pandagirl

Thanks, Paula. I need every little pat on the back I can get.

Hi AzChick, I kind of told her what I wrote here. It wasn't word for word, but it was enough to get the point across. I asked her to make a contract for me to sign, two week, just two weeks on the straight liquid diet. If I can do this, then I can have the surgery I've been working for. Not hard right? LOL, doesn't matter if it is or not. I'm gonna do it. Thanks so much for your support!

I know, I know! *laughs at myself* I guess my mini-breakdown has been a long time coming. Yes, any weight loss is good and it doesn't matter if it came off with the band or not. I am still closer to my goal. Thank you for your kind words and for listening. :party:

Hey Setagirl, how's your band going?

Are we gonna get pics?!?!?!:thumbup: LOL!!! Good for you. Wow the 19th is practically now. How long will the healing process be, btw? Do they expect a lot of swelling initially?

I used low carb salad dressings because a lot of the "light" ones I came across had a lot of sugars. In the end though, I opted for making my own. That way I could control the amount of everything and if I wanted something sweet I added Stevia. I also occassionally stirfried my chicken w/veggies,garlic, salt,pepper and olive oil. I changed the flavor my using sesame oil or adding soy sauce. Basically, anything that didn't add carbs or that many calories I might throw in there. Hope that helps. :cursing:

How about splitting meals? Asking for a lunch portion? Just eating what you want and taking the rest home for lunch the next day or someone else's lunch if there's no way your going to finish it? I know at Mimi's they have a "small bites" section. I've ordered off of that and it's reasonable for an off liquid diet splurge*. I think it'd still be too much post band, but again no one says you have to finish any meal at the table. Also, I'm sure if you ordered off the kids menu they'd accept the explaination, but...then a lot of the things on the kids menu I wouldnt eat. I'm sorry, if I'm going to eat a burger I want lettuce and mayo and all that things that are supposed to go on burgers. Anyway, my boyfriend and I have been practicing. We split meals since most of them are too big for one person anyway. (If he wants more he can order an appetizer). Oh and ordering off the appetizer section isn't a bad idea either.

I like Girls Gone Wild with The Powder Room after that, but really I'm a little more kickass than that. Ummm, we could go geek and do Marvel Girls. Belle Femme Grrl Band Silouhettes The Salon The Parlor Boys on the Side Ummm, maybe no. Uh...Girls Gone Wild!!! That's it!!!

Thanks Heather, I think I know all of this, but I stumble when it comes to social eating. I never realized how much food I am offered at work until I started all of this. I calculated it one day and think the if I ate "right" every where else, I'd still gain 10 pounds a year from eating everything offered. Yeah, a year from now, this will be an amusing story to tell other Bandsters. I'll do some Zen meditation and see if the future me will give me a pat on the head and tell me to quiet down. :biggrin2:

I've been doing this for way too long. Since September 2007 I have been on the liquid diet in one form or another and it's really, really starting to drive me nuts. Maybe it's because I'm sitting here at work and everyone, everyone has decided to eat at thier desks today and I can smell burgers, fries, enchiladas and a myriad of other things. I know I can get past this. I know I need to lose 15 more pounds and if I just do it I will go under the knife again, learn to eat again and all that jazz. I know even after the band I can't eat burgers and fries (at least, I shouldn't), but there is a difference in having that choice. Right now it doesn't feel like a choice ( even though it is). Right now it feels like a prison sentence. I know, I know. I'm bitching for nothing. I'm gonna keep on keeping on, but sometimes it's just SOOOOOOOO frustrating. Okay, panda rant over. I'm going to go have my lunch shake and remember the chick eating the fries shouldn't be either. She's just about the same size as me and is going to regret the additional 10-20 pounds at the end of the year. I don't want regrets this year, no, not again and certainly not over a plate of burgers and fries. :biggrin: How do you get through the cravings? (Oh yeah, now I'm really done.)

I've been told the way I carry my fat is the issue, not the weight itself. I've seen bigger people than me in my Surgeon's office. But, I carry most of my weight in my stomach, kind of like a pot belly man. I have relatively thin arms, legs, face etc and look very much like an apple on sticks. I wouldn't worry too much about it. My situation is a fluke. She's only had to stop one other surgery in her WLS career and that was due to some other complication. ( I don't know what it was though. If I asked I can't recall her answer.)

