anyways. They sent us upstairs to the surgery waiting area. When it was time to go back to the pre-op area, I said goodbye to Jaron and Gary, with great big hugs. They went to have breakfast and then spent the day at magic mountain. (Jaron was really worried about mommy, so Gary was so sweet and took him to help him relax). From there they took the group of us (there were about 6) to the pre op, and assigned us each our beds. We undressed (behind a curtain of course), and got a lovely robe on. Then I got weighed. I was a little excited because I had already lost 4 pounds since the previous Thursday. So I was already on a head start. OK, so I get in bed, and they start the tests and questions. Blood pressure, Heart rate, etc, any allergies, etc. Got my IV inserted, didnt even feel it. Then layed there and waited. Being that it is a learning hospital, Several Dr.'s came by to say hi and that they were working with Dr. Cunneen. My anesthesiologist (who was surprisingly a woman), came by. And then finally my Dr. showed up. He asked how I was doing and if I was ready, and the we went on our way.

My bed had a motor so the girl drove it over to the operating room. We get to the OR, I get scooted over onto the table, and then the anesthe. lady said she was gonna give me some oxygen to get ready. I was looking up at the overhead lights and they started swaying and looking all cool so I laughed and told her, either we are having an earth quake or there is more than oxygen in there. ..........

Next thing I remember, is that I was having a really good dream and somebody was saying "Karla, its time to wake up". I was kinda annoyed cause I was really enjoying my dream. lol.

But I gave in and decided to wake up. I was very very groggy, and couldnt talk. My mouth was extremely dry, and my chest hurt really bad. She asked me if I was in alot of pain and I shook my head yes so they gave me some medicine. I still couldnt talk tho, and a nice guy came up and rubbed some water on my lips. Yay, it was like heaven. haha. So after a while they decide its time to take me to my room. In my mind I was thinking, I need my bag so I can text everyone and let them know that I am ok... (And I was really concerned about it), but I kept my mouth shut.

I dont know if they switched beds while I was in there, but the guy who took me back to my room had more trouble driving or steering my bed and kept rubbing against corners.. ugh.... anways.

We get to my room, and as Im getting off my bed to switch to the one in the room, they asked if I needed to use the restroom. I then realized I didnt get a catheter (yay). I needed to go. So I slowly made it over, and then somehow made it back to my bed.

So I get into bed and then, I see my bag on a chair nearby. I asked for it. They got me all situated and I finally get to text everyone. It was close to noon at this time. Im not sure where the time went, since the surgery was only supposed to be an hour, and it started around 715am. So I figure I must have been in recovery for a while.
They had me on some good medication for a while, everytime I would try and stay awake, I would fall asleep.

Finally, After a couple of hours I was able to stay awake for a while. They said I needed to get up and walk , but my chest was still hurting. The nurse said it was the gas and that the only way to get rid of it, would be to walk around. Im not sure what time, but later in the day, I finally felt like getting up. I was able to walk about half way down the halls and back before it really started to hurt. I was very nauscious for a while. But once that subsided, they decided that I could have alittle food. Some broth, apple juice, jello, and tea. I wasnt hungry, but I felt like I wanted something. So I smelled the broth.. ew... It was not for me. I decided on the Jello. It was Orange. It was the most wonderful thing I have ever eaten... lol. I had about 2 or 3 tiny bites and was done.

I had to breath into this breathing machine thing to keep my lungs strong. That was really hard to do with the gas in my chest. Painful.

That night they got me all fixed up in bed. I didnt realize as I fell to sleep that there was an arch in my back and it wasnt supported. I was feeling really week so I didnt fix it myself, but by 5 or so in the morning, it was feeling really painful. The nurse was kind enough to put a pillow on my back.

When I woke up all the way. My back was in a horrible pain, and my legs were killing me. But I knew if I didnt get up and walk, they wouldnt let me go home. So I did. I forced myself around the hallways.

Then it was time to go home.

