the best me

I laid on a heating pad in the recliner...ahhhh, and walking. It goes away, promise!

I am in tears at this point. So much of this journey really is Spiritual. Inner fortitude is surely involved, not just with the surgery, but throughout the journey. Your soul has made it past the turning point. Your journey is new. In many ways it is much much better. Peace, friend.

Trish, it's a road hump. Git 'er doooooooone!!!!! and ((((HUGS)))))

Thinking of you, Jonathan. Hope all is well.

You go girl! Best wishes for a smooth surgery and easy recovery. Take pics!!!!! (((hugs))) we are thinking of you and are looking for an update from Jess ASAP. Yay!

Welcome home Leener! Congrats! Concern yourself right now with hydration, not nutrition. What surprised me most about post-op was just how small a sip needed to be. I was super tight and swollen after surgery, so my sips were very very small. Sip what you can tolerate, if it's uncomfortable, sip, and swallow that sip in 2-3 swallows. And I'm not kidding. You'll be fine. I started to feel the lack of calories. I knew I needed nutrition but getting it in was hard, so conserve your energy. Walk and Sip. All day. Sip sip sip. However that works best for you. Yay You! You did it!

Mine was turning 40 with 2 young children, knowing the next decade I'd be miserable because of my weight. I want to be happy and healthy during their growing up years. I hated the thought of turning 50 and still be struggling with my weight with no success. I had my surgery in April 2005, and turned 40 in May. Now I'm well below 200 and on my way down. Healthier and happier! With a great hubby and kids. Yay! My 40's are off to a great start!

cibertalk, stay plugged in to LBT, we will help you every step of the way, just yell loud through the din of new threads, okay? Some docs don't require a pre-op diet. If your BMI is pretty high, they usually want you to do a liquid liver-shrinking diet. Just ask your doc and follow those directions. Hang on, don't fall off the deep end yet and try to eat your way out of a self-imposed hole. You WILL be able to enjoy foods again. Yep, it's different, but don't panic. ((((hugs))))

Not telling them you went to MX was not wrong. Sounds like it was actually smart. Sounds like what you did wrong was to confess to MX in the first place. Geez. Quit beating yourself up. Love them the way they can't love you...unconditionally. Works every time.

Angie, I PB'd pork Saturday night! It was the country style pork ribs. We grilled them with BBQ sauce but it was till too chewy. Egads. And Yuck! I quit eating and had CIB for Breakfast, then Soup for lunch. It's all fine now. I do better with Pork Tenderloin. I'm calling the pharmacist and the doc. This is getting old. I woke up at 3am with huge welts on my inner thighs from scratching in my sleep. They are gone now, but it's still tender. I'll let you know what I find out.

I wish I could link this to something. I woke up at 3am with huge welts on my inner thighs...ouch! I was scratching in my sleep. I used the advice here and put a cold compress on them, drank some more benadryl, applied some more topical benadryl, and went back to sleep. Oh, and there was a rash across my upper tummy, below my boobs, too. I'm calling the pharmacist about the Wellbutrin/Singulaire combo. Other than that, I can't think where this has come from.

I feel great after a year! I'm not done losing, that's for sure. I still have another 40 pounds to go, and I may need a tummy tuck, too. We'll see. What's odd is seeing so many banded folks losing their bands over the past year. These are people that I looked to for hope, and here they are bandless due to erosion or severe slippage. I do my best to learn from them. I have about 2cc of fill and could probably use a tad more, but because I don't want to be too tight (erosion, slippage) I'm not going. I'm using my head and my willpower, and not leaning so hard on the band. I'm a Turtle, a slow loser, but it's okay. What's EASY is maintaining my weight loss. Wow. I have to keep things in check , but staying below 190 is only a struggle on occasion. I'll admit, though, I'll feel lots better when I get the next 10 pounds off! I'm ready for that, and it will take work. I look better, I feel better, I dress better. I love this band, it helps so much. It helps me do what I need to do. Look forward, my April 2006 bandsters! You can do this better than I have, even! You'll be fine. And next year you can encourage the 2007 class! (((hugs))) everyone!

Yay Leener! Happy banding tomorrow...post when you can and let us know how you are feeling. Go get 'em!!! Yippeeee!

Bumping because I have Hives!!! I'm suspecting stress-related, but really now, could that be true? I am certain I have been through more stressful periods in my life than this past week and I never had hives then? What's up with this? I'm doing oral benadryl twice a day, and applying topical benadryl gel as needed. The breakouts clear up and move to another part of my body, round and round we go. Hips, back, shoulders, neck, arms, inner thighs, all over!!! This has been going on since Thursday (today is Sunday) and I'm pretty through with it. Anyone heard of this going on for 4+ days? I haven't changed detergents or soaps or deoderant or anything like that. I haven't taken ANY meds since Thurday morning. I took my Wellbutrin like I have been for several weeks now, but I did also take a Singulair for seasonal allergies. That's the ONLY thing I did differently. And that was 4 days ago. Should this still be happening? I know we have some good nurses out there, I'm hoping for some clues? What could this indicate? I could call my doc but I'm not sure what else I could do but treat it with the benadryl. :help:

