lifeisjustbeginning2011

I found that when I was walking around every hour, it helped to hold my hands up in the air and then to my sides (just kind of moving them around) to loosen things up. Day three was burp city. I could've put most men to shame!! LOL

Good!! I'm glad you spoke up. Sorry you're having a hard time! You could also trying splitting shakes and drinking them more frequently. That might help a little. G2 was my lifesaver! Amy

Can I be your friend, too? Amy

You're welcomed to look at mine. Hopefully I have it set so you can see what I'm eating. I'm 2 1/2 wks post op, so still not the healthiest choices because I'm on mushies, but getting better. I update mine every day, I LOVE IT!!!! My user name is the same as here. Amy

Glad to hear it! Walk walk walk and sip sip sip! Amy

hahah....love it! Mine is SAL (Saving Amy's Life)

Hey Shauna - I mentioned you in my blog today! <wink> Hope you're doing well!

thanks for sending me the friend requests - I sent a few as well. SO cool - it really keeps me accountable. I was SHOCKED when I saw I only had 17g of protein today....bad bad Amy!!!

Best wishes - we'll see you here when you're up to it! You'll do great!!

I was always hungry, but I knocked off the mashed potatoes and high carb stuff, which helped A LOT. I have protein filled meals (1/2 C) three times a day, and I'm not hungry in between. Just blend up some chicken so it is super duper mushy and see if that helps to tide you over longer. I was miserable for a few days when I was eating mashed potatoes - but try more protein. We're all different, but we've all got to make it to the first fill! We can do it! Amy

Yeah!! I'm so happy for you!!!! :) Thanks for always reading my blog. Your comments mean a lot! Amy

Yes, I had dizzy feelings a lot. I found that sipping 100% fruit juice with some ice chips in it was helpful with that feeling. Protein shakes would also be helpful (I couldn't tolerate them post op). Once I got off pain meds and just waited a few days, it was better. I probably felt dizzy and lightheaded for the first week. I think the body is just in complete shock! LOL I know what you mean about only sitting up for a while. I could only sit for 30 minutes or so, then got up to walk, then repeated that for about 2 hours, then had to lay down. Do whatever you want - you just had huge life changing surgery - your body and mind need time to heal with all of the changes.

Welcome! The bending part was hard for me, too. My dogs stay in crates when I am not at home. I managed to find a way to close the two latches on each crate with my big toe! LOL By a week postop, bending wasn't a problem anymore. And I STILL look down every day in disbelief that I had the surgery, but in a good way. What an adventure this really is. Amy

PF Changs went great. I had plans A and B ready to go. Plan A: Adult sized orange peel chicken (only if there was attention being called to me and I couldn't discretely ask for kid food) Plan B: If the waitress was close enough to me that I could ask for the child's sweet and sour chicken without making a fuss Luckily I went with Plan B. I got a kid's size sweet and sour chicken. no rice, and sauce on the side. It was good. It was breaded and fried (gasp) but I ate half of it in small bites and tried to stay calm so the band wouldn't tighten up. It went great. As soon as the food arrived, I moved my Water WAY away on my left side (I'm right handed) so I wouldn't touch it. No problems at all. The best part was that I didn't have to ask for a kid's menu because I had already looked online and knew what I wanted. I FORCED MYSELF TO LEAVE FOOD ON THE PLATE! I ate about half of what was there, and only about 1/2 cup went into my tummy. It was SO hard to stop. It tasted so good. But I reached down and felt my port incision (kind of feels like a zipper through my shirt) and thought about my life choice, and pushed it away. I pushed it pretty far so there wouldn't be any doubt that I was done. The person across from me was a good friend and knew about the surgery. The other 8 people were strangers, so I doubt they really cared what I ate. I think eating with strangers actually made it easier! I haven't told many people about my surgery. All in all, it was great. Amy

I LOVE IT!!! I would love to have some friends on there...my user ID is right below the ticker at the bottom of this message. I know there is a way to see the menus of others, but I haven't figured out how yet. Amy

Just lay around and rest. Sip fluids continuously whenever you're awake, never miss a pain med dose for the first 2 days (and yes, liquid Lortab tastes terrible). We all know it gets better because we were all just there 2 weeks ago. Remember that you're only a day post-op and you're not expected to feel comfortable or all peppy. The tight tummy feeling (hard to get in and out of bed, or a recliner) goes away after 48 hours (generally). Everyone is different, but one thing is the same - everyone feels disoriented, medicated, and has no appetite for the first two days. That's a promise. It gets better, or we wouldn't be here <HUGS> Amy