Yay, Gary and Jaron came to pick me up and we drove home. It was a bit longer from there being that there was alot of traffic.

Anyways, So now Im home. Im feeling much better, The initial gas is basically gone. Im living on clear liquids for a while. It took a couple of days but my appetite is back. Well at least my want for food. I cant eat much. Jello is good. but I cant finish a cup. And hat I do eat takes about an hour. Im getting pretty tired of soup broth. hehe.

I want to say thank you so much to those of you that were there for me.


Brittney, you took me to my first appointment.. THank YOU.... IF not for you I may never have officially made that first step.

Gary, Thank you for taking care of me.. Taking me there and bringing me home.. I hope you know I really truly do appreciate it. And taking care of Jaron for me.......

Merri, Thank you for being there for me. You are such a huge help...

And to ALL of my friends. Your support is what helped me get to where I needed to be.....


Soooo.....................THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

Surgery Complete

Ok, Its done.

Im in alot of pain right now, but, Ive got some medicine that is supposed to help with it. I would like to give you more details about it.

I will get back on when I feel a litle better.

Only 1 more day

Its soooo close... I have one more night and then my trip begins.

Everything is in order, I have talked to the hospital and gone over all the final details.

Jaron and Gary are taking the trip down there with me. Im so glad. It will be nice to have them close to me. Im starting to get more excited. I just packed my hospital bag of the things I need to have with me. Gonna make sure my cell phone is nice and charged up, so if you want to message me and say hi you can. 661-378-2741.

I will arrive at the hospital on Monday at 515am, the surgery is to begin at 715am. (I am the first one of the day.. so thats good... he will probably be wired on coffee.. heheh). It is supposed to take up to about an hour. They are taking out my gall bladder also. Then from there I will be in recovery.

Hopefully everything will go as planned and I will get to come home on Tuesday.

Thank you again to everyone.. Love ya.... Karlita

Only 6 more days......

I only have 6 more days left until the big day!!!

Starting to get everything finalized. So much to do. I have to get an advanced directive written out. And decided what Im going to take with me.

Still trying to get used to the protein drink. Its not the best meal I've ever had, but its gonna be a main one for a while, so Im gonna have to get used to it.

I have a food journal that I input all the food that Ive eaten through the day, and it calculates all my numbers for me. I have actually been staying right around 1000 calories. Yay me.

Gary is my ride down there for this lovely event. Thank you so much honey.... He and Jaron are going to spend the day at the beach while Im having surgery. That way Jaron is close by. He is really worried about mommy, so I figure that will be good for him to be near, it will make him feel better.

Anyways... Its almost time.... Here comes half of me.. :-)

So, my last testing was done today. Just 12 more days until my surgery.

Im so way excited......

My last soda

Well, I have now started my pre surgery diet. That basically is consisting of having 1 meal a day, and then fluids the rest of the day. As of next Monday, the 27th, I start with the extreme diet.. yikes. That will be fluids most of the day, with a very light meal. The idea is for me to lose a significant amount of weight prior to surgery to help with getting fatty tissue off my liver.

So today, I had my last soda. It will be very hard for me to stay off, at least right at first... But, Im gonna do it.

Wish me luck.!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are getting closer, like 19 days left......

Here is a pic of my last soda (yeah, Im a silly sentimental weirdo)

Its almost time

So its getting closer to August 10th. All kinds of things are getting ready to start happening. I have received a letter from Cedars-Sinai with all the info I need.

I am set to have Laparoscopic Vs Open Adjustable Gastric Band on 8/10/2009 at 7:15am.

YAY (thats how its listed on my letter)

I still have to get another EKG, Chest Xray, Lab tests..... tons, and a pregnancy test. (Im 150% sure of the results on that one)...

Anyways, My first adjutment will be on 9/22/2009. Which is 1 day short of a week past my 35th birthday. Not much will happen before then. My stomach will need time to heal until then. But after that, its done.

