Melanie Watson

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Hi everybody,

It has been a very long minute since I last wrote something down. In a nutshell, I've had good days & I've had bad days ... yet, I WON'T COMPLAIN!!!  I've truly been blessed with the support that I have around me. To say the least, my progress has been slow. I've been dealing with severe gastritis and the ups & downs with that. I would have surpassed my goal by now, but sometimes I just have to step back and realize that things happen for a reason. I was just 15 pounds from my goal not 2 months ago, now I'm 30. It's ok! I think I'm ready for another adjustment as I'm eating like a horse.

On the positive side, I got married and just past the 6mo anniversary the other day.  so next to the Dominator, I have another weight nazi to keep in on track.

Well, no amusing stories about my hard-headedness, just a question about how everyone deals with the issue of bloating, burping & farting. Say that 3x fast!



I'm on my way ...

First off, I have to say that I have been LAZY about keeping everyone updated on my hard-headedness on my journey!
Not much has changed. I have had major setbacks that have been overcome. I discovered that I have a VERY sensitive tummy that doesn't like it when I try and cheat the rules. Isn't that the reason I got the band?

I've learned that having an ulcer in the lower part of the tummy is no good (not fun @ all). OJ is not a friend (especially when you forget how acidic it is .. ooops!). I've learned Aloe Vera juice is not bad tasting and I've been sticking to it (YEA!!! Mello). I've learned that chicken, just isn't chicken like it used to be. On the other hand beef seems to be very tummy friendly to me at this time.  I've learned that my doctor has picked up so many new patients, that his bedside manner seems to have fallen by the wayside. Don't get me wrong, I love Dr. Schwartz to death, but feel very disconnected with him as my partner in the road to wellness.

On the other hand, Mr. Scott (don't know his last name) who had been doing my maintenance since the beginning split with Dr. S. is now on his own running a fill center. Now that my new insurance has an exclusion on the policy, I'm a self pay patient now for all my follow up care. I was at a crossroads as to which way to go. They both charge the same for office visit / fill. My dilenma, one has so many patients and doesn't spend time with you, the other spends time with you and assures you he will be there for you day & night. I chose to stay with Mr. Scott and after this past weekend .... He is my saviour!! He saved my stubbron ass from slowly killing myself because I was too stupid to call at the first time of trouble. My tummy was so ANGRY at me, it not only swole shut once but twice and in less then 24 hours I had to have 2 unfills. Why???? Because I didn't call at the first sign of trouble. I waited 48 + hours before getting my first unfill and then 18+ hours to get the 2nd because I thought I could handle it on my own.

I got the lectures about eating and drinking the things I shouldn't and the following night I got the lecture about needing to call at the first sign of trouble (regardless if it was mother's day and he was with his mama). Mr. Scott was so gracious not to charge me a weekend after hours office visit fee which for both visits would have cost me close to $400. "Chalk it up to an educational experience" he said and refused to take any money from me!  He so ROCKS!!

So today, I weigh in at 171 ... 21 more pounds to go! I made a promise to Mr. Scott to to follow the rules (because he threated to put me back at square 1 and completely unfill me to start all over), and I prayed that I would follow through because the Domster is here and wants his mama to be healthy.

Hopfully I won't continue to be so damn lazy in the future. I will post some new pictures later this evening.

Thanks to all who have supported me and have read my ranting and raving.



Mello
Banded 8/9/08 
248/171/150

Since I had my reduction before my Christmas trip, all has been well. UNTIL last Thursday night. I've been doing really good about my eating and fitting in my snacks. It's been hard, but I seem to manage. So here is what happened ....

