giveyouthemoon

I got a variety of fruit juices and broths as they were about all I could get down along with lots and lot of Ensure high Protein kinds. I also got a box of straws because they make me sip instead of gulp my drinks. I goofed up a BUNCH at first and took a big drink and OUCHIE does that hurt! Heating pad, yes! Liquid Tylenol, yes! (tho you'll probably get something even more fun from the dr) lots of magazines lots of DVD's to sit and watch while healing You are going to do GREAT!!! Be sure to post on the other side and let us know how it went!!!

My incisions look pretty good too. I was also surprised at how tiny they got. I've started using those scar strips on them and when the strips aren't on (you only go max 12 hrs) I rub Vitamin E into them. I think the four small scars will heal completely and the one big scar may be noticable, but not bad. I still have a lump under the skin and right over my port tho it's getting smaller too. And the VERY sore part right next to my port is MUCH better since I've been wearing a girdle at night to hold it in. I can finally bend over without searing pain! I also lost a bunch of weight then stopped cold. I figure it's the body taking a breather. I also got ol' Aunt Flo this week and I think she headed off the loss. Right after she left I lost another pound. It's just the body getting used to all the changes I think.

Hey! Banded on the 23rd and doing fine. Lost 13 pounds right away then screeeeeech, the scale stopped at the end of the first week. I also got a visit from Aunt Flo right then so I think that stopped my loss. I've lost now just one more pound since then. It's okay tho, it totals out to 23 lbs going back to before surgery and I can tell it! Pants are looser and my ankles aren't so swollen. THAT's a plus. I was re-reading my post op handbook from my doc and realized that this week I could have pureed meats. OH BLISS. So I just had a can of tuna and some mayo that I beat to death in my magic bullet type device. I made it into a paste but OH HEAVEN to have that instead of soup!!! It went down fine. Exercise has been good too. Been feeling good enough to do 45 mins at still only a 20 min mile pace. But it gets my heart up and me all sweaty so I must be doing something right! One thing I see will be a long term problem is gas. I've ALWAYS got gas. Any bandster ideas for keeping that down? It's pretty rough.

No way it weighs a pound. Only a few ounces, even when filled.

Good luck! Check back in and let us know how it goes! You'll do great. By now you are sipping liquids and wondering how this all is going to work!!

Sweetie.....13 lbs in one months is a really, really, really good loss! Don't dispair. Your body is going through a major change here in how you eat and also losing that much weight so sometimes it wants to hang on a bit. And like leatha_g said, up your calories a bit. It might help the body not be in starvation mode.

Hmm, yeah, I've been all over my treadmill. I'm not breaking any world records, but doing about a 20 min mile pace and going 45 min or so. I did 30 min just five days after surgery. I asked my Dr as he was releasing me if it was okay and he said yes. He said running was not okay (I told him not to worry, I don't run anyway). He in fact wanted me to exercise, just nothing to jarring. I would think walking at a pace that feels okay would be fine. Maybe call your doc's office on Monday and ask?

Mine is even longer than that, it's almost a full month after. I have my first post op appt. on July 20. No calls or any contact from the dr. Weird. Guess I'm on my own. They gave me a very thick booklet and told me to follow that so I am.

I haul my tired rig out of bed in the morning and do a half hour to 45 min on the treadmill. I hate it, but I do it. Almost every day too. But I'm single....I have NEVER figured out how folks with family fit it all in!!

I had a scale once that much like Delarla, I smashed the @#$% out of then took it to the garbage bin for a funeral. That was about five years ago. I recently bought a new scale and find I'm just as obsessed as I ever was. It's not good. Heck, I even try creative ways of getting on the scale to see if it makes a difference (it does).

Is it the kind of capsule you can break open? I have to take prescrip Prilosec and it comes in a big capsule and I was literally *crying* each time I had to take it because it would get stuck. Now I crack that bad boy open, dump it on top of my liquid vitamins and it's ALL kinds of good.

Now THAT's funny!

You need to take this journey for YOU and not worry about how it will affect other people. Your choices are for YOU. You cannot make choices for anyone, no matter how much you love them. As a recovered/recovering bulimic, I can tell you if she's actively in the middle of the disorder, there is no reasoning with her, there are no logical thoughts when it comes to food and eating and body image. Will she be upset if you lose weight? Yes. YOU need to figure out how you feel about that and how you'll be okay about it. You can't fix her or how she feels. But how do YOU feel about yourself in a situation where your sister feels bad abour herself standing next to you? You can't make her feel better, you can only make choices for yourself. And her feeling bad is no reason to not have this surgery. It's the old saying...don't hide your light under a bushel basket. Will she whine at you and say she wishes she could have a band? Yes. How will you manage what feelings that brings up in you? As a sibling of someone who suffers the terrible demons of an eating disorder, you too have suffered the effects of this addiction (and it IS an addiction). If you don't already have a therapist of your own I HIGHLY suggest you find one well prior to your surgery. They will help you deal with your own food issues and with how to better handle dealing with your sister. (If your sister doesn't have a therapist that's her own deal but know she'll never climb out of the addiction without professional help. It's a long and twisted road.)

pssst Bondgirl....that's the right post...go to the end of that post and you'll find 'em. They are FASCINATING!!

Woooooooooooooow. That's freaking AWESOME! I've actually kind of been wondering how it actually looks and not just a drawing. Wow. Amazing. Plus now Bobalooey we've seen your insides.....how intimate!

