PineNut

Weight loss surgery, gastric bypass support groups - St. Francis Hospital Washington I finally found the link for the support group at St Francis. THey have t hidden well! Thanks for the support Sue. I look forward to meeting again at St. Joe's! I will have a fill by the next meting. Hopefully I will have more weight loss to report!

Sue- I really enjoyed the meeting and meeting you the other day. Too bad I didn't meet Wendy too! I felt a bit on the spot by Marie and a bit guilty for having an easier nutritional plan to follow. It all helped me know that I ended up at the right place for me. Like they said, you have to go where you feel comfortable, especially when you pay yourself! I have not had any regrets...just really looking forward to my fill on the 28th! Are you thinking of going to the St Francis meeting on the 3rd Wed (I think).

Wenjea, Do you know if Sue plans on going? Or anyone else in your wallking group?

Any others going to the meeting tonight at St Josephs? I will be there! Jeans and white long sleeve top.

The 21st is almost here!!!!! I am excited for you. I have till the 28th to go back for my fill. I had 2 pc. of pizza tonite and I would have liked more. I have not had any trouble with bread or that manner of foods, but I have stayed away from white stuff. I am emotionally ready for the fill. It is time. Then I can look forward to some shopping in the fall! Like others here, I have clothes down to a 20 befire I can rationally purchase anything new. I wasn't in those long enough!

Seems like a lot to keep up on the posts. I just updated my Avatar and I am hoping my other photo stayed within my signature. We'll see. Yay! I can see results and progress in my face. 19 lbs down and lots more to go. I hope next month we can all post a phot of our progress. I am planning on the 2nd June meeting at St. Josephs. Can anyone let me know when it is? I think next Monday?? Is there a meeting AT St. Francis at all?

Hey ShellMar, Hope you found the info helpful. I will make it to the St. Joe's meeting hopefully tat he end of the month. Seems to be mostly St Francis patients but I will have to see for myself. Wish I could go to Everett, but the timing is not feasible now. Didn't you mention you were in W Seattle? Maybe we can all meet at some point face to face! I have been doing good on foods. No PB or anything gross. But I am starting to feel the hunger and I get pretty irratible then. It is true when they tell you to not get too hungry or you will reach for the nearest thing. I have some wheat thins handy in my desk! Just want to add my 2 cents in on recommending some colase or softener for afterward when you start the pain meds. I am still having a "hard" time in the poop dept. I made 3 trips in a row with the urge at work and was about to get embarrassed, but who cares really? I will make sure and take 'em tonight! FYI: it is very hard to push after with the incision site for your port. also, you share a lot more than you thought you would on this board!

I tested the waters...or the rum I had a Pina Colada tonight and I have not noticed anything different. I am one of those few drinks a year drinkers so I do not have any kind of tolerance built up. Cheap date, that's me. I did feel more relaxed...until I came home and my husband has started working nights so that leaves me to deal with baths and such. Oh well, there's andother happy hour somewhere and I go to work tomorrow!

I can relate to the hunger/anger. Seems that I used to be quite the stress muncher at work. I have been more hungry but my fill is not till the 28th. 2 more weeks......I have noticed that I can definitely eat whatever, although I overdid it on the refried beans at lunch and had a couple almost PB's. I have not been sick yet and do not want to be. I am pretty entertaining with those sort of burps that make a lot of noise coming up but never make it out! Anyone else have that? I also notice if I lay on my left side I get the same rumbling. Someone prior had talked about the Jurasic dinosaurs. Now I know! I am just trying to concentrate on not gaining. I am at the 19 lb mark and am also looking for the magic 20! I figure this will be my last hurrah before fill-dom. I am looking forward to that also. SO far I am just trying to make wiser choices and to put a helping on a small plate rather than eat out of the takeout box. At least that helps me monitor the intake although I am not counting calories at this point. Just pretty much eliminating anything white from my diet!

I have heard the comment that the band can be "tight" in the morning also. Maybe a warm liquid first, like Sue mentioned. I have heard that some hot tea prior can allow your muscles to relax.

Mine was about a week after surgery and it was difficult to bend while sitting on the potty. Had to opt for the 1 foot up on the toilet seat method, ya know. HAHA. Other than that it was not too difficult.

Lets say I have learned my lesson and recommend stool softener. It can be pretty hard (haha) to twist on the toilet after and "help yourself" along a bit. Gross. I had a couple days before the 1st one where I tried a baby suppository and Milk of Magnesia. Always take a softener when taking pain meds!

