Lester A. Fuzell, Sr.

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I had written this all out and my computer decided it needed to refresh itself with updates!

Well I have been off of the LapBand for two years. My last visit in 2010 was to remove saline from the band. At that point I was said to be at 273 pounds. But getting there was another story. I must begin by saying that weight gain is an epidemic in America and too many people are obese or morbidly so. It is a major health probem. The LapBand is one of many tools a person can use to help them live a better healthier life.

I decided to loosen my band because it was too inconvenient as well embarrasing trying to live day by day with it. As a firefighter, I often eat at the firehouse with my crew. We prepare meals together as well eat out on occassion. Try as I might it soon became apprarent and also embarrassing that everytime I sat down to eat I'd have to wait for a bolus of food to pass the bad.

Too many time would I have to rush to the bathroom to purge for relief. Slimeing was an all to often occurence and pain.I'm sorry part of a daily routine is not have to hurl up a bolus of slime. And I'm also sorry, cutting up or chewing finly wasn;t working when trying to get a bit down before the next call becasme a sport. Ofttimes I'd be pacing the bathroom for up to 5-10 minutes afterwhich lunch or dinner would be over. What I had touted as my life saver was now a curse. And this was the same at home.

I had since gained all of the weight back and went back up to 335 poundsin the two years.

May 1, 2012, I transferred to another position and along with that transfer I was determined that I was going to lose weight again. But not by the use of the LapBand. Please dont get me wrong, it is a good tool but I didn't like the path I had to travel to get to my intended goal. I had a pretty defined workout routine as well diet plan before and the only thing that prevented me from heading down te same path was the obsessive bent I took.

This time I simply reduced my portions while eating but mainly my calories. I did eliminate most sugars and carbohydrates too unless whole grain. The oblogaortry fish and chicken but lean beef too. Things like celery sticks and peanut butter became good snacks again becasue I could eat them without fear of band problems.  I added protein shakes to my diet as well a lots of water. As well began a structured but less dynamic weight training program. I still focus on training individual body parts and take a break when I feel some pain to allow my body to heal before continuing. I do admit I hate cardio but try to quick walk at least three two-mile walks a week.

Since May 1, I have lost 29 pounds and am down to 306#. I am determined to keep this pace and by October to lose another thirty pounds to get to 270# . I am able to eat, dont' feel the need to slime when things go south and I am much more comfortable eating now. What I do like is I can still have an occasiiobnal cheat day. When I hit 300#,  it's Shakey's Buch A Luch and a couple of beers. I figure dropping 35 pounds deserves a treat!

Hope to see that by end of July is not sooner!

It's been six months out and three months since my last post. I went to have a .2 cc fill on 5/25. Prior to that I was actually probably eating a bit too easily but my weight stayed steady at 280 lbs. I had overcome the sliming and felt comfortable with smaller fills. Dr. T thinks I might be filling and eating past the band so I am to start eating slower and to stop and feel the fullness when it occurrs. It has been working and I have found that my esophagus seems to need a prime to relax it before Im able to eat a meal completely. i start out eatng a smaller protien til I feel full, which used to make me want to go hurl. I get up or just stop eating and let things settle, usually about 5-8 minutes.   A few after Im able to finish my meal.  So I'm at a plateau also at about 280 pounds so Im going to try more protein and smaller meals. Sliming isnt happening near as often and if it does Ive usually eaten overboard and my body is repsonding to the blockage by sliming. I have totally noticed that my clothes are fitting better and my sizes are shrinking. I am ready to try a 44 pant down from a 48 some time ago. Oh I was on the Proce is Right on May 24 as a contestant. I got all the way to the Showcase! I won a bar/stool set which has been replaced with $972 cash by the show. Ill update with some new photos soon..

  Went to Dr. T's office today to have some of my fill removed. Dr. was late in the office because he was working late til this morning at the hospital. Anyway had 1/2 cc removed and WOW! I can eat and swallow and everything feels good! I was at my sweet spot and the extra fill made me too tight which is why I was sliming and hurling. So Im pretty jazzed now and I think everything will go good now. I'm down to 278 pounds now.

    I guess there is cause for celebration. I have gone from Morbidly Obese to Very Obese with a BMI of 38.9 now! 

