My First Fill

 I need to blog about it and maybe write it a little bit better.  It was fun, though.  As long as I'm not going to the doctor for something bad, I'm the most entertaining patient.  It doesn't take much to amuse me, that's for sure.  And as I gain confidence, I'm more apt to blurt out whatever's going through my head.  Like commenting on my boobs blocking the needle's view!

I haven't had any solids yet, but may try some eggs for breakfast.  We'll see how it goes.  I will be happy to rely less on willpower and more on the band.  It is quite tough and I was nearing the end of my rope.  Yes, I confess I was not perfect and even ate cookies the night before my fill at our work  dinner meeting.  I brought my own ricotta bake and did not eat the Pizza Hut stuff I had to order for the gang.  But I did eat cookies.  It took me 30' to eat them, breaking one molecule off at a time and nibbling it.  That also gave me plenty of time to think about what I was doing.  Not that I stopped.  I was at the front of the room and couldn't get up to throw them away.  I am chalking that up as a learning experience: You cannot eat them if they are not there.  If you do not put a cookie by your plate, you will not eat a cookie.  Just like you couldn't climb over the crowd of science nerds to throw your uneaten cookies away, you wouldn't climb over the crowd to go get one!  It's not like they were that good anyway.  

At least I was good and put the remaining cookies in the break room so everyone else would eat them, instead of me!  Live and learn--life is an amazing classroom.

Yeah, unless Spanx makes a bikini, I'll pass for now!  But it was funny when I chased down my dietician Jessica to show her how loose my skirt was!  I look like a dork from some weightloss gimmick infomercial!  Hook your thumb in the waist, pull it out really far and then wiggle it up and down while nodding your head and grinning like a fool.  Yeah, that's me.  At least I didn't do my normal routine, which is to hike my skirt up over my boobs and go, "Look!  I can wear it like a sundress!!!"

I wonder how many visits to the clinic it'll take before Dr. Williams has me committed?  

Hugs to you Micheala!!!!
Denise

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I am so happy for you!!!!!!!

I was so excited to see this, I was just thinking it was about time for your fill!   I didn't think the needle poke was bad at all either!  And to me it was more of a pressure pain than anything.   So when is your next fill???   Mine is June 10th @ 3:00 and I'm taking my miniFlip!   Between the two of us, we should be able to get a video soon!

Does he just want to see how things are going through?  He didn't have any trouble finding your pork did he?   Did you tell him you call it "pork"?

I am so happy for you...  

After two fills, I'm really starting to feel like the band is helping!  I know that might sound strange but I am so excited about the next fill cause I think I am getting closer to my sweet spot!

OK..  here comes the NON-math person..  what is the difference between you getting mL and me getting cc's???  

Congrats on your weight loss, and your improved health!!
I am so happy for you!!!!!


Hey.. .   have I mentioned I am HAPPY for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HUGS

I am going to be honest here...  I have no idea what a fill is like...  but my friend, Jenn, has talked about them.  I want to just tip my hat to those who go in on a routine basis and get this done...  While I have heard it does not hurt, I don't know!  Just something about a needle going into my chest!!  I'm glad that you all are brave enough to endure this...  Hats off to ya!

Hey Melinda,

How is Jenn doing? She hardly ever post anymore, maybe she is just busy like so many others, at least I hope that is what it is. When you see/talk to her tell her that I asked about her.

Thanks,
Cheryl

Cheryl, I just emailed her and told her that you asked about her.  Yes, she's been really busy.  Her son is in baseball this year, and also her daughter is, well a teenager! LOL.  I think that explains it all!

Hey Cheryl! Just wanted to pop in and say thanks for checking on me! I am doing pretty good. Life has just sort of taken over and I don't get a chance to post as often.
I hope all is well with you and Phil.....maybe I will get a chance to make one of the lunches or dinners soon! Have a great day!

Thanks Mel for filling me in on all the happenings over here...love ya girly!!!!

Oh and as for the fills......I have become so use to them I can even look at the needle sticking out now!!! LOL

To me, I don't feel the needle...   IF you take you tummy and pinch up a good finger full, then poke it, it is that pressure of the poke, that I kind of compare it with.   And my little port is just to the Northwest of my belly button, don't think I'd like to have a needle in my chest either! 

To me having my port (which still doesn't have a cool name like Denise's pork) and being able to get fills is fun!!   Now that I know how it is done and it doesn't hurt!

Thank you for your hats off!!  

Hopefully either Denise or I will have video for ya'll in June!!!

HUGS

 It's not agonizing at all, though I wouldn't go get a fill just for fun!  And it goes by quite quickly, so it's one of those things you don't remember much once it's done.

Having boobs blocking the view is a good thing!  Though I don't mind needles, I don't like watching them go into flesh (eeew!), so as long as I don't have to look at it, I'm  with it.

I am eagerly looking forward to the fluoroscope fill, though!  OMG, that is going to be toooo cool.  Amy's description reminded me of some movie we saw in school--someone behind a fluoroscope chewing and swallowing.  The background was white with the skeleton in gray and you could see the black blob of food getting mashed and then going down the old hatch.

I'm such an easily entertained science dork!!!

 Tee hee!!!  Thanks, I'm happy too!  

Yes, I did in fact tell Dr. Williams that my port is called my pork.  I'm quite sure he thinks I'm nuts, though I think I did provide some entertainment value to the rotating med student.

Once the needle got past the surface, it was mostly just pressure plus the pop.  I would think having an amniocentesis would be waaaay worse.  Just because the needle is about 3 feet long doesn't mean they pu**** in that far.  Okay, so maybe it wasn't QUITE that long, ha ha!

He said I do have some scar tissue near the pork, but he was able to find it just fine and get that 1.5 ml in there.  Oh, ml (milliliter) is the same as cc (cubic centimeter).  They tend to use cc more on the medical side for measuring volumes, where we use ml on the research side.

I can tell the fill is having some effect.  I may not be near the sweet spot yet, but I'm getting closer.  I had a big mug of coffee while I was blogging this morning.  About an hour later, I went and did my physical therapy exercises.  2 of the 3 require lying on your back.  I was on my back for less than 5 minutes, but woweeeee!  

I didn't have any flow back up, but I had a Reflux Moment, that's for sure!  The cough I was so accustomed to living without for 6-odd weeks was back with a vengeance!  I will do my PT stretches FIRST, then drink or eat.  No lying down anywhere near food or beverage time!!!!  Lesson learned!

I was also immensely amused that a mug of coffee actually filled me up!  I started that around 7 and it's now about 10.  I'm hungry now, so I think I'll have a carb master yogurt with my morning meds.

I find it hilarious to think that I could subsist on coffee before work and a yogurt for breakfast at work.  In the old days it was 2 eggs, 1/3 cup cheese, cottage cheese, a few slices of bacon, a big cup of coffee with a cup of cream . . . all at one time.  Oh, and maybe some raisin toast.  Maybe.  

From that to an 80 calorie yogurt!  This is a riot!!!    Then again, I readily admit to being easily amused.

Oh well, at least after the fill yesterday, I am now convinced there is a band in there!  Prior to that with absolutely no restriction, I wasn't sure if he just sliced me open in a few spots and charged me $26,000 for nothing!  Ha!

Here's to finding our sweet spots, Amy!
HUGS!!!
Denise

In normal measurements CCs and mls are exactly the same thing.
Blessings,
Karen