Oy Vey! Holy Batman AND Robin! It's getting old and aggravating now. I didn't take my oral benadryl this morning because I didn't want to nod off in church! The topical benadryl works much better when I take the oral also. The Patches keep popping up. By the end of it all, every part of me will have had a hive on it! Today it hit me "down there". Not "in" but "on". Quite a place to walk around the house scratching...I look like hubby in the mornings :biggrin1: and it came out on my scalp, too. Shoulders, my right boob, upper back, my back next to my arms, hips, waist, upper thighs on top, behind the knees, inner arms, everywhere!!!!! They pop up in patches, itch like mad, fade out, and hours later pop up somewhere else. I'm clueless

You go, Margo!!! Doesn't it feel good to feel GOOD?! That's an excellent NSV. Compliments from hubby are wonderful, too. Well done! Hey, where's the pics?

You can do it! So glad you are feeling well and hydrated. Keep us posted on your recovery!

YES! I went to the Chinese take-out place on the corner and bought 2 Large Egg Drop Soups at a time. I could sip about a 1/4 to a 1/3 of the container at a time, several times a day and it made a big difference in how I felt. I'd keep it in the fridge and nuke what I needed. It was amazing how full I felt on just 3-4 ounces of the stuff. I also did Boost in chocolate and vanilla. It doesn't have as much protien as some of the others, but it tasted good. They do have a High Protien version. The colder the better for the best taste. I would also blend blueberries with the vanilla and that tasted good. Just be sure to blend it really well. The chocolate with a TBS or two of Peanut Butter blended in was yummy. Yes, the golf ball is the pre-curser to the PB. Be careful! And welcome to Bandland!

Okay, a google search has shown it's not Shingles...the breakouts just arent' doing that. What IS happening is THIS: "Urticaria is the medical name for hives. These are welts; pink swellings that come up on any part of the skin. They itch and each individual hive lasts a few hours before fading away, leaving no trace. New hives appear as old areas fade. They can be pea sized or join to cover broad areas of the body. While the itch can be intense, the skin is usually not scabbed or broken. In some people the hives burn or sting." That's exactly what I have. I may call the doc tomorrow, jsut to see, but I think I need a few more days to see if it slowly gets better. I may never know what has caused it, but I have not taken my Wellbutrin since my Thursday morning dose. I haven't taken ANYthing. Any ideas?

Kim, my Dad mentioned that, and I don't think that's it. I have no pain or discomfort along with it. It's more than just a rash, it's welts that pop up, then go away, and pop up again in another place. I'll look into Shingles more, though. Two kids and a Mom have the Chicken Pox at my daughter's school, so it's worth some research. Okay, I'm Googling, because a new crop showed up this morning on my right eye...just below at the outer edge and on my right temple. My head is itching alot, too, so I'm sure they are all over my scalp. What's up with this?!!!!! Oh, and my inner right arm and my hips again. Geez.

We miss you, Blossom.

Dody, I found the Aloe Vera juice at Wal-Mart and at Walgreens...it's a few bucks cheaper at the Wal-Mart. It's in the section with the tummy meds; antacids, etc. Usually on the bottom shelf since it's in a fairly large container. Refridgerate after opening. Not the best tasting stuff but it goes down. It's good for you from top to bottom! :biggrin1: How ya doin' Eileen?

I have Hives and I don't know why. They are travelling all over my body. It started in the middle around my waist, or just below it, and under my arms, then got lower across my fat butt and outer thighs, then went to the inner thighs, and up to my head and under my left eye, and now behind my knees and on the tops of my feet. What's up with this? Benadryl Cream and liquid Benadryl clears it up but they come back in a new spot. Nothing new, no changes in laundry detergent or meds or foods...just a pretty stressful week, I have no clue. Oh, and I joined Curves, it's official. Hi everybody! How's the weekend?!

Eileen, if you are only 3 weeks post-op and having heartburn when you eat, hello, meat? At 3 weeks post-op?!!!! What kind of meat and fish are you eating? I don't want to give you a hard time, but you need to go a little easier on your band and stick to Soups and very very soft foods for a few more weeks. Your body is telling you to back off the dense foods. Listen carefully to it! I never had any reflux problems before banding, and for the most part, I still don't, but I have learned how to avoid it by eating properly. I also drink 3-4 ounces of Aloe Vera juice at night before bedtime. I think this helps soothe and heal anything that might have become irritated over the day. So, yes, I am careful to avoid it. Heartburn is no good! Call your doc and keep your diet mushy. Let us know how it goes!

Oh it's so good seeing all you April 2006 folks getting excited...my one year bandiversary is April 8th. My, how time flies! We had an April 2005 thread going so it's good to see it all happening again. Just wanted to chime in and say Good Luck everyone! April is a good month to get banded!