salsa1877

Funny because I am still getting emails! In fact that is how I knew someone had posted here just now! I looked through the options sections earlier to see if there was a button to click, but I couldn't find one.

I am excited that I can finally eat again. My doc was worried that I wouldn't be able to stay on a liquid diet until the 21st so he called Sat. morning. He asked me how I was doing and I said that I was starving. He said he wanted to see what I could eat to determine when I should come in. So he put me on mushies all day Saturday and told me that if I didn't have any pain that I could go to soft proteins on Sunday and then to call him back last night. So that is what I did and it was so nice to be able to eat again. Since I was able to get over easy eggs, some tuna fish, and a piece of salmon down he said that I could wait until the 21st to come in. Otherwise he wanted me in today. He said that if the fill continues to feel like it is loosening that I could cancel my unfill appt. He told me to leave my next fill scheduled for the 26th of March and to just keep pushing it back unless I felt zero restriction. He said with my determination and change in lifestyle he felt that I could be with lesser restriction than some and still be successful. He said with me being so far away from the office (5+ hours) that he didn't want me being very tight if I could handle it. Well I will tell you this, I would rather have less restriction and have to handle some of the hunger than be so tight that I have to stay on liquids! It is funny, since being back on real food I have dropped 1.5 pounds. My body will not lose weight when I have to go on liquids. I don't know how I did it when I was on liquids for 2 weeks! Now, if I drop far below 1000 calories, the scale refuses to budge. I had to sneak the scale this morning. My boyfriend is only allowing me to weigh 2 times per week (I was becoming obsessed!) but as soon as he left for work, I grabbed the scale and ran into the bathroom. I just knew I would have lost weight now that I was back on real foods! Well gotta get to work.

Yahoo....I can eat again! The doc called this weekend (yesterday morning) to see how I was doing and I told him that I was STARVING. He told me to go to mushies yesterday and see if I could handle that. Then he said if that went down okay I was to try going to real food today. If I could do mushies but not real food then I could wait until the 21st to come in. If I couldn't do either then he was highly suggesting that I come in on Monday. If I could eat real food to call him back and we would discuss the plan. So I tried eating some soft foods today...over easy egg, fish fillet, and a baked crab cake. As long as I eat slowly I can do it. So I called him back and let him know what I could eat. He said to stay with fish for the next week and to call the office on Friday and cancel my appointment if I could handle that all week! I have another fill scheduled for the end of March and he said to keep the appointment, but unless I feel like I have zero restriction to keep putting it off. He said since I have made such a change in lifestyle and that I have good determination that even if my restriction isn't as tight as most people's that he thinks I can still be successful. I thought that was a very nice compliment. Also, he said that he would put a note in my chart for the receptionists to make every accomdation necessary to get me in when I need a fill because of the distance that I have to travel and the fact that he doesn't want me to come in until I absolutely need a fill. So it appears that the fill is loosening (though it has felt that way before!) and that maybe I will be alright. Fish has always been ok for me, but today it tasted like HEAVEN! So tomorrow I am going to go and pick up a variety of frozen fish so that I don't have to eat the same things every day! I am afraid that if I eat anything else it will hurt and I will be forced to go to the doctor. At least I will be getting healthy proteins and not be starving. Just thought I would share my good news.

Got my situps and pushups in and just finished my sculpting section of the DVD. 3 workouts in 1 day. Hopefully I can get out of bed tomorrow!

Got a workout in this morning. Goal for the rest of the day is 300 situps and 100 pushups during football games. Then tonight do the scultping part of the Biggest Loser DVD. I haven't gotten in as many sessions as I wanted to by now so I am going to have to ramp it up today.

Frangi will probably answer you too, but my doctor did not forbid me to eat it. He did tell me that some people would not be able to tolerate it because it might get stuck in their band. He was pretty adamant though that we should not completely eliminate any food completely unless our band will not tolerate it. I am REALLY tight now so I won't even try it, but before I got this tight I had bread a few times a week. Rice on the other hand as been terrible to me since the beginning. I think it is an individual thing. If you have been able to live without bread so far, it isn't necessarily something that you would have to incorporate in your meals. On the other hand, if the cravings for bread are going to ultimately lead you to binge on it (like I would!) then I would think that it would be best to have it in moderation.

I must bow to Brett Favre! My students told me that the packers were going to win even if Favre lost both his arms and his legs and had to throw with his teeth! I guess they were right. Hope you had a good party. Phyl and I will have to wait until next year...but our seahawks will be back!

HOLY CRAP! Dave you are walking machine! I wish I had the time to do walks that long. I wish the weather was warm enough that I could do walks that long! We were on a 2 hour school delay today so I got my workout in this morning. It was 12 degrees outside with a windchill factor bringing it down to 2 degrees. No way I am walking it that weather. Uh uh. NO WAY.

