O2BThinAgain

My date is March 11th. I went to my pre-op appointment & class yesterday (02/26) and started my 2 week liquid diet. I've done well these first 2 days and hoping it'll go as smoothly hereafter. I figure that I'll be able to eat the things that are around me in the future but I need to hold out for now. I'd hate to go in for surgery & get closed back up because I didn't lose enough weight! I bought the Isopure whey Protein mixes. I bought a couple different flavors & mix them for variety. I've only used Water to mix because I'm not sure if we can use skim milk. I have a call into my dieticians office to find out. I hope there's some other people with 03/11 date. Please reply if it's your date! Thanks!

I'm happy for you that things are moving along. I've been packing our house like crazy, every evening & all weekend long! I cry also, but not so much for getting a divorce. I cry more because I let myself last this long without having much physical/emotional attention and for allowing my feelings to get hurt so often. My Paul (well, my soon to be estranged Paul) is also like my best friend/roommate, but nothing more there either....well, except for the fact that he IS the father of my children! We've always had a better relationship over the phone than in person. Wierd. I'll keep you in my prayers and hope that he finds a job. Also, GREAT JOB on your weight loss! You've got to be so incredibly proud of yourself. Way to go girlfriend!!!!

Julie, Congrats to you to work up the courage to start living again. My situation is similar, yet different. I've been with my husband, who is a Paul also, for 21 years (17 married) with 2 children (13 & 9). He's a great father, quite handsome, but ~like you~ more like my best friend/brother now. It all started when I was pregnant with my first child. I quite smoking and gained 95 pounds. I had already gained 20 from when we were married (seeing a thin wife was a big deal to him). I lost 40 pounds after delivery, but could never get back down. I tried everything, but just seemed to hover between 195 and 220. Of course, after having a baby, life changed. I worked part time for the first year (which he loathed) and quite packing his lunch, as I was too busy getting the babies food together to take to daycare. We had another baby 4 years later. I went back to work 6 weeks thereafter. I commuted about 1 hour each way. During one of our heated discussions, he walked out the front door & told me that he wasn't attracted to me anymore, that I stunk & I was ugly, that he didn't love me anymore and couldn't wait for the kids to get older so that he could divorce my ass! I've NEVER forgotten that..... We've done lots of fun things together, but we've really grown apart. There's no emotional or physical support. He was there for me for my banding, but wasn't really thrilled that I had it done. I also had breast reduction surgery at the same time. Our love life has never been great (he's hardly ever truly satisfied me).....I used to call it my bi-annual event. Now it's not even an annual event! Sometimes I think I "settled" for someone that didn't quite meet my expectations. He's a good worker but I always made more money than him until the past couple of years. He travels a lot for work, often internationally, so I'm home & working while he's out seeing the world. We only go camping for vacations, which have grown fewer. I'm great at a lot of things, but I suck at budgeting. Which is partly his fault because I've been the one to buy everything for the house & kids for years. He called me 2 weeks ago and said that he couldn't take it anymore, he cancelled our vaction to the beach (we were leaving the next day & he hates the beach anyway) and that he wanted a divorce. I said that, to be honest, we really haven't been happy and that we loved each other but that we weren't in love anymore and I said "That's fine with me. Let's just do it!". He proposed to me over the phone, he may as well divorce me over the phone too. I'm tired of feeling unloved and unwanted. I get no emotional/physical attention. I get more love from my children than I have gotten from him in years! I've lost over 53 pounds and I'm feeling beautiful again (great timing). I'm busy packing up the house (as 99% of everything is stuff I paid for) and we're putting the house up on the market this week. I just want to be happy and sexually satisfied & feel like my feelings count for something. I want someone to hold hands with and go to amusement parks with and to golf with or to go to the beach with or to shop with. Someone to make mad-passionate love with. Someone that's more compatible and not so damn judgmental of me! Am I asking for too much? Julie, we have a lot in common....divorce after banding is probably not such a bad thing, as we're becoming "hot to trot", eh? It's time to take care of our feelings now.