I'm so glad to hear you're feeling good. I'm going out to eat tonight for the first time (PF Chang) and I'm nervous about it. I've already looked at the menu online and I know what I'm going to order I'm like you - I'm just not focused on the scale. Although it is nice to lose the weight when I do, I have to remind myself that it will not magically melt off every day. My main concern is getting good nutrition and being healthy. The pounds lost are just kind of a bonus at this point. I'm having fun with my blog. It is so nice to look back to when the journey started and to read my thoughts and things I've discovered along the way. Amy

I just googled it and found where they sell the plates and bowls. Dishwasher safe but not microwave safe. They have Lap Band written on them. LOL. Not that I really care a lot, but I wish they had just left that part off. After shelling out all this money for the surgery, I think I'll have to just look at the picture I have printed out and pretend that it is drawn on a plate. They're 4-5 bucks each, but a minimum order of 25 of each piece - so mostly designed for doctor's offices to order. http://www.lapbandtools.com/products/Portion-Control-Bowl.html http://www.lapbandtools.com/products/Portion-Control-Plate.html

Ohhhhh....sounds way cool!!! I'm going to have to ask around! I've seen the drawings of a plate with the shaded portions for the food groups, but I bet they're going to make a whole lot of money on plates!! Why didn't I think of that?!

Just tried the calcium chewable from Bariatric Advantage today. It was raspberry flavored - SO YUMMY!!! It looked like a Starburst and tasted like one too!! I really like the liquid stuff I have now (Reviva) but these might be great to have for traveling or times when I have to leave home before I can take the first dose of Calcium. I take thyroid medicine (hypo) and can't take the Calcium for 2 hours after....so these might be good for my morning dose and I could stick with the liquid for my evening dose.

I don't think I've shared this, but my #1 recommendation is.....< drumroll > Glass custard cups with lids (by Pyrex or Anchor)!! I bought them at Walmart (4 cups and 4 lids) for about $9.50. These are great because.... ---They hold 1 C each, making my 1/2 C meals very easy to "eyeball" ---When I make a meal, I make a couple of extras, slap the lids on, and freeze them ---They're easy to eat out of ---Dishwasher safe (lids and cups) ---Contents don't ever stain (because they're glass! GO BUY SOME!! I have two sets now (8 cups) and I'm going to buy another two sets tomorrow. So helpful! http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pyrex-8-Piece-1-Cup-Storage/15114589

I think I have finally figured out my eating schedule to eliminate the rumbly tummy!! It took me a week on mushies (still another week to go). I had meals at 9AM, 1PM, and 6PM. No hunger in between, just made sure it was protein packed. Today's culinary masterpiece was chicken, salsa and cheese for bfast and lunch and for dinner I had BBQ chicken, I bought a rotisserie chicken and ripped it all up, I will have meals for days. Tomorrow might be some hot sauce chicken...mmm. Good thing is that this stuff is good for me. My perfect amount seems to be 1/2 Cup and no water for an hour after eating. Holds me for hours as long as there is good protein. I still can't believe it has only been two weeks since surgery...the bad days are disappearing from my memory!!

I'm private pay, so I had every choice available to me. Why the Lap Band? Control. I'm a control freak (working on it). All of the other methods can be destroyed just like the band can. You can gain everything back and even more. Complications can happen with any of the WL surgeries, but far less with Lap Band. Buuuuttt....I'm fairly young (33 yrs) and have no children. Much easier to do with a Lap Band. Long term, fewer complications. I went to 5 doctors, their support groups, seminars, etc. I learned which docs cared about aftercare and which didn't. I became an expert on Lap Band Surgery. I talked to patients in waiting rooms, forums, etc. I talked to some that didn't follow food rules and blew it, I talked to some that did great, and some with so-so results. I'm a super picky eater - so part of my surgery is learning to cook (as opposed to reheating stuff) and learning to accept new foods. I'm learning recipes for one and a whole lot about myself in the process. The money for my surgery came from my new car fund. One day I woke up and realized that I couldn't drive a new car if I was dead. However, I can have a Lap Band, drive a less pretty car, and be alive.

Thankfully, it only happened to me twice. There was a VERY close call at a store once, but I barely made it. I was constipated right after surgery but it quickly turned to diarrhea. I've had it for nearly a week. However, it IS getting better. I bought generic fiber tabs from Walmart and I take half of one twice a day. They're HUGE chewables and I don't want to get too much and have the opposite problem. It is thickening up day by day. I'm sure it is totally normal - compared to what we were eating pre-op (junk food!), our bodies don't know what the heck is going on. LOL. Make sure to keep up your fluids since they're exiting rapidly!

Of course it gets better! Everyone is different, though. You have to remember that your body is under a lot of stress from the lapband and hernia repair. You've rocked your world...and for me, two weeks and I'm about 70% back to feeling normal. I still get tired, but my body was used to operating on 2500 calories or more a day....and now it has to be happy with around 700. BIG CHANGE! Hang in there - some days are good and some days aren't.....but you're on your way to many many more good days! Amy