Good News!

Its so nice to get Good News once in a while! I do not have Gall Stones. My Gall Bladder is actually just fine. I'm was not surprised to hear this, as I posted about in early. I had a feeling my Doctor had just pegged me to be Fat, Fair and Forty. ( common factors for Gall Bladder Disease.)

I am happy about this news, but it didn't explain what it causing my stomach pain/problems. I have a follow up appointment with Dr. on Friday.

On other fronts, I told my Cousin I am having LapBand Surgery. She told me," there was Mixed Reviews about Lapband, to be careful." When that didn't appall me, she felt the need to inform me about a Customer of the Shop she works for that had the Lapband done. Apparently, the Woman's "Lapband" became infected, and had to be removed after just weeks after her having it placed. When I asked, What became infected? The port? the Actually Band? My Cousin couldn't tell me.

I took this bit of information with a grain of salt. I know that like anything, things can go wrong with Lapband. Especially when you had the Human Factor in. People who don't follow Doctors order after surgery. Starting lifting too soon. Bending over too soon. Exercising too soon. Etc. Etc. Maybe none of that happen. Maybe it was just a fluke. But I'm not going to let one person's bad experience with a Life changing, Life Saving Tool stop me for Saving my life.

I hope if any of you come across Bad experiences you can keep this in mind. Its your Life your saving. Things do happen, not often but they do. Simply because the Human Factor is involved. Don't stop it from Saving your life.

Fatty Liver

I got a call from my Cardiologist's Nurse yesterday. She told me I needed to see my G.I. Specialist about my Fatty Liver. HUH??? I was not told about this. Apparently when they did the Catscan for Blood clots a few weeks ago they discovered I have a Fatty liver. My Dr. wants me to see a G.I. Specialist about it. I just happen to being seeing you for my Gall bladder issues.

What Alarms me is when I had the Cat Scan done I was not seeing the G.I. Doctor. The only reason they told me about my Fatty Liver is because my G.I. Specialist ask for a Clearance for a procedure he is considering doing. When she called me to tell me Dr. Khawaja was going to give me the clearance she tells me, "he wants you to see him about your Fatty Liver, too." WTF?

I'm not happy about them handling my healthcare like this at all. Dr. Khawaja comes highly recommended. But sadly I am discovering his office is not managed very well at all.

I know I am going to have to do a Liquid Diet to get my Liver back down to size for the Lapband surgery. Several people have suggested Optifast for this purpose. There is a product called Cambridge that is a similiar Liquid Supplement. Just much more affordable. I think I am going to use Cambridge. Optifast is 480 calories, 42 grams of protein for the day. Cambridge is 420 calories, 54 grams of protein for the day. They both provide your balanced nutrition for the day but looking at it, Cambridge just has a little better nutritional values.

I went to see the G.I. Specialist. He is sending me for tests but seems to think I may have Gall Stones. I came home and researched the symptoms for Gall stones. I don't agree. The pain I have starts right below my throat and continues down through my abdomen. My symptoms conflicts with the Gall stone symptoms listed.

If you have symptoms, you most likely will have mild pain in the pit of your stomach or in the upper right part of your belly. Pain may spread to your right upper back or shoulder blade area. Sometimes the pain is more severe. It may be steady, or it may come and go. Or it may get worse when you eat. ( I found this at Web Md)

Whatever it is I just wanted taken care of so I can get a Lap band. But I don't want to go through a bunch of unnecessary of junk just because a Doctor looks at Me and sees a FAT person and immediately diagnosis me for a certain disease. I hate when Doctors can't look past me being Obese to see any other reason for a illness. Its really frustrating.

I'm having a ultrasound to see if I really do have Gallstones Monday morning. I will let you know!

Bringing Everyone Along! - LAP-BAND® Surgery and LAP-BAND® Discussion Forum

Bringing Everyone Along! - LAP-BAND® Surgery and LAP-BAND® Discussion Forum: "Ever Since I have found how amazing and wonderful LAP-BAND® can be in your life I have been trying to bring Everyone along with me. One of my Closest friends is going to go to the Informational Seminar with me, and get information for herself. At least she said was this morning, we will see its two months from now.

I talk to my Niece last night about getting a band, she recently lost 20lbs. bringing herself right under BMI of 35. She argued with me, though. She believes that since she was an Athlete for so long, her body is still more muscle mass than fat. She has been living an Sedentary lifestyle since she left College a year ago. I tried to tell her it only took a year for muscle to turn to fat, even gave her a link about it. She wouldn't hear it. She still wanted to argue that her 210lb body was made of more muscle than Fat. I hope she research the links I shared with her, She has been dealing with being overweight since she was about 12 and she is 21 now. I really think the Lapband could be an awesome tool for her But it's got to be her choice.