Now I can also add PLUMS to my list. I did it again today eating a plum. I just get so busy at work that I forget to pay attention! YIKES!!!! :smile:

I was banded 03/11/08 and had my second fill on 06/05/08. I also had my first PB 3 days later. GOSH....it hurt! I remember right after being banded they said to avoid sodas & drinking from a straw. Well, I had a couple of little pretzel/cheese sandwich bites while at the water park the other day. I had gotten a Dr. Pepper for my daughter & poured it into her water bottle so I could get a refill of Sprite for my son. There was some Dr. Pepper left in it, so I (not thinking) started to gulp it down so I could get right back into line & get my son's drink. Within a minute or two I started getting a really bad pain near my right breast & chest pressure & feeling like a needed to burp. When I tried to burp I felt the soda fizzing up my chest. I had to keep pulling it up for about 5 minutes (got the slimes too). It happened again today after eating a few nuts & drinking water. The water wouldn't go down & I ended up throwing up the water. So, I figured out that it wasn't just the soda, but the liquid getting backed up behind the food! I WILL ALWAYS WAIT AT LEAST 20 MINUTES TO DRINK ANYTHING AFTER EATING!!!!! :tongue2:

I thought I had read about someone having something similar, but I wanted to be certain. I get a little concerned whenever there's upper body pain on the left side....especially when they say that the first signs of a heart attack can feel something similar to this! This fill is totally different because I'm having a bit of dumping too. My last fill didn't affect me at all. Maybe it's the combination of the heat outdoors & the fill. Thanks for the quick responses! :thumbup:

Hi All! I have a question. I had my second fill yesterday (banded 03/11). It was 2 cc's, for a total of 4 cc's. I noticed later on yesterday & again this morning that I have like a dull ache/pain in the little pocket between my left collar and left shoulder. Has anyone else had this? I'm on my second day of liquids & haven't had anything else to eat otherwise. Is this common or perhaps a coincidence? :thumbup:

I don't know what this means? I go on Thursday for my second fill. My first fill really didn't do anything for me. I haven't lost but 2 pounds this past month and have not felt any type of restriction or have had problems with anything. I've had a few bites of bread, just to try it, and it didn't bother me. I mean, I do get full quicker than I used to and I'm not eating anywhere near what I used to. I didn't know you could have air in there. What does air in your band do?

I go back for my second fill on June 5th. The first fill really hurt when they did it, but I haven't really seen much difference so far in my weight the past 2 weeks. They also said to do 2 days of liquids & 2 days of mushies afterwards. I'll lose a pound then it comes back the next day or so. I do notice that I'm eating smaller portions that I was before the fill. It's nice to have people complement on my weight loss, even if it's stalled! I'm not exercising as much as I'd like, other than playing golf at least once a week & walking at lunch maybe twice a week. Everyone is doing awesome! EAbadie....almost 50 pounds!!!! YIKES....good for you! Chica.....you're doing awesome also......you go girl! I know that exercising more will help. I haven't had any issues with PB's or anything sticking. I did notice the other day that I had to chew my pork tenderloin much more because it was harder to swallow when I didn't! The hardest thing for me is not drinking at meals. I'm wearing some clothes that I hadn't been able to wear for about 2 years, which is cool!!!

I just had my first fill. They only put in 2cc. They had a hard time finding where exactly my port was. The poking hurt quite a bit, but I survived. I'm to do 2 days of liquids & 2 days of pureed. No biggie. I'm to return in a month. I haven't had any problems up until now & hope things continue that way. Does anyone know how they determine how many cc's to use? Is is based on how you've been progressing thus far & if you've had any issues? Is 2cc's a lot or a little or average? :biggrin:

I was banded on 03/11. I get my first fill tomorrow, which is actually into my 9th week. The doctor has been out for the past 2 weeks. I've been losing slowly and I haven't had any problems with any foods. Well, I did eat a few spoons of rice one day & my tummy felt very heavy. Won't do that again! I've nervous about the fill, but I'm also excited! I've been able to eat a bit more at one sitting that I was able to from the beginning, so I know that I'm ready! Will post again tomorrow after the BIG EVENT!!!!

I was banded on 03/11 and I'm doing great! Since starting my pre-op diet I have lost 32.4 pounds. I haven't had problems with any foods. I started my regular food phase this past week and haven't had any issues either. I was to have a fill at the 6 week point, but my doctor will be out of town, so I have to wait until the 8 week point. :thumbup: I do get hungry if I don't eat every 3 hours. I usually have a shake for Breakfast (skim milk, ff yogurt, fruit, Protein powder, Water, splenda), then either cooked veggies, cheese or yogurt around 10:00 a.m.. Around 1:00 I'll have about 3 oz. meat/fish plus cooked veggies. 4:00 brings maybe like some V8 or ricotta with splenda & vanilla extract ("No Shell Cannoli") or sf pudding. If I get hungry in between I'll have a sf fudgesicle or a frozen fruit pop. I drink a lot of water (always have). Hot tea & water help if I'm feeling a bit hungry & it's not my time to eat. I eat a small dinner around 7:30/8:00. :tongue: I started going to the gym at least twice a week & doing the elliptical machine from about 45 minutes. I notice a big difference in weight loss when I do go to the gym. :biggrin:

