With the holidays fast approaching...

Looking back at my last post, I have some updates to report. Almost two weeks after that post, I had to have an unfill. I woke up yesterday morning to get to work tired from not sleeping, gagging several times during the night, coughing, and the last straw, not being able to tolerate even water. These are all telltale signs that the LapBand is too tight. I have not eaten solid foods in about 2 to 3 days. So why was I okay two weeks ago, even blogging about how hungry I felt?

Sometimes when the band is just a little too tight, you're able to down liquids fine, but as you move to mushy foods and then solids, you start irritating a narrow opening. The more irritated, the more swelling, the more narrow it becomes. I'm sure what brought me over the edge was the edema (swelling) one gets prior to the monthly cycle. I must be very close to my ideal tightness, which makes it hard to tweak.

The doctor admitted to me he didn't really think I needed much tightening the last time I came in. Given the symptoms, he readily agreed to take a tinsy bit out, not too much to avoid having to come in too soon. His suggestion was to take it easy and stay on liquids a little bit longer until the edema and irritation goes down a bit, and then I should be okay.

On the up side, I was down 6 lbs from less than 2 weeks ago. This weight loss didn't feel so great because it was from starvation, rather than controlled intake. I would not be surprised if I gained a few back, which is fine, as I rather lose the weight in a healthy manner. Part of my fear of gaining the weight back (and my anal OCD with being tight enough) is that I typically gain about 5-10 lbs if not more around the holidays. In fact, last year, from November to January, is when I gained the last 10-15 lbs that really put me over the edge on my health.

Therefore, I feel the compulsive need to combat those bad eating habits that creep up this time of year when you're with friends and family. I checked out a gym close to work and I'm going to try it at lunch time. No promises, no long-term commitment, just trying it out. But I did buy a brand new pink gym bag... :)