I get home from work and I grabbed 2 rice cake bites. I forgot I had them in the cabnet. Feeling way to full, I go to purge. Nothing out of the ordinary. A few minutes later, Earl sneaks up on me again and I notice it's a little pink. Nothing like I had eaten throughout the day. Again like a monkey on my back, Earl is SPANKING my ass!!  I'm yelling at my son, I think I'm throwing up blood. GUESS WHAT? I was ... Lots of blood. I call Dr. Schwartz to let him know what's going on. He tells me to eat ice chips and drink ice cold water and see if it subsides. If not, I needed to pass go, collect $200 and continue onto the emergency roon. The bleeding stopped ..sort of. I continued to have a bad night puking my guts out. The only thing that stopped me from going to the er was a $250 co-pay vs a $40 office visit (for my regular scheduled appt) 

The next morning, I woke to great hunger pains, but unable to eat. I tried cream of wheat several times and it came up. I kept downing water, it too came up with that familiar pinky color from the night before. OMG!!!

I get to the office to find that I'm down another 5lbs YEA!!   Then Dr. tells me that I either have an stomach ulcer or a hernia. Both very common. Since I've been having so many tummy issues, he was leaning toward the ulcer. Not good. He drained me, gave me the what you need to do in order to heal lecture and tells me to return on Monday (yesterda0y), and loads me down with a chit load of previcid. Tells me if I have another episode, straight to the er and I'd have to have an endoscope done. 

Monday rolls around, no more episodes, just an upset tummy. He tells me no refill for another 2 f'n weeks  So, I just paid another f'n $40 co-pay that wasn't in the budget all to hear is I have to wait. I'm almost in tears at this point. I tried to appeal to the judge and jury. He wasn't hearing it and just rested his hands on my shoulder and said ...
"Mel .. your my problem child. You know all the problems you've had since day 2 and you've overcome them. I don't care about any weight you may put on in 2 weeks, I just need to know that your healthy and your tummy is healed. And then and only then will I re-fill you." Needless to say, I don't like this man right now, but I know he is telling me the truth and truth hurts.

So now that I'm through venting, I made a promise to go back to my pre-op routine and hopefully the weight gain (if any) will be small. I shouldn't complain, I'm 5 1/2 months out. 63lbs down. I feel good, doing things I couldn't do before. I'm truly blessed. I could have lost my life shortly after surgery, but the good Lord saw fit to keep me around to entertain everyone who is reading this and everyone who is supporting me in my journey.

Well, I'm now 4 1/2 months out. I'm 58 lbs lighter and I feel AWESOME!!

My appointment yesterday was with Dr. Schwartz. It was good to see him. Since my last visit, I struggled with whether to get a fill or not since Mr. Scott wanted to give me 2cc's then. I opted for .5cc's. The first 2 1/2 days went ok, until the eve of Thanksgiving. All HELL broke loose then.  I kept telling myself I can get through this as it wasn't as bad as the last time. The soreness from the fill had gone away. When I was able to eat, it was no more then 1 - 2 bites. I couldn't get more then 8oz of fluid down on any given day and like clockwork anything that went down came back up within 30-45 minutes. At one point I was down 15lbs but I was able to put 5lbs back on. I kept thinking in the back of my mind, I want to lose the weight, but not like this.

I explained my situation with Dr. Schwartz, he agreed with my decision to remove the .5cc's that was given previously. Wow, it's funny how different I felt ... just that quick. He reassured me that everyone looses at their own rate and I seemed to be ahead of the game for such a short period of time. He made me feel real good.

Now that I'm rounding 3rd base with just 50lbs more to go (my goal) 40lbs (Dr's & Mr. Scott's goal) here is where I need to be more disciplined with the exercise and eating in general. I've been a bad bad Mello and have not attended my support groups as I should, but I resolve to be more involved in the New Year.

Until next time,
Mello

I can't believe it ....

I can cross my legs without having to hold them down! HOT DAMN!!!!

It's been a little more then 3 weeks since I got 7cc's added back into my band. I was given the challenge to be at 199 when I weighed in on 11/24.

So how did I do? I lost 7 more lbs. That put me at 200lbs. Mr. Scott asked how I was feeling. What my restriction level is. I tried to explain that it just depends on what I'm eating. The plan was to give me 2 more cc's to bring me to 10cc's. I thought about it and we made a compromise and only went for .5cc.

