kacee

Being able to get up off the floor once I got down there!

It really hasn't been around long enough to know, I would suspect. You might be able to find some studies done in Europe in the last decade, but I don't even think the band has been around prior to the 1990's there either.

I can say that I have had many girlfriends who were very happy with my size because I was not a "threat" to them. I was a good comfort zone. Especially when I was younger I seemed to "attract" very vivacious, gorgeous girlfriends. They knew that when we went to a party they could make "their grand entrance" and have everyone stop in awe as they entered the room. I did not want that, expect it, nor did I need it emotionally. I was just myself and it took the competitive pressure off of them. I wasn't out vying for the boys and wasn't expecting anything. They were "safe" with me. I believe there is always just a LITTLE of that in female relationships, whether we admit it or not. This edge of competition....if I were that type of person, Sue's Eye, I think I'd be a little worried about you, because though your picture is small, you seem to be a very beautiful girl. If you are that pretty with excess weight, you're gonna be a helluva "contender" when you slim down! (And this has nothing to do with being single or happily married, etc.)

Actually when you think about it, she wasn't really saying something hurtful at all. She was absolutely voicing a concern about her relationship with you and where she feared it would head if you lost weight. It is kindof refreshing to hear the truth from people....as much of a faux pax as it might be. I think I would have felt more sorry for her at that moment. What goes through my head... Does she think she will lose you as a friend if you "get skinny"? -- that you won't consider her worthy of your time -- that you will be embarassed to be seen with her (if she is the same size as you now) or that she will be jealous of you afterwards because you are "competition" if she is much smaller than you now. Her comment to you was totally about herself. Yes, it was about HER feelings of whatever loss she perceives, not of her well-wishes for your health, etc. If she is a good friend you can overlook that. Many of us have opened our mouths and inserted our feet...sometimes up to the kneecap.

Try to stick with things that are already in a fairly soft state. Steer clear of meats that are anything other than things like tuna, crab, (stuff that is flakey). I'd say definitely NO chicken. Chicken also tends to be dry. Many people have problems with chicken even when they are on solids. Fish was considered a mushie by my doctor.

Ain't it the truth!!!! Periodically I see posts where people ask if this is just a "snake oil sell" or something. I can tell you that it WORKS. I didn't think it would work for ME (you always figure you will be the one it will "fail" on!) and NO ONE was more surprised than I as the pounds fell off, my self-discipline shot through the roof!!!!

And many, if not most people, cheat on their pre-ops. If you were so darned good at dieting you wouldn't be there in the FIRST place and to handle a LIQUID diet when you can't even handle a REGULAR diet, is pretty excruciating to all but the most hardened of us! You seem to be doing at least "quality cheating"...by sticking with things good for you as opposed to cheeseburgers and fries, so you are to be commended. The name of the game is to do the best you can. And understand that this is TEMPORARY ONLY. You can set your mind to do ANYTHING if you know it is just temporary. This isn't to lose weight to make you feel or look better before surgery, this is to help eliminate any complications during surgery, so we're not talking vanity here...we're talking medical necessity. Why don't you suggest your DH come out on the forum and scout around sometime? Let him know he can come in as ananonymous bystander and ask any questions he wants.

No, it's not something you can "avoid", but if you are "cheating" on your pre-op, that's not "surviving"...that's cheating. You are not going to die from an all liquid pre-op diet. If you feel like you are dying, drink MORE. I kindof understand the mentality of your DH. He figures if you cheat now, you'll cheat after. One slide and off the wagon you will go (like an alcoholic is prone to do). Thank goodness the band is NOT like that. With a whole lot less will power than you've had to try to drum up in the past, you will be able to control yourself after banding....MUCH MUCH easier. I think that is the beauty of it!

Check the sodium content of the stuff. You are retaining water for some reason. No, that's not good. Give your doctor a shout.

Ooooooooooooo I lived in Austin for 13 years and left there kicking and screaming when the bottom fell out of the economy back in the 80's. I miss Austin SOOOOOOOOOO much! I may move back there when I retire....or at least somewhere close.

Half the time people remember going into the operating room and then the next thing they know someone is waking them up (or they are waking by themselves) and usually you're going "When are they gonna start?" and it's all over. I mean it is SOOOOOOOOO FAST!

Congrats to YOU!!!!! I am down 48 and my birthday is in a week....don't think I can squeak by, but I can TRY!

I ordered some tops and some bras about a month or so ago which wound up on back order. When I finally got some of them I had to send them straight back....they were too large! I actually went ahead the other day and ordered a pair of size 12 denim leggings (I live in these things). I wear a 14 now, but I can tell that before too long I will be able to get into 12's, so because it's on back order I won't get it until the end of November, so I am expecting it to fit me then!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Me too! I tried to go online yesterday morning when I got up and all I got was an error message. It was funny, because I was immediately thinking..."Oh man, there's a lot of folks out there who are freaking right now!" and I kept coming back to it all day with no success! WHEW! Glad that's over!

Cin - Your experience is typical. Believe me, when you actually GET restriction, you're gonna KNOW it! I was sure that with my first fill they just waved the needle over my stomach and then said "Ok, that's the first fill. See ya later.." I mean, there was ZERO change. Hang in there....one of these days you're gonna actually go "So THAT'S what restriction means!!!!"

I wonder who that nurse has been interviewing.... I was really hungry after two weeks and chewing my leg off before three. MANY people are hungry almost immediately post-op. For one thing, that means you are probably healing quickly....any swelling is going down fast, or you had little to begin with. That helps with the initial "full" feeling after surgery, but those folks who don't have the typical swelling tend to go straight into hunger before the rest of us. Eat whenever you want, but make good choices. Instead of eating 2-3 Lean Cuisines (which I would have done pre-band), I ate 4 jello cups (10 cal each), or something like that. There is a lot of stuff out there you can eat that has 100 or less calories. I wasn't aware that vienna sausages fell into the mushie category. The only "mushie meat" I could eat was "soft fish" (tuna, fish filet, etc.)

Yes, you will be intubated. You may have a little bit of a sore throat afterwards, or more likely be hoarse for a few hours. Non-issue.

I've had quite a bit of surgery, and I guess I just don't worry about those things. To me that seems like going out on a boat and being afraid you will be eaten by a shark....well, yeah, if the boat is damaged and sinks (what, 1 in 3000 chance?), and if you are in the area where the sharks are (don't know what those chances are) and if you hurt your self when you went in the water and happen to be bleeding. I know this sounds silly, but you have to take it and look at the odds. I can understand possibly having a little concern if you have a pre-existing heart condition or something, but remember, you are in the hands of experts here. It's not like Joe Blow from off the street is going to wander in an operate on you. And even though it seems like rocket science to us, these guys do this for a living....

You gotta get out there and expand your horizons past the grocery store. One great way to get Protein in is Isopure clear drinks. I keep a stock of them at all times and when I have a day where things get past me and I'm not eating like I should, I just pour one over ice. They have about 7 flavors and are kindof fruit punch and one bottle will give you 40 grams of protein. You can get it on line or in health food stores...especially body builder places. I found it at GNC in California, but the GNC here in Houston near me doesn't carry it. Check out the website..... index This stuff is GREAT!

I'm certainly no expert, but it sounds to me like you are taking in a lot of air with your food and liquids. I get gurgling sounds in my throat occasionally, when I have swallowed particularly fast, or a "big bite".

If you go the insurance route it can takes months....even years for some people (ARRRGGGHHHH!!!). If you are self-pay, it will go as fast as you want it to. Once I knew I was self pay, I was scheduled for surgery within two weeks. The only thing that may slow the process is whatever tests you will have to have pre-op. I was lucky in that I just just recently had blood work, EKG, sleep test, stress test. All I had to do was get the files forwarded to the doctor. If you are self-pay, it will go FAST.

You are going to want to steer clear of carbonation post-band, for the most part. Burping is burping and that won't change...but you'll be doing a LOT of it post-band, at least for the first month. Rice, Pasta and breads tend to swell up once they get into your system. I would steer clear of all of those until you are comfortably into solids and can experiment with what works and what doesn't. When you do try these foods later on, be very careful with them...take it really slow and see how your body reacts. I can eat rice and bread IF I take it very very very slow. And whenever you get a fill, start completely over on the rice, bread, etc. because you will probably not tolerate it the same after a fill as opposed to before. The operative words here is easy does it. Weight loss will vary for everyone. Doctors tend to say that if you are losing 1-2 pounds a week you are right on track. I am 5 months out, lost substantially at first (was averaging just over 2 a week), and am down to about a pound a week or less. Because I really got a jump start on it I lost a lot initially and am now only 20 pounds from goal. I've hit several plateaus along the way, and you just have to realize that this WILL happen. It's the body's natural order of things and it will break eventually. My longest one seemed to be about three weeks....

Good heavens, what's wrong with your nurse? MANY people can eat quite a lot before their fills start. The band isn't even working yet, for the most part! Don't worry about it. You are hungry and there's not a lot that's going to change about that until you get good restriction. You are still sitting in Bandster Hell (that purgatory between surgery and restriction). Don't beat yourself up! Try to make the best choices you can. If you are hungry, fill yourself with filling but low cal stuff. Whereas I would have eaten 2-3 Lean Cuisines in a sitting pre-band, if I was having the insane munchies I would eat 4 jello cups (10 cal each) or something like that....

Can you eat bread with relative ease? Do you FEEL like you are eating too much? Are you still losing weight? That's kindof what I go by.

Dead center, about 2 inches below my breast bone.