Suzzzie.

Chicken wing dip?? Do you have a recipe? I LOVE Chicken wings - and anything with that 'buffalo' flavor. Yum!! OK, I'm totally feeling you and Heather on this NEED A FILL thing. I've only been banded 2 weeks and can eat anything I want! Granted, I do get full faster...and i mean FULL as in Thanksgiving Day full. Its insane. It IS an addiction! Its so hard! I was seriously considering doing a few days of clears again! My tummy hurts so bad cause I just ate Roast beef with potatoes and carrots. I chew well, but a few bites still got stuck. This happened to be before the band though. I'm just so frustrated with myself!!

That is the *first* thing I cheated with too!!

Mine is numb too. The nurse told me its because they cut through nerves, but that they will regenerate and soon enough well have sensation again! BUT I kinda like being numb - haha.. at least THAT doesn't hurt!

I think I'll go for about 45 minutes each gym visit (elliptical or tredmill) x 20 visits = 900. (Is that right? I'm bad at math!) LOVE the chart! Thanks for doing that!

Valzie - That is too funny! I could totally see that happening!

I would like to get to the gym at least 20 days in July. I'm typically an elliptical kind of girl, but haven't been to the gym since pre-op, so we'll see how I do!

OK, a real update on me... Tomorrow marks 2 weeks post op... and guess where I'm sleeping? - The RECLINER! STILL! I am not sure whats going on, but I still have so much pain in my left side (not even near and incisions). Its like a really bad muscle cramp. Drives me insane. It bothers me at home and at work. I can lay in the bed for short periods of time, on my back - propped up on pillows. I can occationally lay on my right side, but the cramps start in so I have to get up. Its very weird, I haven't heard anyone else complain of it. And I'm so so very jealous of those who were banded after me and they are already back in their beds without any problems! Wahhh!! I am also still very bruised around my port site - the IV site, and the spot where they gave me the Lovenox (blood thinner) injection. Its crazy! OK, enough whining. My weightloss has slowed... Ok, stopped since I started pureed and mushies. I'm cool with it. Actually this morning I had gained about 2 pounds. BUT I am still in the 360's which is way better than the 380's. :eek: I'll take what I can get. My biggest motivator into getting the band was to not ever reach all the way to 400, and I have succeeded that already. I'm very pleased. I have still only told very few friends. No one in my family knows. I will probably keep it that way. I love my family dearly, and I don't like keeping secrets, but I just feel like this is something personal that I did for myself. The friends i have told are ones I tell EVERYTHING to. Hah. Actually, one of my friends I only told the day after surgery. She is my one and only truely thin friend. She is absolutly gorgeous and has a perfect body. She is also brilliant and in medical school. Anyway. I was nervous to tell her, even though she loves me and supports me, because I was afraid of being labeled as the fat lazy girl. I dunno. Guess I have low self esteem. She was pretty hurt that I hadn't confided in her sooner, especially since she is in med school. The frist week was rough, but now we are cool again. Keep posting everyone! I check this site about 3 times a day looking forward to your stories and wisedom! (sorry for the book I just wrote...)

Toni I would LOVE the gory details!! haha!

I would be upset if they took pics of my tummy and showed them off - no matter WHAT was on it! That is unprofessional!

No WAY! I'm so jealous! I BEGGED for pics, they wouldn't take my camera in the OR due to it not being 'sterile' - WHATEVER! I work ina hospital and NOTHING is sterile! Haha. Doc said he would try to get pics from the camera thing on the probes in my tummy - NO PICS! I was kinda upset about it. Lol. I still don't even know what kind/size my band is. I need to remember to ask when I go for my fill! I'm so happy that you are doing well! It amazes me thta people get up and move around and can type after surgery! I couldn't even WAKE UP! I was falling asleep on the toilet and leaning against the wall in the hallways at the clinic, and everything. Lol. Congrats to you!

Let us know what you find out Kathy! I would love one, but have to hold off until the end of summer (I'm poor.)

THats awesome Lucy!

Lol. As I was getting off of work tonight and the next shift was coming in - they had bags of food. I asked what they were having and they told me hot dogs with all the trimmings! They has sour krout, ketsup, mustard, relish, cheese, chili, etc... I about fell over! NEVER has a freaking hotdog sounded so good!

I would be up for an exercise challenge.

Oh Heather, you are just too fabulous! :confused:

I started to feel hungry about a week out, luckily small amounts fill me quickly!

Good luck!!

Yes I did. But I chewed it very very well. No problems. That was my first 'cheat' since before surgery.

OK, I have a confession here... I am supposed to be on pureed foods until Friday - but today I had an ice cream bar. The good news? Normally I would have had 2 or 3 of them, and I stopped at one. I was quite proud actually, but still feel like I cheated myself. Boo.

I don't think I was ever told when I could drive... I waited about 4 days to drive, and it was (and still is) uncomfortable, but I'm making it.

No no no... I haven't changed sizes so much as that my super fat jeans, which were already loose and baggy on my, are now falling off. They've always been big, but now they are too big. This is very exciting to me because when I bought them, I purposly bought them a bit big knowing that by Fall thay would be tight. I felt defeted and depressed that day, buying them. (size 30!!) My 28 jeans are still tight on me, but I'm just happy to see the 30's going BYE BYE!

Aw, I'm sorry to hear this! But I'm sure it's for the best!! I hope you enjoy your vacations and have a great summer!!

Pippz - That fake ice cream sounds so good!! I made a smoothie this morning from 6 oz strawberry yogurt (FF), 8 oz skim milk, 8 fresh strawberries, and a scoop of chocolate protein powder. It was so good!! I couldn't even finish it all and I'm still stuffed an hour later! Look everyone! We're on page 100 of this thread!! We've come so far! We're almost all banded now!

I slept in my bed for 5 horus last night. WOke up in so much pain I got up and went to the recliner. I ended up on my left side, which I was afraid of, since it's still so sore and tender. Oh well... not too bad. My 2 kitties were happyto have me in bed for a while anyway. Haha. I think I'll try the bed again tonight. LUCY - I know what you mean about having people assume that because you are fat you must eat alot. Hahaa. I hate it when waiters hover over my table asking if everything is alright.

That is the exact reason I have not told ANYONE in my family at ALL. haha. My mom is super supportive of everything I do in life, but she would not ever ever ever agree to an elective surgical procedure, especially one there they knock you out completely. I know its just because she loves me so much and is afraid of losing me... I just did what I had to do for ME, and maybe someday I will tell her... we'll see. Good luck to you!!! Having a resident do your banding could have cause bruises. I had bruises on 3 of my 5 incisions, still have a large bruise around my port site. Its lovely. I also have 3 very ugly bruises on my arms where the nurses were trying to start IVs. People bruise at different levels, and its always different. It may or may not be your surgeons fault. You do have the right to ask and know WHO did your surgery, although I assure you (I work in a teaching hospital) that if a resident did do it that there was a 'real' surgeon there assisting. Doing the band takes 2 people anyway, bacause of all 5 port thingines they put in your abdomen. More like the Resident was assisting. Also... where do you think these does got their 150 or 500 bands... they have to start somewhere, most likely with #1. There is always a learning curve. The most important thing is that you made it out of surgery fine, you don't get ant post-op infections, and that the band WORKS. The bruising will go away. HAng in there!