whimsy

Hi there, Duke! (Love the name...it's my maiden name. :biggrin: ) You get the weight graphic by clicking on any of the ones shown. It will take you to the website that allows you to customize your own. Then you'll need to copy the code it gives you and paste it in your signature. Hi hi! Mine took about 4 hours BUT only because they wanted to confirm that I was not pregnant before I did the barium and upper gi. The EKG and chest X-ray were pretty fast. I think it just depends on where you go and how on the ball they are. If they are busy or slackers, it may take longer. My poor hubby had to wait on me, too.

Let me see if I can remember that far back. :biggrin: My memory is just horrible! I had blood tests, chest x-ray, EKG, barium swallow and an upper GI. Barium is not pleasant but just remember "this too shall pass"!

Haha, thank you! They are real sweethearts, usually. They just don't understand why they can't jump up on my lap and gut like they used to. I've had furry cannonballs in the gut a couple times since surgery and while it didn't hurt as bad as I imagined, I just don't want them dislodging something. :angry_smile: I tend to blog just to purge my thoughts. Sometimes it helps to just get that stuff out! Especially when I'm feeling especially cranky due to head hunger and liquid diet woes. :cursing: Plus, I have a few friends on my lapband account who are considering WLS (one lapband, the other gastric bypass) and have been curious of how things are post-surgery. So, I figure I'll be honest as possible there because I think they should be able to see both the good and the bad.

I just wanted to wish all of you lucky Shamrockers good luck on your surgery and a speedy recovery post-op. Please us know how you are all doing! Congratulations on this first huge step toward a healthier you!

I accepted both requests and I am sending a request to HarleyGirl. I understand not wanting to be so open about the surgery on your page - that's why I made a separate account just for me to chronicle my journey and upload before and after pictures. It's not that I feel like I need to hide it from my friends. It's just that I don't want to constantly talk about it to them. I'm sure they'll get tired of it after awhile. Being friended with other bandsters, I think we can motivate one another and learn from one another, too. :angry_smile:

I'm sorry you're having a rough time, Robin. When you finally make it home, get comfortable and get lots of rest. Please keep us posted on how you are doing. I honestly don't know. I will say that my doctor told me that grape juice was fine for my clear liquid stage. I don't know about you but I can't see through a glass of grape juice. *grins* I imagine it should be ok but I suppose asking your dietician would be the safest solution. I'm curious to know what the answer is!

I used to think that way, too. Celebrations meant going out to eat at my favorite restaurants. So, I'm having to rewire my brain and see things differently. Right now, I'm 8 pounds away from my first mini-goal, which is to be under 300 pounds. My husband says he has something special planned for me but who knows what that is? *grins* I also decided on a more long-term goal. When I lose 10 inches from my waist, I'm going to buy myself a pair of Apple Bottom jeans. It's nothing super fancy but it's still a reward that I'd be happy with. I've already picked out the size (I checked the size chart to find out what would fit me 10 inches from now) so I may go ahead and order them and have them hanging up somewhere to keep me motivated. My one year reward is to travel to Thailand with one of my best friends. My mother is Thai and the last time I went I was still a toddler. So, I'm hoping by this time next year I'll be significantly healthier and thin enough to be comfortable wearing a swimsuit in public. :biggrin2:

Aw, Amanda, I think many of us will go through something similar post-op. It's a part of the bandster hell, methinks. I've done a lot of reading on this board and other articles as well and have found that many people are able to eat most of the foods they had pre-op. The difference is that many are now eating 1/3-1/4 what they consumed before. Sure, there will be some foods that won't agree with the band. It may be due to consistency, lack of being thoroughly chewed or the bite wasn't small enough. This is a tough adjustment period. Honestly, I have days (off and on) where I feel *exactly* as you do. What have I done? Why did I do this? I just want a frickin' cheeseburger or steak already! The truth is that there is so much more to most weight problems than portion control. I look at this period as a way to heal my body but also try and cure my mind of what triggers my bad eating habits. From what I've seen, it does get better. We're all here for you and cheering you on. When things feel bleak, take a look at the before and after pictures or try and figure out mini-goals for yourself so that you can reward yourself for your hard work and lifestyle change. I am confident you can do this. Please keep us posted on how you're feeling. I know that I, for one, will try my best to listen and/or advise the best way I can. In helping others, we also help ourselves.

