A New New Dawn

That is so frustrating when people want to impose their viewpoints on others; especially a negative one. I am so glad your husband is supportive and was able to remind you that this is your decision and you came to it for your own reasons. Any surgery has its success stories and failures. Personally, my mother had RNY. Sure she lost most of the weight (and very quickly) but she is not a healthy person and actually has regretted doing it many times because of the malabsorption issues and health issues she has today. That made my decision very easy. I am sure several people have been successful and happy from the RNY but I had my personal reasons of choosing the path I chose. As long as you have done your homework and feel comfortable with the choice you made, only you can make that decision. Don't let one unsolicited opinion sway you as you don't know their circumstances and they don't know yours. Kudos again to having a very supportive husband! That alone will be a great added bonus to being successful!

We can't change the past but can certainly impact the future. Be strong, you didn't go through all of this not to be successful. Now that things have settled, I hope you find that strength (and the recent fill) to get back on track. We only have one body and need to make the best of it. I had initially started pursuing the lapband in January 2011. I had a lot of personal struggles last year and knew I wasn't in a good place to focus on me. I am glad I waited and am in a much better "place" where I am the priority. Now that you are able to put the other big life events behind you, you will get to that place and realize you owe this to yourself and you deserve to be healthier. Good luck and be strong.

What an amazing job you are doing and what an inspiration as I begin to embark on this journey!

Yogurt is a good additive too, there are light ones you can add that will add flavor and protein!

Great pictures and great work!!

I was also able to have pureed fruit (1/2 c) w/ the cottage cheese if you like that or I saw another person that made homemade guacamole and put that on top of it and really liked them together. Also, I have been having Soups (surprisingly even a cup of Soup at Panera is only 150-300 calories, depending on which one). It, too, makes me feel like I am eating real food and I am able to go out in social settings and feel "normal" eating w/ everyone else. Good luck!

Have you tried cottage cheese or scrambled eggs? Those are foods you don't have to puree and give you a sense of "chewing" that you may be missing. It will get easier. I am 3 weeks post op and still on mushy food and it has gotten easier.

I am not sure where the phrase was coined but "living large" no longer has negative connotations for me! I used to hear that and think instantly of my size. Now it is about how I want to live my life. Only 3 weeks post op and I already am feeling like a new person. I feel much more confident in myself and am already feeling revitalized and a renewed outlook on the future. I have found myself wandering the clothing aisles at stores and not dreading looking at size 22 but venturing down a few sizes thinking that will be me soon!!!! I had heard the "BMI" term used over the years and never gave it much thought before this surgery. Now, I am excited by that #. I have had two visits with the surgeon post-op so far and the # has dropped from 50.5 to 45.5 already! If I can make that significant of a difference in it in just weeks, imagine months from now!!! I have found strength to not long for my (former) favorite foods, even when they smell and look so good within my reach. It is actually quite empowering to have that will power now. I am not saying I will never mess up, but that "flub" doesn't have to define me and doesn't mean I am completely off the wagon. It just means I need to make better choices for my next meal. Heck, people that are healthy and thin overeat or indulge from time to time. It's all about moderation and being accountable to myself. I know I can do this. Admittedly, the first couple days I had a few "feel sorry for myself" moments but I got myself into this and I need to get myself out! My goals are not to look like Cindy Crawford or Kim Kardashian. My goals are what will make me feel good, not worrying about going to events where there may be a turnstyle, not having to retake photos all the time because I don't like how I look in them, getting off BP meds, hopefully ridding myself of sleep apnea and then all the little things - enjoying going clothes shopping in the misses (not women's) dept, not tiring as easily, crossing my legs (cannot wait for that, even if it isn't good for your circulation), and my goal for next summer - going to the amusement park I have avoided for years!!!! No time for pity parties ~ time to start LIVING LARGE!!!

Thanks. I lost 10 lbs. during the pre-op diet and 15 since surgery. I, too, was very itchy from the steri-strips they put over the incisions. I got a benadryl type spray and sprayed it on my belly which helped. If your incisions are itching that bad, and if they are red and irritated, you may want to consult your surgeon as it could be the issue I had with the stitches. It started with the itching profusely for days and then became inflamed and sore. Thanks for the compliments! You are doing well too.

Good luck w/ that! Hope it works better for you!

Please keep up with your breathing machine. The mucus is not good and you want to get as much of that out (cough up/spit out) as you much as you can so you don't get pneumonia.

I didn't experience any of that. I am not sure if that is normal or not. No harm in calling to talk to nurse at your surgeon's office for piece of mind.

My story was very recent. I am only 3 weeks post-op. A few weeks ago my daughters went to my dad's house together. My stepmother was sitting with my eldest talking about my surgery and how I should have been able to just watch what I eat, etc. Then she went on about how I don't like Protein drinks. Sorry, I do have "texture" issues with certain foods and they make me gag. I just cannot do the OTC Protein drinks. To which she told my daughter, well, I am sure if you put it in a McDonald's cup she would drink it!!! My daughter was so hurt but didn't want to start a fight and just ignored the comment. To my face, my stepmother acts like she is so proud and excited for me. Seriously!! Way to make my daughters feel comfortable with their mom having surgery and putting me down. Now my daughters and I have made a bit of a joke of it that I should show up with a McDonald's cup the next time I am there (even if it is just Water in the cup). People can be so heartless and cruel ~ even family!

