Frustrated

YUM!

Try drinking half the can, waiting 10 minutes and then drinking the rest. If you still have a problem, there may be an ingredient in there that just doesn't work for you.

I was never given a salad guideline. As with most foods, the only way to tell whether or not you can tolerate it is to try it out. However, I wouldn't recommend it immediately after a fill. When you've graduated from mushies you should be able to try most anything.

Try Quiznos. I've had broc cheese soup from there.

I'm with you snowbird. I don't even order a meal for myself anymore. I take portions from my hubby or son, I just ask for another plate. What I take from them isn't really significant. And if they're still hungry, they'll order desert. When I even consider ordering something for myself, I know it's time for a fill.

Good morning ladies, I'm feeling good this morning. Gave the gym a miss again just to be overly cautious. I'm eager to get back into exercise but it's more important to get healthy. I called my doctor's office again this morning with my concerns regarding slippage. They didn't seem as concerned as I am, but reading some of the posts on here my symptoms are very similar to what a lot of people have gone through. At times it just feels like whatever I've had to drink is just sitting in my pouch and not moving. And the longer it sits there, the more it wants to come out backwards again. And then all of a sudden the nausea and restriction are gone. :redface: Talk about head games!!! The earliest I can get in is Monday afternoon as he's in surgery all today, tomorrow and Friday he's having a day off. I could have seen his partner Friday, but I'd prefer to talk to him specifically. Besides, I have an appointment with my plastic surgeon on Friday regarding my boob fix. Last night was a good night for me. My food and liquids stayed down and I slept solidly through the night. That's a good sign. But I tell ya, if there's the slightest sign today of vomitting and that stuck feeling, I'm going to call and ask to see somebody there or take myself somewhere else. I haven't had anything this morning apart from my vitamins. I'm almost too scared to even try tea. :thumbup: I'm not hungry and I'm not thirsty. It's just not right that I only have a 6 hour window of opportunity from around 3pm to 9pm to get in all of my water and protein requirements for the day. Anything before that makes me ill. Anything after that has me up all night. *sigh* My thoughts and prayers are with you today linda. I hope that all that's required is that you wait out with an unfill. I really do. You've done such good work with your weight loss. Good or bad, let us know how you get on. We'll worry until you do. And we're all here for you. I'm up for another group hug! :biggrin:

You do exactly that. You tell them you feel no restriction at all from the fill. I would call them first and have a little chat about it. My surgeon told me that sometimes the first one or two fills feel like nothing's changed and you continue to go back until you feel something. They don't and shouldn't fill you aggressively as that would lead to a lot of complications that you really don't need. So it's not uncommon for them to be a little conservative. I don't know what size band you have, but it seems that those with 10cc or 14cc bands require more frequent fills. I have a 4cc band and have had 3 in total since July 2007. Each fill gave me good restriction. It lasted until I lost weight and the band loosened up. Don't be discouraged that it feels like nothing's happening. It's only the first fill and you may not even feel anything after the second. But it'll come. Slow and steady.

Oh linda :cursing: My heart really goes out to you. I would hate to go through this, and reading through some of the other experiences on this forum, some of the symptoms I've had are very similar. I'm just praying all that I have is this flu that's been going around with Aunt Flo coming on board yesterday. This morning I was feeling peckish and made myself some chicken boullion. Well after about 20 minutes half of that came back up again. It wasn't just PBing, it was full on vomitting. I felt nauseous for a couple of hours. I practically forced myself out into the sun for some gentle exercise and that helped a lot. This afternoon and this evening I felt like the tightness I've had since my most recent fill had eased up enough to actually get some food in. So I had some mashed taters and they were the best taters I've had in my life! :tongue: But enough about me...... I'd have a drink with you if I hadn't eaten earlier and filled myself up. My thoughts are with you and I really hope you don't have to go through another surgery, that this will sort itself out on its own with the unfill. Keep us posted and don't be a stranger. Physically things have certainly changed, but don't let the head progress you've made slip backwards again. Like the others have said, we're all here for you. We're your bandsisters. :cursing:

I like to spice my Soups up with a teaspoon of sauce. All kinds of different flavors like chipotle or barbeque, worcestershire, soy. It depends on what kind of mood I'm in. Just that hint of something else in plain old chicken soup keeps it interesting. Something else I do is place tablespoonfuls of grated parmesan on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Flatten them out a little, but not too thin, and put them under the grill to melt. When they're a crispy disc, I take them out and either place one in my bowl of soup, or dunk it in quickly and eat it like I'd been dunking Cookies into milk. The cheese should melt sufficiently for it not to cause you any problems after your fill. Also, you may want to make your choice of signature your mantra for the next couple of days. :cursing:

You should invite her to come to our little group here Karri. She'd be more than welcome. If you can't manage a face-to-face once a week, you can meet up online here. Maybe after your initial meeting she'd be okay with that. And we'll all help her along as well. Helping other people and giving them my opinion helps me in return. It makes me feel good when someone else says "hey, that's a good idea..." just as much as it does when all of you give me a suggestion that I haven't thought of myself. So invite her here. You know as well as any that you don't have to be a Lucky 7 to join us. :biggrin2:

Good morning ladies, Was I the last to bed and first one up this morning? :smile2: I'm feeling better still today. Well kinda. My flu is on its way out, but Aunt Flo made an appearance this morning. My ovaries ache but I'm looking forward to some nice hot soup this morning. I looked fondly at the treadmill in the gym as I walked past this morning. I wanted to go in but I know I don't have enough fluid backup in me yet to spare for a sweat session. So I carried on walking and took the longer way home - an extra 30 seconds. :laugh: It's a lovely day here again today and I'm going to make the most of it like I did yesterday. More time in the sun and fresh air will do these bones some good.

My port incision is to the left of center. My doctor is right-handed but his partner out of the same office is left. The staff can tell who has done the procedure due to where the scar is located. With the left-handed doctor it's more central.

Yes it is possible. This kind of thing only started for me with my last 2 periods. Before that it wasn't an issue.

For me it would totally depend on the day I took the survey as it could change dramatically from day to day. For example, sometimes I can eat chicken, sometimes I can't. I might be able to eat dried fruit, just so long as it isn't papaya. I found a carrot and ginger Soup that I can't get enough of. I might wake up tomorrow and not be able to stand the sight of it. Things like that. It could depend on the time of month. My period will often make me more tight than it does for the other 3 weeks of the month. So far for me on this journey the only thing that's been consistent is change. There's something different every day. I don't always like the change but it's certainly stopped me from getting bored with a menu plan.

Sounds like you've had a worse dose of whatever it was that I've had on and off since my fill. Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe not. I called my surgeon's office today and told them what I was going through. They said I've probably irritated my esophagus on top of whatever flu is going around and to start from scratch again with regard to liquids. Just clear for the next 3 days to see if that helps and then to venture onto more solid stuff and protein. I told them I was concerned most of all with my lack of protein lately, but she said to take one drama at a time. Liquids most importantly. If I can keep them down for the next 3 days, and only then try and get back onto my protein. If I can't, I have to go in for an unfill. That advice kind of took the stress and pressure off me that I've felt and I was able to drink more today. Two cups of soup, two cups of tea and some water. Progress. I'm also going to take it easy as far as exercise is concerned. I really can't afford to dehydrate myself at the moment. I did enjoy some leisurely walks today with my son. I was surprised when he said "Sure, okay." to my suggestion of going for a walk around the neighborhood. It was great. Nice weather, nice company, a nice time all around. Karri - I am in awe of what you can accomplish. You really are an inspiration to anyone considering this journey. Hard work and dedication is paying off in pounds for you. Housework? :laugh: I hate it. If I could avoid it all, I would. I'm too cheap to hire anyone to do it for me though. My home is clean - kind of. I'd describe it as a well organised mess. But hey, I can find anything and everything here - apart from my keys. Thank you so much to everyone who sent well wishes over the past few days or so. They really did make me feel better. Emotional health is just as important as physical, and you guys always make me feel good. :biggrin2:

Everyone seems to have pretty much covered everything, but I'd like to add something with regards to oranges and grapefruit. It could be that initially post-op you need to avoid these both in juice and whole form in case the acid in the citrus aggravates your band. That's the only reason I can think of for that rule and I don't even know if it's a valid concern. And it's only probably only to begin with. After things have healed and you've moved on to "regular food" again, many restrictions are lifted.

Yes. That's to be expected. Remember that when you get the surgery done, they pump your stomach up with air so they can get to the body parts they need to more easily. They can't get it all out again, so most often we have to wait until it makes its way out on its own. What the members of my monthly group discovered was that walking around when the gas was bad actually helped ease the pain a little. At least it did with a lot of us. One woman clocked up quite a number of laps around her dining room table. I also used chewable Gas X. I slept as upright as I could in the beginning until the gas eased up. And it does. But I find I have more gas with each fill. It comes out in burps mostly and is more uncomfortable than painful. Once it's out that eases up. Thank goodness it's not the back end kind of gas, lol.

Luscious, I still get confused 7 months out. Yes, too much sour cream and cheese are bad for you. But look at the recipe and notice that it's only a small amount. Pre-band I probably would have slapped 1/4 cup of cream and cheese on a baked potato and continued to top it up as I ploughed through it. Then washed it all down with soda. My diet changes all the time because my tolerance for certain things changes. Sometimes I can eat chicken, sometimes I have to spit it out as soon as I put it in my mouth because I know it just won't go down no matter how much of a pulp I chew it into. Today I might be able to eat it shredded, tomorrow I may have to grill it, the next day I may feel sick even at the thought of it. You adjust. You find something else. And that's what people do here with the recipes. They add a different spin to things. You learn portion control pretty quickly. When you're physically limited to 1/4 - 1/2 cup of food a meal, you learn to eat sparingly and savour those 1-2 tablespoons of cream heaven you allow yourself. You learn spices, you learn temperatures, you learn textures. It's an ever changing journey for me. One that's both frustrating and invigorating. Yes absolutely you can cheat and find "slider" foods that will go down no problem at all. And you could sit there all day eating them. Well I've traveled down that road already without this band and it got me into serious health problems and depression. I don't want ever want to go back there. Take a look at the thread as a whole and you'll notice that people have made little adjustments to the original recipe. Just little tweaks here and there to give the same staple ingredients a different flavor. You'll learn to do that as well. They've not added corn chips, or doubled the recipe, or suggested it be put on bread or anything like that. It's just a basic and simple recipe. Personally, I like a touch of spice with my tuna and I'd add a teaspoon of sweet chili sauce and some capers. Instead of grated cheese I'd probably sprinkle parmesan on top. I've also become very fond of pepper for some reason, so there'd be a coating of that on it as well. Oh, and something else that may not be apparent here is that many of the contributors are "established" bandsters, in that they've graduated from the liquid and mushies stages at some point. And we all spend time back in those stages when for whatever reason, our bands tighten up on us or we need to get back to basics and start all over again. :smile2: Hope this helps with some of your confusion. And please, don't hesitate to ask a question of anyone on here if you find something confusing. We all want to succeed and we all want to help as many others succeed as well. :laugh:

I'd call my fill doctor and see what they say. Let them know you're worried you won't be able to get in soon enough for a fill and see if they can squeeze you in at a later point. There may be someone on their list who may want to swap and take your appt today instead of their own later in the week or next.

I think this is what's at the heart of your problem. The fried foods and sweets especially. Mushies can mean mashed vegetables, cottage cheese, yoghurts, which in and of themselves aren't bad. It's not about making easy choices, it's about making good choices. For me, potato chips and Cookies go down really easily, and when I'm hungry and know that putting a piece of bread in my mouth will have me bent over a toilet bowl for half an hour, the "easy" choice would be potato chips or cookies. The "right" choice would be fruit, vegetables or fish. You need to get your focus back again onto what is good for you. If you need that fried feeling, go for something like microwave bacon and cook it a little longer to get it crispy. If you want something sweet, try different combos of fruit and make a smoothy. Make sure you're hungry first and don't just want to eat. We can confuse thirst with hunger. Have some Water and if you're still hungry 20 minutes later, reach for a snack. Allow yourself a treat once in a while. If I stuck with health foods 24/7 it'd drive me insane. So I'll allow myself a treat once or twice a week. Sometimes it's just a sliver of chocolate cake. I only NEED a sliver. I'd love to have more, absolutely, but it's not about eating what I want until I can't have any more, it's about allowing myself to treat me every once in a while for doing a good job. And not all my treats are food related. Sometimes I'll take a night off in the kitchen and tell hubby and son to figure themselves out because I've earned a rest. I'll spend an extra 30 minutes in the tub with bubbles, candles and a trashy novel. If you've earned your treat, you don't feel guilty and it's far more satisfying and enjoyable. But I disagree with your nurse about needing an unfill. If you're able to get larger amounts of food down, no matter what it is, the last thing you need is to make more room for that food. And you know what? It's also okay to disagree with your medical team once in a while. Their opinions are based on experience and knowledge of what works in most situations. But the key word there is 'most'. What works for most doesn't always work for ME. And you need to figure out what the "me" solution is.

I'm up and about as well. And I'm not feeling like crap. Yay, progress! :wub: Thanks Karri and Janet for your shaved ice suggestion. I didn't know it could be so heavenly, lol. I think it's gone a long way in helping me out of bed today. Trouble is, I have this nagging guilt in the back of my mind that I've been lazy for days and need to get on the treadmill. Am I becoming addicted to it? :thumbup: I don't want to get on it and take a step backwards with getting my health on track again... but.... I.... need..... it.... No! What I'm going to do today is take my book and go out on the balcony and read for a bit. It's a beautiful day here as well. It's a brisk 50 degrees outside and I think the fresh air will do me some good. If that perks me up, I'll take a slow walk around the neighborhood. But no working up a sweat! I'm going to stick with chicken soup today. I craved it first thing after surgery and it was all I ate for about a week. Then I went in the complete opposite direction and couldn't stand it. But now it sounds appealing to me again. So that's my nutrition for the day. The strange thing about being ill these past few days was that the only thing I could stand eating was my Flinstone vitamins, lol. Anything else I'd put in my mouth wanted out immediately. OH, and Phyl's suggestion of papaya enzymes worked out well too. I think it was because they were dissolving in my mouth and sliding down that gave me the feeling like they'd do that in my stomach as well. Anything else was just a total write-off. But now I've got to get myself healthy again slowly but surely so I'll start down that road with some chicken soup. :tt2: Karri, having to work on President's Day? That's just un-American! I'd probably rebel in the meetings and continually set off my snoring ring tone on my cell phone.

Congratulations minock. This is a tough journey at times and you should celebrate all your victories. Even the seemingly small ones like getting through Valentine's without succumbing to the temptations around you. You did good. :cheers2:

I gained wait to get approval. It was a simpler way than having to jump through more and more co-morbidity hoops. The medial physician who initially denied my claim actually TOLD me that I would be approved if I got my weight up to a 40 BMI. I was, at the initial consultation, sitting on 35.9. I needed it to be at 36 in order to qualify with the co-morbidities that I had. But on consulting with the insurance physician, he told me that I was only taking 1 medication for my insulin resistance and I needed 2. I only had slight sleep apnea. My joint problems were not severe enough. My PCOS wasn't really considered a co-moridity. I wasn't overweight enough. So I asked him if I got my doctor to prescribe another medication for my insulin resistance if that would be enough to be accepted. He said (and this is no lie) that if I got my BMI up to 40 I'd be accepted no problem at all. That's right. I had to gain weight in order to be approved to lose weight. :cheers2: To make a long story short, that's exactly what I did and haven't regretted a single extra ounce I had to gain in the process. Sure it meant I had more weight to lose in the long run, but the long run was what I was after anyway. This is a lifetime journey for me.

I feel horrible today. :ohmy: I've been in bed most of the day again. I was coughing most of last night and woke this morning with my throat raw and red. I sprayed it with something called Chloraseptic and it numbed it enough to make it not hurt so much. But I've struggled getting fluids into myself today as well. Hot tea has worked for me the past few days, but today I just wasn't having any of it. It got so bad I actually vomitted it up. :puke:That frightened me. I'm so worried about doing some damage. I managed to get some cold tea down about an hour ago and it stayed down. Water is hit and miss. I'm probably going to have to call my surgeon tomorrow and get their opinion on things. I've had zero appetite since I got this fill 3 weeks ago and have embraced that. But this illness thing is getting me down. I don't want an unfill but I don't want my health to continue to deteriorate. :cheers2:

I too hate the "everyone is different" answer and admit that I use it a lot myself. But the thing is, it's true. This is a very frustrating journey for me a lot of the time. I didn't pick this user name for nothing! What's frustrating for me is that it's always changing and I always have to work at trying to find out what will work for me on this journey. After my most recent fill things have changed dramatically in the past 3 weeks. At first I could only get hot fluids down. Then it was just hot, clear fluids. A couple of days ago that changed yet again and now I'm on cold clear fluids. Bacon goes down sometimes so long as it's almost burnt. chicken, I can't even get near me. Potato chips and Cookies though would slide through no problem at all if I gave them a chance! :cheers2: This is really hard work, and some days I just can't be bothered. But I also know that on those days the best place for me is usually on here, trolling the message boards and reading the frustrations and victories of my fellow bandsters. You need to have a support system that works for you. My hubby is the most supportive person I know. But he doesn't know what it's like to be fat. He doesn't know what it's like not to be able to control your eating. He doesn't know what goes through a fat person's brain. He just doesn't know. But it's not his fault. The only people that know are the ones who register here in the first place. And those are the people whose help I call on. So while "everyone is different" is true no matter how frustrating that is, we're also in the same predicament and should be able to draw on that when we need it.