  So it's been a week now and every time I eat I've got to hack up some slime.  It's worse in the morning.  I know it's all in my upper esophagus, it's just annoying having to start eating then having to get up and hurl.  We'' my wife who had gastric bypass gave me a great tip.  I now will start my meal with a cup of warm tea.  The tea loosens and pushes the slime coating into my stomach.  I think the restriction I have is too small for it to normally just drain down so it needs some help during the day and definitely before meals.  The last couple times, it's worked a charm especially in helping get that first meal down.  The restriction has been great in that I don't at all eat like I used to.  I went out to Denny's today and had the talapia dinner for lunch and was able to bring half home for dinner later.  Now that is great.  I stepped on my scale at home which I think is now more accurate now that Ive gotten from that weight of 300 pounds and I was 279 the other day.  I seem to be at 280 now but Ive lost another 6 pounds in a week which is grand!  So I think I've got the slime thing handled when I'm going to sit down for a meal.  it's an extra step and the jury is still not out 100% but it seems to be better.

Fish seems to totally be the easiset food I can get down without effort.  Most particularly talapia and catfish.  Beef seems to get me really lathered up so I try and stay away from that.  Chicken unless its processed is a pain.  I can still do rice and pasta which is funny because that  was supposed to be the two things I couldn't get down.

My older jeans don't even fit anymore.  I'm down from a 48 to about a 46 now.  Went to try on some new pants but I'm an impatient sort and have never really liked trying on clothes but I'm gonna be due for a new wardrobe in time so I better muster up. 

  How is that one day you can eat one thing and another day you can't even get that same thing down?  And what is it about this freakin slime thing?  I feel like a freakin salamander or lungfish!  Interesting that that crap just builds up and you don't hack up anything you eat, naw you hack up a big slimy wad of phlegm (don't you just love the word PHLEGM?) and slime that you can't get past the band.  Funny.  Also like does this stuff just pocket there unitl you are ready to eat?  I figured that it would be a week after my last fill before I'm back to normal so Ive still got a couple of days.  Hell I had a yougurt the other day and it felt like it didnt want to go down.  Freakin yougurt.  But fish.  I do love fish and funny its the one thing that I have absoluttely no problem eating now.  God thing its good for you and good to eat and high in protein.  So I do do a bit fo fish now.  I have to remember to get some veggies in during the day.  Steamed zuccs are still the easiest and best.  Oh, Oh.  Popeye's red beans and rice!  Easy to eat and to die for!  Yeh it's fast food but rice and beans...sorry can't pry me from some rice and beans.  Theve got a great fried catfish too.  I knwo its fried so its not a constant diet but an occasional meal which is two filets w/ the rice and beans and a glass of water 30 minutes after and Im good.

   I mowed my front lawn today.  I haven't done that in quite some time.  Being overweight I had passed the chore on to my teenage sons.  Not that teaching them responsibility is bad but I had gotten lazy as well being fat.  I will say my back hurt like hell afterwards but some Naproxen and Im in pretty fair shape.  I spread some ammonium sulfate on the front and weed killer on parts of the back too.  Weather was nice and it felt great!  Oh and I'm looking better in my convertible red Firebird too! Had to take a drive down to Mission Hills and it was a great day to hit the road with the top down! 

   Looked at the follow-up requests my insurance is doing with Anthem Blue Cross regarding the fees for my surgery. Office visits were about $32,000 and the surgery itself was $72,000.  The whole thing comes to over $104,000!  No wonder Anthem is looking this thing over. I'm happy for the surgery but you begin to wonder about the cost of health care with bills like these.

  Well went into the office today and saw Dr. T.  It was the usual wait but used to it now.  Weighed in at 7 more punds lost at 387.  I was hoping for more but I knew the last two weeks I probably ate more carbs than I should have and I was a bit stressed out. I didn't eat more, just a lot of my diet had more carbs like pasta and shit.  But it's all good.  Dr. T was pretty happy citing that I'm losing weight like gangbusters.  So I get a .5cc fill today which frankly I'm pleased with.  I was afraid at another 1 cc fill considering that it took a week to get my act together with that last 1cc restriction.  So my next appt is May 11.  At the least it should be 10 pounds but I'm working more to 15 this time.  Yesterday I went out to Carino'sItalian  restaurant for dinner.  I kind of think it was a celebration fro three months post -op.  Well I had Ceasar salad, bread with the oil dip, and pasta with meat sauce and two meat balls.  Now before you go get butt hurt...oh I had a glass of wine and some Ice tea also...this is how it went.  Had some bread.  Got my salad and ate about a third of it only (packaged it for later at home).  Drank some of my wine (got the 4 oz. serving).  Got the pasta and meat sauce.  I did eat both meatballs (they werent really that big) and ate bout a third of the pasta (boxed it up for tomrrow when I get off work for dinner!)  Finished the wine and I did finish one serving of the ice tea. Oh dinner was freaking delicious!  Cheated by drinking with dinner but poo poo.  I indulged but I deserve it!  Frankly I felt rather satiated with what I ate, not too full and was pleased that my body signaled when it was satisfied.

