BrickHouse

Brick House Hummus 2 cans garbanzo Beans (chickpeas), drained ½ cup tahini ½ cup extra virgin olive oil juice of two lemons ½ bunch cilantro ½ cucumber, peeled and cubed ½ cup sweet pickle juice 1 tsp. garlic powder ½ tsp. each salt and paprika Combine in blender or food processor and process until smooth. Thin with a little Water, a tablespoon at a time, if needed. Delicious.

Not sure of the exact counts. There are lots of recipe calculators online - I think MyFitnessPal has one. The chickpeas and tahini would be the sources of protein.

Me, too - this stuff is so good! I just bought some roasted red peppers for my next batch. Swapping the cucumber for the roasted red peppers.

The CRAB dip sounds delicious! Autocorrect likes to call my honey "Homey," so I can relate!

I had to see what all the fuss was about. Hot crap dip doesn't sound so good!

Odd that Amazon hasn't charged my card yet. Anyone else notice this? I ordered on the 19th.

That's why I bought 2 cases of vanilla. I love to add a couple drops of extracts or flavorings: almond, butter, maple, etc. And, yes, the vanilla is great in coffee!

I can't wait until getting dressed isn't a crap shoot. Can I point my toe and get it into the leg hole of my underwear on the first try? Will I need to throw my pants on the floor and kick my way into them? Will I dislocate my knee trying to get my socks on? Funny but not so funny. Someday I'll laugh at it! Today's not that day...

I can't wait to NOT see women on Biggest Loser who are smaller than me, at their heaviest.

This is UNFAT Tuesday to many!

RIGHT! My daughter wears a small junior size and when I'm shopping for her, I feel the eyes on me, like "They ain't gonna fit you!"

I can't wait to NOT buy a size 5X sweatshirt in order for it to be baggy.

Soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil. YUM.

Could it be from lying down after having a drink? I'm not sleeved yet, but I remember reading that's a no-no. Hope you can get it resolved.

Not to sound harsh, but it's not the sleeve that's not working. 25 pounds in a month is outstanding. Be patient and have faith in your choice.

And I can't wait to NOT freeze my poor husband out. He is wrapped in a jacket, a hat, and a blanket and I am in front of the fan, eating a sugar-free popsicle.

I can't wait to NOT want to avoid going inside my kid's school for assemblies, sports, sign outs, etc. I never wanted to embarrass her.

You both look amazing! Big congratulations!

I began thinking about WLS over a year ago. This past summer, I began the process. I spent many, many hours reading these boards and learning more than I ever thought I'd know about being sleeved and living a sleeved life. I started by attending an information seminar hosted by my surgeon in July. I had my one-on-one consultation with him in September. I began my adventure of hoop-jumping: two psych visits, two nutrition visits, two sleep studies (one with CPAP after OSA dx), EGD, upper GI, pulmonary check, cardio check... I learned I had high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, as well as obstructive sleep apnea. All the more reason to have this procedure. When I was almost finished with all of my clearances, I discovered a lump. I immediately contacted my primary care doctor who sent me to a breast imaging specialist. Everyone could feel the lump, but it didn't show up on the diagnostic mammo, nor the ultrasound. I was then referred to a surgeon under the impression that I had an infected duct. Under his direction, I hot-packed my breast for two days before having the painful area excised. Two days later, I learned the excised area was entirely cancer. Positive margins, more surgery, blah blah blah. The rest was just a bunch of white noise. I had a successful double mastectomy four weeks ago and had my tissue expanders placed for reconstruction. I've been in contact with my bariatric surgeon and his recommendation was to get started with my physical therapy and as long as the plastic surgeon was ok with it, and as long as I didn't need chemo, we could submit to insurance and get started. I am about a week away from beginning physical therapy and I've been getting more and more excited. Today, after OncoType testing, I learned I'll soon begin 8 rounds of chemo, lasting about six months. I will likely need to wait several months after finishing chemo before I move on to step 2 of my reconstruction, let alone even think about being sleeved. My first thought was to put off the chemo for a month or so and try to put a rush on my sleeve. But what if I'm in the small percentage of patient that has a serious complication? The longer I wait on the chemo, the less effective it could be. It's a no brainer. My heart is broken. I have to put on my big girl panties and just suck it up. Do the chemo, regain my strength, then move forward with my reconstruction and sleeve next year. Although I know what I have to do, I just want to cry. I'm so disappointed.

Just to clarify, they've removed all my cancer. I'm cancer-free, but my family history is very strong (although no other breast cancers), so I had a test to determine the likelihood of distant recurrence. While I'm not high-risk, the number I received wasn't low enough to be considered low-risk, so this chemo should cut my recurrence risk in half. So, while I've beaten the cancer, the chemo is what will postpone my sleeve and reconstruction. Thanks again for all your prayers and support. They are very much appreciated.

Just reading all your well wishes has lifted my spirits tonight. Thank you. While I often say that I can't wait for 2012 to be over, this is still the year that I whooped cancer's a$$.

I can't wait to NOT keep my wedding ring and engagement ring in a box.

My questions included: Anesthesia makes me nauseated. Can I have something to help with that? Are the insides of the staples checked, too? Do you sew over the staple line? How many incicions? Size of bougie? Exactly how do you test for leaks? Is the stomach (the part removed) also tested for leaks? Will I need blood thinner injections after surgery? When can I take my prescription meds again without crushing them? And which ones cannot be crushed? What is the biggest factor in failure after this surgery? When is my first follow-up visit and what can I expect? How long will my drain be in? Stitches, staples or glue on incisions? How far out are surgeries being booked?