Unfill Update

I know I said the previous post would be my last before B00Bs, but I just wanted to give you an update on my unfill this afternoon. After some discussion with my surgeon (I'll tell you the details some other time) we decided on a 2ml unfill. All I can say is that the relief was almost immediate, I could literally feel my body untighten and relax. This evening I went out for dinner with friends and I ate 'normally' and drank lots of water. I enjoyed myself so much, it was such a pleasure to be able to relax around food again. No discomfort, no stuck episodes, no stress, no walking away after two mouthfuls, no PBing. Bliss. I'm so looking forward to being able to eat regular meals with my family again.

Safe travel to all the B00B-ettes. See you tomorrow or Friday.

Watch out Chicago, I'm coming to eat you!!!

Countdown is Progressing, 5...4...3

Well, this is it, my final post before B00Bs! My suitcase is packed, my hand luggage is packed (lots of copies of Hello, a book, a bar of chocolate and a packet of shortbread biscuits - well, I'd hate to starve before I meet the B00B ladies!) and I am good to go.

This time tomorrow (if all goes to plan) I should be halfway across the Atlantic, either deeply asleep, deeply engrossed in Hello or deeply engrossed in a movie (let's hope American Airlines are showing some good ones because I don't enjoy flying and I find it really helps if I have something to keep me occupied other than thinking about the fact that I'm 36,000 feet above the ocean deep...)

This afternoon I have my long-awaited appointment for an unfill, hooray hooray. I'm going to ask for a biggy as I'm fed up of surviving on Gaviscon alone!

Anyhooozles, this is me signing off. Looking forward to a few days of R&R with the B00Bs (is that likely, do you think?!), some shopping in Chicago and NYC, and then coming home to see lovely hubby and my little boy (before we move house two days later - oh yes, it's all go around here!)

Travelling Light(er)

I'm pleased to report that, physically, I will be travelling light(er) to Chicago. The same can probably not be said of my suitcase... This morning the scales greeted me with the cheery news that I've lost another 2lbs!!! I typed 1lb at first, because I'm pretty sure I've already seen 12st 7lbs on the scale, but when I looked back through my blog I've not recorded that weight. Seems very odd that I would have missed reporting it, but sometimes life gets in the way of blogging, so I guess it may have just got overlooked.

12st 6lbs - 174lbs - BMI 29.0
(a total loss so far of 88lbs - 6lbs to go!)

Wow - those numbers are looking good! Just 2lbs more and I'll have lost 90lbs; 6lbs more and I'll be at my (inital) goal (wonder if I can get there before my 40th birthday?) Yee haw.

The acid reflux/heartburn is still lingering (although I did finally get round to buying some heartburn relief medication which seems to be helping) and my band is still sooooooooooooper tight, so I'm not really surprised that I've dropped a couple more pounds. I'm really looking forward to getting an unfill next Wednesday - just 5 more days. I'm sure the pounds won't be dropping off after that!

And then, it's CHICAGO time!!!! I started my packing yesterday (without the boy child getting in the suitcase this time); here we have a bundle of clothes for the sisterhood exchange

and here we have some Booty for the B00Bs - I see Cadbury Flake bars, I see magazines, I see Fruit & Nut, I see M&S chiplets... If any other of you B00B ladies want me to bring anything over, please let me know - I've got plenty of room (at the moment!)

Today's Malady: Migraine

I'm a walking bundle of poorliness at the moment. Blurgghh. Today I've been in the grips of a migraine; luckily, not one of those 'please remove my head with a blunt instrument and kick it as far away from me as you possibly can because I never want to see it again' migraines, but nonetheless an annoying niggly one that took two migraine tablets to shift.

I do wonder if the tightness of the band, and thus my inability to consume enough liquids, could be to blame? Or am I clutching at straws here?! Neverthless, I have made a concerted effort to increase my liquid intake today (and I don't mean by drinking more coffee!)

Many thanks to everyone who commented on my previous post about acid reflux; I don't get it REALLY bad, I don't get it everyday, and funnily enough, I don't get it at night, so I'm not overly concerned at having to rush to get an un-fill sooner than next week; it's just that when I get it, it is fairly uncomfortable/annoying.

On a more positive note, I started my packing for Chicago yesterday evening (after I managed to get my darling son to vacate the suitcase), and also started reading my guide book (at long last), so I am now getting into MAJORLY excited mode!!!

Heartburn/acid reflux, call it what you will

Has anyone else suffered from heartburn/acid reflux since being banded? Having done a quick search on Google, I'm pretty sure this is what is happening to me and, apparently, it can be caused by the band being too tight.

Well, I know for sure my band is too tight and thank goodness I have an appointment with my surgeon in just 9 days - I'm going to ask for an unfill, quite a big one I think as my stomach really could do with a bit of a break, not to mention the fact that the rest of my body would probably benefit from some 'proper' food. I can't remember the last time I was able to sit down and eat a meal (however small) without having to stop after a couple of mouthfalls to take a walk or a break. The other morning I had a bite of watermelon and a bite of honeydew melon and promptly threw up - not good!

I'm in two minds about the unfill though; while I know I absolutely 100% need one because my eating just isn't right at the moment, I'm also nervous of what might happen to my weight if/when I'm able to eat more. Will I be able to resist the lure of bigger portions?! At the moment I know that the band does all the work for me and because it's so (too) tight I cannot overeat; but once it's loosened I'll actually have to play a part in this weightloss process and, after 20 months of coasting along, what will happen?!

Packing for Chicago...

Yesterday I borrowed a suitcase from my Mum because I'm pretty sure the one I own isn't going to be big enough for all the clothes/shoes/books/general stuff I'm intending to buy while in Chicago and New York. Not to mention the clothes/shoes/books/general stuff I'll be bringing with me as well (Cadbury's Flake bars, Beautiful Homes magazines, M&S chipsticks, clothes for swapping, etc).

There's also one other thing it looks like I'll be bringing along - does anyone mind if a small interloper joins the B00Bs?

Booty for the B00Bs

I'm still here, which means that poor old John Taylor didn't get his chance to whisk me away on Friday evening - his loss, of course... They put on a great show (albeit short and sweet and just 1 hour 15 mins), even hubby enjoyed it.




Anyhoo, I'm not here to talk about Duran Duran, I'm here with a shout-out to the B00Bs, and more specifically with a once-in-a-lifetime offer:

Do any of you lovely B00B ladies want me to bring over things from the UK that you can't get hold of in the US or Canada? Tina has already requested a bar of Cadbury's Fruit & Nut and a copy of 25 Beautiful Homes magazine (I hope she doesn't mind me telling you that!), and I have those ready and waiting to be packed. So, who else needs some Cadbury chocolate, a copy of Hello magazine, a packet of Bird's Custard, a jar of Colman's mustard, a pair of M&S knickers, a packet of M&S salt & vinegar twists (Gilly?!), or the like?

Just leave me a comment or drop me an email and I'll do my best to get hold of what your heart desires (within reason... and if there's room in my case.)

September - Destined To Be a Great Month

For a number of reasons:

1) First and foremost, it's got to be B00Bs!!! Thanks to my wonderful hubby and mum I'm heading to Chicago (and NYC) to meet a whole host of wonderful banded ladies. It's just four weeks (and 2 days) away!

2) On Friday night I'm going to see Duran Duran in concert. And at a small venue (capacity approx 600), which means that John Taylor, my life-long (well, since teenhood) love will have no trouble picking me out in the crowd and announcing his undying love for me. Forget the fact that hubby's coming with me - I've explained the situation with regards me and 'JT' and he understands.

Here's JT, aged approx 12, when Duran Duran were megastars in the 1980s

And here he is now: aged well, don't you think?

And last, but not least, 3) I've lost another 1lb; that's 2lbs already in Sept and it's only the 6th of the month. Don't ask me how I've done it, I'm pretty sure I've done nothing differently this week to any other week of the year. Clearly September is causing me to waste away.

12st 8lbs - 176lbs - BMI 29.3

(a total loss so far of 86lbs - 8lbs to go!)

I 'heart' September.

Just one concern: I hope JT can see me in the crowd now I'm so 'skinny'. Snort.

LXXXV

I'm being cultured; LXXXV [edited after eagle-eyed Sandy Lee noticed I'd done myself out of 10lbs!!] - that's how many pounds I've now lost, in Latin.

Jumped on the scales on 1st September to see that the new month (and what feels like a new season as there's definitely an autumnal hint in the air) has brought me a new low:

12st 9lbs - 177lbs - BMI 29.5
(a total loss so far of 85lbs - 9lbs to go!)

I'm in single figures for the number of pounds left to lose to get to my (first?) goal!! Wow. Did I think that would ever be possible when I was first banded? I'm not sure, to tell the truth. I'd really like to reach that goal of 12stone (168lbs) before my 40th birthday; it's not til the end of November, so is very do-able if I put my mind to it. My only concern is that the un-fill I have scheduled for end of Sept (just before B00Bs - good timing!) could have an adverse affect on my weightloss - I'll probably have to take more care over what/how much I eat than I do at the moment; basically my band does all the work now, but if I have an unfill I think I may actually have to start participating in the weightloss journey rather than being carried along, and that does worry me a bit. Will I be able to do it? We shall have to wait and see...