Goodbye Lap-Band, Hello Sleeve!

I have a new story to share with you!  It is a long one, so stay with me.  Especially you long time banded people.  I had always preached that the band was meant to last a lifetime and that fully intended to die with a band in my body.  I was an FDA Trial patient for the lap band and I working in the banding business for about 14 years.  I was the success story.  I dropped 200 pounds with my lap band and kept it off.  Well, that is until a few years ago.  

I started having issues.  I would spit up every night.  I usually could pinpoint what I had done wrong that day and promised that I would do better the next day.  Well, it happens for a few days and then that becomes a few months.  Then I started aspirating fluid out of my nose at night.  This would start about 20 minutes after I fell asleep and would continue at random times throughout the night.  I would wake up with loads of mucus coming out of my nose.  It was awful!  At times it would burn.  It did not matter if I had eaten early or late, liquid or solid, alcohol or none.  I always promised myself that I could correct this and would do better.  It had gotten so bad, that it was rare NOT to aspirate at night.  I was exhausted!  I wasn't getting any worthwhile sleep.  I had fluid removed.  I gained some weight.  I had fluid put back in.  I aspirated every night.  I had fluid removed.  I gained weight.  And so on, etc.

I got sick several times last year.  Since I had lost all the weight 15 years ago, I was never sick.  Last year, I had 3 times where my temperature was over 101.  The last time I ended up with pneumonia.  This was a more chemical type of pneumonia because it was due to all the times I was aspirating at night, fluid was going into my right lung.  That was over Thanksgiving.  I spent it in bed.  Scared. 

I am Director of Bariatrics at USMD Hospital at Arlington.  The surgeons I work with had come across so many people that were having issues with the band, that they decided that they would no longer place bands into a body.  They have done quite a few removals over the past few years and many band to sleeve or band to bypass operations.  They felt that there were too many complications with the band that made it old technology.  When I got sick at Thanksgiving, they all asked me if I was listening to them now.  I was.  At this point, I had gained back 50 of the 200 pounds I had lost.  I was the FDA Trial Patient.  I was the success.  I helped hundred of people get bands.  I was a failure.

The numerous fill/unfill I had under fluoroscopy  showed my band in perfect position.  I also had a CT scan.  It also showed the band in perfect position.  I decided to get my band out and convert to a sleeve.

I came through surgery well, but found out it had been a 5 hour surgery due to the large amount of scar tissue they had found.  I had web-like scar tissue all over.  Just to lift my liver off of my stomach, a process that takes about 5 minutes, it took them 1.5 hours as the scar tissue had fused my liver and stomach together. They had to cut the tubing in several locations to get the tube out of the body.  When this happens, your band, which is pressurized, loses all its fluid.  Mine did not.  They found my band was encased in scar tissue.  It had clamped down on the tubing.  No fluid was getting in or out.  So, when I got those fills and unfills?  Chances are, they were taking fluid in and out of the tubing only.  They had to pop the band in order to get it out of my body.  

My esophagus had sort of made a stomach for me since so little was getting through.  I am told this will go back to normal in about 4 months.  My stomach itself was looking good.  He said it was nice and small.  Yay.  Something was small!.

I am 3 weeks out from surgery and feeling pretty good.  I am down 25 pounds (half of the weight I gained) and not hungry.  Not one bit!  I am getting my protein in and my water.  I have to really follow the rules because I am in Bariatrics, but to be honest, they are not hard to follow.  I am actually getting sleep at night, which is awesome!

Ok, so here is my point: once I told some people what happened to me, all the sudden I am getting emails and texts from my longtime banded friends stating how they had to convert due to issues OR others are stating that they are HAVING issues.  

The take away?  If you are having issues, look into it.  If I had waited much longer, we could have been looking at infection and that would have been so much worse!  Get your band checked.  Be smart.  If your doctor is a doctor that only places bands, get s second opinion.  I can recommend 3 excellent surgeons here in Arlington.  Get it checked out.  Mine showed perfect placement.  They didn't know until they were in there, what a mess it actually was.  I constantly had a raspy voice.  I sounded like I always had a cold. My body was sending signals. I chose to ignore those signals.  If it can happen to me, it can happen to you.