I feel your pain. I was completely unfilled for 42 days and I REFUSED to gain any weight. In fact when I was first unfilled I was still above the 200 pound mark and I was more determined that ever to get below it. I did, but not without major struggles. It will probably be more difficult than you hope, but the band should still provide some support, even if it is not what you need. What I did during the time was to eat a lot of salad. Wishbone makes these new salad spritzers that are actually pretty good. I don't like sweet salad dressings so I was happy to find that they had a caesar salad flavored one that was not sweet. I would eat 1-2 cups of salad before my meal and that would help cut down on the hunger and calories. Now I was completely unfilled with ZERO restriction so I could eat even more than you probably can. Maybe if you started with .5-1 cup of salad followed by your protein (or vice versa to follow proper band rules) that would curb your appetite. If you don't like salad, choose another low calorie veggie that you do like. I know what you mean about a tough couple of months. I haven't had anything like the infection that you have, but I had the lodged food and was on liquids for a week, followed by 42 days of no restriction and INTENSE hunger, followed now by a too tight fill that is causing me to be on liquids only. Believe me, I feel your pain. Good luck and keeping coming back here when you have a bad day. All these wonderful people got me through my time of unrestriction and not my time of too much restriction! As for me, I am pretty certain that I am going to the doctor on Monday. I called today to see if I could eat anything besides the protein drinks and broth. The nurse told me that I could start to blend in items to the broth or eat soups as long as they are no thicker than a protein drink. So for lunch today I ran home and threw some FF refried beans in with my beef broth and I feel like I have died and gone to heaven! They were soooooooo gooooooood. They didn't look pretty:eek: but who cares! Well now I have to plan for a sub:frown: so I should probably get back to work.

Got in a workout with my yoga video. I dont like it though so I think I am going to have to get a new video. Now I am going to bed.

It's a deal! Oh wait, except that I finished grading the tests, but now I have 300 projects and labs to grade! Are you sure you still want to trade???

Jello...pudding...I wish. Truly I am not supposed to have anything but clear liquids and protein drinks. Pudding I can't do because of the dairy...it causes the same problem as ice cream. I think I am just going to take a day off of work and go in. I just hope the mountains cooperate! No I was not supposed to have soup. I tried it but didn't like it. Too sweet for me. I really am having a dislike for sweet things right now. I think it is all the protein shakes. I am going to try and add some of my unjury to some homemade chicken broth that I am going to make tonight. I know it will be okay, I was just having a rough morning and knew you guys would understand. Wow, it would have been tough for me to do that. I didn't have to do a pre-op diet (good thing considering my consultation was the day before my actual surgery!) We did a lot of the consultation over the phone prior to going up there so it is not as odd as it sounds. My post op was 2 weeks of full liquids followed by 2 weeks of mushies. Then I had a fill and was to solid foods by the end of that week. The difference between my post-op and now is that I was not hungry then, and I am starving now. I am going to do whatever it takes to get in 1000 calories today. The dizziness and the lightheadedness and the feeling that my eyes are sinking into the back of my head are what is really getting to me! Part of me just wants to wait to go to the doc when I am scheduled because technically I should be allowed to go back on thin mushies on Saturday, assuming they don't cause pain. I just need to stop whining and buck it up until then. Most of me thinks that I can make it until the 21st but there is a small part of me that is screaming :angry at me to just go have the some of the fill taken out soon and be done with it. Trying to determine which one I am going to listen to!:cry Well I see the light at the end of the tunnel with the grading, so I am off to do that!

I am having a tough time today (and it is only 7AM!). I was really trying to go into this whole liquid thing with a positive attitude, but the fact that I feel completely drained, starved, and a little nauseous is NOT helping the positive attitude. Not to mention that since have gone to full liquids only, I have gained 2 pounds. I know it can't be fat that I am gaining because I have only had a TOTAL of 1200 calories in the last two days. Honestly I would rather not eat than drink the protein shakes and other liquid foods. I think this is why I did so well when I was on the liquid stage...I didn't really consume anything but water and the bare amount of isopure that I needed to. I wasn't hungry at all then either (big plus!) I can do the healthy eating and the exercising while using my band as a tool, but having to drink my meals is not what I wanted to do. I feel like the last 2 months it has been a very hard struggle. First the lodged food that required me to be on liquids for almost a week, followed by a period of ZERO restriction and fighting the urge to eat constantly, and now back to liquids. It is starting to wear on my mind. Part of the problem is that I am feel very lightheaded and dizzy because I am not getting enough calories. I am struggling to get calories in because all of the high calorie products that have ANY nutritional value all contain dairy products and I just can't do them. The protein drink that I finally found that I could tolerate ended up having too much dairy in it and I was running to the bathroom all night. I just needed to vent, but now I have to get back to grading. I had to change my lesson plans today because I don't have the energy to herd 75 kids through a fairly complex and slightly dangerous lab.

Well there is going to be no exercise for me tonight. I just don't have the energy. First of all, this liquid food thing is kicking my butt. I didn't do much exercise when I was on liquids after surgery because no matter how many calories I consume, it just doesn't seem to give me much energy. I didn't consume many calories today (~600) and only about ~550 yesterday so I am working on FEW calories. Then staying up to watch the biggest loser last night didn't do me any good either. I get up at 4:45 am, so going to bed at 10 isn't the wisest choice on my part. Well I am off to bed. I will dream about exercise...does that count???

Nope no key! They are essay questions that I have to read and some of them are really BAD! Unfortunately I don't drink coffee and since being banded the only kind of dairy that I can do is yogurt and cheese. I don't know what the problem is, but milk, ice cream and especially milkshakes make me fill up with gas (I know TMI) like there is no tomorrow. I get terrible cramping in my stomach. I keep saying that I wish I drank coffee because it always seems that the only things to drink are sweet, besides water. Well I have a meeting to go to, so I will check in later. Thanks for the hugs. I am going to try some butternut squash soup for dinner tonight and it is time for a protein drink.

It is most likely the foods that you are eating. Not to say that you are making poor choices it is just that your band may not respond well to some types of foods. For example, when I told my doc that I had tried to eat eggs the other day, he said that it may be one of those foods when cooked the way they were, might not be able to be eaten because of a texture. I know that I can't eat any of the meat subsitutes (boca burgers, veggie burgers) because they are not kind to my band. Maybe you should really note what foods you are sliming on to determine if perhaps this is the problem. Holy cow I am hungry!!! I never went through bandster hell because I was never hungry post op, but I think I know what it feels like now! However, I am thinkning the feeling that I swallowed a soccer ball is worse than the hungry feeling though, so I will be sticking to liquids. Anyone want to volunteer to grade papers for me? Anyone? Do I sense a wonderful soul? No. Dang...It was worth a shot.:biggrin1:

I really have not heard many good things about the doctors that are here and was one of the main reasons that I didn't have the surgery done here. They don't offer a support group (mine does, but they are obviously too far away, but he did suggest this site), they charge $32000 for a selfpay surgery and that only includes 2 fills, and you have to pay for the nutritionist, psychologist AND all pre-op tests on top of that. I met with the staff once and cancelled the consultation before I even met the doctor. I made the appt with my actual doctor over the phone and his nurses/office staff called me twice a week between the time of my initial call and my actual visit to make sure that I didnt' have any questions or apprehensions. I paid 17000 and that covered EVERYTHING. 2 years worth of fills, all pre-op visits, and any complications that would occur in the 2 years after surgery. He will pay the hospital bills, the anethesia, EVERYTHING if something goes wrong. I couldn't have asked for a better doc. His staff is AMAZING. I just wish he was closer. On a good note, I was still able to get my workout in and I finally found a Protein drink that didn't curdle my stomach and make my tongue want to turn inside out. I only got in 550 calories today so a little low,but I found a few more things that I will have tomorrow. Have to finish watching the biggest loser!

You are right! That is an upside. I made my bf take my scale away from me. I was becoming too obsessed. So now I am only allowed to weigh on Sunday and Wednesday. So I will see how much I have lost since Sunday tomorrow morning. I only got in 550 calories today but I still got in my exercise. I am going to try and not slow down on the exercise. That combined with low calories should really boost the exercise. The doc actually told me not to worry about losing weight during this time because I may be hungry since I am only going to have liquids and thin solids. He said I may actually gain. I told him that is what he said when I had to be unfilled and that I take that as a challenge. He told me "I know, just wanted to keep you motivated! You take challenges to heart." He is AMAZED at how fast I am getting to my goal. I said, just wait until you see me in a few weeks, I have lost even more since my fill. It is nice when you get compliments from the doctor! Thanks to all of you for the suggestions and well wishes. And thanks Frangi for the recipe, that sounds yummy! Where were you when I was on liquids before. Oh wait I wasn't here then. My bad!

Wahooo! One more session with the DVD tonight. It is so fun watching myself get better. So far I have had to stop at least once to catch my breath, but not tonight!!!!!!!! I got through the entire thing, I can't do as many as they do on the video or with the intensity but I can actually see and feel myself getting better. That is a GREAT motivator to keep going. I bought a yoga video that I am going to try tomorrow. It is actually fun to try new things. This is something that is very new to me. I have gone to gyms several times but I never could see myself getting any better and obviously saw very few results when it came to losing weight. But now I see both. I now I am preaching to the choir on this thread, but maybe there are few lurkers that we are inspiring. Keep up the good work everyone!

I get the handheld chicken and stars soup and strain out the stars! It is a LITTLE thicker than chicken broth and I like it better. I struggle with my protein when I am on liquids because I don't like protein drinks and I can't do dairy since surgery. It just doesn't settle with me. So all of the powders I have to mix with water or soy milk. I have only tried 1 brand of soy milk so far and I didn't like it. Has anyone tried a soymilk that doesn't look like cardboard water or taste like cardboard water?!?! Well off to the store to scope out liquids for the next few days!

Well I talked to the doctor and he said to just stay on liquids and mushies until the 21st. Then I am to go in and have a small unfill. He said I could come in earlier and if it gets any tighter I will, but it is really tough for me to get days off. Planning for a sub is almost worse than being at school. The 21st is a not a school day so it should be easy to get over there. I guess I am back to post op diet!! He wants me on liquids no thicker than protein drinks until Friday and then thin mushies for 3-4 days and then I can advance to cottage cheese and refried beans for the remainder of the time, assuming that they are not too difficult to get down. Oh well, I can do it. My doctor is all about not living on mushies and liquids. I know, from reading other posts, that some doctors allow their patients to be so tight that they can never eat anything but liquids and mushies. My doc believes, just like I do, that this is a lifestyle change and wants you eating real foods! I am not so tight that I can't get liquids and thin mushies down so he is not worried that I am going to close up like I did last time. Well I have to finish grading some tests so I will chat later.

Well I talked to the doctor and he said to just stay on liquids and mushies until the 21st. Then I am to go in and have a small unfill. He said I could come in earlier and if it gets any tighter I will, but it is really tough for me to get days off. Planning for a sub is almost worse than being at school. The 21st is a not a school day so it should be easy to get over there. I guess I am back to post op diet!! He wants me on liquids no thicker than protein drinks until Friday and then thin mushies for 3-4 days and then I can advance to cottage cheese and refried beans for the remainder of the time, assuming that they are not too difficult to get down. Oh well, I can do it. My doctor is all about not living on mushies and liquids. I know, from reading other posts, that some doctors allow their patients to be so tight that they can never eat anything but liquids and mushies. My doc believes, just like I do, that this is a lifestyle change and wants you eating real foods! I am not so tight that I can't get liquids and thin mushies down so he is not worried that I am going to close up like I did last time. Well I have to finish grading some tests so I will chat later.

So here is the thing with this fill. I went to mushies (yogurt and cottage cheese) today and I am not having the excruciating pain that I was having yesterday, but there is a little pain and discomfort (pressure feeling in my chest). However, I am getting hungry in between meals. So I don't know if I am too tight, just right, or whining too much. I can still drink water pretty quickly so I really just don't know. The obvious thing is that I am not chewing well enough, but really (I would take an oath) I think that I am chewing quite well. I don't want to have the fill taken out and then be too loose, but I also don't want to do anything that will hurt me. I just got my fill back after being completely unfilled and I don't want to go back to that feeling. I really wish I would have thought this long distance doctor thing out more. I just went in with this positive attitude that I wasn't going to have any problems and for the most part I haven't. Does anyone think it would hurt me to wait a week or two before making the trip across the mountains or do you think I should go in? :help: I checked on the doc here and it is 350 for a non-patient unfill, 500 for a fill:eek:! It would be cheaper for me to fly to my doc. Mango - A DEAN AND AT A MIDDLE SCHOOL! I get second place:scared: for the worst job! That is awful. There is no way that I could do that. I can't stand middle schoolers (no offense to you parents of middle schoolers). I am certain that during those years they become sub-human.

So here is the thing with this fill. I went to mushies (yogurt and cottage cheese) today and I am not having the excruciating pain that I was having yesterday, but there is a little pain and discomfort (pressure feeling in my chest). However, I am getting hungry in between meals. So I don't know if I am too tight, just right, or whining too much. I can still drink water pretty quickly so I really just don't know. The obvious thing is that I am not chewing well enough, but really (I would take an oath) I think that I am chewing quite well. I don't want to have the fill taken out and then be too loose, but I also don't want to do anything that will hurt me. I just got my fill back after being completely unfilled and I don't want to go back to that feeling. I really wish I would have thought this long distance doctor thing out more. I just went in with this positive attitude that I wasn't going to have any problems and for the most part I haven't. Does anyone think it would hurt me to wait a week or two before making the trip across the mountains or do you think I should go in? :help: I checked on the doc here and it is 350 for a non-patient unfill, 500 for a fill:eek:! It would be cheaper for me to fly to my doc.

I had my surgery in August with a doctor in Olympia, WA, but I am really tight and live in Redmond. I was wondering if you knew if he did his fills (or in my case an unfill) under fluoro. I am going to call tomorrow, but thought you might have the answer tonight. Thanks in advance.