I started to have sharp pangs yesterday off and on. And yeah, it's under the port area. It's a very strange sensation. They don't last long but they do hurt. It's like fleeting sharp pains. I don't know how easy it is to rip the port but I can't imagine it being *that* easy since they do stitch it to muscle. I go for my follow-up on Monday, so if I keep having the pains, I'll mention it to him then. So far, I haven't had any of those pains today.

Howdy band-date twin! It sounds like you are really doing well! Keep it up! Don't worry about the weight loss right now - the healing is so incredibly important. Our excess baggage will be melting off soon enough afer we've healed and had a fill or three. :grouphug: Congrats on being able to finally eat some real food! I'm stuck on liquids for 2 more weeks, so I'm glad someone is getting to enjoy themselves! Keep us posted on you, too!

It's so great to be able to see your faces and get to know y ou all better. Thank you so much for sharing. :drool:

Me too, me too, me too! :drool:

And Jenna! 14 pounds lost! Is that all since surgery? Keep it up, woman!

Jenna, are ya'll gonna have to come to Dallas for fills? If so, I definitely want to meet ya'll for lunch or something down the road! I will say that my family enjoys going to Shreveport for the casinos, so we'll probably be out your way before long, too.

I'm actually having similar concerns. I'm reviewing my food diary from yesterday and today and I see a decline in my intake. Granted, my hunger kicks in sometimes but overall I'm not incredibly hungry. Yesterday was the first day that I didn't get in all my protein. I was at about 54 grams and my doctor wants me to have at least 60 daily. I also noticed that my legs were holding some Water last night. That was likely a result of not sipping as much water as i should. So, yesterday was an off track kind of day. I'm hoping to do better today. So far, i'm at about 40 grams of protein for the day but I had to force myself to drink some of my Protein shakes. It's not that I don't like them, in all honesty. I just don't have the appetite. When I did feel hungry, I had some blended Hormel turkey chili (no beans!) and I felt better. Plus, I got some decent protein from it. But, like you said, Fenton, I hope this means I won't need to wait to long to find my sweet spot. I hope my first fill is the winner! :biggrin2: As for sleeping on my left side...I'm skeered! :drool: It's still so incredibly sore and even when I attempted to sleep on my right side, it felt like my innards were sloshing about. I'm willing to attempt anything at this point to feel better, so I may try that tonight. I have a body pillow and several other pillows to use, so why not?

Incidentally, I went to the mall with my husband yesterday and enjoyed a nice smoothie. They had options of using Splenda and adding different supplements, so we opted for a scoop of whey Protein. This added 20 grams of protein to my wild berry smoothie. It was pretty tasty. I sipped it all day long since it was SO huge. I'm doing my best to find the healthy way to take in these Proteins and I think this smoothie might be a decent way to do it. My steri-strips are still on and my surgery was on the 3rd. I'm not in as much pain as before but I'm still sore. I've been having some strange shooting pains just below my main incision site which have made me very uncomfortable. If they persist, I'll be calling my surgeon. I think the worst for me has been not getting a restful night of sleep. I can't sleep comfortably whether it's lying down or sitting up. I finally slept on my right side for a short stint but even that wasn't very comfortable for me. So, more than anything, I'm tired but I'm hanging in there. Now if I can just get my mother to stop asking how much weight I've lost, I'll be in good shape... :drool:

Pfft. Attacks? My dear Fenton, it's simply my way of showing concern for you as you show concern for everyone else. I don't think it's hypocrisy, per se. I just think that some of us will focus on one aspect of the lapband as opposed to others. I appreciate the fact that you chewed that sliver of chicken to fine paste until it could probably be sipped threw a straw. :tongue2: The fact remains is that others may not be as...diligent. I've heard too many horror stories about "just one small bite of..." that went horribly wrong. I don't want that for me, you or anyone else. So, it's more of my way to also put in my two cents about what we consume during our liquid phase. I think both points are important - watch the calories, starch, etc and also stick to the liquids as directed. Besides, considering the reason why we're all in this situation, no one really has room to be food police, eh? :tt2: And as far as the 2 pieces of high end chocolate - enjoy it! :drool:

