Midwest Carol

Nice Job SpecialK! I can't believe there are 120 of us from all over the country. It is neat to see where people are from. I am from Springfield, Illinois. Maybe everyone could tell you where they live and add it. Look out world, here come the Shrinking Shamrocks!

My two year old granddaughter has always had these issues, and her doctor prescribed MiraLax powder. It used to be a prescription, but it is now sold over the counter. She takes a half a capful in water and drinks it every night. She calls it her "Poopy Juice". I had surgery and picked some up so I wouldn't have to take a pill stool softener. Adults just mix a capful with 4-8 ounces of any beverage.

I am one week out of surgery and feeling human again. Looks like you are doing great with the band. When did you have your first fill, and how many have you had?

Hi Kristin. Last night I met Becky and Dawn for dinner in Bloomington. It was really nice. We are planning to meet again on Tuesday, April 22 at the Cracker Barrel in Lincoln. After that, we we thinking about meeting in Morton in May. Let us know if you could come to Lincoln, or give us some dates in May that would work for you.

Love your ticker, Dawn. We do seem like turtles at times going toward that treasure. But they say "slow and easy wins the race" so we will win as long as we keep our eye on that treasure. It was so nice meeting you and Becky last night. Can't wait till next time.

It is 3/31 and I am now "5 days out" so I was drawn to your questions. I am having every problem you had, except I can lay on my right side. Hope you are doing well and healthy and trimmer.

Yes, but I had a hard time. Fenton told me that he had to start a new signature when he wanted to show his weight loss, and that is what I finally had to do also. Try clicking on my ticker, then try to copy the text in the box into your profile. Actually, my sixteen year old granddaughter had to do it for me. If it doesn't work, let me know and I will ask her how she did it.

Good luck to those scheduled for surgery on 3/31! That finishes out our Shrinking Shamrocks. Now we just have to get busy and SHRINK! Did anyone ever count to see how many of us there are? We should figure out a way to keep track of our total pounds lost in the next year.

Thanks for the ideas. I printed them out. Don't think I can have cottage cheese yet, but it sounds awfully good so i will check. After my experience with the shake last night, I'm sort of afraid of it. I may just bring a packet of my soup, or maybe I can have them put some soup in a blender for me. Guess I will be the only one who can actually have a drink.

I am going to try to make it on Tuesday. My daughter and her kids may ride along and go out to eat with some relatives in Bloomington while I go to Denny's. They love Avanti's gondolas. I'm really looking forward to getting some advice from people with a little more experience. Yesterday I was out for about six hours and thought I should get some protein in me before I went to bed. It was my first shake since surgery. Ugh. It did not set well. Luckily I had one anti-nausea pill left from surgery. Don't know if I just drank too much or too quickly, but it makes me a little nervous about trying another. Maybe one of you can help me order at Denny's. It will be my first time to eat out with the band.

I understand your pain. Just had surgery on March 26 about two hours from my home. After surgery I could not go at all. Called the doctor at midnight and he told me it was "urinary retention" from the anesthesia and to go into the emergency room for a straight cath. They took off 1200 c.c. and I felt so good. Now everything is fine.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Surgery went well, and the trip home was fine, but I did have a slight problem. I had urinary retention and ended up calling Dr. R. at midnight. We had to go to the hospital in Springfield for a straight cath that night. That solved the problem, but it was rough for awhile. Today my belly is really hard from the gas and I'm getting a bit of the back pain, but other than that I am great. Drinks and pills are going down fine. I'm still hoping to see everyone next week, but I'm going to have to feel a little better than this before I take off on that drive.

It is 5 a.m. and we are about ready to head out for our two hour journey to the hospital. Surgery is at 9:00 so please think good thoughts. It sure doesn't take long to get ready without makeup, jewelry, breakfast, drinks, etc. I woke up at 11:50 last night and got up to say a final farewell to Diet Pepsi. I could sure use a drink of anything about now. I'll let you know how the day goes!

Thank you, Becky, for your prayers. It is 5 a.m. and we are heading off to Champaign. I'll let you know how it goes.

My surgery will be in Champaign. The reason is that since I am self-pay, I chose the Blis insurance coverage. This way, if anything goes wrong in the first eighteen months it will be covered. I was afraid that if something happened, my personal insurance would not cover it and I wouldn't be able to afford to have it taken care of. Apparently the Blis insurance coverage only works if you have the surgery at Carle.

Next week I may be able to answer some of your questions. I am having my surgery on Wednesday. It is definitely worth going to the informational meeting if you are at all interested. I went to the Illinois Bariatric Center Seminar held in Springfield. It only lasted 1 - 1 1/2 hours and gave us all kinds of information. There is no pressure whatsoever. There are so many nice people on this forum who are willing to answer our questions. There seems to be quite a few in the Peoria, Bloomington, Champaign and even a few in the Springfield area. In fact, next Tuesday at 6:30 a group is meeting at Denny's in Normal. If I am up to it, I plan to go. Check the Bloomington thread on this.

Springfield, Illinois

Thanks Fenton. I did have to start a new ticker. Oh well, it gave me a chance to turn it into a Shamrock.

I am having a hard time updating my weight on the Ticker. Can someone give me some TA?

Hey Stellabella - I'm going in on the 26th also. I've been put under several times, and it is no big deal. They usually have you count and then you are gone. The next thing you know someone is waking you up. How is your pre-op diet going? Tomorrow I go in for the blood work and x-rays. I'm a little nervous about what my regular doctor is going to say about the lapband.

Hope your fill helps. I'm going to hope that I get the P.A. for mine. Planning to come to Bloomington on the 1st. In fact, I drove through Bloomington this week on my way to Chicago and saw the Denny's we are going to. I have one yellow t-shirt, and it will just have to do. Don't plan on buying any clothes right now. I should be able to shop in my closet for a few months.

Becky, Good luck with your fill. Let us know how it goes.

I hope I do as well as you. Becky lives outside of Morton, maybe we could all meet up sometime. She may be at the Bloomington dinner of April 1.