Week 5

Rough week.... between the problems I had with my bowels and not eating it was like a train wreak. However I have finally started to see the weight dropping. I still haven't been able to get to the gym as I am not eating I don't want to burn all of my calories and then have to eat more. Also I am starting to feel a little better, my energy is coming back and I don't feel so tired all the time. It helps that I noticed my clothes are loose fitting, I have gone a size down in underwear and I am on the last hook of my bra. 

This week of course was thanksgiving, I had to be careful with what I ate and how much. I tried to use 1 small plate and instead of eating each course with the group I just put everything on one plate so I could make sure it was no more than a cup (that seems to be all I can handle at a time). I went on a Quad ride with a friend and the bouncing around effected me just a touch but nothing that made it unpleasant.

Also it was my first time out to a restaurant with friends, which was harder than I thought. It is hard for me to judge how much I am eating without measuring. So I over ate a little and felt sick.

I am down 17 pounds in 5 weeks... woot woot

Week 4

Okay so this post is going to be a little graphic. This week started out the same as any, I was trying to get my calorie intake up, on Wednesday after school I tried to have a bowel movement. It took 12 hours to pass and was probably the most pain I have ever felt. By Thursday I have to go to emergency, I was told I had an impacted colon and large intestine, I will spare you the gory details. I spent the night and part of the day in the hospital. I got home and was still in a large amount of pain for the rest of the day. I am hoping that I am back on track now. I have weened myself of of the meds and I am only taking them as needed. My food intake is slowly increasing and I am hoping that I can start back at the gym (I am supposed to wait until I can get my calories up to 1200).

I had my first real outing with my friends, a birthday party. It was a little more difficult then I thought. I had to really watch because I couldn't eat any of the normal things. No chips, no alcohol, no carbs and I noticed that raw veggies are hard on my stomach. Next week is Thanksgiving, and it makes me so sad because I will have to be very picky about what I eat since I can still only manage about 1 cup a food at a time.

After four weeks of pain and discomfort I am praying and hoping things will go better. It really can only get better from here. I am not even looking at weight or inches right now, I am trying to get my body healthy again before I move on.  It is more important for me to be healthy and not damage anything then to be thinner, I just have to keep reminding myself of that.

It is hard to go through this when there were almost no blogs that followed the details of peoples journeys. I am hoping that I can blog this all the way till the end so that other people can be prepared for what may happen. If things don't get better I may have to consider having my balloon removed, hopefully that is not the case.

Until Next Week
Tara

Week 3

I am still struggling day to day, vomiting in the evenings is turning out to be a normal activity. I am trying new food all the time, I have found that onions upset my stomach. I am consuming just about 700-900 calories a day and sadly I don't seem to be losing any weight. All the blogs I have read seem to show people losing a ton of weight the first month, I am hoping my body is just slow. I will admit the first 2 weeks I wasn't moving around a lot but by the end of last week and this week I am going to school full time working part time, I am taking my dog for regular walks and I am hoping that next week I can start back at the Gym.

Most of the struggles that I have seem to be mental which I knew would be the problem. My mind tells me I want more food than I have room for. I feel hungry a lot but I fill up super easy as well. If I even eat the smallest amount too much I am sick. I am taking a seniors multi vitamin which I am hoping will help with my energy level. On the plus side I am sleeping way better and can manage on my side for small amounts of time, however I can not lay on my stomach at all.

So I sent my nutritionist an email as I don't seem to be losing weight as fast as I should be. I am only consuming 700-900 calories a day and still throwing up in the evening. She said I need to start consuming a min off 1200 cals ASAP. I almost laughed, I am barley able to keep down what I'm eating now. Dave and I are going to work out some high protein and nutrient dense foods to help. Also she said I should hold off on the gym for a few days as my calorie intake is dangerously low.

Tonight I did my best to get as many calories into my body as I could. Its not as easy as it sounds. I feel bloated and sick. I am trying to eat as much protein as I can and make healthy calorie dense choices. On my second night of eating more I felt ok. Still crazy bloated, the problem was on the 3rd day I woke up feeling horrible. My stomach was hard as rock, I couldn't even take in water without feeling uncomfortable.  Hopefully this feeling will go away soon and I can just get on with this journey.

Week 2

Day 8
I went out to the park with Dave and Emma I managed about an hour of walking till I started to feel some pain and cramping. However once I was able to get back to the car and sit for a bit the cramps and pain went away.

As for food today I tried some scrambled egg with a few few mushrooms, which went fine. For lunch I tried watered down cream of broccoli soup which was too heavy for me. Trying different foods sucks, the pain and discomfort bite the big ones.