Come to think of it, I remember writing in my journal about how I realized in the first few days of my liquid diet how artifical my energy has been most of my life, mainly sugar. You're right, that's a part of it, but I feel better now with out all of the "extras" in my system.

I feel tired when I don't take my vitamins or drink a lot of water. If worse comes to worse I have a cheesestick and that usually helps my energy levels, but even so I have no where near the same amount of energy I had when I was eating whatever I wanted.

Didn't have to go through this. I would say change surgeons if it's really that troubling for you. If not, just do what they say. Some Dr's have good reason to make you do more and if you trust him then maybe this one does?

Good for you, thumbs up!!!

Did they tell you why? Do you have an advocate to contact that can help you through this?

Oh that's terrible to be so close and have it yanked like that. I'm sure that the Dr. did what was in your best interest. I hope the murmur thing doesn't prevent you from having the surgery at all. Have they told you what to expect?

March 6th 2008… This Thursday was a long time coming. The journey to get there started years before and failed attempt after another found me switching insurance companies and finally, finally committing to the whole idea. On January 7th, 2007 I was on my way to this day, the day that was going to change my life. I went to bed rather late, but didn’t worry too much about my 5:30am arrival time. I was going to be sleeping most of the day anyway right? Well, I did the no food or drink after 9am thing which is traditional. I packed light and wore baggy clothes, jammy pants and a t-shirt to be exact. Unfortunately for me, it was also my time of the month (this doesn’t affect the surgery). First thing I learned. Just because they told me to be on time didn’t mean they would be. My boyfriend and I were there 15 minutes early and waited another 30 before he prep-crew opened the doors. They made up for it by being nice. I was assigned a bed and asked to change into hospital wear which included their underwear and their feminine pads. I hope to god I’m not on my period the next time I have surgery!!!! And though I packed light, none of it stayed with me. It all went with my boyfriend. My clothes, my book, my glasses, all the things I brought for my one night stay, gone!!! No big, but it was kind of weird not having my glasses. (You can’t wear contacts, the anesthesia can dry your eyes out to the point the contacts will glue to your eyes.) During prep, the nurses hooked up IVs, talked to me a little about my surgery and what I was having done. They answered all of my questions and then I waited and waited until being moved to another room. There, a nurse checked my tubes, got me a warm blanket and basically double checked me and my information. My Anesthesiologist also came by and asked me a few questions about my medical history, my reactions to anesthesia and made sure my C-PAP pressure was right. ( I was told not to bring mine, they would take care of it. Some places ask you to bring your c-papa). All in all it was very smooth and every one made me feel safe. I had no doubt they were paying attention and I wouldn’t accidentally get the wrong surgery or anything like that. ( I would go nuts if I got the bypass by mistake). They wheeled me into surgery and I was out before I new it. When I woke up I could hear voices. I felt people touching me, checking my pulse and things like that. It took some time for me to come back fully to my senses and I’m not sure I actually did until another hour later. As I laid there I could feel my incisions, just slightly, like a itty bitty sting. I also thought that I didn’t feel that much different. Somehow I thought it’d feel like something was inside of me. I was thinking this as my Surgeon came up to me. She was smiling and jubilant. I smiled back the best I could. She looked away for a moment then said ‘We didn’t get the band in.” I heard her clearly. I asked why not and she explained to me what had happened. To tell you the truth I really didn’t hear what she said, just bits and pieces of it. “I have to lose 30 more pounds don’t I?” “Yeah.”, she said. Was she surprised I knew that? Was she just humoring the numbers I tossed out? I don’t know. But I was right and that’s what I had to do. I wasn’t upset at that moment. I took it all in stride and said “I got to do what I got to do and what’s the difference? I’m still losing weight.” I was sent back to the original staging area and there I was in the way. I called my Mom to come get me because I had sent my boyfriend to work, thinking I’d rather have him take the next day off rather than this one. The nursing staff was still nice, but it was hard not to notice to them I was now taking up space. They needed the bed I was in. They needed to get other patients into their surgeries. I did my best to be patient and you know what I did? As soon as my Mom got me I asked to go out to eat. I think it was a fuck you, a bit of anger, a bit of something bubbling inside of me. I started healing that day physically. My incisions weren’t so bad. If I swallowed too much, too fast I just stopped eating or drinking and it would pass. I imagine having the band will feel similar to that. I spent the next few days thinking, ignoring the failed surgery, then I allowed myself to get angry. I took a few days off of my “diet”. I reset myself and got ready to give it all another go. It’s May 29th now. I haven’t lost the weight as quickly as I would’ve liked. There are many factors to that, some medical, some psychological. I’m getting there though. I’m doing what I need to and I know I will have a second chance. Hey isn’t this all about second chances?

March 6th 2008… This Thursday was a long time coming. The journey to get there started years before and failed attempt after another found me switching insurance companies and finally, finally committing to the whole idea. On January 7th, 2007 I was on my way to this day, the day that was going to change my life. I went to bed rather late, but didn’t worry too much about my 5:30am arrival time. I was going to be sleeping most of the day anyway right? Well, I did the no food or drink after 9am thing which is traditional. I packed light and wore baggy clothes, jammy pants and a t-shirt to be exact. Unfortunately for me, it was also my time of the month (this doesn’t affect the surgery). First thing I learned. Just because they told me to be on time didn’t mean they would be. My boyfriend and I were there 15 minutes early and waited another 30 before he prep-crew opened the doors. They made up for it by being nice. I was assigned a bed and asked to change into hospital wear which included their underwear and their feminine pads. I hope to god I’m not on my period the next time I have surgery!!!! And though I packed light, none of it stayed with me. It all went with my boyfriend. My clothes, my book, my glasses, all the things I brought for my one night stay, gone!!! No big, but it was kind of weird not having my glasses. (You can’t wear contacts, the anesthesia can dry your eyes out to the point the contacts will glue to your eyes.) During prep, the nurses hooked up IVs, talked to me a little about my surgery and what I was having done. They answered all of my questions and then I waited and waited until being moved to another room. There, a nurse checked my tubes, got me a warm blanket and basically double checked me and my information. My Anesthesiologist also came by and asked me a few questions about my medical history, my reactions to anesthesia and made sure my C-PAP pressure was right. ( I was told not to bring mine, they would take care of it. Some places ask you to bring your c-papa). All in all it was very smooth and every one made me feel safe. I had no doubt they were paying attention and I wouldn’t accidentally get the wrong surgery or anything like that. ( I would go nuts if I got the bypass by mistake). They wheeled me into surgery and I was out before I new it. When I woke up I could hear voices. I felt people touching me, checking my pulse and things like that. It took some time for me to come back fully to my senses and I’m not sure I actually did until another hour later. As I laid there I could feel my incisions, just slightly, like a itty bitty sting. I also thought that I didn’t feel that much different. Somehow I thought it’d feel like something was inside of me. I was thinking this as my Surgeon came up to me. She was smiling and jubilant. I smiled back the best I could. She looked away for a moment then said ‘We didn’t get the band in.” I heard her clearly. I asked why not and she explained to me what had happened. To tell you the truth I really didn’t hear what she said, just bits and pieces of it. “I have to lose 30 more pounds don’t I?” “Yeah.”, she said. Was she surprised I knew that? Was she just humoring the numbers I tossed out? I don’t know. But I was right and that’s what I had to do. I wasn’t upset at that moment. I took it all in stride and said “I got to do what I got to do and what’s the difference? I’m still losing weight.” I was sent back to the original staging area and there I was in the way. I called my Mom to come get me because I had sent my boyfriend to work, thinking I’d rather have him take the next day off rather than this one. The nursing staff was still nice, but it was hard not to notice to them I was now taking up space. They needed the bed I was in. They needed to get other patients into their surgeries. I did my best to be patient and you know what I did? As soon as my Mom got me I asked to go out to eat. I think it was a fuck you, a bit of anger, a bit of something bubbling inside of me. I started healing that day physically. My incisions weren’t so bad. If I swallowed too much, too fast I just stopped eating or drinking and it would pass. I imagine having the band will feel similar to that. I spent the next few days thinking, ignoring the failed surgery, then I allowed myself to get angry. I took a few days off of my “diet”. I reset myself and got ready to give it all another go. It’s May 29th now. I haven’t lost the weight as quickly as I would’ve liked. There are many factors to that, some medical, some psychological. I’m getting there though. I’m doing what I need to and I know I will have a second chance. Hey isn’t this all about second chances? (x-posted to surgery stories thread)

I think we all have it, just for some of it it comes in little spurts. But yeah, I've gone a long way. How's your WLS been going?

I've been in the sugar-free candy aisle a little too much. I love, love the Lifesavers, the Werther's Originals and the Nips, maybe a little too much, LOL!!

You should see how I react when people DO complain about 2-3 weeks. Then I remember it's still hard and I was complaining then, too.