Progress!

Well, it's been just over five months since my surgery and things finally seem like they're moving along.

I have the standard lap band, which holds 10 cc of saline. My doctor has been gradually increasing the level every two weeks since December, and he took me up to 7 cc last Wednesday.

The first several days were absolutely miserable. The evening after the fill, I couldn't even keep water down. I was on liquids for almost 3 days following. By this past Wednesday, I was finally able to eat normal food (although bread and tortillas are nearly impossible), and I was so excited.

I'm finally to the point where I can only eat 4-6 ounces at a time. It's such a weird sensation to go to McDonalds and order a 6 piece McNugget (of which I can only eat 4), when I used to be able to easily eat a 20 piece and fries.

When I started this adventure, I weighed over 300 lbs and was wearing a size 24-26. As of Monday, I weighed in at 244 and am a solid size 18. My goal is to be in a 14-16 by my cousin's wedding in May, mostly because all of the cute dresses I've found are size 16 or smaller. :)

I had to take my wedding rings in to be sized, and my fingers are a size and a half smaller than they were in October. I am actually wearing jeans at the moment that haven't fit me in about 3 years...and they're very loose.

The adjustment hasn't been easy. The weeks with no weight loss were so discouraging that I often thought to myself, "why did I put myself through all of this if I'm not going to lose any weight?" Thankfully, I have some amazing friends and coworkers who have been through it before, and they have been marvelously encouraging.

The biggest problems have been side effects of the weight loss. For the past 2 years, I've had an Implanon birth control implant in my arm. Once I'd lost about 40 lbs, my body went absolutely crazy and I was miserable for almost 2 months before I was able to have it removed. Of course, once it was removed, I started having problems with the incision. I'm on antibiotics as a precautionary measure, but my body (which normally heals insanely quickly) is not healing the hole in my arm. If it's not healed in a few days, my OBGYN has told me he'll have to stitch it closed.

Overall, I'm incredibly excited about the progress since my last fill, and I feel better than I have in years. My energy level has doubled, and I feel like I'm 25, not 55.

This morning, especially, it feels like everything is falling into place. I have my Starbucks, my hubby is working out with his buddies before he comes home and goes to sleep for the day, and I have Jethro Tull blasting in the house with the front door open while I sit on the porch and drink my coffee. The weather is beautiful, and, later, I'm going to Social Security to (finally) change my name.

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