Fills, Liquid Diets, and Food Storage

Fills

Silly me, I just assumed the rest of the world understood what I meant when I would say, "I am going to get a fill." But an old friend pointed out the flaws in my thinking...thanks Masked Marauder!

Many around me know that this past spring I chose to undergo gastric banding surgery. The band I had placed on my stomach is the Realize Band


Gastric bands work by creating a small stoma on top of the larger stomach. This new stoma is up at the top near where the nerves are that tells your brain you are hungry. With the band you eat much smaller meals.

The food stays in the stoma and slowly funnels into the larger stomach to be digested.


There is a tube that runs from the band to the port that is places usually under the rib cage. It is through this port that saline is injected into the band, tightening it (much like a belt). Yesterday I had my fourth fill, it is a painless process. (go here if you want to see a better discription)

I learned yesterday that I have been eating more than I should. I have been eating 6 to 8 ounces by weight three times a day. My surgeon told me yesterday that a woman of my height (5'4") should be eating 4 ounces per meal. YIKES! Guess I have to work on that one.

As of yesterday, I have lost 44.6 pounds since I began my pre-op diet February 14th. That puts me right on track to meet my first goal of 50 pounds lost by September 1st. This last weekend when I went shopping I was elated and speechless to be able to wear a size 22 dress. I haven't been a size 22 since the mid 90's.

Liquid Diets & Food Storage

After a fill you are on a liquid diet for a few days. I have learned that there are numerous opinions out there as far as how many days you should be on a liquid diet...heck, there is even a difference of opinion in my surgeon's office. To error on the side of safety, I follow the nurses advice and follow a three day liquid diet, the day of the fill being day one.

I have a confession to make...I treat myself to an indulgent milk shake once during these three days. Last night's dinner was that treat, I had a yogurt smoothie from Red Mango. Imagine fresh blueberries, Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips, and pomegranate yogurt blended into heaven in a cup......my mouth is watering just reminiscing.

Today's lunch was almost as good, and since I made it at home it was much cheaper. I decided that I didn't want soup and that a protein shake would be the best thing to have. However, I didn't want your plain chocolate shake.

When I got to the fridge I discovered that our milk expired a week ago. A quick sniff test confirmed that the milk needed to be tossed. We rarely drink milk, that is why our milk goes bad. This is where food storage comes in. I know that in times of an emergency I may not have the money or the ability to go to my local market to get a quart of milk, so we keep at least one box of powdered milk in our food storage. Food storage saved my lunch today! And because I needed to rotate my powdered milk, my lunch is helping my food storage....what a beautiful cycle!

Enough rambling...here is how I made my delicious lunch today;

• 12 pitted and frozen cherries (I bought cherries a couple of weeks ago, since we couldn't eat them all before they spoiled I pitted about half and put them in the freezer for just such occasions)
  
• 3 frozen banana chunks equal to about one banana (when my bananas get too ripe for us, ripe but not banana bread ripe I cut them into chunks and put them into a ziploc bag for smoothies. I like to use frozen fruit over ice, because ice melts and dilutes the flavor of smoothies)
• 8 ozs. of my aforementioned powdered milk prepared according to the directions on the box.
• one scoop of my favorite chocolate protein powder, I use this

Put all the ingredients in my blender and whirled up a yummy shake...next time I think I will use more cherries and less banana....

What is in a word?

Your Word is "Fearless"

You see life as your one chance to experience everything, and you just go for it! You believe the biggest risk is being afraid and missing out on something amazing. Sometimes your fearlessness means you're daring. You enjoy risky activities. And sometimes your fearlessness means you're courageous. You're brave enough to do the right thing, even when it's scary.

What's Your Word?

Breast Canver Awareness

Okay, so October may be over and with it Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But as one of the millions of people who have had Breast Cancer touch my life via loved ones, I know that every month should be Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Ladies please, please, please do not forget to do your self exams once a month. If you can't bring your self to "Cop a feel", ask that special gentleman in your life....most are willing to help a worthy cause such as breasts. Early detection saves lives every day.

A dear friend, well a second mom of sorts, sent me an email today that had this adorable image in it that I wanted to share with everyone.


If you can't read her t-shirt, it reads, "FIND A CURE BEFORE I GROW BOOBS."

Lynn

I am sorry I don't know who to give credit for this image to....

Ready, set, get wet....

Joined the local aquatic center today. They offer all kinds of pool classes, regular aerobic classes, have a gym and weight room for DIYers (which I am not). Here's the added bonus...they have reliable daycare! When they are open they are there! So here's the plan; Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays I am going to take the deep water aerobics class. Then one of those days a week Miss M and I will stay afterward for the Child & Parent play time in the pool. The girl LOVES the water, so how can that not be fun for her? When she turns two we can sign her up for her first swim lesson, until she turns three any lessons she takes will be with a parent. But in my book you can never be too young to learn to swim and water safety. I am so STOKED to have such an awesome aquatic center close by! Lynn

Angry

Christmas of 2006 Hero was deployed to Iraq. He wanted to give me something I have wanted for awhile, so he bought me an IPod. We thoroughly enjoyed the IPod. It had almost all of our music on it and was barely half full, I say almost because I refused to put the Star Wars soundtracks and Creedence on it...it was my IPod after all.

We used that IPod on trips and Hero used that IPod when he would go to the gym for PT. Well today while he was at the gym it was stolen. He walked away and forgot it on the treadmill. In the fifteen minutes it took him to stretch out and remember that he had forgotten the IPod behind it was turned into the desk at the gym, and then someone claimed it! Can you believe that?? I am so mad at that person I am sick to my stomach! GRRRRRRRRRRR

I know it is just a material thing, one that we can replace. But it is the fact that some greedy person felt "entitled" to claim something that wasn't rightfully theirs! And on a military base to boot...a place where people are "supposed" to hold high standards of honesty. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I hope that it stops working on them...or better yet that they are somehow caught. I know, probably won't happen, but I can wish can't I?

Great Saturday!

Today was such a great day...only wish I could get to sleep. We slept in super late, it was after 11am when I finally got my lazy body out of bed. After showers we went into town to run errands. Ate lunch at one of my favorite mom & pop type restaurants in town. Went shopping, found sheer curtains to go into the nursery that don't match perfectly to the crib set we bought, but are close enough. Came home put my feet up for about an hour and then we went to a St. Patrick's Day party at Hero's commander's house. The sun was shining, the temperature got above freezing...it was a very good day here in Alaska!

Life is good

Not a whole lot going on in the life of me. But I suppose in the world of pregnant women boring is a good thing. We had a bit of nervous excitment going on here in the Wheeler household last week. Hero was told that there was a chance he would be leaving again. I was in a state of panic because I was excited for the opportunity for him, but terrified of being left alone with our newborn by myself with NO family around for four months. In the end he told them that he didn't want to go right now. I only hope he didn't ruin his chances for going in the future. At my last appointment Miss M had turned from her breach position. She wasn't completely head down, but her head was lower than her bum. It was rather precious to see my little girl on the ultrasound all tucked up. She had her legs tucked up under her in a head down, butt up position that I have been known to sleep in even as an adult. Hero finds it rather amusing that our little girl is just like her mama. I have felt her shift and move some more so there is no telling what position our little monkey is in now, seems to change at least twice a day. It is rather amazing that they move around so much and not manage to strangle themselves with their umbilical cords. How do they do that?