I definitely didn't intend to come down hard or "smack her down" and I apologize at how harsh my sentiments came across. That is absolutely not my intent and I'm ashamed that it has been perceived that way. I feel so very bad at this perception and I apologize whole heartedly. My frustration stems from having to jump through hoops to have my surgery and what seems to be a lack of pre-op insight from her medical team. It's a shame she has to go through such turmoil and I truly hope she finds a resolution to her situation that works for her and keeps her in the best spirits possible. This is the reason why I have a love/hate relationship with message boards. What we type cannot always convey our tone or intent. We all are here for one reason and I am one of those folks who truly believes in positive support and encouragement. One of my favorite quotes that I strive to live by is this: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." --Plato Again, I apologize for what can be misconstrued as negativity toward the OP. Please know that I meant nothing of the sort and unfortunately didn't express my thoughts as clearly as I should have.

Seriously...were you self pay? Did you have to have a psych evaluation? You obviously were not mentally ready to have this procedure. Granted, I haven't read all 7 pages yet but this just really rubbed me the wrong way. Most of us who have been banded did the research and learned that this was an effective weight loss TOOL. Not an easy way out. /edit on I should edit this to say that I understand your frustration. I'm one week post-op and I'm having those feelings, too. It's hard being denied after indulging for so long. It's an emotional roller coaster but I know that in the long run, it'll be well worth it. I know it probably wasn't the news you wanted to hear, but I'm glad your surgeon isn't able to remove the band quite yet. I'm thinking that after some time to adjust to your new lifestyle that you may have a different perspective on things. You are indeed still young. It is so very important that you get a grip on your health now. I gained 100 pounds in a year when I was in my early 20's due to PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrom). Looking back, it really did impact my life. I didn't really enjoy my 20's because I spent so much time being ashamed of my body. I don't wish for anyone to live like that. Life is too short to hide away from the world. I think visiting a counselor of some sort would be beneficial to you. I don't know if you were mentally ready for the procedure but now that you have the band, it would behoove you to have someone to talk to. You mentioned depression and hurting yourself. These are serious things. Please don't let them go unchecked for too long. My wish for you is to find renewed strength and perspective with each new day.

Yay! I accepted both! :biggrin2:

You're definitely not a killjoy, Fenton. You are a reminding us to all be careful of what we consume. On that note, we should watch what we consume for caloric intake as well as adhere to our surgeon's instructions. For example, that small piece of chicken from your soup. No matter how much you chew it, the stomach still has to digest it. The movement of the stomach is what we're trying to avoid during the liquid phase. I know it's not like you had a entire chicken breast but it's still not prudent during the liquid phase which is all about healing and having the band set properly.:smile: I'd hate for any of us to go through all of this only to have problems over one small bite of (enter your food of choice here).

Oh! If you haven't checked out the monthly support groups, come and visit us March bandsters! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f114/march-bandsters-master-thread-53908/ :biggrin2:

I was banded on March 3rd as well and today is the first day that I actually feel "great"! I had my gall bladder removed last summer and I don't remember hurting quite as much. I really loved my Lortab. I think I'm down to one last dose. :thumbup: My hunger really kicked in yesterday, so I was just ornery. Today, I don't feel quite as cranky. I'm sure it will get easier as the days go on but I am right there with you - full liquids is tough. I don't know about your surgeon but mine has me on full liquids for 5 weeks. It's going to be rough!

That sounds wonderful. Please let us know how it turns out. I've been really considering those refried beans from Taco Hell but I know that they are just saturated with fat. A homemade, healthier version sounds like the better option. :thumbup: Oh! I'm glad you enjoyed the Lasagne Soup idea! I added a bit of shredded cheese to mine as well. I let it melt into liquid goodness before I ate it. Was very good! I think I'll add a bit more Italian seasons that next time. I read that there is a really good Campbell's Select tomato soup with parmesan but I've not been able to find it. When I do, I'll probably add ricotta to that and see how it compares.

Dr. Hamn was my surgeon on March 3rd and I adore him. He is straight forward and very thorough. His office is in West Plano. :biggrin2: