9 Years and 911?

Well, yesterday was me and Steve's 9 year anniversary of the day we met. Interesting how time flies and yet seems so short. Unfortunately, I didn't remember this fact until about midnight, right after the ER doctor finished pulling the fluid out of my band.

Most of you probably know that I had the lap band surgery done about 10 months ago, and have been fairly successful, losing 35 lbs from surgery and 45 overall. Well, for the past few weeks I have been having some problems with anxiety attacks, which I thought were mostly caused by work stress, home stress, etc. Last night things came to a head when I couldn't get them under control. Steve called my surgeon after advice from my cousin Michelle (nurse) and he thought I might have a blockage. He advised us to head straight for the emergency room at Twelve Oaks Hospital, where he is chief of Bariatric Surgery. Anyone familiar with Houston will know this was no short drive for us, as it is very close to the Galleria.

If you are not familiar with the lap band procedure, I will explain. Unlike the gastric bypass, which a small portion of your stomach is cut away and rerouted to your intestines, thereby making the stomach permanently smaller. This procedure is really risky and scared the crap out of me. The lapband, however, is a small plastic band with an innertube inside that wraps around the outside of your stomach, thereby causing a small pouch for the food to go through slowly. The band is attached to a port which sits under the skin and allows the doctors to change the tightness (how much food can pass through) depending on your needs. If I ever needed to, the band can be completely removed and my stomach would go back to it's previous form.
After arriving at the ER, my surgeon came in and removed the fluid from the band, allowing it to open all the way. This allowed the blockage to pass through. We were also worried that the band may have slipped, which would have needed surgical repair. After a particularly nasty barium drink and an x-ray, we determined that was not the case. Whew! They gave me some meds to calm the anxiety and allow me to relax and then they sent me home. Oh, and did I mention that I lost 8 lbs last night?

It will take a few days to get my stomach back to normal, but once it heals, I will be able to reinflate the band and continue on my weight loss journey. Today I have been resting and letting the meds do their thing. I am thankful to Steve for taking me up to the ER and not being too much of a pain during the process, and also to my mom for running my errands this morning, and to my dad and cousin Michelle for looking out for my well being. Love you guys!!