Day 9
Today I had minced pork with some veggies. I ended up eating to much which made me very sick. I had extreme cramps and a horrible feeling pressure. I ended up throwing up some of my dinner which helped get rid of the pressure but didn't help with the pain. Thankfully I had pain meds which I took and seemed to help.

Day 10
Today is going much better. I had a meal replacement for breakfast and for lunch I had left over minced pork and veggies (a much smaller amount), I got hungry again around 3pm so I had a Yoplait drink which helped. For dinner I had another meal replacement drink, I am going to try to make my lunches the more solid of food as I find if I had anything heavy in my stomach before I go to bed I feel sick.

Day 15

The last few days I have slowly moved into solid foods. It hasn't been wonderful, i pretty much end up throwing up every night. If I even eat a teaspoon too much it all comes up. Liquid goes down fine butI find the meal replacement isnt filling me up as much any longer and I am still hungry afterward. Having said that you would think I would be down more weight this week but I have only lost another 1.6 pounds which is just under the 2 pounds a week I am hoping for. I will take my measurement tonight maybe the inches side of things will look better.

One Week Down

Day 7

Omg, I finally slept. I woke up feeling not to bad. The acid reflux was not as bad as it usually is. I was able to sleep on my side for short amounts of times last night, hopefully that is a positive sign. Now that
the first week is over and I made it through relatively well. I knew there would be some rough times, however I didn't think the worst was going to be the acid reflux and the sleeping. After a week I am feeling pretty good and looking forward to the next chapter, Pureed food. I start back at work tomorrow, I am a little nervous as I have no energy what's so ever. I have been doing nothing but sleeping for the last week.

On a side note I did try some pureed sweet potato yesterday, about 4 teaspoons. Either it was too heavy or too much cause I ended up feeling over full and bloated. I also tried to get out of the house for a little while. I went to the Bank and then came home and rested for about an hour, then I tried to go for a short walk with my dog for about 20 minutes. It must have been too much because during the walk, I kept have moments of discomfort then extreme nausea.

Today I was allowed to move into the pureed stage,  I cut up an apple and a nectarine and then I pureed it and I also tried some watered down mushroom soup, I did fine with both.

I also went back to work today, I worked 4 hours, only managed about 45 minutes of walking, the rest of the time I had to spend in my office. I cut back my hours a little for next week since I didn't think I would be able to manage working 7 hour shifts. My guess is if you have an office job you could probably manage going back to work and working the full shifts, however since I work retail and have to be on my feet most of the time, there is no way I would be able to put in 40 hours next week.

Today I measured and weighed myself, I am down 7.4 pounds and 3.5 inches.

Day 6 with My Gastric Balloon

Day 6

Okay I know this seems small but its driving me crazy, I am not getting any sleep as I can't seem to lay on my side. I toss and turn all night, the moment my body lays on its side I am sick with acid reflux and I feel like I am going to throw up. As usual I woke up with a wicked case of acid reflux, which this morning did not seem to go away even after I took my acid reflux meds. After a few hours I decided to take the anti nausea meds as I couldn't seem to feel better at all. I am tired all the time but I am sure once I can get a little solid food in me I will get some energy.

My goal today is to get down 8 cups of liquid. I am hoping to move to pureed food with in the next 2 days or so.

So far today I have had 1 meal replacement and almost a full bottle of Yoplait and the acid reflux pain seems to be subsiding a little.

Once a week I will take my measurements and post them, I do weight myself everyday but I am going to only post that once a week as well. I also realized that I didn't take a before picture so I will do that today.

Day 5 with my Gastric Balloon

Day 5 - Tuesday 

Woke up with extreme acid reflux feeling, it does tend to ease once I get a little food in me stomach. For breakfast I had a meal replacement drink, it took me about an hour to get the can down. I find I  always hungry but the good thing is such small amounts fill me up. For lunch I had some puréed soup watered down, it may have been either to much or too heavy as I ended up with severe cramps. Now on a side note I am supposed to wait 2 more days before I try to eat anything like that. I also have constipation cramps as I haven't had a bowel movement in 5 days. 

I am finding it hard to read my body, I don't know the difference between the pains my body is having. So I have to try different things and relearn the signs. I do have meds for pain, cramping, acid reflux and nausea. The acid reflux one I have to take every morning, I can't imagine the pain I would feel with out it. The others I'm am trying to take only as needed but as I can't tell the difference between the pains I am trying to deal with it naturally. 

The first few days AFTER SURGERY

Okay so I am 4 days in and wasn't up to writing so let me start by taking a step back.

