chica

Hi, all. First, congratulations to my fellow bandsters, Bossstar, PreKTeacher and O2BThinAgain! I hope to hear from you all when you're up to it. I'm pretty sore -- I think the analogy of having done thousands of sit ups is accurate -- and my throat is killing me, but not so much from the breathing tube, honestly. I wish I could get hold of the numbing spray they used, but then I might not be able to swallow, so maybe not. :wink: Best of luck to you tomorrow, Mom007! And SObrien, are you back yet? How are you feeling? Thanks to all for the support! :smile:

Congratulations, EAbadie!! That's awesome that you're up to sending such a long note tonight after all this. It gives me hope that I'll be in as good shape tomorrow night. I can't wait to report in when I'm done. Off for my last shake, a popsicle, some water, and then a sleeping pill. I'm too excited to fall asleep on my own tonight! :blushing:

Thanks for your reponses. Those are really valid points. Maybe I'm just panicking? :sneaky: I will be sure to mention it tomorrow morning. A friend just stopped by and looked at my throat (no, she's not a doctor, but she could be certified via WebMD!) -- she said it's very irritated but maybe it's drainage. Allergy season has begun here... I hope that's all it is. Thanks again!

I hope by the time I lose most of this excess weight that they've got that new arm procedure down. I have upper arms that look like they belong to someone 100lbs bigger than I am. They've always been freakishly larger than they should be (even when I was at a "normal" weight). But I agree... When I've seen people who've had their flaps removed, the scars are just way too scary. But they say the scarring really fades after a year or two. Does anyone here know anyone who's had the newer procedure done?

Yes! Can't wait to hear from everyone! Can you believe it's finally here? See you on the other side....:biggrin2:

Creamy Carrot/Cauliflower Soup -- perfect for when full liquids are allowed or anytime after that! :smile2: Ingredients: 1 T. each butter and olive oil 1 bag frozen diced onion (I'm too lazy to chop them myself!) 1/4 t. ground ginger 1/8 t. ground nutmeg 1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 head cauliflower, washed and broken into florets (this is what makes it creamy!) 8 cups chicken broth the zest from 1 orange 1 c. orange juice salt & pepper Melt butter and oil in large pot over low heat. Add onions and cook for 15 minutes until wilted. Add ginger and nutmeg, cook for 1 minute. Add carrots, cauliflower, broth and orange zest. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool somewhat. Puree in batches in a blender, return to pot. Add orange juice, salt and pepper. Reheat over low heat. (Fresh snipped chives make a great garnish when past liquids stage.) I don't have the nutritional breakdown on this, but it's supposed to make 8 servings.

Creamy Carrot/Cauliflower Soup -- perfect for when full liquids are allowed Ingredients: 1 T. each butter and olive oil 1 bag frozen diced onion (I'm too lazy to chop them myself!) 1/4 t. ground ginger 1/8 t. ground nutmeg 1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 head cauliflower, washed and broken into florets (this is what makes it creamy!) 8 cups chicken broth the zest from 1 orange 1 c. orange juice salt & pepper Melt butter and oil in large pot over low heat. Add onions and cook for 15 minutes until wilted. Add ginger and nutmeg, cook for 1 minute. Add carrots, cauliflower, broth and orange zest. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool somewhat. Puree in batches in a blender, return to pot. Add orange juice, salt and pepper. Reheat over low heat. (Fresh snipped chives make a great garnish when past liquids stage.) I don't have the nutritional breakdown on this, but it's supposed to make 8 servings.

Have you ever heard that it's important to have some element of mystery in your relationship? Well, that mystery would be: What does she actually weigh! Clearly, DH knows I'm fat -- he would never say morbidly/severely obese -- but as when the anesthesiologist came in for my epidural, DH had to leave the room when I had to tell my actual weight. :smile2: That was 10 years ago, and he still doesn't know the exact number...

I had plantar fasciitis a couple of years ago, and was advised to put arch supports in all my shoes. Guess what? After a while, I stopped noticing pain! It works. I do this with all my shoes all the time. Do not want it back.

SydneyLouWho, When you say you keep trying to get the liquid diet going and then cheat by noon, are you expecting one shake to hold you till noon? What time are you having the first one? The reason I ask is that my doctor's office says not to expect it to last 4 hours (like Slimfast claims), especially for the first 3 or 4 days, till your body gets used to a new rhythm. They told me to expect a shake to last me about 2-3 hours at first (especially if you're exercising), but if you practice waiting an hour after you "eat" (drink that shake), then drink a bottle of Water, you can easily hold out that long. And if you mix it up a little and have broth (which should have some Protein grams in it), that'll keep you going. The most important direction they gave was: on a liquid diet, do not go hungry. If you need an extra shake, have it for goodness sake! Day 3 was by far my hardest, now it's not so bad. WE CAN DO THIS!! :smile2:

I, too, have had the "you can't get banded or you might get smaller than me" experience. You know who I got it from? My sister, of all people... who had gastric bypass a couple of years ago! I mentioned that I was thinking about getting banded, and that was her response. So I never mentioned it to her again or to anyone else in my family (yet). I've told a couple of friends, my DH and kids, and all of them have been supportive since they've seen me struggle and work to lose weight only to fail. I'm sure once my weight starts to drop, I'll 'fess up to those who ask, but I'm not sure the world really needs to know. It is nice, though, to have those friends who do support you and wish the best for you. :thumbup:

You should at the very least be drinking Isopure Protein drinks (available at GNC)!!! You absolutely need the protein. If you're only allowed Clear liquids right now, that would be the answer. I haven't personally tried them, but lots of people here recommend them for clear liquid Protein. If you are allowed Protein shakes, then get unjury. But since you'll need to order it (I believe you can only get it online), get some other isolated whey protein that you can grab at Walmart or whatever. You need protein asap! If you can get hold of your doctor (it being Saturday now), call him to check what your options are. If not, go with the Isopure. It's really important to stay healthy for your surgery... P.S. I'm sorry, did I forget to mention, you need protein?