Oh wearing a 44 uniform belt today because Im tired of punching holes in my old belt.  Its a bit snug but all the more reason to lose weight more now.  The journey continues.

Dr. T clued me into an article in the LA Times about the practice (Top Surgeons) and the Omidi brothers who are the owners.  One thing caught my eye.  I got bills the other day that my insurance is looking over.  My surgery was about $20,000.  But I've got separate bills from the doctors office with one I think I remember was almost $70,000!  I am a bit floored at this but I need to check and confirm.  I can appreciate that there are a lot of tests and consults but a lot of them were done over the phone or by form.  I wasn't pleased to read that the practice had sued numerous clients over high bills...I'd wonder if these might have been excess costs that insurance refused to pay.  The Omidi's also retained monies ($3000) from a credit loan for surgery that a patient didn't even have as part of "administrative fees."  I will say this, I do like Dr. T.  he is a good physician and cares about his work.  If he's in a practice that does no to credit him, I have to stand by him and not those running the place.   So I'll end up talking to my insurance ot make sure everything is cool...but I think this is an issue that Top Surgeons better get a handle on as far as costs.

Its been about a month since I last wrote:
  I spent two weeks in classes for my job.  Each class was three days long.  Getting up at 430am each morning was a drag considering that I don't usually have to get up until 6am normal days.  Another drag was that there was a cafeteria serving lunch each day.  I did eat on some occasions and was not happy for at least three time when I couldn't get stuff down and ended up slimming it back up.  Just the feeling that the foods wasted going down and having to find a bathroom or some place away from people to hurl was a drag.  But I collected myself (hate the feeling of anxiety and the sweats!) and went about my business.  I later just went to the local market and bought prepared foods I know I can eat.  So small cans of ravioli (oh they are great!) and kipper snacks one day, tuna salad another.  I Will say there were days I could eat well.  Oatmeal in the morning was great.  I couldn't eat scrambled eggs one day, I could eat them another.  Too much orange juice the first three day class.  I just gander ed at the small four ounce can and about died when I saw 80 calories per can!  Macaroni salad was a like saver.  I know the carbs aren't great but again my portions are a hell of a lot smaller.

Been feeling great for the most part.  Was tired last week only because of the class schedule and now its Daylight Saving time (I hate Daylight Saving time!).  Lean Cuisine has been good for me.  Nice portion's, I'm full and the food still tastes good.  Applesauce is a great snack.  I like buying them in the prepackaged cups and have them at home and work.  Easy to eat and filling.  I had a great dinner the other night at work.  Tritip, rice and zucchini.  I was so afraid of the meat.  Cut it up into such small bits and chewed well and had no blockage!  The zucchini always goes down well as did the rice!  I was so happy...of course used the small dinner plat and had one serving only.  I thanked my co-worker for the great meal.

Clothes are really fitting loose.  I have this suit I bought a couple of years ago and had to wear it for my daughters pageant a week ago.  Hung on me like a sack!  All these other fathers suits fit well and though my suit looked good, it just hung on me.  My work uniform fits well now and I'm looking forward to it hanging off me in the next month.  The pants are loose and Ive had to punch two more holes in my belt to make it tight enough. Underwear briefs are funny!  They were really not staying up around my "gut" but now they feel comfortable finally after many years. Ill wait a bot before I buy a smaller size.

My belly and waist have shrunk but I still see myself carrying the weight.  But I am not as big as I was!  My man tits are drooping now...LOL!  But they are shrinking.  Its funny but after being thin most of my life, I'm feeling anxious as I get thinner now.  I'm thinking not that I ate for the wrong reasons I just wanted to be bigger and now as I lose weight and get thinner, I'm seeing a body I felt was too thin.  So Ill keep lifting  weights to make sure I keep the muscle tone. 

I'm beginning to feel my skin loose in places.  I was able to feel my lower rib cage as I lied in bed today and I find I can grab flesh and feel the elasticity of the skin and fat layer.  Its interesting.  I go in tomorrow for a weigh in and another fill.  I'm concerned about the fill.  It took about a week to get to eating and drinking normal after the last one and I was about to go and have him take out about .5 cc.  I'm good now and have learned some new habits to eating.  I guess that a lot of this journey, is that there are changes and you have to learn not so much to work around the band and constriction but to learn how to eat with the band, So I get another weigh in tomorrow.  I don;t know what Ive lost because every scale says something different.  Im thinking about ten pounds which would be cool.  I'd be down to 283 which would be great. So we'll see. 

Oh pretzels and boiled eggs yolk are out.  Too dry and they just wait at the top of the band to cause discomfort!