How do I feel now? I believe I've hit my "sweet spot" I've dropped another 5 lbs since Monday. Which is good. I'm feeling more restriction then what I thought I would. The soreness is slowly going away. I'm still on liquids for the most part and slowly adding in the soft stuff. I was only able to eat maybe 3-4 bites of thanksgiving dinner. So I have mad leftovers.

With the holidays upon us, I have my holiday party next Sat. I'm really excited because I'm able to fit into a dress that I've been dreaming of for over 9 months now. I'll post those pictures after the event.

I can't believe it .... a few days shy of 4 months and I feel AWESOME!

Here's to the future!

I guess you could say that I may have fallen off the wagon, or at least was drug behind the horse and carriage.  *LOL*

Knowing I had all by 1 cc removed from my band, I was able to experience food again. I didn't go overboard tho, I filled my plate at a church dinner and I'm still eating off of it. Bad Mello!!! The had part was staying away from the sweets. Well, glutney got the best of me and the sweets table until the 2nd or 3rd bite when the cramping set in. Boy was that a quick reminder of why I had surgery in the first place. I guess it was the nice spread from bananna pudding to sweet potato pie to my sister's famous chocolate cake with white icing drizzle. UUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!

Weighing in today, I logged +3 lbs. Not suprised. The fill went well, tho once the bandaid went on, I sprung a (bloody) leak. All over my scrub uniform and the waiting room floor. I cleaned up real well and "confessed" my sins at the dessert table at church. Mr. Scott said all is forgiven and I'll see you in 2 weeks ... pay the ladies on the way out! (Really he didn't say that) He did say that my goal is to get to 199 in the next 3 weeks.

I can do it! YES I CAN!!!

I past my 1st weight-a-versary (Mello-ism) .

Let me explain .... Last Halloween 07, I finally took the steps to really inquire about having the Lap-band procedure. When I look back on where I was then and how AWESOME I'm beginning to look now .... I'm truly blessed. 

I had my 3 month check up this past Monday. I'm down 39 lbs. Which is good for such a short period of time. I was surprised that over the past month I was down 9 lbs. Mr. Scott had asked if I was feeling Any type of restriction. I told him yes and no. I have good days ... then there are porky Mello days.

He decides to give me a hook up. Top off the tank sort of speak. He informed me that he gave me another 2cc's. This brings me to 10cc's.

Ok, I'm really feeling restriction. I make my appointment and wait the 15 minutes before leaving. I had to pull over because I'm feeling I've got juicy cheeks starting to form. Here comes the visual.  I let go a little bit of water that didn't settle well, hopped back into the car and went back to work.

Fast forward to the evening, my son is having a bad day. He lost his volleyball game, was hit in the head with a lacrosse ball and poked in the eye while cleaning his glasses when the ball hit him. I took him to a local favorite eating place here in town called Eeggees. Comfort food, besides I had to help a friend of mine understand her cell phone.

Being that I had a fill, I ordered a kids size frozen fruit drink, thinking it was safe. I took about 1/2 a teaspoon and was savoring the flavor when ....  All hell broke loose!

You guessed it. The queen of vomit shown her ugly face once again. Non stop from approximately 8pm through out the night up until I was able to get into the office. My band felt a bit snug, nothing out of the ordinary. Mr. Scott said that I was just a bit tight. Not that I hadn't figured it out already. The funny part is that in 12 or so hours I lost another 5 lbs. just from puking up both my lungs, which brings me to 44 lbs down.

Out comes 1cc. I'm off to work now and I decide to stop and vote before continuing on to work. About 1/2 way to the polls, I begin to to dry heave followed by more fluid. Where the hell it was coming from, I don't know. I hadn't eaten any thing since breakfast the morning before and wasn't able to keep fluid down.

I make it to work. The chest tightness and pain decides to set in. (I didn't experience that the night before.)  I make it through 3 1/2 hours before I break down and return to the office. Mr. Scott decided that he was going to drain me and leave in only 1cc so there would be some type of restriction while he medicated me to get the swelling to go down. He told me that it could be that I dislodged my band from my heavy night of vomiting, or there could be a problem with the band itself. But he knew that I needed time to recover. 

