illion

*LOL* I feel as though I've reduced the chicken population since my surgery! I even bought a book called "365 ways to cook chicken".

Thanks for these wonderful suggestions! I'm still at the discovery stage of figuring out what I can and cannot eat, and these are great ideas! I'll make a list to take to the grocery store next time I go.

Bel, in 7 years, how many times have you had fills? Do you ever reach a spot where it's "just perfect" and you maintain? Just wondering!

OH.. don't forget the SF popsicles!! Those tasted so wonderful!

Stormy, I'd also suggest some cream soups to have on hand, because you won't feel up to shopping for a while. Also, liquid tylenol will be good to have. I was on the liquid hyrdrocodone, but didn't need anything that strong. It made me want to sleep all the time!

Why not just buy the baby spoons? You can get those just about anywhere, and use them like regular silverware.

Mine does protrude a bit, but it's only been 2 months. I guess I don't care too much about the scar, because I had gall bladder surgery the "hard" way- a lonnnnnnng incision all the way diagonally, and it's ugly too. But then I'm not trying to win a bikini contest at my age. I'll trade a few scars for a healthy body any day!!!

As the warmer weather arrives, and after losing 20 lbs, my clothes are getting baggy! Is it a bit too soon to start tossing the "fat" clothes? I hope I'll *NEVER* need those again!!

rowshan, that's what I've been thinking all winter long- "This is the last time I'll have to wear this!" Isn't it the most wonderful feeling?

I wish I had a LB Buddy who had surgery a month or two before I did! :smile:

Up until a few days ago I was feeling all smug about being able to eat breads, while most have said they couldn't. Well... lo and behold.. a trip to Black Eyed Pea sure fixed THAT. They usually bring rolls and cornbread before the meal and I was munching away on a roll. About the 3rd bite, and that burning pain hit in my chest. I barely made it to the bathroom! Ouch! No more bread for me!!

Just think how much more room we'll have for our skinny clothes! Woohoooo! You can get twice as many in the same space!:biggrin2: I'm going to finish cleaning out my closet this weekend!

*LOL* Watch it, Harleygirl!! Things really ARE bigger here in Texas! But I had to laugh because I had a similar experience with a ring that i never could wear because it was just a bit too tight. When my son had to take a link out of my watch band, I decided to try that ring and .. Whooppeee!! It finally fits! Isn't it funny where we seem to lose weight first? Congrats on your NSV!!!

Funny this should come up because I posted yesterday about Spring (closet) cleaning. I mentioned something about having "swap meets". Too bad we're about the same size (I'm now into mostly 16's). I'd love to find someone who has an abundance of 16's they'd like to part with!

I hear ya, Julie! A few weeks ago I was on a flight and a woman needed a seat belt extension. It was a small charter so it took them 45 minutes to finally locate one. I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling her, in the kindest way, "have you ever considered lapband surgery?" I felt so sorry for her- she was humiliated! Does anyone else find themselves thinking "now there's a candidate for LBS"?

Wow... we should start local "swap shops" with other bandsters for clothes! As we go down a size we could pass them along to the others a size above where we are. Just think about how much money we'd save until we got down to our goal weight!! Anyone need some 18's?? *lol* Of course, part of the fun of losing weight is going *SHOPPING* for new clothes.. I can't wait!!!! Thanks to all who've responded. I spent 2 hours tonight closet-cleaning. "Helping Hands" will benefit from that. :tongue_smilie:

Good morning! I've searched the site and can't seem to find any info about port site pain this far out. It's been two months now, and everything has been great up until a few days ago. I turned over in bed and felt a sharp "stinging" pain in my port site. Now it happens everytime I turn over or even bend much. The pain goes away quickly, and doesn't seem to bother me the rest of the time. Any ideas? Will this go away? Have I just strained a muscle around the port or something? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Whew... it's pretty much what I *thought* but just wanted to see if it was "normal". I do use my ab-roller a few times a week and it seems to bother me then, too. This site has been a life-saver!! If it wasn't for all of you, I'd be on the phone with my doctor at least once a day. *lol* Thanks, to all of you.

My "ah-ha" moment came when I saw myself in my son's wedding pictures. OMG I looked so FAT! I wanted to delete all the pictures with ME in them before anyone else saw them!

About a week ago I realized I could actually bend straight down to tie my shoes! I guess this is one of those "non-scale victories" that others talk about on here. Congrats- YES, we do understand, and celebrate with you!!!

I had my first fill on March 7th. It was 4.6cc, and afterwards I wondered if that was too much, but didn't seem to be having much trouble getting things down.. But yesterday.... :thumbup: OMG! I had my first REAL "stuck" experience! Let me tell you, it's something I hope I don't have to go through again!! I've read all about it and thought I knew what to expect, but until it happens, you really can't begin to imagine it. In a panic, I tried to drink Water, which only made it worse. What surprised me was that I expected to feel sick but the instant it came back up, that awful feeling went away instantly. I know it was my own fault- someone at work ordered in pizza for lunch and I thought "one piece won't hurt". And I felt like I was starving anyway, so I ate it like I used to- too fast. I sure ate dinner VERY slowly and too TINY bites!! I was actually thinking (before yesterday) about asking for another fill because I didn't think I was restricted enough. Now I'm convinced that it's working, and I'm not quite ready for another one yet. I guess this is something most of us will or have experienced but it sure is scary when it happens!!

Dianne, can't wait to hear how your fill goes! Keep us informed!! I'm a bit nervous but still excited about getting mine on Friday. My appt. is at 10am. Good luck to you!

Hi Diane, I too am still having some port site aches and a little "poofy" feeling. It seems like it's worse at the end of the day, but I think it's because I'm sitting at my desk all day, kind of bent over using my computer. By the time I get home I'm ready to stretch out in a recliner and let it relax. By morning it's fine again. I hope with time, that gets better. George at TLC is doing my fill on Friday. Have you met him?

TexasT- I'll PM you with the info about the Optifast! Hi Leah--- Well, I was lucky- Dr. veninga was my surgeon, and when I explained my problems with the Optifast, his nurse told me to eat one "normal" meal a day. I did *try* to make it a low cal low fat meal, and it helped a LOT! I filled in with the reduced fat Soups like the broccoli cheese, tomato, and the broth from regular chicken noodle, etc. I managed to get by! But as an experiment, one day about a week ago I still had two cartons of the Optifast at my office, and decided to drink one. Within 15 minutes, my stomach rebelled like crazy! :thumbup: So.. there's just something in that stuff that I can't handle! I get my first fill on Friday, March 7th. Yea!! I've had very little restriction, so I'm looking forward to a bit more "help" from my band. I can eat the band-size portions and feel full, but in about 2 hours I feel like I'm starving to death!! That's when the will power has to kick in, and let's face it- if we all had it, we wouldn't be here! So my weight loss hasn't been what I'd hoped it would be. :w00t: Thank goodness for fills!!

I wore a loose-fitting warm-up suit but mine was just day surgery. I still can't wear tight-waisted pants, so keep lots of warm-ups handy! You'll probably live in your PJ's for the first couple of days. I was advised to be sure I took some chapstick to the hospital, because after surgery your lips will be very dry. I was thankful for that advice!! Good luck to you, and keep us posted on your progress.