meyouus

Hello, my cursor is not splitting paragraphs, etc. so bare with run on sentences please.........I have questions, etc........I'm a Bander looking for a revision.......I've been lurking for a while now, googling and yahooing myself to death and reading articles to get as much info as I can.........I know the rules, risks and rewards of RNY........What I want to know is 1. How much do all the vitamins and supplements cost a month? 2. After a long time, can I take a bite of sugary foods? 3. Is the long term diet somewhat flexible, within reason? 4. HOW do you get 60-80gms of protein in you? Food only goes so far. 5. Is it all worth it cutting your stomach out forever? The studies only go so far back. 6. With the band I have in now (unfilled for 5 years) , I can physically fit a lot of food and liquid (including pop) into my stomach with no effect at all. This worry's me. Is the pouch small enough to eat, say, one cup and be full? I know it's up to me, but I need the RNY as a companion aid. 7. With dumping, is it necessary to experience it to know what caused it and to swear you'll never eat ___,___ again? Is it always diarrhea? .......I'll communicate more another day. Please help me get close enough answers to my questions so I can be better prepared to choose or not choose RNY. All I want to do is get healthy so I can live longer.

LOL, bad enough I like butternut squash (it's good for me, oh no!) but Eggplant and Zucchini....hale no! Being a Bandster, you learn to like veggies, but after 5 years of trying, there are some I still will not eat! I'm such a little kid...

Today I saw on TV someone making Butternut Squash Baked Fries. I wasn't paying close enough attention to the recipe, I missed it. I've heard of folks making sweet potato fries, which sounds great, but I really want to try it with butternut. Can someone fill me in on how to make squash fries? It must be the same as with sweet potato, but don't know how to do that either. Help???

On the show, the woman said they're easier to peel if you nuke it for 10-15 seconds. Don't know if this is true, but that's what she said. Good luck!

I did the same thing, sorta. I used to crush my pills, mix it in a spoon of yogurt, down it and real quick, have a few more spoons of yogurt. The idea-to get that spoonful down ASAP and do a yogurt chaser ASAP. Good luck, it won't be forever!

This video clip keeps me going, I never get tired of it!

Hello ladies! I don't have a female figure in my life to discuss this with, so I'm hoping you ladies could point me in the right direction. I'm 46, in full menopause. Breast and Colon cancer have taken my Mother and Grandfather, I worry about getting either. For the past few weeks to a month, I have been experiencing severe bloating and pain in my pelvic region. It hurts so bad that I tuck my underwear "under" my lower belly flab so I can let go of the expansion of my stomach. Wearing pants is pretty hard on me. It's very much like the feeling of pregnancy. (I've never actually had a baby though) It's affecting my every moment The pain has radiated to my lower back and hurts like a mother. The pain is unbearable. As I am losing weight, 40 lbs so far, my upper and lower stomach have actually gotten fatter. I notice no change in my size even having lost weight. Is this normal? I have not been following my diet as close as I did before. I feel nausious when I think of food or attempt to eat. I'm living off Greek yogurt. I get this sensation of heartburn (doesn't last but a minute or two) when I take my first bite of something. I can barely eat. I weighed myself and had gained ten pounds over two days. Drinking is not a problem. I feel sick at the thought of food most days. I went to see my PCP twice this week. Had a papsmear that came out normal, had a pelvic exam, normal too, but the Doc ordered a CT scan on my pelvic area. That showed nothing too. A few days after seeing the PCP, the pain wouldn't go away so I went to the ER (oh, that's where I had the CT scan) They did a lot of bloodwork, and took a urine sample... fit as a fiddle. They sent me home with Lortab's for the pain. The hospital ordered a mammogram, a colonoscopy and an upper GI. My Mom died of Breast cancer, and my grandfather died of colon cancer. My PCP and ER docs are looking for cancer. I can't eat, when I do I get heartburn (esophogeal?) and can't eat the food. I'm walking around feeling very full, but I'm totally empty. When I eat, it's greek yogurt, an apple, hummus, eggs, chicken, veggies, etc. I'm eating right, just barely. I do have good days where I can eat a little something and I don't feel nausious. I'm having normal bowels. Aside from looking at the test results from the mammo, colonoscopy and upper GI for cancer, I would like to know if any of the things I'm experiencing are signs of something wrong with my band. (i.e. nausea when eating food, or not eating food, esophogeal heartburn) and I'm not noticing it. Are there things that I should go see my WLS surgeon about? I could add him to the list. I'm very sick, am following up with Drs, I'm so scared.

