Diz

I don't know about you, but I've been supplementing my soups with protein. If you have a good blender or food processor you might want to try it. My husband had bbqd steak, so I took about 3 oz of it, cut it into small pieces and added it to my tomato basil soup and blended like hell. It was good and satisfying and went down smooth. I also did the same with the veggies he grilled. He put cubed potatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic, olive oil and spiced in foil and cooked on the grill. I added some of that to my soups and blended. It was delicious and smooth. Also did the same with canned chicken and chicken noodle soup. That may help with your hungry feeling.

I was banded June 19th and have the same problem. The bariatric nurse said that I'm probably temporarily lactose intolerant and advised that I stay away from the cream soups for now. No prob...as long as it isn't forever!

I was covered by insurance. They wanted to make sure I'd have no complications swallowing the foods they expect me to be on the next 2 weeks. Also, they put the band on with no fill. Some doctors put a fill in upon placement, so that may change what the patient eats. I know what you mean. The inconsistency between doctors is enough to make a sane person crazy. I feel great though. It took me a couple of hours to get through the Protein drink this morning and I'm sipping on a prune juice Water cocktail because Vicodin blocks me up. I had some last night to sleep, but not any today, so far (the husband's not happy, so I may have to have a little soon).

Hey Everyone, I'm doing well. Finally home. I posted my story on the surgery story thread if ya want the details. Thanks for all encouragement. It really helped me. I was not nervous at all! I knew what to expect and it payed off. You guys are the greatest!

Hey Everyone, My surgery was yesterday, June 19th. I reported in at 6:30 a.m. for surgery at 8:00 a.m. Did all the paperwork, changed into the gown, laid on the gurney, and promptly received the Heparin shot in the fatty part of my arm (that would be the part that swings)...the shot didn't hurt, it was after they took out the needle, you could feel it burning...so I rubbed it. Then I got the IV stuff put in my hand. It was all good. They wheeled me in about 10 after 8 and I got to joke with the doctors about playing some good ole rock and roll while they operate...the mask went on...and it was peace OUT! Woke up in recovery. Was doing ok, but the little girl next to me looked like my niece and she was crying for her mommie. They were singing funky songs to her and I croaked out that they needed to sing Disney songs. After a while, they transferred me to my room and hooked me up to the morphine machine. Any time I wanted some, I could press the button. I left it alone for the most part and used it at night to sleep. Did lots of walking and although they tried to help me out, I told them to leave me alone. This is something I should be able to do since I've been working out so hard...and I did. It was all good. Nothing by mouth though. That's the rough thing about having surgery early...you suffer for a full 24 hours dreaming of ice cool Water. I finally got my barium swallow around 9 a.m. Although they used something other than barium...it was a foul, bitter tasting liquid, but it was cool watching it go down through the band. They took the time to point everything out. I liked that. When we went back to the room, within an hour, they brought me tea, apple juice, broth and Jello. I asked for cold water though. I drank part of the broth, but it was too salty for me, the tea was HEAVEN! Jello was ok, and I diluted the apple juice with the cold water like I was taught. 2 hours after that, they brought me Stage II stuff, so I ate vanilla pudding, pureed broccoli Soup, more wonderful tea, and cottage cheese. I ate half the pudding, couple of bites of the cottage cheese, some of the soup and all of the tea. Then I got the go ahead to come home. The drive was a little long, looks like everyone is escaping SF. But now I'm home with a huge bottle of liquid vicodin...oooooohhhhh. Haven't needed it yet. Going to hold off till bed time. I have to thank all of you though. I wasn't the slightest bit nervous, knew what to expect and it made it so much easier. Thank you everyone!

Yea Baby, Yea! We're in this together.

Look here Missy...you're making it sound like you won't be back. You are still a JazzyJune. Stay with us. We'll be your support team and you'll be a part of ours. We'll spur each other on and cheer each other up. JazzyJunes are in this together!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. I didn't realize that the sense of smell is so affected. Guess that means that I'll be lucky if I still like my Protein shake after surgery on Thurs. Thank goodness about the pain. I don't have to go back to work until July 7th, so I'm thinking I should be in a good spot then. Thanks for the info Susanm.

