Suzzzie.

Sounds like a plan, Stan. You and I will both be skinnier by then too.:whoo:

Toni! You live in Houston!? My best friend lives down there, I try to make it down at least once a year... this year I'm planning on late September. What part of Houston? My friend lives just inside Houston, near Missouri City. I would love the chance to meet you when I'm there.

Someone LIKES exercising? WHO? Haha. What I do is wait until about 9 or 10pm. I get off of work at 4pm, home by 4:30. :couch2:I have all evening to lay around my house and make up excuses (I'm tired, I've had a long day, etc...:decision:) But in the end, I make myself get up and go. Also, that late at night there is usually only 1-3 other people there. I have my choice of machines and if I'm the only one there I will blast the stereo system. :rockon:

:funnypost:Heather - leave it to you to provide such comedy releif! Haha. I was at the gym tonight and decided to try out this new machine - Uh,... my dumb self to NOT be able to figure it out! :noidea: It was kinda like an elliptical / stepper machine. I think the idea is to give you more of a jog / run motion. Well, I couldn't get it to move at all! It wouldn't turn on... nothing. :help: Ugh! THAT is why I go to the gym at 10pm... NO ONE else is there to see me and my retardedness. Oh well, at least I'm back in the gym! 3 nights in a row now!!

OK. Just got back from the gym. DId another 45 minutes cardio. (35 elliptical and 10 bike). I'm exhausted. I should sleep good after I shower. That gives me a total of 85 minutes done. Weeeeee!

THanks to everyone for input on my port site. It really doesn't hurt at all. I have absolutely no pain. I can't sleep on my stomach, because I feel 'pressure' but I've not been able to sleep on my stomach for about 10 years due to a bad back. The bruising is old, I know that by the colors, but concern is that it has spread so much. I understand some spreading, but THIS MUCH? Its seriously 8 inches by 4.5 inches! I'm a nurse, and I'm a naturally laid back person, so it takes alot to make me 'concerned' about anything. I guess my worry is that the bruising isn't fading the way it should, and that it keeps spreading. All opf my other incisions are great! All have healed well with very very little itching. I do have 2 though that I can still see the end of the stitches atthe end opening. Very weird. I play with them all the time. Haha. Are those stitches supposed be disolved by now? (can you tell that I've never been a patient before? I've never been really sick or anything. I still have all 32 teeth even!!)

OK, not sure if this will work - But I wanted to show you all my port site bruise. I figure I'm not the only one with a fat tummy here, haha, so I figure it is safe to share. I do think I will call the doc office tomorrow and maybe see if I can be seen on Wednesday (my day off).<br /> <br /> THe first pic is from 6/24, 9 days post op. Initially the bruising was getting better...<br /><br /> Then this one if from tonight, 24 days post op. <br /> <br /> I know its hard to tell the size of the bruise from these, but you can see how it has spread outwards. Very weird.

Hmmm, Can't remember the name of the protein powder. I'm out of it now, need to pick up more on Friday when I get paid. I got it from Wal-Mart. I think it costs like $11-$13. The container is red with a black lid. I like it really well, but be careful how its mixed. Its not BAD with just Water or milk, but does have an odd taste. I just add it to smoothies or cream of wheat and its pretty good.

Hello all. Hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm doing much better than I was a week ago. I can now sleep in bed throughout the night without any pain!! It only took THREE weeks to get there! Haha. My port site is still very very swollen and darkly bruised. I feellike it should be better by now? Someone please make me feel better and tell me that yours at 3 weeks was still a large hard knot? When I cup my hand over it, it is about the size of a standard computer mouse, maybe a tad bit larger. The bruising spans about 8 inches horizontal, and 4 inches vertical. Just barely slightly warmer to the touch than the rest of my tummy. The incision is well healed. Went to the gym for the first time tonight (since about 1 week pre op). I did 40 minutes on the elliptical. I feel like I could have done better, either longer and/or worked harder at it. But I did sweat and my average heart rate was 151. (resting heart rate is typically in the upper 50's). I'm the first one to admit that my diet isn't the best. I always try to get my protein in, other than that - it's a free-for-all. I can eat anything without difficulty. I was HOPING that i wouldn't be able to eat bread anymore, as much as I love it... but no such luck, it goes down fine. The only thing I feel like I have been successful at is that I chew better now than I ever have, which forces me to eat slower. Eating slower allows my tummy to send signals to my brain that I'm full before I feel like I'm going to explode. Oh, and (don't shoot me) I was at a baby shower today and while i stayed away from the cake and other little goodies, I did drink a diet coke. I didn't even think about it!! This was at a friends house that doesn't know I have the band. When her husband handed me a diet coke, knowing that that is what I drink, I opened and took a big gulp. It was only after that first drink that I remembered!! LUCKILY I didn't explode. I belched a few times (very lady-like) and after that I just kinda sipped on it over about 2 hours. I won't be doing that again though. I don't want to take the chance of messing up anything, plus I don't really miss it like I thought I would. Actually, it didn't even taste so good. OK, Well, Happy Monday all.

OK, I FINALLY made it to the gym!! Slow start because of post op pain, but I feel 100% again!! I did 40 minutes tonight on the elliptical. Hopefully tomorrow I can get in a full hour, and some light weight training.