Ugh, so I thought my port site incision was infected (red, inflamed, yuck, pain). I went to see surgeon today and he said it was part of the stitches that didn't dissolve. He gave me a local pain killer (couple shots) and had to reopen part of the incision to remove the tail end of the stitches. Apparently, they tie a knot at the end of them and sometimes it doesn't dissolve. My tummy is sore (not even where the incision was). It just feels so sore all over and somewhat queasy today. Not sure if it is just because the procedure still hurt while he did it or just more healing. It is just weird that my whole belly area is sore. Anyone else have any issue with their incisions?

Sorry to hear you are going through all of that. Moving is no fun and sounds like challenging circumstances. Try to see it as a cleansing process as you move forward. As for the no energy, I was struggling w/ that a few days ago and realizing I wasn't taking in enough protein. Are you sure you are getting in 50-60 grams per day? That can make a huge difference. Good luck.

Sorry to hear you are struggling a bit. We definitely all handle it differently. I have a very high tolerance for pain so the pain didn't bother me, only when I had to get up and down from a chair. It does get better and I actually think days 3 and 4 were the worst of it for me. I agree with others to definitely take small sips too throughout the day. It is a new habit for us and easy to overdo it. That can add to the pain. Good luck... you will be feeling better in no time.

Hopefully it isn't delayed but if it is, it is for good reason. I wouldn't want to go ahead if there could be a complication. Be glad they are being thorough. I know we want to lose the weight like yesterday but your safety comes first.

As for getting Protein during the day and not wanting to cook - here are some suggestions, have some tuna salad or egg salad prepared (make ahead of time to last a few days). But don't eat with bread, eat by itself. Another idea is cottage cheese. Have some lowfat cottage cheese on hand as it has good protein. Lastly, make a (healthy) pot of Soup to last a few days. I find that soup goes down well for me and is mushy. They had some lentil soup at work that was really tasty. I also just bought a tub of premade refrigerated chicken tortilla soup from costco. It had about 15 gr of protein and only 130 calories for a cup. I had mentioned measuring your food so you are not exceeding 3/4-1 c of food at a sitting. I find my eyeballing it or allowing myself to serve my portion unmeasured ends up with me eating more than I should. Heaven knows I don't want my band to potentially slip or to dialate my stomach too much so this helps me tremendously. Hope that helps!!! Glad you are back to being you again...

Definitely agree w/ the pain meds will make you forget about your neck. Good luck to you!!! It's so exciting.

Hope the claims are unfounded and he is a good doctor.

Definitely call the insurance and they can tell you ahead of time or at least give you an idea. Also, the "pre-existing" conditions may aid in your favor to get approved if they cover the procedures. Typically, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc. help get approved quicker. As the surgery will ideally correct those issues that could be life threatening.

Sounds like you are doing everything right! Hang in there!! I understand the feeling of "being watched too". My daughter, thankfully, just got her license. She has piano lessons w/ my dad tonight. I was dreading the thought of going there as I feel like I haven't lost much yet since the surgery and don't want to "reveal" myself just yet. (Aside from the fact that my stepmother drives me crazy - lol). So tonight she is taking herself for her lesson.

Lucy, (hopefully I didn't post this already) but one thing that is really helping me too is to premeasure my portion. I make dinner for the family and make sure that my portion of meat doesn't exceed 3-4 ounces (about the size of a deck of cards) and the additional food (ie. vegetables) added to the meat doesn't exceed 1 c. of food. So I measure essentially 1 c. of food (meat and veggies together) and serve it on my plate. That is my dinner/meal. This way I am less inclined to over serve myself and I mentally know that what I have on my plate is what I am allowed. The fact that you have gotten foods stuck and are not full makes me wonder how fast you are eating too. It is taking me a lot to slow down (and I need to more so than I have). I know there are phone apps (silly as it may sound) that you can use that time your bites so they are spaced out enough and you slow down that way. I think the phone app is called "eat slower". Good luck! Even if you aren't getting a fill for a couple weeks there are things you can try to do in the interim. Also, try to avoid having those really tempting foods in the house. Trust me, I am HORRIBLE at dieting and food is so tempting but we owe this to ourselves. The couple of minutes of euphoria isn't worth years on the body! Lastly, I am not as active as I could be... but one thing I am making myself do is to go for a walk after dinner. I would normally be inclined to go plop on the couch to watch tv or play on computer but I am making myself go for a walk. Even little things can add up to being successful. YOU CAN DO THIS! Best of luck to you in finding strength and perservering!

I am sure that would be scary coming from a close source, who I am sure what very upset by what happened to his beloved sister. That is terrible. Certainly, do your homework and also know that there are risks associated with any procedure. However, it does sound like she "abused" her stomach and the band. Also, not knowing if she was avoiding warning signs that there were issues and perhaps she didn't go to the doctor when she had them. There are so many unknowns. Also, how many years ago did she have the band. A LOT has changed in how they do the procedure and the band itself. The biggest thing is to listen to your doctor and listen to your body. Lastly, I agree with an earlier post that people dying from heart attacks, stroke, etc. outnumber the risks of having the surgery. Doing nothing is almost certain premature death, sadly. Best of luck to you and hope you can find peace in your decision. Anyone I have talked to has told me the same thing "I wish I would have done this sooner".

How exciting. I am almost 3 weeks post-op and reveling in finding my clothes are getting very loose on me! I am noticing it more in my clothes than the scale so I'll take it! I have a magic bullet knockoff that I bought at a garage sale. I was going to send it with my daughter for college but kept it and it works well. Of course, the pureed food leaves a lot to be desired but the blender is doing it's job and is much easier to clean and use than my standard blender. Just make sure you add plenty of liquids to the meat/protein and cut the meat into small pieces first or it won't work. Good luck on your journey.