Blog

First, I go back to work today and it will be a long day.  Have a meeting to plan out June after school today.

Second, I did go to dog agility.  Drive didn’t bother me at all, I did only do 1 1/2 classes, primarily because Maggie was very frustrated that I wasn’t moving faster.  I walked and the dogs ran the courses. 

Stopped at favorite Mexican place on the way home and got chicken and tortilla soup without chicken or tortilla and just sipped the liquid.  It was VERY good and still a clear liquid.  I needed the change in flavor. 

Still losing weight – down 10 pounds since the surgery and my TDD (total daily dosage) of insuiln is still low – 16 units yesterday.

Today and tomorrow I’ll still be on clear liquids and I see the surgeon post-op tomorrow.

I think I’m to add to my posts each day rather than start a new one. So far, I’ve made it through 1st period and believe me, I’m always busy before school, today I need to run around and test some of the wireless. Will get the rest at lunch

Some notes about lab band. I am still diabetic. My insulin needs are way down. I also still have gastric reflux but it’s better without any real food in my system, but I can’t do the clear liquid thing permanently. It would drive me insane. I also am pretty sure I still have sleep apnea. I’ll let you know in a few months how I am doing though, maybe the above will change.

Oh, and I’ve done some math — I’ve lost 24 pounds from my heaviest

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Made it through my first day — tested the wireless in the front half of the building (auditorium works, front office doesn’t, but did later).  Lots of tech requests, lots of end of year issues to deal with.  At "lunch" I went to the library –farthest place from my room – and tested wireless on the way).  So got some walking in.

Did the afterschool meeting and I was the second lead for it, so I had to be on.

Got home, relaxed a bit and did 20 minutes on the treadmill.  Now trying to turn the brain off, wish I had the hot tub — can’t for a few more weeks.

2 hours after the 269, I was at 130, so cranking up the basal, and doing the correction fixed the problem.  Walking the building didn’t hurt either.

This morning is my 4th morning after surgery — last night was the last night I needed the compression machine.  I’m going to be glad to sleep without that!

I figured out a protocol to handle my blood sugar.  Staying on the surgery baal.  If I am < 150, I turn my basal to -50%.  If I plan to walk on the treadmill, I turn my basal to -50%.  If my blood sugar is >200, I turn my basal to +50%  and correct.  I am also not doing any bolusing for anything I drink (popsicyles and fruit juice).  I also did a popsicle and box of juice after walking.

My scales show 299!  Haven’t been in twoterville (what the bandsters call it) for quite some time.  I’m hoping the scale is right and I am acknowling that I will probably gain weight in the nex month so not worrying too much, just happy to see that weight.

Went out twice yesterday and got quite a bit of work done towards my 8th grade curriculum, something I haven’t been able to concentrate on.

I stopped taking the Liquid Tylonel — haven’t needed it.

Incisions are looking good.

TDD is 15

According to my scales, I’ve lost 22 pounds.

Just woke up on morning 3.  My scale shows I’ve lost 7 pounds since the morning of surgery.  I don’t always believe my scale, it has lied lately.  However, my blood sugar is 90 this morning and I had to switch back to the surgery basal rate last night.  My TDD is dropping and has been in the low thirties the past few days.

At lot of the reason my weight and TDD is so low is what I am eating.  I’m not.  For each “meal” yesterday, I had broth, a protein bullet, and jello.  I’ve gotten some juice and some popscyles so I don’t have to worry about going low but that isn’t working.  I’m supposed to be on clear liquids for a week but I’m finding that managing my blood sugar is a bit difficult on them.

I’ve got an email out to the TLC case manager, and I may call my doctor’s office later in the day to see if I can go ahead and add SlimFast so my blood sugar will be easier to manage. 

So my progress — walked 30 minutes on the treadmill in 7 1/2 minutes, 7 1/2 minutes and 15 minutes.

Lost 8 pounds since surgery date and over 20 pounds total.

TDD in the high 30s.

My incisions look really good and I’ve had my second shower.

More:

I did make three trips yesterday — two to Kroger’s to get things I was out of or just wanted and one to Office Depot to get wheels for Tuesday (I using a rolling box to get things back and forth).

I also made a trip to Walgreen’s today and returned the children’s liquid Tylenol which the doctor recommended. Adult liquid is much better and cheaper.  I also picked up liquid Centrum today and took a dose.

I’m learning to manage the blood sugar, if it goes to low, I’m turning on the temp basal to -50% and leaving it on the surgery basal rate.  I’m planning on walking later, so I have it on %50 now — and my blood sugar was at 146 around 11:00 am.

Just finished my first shower after the surgery and I feel so much better.  Amazing but not surprising.

I stopped taking codeine after my midnight dose the first night, and stopped taking the anti-nausea medication yesterday afternoon.  I’m on clear fluids: “protein bullets” three times a day, stock, sugar free jello and popsicles.  I’m a bit worried about how Tuesday and Wednesday are going to go, as my diet is a bit difficult for school, but I’ll have to see.  I’ve got a few days to plan.

I did go to Kroger’s this morning and picked up more Liquid Tylenol.  While there, I also picked up two soup cans of broth — I think that will do fine for Tuesday and Wedneday with lots of jello and a cold pack.  I’m looking forward to Slimfast again.  Hopefully on Wednesday after I see the doctor.

Sad isn’t that?  Looking forward to Slimfast?

I had a bit of a shock as my doctor has a different post-op diet than TLC Edge, so I wasn’t expecting it at all.

What is it?