Ok, I have taken up enough of your time.  No longer banded, but loving my sleeve!
Cynthia Jones O'Kelly

Change and Fear Go Hand in Hand

My LapBand is making me sick.  It needs to come out of my body.  That means surgery.  Dang!  I am not the type of person who likes to resort to surgery on a whim.  I have thought this out since I got Pneumonia at Thanksgiving.  I also added 15 pounds since the fluid was removed from my band.  I looked over my journal from 2014 and noticed I had been sick with fever 3 additional times.  It seemed like I was always dealing with a stuffy nose or some sort of sinus issue.


I don't like being sick all the time.  It interferes with my life.  Once the fluid was removed, I ate everything.  Pants got tight and my extensive wardrobe dwindled to just a few pieces that fit.  I was not about to go and buy anything new as I was not going to remain at this size.


On Tuesday, January 27, I am going to convert to the gastric sleeve.  I have done all the thinking and research and believe this will be the best step for me.  My surgeons did loads of conversions last year and once I made the decision, I have found that quite a few of my old banded buddies have had to convert to the sleeve as well.  Seems that I am following a trend. 


Change.  ARGH!  My life will drastically change for the next few months.  Currently I am on liquids prior to surgery.   I have already gotten through breaking the sugar addiction and am impressed that I didn't kill anyone.  Just a side note:  we really have way too much sugar in regular foods.  Eat clean people!  Read labels and know what is going in your mouth.  Low fat products usually mean added sugar.


I feel like I am getting a reset.  Am I scared?  Of course!  I trust my team and my decision.  It has been great getting tips and tricks from my patients.  They are so supportive.  So, stay tuned for a completely new point of view. 


Oh and if you could say a little prayer for me on Tuesday morning, I would be grateful!

Worst/Best Holiday Ever!

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday!  All the hoopla takes place on Thursday, leaving the rest of the week to catch up with old friends, shop and decorate for Christmas.  This year was going to be wonderful!  I had the whole weekend planned out.  Wednesday night we had our daughter's in-laws staying with us, one of my out of town bestest friends were coming for dinner, and Nick and I were celebrating our nine year anniversary.  Thursday was lunch for 15 people with clean up and relaxation for the rest of the day.  Friday was for decorating the Christmas tree and having Joe T. Garcia's with a Dallas bestest friend.  Friday night was all about my other out of town bestest friends and a good catch up dinner with them.

None of that happened.  Tuesday I woke up with shortness of breath and some fever.  Bed for the entire day.  Wednesday (anniversary day) had me feeling better but I decided it was best I work from home.  I got Thanksgiving table all set and proceeded out to lunch with one of my Dallas based bestest friends.  10 minutes into the lunch and I could not breathe.  Scared the crap out of her and me.  I ran out of that restaurant like my hair was on fire.  Doctor across the street.  Somehow I got there.  After a shot of steroids and various tests and a hysterical call to my husband, the diagnosis: pneumonia.

I don't have time for pneumonia!  I have people staying at my house.  I had people coming for dinner.  I AM HOSTING THANKSGIVING!  This. Is. Not. Happening. To. Me.

Well it did.  Life went on hold for awhile.  There was nothing I could do but let go and let someone else grab the reins for awhile.  I am so proud of my husband and my children!  Nick stepped up and pulled off a great Wednesday night dinner.  While I was laying in bed having my own pity party, my son, Brendan, jumped in and made his Ziti recipe (which is delicious).  The troops were not only fed, but fed well and happy about it.  The buzz from the other rooms had me tearful that I was missing a fun party.  I did get up and walk into the kitchen at one point.  I saw that every counter was covered with food and pots were everywhere.  I turned around and went back to bed.  When I got up on Thursday morning, everything was put up and the kitchen was sparkling clean.