Thanks kazjim... I LOVE your clip art!

Thank you JBooze, I've been googling myself to death looking for reasons for my malady. I searched gallbladder attacks and gallstones, I don't think I fall into any of those categories. But thanks for caring! I was told to have a colonoscopy by my PCP-OB/GYN. I go for them every two years, as colon cancer runs in my family. But I stopped having them done in 06. I had to boss my med team around (something I am NOT accustomed to!) to get me a colonoscopy ASAP, the Gods weren't having it. I booked with two different gastroenterologist's, just to see who could see me first. I now have an appt for an office visit in mid April, and an an appt for the test on April 19 (I think ) with my fave gastro...! Not looking forward to it, but I was told to do it, I should have been doing it all along and I want to know the results. The test isn't so bad, but the prep is not fun at all! IDK, my problems shift, sort of. My abdomen still hurts and is still bloated most of the time, my stools are inconsistent (TMI?) and my back pain has broadened and the pain is through the roof! If it weren't for the Lortabs I'm on, I'd not make it through my easy, pt work day, or very mild housework! I'm so disillusioned and wondering if I've lost my mind. I never get sick, not even colds...but this? Wow.

If you have concerns over the caffeine amount in coffee's and tea, here's a link from the Mayo Clinic. It's brief, but might be of interest to you. Hope ya like it! http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/AN01211

I bought an Italian Moka Pot and a milk frother at Bed, Bathand Beyond, I LOVE IT! It makes espresso. I have all the Dunkin Donuts coffees and then some. I'm trying to make one of those pretty lattes the coffee shops give you, but it's an art that apparently takes time! I can make decaf espresso or regular, all depends on my mood. I just posted the site dicussing caffeine cuz alot of people have this thought or the other on caffeine, figured it would be cool to see. Apparently I struck a chord here, LOVE all the talk! I want to be able to create the above latte's....

Thank you very much Missy! I'll keep you posted as this melodrama continues....

Just saw my PCP tonight (Not the best V-Day celebration), she got a cancaer free result from my mammo. Big YAY! While I waited for an hour for her, I was crying because my back hurts so much. Didn't take my Lortab today, bad idea. All in all, she still doesn't know what's going on. Took another urine sample, it was fine. She told me to see a gastroenterologist for the colonoscopy ASAP. Not sure how soon I can get the appt. Doc said that if the pain gets any worse to march right back to the ER and have the colonoscopy there. She's trying to rule out the colon cancer that runs in my family. She asked me if the pain in my stomach was "floating like", yes. Well there's some thing (I can't remember the term) that cause's air to accumulate in the upper and lower intestines. She gave me something to put under my tongue to stop the spasms. We'll see if this works. Has anybody ever heard of this? Could this be related to the band? I reminded her that I'm banded five years and that I eat small portions, chew very well and mostly eat the best foods. She said that was even better. Again I am grateful for your ear, I feel incredibly alone in this scarey world of diagnostic testing. _________________ Missy, My gastroenterologist is also in Inyernal Medicine, was that what you meant?

Missy, Haven't looked up MS yet, but I did google "abdominal hernia." I have all the symptoms, but I do not have anything protruding from my stomach. The Dr first searched my belly bt hand, nothing. Then I had a Pelvic exam, nothing. Then the ER did a CT scan of my pelvic area, nothing again. Wouldn't they have found any type of hernia then? Am I too fat to feel it? back to the google....

Missy, My PCP is also my OB/GYN. I'm just so scared to put my life in the hands of a young, new Dr. I see her tomorrow, where we will discuss how progress is not being made. I had my mammogram today, and am scheduling my colonoscopy tomorrow. I don't know what else to do! The pain that I'm in, and the unknown cause of my symptoms occupies my every thought. Do I have this? Do I have that? I'm praying my PCP will take my info and lead me to the right direction towards healing. It doesn't help that my Mom died of Breast Cancer over a year ago. And my Grandfather died of Colon Cancer. My mind is swirling. I'm sorry you were diagnosed with MS. I actually don't know what it is, but I'll google it. No, I'm not giving up! Though I do feel like it all must be in my head sometimes. I have Medicare, so I can see who I want, when I want, that helps. What is an Internest? I will google "abdominal hernia" and find out more about that. Thanks for helping me out. I know I will always find sanity when I'm on LBT.

Thank you laurigee...You described your experience as if it were mine, to a point. I'm sorry you had to go through all that, but happy that your hysterectomy went well. I was/am feeling a constant dull pain in my lower stomach that hit me with sharp pains every now and then. My lower back is causing the most distress, mainly on the right side to middle. I can't walk when I wake up in the AM until I take my Lortab (not keen on having to rely on them to function, that's when addictions start to form) and wait in bed for it to kick in. The pelvic pain has moved up into my lower stomach, I'm wearing my baggiest shirts to work so I can let my bloated stomach out. I don't know if that rules out OC. I have an appt tomorrow with my PCP, who is also my OB/GYN. I had my mammogram today, don't know the results yet. And tomorrow I will be scheduling my long over due colonoscopy. I'm writing down all my "symptoms" for the doc because I lose my thoughts when I'm in a Dr.'s office. Your description of your experience really helps me to "list" my symptoms, and take my situation more seriously. Thank you!!!

Thank you, you beautiful women, for caring and sending positive vibes. I breathe all the beauty in and march forward. It helps to know I am not alone. I feel a little bit better but not completely. I ate today with no problem, and the bloating has gone down. Of course, I haven't left my recliner all weekend and I take one of my four a day Lortab in the morning. Tomorrow is Monday, I'm going to have to put proper clothes on, that's what I'm afraid to do because the elastic on my too big underwear and pants, makes my stomach hurt. I'm taking this all one day at a time...just trying to speed the process. Maybe it's nothing at all? Again, bless you ladies for your warmth and caring!

Thank you Carolina, sorry to hear of your gall bladder surgery but sorrier* that your hospital kept sending you home. Your husband was obviously right to make them keep you in their care till they found out what's wrong! When I was being triaged in the ER, the lady doing it didn't want me to be admitted because "this (CT scan) can be done on the outside", "no ER was needed", but I stood my ground and I got admitted! But, after 7-8 hours, they did the CT scan (found nothing), bloodwork (all my levels are near perfect), and they finally sent me home with a script for Lortabs. I think it was a waste of my time. From what I read, you can't always detect OC with a CT scan, or even a pelvic ultrasound. My question...How does one find THE test for finding OC? As I detailed my new diagnostic tests to be done, above, I hope they're looking hard enough for something! I told elcee I had a gut feeling that something's not right. But not right, where? Thanks for the sweetness that is you, CarolinaGirl!

Thank you elcee, haven't heard from you in a while! No, you're not scaring me. I'm already scared because I, too, see that my sympyoms signal ovarian cancer. With cancer running in my family, I'm real scared to find I might have OC. But that also makes me more determined to find out what's wrong. My PCP (who is new to me, and very young) gave me a pelvic ultrasound which showed nothing. But my faith in how serious she's taking this is weak, not sure if they're doing enough. I just have this gut feeling, and my gut (no pun intended ) is usually dead on. Oddly, after all that pain, I'm actually feeling better (could be the Lortab) and wonder if I'm being silly about all this. But my symptoms point to OC. My Mom had to have a hysterectomy a long time ago, but I don't know why. (She passed of Breast Cancer two years ago) So I'm going to look more into OC, then do my colonoscopy, upper GI and mammogram. It's a preventative measure, but it's also now a search for developing illness.

Thank you Debbie, I found information about Hiatal Hernia's and I really don't think I fit most of the symptoms. I don't know if you know I am five years out, not fresh from under the knife. The heartburn I get doesn't last that long, and half the time I can link it to nasal drip (allergies). I will be calling my surgeon tomorrow to talk with him/them about what's going on and see if it's related to my band or not. I haven't had trouble keeping food down, I have trouble putting it in my mouth! Like your "gag word" experience, the thought of eating makes me feel nausious. Not all the time, but still. Though that seems to be getting better, go figure. I'm so confused.

Just found this, some of you might like it. If you bake these, let us all know how good they are. http://onceamonthmom...monkey-cookies/

Hdollman. I'm glad to see you enjoy them, sans Banana. I think the banana sounds interesting though I've never been a fan of Chocolate/Banana, but I'm willing to try. Since you left out the banana's, I'd imagine that the calories would be less, right? And you froze them instead of baking them, interesting. Do either of the changes you have in your recipe alter other ingredients? Howzabout you give me your recipe?

Smart man!

Mr. B.... I too love reading your posts, especially this one! You inspire! After all you've been through in Life, you deserve great success and to be as proud as you are. Congratylations and a Sincere Thank You for your Service and Sacrafices!

Congratulations!!! I always knew your tenacity would pay off, and I'm very proud of you! You made me smile tonight, thanks. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!