My Mom would be getting a Band with me but her BMI is only a 30.1. Too low in anyone's books. She is still going to be eating healthy with me, and we have already started walking.

My Daughter's BMI is much too low its a 27.3 To get a LAP-BAND® yet for a teen she tips right at the edge of Obese. I don't want this life for her. We went walking today, and at one point she took off running. I know that felt good. I want her to be able to run the whole way if she is so inclined.

We are getting a Wii Game System, and New TV for the Living Room for Christmas for the Whole Family! I want Wii Fit and the Balance Board. My 6 year old wants the Pixar Cars Driving Game with the Steering Wheel. lol. We want 'Santa' to bring us a lot this year.

I am hoping that My Daughter will use the Wii Fit as much as I do. Hopefully we can do it together. Even if we have to buy two balance boards. There are no Gyms in the small town I live in so this is going to have to work for us.

I am really excited to get healthy, and I hope it rubs off on the people around me.

Boy was I ever wrong!

So, I talked to my Facebook Friend who had issues about my Lapband. I was so very wrong. It wasn't about it being an easy way out. She was concerned with the American Citizens paying for my Surgery since I'm Disabled. She wanted to know when the last time I had taxable income?



I have Medicaid for Insurance. I worked from the time I was 16, most of the time I had two jobs until I was 24 when I got first got sick. I have no shame about accepting Disability, I worked for mine. She had a lot of nerve to talk to me about taxable income. She has worked under the table plenty of times, I won't mention doing what, and she sure didn't pay taxes on that income.



I sure hope she never needs Disability, or Medicaid in her lifetime. I hope she never gets so sick she can't support herself, or begin to fathom to pay her medical bills. I hope she never has a child that is so sick she can't begin to pay for the healthcare that child needs, and she needs Social Security to help her. She thinks Daddy will always be able to bail her out but there are things beyond Daddy's reach.

Made me a little sad

I hit my first wall. I was talking to a friend, on Facebook chat, who obviously thinks getting a Lapband is the easy way out. She told me she was supportive of what I was doing but she didn't think we should have this conversation. This was when I made the comment," the Whole family had jumped on the getting healthy bandwagon. "

I was really perplexed as she herself struggled with weight problems for years, and still has not reached her goal weight after loosing over a 100+ lbs. I thought She would really be behind me with this if anyone would be. But no, she can't do it. If I can't do it through a healthy eating plan, and exercise then she can't truly support what I am doing. Well what does she think I will be doing with my Lapband? Eating french fries and Chocolate Milkshakes? Crazy, Man!

I have close to 200lbs to lose to get to a healthy BMI. Give or take muscle weight, and rather or not I have a pannlectomy. She thinks even though I have struggled with my weight since my early teens that somehow I am going to all the sudden be able to do this through sheer will power? I do have will power, the will power that is going to help me through the Liquid Diet presurgery to shrink my liver, postop to heal my stomach. I am going to find the Will power to fight my temptations during those times. I am going to learn to eat healthy portions of healthy foods that my Lapband will allow me to eat to HELP me get healthy. As I take the weight off, I am going to walk as much as my heart will let me, and I am exercise as soon as I can.

I am sorry she doesn't understand that the Lapband is a Tool that is going to help me save my life. I guess I am going to come upon others who are going to think I am taking the easy way, but I am taking a WAY. I'm choosing to get healthy, and stay healthy for life.

On Second Thought

I was so tired yesterday trying to blog I missed some things I really wanted to share. If you missed my blog yesterday, I was quite traumatized by the whole trip to the Atlanta Medical Center Office Building. The Outside of the Building looks Modern and Quite nice. Though the surrounding are less to be desired. Inside was frightening. Maybe I am spoiled, by new facilities but I just couldn't do it.

I have a Question for my Other Banders Would it alarm you to walk in a Bariatic Office, to be greeted by Obese Personnel? I know I am being judgemental here. Maybe there are a road to getting healthy. It frightened me. I want to see Healthy Individuals in my Surgeons office. He only had a Office Staff on Two, Both of which were Morbidly Obese. Very pretty Women yet Morbidly Obese. Scared the hell out of me. Why wasn't he helping them?

I did immediately follow up after bailing on my Consult to find New Surgeons. I am very happy to say I found the Emory University Bariartic Center accepts my Insurance. I signed up for the information Seminar on January 14th. They are not having one in December because of the Holidays. I am thankful to them for the that. This was a concern for me. I didn't want the holidays to be about Mommy being sick, Or "healing" for my 6 year old.