I was banded on a Thursday and went to work on Monday! I was hoping for an appointment the next week so I could be out on the Mon. Memorial Day. They were full up already, so I opted for sooner rather than later. I'll tell you that I did wear sweats and was there from about 10 to 2:30, Tuesday I lasted 9-4, and Wed was a full day 7:30 to 4:30. It was tough, but I have a desk job. More troublesome was the getting up and down. I did take a small amt. of my meds at work, and I also laid down on the floor at lunch or when I felt like everything was "sinking" in my tummy. 10 min was good and then back up. Pretty casual at my office (truthfully...I didn't care, I just laid down!). If I had it to do over, I would have waited and tried to work W-F rather than my M-W. You should do fine as long as you are able to REST AND remain in bed with a few trips of walking the hall and going potty. Stay put and medicated and make friends with your heating pad. I have 2 toddlers and it was hard to remain inactive with them, but they understood. Another thing, FYI, you will want to wear something you don't mind getting spotted with blood after the surgery. My steri strips got kind of gross but they stopped spotting (very minimal) the second day. I kept a hand towel over my belly under my nightgown. I am now 3 weeks out and feel like my old self. I have lost 17 lb (12 since surgery) and am pretty much eating whatever. I have not had any craving for pop or breads. I do eat crackers and bran muffin, but I can't believe I just toss the buns. I had some BBQ pork at the Tacoma Fair and it was just great without the bun. I got a pumpkin muffin and have been nibbling off that for 2 days. It really is amazing not feeling like you are always planning for the next meal. I went at 11 today to get my hair done and had a couple bites of the muffin and some Water about an hour later. I ended up staying for a foil so about 2:30 I got a sourdough chicken at JITB and tossed away the bun and couldn't finish even the chicken. Didn't eat the O-rings either! What is taking me long to discover is that my eyes and mind are bigger than the tummy. I order what I feel is less than before and I still can't eat 1/2 of what I have ordered. The only thing I am finding uncomfortable is that at night I feel that I get a bit swelled on the port side of my belly and if I have gotten upset and frustrated with the kids not staying in bed (peeves me royally) I feel the port twists or kind of protrudes and I can really feel it. It is uncomfortable, but not PAINfull. Just strange. It feels a bit the same when I get up in the morning. Just kind of walk around with my hand on my tummy. Hope all the info helps!

I am sure you will like the pre and post op options for food better also. I personally can not do protien shakes. Ask for a taste of the medifast when you schedule your appointment or let them know you want to try it. I didn't like it, but then I am not much of a shake person anyway. I also liked the all inclusive price and not having a hospital stay. Also, you get a time to report for surgery rather than a mass check in in the morning. I was in at 7:15 and on my way home by 12:30!

Don't forget the heating pad! I suggest setting up a tv tray beside your bed and a pitcher with ice water so you don't have to get up too often of maneuver the stairs if you have 'em. Anyone know if the meeting at St. Josephs is on for tonight? Are you guys going?

Don't forget the heating pad! I suggest setting up a tv tray beside your bed and a pitcher with ice water so you don't have to get up too often of maneuver the stairs if you have 'em.

I don't know if you are eating anything with a refined type sugar, but I ate a bite of choc chip cookie at work the other day and I had to REALLY struggle with staying awake about 15 min later. I was SO tired. Then hte other night I tried to have a bite...1 bite of a Hostess pie since I thought it would be mushie...OK OK...and I had the same twirly dizzy feeling about 20 min later. Needless to say I have not had anything other than dairy sugar and no problems. I would also back up the water comment above. I am not working so hard on the not drinking with meals at this point since it is still healing and I DON'T want anything to get stuck.

I was banded on the 17th and my port area is pretty sore and has been the last few days too. Strange. I had called and spoke with a nurse yesterday since I felt like I had a bulge under the port incision. I was told it could be my port but if it was irritated or oozing that I should come in. I felt like the swelled and hard area was bigger today so I figured I would go have it checked out since the weekend was coming and we are still without regular insurance since hubby changed jobs recently. Rats. Anyway, so we packed up and drove the 60 miles to the office and in 2 minutes, the nurse told me the hard part I was feeling was my port. I felt pretty silly, but I am suprised it is so near the surface??? She said with weightloss it would probably shift a bit but that it was good that it was prominent so the fills would be easy access. If they say so, but I think it is wierd feeling. I thought it would be much deeper in my body. I am struggling with mushy enough. And I still seem to be ordering for my old tummy! I ordered chix tacos and a quesadilla and pintos at taco bell and ended up eating the filling of one taco and the beans. I need to get my eyes adjusted so I don't go broke! I find it weird to toss the buns and tortillas....those old carbs. I don't find I miss it and today is the first day I have maybe even thought about wanting a soda. I will just stick to water. I had lemonade and crystal lite rasberry ice and then I was craving water. HINT: I have been carting around my old 32 oz insulated Weight Watchers cup (I know most of us have one laying around;)) and I filed off the WW with an emery stick nail buffer thing. It has been great for me to measure and know that I have to drink 2 of them a day. I have met my gaol for 3 days straight! I am on a constant search for insulated cups to buy lately and cant find them!

