Bandme08

Hi Kimberly! Welcome! Yes, I have Dr Mckee, and he and his staff are wonderful! Please feel free to ask any questions you have! :ohmy::smile:

oh I guess it did post! :eek::ohmy::frown::smile::lol::cool2: later!

ok just wrote a friggin novel, and it disappeared! Well- long and short of it- hope hubby made it home safely last night! I cant' do liquids anymore- graduating myself to soft mushies, all is ok for now. scale hasnt budged for 2 days, going to stop weighing myself 2-3x a day, but maybe 1-2 x a week. Hope you have a great weekend! Sarah

Hey Kerri- Hope DH made it home safely last night! What does he ride? My family is a Goldwing family. We go to Glen Ellis Campground in NH Labor day weekend, and take the bikes with a trailer. I am ususally the chase car with the kids. Wow! that river sounds so nice to be able to kayak or swim in! It is comforting when you can see what's in the water...loved the hand reaching out of the murkiness comment! Ok, so liquids aren't going to be a full out commitment to me. I am doing just fine on yougurt, and liquified other foods. I think Dr McKee was concerned about my naseaua epesode. I attain that to the non-softened refried beans I had the night before (and, Ok, maybe it was that one Chef Boy R Dee Ravioli of my son's that I had, chewed to beyond a pulp...) I learned my lesson, and think I will be just fine on soft mushies instead of liquids. I seem to have this fear of eating anything but one thing a a meal, like, only 1/4 cup cottage cheese for b-fast, 1/2c protein drink for lunch, etc... I think once I am able to eat real protein, that will change- I will just have to take smaller portions of each at a time. The scale hasn't budged in 2 days... still holding, not gaining, but not losing- man, that DOES suck, and really ruins my day.:ohmy: I think I will resort to weighing 1-2 times a week, rather that 2-3 times a day-( I know really OCD habit there). Hope you have a great week, and we'll chat with ya later! Sarah

Hey Kerri! I'm so glad you went kayaking again! It sounds like so much fun! Good to see you had the day to be with your sister. Well, thank you so much for your support whyle I'm back on liquids. I am adapting it a bit and feel fine. I made my own Protein rich refried bean soup, with guacomole. Added beef broth, and boiled on the stove. It came out to be like tomato soup consistincy, and tasted so yum with a dollop of sour cream melted into it! I also had very watered down cream of wheat this morning. I could have drank it through a straw it was so thin, and it filled me up. I've also been drinking my Isopure with 40g of protein in it. I think I might try to adapt some more things into soup...This could get gross and interesting all at the same time! :redface: I'm going to try soft mushies again on monday or tuesday. So, is that a 1/2&1/2 in your hand??? My favorite! You look so awesome! You must have dropped more since your last pics. If not pounds, certainly inches! You look So happy in your pic! Glad you had such a great day! I'm back to work on Monday, and I think that will help the temptations alot. I won't be home all day wondering what I can eat next!! (Or not) Take care, I'll talk to ya later! Sarah

Well, I guess you and I should "got to the same shrink", as I find myself on the scale 3 or 4 times a day. I am only 10 days post op, and I think the negitive effect it has had on me, to weigh myself so frequently, will stop as soon as I return to work on Monday. I have found that boredom has set in, but every time I step on the scale and I'ts 1-2 lbs higher than that morning, I get really down and start to critizise everything that goes into my mouth! I am putting my scale in my attic, and will bring it out once a week.