Friday- Day 1 Surgery Day

Friday morning Dave and I got up and took a bus to the Clinic. Once we got there they told Dave it would be about 2 hours and said he was free to wait or grab breakfast. I was ushered to a room where I put on a fancy hospital gown, my weight was taken and we went over some of my medical history. I meet with the Dr, the anaesthesiologist and a nurse. When the time came I was ushered into another room where I was asked to lay on my side, an IV was put in. I was told I would be conscious but I wouldn't remember which made me a little uncomfortable. With in seconds I was out and the next thing I knew I was waking up with a terrible cough. A nurse was there to rub my back and talk to me, I pretty passed out again. When I came to enough to be aware they had me sit up, they gave me a lovely bucket (I am sure you can guess what that was for). The IV was still in and I was getting fluids, I couldn't feel the balloon, so far so good. The next step was to get up and sit in a wheel chair. Once I moved I started to throw up, they called Dave and told him it would be another hour. I was moved back into bed, two other ladies had come into my room at different stages of consciousness, 1 had the lap band and the other I think the Gastric Balloon. The Dr kept checking up on me and a nurse was never far from the 3 of us. When I finished my 3rd bag of fluids I was put into the wheel chair again. I felt ill but was able to keep it down. I met up with Dave, they hailed a cab for us and back to the hotel we went.

From Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon I threw up every hour and a half to every 2 hours. It was a little unsettling it looked a little like blood and as a haemophiliac I was nervous. Also I couldn't imagine how I had that much liquid to come out of me. Dave was amazing for the first couple of hours, the vomit would come so fast I couldn't make it to the bathroom and had to use my bucket. He was there by my side rubbing my back and comforting me. Saturday the Dr checked in, I told him what was going on, he said everything sounded normal.

I sipped at watered down juice as much as I could and slept pretty much non stop when I wasn't throwing up. Saturday night was my last bought of throwing up. Here is an interesting side note, I could not lay on my side for any amount of time. I would get an immediate burning in my chest and nausea, for someone who sleeps on there side this was like torture.

Sunday - Day 3

Sunday was a turn for the better, I felt fairly good, I went for a very slow walk, if I moved to quick or the wrong way I felt ill. I ended up going to far and got cramps. I napped, sipped liquids and in the evening went for a short swim (more like a float). Sunday was the first day I felt hungry and no amount of liquid helped. My brain told me I wanted something to chew anything. Dave went out and got me some meal replacements and jello, the meal replacement oddly enough helped more then the jello.

Day 4 - Monday (travel day) 

I woke up feeling terrible, wicked acid reflux feeling. We had to check out of the hotel by noon. I took meds, ate, napped, walked nothing helped. Dave packed everything, checked us out, and called a taxi. The Toronto airport is large and I knew I wouldn't be able to walk the entire distance comfortably so we got a wheel chair. We had a long wait a head of us, just over 4 hours but I was thankful to just sit. I took all meds plus Pepto and gravel and just passed out for the entire flight. Once home I had a Popsicle and about 4 table spoons of watered down soup. So far the pain is bearable most of the time and I'm hoping the worst is behind me.

Reflecting before My Gastric Balloon

I’m sitting here just hours before what I am now thinking of the first day of the rest of my life. I am truly hoping that my life changes tomorrow. This year has been a whirlwind for me and some good luck and changes are what I need to turn it around. This is a lifestyle change for my husband and I. We want to be the healthiest we have ever been by the end of next year.

As for the not eating for 36 hours, my body isn’t that hungry however my mind is looking for solid food. After talking to Doctors I know that my mind is what I am battling this year. I have to learn to adjust and listen to what my body says. I find it weird, I am a 34 year old woman and I have either forgotten or never learned to listen to my body. Maybe its that I try to control my eating because I lack control else where, but that feels like an excuse. Maybe its that I just didnt care before, but what I know now, 100% is that I am ready to make the change and I will need all the help I can get.

36 Hours Before My Gastric Balloon

The last 36 hours

So up until now everything has been pretty good. The clinic called today at 230 pm to advise me that they had sent my prescription into my pharmacy. Thankfully I wasn’t working and was able to run down and pick them up. In my mind I had assumed that it would be a couple hundred dollars or so, you know what they say about people who assume. The pharmacist tells me that 1. The total will be $843.00 and two the don’t carry one of the 4 drugs and has to be special ordered. I almost choked, I jump on the phone to call the clinic because surely you would mention this to clients, but of course no one answered. I go home and my husband does a little research, the drug is zofran which is a very strong anti-nausea drug used by cancer patients. There is an off brand and its $500.00 cheaper. We call Costco they have so we run down there only to find that they won’t give it to me cause supposedly they are not interchangeable. I send an email go the clinic asking for the off brand prescription to be sent to a pharmacy close to there clinic in Mississauga. At this point I am only on clear liquids, I pack my things and get a good night sleep.

