It's been over six months since surgery, and we are full in holiday mode. Spending Thanksgiving with my wife's family, we went up to Connecticut to see my family the following week. The air is heavy with anticipation, not only to see what people say about my weight loss, but also the added baby news. Baby news did seem to trump Band news, and as much fun as it might be to recount the telling of our baby news to the family, it is a bit off topic, so I will let it go as it came as a big surprise, especially with everyone initially focused on my weight loss. :-)
I will say expectations are hard to overcome, especially if they may be high, but I was over all pleased with the results. It's funny, but reactions although varied from person to person, seemed to all have some commonality as well. The initial reaction always seemed to be one of hesitant processing accompanied by a studying stare. I'm not sure if it was more of disbelief or in some cases I wasn't meeting up with their expectations. I will say I was handicapped by the weather and time of year. Not only was it Winter, but I was coming from Florida to Connecticut, which probably net an equivalent temperature drop to match my weight loss! I was forced to layer and wear heavy clothes negating some of the apparent benefits of my weight loss. I must say that I was a bit disappointed with some of the reactions as a result. I may have even got a comment of "that's it?" along the way. However, any less than stellar reactions, were often followed by a more congratulatory tone, especially once I took my coat off. I dare say that I may have been able to bask in the glory of better adulation in a warmer clime or better season.
I had some unexpected reactions as well. For example, I got a surprise gush or two, not from how I looked so much, but seeing me actually perform some simple feat of agility, that prior to surgery would've challenged me as a monumental task, such as bending over to pick up something from the ground, climbing stairs without the accompanying huff and puff, or walking in general for that matter. There were comments like "Oh my God, he's able to do......" Fill in the blank. I hadn't realized how poor my physical abilities had gotten to prior to surgery. Seeing my progress through the eyes of others was an eye opener. I'm very pleased with how far I've come, and appreciate all my friends and family who have supported me and gotten me to where I am now. It's truly been a journey and not a destination, but sometimes it's nice to stop and look around and appreciate how far you've come. Thank you all for all of your support.
I can't wait until my next trip, perhaps in the Spring, where maybe I can sport shorts instead of over coats! It was also my first time back on a plane since surgery, and it was so nice to leave the seatbelt extender behind. I fit comfortably into the seat despite being stuck in a middle seat. I was amazed on the difference. Last time I felt like I was stuffed into the seat like an over plump sausage in a narrow sausage casing. I would have to endure the stares of fellow travelers hoping I wasn't sitting next to them and impeding on their space. Now I felt like nothing particularly special or noteworthy on the plane; it was nice to just be one of the crowd. Thank you to all who made this vision a reality.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Belly News
I would like to apologize for being way behind in my blog updates. I've been side tracked due to a number of things going on and my blogging has taken a back seat as a result. I will try and make sure that I don't lose the continuity on the news and will try and go back to where I left off back in October and hopefully after a number of entries I will catch you back up to present.
With my last entry I had mentioned I was still having some belly issues related to my port. I would like to elaborate on that. The issue is not with my Lap Band itself, in fact I've always felt that the band was very well placed and comfortable. It is with my port used to give me adjustments. Back in the Fall it was getting more and more difficult to access my port due to some underlying movement in the port making it harder and harder to pin down with the needle. The resulting time with the needle in my belly just led to some discomfort and swelling that seemed to last a week or two afterwards. This soreness really took me out of my normal routine for exercise and the like. A couple of the times I believe even resulted in an infection, since the swelling and accompanying red streaking would only diminish after starting a regiment of antibiotics. More to come on future posts regarding my port.
On the subject of bellies, my wife's has begun to grow even while mine has shrunk. Some might think this is a result of her finishing meals I can't finish due to the band, or she is simply finding what I'm losing. Neither is true... In fact she is carrying our first baby! I know this seems to be unrelated news considering this is a blog on Lap Band surgery, but I disagree. Besides being a proud father to be, I honestly believe that Lap Band surgery and the corresponding weight loss has had a significant impact that may have led to my wife's current condition, and I don't mean that it made me more attractive to my wife either, although that may be true too. ;-P I'm speaking purely medically. One of my medical conditions I have/had is/was low testosterone levels. I haven't mentioned this before because I myself felt this was very unrelated to my obesity. Well I may have been wrong... I've been taking treatment for my condition for many years with minimal improvement. However, around six months after surgery my testosterone levels have dramatically increased to nearly normal levels. I don't see it as a coincidence that not long after surgery my testosterone level has begun to normalize and not long after that, I'm an expectant father.
Lap Band surgery is improving my health in even unforseen ways. Thank you Lap Band for helping me to expand my family. I much rather see my wife with a baby bump instead of the one I saw in the mirror my whole pre-banded life!
God Bless!
With my last entry I had mentioned I was still having some belly issues related to my port. I would like to elaborate on that. The issue is not with my Lap Band itself, in fact I've always felt that the band was very well placed and comfortable. It is with my port used to give me adjustments. Back in the Fall it was getting more and more difficult to access my port due to some underlying movement in the port making it harder and harder to pin down with the needle. The resulting time with the needle in my belly just led to some discomfort and swelling that seemed to last a week or two afterwards. This soreness really took me out of my normal routine for exercise and the like. A couple of the times I believe even resulted in an infection, since the swelling and accompanying red streaking would only diminish after starting a regiment of antibiotics. More to come on future posts regarding my port.
On the subject of bellies, my wife's has begun to grow even while mine has shrunk. Some might think this is a result of her finishing meals I can't finish due to the band, or she is simply finding what I'm losing. Neither is true... In fact she is carrying our first baby! I know this seems to be unrelated news considering this is a blog on Lap Band surgery, but I disagree. Besides being a proud father to be, I honestly believe that Lap Band surgery and the corresponding weight loss has had a significant impact that may have led to my wife's current condition, and I don't mean that it made me more attractive to my wife either, although that may be true too. ;-P I'm speaking purely medically. One of my medical conditions I have/had is/was low testosterone levels. I haven't mentioned this before because I myself felt this was very unrelated to my obesity. Well I may have been wrong... I've been taking treatment for my condition for many years with minimal improvement. However, around six months after surgery my testosterone levels have dramatically increased to nearly normal levels. I don't see it as a coincidence that not long after surgery my testosterone level has begun to normalize and not long after that, I'm an expectant father.
Lap Band surgery is improving my health in even unforseen ways. Thank you Lap Band for helping me to expand my family. I much rather see my wife with a baby bump instead of the one I saw in the mirror my whole pre-banded life!
God Bless!
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