LapBand catch-up

Funny how things work out.  In the post before last I told you how over-restricted I felt, and the uncomfortable physical consequences.  I booked myself an appointment at the bariatric hospital in Taunton where I had had the lapband fitted, to have a partial unfill.  That was for Wednesday 21st March, and by the time I attended the appointment it had become even more important that I have it done.

About a month ago I felt a grey patch rise from the outer corner of my left eye, through which I couldn’t see, but after blinking nervously a couple of times it dissolved and went away.  I forgot about it until a few weeks later when on the Monday of the week before my appointment it happened again as I was getting dressed. 

This time I did worry (vaguely) and made a telephone appointment with my doctor, though they couldn’t fit me in until Tuesday 20th.  I was at work when she rang, and as I was telling her about it her voice sharpened and she fired a lot of questions at me, then thoroughly scared me by telling me I might have had a mini stroke. 

In no time at all I found myself booked in to see a stroke specialist at another Bristol hospital, by which time I had been to Taunton and had 0.75cc removed from the band (after a lot of discussion as to how much it should be – in the end I followed their advice).  All the tests in Bristol proved I had not had a mini stroke, but that there had been a partial blockage of the vein leading to the eye, which was probably diabetes related.  I’ve been put on all sorts of pills ever since and for the foreseeable future, and dire warnings about controlling my diabetes.  I thought I did, but apparently from now on I must test myself several times a day.

Enough of the boring stuff. 

I realise that my over-restriction may have been the cause of all this, because I know I was eating too many sweet things.  So having more removed from the band has worked well – I can now eat the meat-and-two-veg I had craved for the last 2 years, and the temptation to eat sliders has remained just that:  a temptation, rather than my brain demanding food, ANY food.  The other discomforts have almost disappeared, except when I ate too fast recently, which proved to me that there was still restriction there.  The other added benefit is that I can now swallow pills relatively easily. 

At the moment I’ve found it reasonably easy to steer clear of sweet junk food because a consequence of my eye episode is that I’m not allowed to drive for a month from the day it occurred.  John is therefore giving me lifts when I need them, and mostly I don’t, because I’ve used up some holiday and I’m at home.  So no chance to get near a sweet shop! 

My requirement of insulin has gone right down, a good sign, but I shall be back on wheels after Easter, and need to continue to resist sweet things.  From now on I have to remind myself that I don’t want to end up blind or having a stroke.  I also have to remember to be calorie-aware with the food I can now eat. 

I may look back on the unfill as being in the nick of time for my general health.

-oOo-

Photo Finish

from Lonicera's non-digital archive

The spring...

...is sprung...

...the grass is riz...

...the bird...

...is on the wing.

But that's absurd!

I thought the wing wuz on the bird...

-oOo-