I am most proud of my children.  Throughout the evening they kept checking on me, making sure I had water and trying to keep me comfortable.  There were several dishes for the big day that I had intended to make on Wednesday.  I heard them volunteering to make this or that.  My husband was distributing recipes and making sure they had the proper cookware and materials to make those dishes in their homes and bring along with what they had already agreed to make.  No one complained, they just jumped in.  Thanksgiving went off without a hitch. 

Now here is the kicker.  I didn't have to have pneumonia.  I got it because I was aspirating fluid into my lungs from having my Lap band too tight.  I knew that getting up in the middle of the night to be sick was wrong, but I figured I could handle it.  So to all my friends who have a Lap band, if you are having any issues at night, go and get some fluid removed.  There is nothing worse than not being able to get your breath.  I feel robbed of what was going to be a wonderful holiday.

I have always been the one to find the positive in every situation.  The positive in this situation?  My husband and I have raised some awesome children!

My New Addiction!

 

I have a new addiction: Online Yard Sales!  My friends will tell you that is pretty much all I talk about anymore.  There is everything for sale from door knobs to Dior!  People have even sold cars and homes via the online yard sale.  Now you would think that I am buying, but NO!  I am selling! 

It is wonderful!  I have been selling all our extra stuff.  I brought a lot of items into our marriage and have been storing it.  I have sold lamps, tables, shoes, purses, crystal, storage materials, and even a chandelier!  Pretty much, you name it, I will sell it.  We have deleted so much stuff that we now have empty drawers in the house!  I was up in our attic this morning and we actually have space up there!  Wahoo!

My husband has even gotten into the act.  He will be grabbing something off a shelf and he something will catch his eye.  Next thing you know, we are taking a picture and posting the item!  The best thing about online sales is that you don't have to sell a bunch of stuff at once.  You can do an item here and there.  No pressure!  If it doesn't sell, you can hold onto it for awhile or put it into the donate pile.  Currently, we are concentrating on the garage.

The people on these yard sale sites are very nice as well.  If you ask for a referral for something, in minutes, you will get 50 responses.  It is a truly amazing way to use the Internet for good for everyone involved.  Even my friends are getting in on the act.  I have helped some of my best girlfriends put things up to sell.  You should try it.  Almost every city or suburb has an online garage or yard sale.  It feels great to purge your life of the things that no longer serve a purpose in your life.

It is wonderful to have empty space in your home.  It is even better knowing that someone else is getting to enjoy an item that you owned.  The best?  Getting a few dollars in your pocket to do as you please.  What am I going to do with mine?  Well, my dog ate our window seat, so that will be my first purchase.  And my husband has a big birthday coming up...
 

What A Pain!

In December, I broke my middle and ring finger of my right hand.  During that bad patch of icy weather, I slipped and as I fell, I did the splits.  Luckily, I do this in my Bar Method classes every day, so there was no pain from that.  I broke my fingers trying to break my fall.  At first I thought I had jammed them.  I figured that the pain would go away after a few days.  Let me tell you, the pain was exquisite. 

 I had a lot going on with Christmas and our youngest daughter's wedding, so I pushed through the pain.  An advantage of working at a hospital, is I can't flip a quarter without hitting a doctor or a nurse.  I finally consulted a nurse who said she could tell by looking at them that they had been broken.  Since time had passed, I was told to wrap it for a few days and it would be OK.

It is not OK.  It will never be OK again.  I now have a way to mark when things happen in my life.  Now things have happened either pre or post finger pain.  They hurt all the time.  They hurt while I type this blog.  I wince when I wash my hands.  Shake my hand?  Hell no!  Needing the right hand to lift something or stop a dog?  Not happening without a small scream attached.

For two months I have put up with this pain.  It isn't the pass out kind of pain, but an annoying constant ache.  The kind where you want to slap something.  Hard.  Then of course there are times when the sharp pain comes because I lifted a glass or something silly.

Why might I be writing a blog about my injured fingers?  Well one thing is that if you see me, please don't try to shake my hand.  I adore you, but lets tap elbows for awhile.  After all, it is cold and flu season.  The other reason is that I knew something was wrong, but I just pushed through the pain thinking that things would get better soon.  I didn't make time to take care of me.

