Juli Salzman

I looked at my face this morning and noticed it looks thinner. However, it is sagging, too. What can I do? I'm not anticipating being able to afford plastic surgery at any time. Are there exercises, creams, voodoo spells (j/k) that will help keep my skin up on my face? I prefer prevention to surgery.

1. Sweet red pepper hummus. 2. Deli-sliced peppered roasted turkey 3. SF spiced cider.

Good for you Kerri! It sounds like you're on the right track. Keep us posted.

Keep water in your car and sip while you're driving.

Name, real or screen~. Juli (musicteacher) Goal weight for September 29th~ 225 Weight on September 1st~232 Age~46 Dietary goal for September~ get 60g Protein daily. Exercise goal for September~ work out 3x/ week Personal goal for September~ take all my meds on time. Date banded~August 29, 2012 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 17 pounds What is your favorite Fall Activity?~LSU football Weight on September 8th~ 230

Congratulations! Your story is inspiring.

Would Houston be too far? I'm in Angleton and I have a great Dr. In Houston. I took 3 days off work and timed my surgery with Labor Day so I had six days to recover.

I thought I'd planned for everything. My surgery was schedule prior to Labor Day so I'd miss one less day of work. I bought plenty of "yummy" Protein shakes so it wouldn't matter that my teenage son absconds a few. I read and re-read all the literature my Dr.'s office gave me about my gradual re-introduction to food. I was ready! Then it happened. I turned on the TV to the beginning of another football season. Whoa! That wasn't in the plans. My family usually buys a pizza and watches various games throughout the day, especially the LSU Tigers. But, I'm still on a full-liquid diet. I thought of ways to cope... hmm, doesn't this shake taste like pepperoni? Uh, no. How about that yummy popsicle? No. Oh, what to do? The NCAA is unlikely delay the season until I'm on mushies next week. So, I'm limiting myself to the most important game tonight and I'm going to spend my time coming up with fun exercises to do during the time-outs. Next week, I'm on mushies, so it's on! In the meantime, if anyone has a great substitution that's healthy for pizza, maybe deli turkey and soft cheese on toast, please share.

Thanks for the great advice!

Don't give up! Talk to your Dr. for suggestions or modifications. Maybe there is a new way you can make sure you get your protein quota. I just saw some flavored shots in the Bariatric Choice catalog that looks tempting. Your insurance may cover seeing a physical therapist who could suggest exercises that won't aggravate your RA or your ankle. Keep up informed.

I thought of something else that made me feel good... sf hot apple cider (the powder mix). Something about hot apple cider has always soothed me when I was sick.

It's a tummy cuddler!

Woo hoo for you! You're doing great!

Once you're on the other side of the nausea, you'll feel so much better. It's not as many miles as it seems. And when you get there, it'll be like night and day. I also found ice chips better than Water. Maybe it was the solid feel of the ice. I am interested in what form of anti-nausea medication y'all had. I had a patch that came off after a couple of days. It worked really well, while it was on.

Oh, my! Tuesday was not a good day for me. I went back to school six days after my surgery, still on liquids. Everything was wonderful until after lunch. I had my earlier students sitting and singing through songs with very little movement. However, then came kindergarten. I knew the little ones wouldn't be able to sit still for the entire class, and since it was my first day with some of them, I wanted to make their day fun. I started with the song, "We All Work Together" by Woody Guthrie and had the kids "shake their booties" during the "with a wiggle and a giggle" parts. When they were reluctant, I decided to demonstrate. I got such a great response from them, that I kept going with them. They were so adorable, I couldn't resist encouraging them. Bad choice. My tummy hurt so bad that I had to sit with a heating pad across my belly the rest of the day. I went home after school and went straight to bed, hugging my heating pad. Yesterday, I learned from my mistake, did a slow-motion, simple demonstration, then let the kids dance by themselves. Much better. Today, I did more and felt awesome all day!

Thank you. One of the parents asked me if I was ok today in the lunch room. I was suspiciously wondering who told her something. She went on to say that her daughter had come home a few days ago and told her that I was acting strangely hugging a t-shirt and sitting down. (I had tried to conceal my heating pad in a t-shirt). I thought I had done a good job hiding my discomfort but those little ones are sharp!

It gets better, so stay positive. A couple of days ago, I couldn't imagine ever feeling well again. Today, I feel pretty good. I was banded 8 days ago. Congratulations!

I had been struggling to get enough protein in, but I'm doing better now. I am on mushies now, so I'm enjoying being able to have other choices for my protein. I'm never going to have alcohol again. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize my success/health. I wasn't sure if you were referring to my pina colda sugar-free popsicle comment, or the reply. Today was a great day! I felt good all day.

It's only been six days since I've been banded and I cannot stop thinking of food. From pizza and Popeye's to green beans, I've been mourning my past life. Today was a particularly hard day and I had thoughts of regret. However, after reading some posts in forums, I'm again positive and took a big step... I ordered pizza for my husband and son. It might sound like I'm setting myself up for failure, but I'm really proud that I did this and think this is going to help me in coping. I will be so proud of myself after they finish their dinner. I found a surprise treat, as well. Although, I've never been a heavy drinker, I have had a margarita or pina colada on occasion. I know I won't ever be able to have an alcoholic beverage again now that I have a band. So, imagine my surprise when right after I ordered the pizza for my family, my son came into my room and said, "Mom, I bet your white popsicles are pina colada flavored." Yes, I found a pina colada flavored generic sugar-free popsicle at Krogers. I will enjoy that while they are eating the pizza, since I already had my protein shake for the evening.

Yummy! This sounds delicious. Thank you.

Welcome, Mrs. JRoChicago! Better late the never

Welcome, Margie. This site has really been helpful to me. We are all in this together. Through reading the postings on this site, I feel I was much more informed and prepared for my big day a week ago. I still have questions and they are always answered quickly by my fellow bandsters on this site. Good luck on your journey!

I didn't feel anything afterwards. I thought I'd be able to feel the port and felt for it to no avail. When I got back to my room, I just wanted to walk. After having gallbladder surgery, I was afraid I'd have pain in my shoulder if I didn't walk. I haven't had any mentionable pain at all. I stopped taking my pain medication the next day.

I'm so glad you asked that! I've been wondering the same thing. My incisions are where my gallbladder incisions were... in my naval; 1-1/2" incision about three inches above naval and a dime-sized incision to the right and below that one; making an equilateral triangle. Are everyone's incisions always in the same place?

I've never been able to "burp" at will. It's really frustrating because I feel like there is gas ready to come out and after walking and walking, all I get is a little whimper of a burp. My husband has tried rubbing and patting my back like a baby, but that doesn't help. For those of you that can burp at will, would you please share some tips.