I found out I won't be required to do a 6 month diet , just possibly 2 weeks of liquids if my Surgeon decides my livers needs shrinking. I'm pretty sure it will. My BMI was a 53. They are going to be sending me a information packet out in the mail. I can't wait to get it. I hope it comes really soon. I'm looking forward to a Bright New Beginnings in a Bright New Year!

Bailed my Lapband Consult!

Early this morning I was on the computer and searched for my Lap band Surgeon's website to print out the patient information packet I needed to take to my appointment. The website had expired on the 14th on November. I sat there looking at the computer dazed. I was going to a Surgeon who had let his website expire??? This was my first Red Flag of the Day.

I decided to look up Dr. Hixon and see if there were any complaints filed against his medical license. There were no complaints yet he has 3+ malpractice suit he has paid. This was my Second Red Flag of the Day.

The only reason I went to the appointment was my Mom had an appointment at Emory University, and she wanted me to ride with her to Atlanta. I was so NOT going to go.

When we got to the Atlanta Medical Center, the area was run down, not well kept, not a hostipal I wanted to go to by choice. This was my Third Red Flag of the Day.

I walked into the Building, and was greeted by a Homeless Woman. Sitting with her Grocery Sacks, and empty coffee cup she was collecting change in. She was quite nice and I felt bad that I had nothing to give her.

The walls were poorly lit, the carpet were ragged and worn, the walls needs to be scrubbed and painted. When I got the Elevator, I said a Prayer because I truly was not sure we would survive the trip. When I arrived at my Floor, I got off looked for some direction to my Surgeon's office.
It was easily found, written in Permanent Black Maker on the wall. 440 to the Left. This was my Fourth Red Flag of the Day.

Shaken and traumatized from the trip up. I arrive at the office . I arrived in the office. They said they were just calling me. I looked down. yes I missed a call. They were calling me to tell me Dr. Hixon couldn't see me today he could reschedule for after the holidays. uhhhhhhhhh......... no thanks I will get my own.

Lapband Consult

Tomorrow I go for my consult with my Lapband Surgeon. I suppose I should make a list of questions to ask him. I don't have the usually choices in Doctors because of my insurance. If I am really uncomfortable with him, I can choose not to have the procedure done at all. That's about my only choice. I know nice, huh?

On his website, he has a lot of information about Gastric Bypass, and Not one word about Lapband. I am hoping this doesn't mean he is going to try to push a Gastric Bypass off on me. I am not having a my insides cut up, too many people I know have had really bad side effects from Gastric Bypass. I even know Someone who passed away from side effects from Gastric Bypass. This is not an option for me.

I have been researching Lapband, and this is my choice. I know it also has risks, but they are risks I can live with. There are nothing compared to Gastric Bypass. Lapband is a tool, not a magic option. I'm still going to have to do the work. I'm ready for that, I want to get healthy.
I wish it could happen tomorrow. But one step at a time.

I wanted to write more but My Mom wants me to walk the dog, of course, it has to be right this minute, too! Everything has to be in her time. She doesn't process anything done on the computer, its all a waste of time as far as she is concerned.

New Goal 310

When I reach 310, I am going to get a Pedicure! My feet have alligator skin on them, from gaining so much weight. I stole this idea from a fellow Goal Setter on www.SparkPeople.com . I love SparkPeople. I love tracking my Goals, Nutrition, Fitness and Motivational and watching them happen. I hope This can help you, too!

Hospital Weekend

Friday night I was chatting on Lapband's Chatroom www.lapbandtalk.com and I began having chest pain really bad. At first I wasn't going to go to the ER but friends in the chat urged me to go and check it out. I thought maybe my Potassium was low, and I would get a quick fix me up and come home. Boy, was I wrong!

I spent from Midnight Friday night until 6pm Sunday Evening In Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton. They did a mirade of tests.

On Saturday I was not able to drink or eat anything because I was having a Nucleur Stress Test. So 3:30am was about the last time I eat anything. They came to get me for my test at Noon, and I was sooooo hungry by then. But mostly I wanted my Berry flavored Propel.

Not being able to eat or drink made me think about doing the Lapband eating plan. Especially doing the liquids. I was able to get through the day for this test but all I could think about was Food Food Food. I wanted to go to a Seafood Buffet and get my fix. I know I will have a Lapband to help me but how will that keep me from not eating the wrong foods? not overeating?

When I had to lay on the Table for the Stress Test, I starting thinking about having to lay flat for the Lapband Surgery. It was really hard for me to lay flat on my back. It sent immediate pain up my back and down my legs. In the Stress Lab there were able to prop my legs up but I know in Surgery they wont do that. I sure hope Im knocked out.