Well, I think that seeing as in America, at least, the average size these days is like a size 12-14! A couple of decades ago, average was 6-8! People see you as smaller than what else is walking down the street! One plus to the Super Sizing of Americans- When you lose wt. you will be smaller than today's "average" person! People have doubled in size, but we are all on the way to cutting ourselves (not litterally, of course, but weight wize) in half! I went out to eat the other night and had a cup of soup. Everyone else at the table had what I would have eaten a month ago. Today, it made me sick to think that anyone could ever eat that much at one sittting- it would have lasted me a week or more!! All for saving $ and ourselves!:rolleyes2:

I want some friggin food! OMG I am so hungry! Maybe if I lay off the refried beans... I will try to have some milked-down yogurt tonight. I really cant see myself doing liquids again. Of course, I should. I just need to test my willpower! T. S. Sarah

:rolleyes2::crying:Hey Kerri- Had my post op appt today- stitches are finally gone!! BUT Dr Mckee wants me to go back on liquids:cursing:. I had to take zofran this am because I woke up to the most urgent need to puke! I slimed for 45 minutes straight, without any food on board! WTF?? Anyway, he told me that I should have been on liquids still , for the first 2 weeks, then mushies for 2 weeks, etc! I told him that the directions in the binder say 7 days liquids, 7 days mushies, etc. He said that my band might have alot of a fill in it already, more than most, that's why I cant' tolerate my 2 tablespoons of refried Beans and guacomole I had last night- even watered down to yougurt constincy! Anyway, I asked him how much I had in the band, and he couldn't tell me until my first fill- Apparently, they inflate the band with alot of Fluid, then set it and buckle it. then they cut the port line, and let whatever residual liquid in the band drip out, so I could have 1cc or I could have 6cc. He just dosent know. I really dont want to go back on liquids at this point, but I really dont' want to ruin this this early on (or at all ), and I will just have to follow his directions...:rolleyes2: Now I am hungry! So, he he, yep I am a professional mosquito! It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it! Hope you have a great weekend, and talk to ya later! Sarah

Hey Kerri- Never made it to the store last night- I'll have to let you know later! I think the hardest part of this whole thing, is that I'm afraid to eat anything but 1 thing for a meal. For example, for Breakfast, I have 4 oz of cottage cheese. 10g Protein there. Then I feel like I can't or shouldnt' have anything else until lunch, except for my Protein Drink and Water, which is correct. But for lunch, I feel like I can only have a 1/2 a yougurt or something like that. I havent' figured out, or have been brave enought to, eat real food in a mushy state! I think I'm just too afraid to ruin the band. As you can imagne, this way of eating is getting pretty old, pretty quick. I think I will try to get in more variety, somehow. I am just not that creative! The ricotta suggestion was great! Can you think of anything else I can concoct? As for work, I am a Lab Assistant/phlebotomist (I draw blood) at the hopital here. I also work in my family's Insurance office on Thursdays and Fridays. When my dad retires in a few years, I will be taking over the office. And the rest of the time I am a single mother of 2 boys, 8 and 10. Not much time for fun, but my kids will only be young once, and I figure I'd better enjoy it whyle it lasts! Well, I had better do some work here at work in the office, so I'll chat with ya later! Sarah

Holy crap! I never even thought of spaghetti sauce and ricotta!! MY absoulute favorite! Whenever I'd make lasanga, I would microwave a little dish of sauce with ricotta mixed together- omg yum! THank you! I swore I'd be stuck on cottage cheese and yougurt for the week. You have given me hope! Well, down 36 lbs as of this morning. For every milestone in my life, I have done something to by body lol to mark it. Starting with my first born, got my ears pierced, 2nd child, 2nd holes, (notice I didn't mention anything about when I got married., which was before the kids... I guess I had some pre-empted feeling not to mark my body on that one!!)...anyway, my first tattoo when I got divorced, My 2nd tattoo in memory of my mother just after she passed away last June, and today, 1 week post op, I pierced the upper crease of my ear- something I'd never thought I would do! SO, I had a friend with me, who actually talked me into it- the stud is a pink rhinestone, which was my mother's favorite color. SO, I'm glad pooch is ok! What do you do for work, anyway?? I know I am ready to go back to work NOW! Post op appt is on Friday! stitches out and all! Cant' wait! enough babbling for now- kids are hungry! Later Sarah

Hey, How's the Pup doing?? Sorry I'ts taken so long for me to write! I actually thought I posted a reply to your previous post a while ago- guess not! So, how are things going? Busy at work? I go back on Monday... oh well, it 's been nice while it lasted. GOtta go, talk later Sarah

I had 6 incisions- the 5 smaller ones were closed with 1-2 sutures, and the larger incision for the port was closed with glue and steri-strips. The glued incision is much more comfortable, and seems to be healing much better than the others. Good luck!