Im so excited, I cant wait. I have been a larger person for such a long time now that I cant even remember how it felt to be smaller. I know this will be a major change for me and Im so ready for it. Thank you to all my friends and family that have been there for me. You know how much this is gonna mean for me.


Until next time..........

The Day My Life Will Change

I got my surgery date!!!!!!!!!!!!! August 10th... Im so very excited, I can hardly contain myself. Of course this now means that I'm going on my diet. Wish me luck..... YYYYAAAAYYYY!!!!!!!!

Another day,... another day of appointments

So guess what??? after all that, I still have more testing to do. Ho Hum.... Will it ever end. Today I got to do a Halter test.. Basically they put sensors on my chest that are attached to a heart monitor and I get to wear that for a day.

Then next week I am doing a breathing (PFT I think is what its called) test. That is supposed to help monitor how I will do breathing while being sedated. (I tried to tell them breathing was overrated, but they ignored me).

Then I have some more blood work to do (If only they would wear Edward masks when they take my blood.. LOL

And then...... Once I have my date, a couple of days before it I have another series of tests to do.... More blood work, a CMF, CMA (I think) and a Pregnancy test. Geez.... I hope I get an award or something....

Anyways. That is where I am at the moment...

OH P.S. I lost 4 pounds since my last visit. See I should go to vegas more often. hehehe...

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

Saw the Dietitian today

Hey there, so today, I went to my monthly meeting with my dietitian. She is a nice lady, that calls me on my bull....! Hahah, I so need that. I sometimes try to con even myself into believing that I'm being good. lol

Anyways, while I was there I verfied that my information was sent to the surgeons office. She said I should hear from them in about 2 weeks to set my date. Once my date is set, I am to start a semi-liquid diet. Basically that means that I will get to have 1 meal a day and nothing but liquids the rest of the day. I need to loose weight right before the surgery so that my fat will be softer and easier for them to cut through to do the surgery. (Yes this is a graphic blogsite)

Anyways. so thats where I am.. I have started walking with my family. (My dad, mom and sometimes Jaron) during the late afternoon, evening time. When its starting to cool down basically. We havent gone too far compared to most people, but, with my dad having emphazima, and my weight issue, we are taking it slow. My doctor agreed this was a good idea. Although when it starts heating up, he recommends finding something indoors to do.

Hope everyone has a great week and I will be back with more info soon.

Finally finished the last of the testing!!!!!

Today I went to my last pre-op test. (The upper G.I.) It was not a fun test... I had to drink 2 chalk shakes. (Not chocolate, but chalk) and also a shooter of some alkaseltzer tasting crystals with water. Ugh, I so wanted to get sick after. Once you have drank all that yukky stuff, they move the table up and down so they can watch with the machince how it goes down your esophogus. Not fun. I am soooo glad to finally be done with that. (Although, I will have to do an upper GI at least once a year or as needed).

Now that I have finished the testing, my Dr. will send my packet of results down to the surgeon, who turns it into the insurance company for approval.

Once my insurance company approves the surgery, the surgeons office will call me and set the date for my surgery.

Typically they said, it can take from a week to a month to get the date set.... SOOOOO.... once again we will wait.

Thank you to everyone who has been helping me get through all of this. Its been so frustrating waiting and testing.

And a special thank you to my friend Brittney. She took me to my very first appointment, so that I wouldnt be alone or chicken out to get started...THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Muah

Sorry, Not much has been happening

So, today I went to my Dr. appoinment. Just for my routine monthly check in with him. He asked if I had a date set yet. I told him, no, that I have one more test left, the Upper GI, and I have an appointment for that next week. He started to get upset and called his medical assistants, and his office manager in the room. One at a time. I got to have front row seats to him getting upset with them about his patients having to wait. And told them to contact the surgeon (Dr. Cunneen) and find out what can be done about it. What an interesting appointment to say the least. Last night I had my other sleep test appointment, where I had to wear an oxygen machine. If was very uncomfortable, and I had to breath through my nose, when Im so used to breathing with my mouth or nose. I felt like I was going to suffocate. I didnt sleep much so Im not sure how they were able to get very good results. But at least that part is done. So, next is my upper GI, then hopefully I will have my surgery date. Hope everyone had a great Easter and I will update again soon!

Psychiatric Evaluation

So, yesterday I completed my Psych Evaluation. This was one I was kinda worried about. No I don't think I'm crazy, lol. Most of you know I suffered through depression for quite a while after I had Jaron, so I was concerned that they might think that I wasn't emotionally stable enough to handle the surgery.

He asked alot of questions of course. My two favorites were, at the beginning he told me three words that he wanted me to keep in my head and he would ask me about them later.... Red, Cadillac, and Farm..... No Problem, Gary has a Red car, he loves Cadillacs, and well Farm, I'm not sure how I used word association with it, but it worked. SO thanks... heheheh.. The other question that I loved was that he wanted me to count backwards from 100, by 4's. So I did. I got to about 60 and he was like, OK that's enough. And then stated how I was the first person in a long time that first didn't roll their eyes and say, ugh I hate math, and that I was quick about doing the little challenge.. That made me feel proud of myself (I love Math, and I'm great at number patterns). Anyways, obviously those questions didn't have anything to with the weight loss part, but he needed to ask them I guess. The other questions about weight loss were a little harder to answer. Especially the main one, of... What made me finally make the decision to have the lap band surgery. My answer is a basic one.... I got scared that I wouldn't be able to live long enough to see Jaron grow up. The hard part was saying it out loud. But I did. I tried to be as honest with him as I could. I figured if I'm not honest with him and myself, then I wasn't going to be able to help myself.

Now the good news...... He said I was a great candidate for the surgery and cleared me. YAY!!!!

I now only have one step to go. The Upper GI. I had some financial issues with Kern Radiology, so I am having to wait for payday to do that one. But once that is done, they will be submitting my information to my insurance company for approval.

I cant wait.

Ill be updating once I have more info. Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Nutritional Evaluation

Had my appointment with the dietitian today.

I had to have a nutritional evaluation, to see if I qualify for the surgery as far as my efforts dieting and nutrition are concerned.

After a very long discussion, she said she would give my information to the doctor and that it looked good. We discussed everything that will change as far as what I will be able to eat once I have the surgery. Then she gave me some things to do in the mean time. I am to start a protein suppliment, that I will be on untill at least 6 months after the surgery. I am starting a multi-vitamin, and here it goes....... I have to have a minimum of at least 2 bottles of water everyday.. just to start off with. Yay... So it is now time for me to begin on this journey. I have to get myself off sodas before I have the surgery (unless I want to let one sit out all day and go completely flat.. but thats out of the question). That will be my biggest obstacle for now. I also need to cut the size of my portions. I know this might sound obvious to some of you, but its not always as easy as it seems.

The rest of this week, I have an abdominal ultrasound, a chest xray, an upper GI and I think thats it. (For now. seems like stuff keeps being added). THen in 2 weeks I have my psychiatric evaluation. (No jokes)... And then I should be on my way..Yay

Love everyone, and thank you for the well wishes about my grandmother.

Met the Surgeon Today

I met the surgeon today. He was very kind and answered all my questions patiently. He went over with me many of the types of foods that I will not be able to eat, and also the foods that I will still be able to eat. He explained the Realize band to me, how it works, some of the good things it does as well as the complications that can happen. He was very detailed. He gave me alot of information to take home and review.

He said once I get the testing done (he ordered more), then he will submit my information to the insurance company and then, once that is approved, we schedule the surgery. He said, depending on how long it takes me to get the tests done, I could be looking at surgery in about 6 weeks. Yay.

For the surgery, I will travel down to Los Angeles on a Monday (more than likely) and then go to a pre-op type class to get some understanding on what to expect. Tuesday he would do the surgery, and they would keep me overnight for observation. Then I would be able to go home Wednesday. THis was an example of course, because it hasnt been scheduled yet. I will be on pain medication for a minimum of 2 days he said. And NO driving during that time. So now I will just have to figure out, who will be able to take me and stay with me, and then drive me home.

I cant wait for it all to happen. I will update further soon!!!!

Today didnt work out so well

So I was supposed to have my chest xrayed and have an upper G.I. this morning, but sadly my grandmother passed away this morning, so I rescheduled it to next Tuesday. Guess what??? The funeral is on Tuesday.

Anyways, I'm going in to meet Dr. Cunneen tomorrow, Im very excited. Hope all goes well.. Love ya'll, thank you so much for the well wishes...

Now for the next step

Today I met with Dr. Don Michael for my followup on all the tests I have had done. Good news, is the mass in my breast is a cyst. I still have to see Dr. Hoehne to find out what to do with it. He said my cholesterol is a little high, and I have P.A.D. and Sleep Apnea. I see the surgeon on Thursday to talk about when Im going to have my surgery. Dr. Don Michael said that Dr. Cunneen is very particular about making sure all the pre testing is done. So I have a chest x-ray in the morning as well as an upper G.I. and then next week I meet with the nutritionist to have a nutritional evaluation, and then on the 24th, I get to have a psyc evaluation. Once that is done I will be done with all my pre testing.

Dr. Don Michael said that the surgeon will want to schedule me for surgery right away, and that with my insurance it shouldnt be a problem. So I get to wait again to see whats happening. Im getting very excited and nervous. I just want to get it taken care of.

Normal

So I am 100% happy and relaxed (for now). I got my test results in the mail today from my 2nd mammogram/ultrasound and they were NORMAL.... Yay.. I didnt want to admit how scared I was, but... I was. Everyone told me that it would be ok, and I thank you all so much for helping me feel comforted and not as scared as I could have been.

Now that hurdle is over. Soon as I have anything else, I will let you know.

Love to all

Back from Vegas.. on to the next

So I am back from Vegas, I had an awesome time visiting with Merri. And surprisingly, I didn't gamble all my money... I threw in a couple of pics from the trip. If you wanna see all of them, you can go to my myspace page and see them.

Anyways, I heard from the doctors office this morning, and Dr. Cunneen will be here next Thursday (he is the surgeon).So I have an appointment with him that morning.

I also have an appointment with Dr. Hoehne on Tuesday to discuss my issue with the "abnormality" they found in my breast.

I'm refreshed and ready to continue going.

Part two update on Mamo

Hey, so I went for my re-test on my mammogram today. I got to see on that where the issue is, and then had an ultrasound on it also. There is definitely something there. They were calling it a "density". The lady who did the ultra sound said to stay positive and that she doesnt think there will be a glitch in my process to get lap band surgery. Realizing she isnt a doctor and cant diagnose, I was fishing for some sort of relief.. I took it... Doesnt mean I wont cry myself to sleep and dwell and worry forever tho. I was referred to another doctor to take care of the situation. Dr. Hoene. Does anyone know anything about her and how she is?????

Also did my treadmill test today. Obviously survived it. Did 5.50 minutes of the 2nd step of incline. So at least I did that. My legs didnt hurt (then) and no chest pains, but breathing was definitely a problem. On a plus note, my oxygen level was 99.9% before and after the test. so that is good.

That is it on the testing process. Now I just get to wait for all the results. I have an appoinment on March 3rd.

Im going out of town for several days with Merri, so leave me messages if you would like..

Love you all and please.. lend me some prayers. Im in a bad way emotionally right now so any help I can get would be appreciated.

Got through todays appointments

So, today I got to go to my mammogram. Yeah that was fun, although suprisingly not as bad as I was expecting. The lady said that sometimes they call you back in to retest and do further checks but that, it doesnt always mean they found something. They just want to make sure. She said I may hear back from them in a couple of weeks. Well, surprise !!!!! I heard back from them today, and sure enough I have to go back in on Friday and they are going to re-examine my left breast and then do an ultra sound on it. So Im trying not to panic, so just pray and hope that it turns out to be nothing.