My Test was Messed up on Saturday because my IV infilterated, so I was rescheduled for Sunday morning. So once again nothing to eat or drink after Midnight until the Test.

Sunday rolled around and by noon, I was getting cranky about having no food, and even one sip of water. I really wanted them to just come get me already. Finally around 1:30pm, They took me down for my test.


All my Tests came back negative. I have no blockages, no thickness to be alarmed about, I still have cardiomyopathy but my EF is up to a 55%. Which means I can start doing some walking. I am excited about that.

I had a good friend come visit me on Saturday and bring me some really pretty purple tulips. She stayed and kept me company for almost a hour. It was really nice of her to think of me.
My Mom and my Son came to see me around 8pm, Giovanni got up in the bed with me, and we watched Teen Titans on Cartoon Network. He really didn't want to go home, His Granny teased and told him, " She was going to leave him there." Giovanni shyly looked at me and asked," I really can't stay can I?" It just broke my heart to tell him No. He is Mommy's Baby.

It wasn't a wasted weekend at all because Now I have my Stress Test out of the way for my Lapband. I still don't know what caused the chest pain since all the tests were negative. But I'm going to follow up with my Cardiologist on the 25th of this Month. We will see what he thinks.

Hopefully by the time I see him I will be down a few more lbs. I want him to know I am serious about getting healthy. I talked to a lot of people at the Hospital about the Lapband surgery. Everyone had good things to say about it. Almost Everyone knew Someone who had done it, or ws planning to do it. This really enforced my decision. Time to get Healthy!

Motivational Quote by Chinese Proverb

"Palest Ink is Better than the Best Memory."

Motivational Quote by Chinese Proverb: "The secret to reaching your goals in 2003 may rest in the written word. Writing is a common theme through every stage of successful goal achievement. Got a goal? Write it down. The act of writing creates a promise, and having that visual promise in front of you every day won’t let you forget it. Got a problem remembering what goals you met last week? Start tracking them on a daily basis. No more guessing and fooling yourself. The only way to get a really accurate picture of your progress is to record what you’ve done when you do it. Got something to say or a breakthrough to announce? Write it in a journal. Journals can show you what works, what doesn’t, and the stories of your success can be great motivators in the future, right when you need it the most. From start to finish, you can help your memory and your goals by putting ink to paper. It can make up for fading memory to keep motivation from fading at all."

Got my Surgeon Consult Appointment!

It took a little bit of run around on the phone today but after not much really I was able to get my Consult appointment made with my Lapband @ Surgeon. Woooooooooo hooooooo!

Things are on a roll now! I got on his website and got a bit frightened there was no information there about Lapbands@ only Gastic Bypass. I called the office back and asked if Dr. Hixon did Lapbands@ regularly. They said he did, and had been for 7 to 8 years now. Okay, that makes me feel a little better but I would still feel better if he was listed on the Lapband website.

I had a MRI scheduled today 40 miles from my Home. I got there almost a hour early to do paperwork. I played on the internet on my phone and hung out in the lobby while I waited for my appointment . I was in no hurry, I was doing just fine. They took me back to do my MRI, and she casually asks me you don't have a pacemaker do you? UHHHHHHHH, YES I DO! I have a ICD! Did you miss that on my PAPERWORK?

I Couldn't have the MRI. Apparently I can never have a MRI again. It will destroy my ICD. It will burn out the battery in it completely. You would of thought, my Doctor would of known this.
I surely will from now on. So, they ask me if minded waiting while they called over and tried to get my Doctor to send order for a Cat Scan instead. Yeah, Im already driving a 100 mile round trip, and I want to know what is causing the headaches that are worse than my Migraines. I want to know if something is wrong with my Brain.

I finally got in the CT scanning room 2 hours later, and she tells me to lay down flat. YOUR KIDDING RIGHT? Flat on my back? All 320 lbs of me lay down, and I'm instantly in agonizing pain. Pain shoots up my back and down my legs. I ask if I can bend my legs, and she swiftly puts a support under my lower legs. MUCH BETTER. Still I am about to fall off the thing. I can't figure out what to do with my Arms. I can't let them just hang down and they are too fat to cross over my chest. We finally figure out to hook my hands through my belt loops and hold on. Seriously. This one test made me wonder how I am going to make it through testing for my Lapband@.

One great thing about the day, I weighed myself before I left, I'm down 2 more lbs!

Where it all Started

I have been struggling with weight issues, and food my whole life. Like others I was always the fat girl with the "Such a Pretty Face". When I was school age child I was actually a normal size but I had image distortion because of my Father. The little belly I was carrying no way had me in overweight or obese BMI but he called me his Baby Elephant, His Baby Hippo. When I reached my PreTeen years I became very curvy and tall at very young age like 12 and 13. I was 5ft 7 and worn a 36DD cup.

