lifeisjustbeginning2011

I'll be thinking of you tomorrow, April. You'll do great!! Amy

I saw that on your blog earlier I can't comment on it thought because it says I'm not an invited user or something. I was sorry to hear of that, but I agree, a bit of overreaction to me, but hey, I'm no doctor and I don't know your history. Good luck! Amy

awww....good luck tomorrow! I just left my teaching job in June and I'm looking to switch fields...hard time though.

I tried this recipe last night with low fat mozz string cheese and was disappointed. Maybe I didn't use enough egg sub or too much breading, but it was pretty dry. I ended up picking off the breading and just eating the cheese. LOL. By the way, the Fiber One cereal totally looks like cat food. hehehe.

Tell him you want free sessions for all of his dumb negativity! LOL. Make him prove to you that he's on board with you before you pay him any money! Just my two pennies! You go girl!

Oh, man. I had the largest lunch (a little over 1/2C) today and about an hour later I started with diarrhea. I can't even leave the house - my stomach is making all sorts of strange rumbling sounds. I'm eating a stick of cheese right now in hopes that it will help a bit - I also took a dose of anti-diarrheal medicine...but DANG. Makes me glad that I'm not working right now - what on earth would I do?? I work so hard to get any liquid in and now I'm worried that I need even more now! Grrrrrr!

Hope everyone is doing well. I'm not posting as much on here, I've been on my blog more. 1/4 of the steri strip sites have come off, so last night I saw my first uncovered incision. Not too bad. I also ate 1 oz of chicken today! It was pureed in my Magic Bullet and mixed into my faux lasagna! Woohoo! I mixed a scoop of unflavored protein powder in and I feel like I've eaten a giant Thanksgiving dinner. Whoa! Still working on fluid intake, though... Amy

My surg was 7/1 and I've never had nausea. I have strange feelings and rumblings in my tummy, not no nausea - thankfully! I have suppositories from my doc if that happens, but I think I'm in the clear now.

Awwww. You'll be okay! I didn't get a cath, I wore an underwear diaper thingie! LMAO. I was like, "Do I have to wear this?" Apparently quite a few people lose control of their bladders during surgery. I'm happy to report that there was no pee in my diaper post op. So nah nah, nurses! hehehe

My doc said I didn't need the pretesting because if there was a hernia, it would be repaired at surgery anyway. I ended up having a small one repaired - didn't know I had it.

http://lifeisjustbeginning2011.blogspot.com/

I decided to name mine today. His name is SAL. It stands for Saving Amy's Life.

Just bought my first bottle today, $4.50 at Walmart in the vitamin section

Today was day one of my pre-op diet. I had two shakes, each a different company. Although I have no other known allergies, I'm clearly allergic to the isolate. I felt like crap all day, burping all day long, got two large hives on the inside of my bicep, and a nagging headache. About 2 hours after I drank the second shake, the symptoms got worse and I started throwing up. As soon as I did, I was perfectly fine. Did anyone else experience this? Did you switch to soy? Not sure what to do! Amy

Oh, I forgot to tell you that I had liquid antibiotics twice a day for the first 5 days after surgery. No oozing or other problems.

for the #2 issue - applesauce did the trick for me! Also, if your incisions look like mine did, you have stitches inside, steri strips on top, and then a square of gauze on each spot, right? The gauze can come off after 48 hrs and the steri strips should stay on for 2 weeks or until they fall off. I still have all of mine. The more I shower, the looser they get. I can take them off this Friday, but my port ones aren't even the slightest bit loose. That's my experience, anyway.

Yay! Glad to hear you're doing well. You made it through the first few days and you're right...it gets better each day.

You'll find that every doc requires different things. For the most part, I haven't seen many people that have to do the bowel cleanse thing prior to surgery. You're the second person that I've heard mention that. I was able to drink my last shake up till 11:59 PM the night before. Just make sure to drink drink drink lots lots lots of water!!! I was guzzling water at 11:59PM, and I'm totally serious. IV starts are way more difficult when you're dehydrated, plus you won't feel like eating or drinking for days after your surgery. Best wishes to you! Amy

Ok, I love the last post....tie dye all the way. I found an iron on peace sign made of sequins at Hobby Lobby (or Michael's) that was $3. There ya go...tie dye shirt and iron on a peace sign. Voila!

forgot to mention that I posted a picture of my culinary masterpiece on my blog.