We get up in the morning, I have a glass of juice and a Popsicle for breakfast ( still feeling fine) and then head to the airport . Once in Toronto we try to hail a cab and there is not one to be found anywhere. Who has ever heard of an airport without taxis. Lucky we walked across to the Sheraton and they called a car for us. We picked up a few things at the mall then headed to the hotel (Novotel). It was clean and close to the mall and the clinic.

We grabbed a bus and headed out to find the pharmacy only to find that they had zofran ready for us not the off brand. So again I call the clinic to sort things out. They special ordered it for me and I can pick it up tomorrow. I would have paid $743.00 for the zofran instead I paid $178.00, that is a crazy amount of difference and hassle I went through.

It’s 12 hours before the procedure and I plan to spend the night watching movies as I have a headache and i am feeling a little more tired than usual.

Some general care guidelines for the gastric balloon.

Some general care guidelines for the gastric balloon.

Exercise: After the procedure you should try to get up as soon as you feel able and try to walk at least 30 minutes a day. Gradually increase your activity, but be careful not to overdo it. 

Sex: Sexual relations may be resumed 2 weeks after the procedure. 

Start a liquid/chewable Multivitamin, Calcium and Vitamin D3 supplements 

Have everything ready before you go in for the procedure, take a few days off afterwards to allow for adjustments. Have Pepto and/or Gravol to help relieve nausea. Clear juice and broth, sugar reduced popsicle, and plenty of cold water.

You need to have a caregiver with you for the first 24 hours after the procedure. 

Be prepared to have regular contact with the dietitian on a monthly basis for your 12 month journey. (You can also set up appointments weekly if you feel the need) 

Part 3

5 days before the procedure,

So I thought it would be best to start adapting to a liquid diet earlier than suggested. I had a smoothie for breakfast, a handful of sunflower seeds for a early snack than a regular lunch, blue berries for a mid-day snack and then a regular dinner. I measured and weighed myself and started keeping a little journal to track my progress. I am feeling a touch of nervousness but I am sure that things will go fine, I just hope that I can keep on track over the next year of this journey. Although the balloon is only is for 6 months, the 6 months after will determine if the procedure was a success or not.  

My Goal to lost 56 pounds and to be a size 10. 

Part 2

The Next step was a consultation, it lasted about 40 minutes, the doctor called and talked about the gastric balloon, the risks, the experience and the journey. We went over all the side effects and then he asked me about my life, health, exercise routine and diet. The staff were helpful and took me through everything step by step. I had to wait a bit as I knew I didn’t want to book my appointment until September and it was June. So I set an alarm on my phone for 6 weeks before I wanted to have my balloon done and put it out of my mind. When the time came to book the appointment everything happened quickly. I was sent a deposit request which was for $1000.00 once this is paid they will hold your date and send you the rest of the information (The total cost is $8814.00) plus the cost for me to fly there and spend 4 nights in a hotel twice. I was also contacted by a patient coordinator and a Registered Dietitian. 

In one of the many emails I was sent almost everything I would need, I got a Pre-Op Form, Gastric Balloon Insertion and Removal Consent Form, Patient Care Contact, Patient Registration Form, Patient Pharmacy Information, Points to review Before Gastric Balloon  Instructions After Gastric Balloon, and a Booking Agreement. After filling out all the paper work I had a few questions, Kim at SmartShape was happy to answer them quickly. Next I called and made an appointment with my doctor to get the forms filled out ($72.00), booked my hotel and plane tickets and then started looking for blogs again to see if there was anything new (there wasn’t). All that was left to do was to sit and wait for the next 2 weeks. 

Part 1

My Gastric Balloon journey began a few months ago with research. I knew I needed help with weight loss, I had hit a plateau and couldn't seem to get any further no matter how hard I worked. So I hit the internet and started to look at what my options were. As a hemophiliac I knew it had to be non-intrusive as I wouldn't be approved for anything else. I came across the gastric balloon and thought this might be it. I researched and sadly found that the closest place to get it done was Toronto, which made me less excited but I kept looking into it. The more I read the more I thought I wanted to go through with it. I read every blog and testimonial I could find and then set up a consultation. 

(On a side note, I did find out that The Maples Clinic in Winnipeg will be starting to do the Gastric Balloon some time by the end of the year. I thought about waiting however it would than involve me taking more time off of school.)