Spinach souffle was a great recommendation! :teeth_smile: When we do spinach we use either canned or frozen. My kids turned me onto adding cider vinegar & salt to it. It's the bomb! PLUS....spinach is very high in Protein, like 5 g. protein for a 1/2 cup serving. Not only are you getting your veggie, plus protein too! :rolleyes2: Parmesean cheese added to it is another idea!

Make your grits, using skim milk instead of Water. While it's hot (or maybe just reheat a 1/2 c. serving size), add 1 oz. lowfat or fatfree cheddar to a 1/2 c. serving of grits. Stir well until cheese is melted. In a separate cup, beat 1 egg. Gradually add beaten egg to the grits, stirring constantly. Add salt & pepper to taste. Protein: 15 grams

I'd think that since we "chew,chew,chew" that the salad was fine. It's not like it's every day. I'm glad you had a good time & enjoyed your dinner!!!! I'm in the car right now at a rest stop in Breezewood, PA. I just ground up some of Chick-Fila-A carrot/raisin slaw....it's like eating baby food, but at least it tastes great!

Bummer about your doc saying no ground meat. Mine said that grinding it up real fine is ok. I've had lamb & ham & not much ground beef (maybe only once or twice) and chicken. I guess every doctor is different. The 2 doctors that are in my practice were the first 2 to ever do lapband surgery in the country, so I believe whatever they tell me to do. Now, for salad....I'd think that's be hard to digest, as it's raw. But then again, I don't know everything!!!! I bought this little gizmo at Kohl's. It's like the "Magic Bullet" thing, but a different brand & it's cheaper. It has 5 tall glasses & one short one. Plus 2 different blades, one for mixing/pureeing and one for grinding. We're heading out of town & I put it in the car & just had a chicken breast from Chick-Fil-A, cut it up, put in into the small cup & added a bit of Water & some pickles & ground it up. It was yummy, plus this gizmo is really handy as it's easy to transport & easy to clean. It's called a "Bella Kitchen". Let me know how your dinner goes!!!! ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!

Gosh, at 18 days post-op you can have a lot of stuff besides soup & shakes! Let's see...... - sugar-free pudding with or without added Protein - cooked spinach (you don't need to do anything to it) - cottage cheese (you can even add applesauce to it) - ricotta cheese with splenda & vanilla extract (no-shell cannoli) - fat-free refried Beans with some cheese on it - the inside only of a beef & bean burrito (no lettuce/tomatoe) - the inside of a stuffed shell/manicotti, plus the sauce (as long as it's not lumpy.....the ground meat is ok to have also) - guacamole (without any lumps) - 1/4 c. spaghetti sauce & 1/2 c. noodles (all pureed) - baby foods (just not the dessert ones) - grind up just about any meat (removing the fat) - steamed cauliflower (pureed) *** you can put gravy on it too *** - 1/4 c. mashed potatoes (you can add plain Protein powder to it also) - tuna or any flaky fish (remember to mash it up) These are just a few ideas. I just had my post-op appointment yesterday & they said that we really shouldn't be relying on Protein drinks anymore. Check out this website: 3 - Purees & <BR>Soft Foods My doctor pointed me to it before surgery. Enjoy your night out!!!!!

I was looking & I saw that we're close in age & with about the same amount of weight to lose. I knew we had exchanged where we lived before, but I forgot, so I looked back at our previous posts. You're in Reston, right? I live in Fredericksburg. Maybe we could hook up somewhere in between sometime. I think I remember asking you if you golfed & you said "miniature", right? Send me an email: ewgagolfingal@yahoo.com so then maybe we can coordinate meeting sometime!!!!

Chica...... I'm elated that I can eat anything, after being on 4 weeks of almost nothing! I also made some homemade guacamole, which I luv, and put salsa into it too!! My Beans are f/f too......forgot about that! I haven't tried veggies yet, just drinking V8 and V8 Fruit fusion (it's fruits & veggies)....NOT V8 Splash, which is not very nutritious. Maybe I'll have to do the spinach thing. My kids luv spinach with cider vinegar & salt. It's actually very tastey! I did have some oatmeal yesterday, but I thought the grits had more flavor. My doctor is also very strict about the "no chunks" too! I figure that this won't last forever, which keeps me going. Plus, like I said, I'm just so happy to be having something other than Jello & pudding & popsicles & Protein shakes & soup!!!