Hang in there, PreKTeacher, and make sure you get plenty of Water and Protein. Depending on what you were eating before the pre-op diet, your headache might be from sugar withdrawal. :teeth_smile: (I had that when I did South Beach diet a couple of years ago.) Tylenol will help and in a day or so, it should pass. Check out the thread for 3/11 bandsters under March 2008 support groups. We're all in this together... Oh, no, now I sound like my daughter's High School Musical soundtrack! :crying:

I was just looking at your photos on your blog (re: cheekbones) and thought I'd tell you that the first time I saw your avatar, I thought, "Wow. That girl may have just gotten a band, but she's got awesome cheekbones!" And I'm jealous...

Thanks! I guess that makes sense. It sounds painful though. Do you know when it's happened??

I guess I don't understand how the port flips... I know my surgeon stitches the port in place in the stomach wall -- not 100% sure why if the stitches dissolve. (I mean, they do, don't they?) Is that why the port can flip? How does it flip? I don't get it... and I just want to be better informed. I should've asked my surgeon in pre-op but I didn't remember to ask this one...

Hi from Virginia. I just checked out your blog for fun. I'm going to have to find those s/f Werther's! I'm going for my band on Tuesday -- YAY! :thumbup:

I have to second the thank you to O2BT -- great idea about the protein! And, if you're like me and your doctors are a little farther away, you can keep track of the mileage you rack up for these medical issues to deduct next year. I'm now on day 4 of liquid Protein, and I just wanted to share my experience yesterday. I woke up at 4am RAVENOUS, fought it off for an hour or so, then remembered what my doctor said: Don't go hungry on this pre-op phase, just drink some more protein as long as your daily carbs are below 50g. So there I was at 5:30am mixing up a shake, drank it, took a bath, and went back to sleep for another hour. Like O2TB, I'm just fantasizing about the next phase: post-op, liquids with no carb limits! Velvety smooth Soups, here I come! :thumbup:

Pre-op, I'm on nothing but protein shakes, broth, water, and sf popsicles. My doctor recommends Unjury, which I have a bunch of. Love the chocolate, as do my kids. It has 20g protein, 100 calories and 4 carbs. I also use Syntrax Nectar Cappucino protein powder a couple of times a day. It has a great flavor, no carbs, 90 calories, 23 g protein, and I have that in the morning now instead of my coffee with milk and flavored creamer.

Hi, EAbadie. I live in Northern VA, and I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know exactly where Roanoke is, but I'm thinking south of here... I bet if I asked my 5th grader, she'd know! :biggrin:

Thanks, O2B! Does miniature golf count? Even there, I have to admit, I'm terrible... Our coed softball league starts the last weekend in April, and I'm hoping to be able to play by then. Still haven't decided if I'll tell anyone there about the band yet. Of course, they may not notice for a while... :rolleyes2:

Thanks, ladies! I had to change my avatar to something more upbeat (smiling crab vs. paper bag over my head -- it was kinda depressing me, but I was feeling that way the day I set up my account!), and now I'm trying to get my ticker working. Let's see if it works with this post. If not, can y'all tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Hi. I'm being banded March 11th too by Dr. Eric Pinnar in Reson, VA. I just got my date this morning and can hardly believe it. I'm so happy, I even changed my avatar this afternoon to something that has a smile! (I used to have a paper bag over my head...) I've been "practicing" not drinking with meals, and having a morning Protein shake. When they offered me 3/11, I jumped on it. Plus I only have to do 8 days pre-op protein liquid diet... :biggrin2:

Holy Moly, folks! I just got my surgery date -- 3/11! :cursing: The shrink wanted a 14-day pre-op diet (because I was mentally strong enough for it ), but when the scheduler offered a spot 8 days from now, I was all over it. So, effective with that protein shake I had this morning, I've had nothing but shakes, broth, and water. I can hardly believe it... :thumbup:

Hi All, I've got one more step before Dr. Eric Pinnar's office will schedule my surgery -- just the session with the shrink. I'm (sadly) self-pay, but having now completed my taxes, we're appyling a big refund to that. Lattedah, I enjoy reading your posts because they're informative and I hope I'm not going to be too far behind you. You're my guide here, even if you never signed up for the position! Glad to hear you're doing well on the liquid diet. ColoradoChick, Just go to Welcome to the unjury Homepage to buy samples or just place an order. I can strongly recommend the chocolate doctored with a shot of sugar-free syrups (like DaVinci chocolate or Kahlua flavor), milk, and a little ice. This morning, both my 10 y.o. daughter and 8 y.o. son kept drinking my shake and I had to make myself a new one!! :tt2: Now they want to now if they can have shakes for Breakfast everyday too.