I got that fill......

Before I start this post, I want to thank all you gorgeous girls that took the time to comment yesterday on my last post. If I had known I would get such a fantastic response to my getting the job  I would have taken more care with the post itself lol. I went back and read it (I had already done it twice.. ) and found I had missed words out making the reading a bit hit and miss. Sheesh. I gotta slowwwww down!

So, my fill appointment went quite well yesterday. I ended up seeing Dr Hill and not Couch. But that's ok. The more I see Dr Hill, the more I like him. And this is the difference between he and Dr Couch. It's the little things he says and does. We sat down and started chatting and all the usual questions were asked: how hungry was I? ... very. How much am I eating?... same as usual.. about a cup full per meal. Do I snack? Sometimes, yeah, but try not too, sticking to the three meals per day. Any reflux or regurgitation? No to the first and yes, some to the second. How often do I regurgitate? Hmm.. now there's a tricky one. My answer was, I didn't PB much in the  first month, but I did more in the 2nd (it's been about 8 weeks since I was in there last.)  I also told him I thought I knew why I had the odd PB or two. It's because I still eat too fast. I'm aware of it and I try not to do it, but well, life is busy and sometimes I can't stop and sit and eat the way I should.

He didn't frown on me or tell me off like Dr Couch has in the past, but did explain this to me. I did say to him when he was asking about my portion sizes that I am very aware of the fact if I eat too much at one sitting over an extended amount of time that there is danger of my pouch stretching. He said... yessss, BUT did you also know that if you constantly bolt your food and eat too fast there is also a worry with stretching it. I didn't actually know that. (and why didn't I know this? Did I put that little nugget of information in the dark recesses of my mind?) How so? I asked. 

Because we now only have a little opening at the base of the esophagus and the muscles that help you swallow are pushing the food down towards the stomach, even if you take a good size bite of food (I'm talking a normal bite we would have done pre-band and I still am in the habit of doing) and we mush it within an inch of it's life.. it can't get through the restricted opening. It may trickle through but for the most part will still sit on top. And by then you've had another six bites, it all adds up and where else can it go but up. Okay, so that explains the PB'ing which I knew about anyway. What I didn't know was eating slowly is not only imperative to help us stay fuller longer and to stop the Pb's it is also hugely important to stop your little stomach from stretching out of shape or worse still, us suffering a slipped band.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is we must, must, MUST concentrate on taking small bites. I'm the first to admit this is where I fall down. I do stick to my portion sizes, I do drink my water and I follow all the other rules put to me, but eating slowly and taking little teeny bites is where I flag. Dr Hill told me this. If, for example, I'm eating an apple and I cut a wedge, that wedge must be cut into about five pieces. If I am having some steak from say a casserole and that piece is an inch by an inch cubed, cut it in four. You getting the picture? Each bit of food that goes in our mouth has be tiny. It's kind of crazy but this is the way we now have to eat.. for life! (YOIKS!!!!) He asked if I ate off a small plate and bowl?...affirmative. Do I use a small knife and fork? Ahhh.. yeah, sure I said. Oops. I actually don't. I have a knife and fork that is smaller than average but it's still not the little ones we are supposed to use. So yesterday while doing the food shop, I hit the baby aisle and picked up a toddler knife, fork and spoon set, feeling silly the whole time lol. But I used them last night for dinner and sure enough, it slowed me right down. My meal took me 20 minutes to eat (I had a curry chicken and rice which I mashed very finely due to having to eat soft foods with my fill.) 

These are the bowls, plate (I have several of each) and utensils I now use. I put a ruler under them so you can see the sizing. It's a standard 30cm plastic ruler. 

And speaking of which... I did get some fill in. .25 of a ml (cc) again. He wanted to give me enough to knock the hunger on it's head but at my request, not tighten me so much I can't get food down. After all, isn't that the whole purpose of the band? We need to be able to eat. So far the hunger is still there, but I figure this restriction will tighten over time. It usually does. Oh, and it was the first time I had stepped on the scale at Dr Hill's office and weighed more than I do on my own. Ack! It showed I was a half kilo (or a pound) higher than I am here at home - but I have a feeling it's the whole woman thing going down. This morning my stomach is achy and I feel a bit bloated. So, taking that in my stride I know that it's hormonal or water weight. It will come off again in a day or two. It's either that or my boozy weekend catching up with me.Good news is too, when the good doc was giving me my fill, he mentioned now that my port is so close to the surface we are downgrading to the smallest, shortest needle they have next time I get a fill. Whoo.

Amy W asked (Hi Ames.. xx) about my friends sleeve that I mentioned in yesterdays post. Did she wish she had gone the lapband route? I don't think she does. She as much mentioned she was happy getting the sleeve. And did she say how the sleeve worked? Nada to that too, though she did mention she'd had a 'sugar dump' a few times and it was very uncomfortable. With all the noise and action going on around us, we didn't get too much of a chance to get into the nitty gritty of the lapband vs the sleeve. In hindsight now, I wish we had. 

Confessions of a Band Goddess aka Steph. I STILL can't comment on your blog. I read a great post from you this morning about your new high heels and tried again to comment, but it's not leaving any room under the verification word for me to put it in and publish the comment. Argh. Does anyone else have this trouble with this?

Kay gotta run. 

Love you all madly, have a wunderbar Tuesday

Cara xx