Hey Kerri- SO great to finally meet in person tonight! You look great!! Just remember what they all were saying- the scale won't budge for a couple of weeks, then,,, BAM 10 lbs overnight! YOu have it coming- I can feel it! Especially after all that kayaking! Take care, See you later- or sooner, or whenever! Sarah

Cool- See you there!

Hey Kerri- The meeting tonight is 5:30-6:30. I can't find the address for it, but it's at Granite Hill Estates, in the main building, which is 1/2 way up the hill of the "community" that Granite Hill is. It's not in any of the smaller housing outfits there. Man, I wish I could remember- i just plug it into my GPS. Maybe you could call the bariatric center and ask for good directions? I remember I took a left somewhere on Western Avenue in Augusta, onto route??? You may have an easier time by asking the center! You are coming from a different direction. Or, if you think you could, we could meet up beforehand somewhere, and you could follow me. i can email you my cell #.Just let me know. Tonight's topic is "dealing with body image changes", I don't know about you, but every meeting seems to turn into a gab session, and the topic never really comes up!! lol- we are all there to support eachother. Kayaking! WHOOO!!! What fun! Man, do you feel like a new woman, or what?? It sounds like you are going to have an awesome summer! Maybe if you go tonight, you can ask what you can do about the plateau? If you arent there, I will ask for you! (If you want!). Well, chat later, Just let me know what you want to do! Sarah

Hey everyone- I'm 5 days post op, and I have a question about on of my sites. I have 1 long suture coming out of my skin outside of either side of the insicion for The port site, which was glued and steri-stripped, not stitched. There is about 1.5 inches of suture material coming out of my skin, not the insicion, on each side of the insicion, and each end is taped into the 2 top steri strips, which are now coming off! The stitch going inside of me is attatched to only the top steri strip. It is made of a different material than the sutured sites, so I am assuming these are absorbable stitches, but they are still hanging out of me, unknotted. WHat should I do so they don't tear out?:cursing:

Hey Kerri! Good to hear from you! Yeh, I'm down 12 lbs since surgery. I had originally lost 22 lbs pre-op, but had gone back up 3 lbs or so just before surgery- not binging or anything, but "water wt". So I started surgery at 238, and now I'm at 226, as of this morning. I was off the pain meds the 2nd day, as any more gagging the meds down I was afraid of vomiting! Ok one thing to say- liquids suck! I have a whole new appreciation for stuff like mashed potato and pudding! Tuesday I'm having mashed potatoes for Breakfast (with my disolvable protien powder = 21g of protien in a scoop)! Oh man, The kids had ham with potatos and peas last night- man, did that ever look so good! Oh well, One more day of this torrid liquid stage! I am almost afraid to eat real food! I can feel cold liquid run down my esophogus, then stop, then slowly trickle down! I'm FULL on 2 Tablespoons of soup! What am I going to do with real food? Did you have that problem with liquids? It sure makes drinking enough Water a pain! I'm drinking my 20 oz Isopure Protein drinks, 2 a day, so that's 80g of Protein, and at least 40oz of Fluid, plus about 16 oz of water throughout the day on top of that, plus my 1/2 cup of broth that is my meal 3x a day. Sorry to ramble, I'm boored out of my gourd! I still have 1 week off of work to go! How was your week? Are you going to the support group This Monday? I'm going to go,as this is about the only one that will ever fit in my work schedule. Don't worry about the wt loss stall- it will happen! Your body is going through alot since your fill, and it will take time to adjust. I don't know if I reccomend this or not, but on this site some people have mentioned kick starting a plateau by eating something terribly forbidden- like a milkshake, or what ever you can think of that will shock your system! Again, I don't know if it works, it seem to for them, but go with your own opinion! Take care, talk later- Sarah