Wow. I'm glad your doc found that!! Go to the gyn and have it removed. I have a co-worker who had a 33 pound ovarian cyst last year. She is thin and looked pregnant! We're nurses, so no one knows why she waited so long to have it checked out (other than fear of cancer) but she is absolutely fine. We all tease her about the 'quads' cause 33 pounds is about what 4 babies would weigh. Lol. Seriously though, just go have it checked out!

My sis in law used this after her gallbladder surgery, and she says it worked very well. My neice uses it on her scrapped up knees she gets from skateboarding and baseball. Lol. Oh the joys of a tomboy! Haha

Ewwww! I HATE FISH. Lol. As far as meat goes I am a chicken and cow kind of girl. As I said in my last post, old habits are dying hard... but I'll make it. I can eat tuna, every once in a while, but have to be in the mood for it.

Haha, what nutritionist? At my doc office the nurse practitioner does everything As far as I know they don't have a nutritionist, and that is the only thing I can complain about. Basically I'm supposed to be on a mechanically soft diet...but if you chew well, that IS mechanically soft. Toast and pasta are in that list anyway, so I figured Carrabbas was 'kinda' on the list. Haha. Everything I've eaten has gone down absolutely fine. I've had 2 bites get momentarily stuck, and I think that they were just too big of bites, and not chewed well enough. My problem remains though: I eat too much of the stuff I shouldn't. Carbs mostly. Carbs are cheap and comforting. I haven't had ice cream though, except one ice cream sammich. HAha. I'm a HUGE ice cream freak, so this is good. I also have stayed away from fast food totally. I have not had any chocolate, other than my protein shakes. I don't really miss desserts like I thought I would. And diet coke - haven;t had one in 3 weeks and have only missed it one day. I know I have a long way to go, but I'm here and willing to make the changes... they just have to come kind of slow. If i was capable of changing my eating habits overnight I wouldn't have needed the band.

Can you list some lean protein that you eat? I can't imagine cooking chicken or anything every so many hours! So like, lean deli meats? Cheese? I SHOULD know this - OK, I do. But..but...but... I LIKE pasta and potatoes. Haha. 2 more weeks until I can get a fill. I sooooo need it! I was able to eat too much at Carrabbas last night!! (including the bread and salad! But I only managed about 1/4 of my pasta, so that is amazing for me!)

I used the WTLSC. They have online and in person seminars. Had my consultation on May 9th, was apporved by insurance within 2 days, and had surgery on June 15th. They have 5 docs I think, Dr. Ellison was my doc and he was very good.

I LOVE BIG MEDICINE!! GReat show. I was wondering if they only did the bypass, then on some other thread either last night or early this morning I found someone on here who was banded by them.

Mert - I see that you are a patient of the Dr.Davis-es. I watch their show on TLC and LOVE it! I thought they only did RNY? DO they do bands too?

BigBaby! I love the exercise ticker! I think I need one!

I agree with BigBaby! I take ONE Flintstones vitamin daily. Also for calcium, I take 2 TUMS twice a day. I think I have forgotten to take them a couple times, but mostly all is good.

Beckie! You have me so worried about mine now! Should I have it checked?

Thanks BIG BABY. I DID sleep in bed last night! I am normally a left side sleeper, but can't lay on that side very long due to pain. Slept on the right side just fine though. My Port site seems a bit more tender and swollen this morning. My back is a bit stiff from not being able to toss and turn, but overall it felt great to be in BED!

I'm doing good. I totally skippe the mech soft foods phase and went into regular foods. Shouldn't have... Cause now I know I can eat anything. Grr. Last night went out with friends and had tortilla chips with spinach/artichoke dip. Then I had a ceasar salad. Then I had a buffalo chicken wrap. Uhh, I was stuffed, as in Thanksgiving day stuffed. I didn't eat it all though. I couldn't. And everyone else was eating dessert and some were wondering why I didn't want any - (only one of them knows I have the band). So today I had pot roast with potatoes and carrots. A bite of the potatoes kinda got stuck, I had to take a sip (and I mean SIP) of water to help it down, but otherwise I was fine. CAN'T WAIT UNTIL I HAVE RESTRICTION!! Update on my weird left side pain - I was just begining to think that maybe they cracked a rib during surgery, and then today the pain seems to have moved just a fraction. So now I'm thinking maybe I still have some trapped gas in my abdominal cavity? Is it possible? I've been banded for just over 2 weeks now. I've been lounging in bed in the evenings before I retire to my recliner... I think tonight is the night I will attempt a whole night in the bed. We'll see! Ya'll seem to be doing mostly good... I see several of us are entering Bandster Hell. But we're getting close to fills now - I think it's Toni that already had her first fill... Its so very exciting!! Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Lol. So do you want the port deep, or not? You want it deep enough to not see it,. and yet you want a small needle? Can't have it both ways!! And I really have no idea how far down it is. I;m 16 days post op and my whole port area is still swollen and hard.

Every morning I fix myself a smoothie of sorts. Kinda my own invention. Haha. I take 8 strawberries, a FF yogurt (Vanilla or Strawberry), about 8 oz skim milk, and a scoop (or 2) of chocolate protein powder, and blend well. Makes a pretty big serving (I sip about half of it on my way to work, and then finish it a couple hours later for a 'snack'). I think its about 40 - 70 gms protein, depending on if I use 1 or 2 scoops of the protein mix.