Man oh man I was scared SO much in the days right before my surgery. In fact, I'd be worried if you WEREN'T scared! I kept telling myself right up until they made me walk into the operating room "you can back out at any time, you can back out at anytime, no one is saying you have to do this". Like Bobalooey said, then the anesthesia takes over and you are fine. I am glad to hear you are taking a week off from work. I know a lot of people here were back in like three days. No way could I have done that. I took a full week. Bear in mind I'm a HUGE weenie about any medical stuff and I came back to work fine in a week. You'll be a bit tired at work but it will be fine. The first few days post-op you'll think you'll never be able to make it back to work but each day you get better and better and better. Has your Dr said where your port will be placed? Mine is about three inches above my navel and it's fine with the waist band of pants. As for the Protein....it isn't a problem at all. Protein shakes! You'll be surprised at how easy it is to get in all the protein you need! I'm so excited for you!!!

Ah El Paso, my ol' stomping grounds. As for Mexican places, have you looked for tortilla soup? It usually has a pretty good broth. You can ask them for more broth than goodies and leave the tortilla strips off and that should work. I also had my very FIRST encounter with dining out today. I was able to get some cream of broccoli soup and ate just the thin part. I too was SOOO scared that I would swallow a chunk and have it get stuck and ruin this whole deal!! Thankfully it went okay. But a problem has come up.....my friends. I'm also not telling ANYBODY about this. I said "female issues, I'd rather not discuss" when asked about the surgery. Well, today these two women I was at lunch with...good friends, eyed my bowl of soup and were like "WELL, you're sure not eating today!! What's THAT about???" I said "What are you...Food Police????" One woman was practically offended that I didn't eat a big ol' honking meal like she did. I said "oh, these meds I'm on...they sure do take away my appetite" and I think as this progresses I'm going to say "well, I lost some weight around the time of my surgery and I wanted to capitalize on that to I'm trying to eat small." We'll see how it goes. But I sense this Food Police issue will come up more and more as we go. Thoughts? Yeah, I'm TOTALLY in the closet. If pressed about the surgery, like I said, I say "female issues" and that does most of the time. If really pressed like I was today, I say "I'm sorry, I kinda don't want to talk about all the details" and most people will back off after that. It is TOTALLY your right not to tell people!!!

The ol' Pnut butter in a chocolate Protein Shake has been a SALVATION for me! Good call! One more week of liquids! Yeeeesh. Gotta stay strong! This week was rough duty but one week, pfffft, I know I can make it.

Okay so how did the fill go?? How you feeling????? Exciting. I want to know if the fill kicks the ol' scale down again. I seem stuck as well after the first week of loss. Then again, Aunt Flo has been here and I can NEVER lose weight with that broad in town!

Yay!! Today is my two week bandiversary!!! Yay me! I lost 13 pounds the first week and nary a pound this week. That's okay tho, the 13 pound free fall was kind of scary. I think my body needed a breather after that. I'm feeling great. The burning by my port is beginning to subside. I've been wearing a girdle around my middle at night and I think it's helping. My incisions are healing SO well. I put my first scar strips on them today in the hopes of them healing to be barely visable. I also haven't tried V8 or tomato juice for fear of it being too acidy but I may give it a whirl today. I'm finding that even tho I'm pretty wide open on the band, my appetite is not that much. I was STARVING last night so warmed up some potato Soup as I knew it would be hearty. Well, I could only manage half a bowl. Then I tried one of those Skinny Cow carb count bars and it was way too rich for me. This is weird, yet YAY! And the best part....TWO people yesterday asked me if I'd lost weight. CRAZY! They were like "you look SO great considering you just had surgery!!" They don't know what kind of surgery I had and that's JUST fine by me! Rock on!

Still does because that's my exact same time frame. Three weeks liquids then bring on the mushies! I was beginning to think my dr was being WAY conservative on this but it is good to know others say the same. And yeah, there is something sort of empowering about liquids only. I get grumpy about there not being more Soups that have good broth. Then I remember pre-band I never ate brothy soups so I guess that's why. I do kind of worry about going on to mushies. I'm not afraid of being able to swallow, I worry that I'll gain weight. Must remember to eat the right kinds of mushies.

Awright....sheesh, you guys are SO over sensitive!!! Band men. There, are you happy????

Yay! Someone who has to be on liquids longer than me!! Bondgirl and Soonergirl were starting to make me depressed. They were banded a week later than me but will be on solids before me. SIGH! Your post made me feel better for some reason. But four months??? WOWOWOWOW. How are you keeping your sanity. I have to be on liquids three weeks and here ending week two I'm starting to lose my ever loving MIND!

In my work cafeteria I grabbed a chocolate milk thinking it was the no fat one but when I got back to my desk, it was full fat. I thought "oh what the heck, it goes through a straw, I can have it." Ew...I couldn't finish it...too much, too rich. Me? *I* couldn't finish a full fat chocolate milk???? Is THIS what an NSV feels like????????

Oh amen to THAT! A blended can of cream of potato (xtra milk added) and I felt like I could live again in this crazy ol' world!! Ahem....that was ME!!! I LOVE those Davinci syrups. You know what else is good? Have you ever had a Chai Frappucino at Starbucks? Well, if you take the Oregon Chai tea mix that leatha_g mentioned....and you put in half cup no fat milk, half cup tea mixture, scoop of vanilla protein mix and a bunch of ice cubes you got something VERY close. It is SO yummy. Have done that the past two mornings for Breakfast.