Wow!!! Good Luck Shome, Apples2, Ronda, ChristineXtreme, Kizzie, and everyone else. I'm so excited to share this week with you and this month with all the JazzyJunes! I'm on the 19th. I go to San Francisco tomorrow. WOOHOO!!!

I have a 3 hour drive. My surgeon said to make sure and stop each hour and walk for 5 minutes to prevent blood clots. I would pull over after 45 minutes and do a 5 minute walk. You should be ok.

Hey DivaMom...Good luck and good luck to all of us being banded this week. Isn't it cool that we have all this great information from those who came before us? JazzyJunes is a great group to be a part of. All the advice we need is here.

Wow...My post-op diet from Kaiser requires that I have one Protein shake a day for the first two weeks. I don't know how I would do without it. I didn't realize that other doctors want you on a clear liquid, and didn't include the protein. Would it be cheating to drink one of those pre-made Isopure drinks? You can see through them and they pack a walloping 40 grams of protein per 20 oz.

Sweet!!! We're the same day! My doc didn't put me on a liquid diet, but I think I may do it. I hear that people do better.

Thanks for that update Long2BThin. I'm on blood pressure meds twice a day! I can't wait to be rid of them. I will make sure I check my pressure morning and evening when I get home from surgery...just in case. Thank you so much for the warning. What would I do without my Jazzy Junes???

How Cool! My surgeon is Dr. Li. It's so nice to hear from someone who's had him. I heard he's one of the best. I go to the Anesthesiologist tomorrow and surgery is June 19th. Any surprises I should be aware of?

Sorry for not replying back...I didn't get the notification. I live in a small town in the Sierra Foothills, past Auburn. To make the trip to South SF, it's over 300 miles roundtrip. Kaiser scheduled a lot of appointments and unfortunately only 2 were the same day. On the day after surgery, while driving home, we'll have to stop every hour so I can walk for 5-10 minutes to avoid blood clots. They've warned me about this. We'll also take the Durango because you can't feel the road bumps as bad. Crazy, what I'm willing to do to get my life under control, but I think it's worth it. Plus, like I said, I'm not a self-pay, so I'm pretty lucky. The admission for the surgery will be $100, and that's it.

CathyChatts and the rest of you banded Jazzy Junes...it's so wonderful to hear from you all. Thank you so much for taking the time to text us all and let us know the ins and outs of the surgery and recovery process. Perhaps my date isn't close enough yet, but I don't have the slightest bit of nervousness because I feel so informed and ready...thanks to all of you.

I love Zero Carb Isopure powder in Vanilla. You can mix with water, soymilk, lowfat or nonfat milk. I throw in frozen strawberries, mixed fruit or mangos. Sometimes I use crystal lite flavors with crushed ice and blend. It's really good. Isopure has no sugar and 2 scoops is 50 grams of protein. It's a little expensive at the stores, but you can find it cheaper online.

Good luck Lady Zique...can't wait to hear about your wonderful journey. To Tammy, I'm sorry it didn't work out, but you'll always be a Jazzy June to us, just like CathyChatts said. Stay on the posts and keep us informed. We'll bolster you when you need it.

Right now I've got fruit punch in, but I use lemonade, ruby red grapefruit, rasberry, I like them all. I throw in some crushed ice and blend...yum!

Ok...I'm going to sound like a smartass here, but YES...You can have the surgery without the full support of your husband. This surgery is for you, not him. Think long and hard before you cancel it. I wish I could let you borrow my husband. He's been skinny all his life (his parents call him "slim"). I've been heavy all my life. He's behind me 100% and he knows it's my decision. My prayers are with you.

I like to put crystal lite in my protein drink (vanilla) to break up the boredom. My cure for headaches is a margarita, but I don't think you need that before surgery. Stay Strong! You can do this!

Thanks CathyChatts. I was originally scheduled for the 12th, but my Surgeon has jury duty, so he changed it to the 19th. What's a girl to do?

What kind of protein drink did you go for?

I too am excited and happy. Not nervous..just yet, and because of the way Kaiser does their program, feel as though I've already started this program in January...this tool is one more step to my success and it's a great feeling to be on the right track. Good Luck My Jazzy June Friends. It's nice to know I've got somewhere to turn when I need advice.