Day One In The New World

Well, today marks the first day into the journey of the rest of my life!!  I am T-21 days until I am the lucky recipient of a Lap Band.  It is so hard to believe that a year of preparation, diet and exercise has finally come to fruition, and I am about to get my life back!  I have been both dreading and looking forward to this time, wondering how I was going to get myself through it.  Wondering if I could even do it.  And now, today, here I am, starting the first day of my 21-day fast.  This is what I am doing:

Opti-Fast:  It's a high protein beverage that (seriously) tastes like bottom, but will provide me with 800 calories per day of pure, blended deliciousness diet power.  To be totally honest, it's not actually that bad (she said after only one dose!).  It's basically the consistency of thick whole milk, and the Vanilla flavor tastes like very sweet vanilla pudding.  I am able to mix it with ice and a sugar-free syrup from Starbucks, which gives it a consistency similar to the Ice-Cap's from Tim Horton's.  Not awful, but definitely something that is going to take some getting used to!

In addition to my Opti-Fast, I also get to enjoy my fill of some delicious vegetables:
Peppers
Onion
Mushroom
Cucumber
Tomato
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Beans
Asparagus

So I will be having a lot of stir-frys and soups for the next 3 weeks!  I have 100 extra calories to play with, so that could include a sugar-free popsicle or sugar-free jello as a snack, or some consomme soup or clear broth.  NOT a whole lot to work with, but hopefully it will help me from being hungry (and cranky!!)

The ultimate goal of doing this fast is to help shrink my liver.  When you are overweight, your liver is more prone to bleeding.  It becomes fatty, which can cause bleeding if moved, which is (of course!) a huge problem when you're having stomach surgery! 

Liver facts

• The liver is the largest solid organ in the body, weighing on average about 3.5 pounds.
• The liver carries out a large number of critical functions, including manufacture of essential proteins, and metabolism of fats and carbohydrates.
• The liver also serves to eliminate harmful biochemical waste products and detoxify alcohol, certain drugs, and environmental toxins.
• The liver forms and secretes bile that contains bile acids to aid in the digestion and intestinal absorption (taking in) of fats and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

(taken from http://www.medicinenet.com/liver/article.htm).

So the liver performs a lot of necessary functions in the body.  Unfortunately, because the liver sits on top of the stomach, it is in the way!  Here is an image of how it works:

(From http://www.debakeydepartmentofsurgery.org/home/content.cfm?proc_name=LAP-BAND&content_id=272)

So the lapband is placed at the top of the stomach and creates a small pouch.  This is all done lapiscropically through approximately 5 incisions.  They place the lap band around the top of the stomach, and then they close it sort of like a zip-tie.  Then, there is a port that is placed in the abdomen, which is where they can add or remove fluid to adjust your band.  This can be adjusted depending on your needs.  So if you are having trouble swallowing food or are losing weight at a super-fast rate, then can remove some fluid to allow more food in.  If you have reached a plateau or if you aren't having weight-loss success, then they can add fluid to tighten your band.  This is what the band looks like:

(From http://www.ggarwoodmd.com/procedure.html)

Those little pillowy things in the middle are where the fluid goes.  It is inserted via a needle, and takes under 20 minutes to adjust.  Not bad! 

I'm really getting excited about the surgery.  It's been a lot of work to get to this point, and the best is yet to come!  I've already seen results just from doing the weight management program, and once I start getting the fluid in my band, it's going to be amazing!  I've had a lot of love and support from family and friends, even from people that I wasn't sure how they'd react.  I feel so blessed and so loved, and I"m excited to see what's next.  I'll keep you posted!!

Love J