1 week of clear liquids — I was expecting one day

1 week of full liquids — I was expecting two weeks

1 week of mushies — I was expecting two weeks

I asked about clear liquids and he recommended Protein Bullets and that I could get them at GNC.  Well, there is a GNC on the way home from the surgery center, so we stopped there and got a box of grape protein tubes.  They aren’t bad.

However, when I got home, I went out on the internet and went to order some  I found ProteinBullet.com and ordered both of the flavors, figuring they would get here about the time I would run out of the above.

Imagine my dismay when I got an email saying they would arrive next Thursday.  Good news — they are located in Lewisville, Texas, literally down the road from us, so I offered to pick the order up the day it was available.

Bigger shocker, they offered to deliver and refund the delivery fee!  They didn’t have to do either.  And both cases arrived this afternoon. 

I had my first one for "dinner", and it wasn’t bad. 

I recommend them if you are going through lap band or other bariactric surgery but also to diabetes having trouble getting enough protein as the drinks have none or little carbs.

Had a decent night.  Went to bed around 10:30, woke up with out the alarm for pain medication – which I took at 12:00 and 4:00.  At 4:00 went to straight Tylenol and stopped taking the codein.

I’m a bit sore still, especially my throat. 

I’ve gotten up, dressed, and have done some clear liquids.  Even walked for 5 minutes on the treadmill.  I’d like to take a nap, but I’m expecting a phone call and a visitor, and both are hard to deal with using CPAP.

So I’m hanging out and watching the Indy coverage on Versus.

I was able to take a 30 minute nap — my blood sugar meter woke me up — blood sugar was at 190 so I did a correction.

Right now, I have a sore throat, a bad one. Dr. Leonard, this is not "a little frog", it hurts to swallow, though popsicle, broth, and even cool water helps.  Can’t talk.  Very bad cause of larygetis.  This is on top of taking 1 tablespool of liquid hydrocodone/Apap 7.5 mg / 5000mg  — basically I call it happy syrup.

My plan is to take some this evening and switch to liquid acetaminphen in the morning as per the doctor’s suggestion.  I’d like to sleep for once.

I have a cool story to tell, and will it goes as well as it looks like it is going, I’m a customer for life.

I’m on clear liquids for a week — Dr. Gonzalez said to get some protein bullets.  We stopped at GNC and picked up their own box on their way home.  Haven’t tried it yet but I knew I needed more and didn’t feel like shopping everywhere for it. And of course, I buy everything online.

Did an internet search on Protein Bullet and came up withhttp://proteinbullet.com/ Price is reasonable, it’s something I’m going to need long term so ordered two cases.  BUT it wasn’t going to arrive until next Thursday, the END of my liquid diet.  Whoops.  That’s when I found out they were in Lewisville — emailed them and offered to pick it up BUT they did one better.  They are going to deliver it tomorrow AND refund the delivery charge, which they DO NOT have to do.

So we’ll see how it goes but I am already completely impressed.

So other than the sore throat, I feel fine.  Especially after the nap. Port incision was hurting before the pain medication / nap, but now it is good.  I may change my tune at 7:30 though….

So I’m home from surgery.

We got to the surgery center before 7:30.  Process was pretty smooth — they have been doing it awhile and most of the surgerys were for lapband.

I didn’t actually get operated on until 9:30, maybe later.  There were lots of things to do before hand.  Some was to do paperwork that was done over the phone.  Most of it was waiting.

Apparently the IV came out of my hand in the recovery room.

Insulin pump worked fine.  Here’s what I ended up doing:

Check blood sugar and was lower than I liked around 1:00 am so switched to surgery basal, which was 50% of my normal basal.

At 6:00 am I was still low, so switched to temp basal of -50.  At that point, I was doing 1/4 of the normal amount of insulin I do.

At 9:00 am I was at 135 but kept things at the same rate.  I just let my 4 hour basal temp run out.

I had four waves of naseau from the surgery so far.  Weird, because the right side of my body just feels like I need to toss cookies bad, but I don’t, which turns in a cough that makes me urinate, then turns into a sharp pain that goes away.  Fun.  Two at the surgery center, one in the car which wasn’t bad, and one at the house.

I’ve got liquid pain medication and liquid anti-naseau medication.

I have a REALLY REALLY sore throat and can’t talk as a result.  I’ve done about 5 popsicles that helped, but I decided that doing too many of those weren’t a good idea as they do have some sugar and calories.

At 3:00 my blood sugar was just around 200 so I’m working on bring it down.

I’ve had a few moments of doubt — one when we were waiting for the surgery and one on the way home from  surgery but it’s a bit too late now to change my mind.

I weighed 308 at the surgery center and I am doing just under 60 units of insulin.

We’re leaving the house in probably 30-45 minutes.  One thing I am worried about — blood sugar is 109.  I woke up around 1:00 am, saw blood sugar was at 111 so switched to the surgery basal — 50% less than my regular basal.

So I’ve turned down my pump another 50% and will watch my blood sugar.  This is one of those times that being a tad high won’t hurt, but will have to watch carefully after surgery so I don’t get infected.

Wearing a Vegas Tshirt and Sweat Pants — will add sneakers.  Debating on taking the CPA.  Will probably take it.  Have lip balm and need to grab a pillow and should be good to go.

My scales show that I’ve lost around 5 pounds on the liquid diet in a week and several people say I’m smaller in the upper chest area, so hopefully it’s a go on that end.

And yes, I have a few moments, of what the hell am I thinking.