Another thing I found rather disturbing about this video- not to get off topic, but isnt' the nurse supposed to be wearing GLOVES:eek: and actually cleaning the site with sterile tecnique?:cursing: Wow- I work in a hospital, and I can't imagine letting anyone do that without proper cleaning and without gloves! - bring on the infection! Of course, I havent had a fill yet, but in my info it states the fill is done under sterile tecnique! Please correct me if I'm wrong!

I apologize if I seemed overly aggressive in my previous post. I guess what I am trying to say, is that for me, at least, if I start to eat that way again, I am afraid I won't have the willpower to stop.. Maybe once I am further in bandland, I will be able to allow myself little guilty pleasures, but for now, I must stay on task, and try to do the best I can at this! Jachut- I admire you for your acomplishment! I think what you are trying to say, is it's better to allow yourself a little of what you love, than try to beat yourself silly trying to avoid it! Thanks for the thoughts!

I think that the band is a life change. If you are getting the band to be healthier, then why would you want to still be able to eat pizza, candy, chips, soda, fast food, etc? I consider this a perminant lifestyle change. Yes, some may be able to still eat these things post banding, but you arent' doing yourself any good healthwise! If you continue to eat candy, chips, and fast food, then you will still have the probibility of being unhealthy. Thin, maybe, but still, unhealthy! There is a quote on this site, and I can't remember who's profile it's on, so I apologize for not being able to site the correct owner, but it is: If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got". That really hit home with me, and was an enormous push to change the way I eat. Forever. Just my $0.02

I am 4 days post op and have never been so fatigued in my life. I'm getting close to my protein goal for the most part, but can't seem to shake being so weak. My left arm seems to just drag, and have no stregnth. Not like a stroke or anything, I can use it, it just seem to feel so heavy and limp. I was hoping someone could give me some insight as to what I can do to remedy the way I feel. Is it a lack of sugar?? Thanks in advance. I love this forum!

Thanks, everyone. Yes, it occured to me that I may be on the dehydrated side, since even drinking water makes me full. This may be mind over matter. Also, It may just be my body's way of saying-"Hey, what the h3LL? Where's the food?" My Dr, required no pre op diet, but I did change my eating habits well before surgery. Lost 20 lbs that way in 1.5 months. Now I am down 10 lbs in 4 days since surgery, which makes me assume all the more that I am down alot of water wt. from dehydration to a small degree. Thanks for the support and input!

I found Tums in individual powder packs at the store. You simply pour the powder on your tounge and it dissolves- My only wonder is, does it "collect and bind" again at your band down there? I guess if you did the pack in 3 stages, and followed with water? I don't know- I'm going to ask my Dr on Monday.

Hey kerri- Well, today I am without pain meds of any kind. The only pain I can feel is a little pain in my shoulder (gas) and the port incision. Man, I am making and correcting so many type-o's today- it seems like meds are still on board! Anyway, I do think I had the pre filled band, as I can feel the pressure and trickle everytime I take a sip of any liquid. They said that pudding was ok in the binder for 1st week post op,, so I have been able to finish about 1/2 of a premade pudding cup for a meal- then I'm full. I also had about 6 tblsp of pea Soup for breakfast- that filled me up as well. I think alot of the full feeling is gas pain,either the pain itself, or the pressure caused by it. Hope your'e having a great day, on regular food... hum, that dosent even seem like something I'd want right now- isnt' it funny how a piece of silicone can change your whole mental outlook on food?? Keep me posted on your loss! I checked out your March bandsters forum, I hope you don't mind me sneaking in on your month of fame!!:teeth_smile:. You look absouluely fabulous!:biggrin: keep up the great work! You'll be at goal before you know it!:biggrin: Take care, Sarah