flrosie

I stumbled on the Fifties area and find that all the posts are at least a month old. . . what happened to all the 50's banders?

Glad to see you here. You're doing marvelous, aren't you? Love the before and after (ongoing) pics!

I like your food plan better!

Not really. The first few days were not the worst for me. The anesthesia and pain meds from the hospital held over a while. It was more painful than I thought it would be and I didn't have done all that you did. Every once in awhile I still have difficulty taking a full, deep breath. It catches where there is still some gas trapped in there. I sneezed last night and thought I was going to bust all the stitches in my gut! And the gas pain in my shoulder is HORRENDOUS! Nothing resolves it, not walking, not gas-x, not water, not anything. Laying flat helps for hours on end but then I have to get up again! Don't be too hard on yourself. We're all different and we all deal with the pain individually. You don't have to be brave, my friend.

Here's a link to the everymove website. Might be worth investigating. https://everymove.org/

Congratulations! The time will speed by and you'll be on the other side in no time. So much great advice on this site. Read lots, post often, get to know the gang here. It's an awesome experience!

Tezzie, it looks like you've done very well on your pre-op! Keep up the good work. You'll do great.

Wow, you had a lot done. Congratulations! Now rest and relax. We're not going anywhere.

I cannot agree more. When I read about others with less restrictive post-op instructions I am so JEALOUS!!!!! One more week of Clear Liquids and I am BORED TO DEATH of broth. I keep reading the 'week 3 - 4' list of foods, salivating. . . .

I agree, Karen, walking helps. The last week I've had different friends come to walk with me at various times throughout the day. My husband and I have walked the dog together - he holds the leash because my 120 lb lab might yank me across the road. Walking really does help. For that insistent pain in the shoulder, however, laying flat for about 20 minutes is the fix. Gravity is not our friend with regard to the shoulder pain! Wish it was warmer than 52 degrees in 'sunny' Florida!

Pre-op I make my Protein drinks with almond milk, unsweetened vanilla flavor. I LOVE milk, really LOVE it. But I really like the almond milk, too. Using it for Protein Shakes eliminates the milk problems.

All of the above posts have great advice in them. Retraining ourselves to step away from the emotional eating carousel isn't going to be easy (it's the one aspect of this journey I am challenged by most!) B-52 says what I've thought about this from the beginning and why I chose the band over other WLS options, Normal weight people do not (usually) obsess over their food choices. They eat a balanced diet every day and enjoy treats on special occasions. Most normal weight people do not exclude ANYthing from their diet unless it's an allergy/tolerance thing. Most normal weight people get an appropriate amount of exercise every week, whether its formal training or just an active lifestyle. I am going to live like a normal weight person. I AM GOING TO LIVE LIKE A NORMAL WEIGHT PERSON. In order to stop associating my food choices or eating according to an emotional response, I have to stop attaching guilt or pleasure to my food (not to be confused with appreciating quality food). I am going to stop beating myself up when I have something I once considered a non-diet food, when it's eaten at an appropriate time and place, not under duress, and in appropriate quantities. I went into this with the idea that I would never place any food item on a prohibited list but that I would, with the help of the band and other resources, relearn how to eat like a normal weight person eats. I think it is unrealistic to think that I will never have another piece of chocolate, never experience a fresh Krispy Kreme doughnut, never enjoy a gourmet meal on a cruise ship, or experience new foods when we travel. I will eat one of my famous sauerkraut balls on New Years Day, I will have a spinge on St Joseph's Day, I will enjoy the fish fry we have after a good fishing weekend, and sample the extraordinary offerings at our community pot lucks. I will appreciate food for what it is and not place undue value on what it is not. This is my mantra. This is the lesson I am learning as I shed the weight that resulted from my old understanding of food, the crutch that held me up when I didn't think I could hold myself up without it. I am stronger than the old ways. I have wasted enough of my life living like that. I am deserving of it. And it will bring me as much joy as I have been blessed to have in my life to this point. And so are you, so have you, so will you. Forgive yourself and move on.

That's funny...I said the same thing to a friend of mine the other day. I check in on this forum before I go to FB in the a.m.

I would like that!

You are my hero!!! :wub:

My pharmacist said the same thing about my extended release wellbuterin - what I've been taking to quit smoking. I have no replacement since I can't crush it, the pain in my shoulder is just FREAKING EXCRUTIATING, and now I want a cigarette! Heat, cold, gas-x, walking, NOTHING is working and I'm going to kill my husband if just one more time he tries to touch my shoulder!!! VENTING....ROCKING....THANKS!

Just a little south of me.....

THAT is excellent advice! I did that for a few weeks before my surgery date. I don't like those fruity energy/vitamin drinks so I knew I was going to struggle to find something I liked. Glad I did the research before I was restricted to a limited intake. Made all the difference, I think, having what I could tolerate right here. Good luck. You'll do fine!

I switched to decaf several years ago because it helped my blood pressure. Then I began to drink tea, until I saw the stats on how much caffeine was in my tea, then switched to a decaf version of that, too. -sigh-

Oh, a deep breath would feel so good. With the gas rumbling around in there, a deep breath is a wishful thought! The pain! OMG. I asked my husband to put a bullet in my left shoulder so the gas could escape!! Just when you think you're feeling good, the gas moves to another sensitive spot. Yes, walking, heating pad, walking, you name it. Like childbirth, this will become a distant memory.

I think you'll find it's completely normal but you're better off calling the doctor just to be sure. At the very least it will put your mind at ease. I have a spot on my stomach that is still numb to the touch, right over the port. It tends to feel like it's pulling down when I stand or sit straight, sometimes more comfortably than others. But we've just been out of surgery 5 1/2 days so I expect it won't have healed stationary yet. Call the doctor. Then have a calming cup of tea. And let us know how you're doing.

Hmmm, maybe this is the right place to ask this question. You all talk about diarrhea as though it's to be expected. I haven't had a BM since the morning of my surgery. But I haven't had solid food, either. Clear liquids - broth, clear juice, popsicles. I wouldn't have expected to have had a BM with this kind of eating. I don't feel like I need anything to help me 'go,' I just don't feel I need to 'go.' Liquid in/liquid out isn't a problem - even without my water pill I'm peeing up a blue streak! Another 10 days of this clear liquid until I graduate to full liquids, which I assume will produce some interesting results. Does this all sound rather normal, like I assume, or do I have a problem I'm not aware of?

Oh my, getting my medicine down every morning is a 30 minute project. Break the pills into small,small pieces...take one small piece and swish it down with a small sip of water....wait a minute or so.....take another swig of water just to be sure the meds went down.....rinse and repeat. I have five pills every morning that are broken into about 25 pieces. I know I'm probably being overly cautious but I don't want any problems. I look forward to the day I won't need these meds any more!

Absolutely! Great job!