Well, it's been nice to read up on everyone! I'm back to work as of yesterday. I haven't had a problem getting the Proteins in. I'm lucky I guess, as I didn't have any gas pains or nausea either. My lapband incisions are doing fine. I don't get really hungry either. I started on my pureed foods on Sunday (2 days early). So far I've had cottage cheese, lamb roast (which I have to grind up), the inside of a Taco Bell Beef & Bean burrito....minus the lettuce & tomatoe....(my doctor said that refried Beans are good to eat as they're loaded with Protein and are very mushy). My doctor gave me a bunch of recipes, one which for cheese grits (then you add an egg to about 1/2 c. serving, whiles it's hot, & whisk it in). A 1/2 c. serving has 15g protein & is a nice filler around 10 in the morning. The lamb is also LOADED with protein (1 oz., before grinding, has 9g protein). True hunger has not returned either, but I have gotten hungry. It's amazing that like a 1/2 c. of anything just fills you up so quickly! I weighed myself yesterday, which was day 14 post-op & I've lost a total of 27 pounds since I started my pre-op diet. I hope everyone is recovering well!!!!!

I made it!!! Had a few issues, which I'll get to. Other than being a bit sore around my incisions, especially where my port is, my lapband process went fine. I get my Proteins in by adding unflavored Protein powder to my puddings and Soups too. Hey, fudgsicles even have 2g protein! I get in my liquids by sipping throughout the day. I bought this stuff called "Vita Splash" nutrient enhanced drink mix @ Walmart. It has 5g. added Fiber too. I add a packet to my Water & it tastes great, plus I'm getting the added fiber. I also had bilateral breast reduction done at the same time. That went fine also. No problems there either. What my problem was, which was & still is a major issue, is that they had my feet on some kinda board during surgery. I don't know if it was the way they had my feet or if I was pushing on the board or what, but I woke up in the OR when they were removing the board & I was crying out (well, screaming out) about how my feet hurt. The outer edges of my feet felt like I had been walking around NYC for an entire day in 4" stilettos on the outer edges of my feet. Talk about pain!!! I couldn't walk and just started walking today with these special shoes that I have from SAS (I bought them after I had a bunionectomy a few years ago). My right foot is fine, the left foot hurts severly on the outer edge below my ankle & across the outer edge of my ankle. Also, underneath, right where the ball of my heel starts to meet with the arch. I've been putting on a heating pad & BenGay. My kids & my husband have been massaging my foot, but they can hardly put any pressure on it. It's slowly feeling better, but still hurts very much. :biggrin: So, I don't know what happened on that note, but all else is fine. I'm taking my pain meds (Percocet), an anitbiotic, 2 chewable kids Vitamins & 2 Ultra Tums (for calcium), all per the doctor. I even took my first shower today! :smile: I need to catch up with everyone! I'll be back in a day or two! Love to all!!

Good Luck to bossstar also!!!! It's FINALLY here!!!!!!!!

Here's a big good luck and prayers to all of us for "rebirth" this week!!! Try to get on-line as soon as you all can so we know how everyone is!!! :smile2: God Bless Us!!!!!!! March 10th--> TOMORROW!!! Sobrien32 EAbadie March 11th--> Tuesday!!! Me (O2BThinAgain) Chica preKteacher March 12th--> Wednesday!!! mom007

Didn't your doctor give you a diet? Gosh, how can you like for days & days on just Jello & broth? It'll be 2 weeks that I'll be on my liquid diet pre-op (ie. Protein shakes that're low in carbs & sugar, sf popsicles & jello, broth). Then again, a wife of one of my husbands co-workers just had lapband done & she had never heard of pre-op liquid diet. I guess it depends on your doctor. From what I understand, our team at the hospital I'm goint to were the 1st & 2nd doctors in the country to perform lapband surgeries, so I think they know what's best to do. Then again, I don't have your doctor. However, I'd think that protein shakes are definitely part of a liquid diet. Oh way, we're @ "T - 4 day" and counting!!!! Horray!

You're doing so great! 5 days left to go, eh? Gosh, all this waiting & it'll be here before we know it! We'll have to keep supporting each other as we go along. I love this website!!! :biggrin2: