GonnaBfree

Hey Violets! This post is not for the weak - so use caution.... I haven't been on in a while. Just taking things a day at a time. I was scheduled for my first fill today and called yesterday and cancelled it. Would you believe I got the stomach flu. OMG I was so afraid. I felt like I had never thrown up before and didn't know what would happen. One of my kids had it on Sunday and I didn't even think twice about taking care of her. Then yesterday at work, I was just starting to get "that feeling". Told the boss I was thinking I wasn't feeling well and within a half hour I left to go home. My first trip to the bathroom was just dry heaves. That's when I didn't know if I even could vomit anything. The second trip and trips after were just bile. I probably didn't have anything in my stomach anyway. But I took a pillow with me to hold over my stomach. I don't know if that helped, but it seemed the thing to do for some reason. I just kept waiting for excrutiating pain from slipping my band or something. It was worse than pre-band, but I never felt anything too bad. I am so thankful for not having been filled. I cancelled my fill because I couldn't bear the thought of exposing other bariatric patients or the doctors and staff to this. I'm really funny about passing this stuff on. I'm off work today re-couping. I feel tons better, but sore and still a little feverish and headache.

Jennifur - maybe you're 'glowing' nowadays! Nothing wrong with that.

Hey Violets - I've got a question. How did your incisions look at 5 weeks post op? I was banded 4/24 (it will be 5 weeks on Tuesday). 2 of my incisions seem like little craters, the other 3 are fine. Is this normal?

I'd leave the message. I'm sure someone checks it.

TracyinKS, is it possible just to meet at a park for an hour just to let the kids play together? I have a stepson that is 24 years old and my triplets are 5. They love him and he love's them back. My stepson is an only child, but he'll always have his brother and sisters no matter what happens to us parents. Laura, make your wedding what YOU want. As far as your dress goes, find a bridal shop that does cheap alterations! Let them know that you are loosing weight and they will know what to do. You're not going to be the first bride doing this. They can always make it smaller! And find out when's the LATEST you can order it. When you find a photographer, remember it's all you'll have left for years to come. Get as many pictures as you can for your money. Some only offer an album full, ours we got all of our proofs as well, so we got 2 albums worth. Granted, we don't look at them much now, but the kids are really getting into them. It's great to read about everyone getting their fills. I go on the 30th for my first. How do they know how much you already have in there? GUESS WHAT - I'M WEARING JEANS TODAY WITH A REAL ZIPPER AND BUTTON, their a 24, but they're real Lee jeans. I'm hoping they don't irritate one of my scars too bad. Might have to send myself home LOL. have a great day!

The day after I came home from the hospital, it took me over 6 hours to finish a protein drink. I thought to myself - what the hell did I do to myself???? But everyday, I got better and better. The hard part comes when you start feeling you can eat anything. That's when you have to tell yourself not to. This is your healing phase and it's important to follow what your doctor said. It will all come back to you - hunger, eating, drinking, gulping. Use this time to heal, loose weight, and learn new habits.

I switched surgeons after the seminar. I had gone to one place and all they talked about and pushed was the RNY. I didn't want to deal with a place so one sided. I knew I wanted the band and that was it. My new doctor said I was a great candidate for the band. Getting another opinion never hurts. Hope you are in an area that gives you the opportunity to do that.

You guys want to know a great website for some awesome protein? Just to give you a little history about this, I am a former patient of a clinic we have here in Michigan called "Medical Weight Loss". Their program is largely based on high protein/low carb and you're supposed to have 3 of these 'nutrient supplements' per day. Well it can be a little costly, but if you think of it costing you less than $5 a day, but ADDING a ton of variety and tasty protein, then it's worth it. I'm using my leftovers from when I was on the plan and am enjoying soups, shakes, puddings, fruit drinks, hot drinks, and my favorite sloppy joes. I found this website for purchasing them and use it for the nutritional value content. Most of the servings pack 12g of protein, but are low on carbs and calories. I'm still working my way up to solids, but having this variety has made things a little easier. check em out if you want - Protein Liquid Diet Shakes | Weight Loss Shakes | Protein Diet Drinks PS: I get nothing for this, but just want to pass along a great way to increase your protein. The fruit drinks are like koolaids. The soups make great soups or gravies (use less water) and the puddings serve as shakes or smoothies depending on the water/ice content.

rediscovering what's in the back of your closet is part of all the fun of bandland. WHAT'S THE OLDEST THING YOU HAVE IN YOUR CLOSET AND HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN WAITING FOR YOU???? I hate to admit this, but I think I have clothes from OMG 20 years ago. They are summer clothes and I've always wanted to fit back into them (I weighed 150# then). But now that I think about it, I'm too old for that style. BUT, maybe I can pass for 21 again (LOL - I'm 41)(but young looks run in my family!)

Haydee - you'll be fine. Just make some right decisions. Remember, the band is there as a tool - not the answer. You can do it! Fill or not.

You will feel better every day, just remember that. I crushed and dissolved meds for 3 days. after that, i could swollow them with water (doctor said that would be ok if pill was smaller than a plain m&m). You'll know when it's right. As for vitamins, i'm still doing chewables - 3 weeks out. I did liquid the first 5 days, then switched to the chews. welcome to bandland!

hey everyone - sorry I don't get to post as much as everyone else. But I'm still with all of you in bandland spirit. I'm on my 4th week of post op and supposed to be on puree' foods. Well i kind of venture a little further than puree's probably once a day. I find the worst things to get down are meats. Anyway, i thought I'd share this new "tool" that I found at a garage sale (also available at amazon.com). It's called The 90 Day Fitness Journal. It's a kool journal that I started on Monday to record my daily intakes and exercise goals. It's really helped me to get on track to write things down. Anyway, thought I'd share. Have a great one!

Have you guys ever seen that show about the guy who eats NOTHING BUT MCDONALD'S for 30 days???? It's called SUPERSIZE ME. He made a point near the end and it sticks with me (not that I heeded the point, but it still sticks with me and maybe now is the time to use it). Fast food and the Dairy Industry have this pack in regards to cheese. Cheese can be addicting to some people. They use cheese to keep us coming. They actually got Subway to hop on board the cheese bandwagon with their new sandwiches that are "melts". This offers the consumers no chance to say NO cheese and puts more money in their pockets. Then when you take that knowlege and look at what KFC started with their "bowl" you know it's a conspiracy. What the heck is cheese doing at the KFC??????? Watch it or look for it on the web if you ever get the chance.

My doctor said anything smaller than a plain m&m and I should be ok. I crushed for 2 days - blek I broke in half for 1 day - seemed rought By day 4th day, I swallowed them one at a time whole. but of course - check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacy. and if you try it, start with the smallest one.

If you are NOT eating enough, you will not loose weight. Your body NEEDS calories for energy. It will take them from your stored fat, but it also needs you to take in fresh food to get your stored fat out of storage. I was talking to my neighbor the other day. She was saying how much she watches eating fat free stuff and how she still gains wait. I'm pretty familiar with the in's and out's of loosing weight. In the past 20 years, I've lost probably 300 pounds. Not that I had 300 to loose, just that, i've taken off pounds 6 significant times in my adult life. Each time the weight came back + about 20%. My 270 is an altime high for me. Of the 6 times loosing, i've done medical weight loss 3 times, jaw surgery followed by WW, fat gram counting and aerobics, and the best was gestacional diabetes. (I say the best because I had triplets and had a wonderful healthy pregnancy that produced my wonderful babies and 50 pound weight loss after their birth) (I was all baby by the end - only gained 10 pounds being pregnant with them and then it was gone and more). That was my most educational weight loss. Between learning about infertility and the effects being overweight can have on your hormones and taking insulin shots and eating a very strict carb diet. I learned to feed myself purely for my body - not my mind. Once not pregnant, i went back to old habits and fed my mind. Instead of babbling, I'll cut to this - everyone pushes every kind of diet there is out there from fat free, to carb free, to miracle pills, to surgery. The one thing they will NOT push is the perfect diet called BALANCE. Anyone can do it. My nutrionist when I was pregnant put me on the following regimine and I HAD TO FOLLOW IT and for the babies I was awesome. Breakfast - 30 carbs snack - 15 carbs Lunch - 45 carbs snack - 15 carbs dinner - 45 carbs snack - 15 carbs This is what I'm using as my future. I could eat anything as long as I followed those guidelines. I will talk to our nutritionist at my doctors to see if I need to lower those guides a little (since i'm not pregnant), but for one I felt always satisfied because I was always eating. Also without being pregnant I will add in my other very successful weight loss duration. counting fat grams and aerobics. If I keep under 30 grams of fat per day, I'll loose. Calories will be 1000 to 1200 per day depending on my activity level. I'm planning on creating a food diary and really getting into this. ONCE I CAN HAVE FOOD. I may have some bad sneaking habits, but I'm loosing those. And the last place I want to run right now is Taco Bell or KFC for beans or potatoes. I mad at the fast food places and I'm NOT GOING TO SPEAK TO THEM ANY MORE.........LOL (I've been mad at Kmart at my corner for 4 months now and I haven't returned yet - so I think I can be mad at fast food ) Well that's my plan. Glad I finally thought of one. Thanks for listening !

can't answer that one. I'm one week out and still on liquids. (well supposed to be) doesn't sound like it's too much though. Have you totalled up the calories as well on what you are eating?

The first month is going to be the hardest and I'm only on week 1. Would I do it over??????? On day 1 - my thoughts were no way on day 2 - my thoughts were what the heck did I do to myself on day 3 - I weighed myself and was down 7 pounds and thought - this could be good. on day 4 - I was doing well on day 5 - I missed food and ate some cottage cheese when I was only supposed to still be on Clear liquids also on day 5 - I was in pain on day 6 - still missing food and being dumb ate also on day 6 - I was in pain today is day 7 - I'm back on the clear liquid wagon and ready to stick with this You're going to miss food for a month. But that's going to be your biggest loss of weight. I've already learned that you feel full after barely eating anything and satisfied. Once you start realizing how much of your everyday life is "mind hunger" you'll be able to use that knowlegde and the lap band as TOOLS to loose weight. Hind site is 20/20, but if I knew on 4/24 what I know now as of 5/1. I honestly can't say whether I'd do it again or not. MY hopes and prayers are to keep the weight off once I get it off. If I keep it off, this band will have answered all of my dreams.

Thanks for sharing that Kity. I had my first PB yesterday. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it does teach a lesson. Eating in the car is a thing of my past. That was one of my worst habits. For me there's really no reason for it other than eating in privacy so that no one can see how much I really eat. Does anyone else have to loose that part of them? I could really use some help with that struggle.

HI Warped Pegasus. I was banded 4/24 and am I'm struggling. I can't stick to the clear liquids stage and have already attempted some cottage cheese and cream soup. But I can also honestly say that I am back to just liquids. I'm hurting after doing that and I think it has sunk in that I'm healing and I don't get to decide when I get to move on to the next phase. I have my first post-op visit to the doctor tomorrow and I'm so afraid he'll say WHAT HAVE YOU DONE???? and I'll have to fess up. But if he don't ask, I probably won't tell and just go back to being a good girl. It is sooooo amazing how different every doctor handles everyone. But if you think about it, they have seen your insides; know what took place during the procedure; and know what's best to heal you. So let's both try to stick this out and give our girlish figures their chance to heal. I'm so glad I'm not alone with this problem.

For anyone with and without gas pains after surgery? Did you walk a lot and keep it up or do you think you could have done more? Would more walking help? I'm having surgery tomorrow and today is pretty rough. I just keep telling myself it'll all be worth it. It's not like I'm never going to eat again. I'm glad I'm at work the day before. Keeps me occupied.

OK - here we go. I start my pre-surgery diet of liquids today. For this 'special' day I: woke up and headed for the shower with my new tape measure my doctor's office gave me and a pen and paper. I weighed myself and am SO amazed that the 2 pounds I've been down has stayed off in spite of all the things I've eaten (probably nerves). So today I'm at 268 and 51% body fat I took my body measurements and wrote them down. I stuck that paper and my measure tape in my bathroom drawer and hopped in the shower. Now I'm posting a bit here and heading downstairs to have some juice! Today, LIFE IS GOOD. Got to go - daughter is butting in on my lap claiming to hungry and if I put off everything too long, I'll have a bad hair day. Sunny and high 70's today! surgery is Tuesday. Pre-surgery screening went well and I'm so good to go. Be back Later!!!

Try keeping a cup of ice chips around. that might slow down your gulping water but help your thirst.

For our friends having the procedure tomorrow. Chin up. We are here for you today and you can tell us all about it when it's over. Then I'll be on here next week and you can calm my nerves. LOL I'm probably glad i have to work the day before. I won't have time to think about it. I have a lot to do this week at work, so that will keep my mind off things. Things will be great. We can do this and we can get through liquid diets. It's the break our bodies are looking for. It's our chance to have our bodies get in sync with our minds. I've yo yo'd all my life and have never given up. This is my chance to get it off and still have the tool to keep it off. Eating is not over; it's just changing (for the better) Life is not over; it's just beginning I struggle a lot with my husband. He's a stay at home dad for our 5 year old triplets. He does most of the cooking and it always seems to be heavy meals. i shouldn't complain, but sometimes I just can't wait to not eat after this surgery.

I'll be on clear liquids for a week, more liquids (but not clear) for week 2, puree for week 3 and then finally softs for week 4. It won't be so bad. I've got lots of leftover protein drinks from my days at medical weight loss and they're pretty tasty. I'm actually looking forward to not eating - can you believe it?

Tracy - from the sounds of that support group it's no wonder they're not doing well. They need SUPPORT not a pityparty. Has anyone else not had to go on a pre-op diet? I will be doing liquids for 2 days post op but i read so many threads that talk about liquids for a week or so to shrink the liver. How soon has anyone returned back to work after surgery? Anyone stay overnight at the hospital? I start my pre-op test all on thursday. this has just all gone soooo fast. In a huge way I'm thankful for not having more time to think about it. A week from Tuesday for ME and I'm banded!