I go back on this coming Monday, the plan is to prime my lines to make sure there is no blockages and to refill me. He said that if I experience the same thing once again after this next fill, Dr. Schwartz may have to go in and take a peek see. 

I wait to see what is going to happen. I just pray that it was just a snafu and all things will work out. My weight is holding still at the 203-204 mark. I'm getting closer and closer, but it feels like it is so far outta reach. But I remain optimistic.

So until next time .... 

Mello
 

So folks, last Friday 10/3/08 I went to weigh in. I didn't do so well the previous month. Not that I was cheating or anything, I just got stuck for about 2 1/2 weeks . I felt the inches coming off, but the f'n scale wasn't moving.

I told Mr. Scott that I wanted to set a target goal of 30 lbs by 12/31/08. He seemed to think I could do it. I weighed in at 218 lbs. That brings me down 30 lbs. Wooo Hooo!!  I feel good!!! Not James Brown good, cuz he's dead  , but oh so good! I received 2 more cc's bring me to 8cc's total.

Anyway, I tried to follow the post fill rules which went ok. Nooo problems Friday & Saturday. Sunday that was a different story. I couldn't get fruit, protein shakes, peanut butter & water down to save my life. Then on the flip side, after my many conversations with earl, things stayed down with no problem. Same thing happened on Monday. Tuesday I ate like there was no tomorrow. I felt like some refried beans, so I visited the local Los Betos and got some. I only had 2 teaspoons and damn if earl and I didn't start speaking again. Dinner everything was cool again. Today, everything was coolio, except I had an episode while my son & I were on our evening walk.

I was gonna call Dr. Schwartz & Scott, but I didn't since it is only happening periodic not every time I eat. Plus, I don't  have the classic "my band is too tight" symptoms.

I feel pretty good right now. I got over being for several days this morning. It's amazing all that can come out of you when your intake is so limited. I know God's got a sense of humor, but does  he have to use it up all on me?

I'll keep everyone update on mi vida loca as it comes about.

M

Today I got my 1st fill.  It wasn't all that I thought it was going to be. I learned that I lost another 6 lbs since last friday.  That was a sigh of relief. I guess Mr. Scott's scale isn't so bad. I weighed myself when I got home and got the same weight.

This past Wed, I was four weeks out. My  Amy is struggling. She is just 2 weeks post-op and for the most part she is taking it slow. Dr. S told her she was right on target. so YEA!!! for Ms. Amy.

I don't go back for another month to weigh in. That's cool. I have to admit, my innerds do fill funny right now and the thought of another protein shake has really got me nerved. *LOL*

Onwards and upwards,

Mello

Today was to be my first fill. As you can see by the title, you can guess it didn't happen.

It seemed that everything that could go wrong did. I left work late, got caught up in traffic, did 60 across town to come into a monsoon storm to arrive 20 minutes late. I called the fill center and they said that they would have to reschedule me. I refused since I was already on my way. I arrive only to find out that Scott (the fill guy) is running an hour behind. I almost lost my Jesus in the clinic for the simple fact they wanted me to reschedule when he was already behind schedule.

The nurse takes me back to weigh me and tries to make me believe I gained 5 pounds since Friday. I'm thinking Hell to the NO!! of course I didn't say it .... but I was thinking it. Imagine how could this be, I was 222 this morning and this afternoon (at work) on the same type of electronic scale. I was 224 when I weighed myself once I got home. I know that is supposed to go on my "officical" record, but the Mello record overrulled this one.

Oh yeah ... back to my story. Scott tells me that 21 lbs (by his record ... 24 by mine) is good. Since I'm hungery all the time and eating every 2 hours, he wants me to change my diet. He asked me to stop with phase II (the soft/mushy diet) and go strictly solids. HECK YEAH!!  the only thing is I have to stay away from pasta and rice. No prob.

I have graduated to phase III solids ahead of schedule wooo-hooo. I shouldn't complain, but what the heck it's the american way. *LOL*

We will revisit the fill question next friday 9/5/28. I just wish I knew ahead of schedule this may happen. As always I will keep u updated.

Mello