No Pasta Lasagna Oh yum! I just had to share my first "cooking" experience since getting the band. I'm on day 3 of mushies. First, I have few cooking skills. I've lived on fast food and frozen dinners for much of my life. This was my masterpiece for one: -canned tomato sauce (plain kind, I added garlic and basil to the sauce -2 Tablespoons tomato sauce (with whatever spices you like...I used garlic and basil) -1 Tablespoon of low fat ricotta cheese -1 teaspoon of skim milk -1/2 teaspoon low fat parm cheese sprinkles 1 teaspoon ground turkey sausage crumbles (Jimmy Dean, precooked) -1 glass 1 Cup custard cup -1/2 low fat string mozzarella cheese, pulled apart First I mixed the milk, parm and ricotta with a fork. I covered the bottom with sauce, then layered the cheese and sauce. The sausage crumbled were precooked, so I just took a teaspoon and ground it up further in my Magic Bullet. The sausage went on top, then the string cheese. Since it was in a glass custard cup, I could put it in the oven. 375 for about 8 minutes. Oh yum. Totally simple, but really hit the spot. Because I used my own homemade tomato sauce, there were no lumps. The string cheese didn't melt particularly well on top, but I stirred this altogether and it was great. I didn't have to chew a whole bunch (I'm still pretty tired and lazy) and the yield was 1/2 cup, which was perfect. I used just a touch of sausage because I hadn't had any meat up to this point and really just wanted some flavoring. It was enough to really fool my mouth into thinking it was really lasagna!! YUMMMM. The was really my *first* real food and my *first* meat, even though it was only a teaspoon. LOL.

Oh yum! I just had to share my first "cooking" experience since getting the band. I'm on day 3 of mushies. First, I have few cooking skills. I've lived on fast food and frozen dinners for much of my life. This was my masterpiece: -canned tomato sauce (plain kind, I added garlic and basil to the sauce -2 Tablespoons tomato cause (with whatever spices you like...I used garlic and basil) -1 Tablespoon of low fat ricotta cheese -1 teaspoon of skim milk -1/2 teaspoon low fat parm cheese sprinkles 1 teaspoon ground turkey sausage crumbles (Jimmy Dean, precooked) -1 glass 1 Cup custard cup -1/2 low fat string mozzarella cheese, pulled apart First I mixed the milk, parm and ricotta with a fork. I covered the bottom with sauce, then layered the cheese and sauce. The sausage crumbled were precooked, so I just took a teaspoon and ground it up further in my Magic Bullet. The sausage went on top, then the string cheese. Oh yum. Totally simple, but really hit the spot. Because I used my own homemade tomato sauce, there were no lumps. The string cheese didn't melt particularly well on top, but I stirred this altogether and it was great. I didn't have to chew a whole bunch (I'm still pretty tired) and the yield was 1/2 cup, which was perfect. I used just a touch of sausage because I hadn't had any meat up to this point and really just wanted some flavoring. It was enough to really fool my mouth into thinking it was really lasagna!! YUMMMM.

If anyone would like to be my "friend" on myfitnesspal.com, my user ID is lifeisjustbeginning2011. I'm still figuring things out, but there is a way where I can share my weight and my daily menus with you guys if you'd like to see. It is free - it syncs online with my iPhone. Way cool.

oh. my. goodness! I had a "good" day yesterday with more energy and able to eat a bit more (still haven't exceeded 1/2 cup). I had a good night's sleep but woke up with my energy totally sapped again. I mean - can't think, focus, etc. Frustrating!! I live in AZ so it is hot - I decided to go to Walmart early (well, 9AM is early for me these days). I was walking down an aisle and suddenly I got "that' feeling. You know, the, "I need a bathroom NOW." Sheer PANIC. I must have had a dear in headlights look on my face as I tried to figure out how I was going to get to the bathroom which was on the opposite side of the store. I took a few steps, deep breath...acted like I was looking at a product.....a few more steps...picked up something else....until finally I was doing lamaze breathing to get to the door. I made it. Thank you GOD. I was all sweaty and lightheaded so I had to checkout and leave right after that. But DANG....the potential for a very embarrassing moment was definitely there. Whew!!!! Lesson learned, make sure the morning bathroom trip is done before going out. I seem to be okay during the daytime, but wow.....not taking a morning trip out for a LONG time. I'm scarred!!

Wow, you're brave to eat out so soon post op! I'm still being a weenie - I won't talk to anyone, watch TV or do anything while eating. I just feel like I don't know when my belly is hungry, full or irritated. I'm not sure I could take the temptation of chips and salsa right now. Brave soul!