I will be right there behind you on the 28th! Good to know the info you posted. I just cheated 10 min. ago with a bite - only a BITE of Choc Chip cookie (really soft & good & mushie) and now I have a major headeache and can't quit yawning. I didn't realize how much some sugar would effect me. It is now in my drawer not tempting me. I am about to drop on my desk!

Hi All! I hope everyone had something more exciting to do over the weekend. I was beat down by Sat. and laid in bed all day. WONDERFUL. I think that it was too much driving on Fri. I got stuck in traffic heading up to Everett but fine on 405 coming home. Sun and Mon I did laundry and such. Too much bending and I accidentally lifted Ryann and Kristen climed on my back. They have been really good for a week of not climbing on Mommy but it must have been a moment I wasn't paying attention. Now my port incision is angry looking and SORE. I too feel like there is swelling still inthe belly area. I have on jeans today, but how come the tops are looser, not the bottoms? Figures it would come off the boobs first! At least my bras are easing up a bit. No problem with the underwire. Although I am sittin ghere with my jeans un-done. I am just not comfy with things around my waist now. I had some muscle strain under the lower incision on the right (my port is onthe rt.) and it BURNS in the crease of my "waist". That has been the worst of all. It feels like a line of fire sometimes. I am counting the days to Thursday when I can have MUSHIES.

Dr. Michaelson said that when I start mushies that you will get hungry. To concentrate on the protien first, veg 2nd, etc. No liquid with the meal and 1/2 hr after. If you can eat, that means you are not swollen anymore and will work on restriction at your fill. When do you go for a fill? Maybe you should call to talk to one of the gals. I have talked with Megan and Wendy and even Melissa - the scheduler. Maybe you should go in earlier for a fill???

I went for my post op (8 days) last Friday and was concerned about the look of my incisions too. I had taken off the icky, bloody strips off of the outer ones and replaced them with some band-aid butterfly things. BAD idea. 2 days later I went down to my Mom's armed with supplies and had to say "help me Mommy! Fix it" I was in such pain and the darn strips were giving me some sort of reaction and it HURT. The strips took the skin off so now I have raw spots on either side of the incisions. One even blistered! Gads. So I asked the Dr. about it the next day and he said the healing looked fine and that he preferred no bandaids and that at this point nothing was going to come open anyway. I will have to trust him. He also said not to use alcohol but a vaseline type or baby oil to take off the strips. Sat. I was so uncomfortable around my port incision that still had the strips on it (that were gross from the Neosporin) that I took them off too. It feels so much better now. I think the strips were pulling and I was getting a rope-y feeling along the cut. Still looks a bit gruesome, but feels much better.

I only had a headache on the Friday after surgery and I think that was due to caffiene - lack of. I have not been sick to my stomach at all. I was told that even a mushie meal was too much for 8 days post op. He wanted NO contractions of the stomach muscles. So last yesterday I was eating yogurts and pudding. I blended some tortilla Soup for dinner and ate too much. Not upset stomach but WAY too full feeling. Although it was low rather than high so I took a couple gas strips and it was better. I am still working on the more Water thing. Great job on the 10 lb.! I actually saw 299 on the scale! No more 30 numbers for me. Thank goodness. When on the 17th were you banded?

Cracks me up that I have had more comments on my haircut.....It is finally about back to like the photo. Too bad I had a REALLY BAD hair color appointment the next day. A guy at work called me "Elvira"...so you can imagine how dark it was. I thought is was more a suitable color for a stripper - not exactly fitting for me! And it was right before Halloween. Speaking of hair... Has anyone else noticed that their hair is acting like CRAP. Mine is completely limp and wont "do". I am hoping it is an effect from the anesthesia. I don't remember this happening with prior surgeries. I had to borrow a pretty barrette from my 5 year old to sport a "special" hairdo in the car today:biggrin1: I had my post op today and go back for a fill on the 28th of June. I am really anticipating the mushies. I have soaked a couple Chicken'Bisquit crackers and mushed those around in my mouth. yum..... I agree that those BEFORE photos can be a real motivator and reality check. I wore a lovely pair of shorts and a sport bra. All I noticed was a really big, white, stomach. I was at 301 at the Dr. office today and hope that by Monday I will never have to see a 300 number again!

What time were you banded, Zima? I was in the recovery until almost noon and told a gal with long brown hair and a case of the same weepys that I had had a few hours earlier that "it really isn't bad". I wish now I had known who it was....... I had my post op appointment today and wished I would get put on mushies. Turns out I have been pushing it a bit the last couple days.....so back to more "liquid" for me. I did lose 12.7 pounds! So I am going back on the 28th of June for my 1st fill.