I have that test in the morning on Friday and then my treadmill test on Friday mid morning also.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the Sleep test. Had that last night. I was good and didnt have any caffine after 3pm so when I got there I was tired. I read for a little while and then she hooked me up to about 20 different wires/sensors. Then I was expected to go to sleep. I tried, I honestly did. It didnt work very well. I was uncomfortable from thinking about all the wires, so I tossed and turned all night. But I got through it. Still dont know if I snore.. lol... Jaron said I do.. but hey... he is a kid. Maybe he is wrong.. lol

Another day full of testing.

So today, I have already went to my consultation for my sleep test, which is tonight. That means I get to go to a facility where they monitor me while I sleep. Luckily I get to bring my ipod and a book (I might bring Twilight) and they have TV there too, to help you fall asleep. I just hope while listening to my Ipod I dont start singing. That might be embarrassing. Today I also have my leg scan and varicose testing. Tomorrow Im doing my mammogram (yuk) and then I have the treadmill test to do in a couple of days. Then I should be done with all my testing. Next week Im supposed to be meeting with the surgeon. Im not sure exactly which day yet. So, I guess I will update more when I have some more information.

Todays Appoinment.. Neck Scan

Had my neck scan done today. Basically it was an ultrasound of my neck. It was basically uncomfortable, as he had to put pressure on my neck to get a good scan, which made me feel like I was going to pass out a couple of times. But I survived.

I was supposed to do the treadmill test (yay.....not) tomorrow, but the Dr. is sick so I got rescheduled to next week. so...

Tomorrow I only have my consultation with the sleep therapy place.

Hope everyone is doing great!!!

Echo Test Continued

Ok, so Im back.. and guess what... I can hear echo's... LOL

Basically the Echo test, was an ultrasound of my heart. The girl who did the test, didnt really say much about it, but said the doctor would review it and talk to me about the results. So hopefully everything is ok. Next appointment is next Tuesday... Neck Scan

Echo Test

Hello, and Goodmorning,
I have another appointment this morning (I have one every Tuesday and Wednesday for the rest of the month basically)... Today I get to have an Echo Test??? Im not sure exactlywhat that entails, but I doubt its how well I can hear an echo... lol I know it has something to do with the heart. So.. Hopefully they wont find anyting wrong. So, Ill be back later, and if I have news I'll share it.

Appointment #1

Ok, I went. Here is how it went.
They checked my blood pressure 122/72 (I hope that is good), my heart rate, and asked me a million and one questions. When that was over, he let me know, that I am absolutely 100% a candidate to get the lap band surgery done. He said that I am so overly obese (I find its best to be honest with myself at this point), that regular diet and excersize isnt what I need. But to answer your question, yes I will have to be doing both at the same time as everything else.
Now I have about 8 more appoinments this month for the additional testing I need to get done before I can talk to the surgeon. Yay!!!
I will be meeting witht the surgeon that will be performing the surgery at the end of this month.
It will be done in L.A. at a surgery center. Im not sure on the date I am meeting him yet, but once I know Ill post it on here, so everyone can follow along. Then hopefully after that I will have a better idea about when I will be having the surgery.

One day left

Tomorrow is the big day, my first one on one appointment. Im scared and excited all at the same time. Mostly I just want to know what to expect. Soon as I find out, I will pass it on.

Only 5 more days

5 more days until my appointment. Im getting excited. I cant wait to get started and find out all that I need to get this going. Im nervous still from just not knowing what to expect. As soon as I get done Im sure I will post something on here for everyone to see.. Wish me luck.. :-)

My Next Appointment

My next appointment is on February 3rd.... (FYI)

Welcome...

So, Im officially starting a new weight loss program. I am so excited. Im going to keep track and update my friends and family as I go. Wish me luck!!!

This is going to be my before picture......... Stay tuned for future posts.. :-)