In the 8th grade my Father grounded me the entire summer, unless I stayed on Cambridge ( A Liquid Diet Supplement) and got down to 120lbs. I drank the Cambridge in his Face, and binged on anything I could get my hands in behind his back. Of course, instead of losing weight I gained weight, and became depressed from being isolated all Summer. My binge eating, and high carb, high sugar foods contributed to a continued weight gain, and My Father's emotional abuse added to my Image distortion. I was now in a Overweight BMI but I had a very curvy shape.

When I would showed him my Homecoming dresses he would ask me, "if I got them from a Tent Maker?" He never told me I looked pretty, or nice in my dresses. Always the jokes. All I wanted was my Daddy's approval. When I was 15, I entered a Psychiatric Unit for an my Eating Disorder. I was Diagnosed with Compulsive Overeating, and Manic Depression. I spent 6 weeks in the locked ward, eating very healthy foods, I don't know how much I lost but I know I was size 13 when I came home.

I was 5ft 9.5 inches tall. I'm guessing my BMI was probably back in a Healthy range. They taught us how to eat healthy in the Unit, and how to handle the urges to binge. I was on meds to handle the urge to binge, too. But I was weak and tired all the time, had no motivation to exercise. I didn't know at the time My heart was weakened by the Undiagnosed Cardiomyopathy, or a Weakening of the heart muscle. Over the next couple decades, I struggled to just function every day. I always felt very weak and tired. No motivation to do anything. I know now I had Cardiomyopathy and my untreated heart condition was a major factor in my weight gain. After a major health scare in 2004, I was finally clinically diagonsed with Dilated Left Ventricle Cardiomyopathy, Congestive Heart Failure, PVCs of the Heart, and Hypertension. The only reason I didn't immediately ask for a Lapband at this time was because of my Insurance I didn't think they would pay. I was definitely interested. I went on Topamax to control my Binge eating, it took away the physical hunger but I still had Head Hunger. I lost a small amount of weight on this medication, but mostly maintained my weight. When I had some Domestic issues in 2007 and moved from my Hometown of St. Louis, to a Small town in Georgia I became Isolated and began to Overeat and Binge again. The weight piled on. In 2 short years, I gained 100 lbs. That's whats brought me to Today, I want to get healthy and Kick Fat's Azz!!! ( I stole this from a Fellow Lapbander) I visited with my Doctor, and she agreed it was a great idea, and sent in the paperwork to get me insurance approval. I'm waiting on Insurance approval for the Lapband now. I'm so excited to get healthy I could jump out of my skin, I'm gonna Kick Fat's Azz! If you are a fellow Lapbander, let's do it together! Looking forward to the Journey!

• 1984 160lbs. Cambridge Diet lost the same weight over and over
• 1987 177lb. Picture Myself Morbidly Obese:-(
• 1990 210lb. Unhealthy Eating added the Lbs
• 1991 190 lb.Richard Simmons Eating Plan and Exercise Videos -30 lbs
• 1992 200lbs Traveling never eat right
• 1993 230lb Gained 30 lbs after tragedies in my life
• 1994 180lb Lost 50lbs while pregnant Almost High School size
• 1996 210lb Stop breastfeeding The weight came fly back
• 1998 250lb Fast food while doing a lot of roadtrips but 40lbs on me fast
  
• 1999- 250lb Stayed at this weight
• 2000 250lb Got Married Maintained
• 2002 250lb Stayed at this weight
• 2003 270lb Medication made me hungry another 20lbs
• 2004 230lbs Lost 50lbs while pregnant and breast feeding
  2004 230lbs Tried a healthy eating plan sent to me by Insurance Company, Lost 15lbs
• 2004 215lbs Diagonsed with Cardiomyopathy with an Ejection Fraction of 25% , CHF, and Hypertension
• 2005 250lbs Being very weak and unable to do move around is showing 20 more Lbs.
  
• 2006 250lbs Stayed around the same.
  
• 2007300lbsDepression sets in, binge eating now, plus Sedentary Lifestyle +50 lbs
  
• 2008320lbs Eating easy fix and lots of fast foods, very depressed about being over 300lbs just makes me eat more 20+lbs
  
• 2009 350lbs Very Lonely now, Feel like I will never get married. Eating for Comfort, High Carb, High Sugar Foods. Lots of Buffets. 30+ lbs.
• 2009 350lbs Time to make a Life Change, Spoke to Dr. about Lapband
• 2009 11/2 Waiting on Approval for Lapband!