I hear story after story of people who have had weight loss surgery tell me they are having issues but they know it will get better soon.  They are choosing not to take care of themselves.  They do not put their health first.  Then they end up having to have another surgery or are diagnosed vitamin deficient and must spend a year getting back to normal health.  Are you having issues?  When was the last time you checked in with your surgeon's office?  Might be time to pay attention to the warning signs. Make the time to take care of yourself.

By the way, I can now tell the weather by the ache in my fingers.  Oh what fun! 

Newlyweds?

My life over the last two months has been one of complete chaos.  My plate has been full.  If I told you everything here, you would not believe me.  I will be writing a screenplay as it would be a perfect Lifetime movie.

When the grand life lesson teacher decides to give you back to back term papers, pop quizzes and projects, you do them.  I kept thinking "This too shall pass".  For the most part it has or at least life is moving in the right direction.

One of the neat things I am getting to experience is time alone with my husband.  We have been married for over 8 years.  During that time, we have never really been alone.  Someone was always living in our home.  Sure, we would get a week here or a week there, but never any length of time without someone residing there.

I am not complaining.  I love my stepchildren as if they were my own, but never having time with your husband can be difficult.  The kids have boomeranged so often that on the day one moved out, another showed up and moved in.  There are many times we felt like we were running a hotel. A few weeks ago, our youngest got married.  Husband and I were looking forward to finally being alone.  With the exception of a kid moving in for 6 days in January, we have gotten our long sought for wish.

Currently it is just us and our two dogs.  I love it!  We have a family room that before now was constantly occupied by one or more of our children and their posse.  We really have never gotten to use that room.  Over the past two weeks, we have taken over!  We watch TV, read and work on the computer in our family room.  When husband wants to go to sleep, no problem.  I can stay up and do what I need to do in the family room.  It is almost like we added on a section of the house! 

We are having fun too!  We are trying to see if we can hold off going to the grocery store for any major purchases until we have cleaned out our pantry and freezer.  We are having some creative meals.  It doesn't matter as it is just us!  Whoop!  When I return home in the evening, the house is just as I left it that morning.  Well, except Molly the dog sometimes tries to redecorate, but otherwise the same.

I am remembering why I married my husband.  He is hilarious!  We laugh all the time!  It is so rejuvenating!  I would guess that this is what most of you experience when you get married, before you have children. We are finally having our newlywed moment.  What fun!  It is nice to have the precious time alone.  I will treasure these days and greedily enjoy each one.

Hopefully, we have entered the peace and quiet stage of life.  Oh and if you need a place to stay, please don't knock on our door.  The Inn is temporarily closed for renovations.

What You Allow Will Continue

Yesterday I wrote "What you allow will continue" on my status on Facebook.  This is my mantra for 2014.  Quite a few people emailed me privately or spoke to me in person about these 5 little words.  Think about it...    What You Allow Will Continue.

Eating fast food: what you will allow will continue.

People making comments to you that are a wee bit nasty, yet you laugh it off: what you allow will continue.

People taking advantage of your time: what you allow will continue.

Choosing to ignore your health: what you allow will continue.

Being the victim all the time.  It is always someone else's fault: what you allow will continue.

Sitting on the couch watching Real Housewives instead of working out: what you allow will continue.

Get it?  We choose our present. 

So let's turn this around.

I will do some sort of exercise 6 times this week: what you allow will continue.

I choose to get more sleep and not let the distractions of work or home get in the way: what you allow will continue.

I drink water over high calorie liquids: what you allow will continue.

I have no time for toxic people: what you allow will continue.

I choose to put myself first so I can be a better person for my family and friends: what you allow will continue.

I make healthy food choices: what you allow will continue.

I am the person I want to be: what you allow will continue.


You have the power to make a difference in you and in the people around you.  I challenge you to move forward and make a difference in your life.
 

What You Allow Will Continue!