lessnless

Never correct a waiter! What's French for, "I spat in your bouillabaisse?"

Yeah, you don't buy IV fluids, you just rent 'em...

That's my newest trick--I slice a tart apple (Granny Smith or Macintosh) paper-thin, then salt the heck out of it. A healthy alternative to potato chips.:hungry:

Saturday was my birthday!! Pause here for proferred cake.... :hungry:Pause.... :hungry:Pause.... :hungry: RATS.... I went to my birthday lunch on Saturday (had a grilled chicken salad), and for the first time ever I was the last person at the table to finish eating. My birthday goal was to lose 20lbs by today, two months since my initial consult. I only had one week of liquids after surgery plus I was injured ten days ago, so I'm losing a little slower than some. I'm just five weeks post-op, and I'm over 1/4 of the way to goal. My goal for Thanksgiving: To JUST be overweight.

Could you be having spasms in your diaphram? Does it feel like a "stuck burp/hiccup"? That's a normal post-op pain. It DOES pass. You can try chewing a couple of TUMS, but I'll bet you're just sore.

Name...Challenge Start Wt...Current Wt...Challenge Goal...To Go BeckieT......... 259 .......... 259 ...... 239 ........... 20 captdanbo....... 211 .......... 211 ...... 185 ........... 26 cc...............202 ...........200 .......190 ........... 10 finallythin..... 254 .......... 254 ...... 225 ........... 29 glindab......... 277 .......... 269 ...... 250 ........... 19 Holliwagz........325 .......... 315 ...... 295 ........... 20 Huntersmom...... 174 .......... 172 ...... 159 ........... 13 insubordination..300 .......... 296.5..... 283 ........... 13.5 ja9va........... 207 .......... 199 ...... 182 ........... 20 lessnless....... 206 .......... 191.2..... 179 ........... 12.2 Miscontext...... 303 .......... 303 ...... 275 ........... 28 MissDarlene..... 223 .......... 223 ...... 195 ........... 28 MJsafari........ 268 .......... 252 ...... 238 ........... 14 MM.............. 242 .......... 227.2..... 218 ............ 9.2 o2bthin..........238 .......... 233 ...... 215 ........... 18 PaulaD.......... 216 .......... 216 ...... 199 ........... 17 Stefanie42467... 206 .......... 200 ...... 175 ........... 25 Suzzzie......... 349 .......... 337 ...... 320 ........... 17 SWEETY.......... 202 .......... 195 ...... 180 ........... 15 Texasmom5573.... 252 .......... 252 ...... 230 ........... 22 Waters.......... 214 .......... 213 ...... 190 ........... 24 wombat712....... 180 .......... 172.4..... 165 ............ 7.4 __________________

I wonder why they recommend TWO vitamins per day, plus extra B-12? This sounds like a dosage for Bypass patients, to allow for of their malabsorption issues. My doctor just told me to take a chewable/liquid daily Vitamin, plus calcium.

The only thing I've eaten that's given me pause (literally) was an I'M-LATE peanut butter and toast breakfast. I ate too fast without liquids, and it took a good 30 seconds for one gob-sized bite to pass. I have spit out bits of fibrous veggies (celery, asparagus). I didn't have a problem with them, I just couldn't seem to chew them well enough to break up the stringy fibers. Better safe than sorry.

You look amazing! Congrats on your hard work and persistence. I can't believe you're 35. You look not-quite-legal in the pink bikini...

O2B, I was banded at the clinic in Hurst by Dr Smith. My surgery was scheduled at 8am. I was told to be there NO LATER than 7am. I was out of the OR at 9am, awake and sitting up by 9:30, had my barium fluoro at 10am, got dressed and walked out the door at 10:30. They're very efficient and pleasant. Both of the pre-op/post-op nurses have been banded, as has Dr Smith.

Mandi, If you like the Big Train Low-Carb Chai (I love it, it tastes just like liquid gingerbread), you might also try Bigelow's vanilla Chai. You'll have to add a tablespoon of milk and a packet of Splenda. Starbuck's Tazo brand is good too, it actually has a hint of black pepper.

klpdbl, Do you have a scar where your bra strap goes? I think that would drive me nuts... Does it get irritated?

OK, I have a SCHppelling problem, so bear with me... I was at the stable yesterday, and tried to help a lady catch her runaway horse as it bolted into the barn. I got 1,000-lb body-checked into a wall. At least I didn't get trampled.:confused: I'm black and blue all over. My knees are two different sizes. My elbows don't match either. I have a TERRIBLE case of whiplash--I hurt from the bottom of my ribcage all the way to the top of my ears. NO PAIN in my port, or inside my chest, so I think I'm OK there. I have no post-op pain meds in the house. I poured them out because they TASTED bad--how freakin' stupid am I ?!?!? Haven't been to the doctor. I'm a proud member of the piss-and-moan-at-home-alone club. I've tried Aleve, a heating pad, an ice-pack on every extremity. SO HERE'S MY sad tale--apparently I can't drink for spit. I had two shots of Peppermint Schnapps (how's that for Schppelling?), and I'm schnoockered... Weebly-wobbly, crossed-drunk... Hubby's happy, he thinks he's getting lucky tonight. Hello, have you SEEN my bruises?!?! I WILL say that the old "apply tequila to the tonsils" remedy seems to have loosened up all the muscle spasms... Oh well, it's only a flesh-wound... . . .

That's a common location for central line ports for chemo patients--it's close to all the big veins, but it's not cosmetically appealing. Remember, anywhere they place your port will have a 1-2 inch scar. I agree with JACHUT--I'm much more likely to appear in public with my collarbone area exposed than with my navel hanging out.

SHHHHHHHH!!! Not so loud.... :sick:sick:sick

I've fallen asleep during EVERY episode of Star Wars (and I'm old enough to have seen the original in the theater).

In no particular order: Jack and Wendell Jachut and Chickie FaithMD and WASA Kat817 and Darragha Losinjusme and Wheetsin

Maybe he meant that WLS won't help hypothyroidism? I agree--it requires supplementing/replacing the thyroid hormones to correct. Thyroid function can't be controlled or improved by diet. Hashimoto's is an auto-immune disorder, where the body's immune system attacks and destroys the thyroid gland.

I was banded 4 weeks ago. I've lost 11 pounds post-op. I have a completely nonfunctioning thyroid. I'm also insulin resistant (pre-diabetic). Both of which make weight loss challenging. Caloric intake is only half the weight-loss equation--the other half is metabolic rate. Most people lose weight by either lowering they intake or increasing their output. People who suffer from metabolic syndromes need to do BOTH to lose weight. It doesn't matter whether you decrease intake by traditional dieting or by having WLS. I have found that the only way to improve my metabolic rate is with the proper level of thyroid replacement therapy and EXERCISE. If my T3/T4 levels are too low, I don't lose weight. If I don't exercise, I don't lose weight. It's that simple. The GREAT thing about exercising regularly is how much ENERGY it gives you--like a double espresso speedball.

OK, here's something to keep in mind: Surgical incisions don't feel like stab wounds--they feel like deep-muscle bruises. Similar to a hard workout, or plowing into the sharp corner of the kitchen table. It does hurt, but your body treats it like the small wound it really is. I was in some distress when I first woke up in recovery, but it was more from being disoriented than from pain. After about 10 minutes, I was awake enough to ask if I could sit up. I went home from the hospital two hours after surgery with NO pain meds in my system. I've had SEVEN surgeries (not counting dental work). If I hadn't had the gas pains that evening, I wouldn't have needed any pain meds for this one.

Probably not--thyroid function is not influenced by diet. I doubt there will even be a change in her med level. I have ZERO thyroid function, so for me the thyroid supplement is really thyroid replacement, plus I am insulin resistant (pre-diabetic). Makes for a terrible metabolic rate, so it's really hard for me to lose weight. Good thing I'm so active...:biggrin1::biggrin1:

I had the same problem with BeneFiber, I sounded like a one-woman band. I use FiberSure instead. My husband is exactly the opposite--go figure. My doctor recommends UniFiber, but I can't find it locally. Fibersure and BeneFiber are both tasteless/colorless/odorless. I dissolve mine in a Water bottle, hubby sprinkles his on his Cheerios. 1 tsp = 5gr fiber. Taking it easy the first week or two and slowly increasing the amount helps prevent gas. Blooeyez, My post-op instructions say NO fiber chewables or pills. They can get stuck in the band stoma and then they expand in stomach acid--a bad combination.:eek:

Yes, he's very gentle. He's given pony rides to kids as young as seven. Friesians are an odd combination, completely unflappable but VERY forward. Similar in temperament to the Irish Hunters. I wouldn't recommend them for a first horse because their trot is tough to sit, and they're difficult to collect at the canter. His mane is french-braided in the pics, but it's down to his kneecap when it's loose.

I was banded 3 weeks ago. I still have a little port-site tenderness, and I haven't had ANY problems riding or dismounting. Well, a little soreness sitting a big trot, but you said your horse is gaited. My gelding is 16.2H, and I s_l_i_d_e down slowly with my right ribs against the saddle (port is on the left). I would think hopping off with your knees bent would be easier, but for me that's a LONG way to the ground... I would encourage you to keep your horse, since riding is one of the lowest "perceived effort" exercises. You don't FEEL like you're exercising, but everyone is sore after their first ride. Those muscles are also the hardest to target with conventional exercise (adductors, femoral biceps). Here's my little pony: www.fortworthdressage.com/llollo.JPG What a sweetie....

FEAR OF CHANGE... MOURNING FOR THE LOSS OF OUR OLD HABITS... Isn't the human brain just a convoluted miasma of contradictions? Why aren't we fantasizing about the NEW and IMPROVED sensations that will replace the tired, fat-dragging, end-of-the-day slump that excess food gives us now? What will it be like to have tons of energy at the end of the day? What will YOU do when you're wide-awake and still energized at 10pm--hop on a train? Go see a movie? Me--I'm going for a midnight horseback ride, but my horse already knows I'm nuts. If change feels like free-fall, it's because you haven't spread your wings yet...